Sports Then and Now

No player has been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame more times than Jerry Kramer without getting into the Hall.

After two months of painstakingly looking at each position to determine which players that have been overlooked by the Pro Football Hall of Fame are the most deserving, it is finally time now, on the eve of the 2009 induction ceremonies, to look at the 10 players that I believe to be the most deserving of induction into the Hall of Fame, but who are still waiting for that call.

To create the top 10, I again reviewed all 225 players that had earned mention in the top 25 lists for each position. I then narrowed the field based on overall career performance, perception when they retired (where they considered at the time a Hall of Fame caliber player), team performance and accolades received.

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In the opinion of the author, no member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame is less worthy of the honor than Lynn Swann.

It has been quite interesting over the past two months analyzing the best players at each position who have not yet earned a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It has reaffirmed my belief that there are a heck of a lot of deserving football players who have yet to get a bust in Canton. It also has made me scratch my head over a few of the players that have received football immortality.

Overall, I will say that for the most part, the Hall of Fame voters have done a very good job of selecting top players for the Hall of Fame. While I believe there are as many as two dozen deserving players who have been overlooked, the number of players in the Hall of Fame that I question is significantly less.

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Welcome to the new weekly Friday wrap-up column on Sports Then and Now. We’ll use this space each week to look back at this week in sports history, offer some insights and opinions on what is happening today and preview some of the big sporting events coming up over the weekend.

You Can’t Pick Your Relatives
San Francisco 49ers’ draft pick Michael Crabtree probably won’t be all that happy at his next family reunion. He and his agent, Eugene Parker, are now trying to distance themselves from comments made this week by the receiver’s cousin, David Wells. Wells told reporters that Crabtree is prepared to sit out this season and re-enter the NFL draft in 2010 if he doesn’t get what they believe to be “fair market value.”

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First round pick Michael Crabtree has reportedly threatened to sit out the entire 2009 season and re-enter the NFL Draft if he can't get a suitable contract from the 49ers.

If there were still any questions that Michael Crabtree had a “prima donna” attitude, or liked himself in a T.O. kind of way, there are no doubts now.

Late Thursday morning, ProFootballTalk.com reported that San Francisco 49ers first round pick (10th overall), wide receiver Michael Crabtree, was fully prepared to sit out the entire 2009 season if he doesn’t get the contract he’s demanding.

ESPN later reported that David Wells, Crabtree’s cousin and adviser, confirmed that the receiver is willing to hold out all year.

“We are prepared to do it,” Wells said. “Michael just wants fair-market value. They took him with the 10th pick and you have Darrius Heyward-Bey getting $38 million?  This week is crucial. Michael was one of the best players in the draft and he just wants to be paid like one of the best players. This week is very crucial.”

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A year ago Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in a classic Wimbledon final. Now that he is back for the U.S. Open, will Nadal be able to regain the top perch from Federer.

A year ago at this time, we were all squirming in uneasy anticipation waiting to see how Roger Federer would answer the challenge put forth by Rafael Nadal after the Spaniard scorched the green lawns of Wimbledon and exacerbated excruciating pain on the red clay of Roland Garros.

Make no mistake about it—Nadal intended to take over the No. 1 ranking in men’s tennis before summer’s end.

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Brian Mitchell is the NFL's all-time leader in kickoff, punt and total return yards.

We conclude the position-by-position look at the best eligible players not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame by looking at the top special teams players who have not yet earned a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

While special teams has long been considered an important element of winning football, special teams players have never really received much recognition or respect.

It doesn’t take long to call roll for the special teams players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

There is only one player in the Hall of Fame, kicker Jan Stenerud, who never played on either offense or defense.

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