“It’s the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Very Good” means that someone who is just “very good” isn’t special enough to be voted into a sports hall of fame. “Nine of them, submitted as a silent protest against turning the Hall of Fame into the Hall of Very Good, have deprived Jim Bunning admission this year and possibly forever” was written by Associated Press sportswriter Hal Block in 1988. “This, though, is not the Hall of Very Good. It’s the Hall of Fame” was written by Block in 1998.
Google News Archive
9 February 1988, Ludington (MI) Daily News, “Bock’s Score: Blank ballots hurt Bunning’s bid” by Hal Block (AP), pg. 9, col. 4:
Beware the blank ballot.
Nine of them, submitted as a silent protest against turning the Hall of Fame into the Hall of Very Good, have deprived Jim Bunning admission this year and possibly forever.
Google News Archive
3 January 1998, Ludington (MI) Daily News, “Baseball HOF: It’s tough deciding who belongs” by Hal Block (AP), pg. 7, col. 1:
This, though, is not the Hall of Very Good. It’s the Hall of Fame. So, we look for some separating qualities.
Google News Archive
21 August 2002, The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, VA), “Davis had heart, but not Hall credentials” by Skip Bayless, pg. B6, col. 6:
This is not the Hall of Very Good.
Google Groups: alt.sports.baseball.chicago-cubs
Upgrades from April 2003 roster
David Craven
12/22/03
(...)
One’s a member of the Hall of very Good and the other is a member of the Hall of Fame.
Yanks Go Yard
January 5, 2015
The Bronx is Boiling: David Cone in the HOF?
by Wayne Cavadi
(...)
There is that old saying that, “It’s the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Very Good.” I agree with that, but there is no denying that some very pedestrian players have been admitted in the Hall of Fame.
Twitter
Reid
@ReidMFSmith
I hate when people say “it’s not the Hall of Very Good.” Being very good for 20 years is unbelievable and rare. Biggio belongs in the Hall
8:22 PM - 6 Jan 2015
Twitter
Jarret Matta
@jbmatta13
@howaboutafresca as skip bayless would say “Hall of Very Good”?
10:23 PM - 6 Jan 2015
Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.
Recent entries:
•“I read old books because I would rather learn from those who built civilization than those who tore it down” (4/18)
•“I study old buildings because I would rather learn from those who built civilization than those who tore it down” (4/18)
•“Due to personal reasons, I’m still going to be fluffy this summer” (4/18)
•“Do not honk at me. My life is worthless. I will kill us both” (bumper sticker) (4/18)
•Entry in progress—BP16 (4/18)
More new entries...
Above, Big Apple Corner at 54th Street and Broadway in Manhattan. Google Maps. Stolen and missing, 2021-2024.
Above, John J. Fitz Gerald, from the Aug. 15, 1931, Binghamton (NY) Press, pg. 14.
Listen to Robert Emmerich introduce "The Big Apple," a hit song from 1937. Music written by Bob and performed by Tommy Dorsey's Clambake Seven with Bob on piano. Lyrics written by Buddy Bernier and sung by Edythe Wright. Audio provided by Dorothy Emmerich.
Also listen to a 1937 "The Big Apple" song by Ozzie Nelson and his Orchestra. See a 1929 photo of John J. Fitz Gerald and a 1931 photo of John J. Fitz Gerald.
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