A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

INDUCTION JUNCTION: All the recent Hall of Fame talk around here about the Baseball, Football and Rock and Roll Halls made me think the a semi-regular feature rounding up some of the recent developments in Halls big and small was in order. So, here is the first installment of a little feature I like to call "Induction Junction":

• The National Inventors Hall of Fame, located in that hub of invention, Akron, Ohio, (seriously, you knew about all the tire stuff, but there's much more) recently announced its 2007 inductees. Joining Edison (he was the lone inductee in the Hall's first class in 1973), Whitney, Bell, and the Brothers Wright are the inventors and developers of the soft contact lens, automotive airbag, Cat scan, MRI, and LP record (the inventor of the 8-track, William Lear, is already in, though not for that beloved recording medium or the jets that bear his name, but rather for the car radio). Maybe next year, Elisha Gray (for whom the street I live on was named).
• The finalists for the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame are going to be announced on Friday. Among those eligible for the first time are Chris Mullin and Phil Jackson, but not Dennis Rodman.
  
• Disappointingly, Gary Cherone is gracious about not being included as part of Van Halen's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-worthy lineup.
  
• When you think jazz, cities like New Orleans, Chicago, and New York probably come to mind. It looks like it might be a little bit longer until Tulsa joins the list after a recent fire damaged the future site of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.
  
• This week's "Small Hall" nugget highlights the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame, which will welcome eight new members this May including the beloved 1938 men’s foursome from Glenboro, skipped by Ab Gowanlock with Elwyn (Bung) Cartmell, Bill McKnight and E.R. (Tom) McKnight. About time, eh?