MONDAY
Q. After Pete Alexander in 1917, who was the next Phillies pitcher to win 20 games in a season?
Hint: After Pete Alexander in 1938, he was the next Phillies pitcher to be elected to the Hall of Fame.
Hint: Pete Alexander spoke to the future pitcher’s eighth grade class, admonishing the boys to enjoy sports and avoid drinking during his to-the-point, two-sentence presentation.
Twint: His father served in the British army during WWI and his brother served in the US army during WWII.
A. Robin Roberts (20 W in 1950; HOF 1976)
FCR - Fred Brillhart, Mechanicsburg, PA
MONDAY BONUS
Q. Whose 54 home runs in 1949 was the highest single-season home run total in the majors between 1938 and 1961?
Hint: His minor league career was interrupted by World War II after 2½ seasons, and after serving for three years, he never returned to the minors.
Twint: His military assignment was to search for Japanese submarines while piloting a plane.
Twint: He led the league in home runs for each of the next seven years after his return.
A. Ralph Kiner (Hank Greenberg hit 58 in 1938 and Roger Maris topped them all with his 61 in 1961; Minors; NL HR lead 1946-52)
FCR - Tom Malmud, White Plains, NY
TUESDAY (Not applicable to this week’s theme, even though that’s not how we planned it!)
Q. Who holds the Chicago Cubs career record for most games, at-bats, extra-base hits and total bases?
Hint: He had a historic one-inning stint as a manager on 08-May-1973.
Twint: His double-play partner, Gene Baker, was the second black player on the Cubs.
Twint: He was the first.
A. Ernie Banks (2,528 G, 9,421 AB, 1,009 EBH, 4,706 TB; arguably 1st black manager that day replacing Whitely Lockman, 1 yr before Frank Robinson [An argument could also be made for Roy Campanella, who, at least anecdotally, occasionally managed the Dodgers when Walter Alston was ejected.])
FCR - J.J. McCoy, Washington, DC
IN MEMORIAM
Q. Who was the first pick in the expansion draft for the team that we now call the Milwaukee Brewers?
Hint: He was president of the AA Southern League from 2000 until retiring last October.
Hint: Bubba Morton, with whom he played on the Angels, once said of him, "He was a great player and a great person. He was so intelligent--I would classify him as a perfect teammate."
Hint: He is the only player to play for both 20th-century Senators teams as well as their descendants, the Twins and the Rangers.
Hint: He is the only Minnesota Twins player to hit a home run in his first World Series at-bat.
Twint: His hometown newspaper has honored him with a picture above the page-one headline.
Twint: His pinch-hit RBI single in Game Four was a key part of the A’s winning their first of three consecutive World Series championships.
A. Don Mincher, who passed away Sunday (1968 Expansion Draft, 1969 Seattle Pilots; Southern League; WS HR 06-Oct-1965 in G 1 off Don Drysdale; The Huntsville Times; Hit 19‑Oct‑1972)
FCR - Fred Worth, Arkadelphia, AR
WEDNESDAY
Q. Which Indians pitcher led the league in complete games, shutouts and innings pitched during the last season in which the Indians won the World Series?
Hint: He managed the 1966 PCL champions.
Twint: He also managed the 1978 World Series champions.
A. Bob Lemon (20 CG, 10 SHO, 293.2 IP in 1948; 1966 Seattle Angels manager; 1978 Yankees second-half manager)
FCR - J.J. McCoy, Washington, DC
WEDNESDAY BONUS
Q. Which Hall of Famer was the Red Sox’ General Manager when the team finally broke the color barrier?
Hint: He won a World Series championship as a player/manager, and another as a full-time manager.
Twint: Before winning his second World Series title, he had served as General manager of the Buffalo Bisons.
Twint: He was pictured on the short-printed card #68 (Ted Signs for 1959) in the 1959 Fleer Ted Williams set.
A. Bucky Harris (BOS GM when the team promoted Pumpsie Green in 1959; P/M WS 1924, Mgr WS 1947)
FCR - Richard Nicholson, Richmond, VA
MIDWEEK BONUS
Q. Who was the only outfielder selected for each of the first six All-Star Games?
Hint: He holds the Indians career records for runs, RBI, total bases and extra-base hits.
Hint: He also held the Indians career home run record until 1996.
Twint: His son was the Angels’ primary catcher during their inaugural season.
A. Earl Averill (AS 1933-38, selected but DNP in 1935; 1,154 R, 1,084 RBI, 724 EBH, 3,200 TB; lost HR record to Albert Belle 25-Jul-1996; son Earl C for 88 games in 1961)
FCR - John Wilson, Mesa, AZ
THURSDAY
Q. Which slugger was credited with the National League’s first walk-off grand slam home run?
Hint: He was one of “my boys, my Giants.”
Hint: He held the major league career home run record for 26 years, 25 days.
Twint: He met his future wife while being fitted for a custom shirt at a Troy, NY shirt factory.
A. Roger Connor (walk-off GS 10-Sep-1881; HR record from 23-Jun-1895 [passed Stovey] until 18-Jul-1921 [passed by Ruth])
FCR - Paul Hirsch, Danville, CA
FRIDAY
Q. Which Hall of Fame second baseman had four hits, including a double and two triples, in the Cubs’ first night game?
Hint: Only once did he receive more than 20% of the Hall of Fame vote before he was finally elected.
Hint: He was once fined for his behavior in the World Series.
Twint: He was traded for the player who would go on to be league Most Valuable Player the following season, while he batted mere .213 in 15 games as a cellar-dwelling player-manager.
A. Billy Herman (Night G 01-Jul-1935; 0.8% in 1948, 1.0% in 1956, 2.6% in 1958, 2.5% in 1962, 12.9% in 1964, 9.3% in 1966, 20.2% in 1967, inducted in 1975; fined $200 by Commissioner Landis for unsportsmanlike conduct in 1935 WS; traded 30-Sep-1946 for 1947 NL MVP Bob Elliott, led Pirates to 7th place finish [tied Phillies for last in 8‑team league])
FCR - Jason Hoagland, Columbus, OH
IN MEMORIAM II
Q. Who owned the only independently run professional umpire school recognized by Minor League and Major League Baseball?
Hint: Dozens of major league umpires attended the school, including the owner’s son.
Hint: He was behind the plate for five no-hitters, tying Bill Klem’s National League record.
Hint: Tommy Lasorda believes this umpire should join Klem in the Hall of Fame.
Twint: He was a World Series umpire crew chief in 1980 and 1995 and was also part of World Series crews in 1973, 1986 and 1991.
Twint: Till the end he got grief about the Dietz/Drysdale call.
A. Harry Wendelstedt whose death was announced on Friday (Harry Wendelstedt Umpire School in Ormond Beach, Florida; The current Major League umpires that are/have been instructors at the school include: Lance Barksdale, Gerry Davis, Dana DeMuth, Doug Eddings, Bruce Froemming, Greg Gibson, Brian Gorman, Ed Hickox, John Hirschbeck, Sam Holbrook, Ron Kulpa,Jerry Layne, Randy Marsh, Chuck Meriwether, Paul Nauert, Charlie Reliford, Brian Runge, Larry Vanover, Tim Welke, and son Hunter Wendelstedt; No hitters: 29‑Jul‑1968 by George Culver, 17-Sep-1968 by Gaylord Perry, 14-Aug-1971 by Bob Gibson [the loser in the Perry G], 26-Sep-1983 by Bob Forsch, 11-Sep-1991 by Kent Mercker, Mark Wohlers & Alejandro Pena; on 31‑May‑1968 Don Drysdale hit Dick Dietz with a pitch that would have forced in a run for the Giants and broken Drysdale’s scoreless innings streak. Wendelstedt rule that Dietz had not made sufficient effort to elude the pitch. Dietz then flied out and Drysdale went on to set the record at 58 innings.)
FCR - Tim Phares, Laurel, MD
SATURDAY
Q. Whom did Bill James rank as the fourth-greatest player of all time, although he never appeared in a Major League game?
Hint: He served in the U.S. military, stationed in the Philippines.
Hint: He scouted the Negro Leagues for Branch Rickey.
Twint: He was known for his courage and combativeness, and once, according to legend, he ripped the hood off a Klansman and dared him to speak.
A. Oscar Charleston (Historical Baseball Abstract list, behind only Ruth, Wagner & Mays)
FCR - Russ Lake, Champaign, IL
WEEKEND BONUS
Q. What rookie pitcher led the 1923 St. Louis Stars in wins and ERA?
Hint: He won the 1940 Mexican League batting triple crown.
Hint: That year he also led the league in runs, triples, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
Hint: He finished second in doubles and third in steals.
Twint: Anecdotal stories about his legendary speed abound, the most famous being Satchel Paige’s assertion that he could turn off the lights and be in bed before the room got dark.
A. Cool Papa Bell (11 W & 4.53 ERA in 1923, after playing a few games in 1922)
FCR - John Wilson, Mesa, AZ
SUNDAY
Q. Who, as player/coach, signed Josh Gibson to his first professional contract?
Hint: As a scout, he also signed Dick Allen.
Hint: He was the first professional athlete inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame.
Twint: He and Gibson were traded together in what some call the biggest trade in the history of the Negro Leagues.
Twint: The home field of the Wilmington Blue Rocks bears his name.
A. Judy Johnson (1930; trade 1937; DE HOF 1976)
FCR - Michael Frank, New York
SUNDAY BONUS
Q. Which major league baseball umpire was voted the greatest tackle of the National Football League’s first fifty years?
Hint: The year his NFL career ended was the same year his major league umpiring career began.
Hint: His football-based methodology became the basis for modern umpire positioning.
Twint: His eyesight was damaged in a hunting accident, ending his umpiring career.
Twint: He then became Supervisor of American League umpires.
A. Cal Hubbard (NFL honor 1969; Accident 1951)
FCR - Paul Hirsch, Danville, CA
SUNDAY FINALE
Q. Who is the youngest player ever to appear in a (modern) World Series game?
Hint: He played in his last World Series game eleven years and one day later.
Twint: Art Nehf claimed that he was the hardest Giants hitter to fool in the clutch on a team that contained four other Hall of Famers.
Twint: He played center field between Paul and Lloyd Waner.
A. Fred Lindstrom (18 Years 10 mos. 13 days on 04-Oct-1924
FCR - Mark Kanter, Portsmouth, RI
WEEKLY THEME – Hall of Famers inducted during the Gerald Ford administration.
Averill 1975
Bell 1974
Charleston 1976
Connor 1976
Harris 1975
Herman 1975
Hubbard 1976
Lemon 1976
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