Sunday, September 2, 2012

August 27-September 2, 2012 Players who won a batting title by at least 40 points


MONDAY
Q.         Who became the first player to steal a base in four decades?
Hint:     ESPN's Sports Century placed him 16th among the top athletes of the 20th Century.
Hint:     He once signed over his World Series share to the clubhouse attendant.
Twint:    He was the second recipient of SABR's Hero of Baseball Award.
A.         Ted Williams (SBs in 1939, 1941, 1955, 1960 [among others])
FCR:     Leanne Rohrbach, Minnapolis

TUESDAY
Q.         Who was the first grandfather to hit a home run in the major leagues?
Hint:     For good measure, he hit another one the following week.
Hint:     He's a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame even though he never played for the Dodgers.
Twint:    President Lyndon Johnson named him his physical fitness advisor.
Twint:    He hit 17 career home runs off of Warren Spahn.
A.         Stan Musial (HR on 10-Sep-1963; 2nd HR 16-Sep-1963; voted in the BDHOF as a "respected opponent")
FCR:     Bradley Curtis, Roseville, CA

WEDNESDAY
Q.         Who appeared on the cover of Time the year he was named Most Valuable Player?
Hint:     The American Amateur Baseball Congress 6-and-under age division is named for him.
Hint:     In 2002, he was inducted into the United States Marines Sports Hall of Fame.
Twint:    His number has been retired by two teams.
A.         Rod Carew (Time cover 18-Jul-1977; AABC; USMS HOF; No. 29 retired by Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels)
FCR:     John Michael Pierobon, Ft. Lauderdale

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q.         Who was managing the Texas League's Fort Worth Cats when he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame?
Hint:     Actor Frank Lovejoy played him in the Grover Cleveland Alexander biopic The Winning Team.
Twint:    He succeeded Joe McCarthy as manager of the Chicago Cubs.
Twint:    He had a passion for gambling on the horses and greyhounds.
A.         Rogers Hornsby (1942 elected to the Baseball HOF; 1930)
FCR:     Kenny Fink, Ocala

THURSDAY
Q.         Whose 1933 Goudey baseball card was named one of the Top 10 most valuable cards by Forbes in 2002?
Hint      Part of his success was due to a specially designed bat that had two knobs at the end.
Hint:     At 44, he tried to enlist in the U.S. Army, but was refused.
Twint:    He was the first player from his position to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
A.         Nap Lajoie (Goudey card; Inducted to Baseball HOF in 1937 as a second baseman)
FCR:     Arieh Siegal, Austin

FRIDAY
Q.         What professional batsman led the league in batting average, OBP, slugging and OPS, but only finished 10th in the MVP voting?
Hint:     Two years later, he hit .461 in his home ballpark.
Hint:     His career RBI total is identical to Mickey Vernon's.
Twint:    He has won the Tip O'Neill Award a record nine times.
A.         Larry Walker (1999; Coors Field in 1999, 1,311 RBI; Tip O'Neill Award:  annual award for Canada's best baseball player)
FCR:     David Serota, Kalamazoo

SATURDAY
Q.         Who delivered the hit that ignited Enos Slaughter's mad dash to home in the 1946 World Series?
Hint:     He started the baseball program at the University of Alabama Birmingham where he coached from 1979-86.
Hint:     His father, a pitcher for the Washington Senators (1909-1912), roomed with Walter Johnson.
Twint:    He was often described as "loquacious."
A.         Harry Walker (H 8th inning, 7th G; UAB Baseball; Father Ewart "Dixie" Walker)
FCR:     John Null, Sugarland, TX

SUNDAY
Q.         Who was the first player to start an All-Star Game as a write-in candidate?
Hint:     He had 88 RBI as a rookie, but only once exceeded that total in his 15-year career.
Hint:     His 31-game hit streak stood as a club record for 41 years.
Twint:    He was runner-up for the National League batting title and for Rookie of the Year.
A.         Rico Carty (1970 ASG; 88 RBI in1964, 101 RBI in 1970; 1970 Atlanta Braves record broken by Dan Uggla in 2011; .330 in 1964, 2nd to Clemente’s .334, 2nd in ROY to Dick Allen)
FCR:     John Rickert, Terre Haute, IN

WEEKLY THEME – Players who won a batting title by at least 40 points.  Thanks to Barry Sparks of York, Pennsylvania for this week’s quiz.

Carew         1977       .388       Lyman Bostock .336      (+.052)
                  1974       .364       Jorge Orta        .316      (+.048)
                  1973       .350       George Scott    .306      (+.044)
Carty          1970       .366       Joe Torre          .325      (+.041)
Hornsby      1924       .424       Zack Wheat       .375      (+.049
                  1922       .401       Ray Grimes       .354      (+.047)
                  1921       .397       Edd Roush       .352      (+.045)
Lajoie         1901       .426       Mike Donlin       .340      (+.086)
Musial         1948       .376       Richie Ashburn  .333      (+.043)
H. Walker    1947       .363       Bob Elliott        .317      (+.046)
L. Walker    1999       .379       Luis Gonzalez    .336      (+.043)
Williams      1941       .406       Cecil Travis       .359      (+.047)


First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Randall Chandler, Germantown, TN


Horsehide Trivia blog has the questions and answers from this week as well as from previous weeks:  http://horsehidetrivia.blogspot.com/



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