Sunday, March 17, 2013

March 4-10, 2013 Players who led the league in stolen bases with 20 or fewer


This week’s guest author is the prolific Barry Sparks of York, PA.

MONDAY
Q.         Who holds the Boston Red Sox consecutive game hitting streak with 34?
Hint:     He led American League outfielders in assists and double plays three times and putouts twice.
Hint:     He represented Navy in the 1944 Army-Navy Services World Series.
Twint:    Author David Halberstam described him as "probably the most underrated player of his day."
A.         Dom DiMaggio. (assists, '40, '42, '47; putouts '42, '48; double plays '42, 47, '52; September 1944 in Hawaii; Quoted in The Teammates; Streak 1949)
FCR -    Matt Gibson, Barboursville, WV

TUESDAY
Q.         Who won a National League batting title at age 22?
Hint:     He was said to be the fastest from home to first in his day.
Hint:     He shares a nickname with a Hall of Fame basketball player.
Twint:    Leo Durocher said he might have been better than Willie Mays.
Twint:    Few outfielders today know that he is the one to thank for the padded walls in most parks.
A.         Pete Reiser (.343 in 1941; "Pistol Pete" Maravich; Had a reputation for crashing into immoveable outfield structures.)
FCR -    Andrew Milner, Bryn Mawr, PA

WEDNESDAY
Q.         Who had a pair of 26-game hit streaks in the same season?
Hint:     President Nixon named him as a reserve outfielder on his pre-1945 National League team.
Hint:     He holds the National League season record for runs scored.
Twint:    He was the first Phillie to bat in an All-Star Game.
A.         Chuck Klein (Streaks 1930; 158 runs in 1930; AS AB 06‑Jul‑1933)
FCR -    Patrick Fazzone, Arlington, VA

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q.         Who once said, "Managing a ballclub is like getting malaria.  Once you're bitten by the bug, it's difficult to get it out of your bloodstream."?
Hint:     He served as a paratrooper in the Army in World War II.
Hint:     He was chosen as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates' Team of the Century in 1999.
Twint:    His trademark was a rocking chair from which he would hold court with the press.
A.         Danny Murtaugh (Rocking chair)
FCR -    Bill Carle, Lee’s Summit, MO

THURSDAY
Q.         Who played in four World Series, all for the losing team?
Hint:     Can’t blame him.  He hit .348 over the four Series.
Hint:     He received MVP votes for eight consecutive seasons.
Twint:    When he retired in 1947, he had the fourth most career walks.
Twint:    He had the highest career on-base percentage of any modern-day third baseman until Wade Boggs surpassed his mark.
A.         Stan Hack (WS 1932, 35, 38 & 45; MPV votes 1938-1945; 1,092 BB; .394 for Hack and .414 for Boggs)
FCR -    Steve Schwartz, Chico, CA

FRIDAY
Q.         Who led the American League in hits in 1948?
Hint:     His major league career lasted just six seasons.
Hint:     He played in the 1949 All-Star game, appearing as a pinch-runner and later singling off Howie Pollet.
Twint:    After his major league career, he played four seasons in the Pacific Coast League and led the league in hitting with a .366 average in 1953.
A.         Bob Dillinger (207 H; 1946-51, 753 G; ASG 12‑Jul‑1949; PCL 1952-55)
FCR -    Bill Lewers, McLean, VA

SATURDAY
Q.         Who was the first player to hit two home runs in the same All-Star Game?
Hint:     He batted .364 in nine All-Star Games.
Hint:     He drowned at age 40 in a boating accident.
Twint:    In 2001, Bill James called him the second best shortstop in major league history.
A.         Arky Vaughan (7th inning off Sid Hudson, 8th inning off Eddie Smith, ASG 08‑Jul‑1941)
FCR -    Paul Hirsch, Danville, CA

SUNDAY
Q.         Who did Jackie Robinson say was the first opposing player to wish him good luck and treat him like a man?
Hint:     He was involved in a serious car crash after the 1941 season and missed the next two seasons before returning in 1944.
Hint:     He was once involved in a minor league brawl that required 55 cops to restore order.
Twint:    His nickname was "Jeep."
A.         Lee Handley, (Brawl: 1953 Pacific Coast League game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Hollywood Stars)
FCR -    Bradley Curtis, Roseville, CA

WEEKLY THEME – Players who led the league in stolen bases with 20 or fewer

Player                          Team                            SB        Year
Dillinger                        St. Louis Browns           20         1949
DiMaggio                      Boston Red Sox           15         1950
Hack                             Chicago Cubs               16         1938
Hack                             Chicago Cubs               17         1939
Handley                        Pittsburgh Pirates          17         1939
Klein                             Philadelphia Phillies       20         1932
Murtaugh                      Philadelphia Phillies       18         1941
Reiser                           Brooklyn Dodgers         20         1942
Vaughan                       Brooklyn Dodgers         20         1943

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Joe Ullian, Santa Barbara, CA (after the Klein Q.)


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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