May 20-26, 2013 2013 Milwaukee Brewer Fan Bobblehead Giveaways

MONDAY

Q.         Which Hall of Fame player leads all other Hall of Fame players in career home runs?

Hint:     He also leads all other Hall of Fame players in career RBIs.

Twint:    Of the four years he won the season National League home run title, he precisely matched his uniform number three times.

Twint:    In 1969 he also matched his uniform number, but lost the National League home run title title to Willie McCovey.

A.         Hank Aaron (2,297 career RBI; Except his rookie year [#5], he wore #44 his entire career and led the NL w/44 HR in ‘57, ’63 & ’66 while finishing one behind McCovey in ’69.  He also lead in ’67 w/39 HR.)

FCR -    Michael Daponde, Sacramento, CA

TUESDAY

Q.         Who, after winning his only batting title, was traded to the Cleveland Indians for a player who had just won his only home run title?

Hint:     This is the only time in major league history where reigning batting and home run titlists were swapped.

Hint:     He later took over a 23-24 team and managed them to a .626 winning percentage.

Twint:    That same year he lost the World Series in seven games.

A.         Harvey Kuenn (Batted .353 in 1959, Trade for Rocky Colavito w/42 HR in ‘59; 72-43 with the 1982 Brewers after he replaced Buck Rodgers; Cardinals won ’82 WS 4-3).

FCR -    Harvey Judkowitz, Miami, FL

WEDNESDAY

Q.         Whose team home run title did Prince Fielder eclipse when he led the league with 50?

Hint:     He also led his league that year.

Hint:     His career batting average of .225 was moderated by an on-base percentage .324.

Twint:    He was the first ever player drafted by the Seattle Pilots in 1969.

Twint:    One would never mistake him for a sunny day with clear blue skies.

A.         Gorman Thomas (Held Brewers team record of 45 HR – later tied by Richie Sexon – from 1979-2007; 1979 AL HR title; 21^st pick, 1^st round; Nicknamed “Stormin’ Gorman” )

FCR -    Paul Hirsch, Danville, CA

MIDWEEK BONUS

Q.         Who tied Reggie Jackson for the American League home run title in 1980?

Hint:     This made him the first non-U.S. born player to win an American League home run title.

Hint:     He also led the American League in intentional bases on ball and won the Silver Slugger that year.

Hint:     In my personal opinion, no major leaguer has ever had a sweeter swing.

Twint:    His catch in the eighth inning of game five of the ALCS may have kept the California Angels out of the World Series that year.

Twint:    He was inducted into the 2012 Latino Hall of Fame.

A.         Ben Oglivie (41 HR 1980; B. Colon, Panama; 19 IBB 1980; Up by one with one on, his catch was the 3^rd out in a 4-3 game; 2012 Latino Hall of Fame)

FCR -    Walt Cherniak, Woodbine, MD

THURSDAY

Q.         Who hit 500-ft. home runs within eight days of each other and off two World Series MVPs?

Hint:     He won eight Gold Glove Awards at first base.  Only Keith Hernandez and Don Mattingly won more.

Hint:     He wore a necklace that he claimed was composed of the second basemen’s teeth.

Twint:    His 1968 season was one of the worst offensive performances ever for a first baseman.

A.         George Scott (HRs 26‑Apr off Whitey Ford & 04‑May‑1966 off Larry Sherry; GG 67,68, 71-76; 1968: .171 BA, .236 OBP, 25 RBI, 3 HR in 124 G w/350 AB)

FCR -    Jeff Bergida, Albany, NY

FRIDAY

Q.         Who was the most recent third baseman to win National League Rookie of the Year Award?

Hint:     After that season, he never played third base again.

Hint:     Undrafted out of high school, he won the Baseball America Freshman of the Year Award.

Twint:    He and Sandy Koufax share the same family birth name, though they aren’t related.

Twint:    He shares a nickname with Hank Greenberg and Al Rosen.

A.         Ryan Braun (Attended U. of Miami, FOY 2003; Koufax né Sanford Braun; “Hebrew Hammer”).

FCR -    John Rickert, Terre Haute, IN

WEEK-ENDING BONUS

Q.         Who tied Ichiro Suzuki in 2008 for the major league lead in reaching base on an error?

Hint:     He stole 31 bases in AAA ball one season, an unusual feat for a 6'-6'' player.

Hint:     Greenwood High School (Bowling Green, KY) retired his jersey and it hangs from the rafters of the school gym.

Twint:    In 2008, the fans selected him as the final player and in 2010 he was selected the starting right fielder for the National League All-Star teams.

Twint:    He failed to get a hit in those games in a total of five times at bat, accumulating three strikeouts in the process.

A.         Corey Hart (14x ROE; 31SB/7CS in 2005 with the Nashville Sounds of the PCL; 2008 ASG, 2010 ASG)

FCR -    Michael Daponde, Sacramento, CA

SATURDAY

Q.         Who was the next Minnesota Twin to hit for the cycle since Kirby Puckett?

Hint:     It’s been done twice since then.

Hint:     He never appeared in an All-Star game, won a Gold Glove or Silver Slugger or received a single Rookie-of-the-Year or Most Valuable Player vote, yet he was signed to a four-year contract worth $28.3 million.  (Yes.  His agent is Scott Boras.)

Hint:     He was traded by the Mets with three other players for Johan Santana.

Twint:    The next year, he was traded for J.J. Hardy.

Twint:    He has appeared in 10 games as a “Timber Rattler”.

A.         Carlos Gomez (Hit for the cycle -07‑May‑2008 after Puckett 01‑Aug‑1986; In 2009 Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer hit for the cycle for the Twins; Salary runs through 2016; Mets to Twins 02‑Feb‑2008 and Twins to Brewers 06‑Nov‑2009; 2010, ’11, ‘12 w/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Midwest League)

FCR -    Jason Schmidt, New York, NY

WEEKEND BONUS

Q.         Who broke Ichiro Suzuki’s season singles record?

Hint:     He won the batting title and Most Valuable Rookie in the same season.

Twint:    He was the fastest in Nippon Professional Baseball history to reach 500 hits.

Twint:    He is a double unique.

A.         Norichika Aoki (166 1b in the Japan League in 2005, Ichiro had set the mark at 151; 500 H in 373 G; No player in the history of MLB ever with that first name or last name)

FCR -    John Rickert, Terre Haute, IN

SUNDAY

Q.         Which Polish starter debuted the same day his team retired a Hall of Fame player’s number 19?

Hint:     It also marked the debut of German and Italian starters for the same team.

Hint:     Eventually American and Mexican starters were added.

Hint:     He has appeared in every home game for the team this year.

Twint:    His trademark is a blue and red striped top with a blue baseball cap.

Twint:    When his Italian teammate was hit with a bat by Pittsburgh Pirate Randall Simon, he stopped to help his teammate rather than take the victory.

A.         Polish Racing Sausage, Milwaukee Brewers Sausage Racer (Debut race 24‑May‑1994 when Robin Yount’s number #19 was retired; Bratwurst and Italian sausage were the other two “original” racing sausages adding the Hot Dog and the Chorizio over the next decade; Simon incident report: 09‑Jul‑2003)

FCR -    Jason Schmidt, New York, NY

WEEKLY THEME – 2013 Milwaukee Brewer Fan Bobblehead Giveaways Complete list 2013 Brewer Bobbleheads Link

Aaron         07‑Jul

Aoki           07‑Apr

Braun          26‑May

Gomez        09‑Jun

Hart            05‑May

Kuenn         04‑Aug

Oglivie        15‑Sep

Sausage     23‑Jun

Scott          21‑Apr

Thomas      01‑Sep

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Jeff Bergida, Albany, NY (After the Scott question)

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

Horsehide Trivia home page:  https://sites.google.com/site/tnfotobbpics/home/horsehide-trivia

May 13-19, 2013 Lefty catchers with 25 home runs in a season

MONDAY

Q.         Who is the only player in major league history to lead his league in games played at catcher for eight consecutive seasons?

Hint:     Bill James lists him as the greatest catcher of all time.

Twint:    Although he’s from The Hill, he never pitched.

A.         Yogi Berra (1950-57; James calculates Berra’s standing with Win Shares; The Hill is the neighborhood in St. Louis where Berra grew up.)

FCR -    Bob Newton, Bethesda, MD

TUESDAY

Q.         Which Hall of Fame catcher never led the league in an offensive category, but led eleven times in defensive categories?

Hint:     He caught 100 games for thirteen straight seasons.

Hint:     Two Hall of Fame shortstops played on his U.S. Navy team during World War II.

Twint:    Berra refers to him with great respect as his mentor.

A.         Bill Dickey (Pee Wee Reese, Phil Rizzuto)

FCR -    John Choynowski, Rising Sun, MD

WEDNESDAY

Q.         Of whom did Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell say, “He brings a quarterback’s mind to catching.  He’s an intellectual behind the plate.”?

Hint:     During his junior year in college he was third among the Big Ten Conference quarterbacks in passing.

Hint:     When he signed with a major league team, he sent part of his signing bonus back to his university as partial payment for not playing his senior year.

Hint:     After Jackie Robinson nullified his trade from the Dodgers to the Giants, he was involved in the next players traded between the two teams.

Twint:    His brother umpired games he played in, both in the minors and majors.

A.         Tom Haller (Trade to L.A. 13-Feb-1968; QB in 1957 @ Illinois; Brother Bill)

FCR -    Paul Hirsch, Danville, CA

MIDWEEK BONUS

Q.         What former Giant has a .300 postseason batting average and won a World Series title with his third team?

Hint:     In a 2011 poll, he was voted the Most Hated Man in baseball by his major league peers.

Hint:     He is the only major league player ever traded for Boof Bonser.

Twint:    In a famous brawl, he was the recipient of a punch to the face from Cubs catcher Michael Barrett following a collision at home.

A.         A.J. Pierzynski (WS win 2005; Poll in Men’s Journal magazine; Trade 14-Nov-2003, sending Bonser, Francisco Lirano & Joe Nathan to Minnesota from San Francisco; Barrett fight 20-May-2006)

FCR -    Jay Berman, Manhattan Beach, CA

THURSDAY

Q.         Who returned to local politics in Knoxville, Tennessee after his playing day, turning down multiple major league coaching offers in the process?

Hint:     The commissioner kicked him off the 1957 All-Star team.

Twint:    He cheerfully gave me his autograph in his own home in 1999.

A.         Ed Bailey (Was an aide to U S Representative John J Duncan, Sr. for 12 years, served on the Knoxville City Council from 1983 to 1995; 1956 Reds’ fans stuffed the AS ballot box and the commissioner invalidated some of the totals; I happened to be in Knoxville and he graciously answered the phone and invited me over!)

FCR -    Alex Holzman, Philadelphia, PA

FRIDAY

Q.         Who was the first regular-season designated hitter in Phillies history?

Hint:     He was injured in a car accident on the way home from John Kruk's bachelor party.

Twint:    He served as bullpen coach for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

A.         Darren Daulton (16-Jun-1997; Bullpen coach 2001)

FCR -    Doug Pepper, Tulsa, OK

SATURDAY

Q.         Who was the first player not named Carlton Fisk or Lance Parrish to win the American League Silver Slugger Award as a catcher?

Hint:     His first game in the majors was for the Giants, but he became a starter with the Tigers.

Hint:     One season he had four multi-home run days at Yankee Stadium.

Twint:    He caught one of the most famous no-hitters in Yankee history.

A.         Matt Nokes (SS 1987; Debut 03‑Sep‑1985; HRs 1991 18‑Jul,  27‑Jul, 01‑Aug & 30‑Aug; No-no by Jim Abbot 04‑Sep‑1993)

FCR -    Andrew Milner, Bryn Mawr, PA

SUNDAY

Q.         Who was the last catcher to lead the Chicago Cubs in doubles for a season?

Hint:     In his major league debut, he threw out the only two baserunners who attempted to steal, Tony Fernandez and Tony Gwynn.

Hint:     This former Paladin owns and operates an eponymous baseball academy in his hometown.

Twint:    He is not the Canadian composer, conductor, and tenor saxophonist who created the music for the 2008 Angelina Jolie movie Changling.

A.         Rick Wilkins (25 2b for the 1994 Cubs; Debut 06‑Jun‑1991; Rick Wilkins Academy of Baseball, Jacksonville, FL)

FCR -    Andy McCue, Riverside, CA

WEEKLY THEME – Left-handed-batting catchers with 25 home runs in a season.  [Much thanks to David Vincent for verification of the data.]

Catcher       Year     HRs

Bailey         1956     26

Berra          1950     28

                  1951     27

                  1952     30

                  1953     26

                  1955     26

                  1956     30

Daulton       1992     27

Dickey        1937     29

                  1938     27

Haller          1966     26

Nokes         1987     28

Pierzynski   2012     26

Wilkins        1993     28

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Joe Ullian, Santa Barbara, CA (after the Pierzynski question)

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

Horsehide Trivia home page:  https://sites.google.com/site/tnfotobbpics/home/horsehide-trivia

May 6-12, 2013 Pitchers with 5,000 innings pitched, all after 1920 (the end of the Deadball Era)

06-May-2013

MONDAY

Q.         Who has the most career wins for a lefty pitcher?

Hint:     If not for time lost in military service during World War II, he might have had substantially more.

Hint:     At age 42, he had a remarkable season with a record of 23-7.

Twint:    Teammate Johnny Sain’s and rain were wrongly considered the only winning alternatives to his pitching.

Twint:    In 1956, 1957 and 1958 he finished 3^rd, 1^st and 2^nd in the Cy Young voting.

A.         Warren Spahn (363 W [tied for 3^rd all-time]; missed the ‘43-’45 for WWII; Expression: “Spahn and Sain, then pray for rain.”)

FCR -    Christopher Bell, New York, NY

TUESDAY

Q.         What two time Cy Young Award winner also has a Cy Young Award-winning older brother making them the only brothers to win the award?

Hint:     Despite 22 years in the majors, playing for eight different teams and winning over 300 games, he only appeared in one post-season series going 1-1.

Hint:     After that season, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Sam McDowell.

Twint:    While pitching for the Mariners in his 21^st year in the majors, he was ejected for the first and only time for throwing a spitter.

Twint:    His five-year-old daughter Alison was asked if daddy threw a greaseball, and without blinking she replied “He throws a hard slider.”

A.         Gaylord Perry (Brother Jim Perry; 1971 NLCS vs Pittsburgh; He and Frank Duffy traded from SF to Cleveland for Sam McDowell after the 1971 season: Ejected August 23, 1982 Seattle vs. Boston)

FCR -    Bob Kimball, Washington, DC

WEDNESDAY

Q.         Who, along with his brother, accumulated a combined 539 career wins—the most by brothers in the majors?

Hint:     Rick Monday said of his knuckler "It actually giggles at you as it goes by."

Hint:     He is one of only two pitchers since expansion to both win and lose 20 games in the same season.

Twint:    He pitched a shutout for his 300^th victory in 1985.

Twint:    At age 45, that made him the oldest pitcher to throw a shutout.

A.         Phil Niekro (Brother Joe won 221 to his 318; 1979 he went 21-20 the other being Wilbur Wood 24-20 in 1973; He surpassed Satchel Paige but this record was surpassed by Jamie Moyer on 07-May‑2010 @ age 47.)

FCR -    Christopher Mund, Rocky Hill, CT

THURSDAY

Q.         Of which pitcher, known for his strong work ethic, did Tommy Lasorda say “When you gave him the ball, you knew one thing—your pitcher was going to give you everything he had.”?

Hint:     Over a 23 year period, he never missed his turn in the pitching rotation for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics and California Angels.

Hint:     He now has an active career as a radio and television broadcaster having worked for the Braves and the Nationals.

Twint:    He was an All-Star Game MVP.

Twint:    In his final year, he missed the World Series when he was cut by the Dodgers in August of the 1988 season thus missing his final chance to play on a WS winning team.

A.         Don Sutton (Turns out Sutton’s streak was more myth than fact.  Read here.;1977 ASG MVP; Cut 09‑Aug‑1988 age 43; The Dodgers went on to beat Oakland 4-1 in the WS.  His other WS appearances in 74, 77 and 78 with the Dodgers  and 82 with the Brewers were all losses.)

FCR -    David Krassin, New York, NY

FRIDAY

Q.         Who won the Cy Young Award with the Cubs, signed as a free agent with the Braves, and over the next three years racked up three more Cy Young Awards?

Hint:     His 18 Gold Glove award are an “absolute record” with Jim Kaat and Brooks Robinson winning 16 each.

Hint:     He is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2014 where many consider him likely to be a “first ballot” inductee.

Twint:    His 17 consecutive 15-win seasons are the most ever, breaking the record of Cy Young himself, who had 15 such seasons.

Twint:    He debuted in the majors as a pinch runner, but remained in the game to take the team’s loss.

A.         Greg Maddux  (Cy Young winner 1992-1995; GG - 1990-2002, 2004-06 and 2007-08; 15 W 1988-2006; Debut 02‑Sep‑1986 bottom of the 17^th inning appears as pinch runner, stayed in to pitch and yielded a HR in the top of the 18^th to take the loss to the Houston Astros)

FCR -    John Rickert, Terre Haute, IN

SATURDAY

Q.         Who has 37 complete games in his career where he allowed two hits or fewer?

Hint:     This is more than any other two pitchers combined.

Hint:     Reggie Jackson confessed that he feared this pitcher not because he could get him out, but because “he could kill me”.

Twint:    Despite this, he only received Cy Young votes in 8 of his 27 years.

Twint:    His best finish was second in the Cy Young, and he accomplished this only once.

A.         Nolan Ryan (Jim Palmer and Jim Maloney are second with 17 each; Cy Young votes 72-74, 77, 81, 83, 87 and 89. Finished 2nd 1973)

FCR -    Alan Work, White Plain,             NY

SUNDAY

Q.         Who was traded from St. Louis to Philadelphia and that year won the pitching Triple Crown and the Cy Young Award?

Hint:     The next season, he was a twenty-game loser.

Hint:     He once barely bested teammate Bob Gibson who had a 2.18 ERA with a 2.17 ERA.

Twint:    He adopted a series of unusual (at the time) training exercises which included extending his pitching hand to the bottom of a large canister of rice.

Twint:    He ironically was a member of the World Champion Minnesota Twins in 1987, but never made their postseason roster, due to ineffectiveness.

A.         Steve Carlton (1973 W/ERA/K 27/1.97/310; 1973 W-L 13-20; 1969 Carlton/Gibson 2.17/2.18)

FCR -    Matt Gibson, Barboursville, WV

WEEKLY THEME – Pitchers with 5,000 innings pitched, all after 1920 (the end of the Deadball Era).

Spahn           5,243.2

Perry             5,350

Niekro           5,404

Sutton           5,282.1

Maddux         5,008

Ryan             5,386.0

Carlton          5,217.2

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – No  one

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

Horsehide Trivia home page:  https://sites.google.com/site/tnfotobbpics/home/horsehide-trivia