Sunday, August 18, 2013

August 12-18, 2013 Expansion team managers who are in the Hall of Fame.

MONDAY
Q.         Who was the first American League catcher to win three league most valuable player awards?
Hint:     He played in 14 World Series with the New York Yankees.
Twint:    As a result, he won 10 rings – the most by any player in Major League Baseball history.
A.         Yogi Berra (MVP 51, 54, 55; WS 47. 49-53, 55-58, 60-63; Won 47, 49-53, 56,58,61,62)
FCR -    Chuck Durante, Dover, DE

TUESDAY
Q.         What Reds player was considered an “old 30” and traded to Baltimore where in his first season with the Orioles he proceeded to win his league and World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, and the Triple Crown?
Hint:     He took 100% of the 1st place MVP votes that year.
Hint:     He also took all of the 1st place MVP votes in 1961.
Twint:    He was a unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year in 1956.
A.         Frank Robinson (09-Dec-1965 traded for Milt Pappas; NL ROY 1956 vote; 1966 MVP vote; 1961 MVP vote [Not quite unanimous. His teammate Joey Jay did get one first place vote—the only MVP vote of his 13-year career.]; 1956 ROY)
FCR -    Glenn Horowitz, New York, NY

WEDNESDAY
Q.         Who said “Baseball has been good to me since I quit trying to play it”?
Hint:     He won his only World Series title in the “Suds Series”.
Hint:     He also helped the New York Mets win their first World Series title.
Hint:     In his last game as a player, he was put in as a PINCH RUNNER [Not pinch hitter] for Al Kline.
Twint:    His managerial style relying on pitching, speed, defense and wearing down the opponent, was soon associated with his first name.
A.         Whitey Herzog (Quote; 1982 WS STL v MIL the home of major beer brewers; NYM head of player development 1967-72; Final G 28‑Sep‑1963; “Whiteyball” relied on factors other than HR;)
FCR -    Robert Workman, Ashburn, VA

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q.         Which member of the Hall of Fame attended the same college as Jackie Robinson?
Hint:     In his first year as a manager in the big leagues, he took a prior year’s 9th place team to the pennant, and boasted a triple-crown batting champ.
Hint:     Despite producing a pennant and three consecutive winning seasons after the team had experienced eight consecutive losing seasons just prior to this arrival, the team fired him with nine games left in his third season.
Hint:     In his last game as a player, he was put in as a pinch runner for Dick Stuart.
Twint:    The next three years he managed another American League team and won the World Series his second and third year at the helm.
Twint:    He was then fired from that team.
A.         Dick Williams (Pasdena City College; BOS 72-90 in 66, Yaz won triple crown in 1967; last G 01‑Oct‑1964; managerial record BOS and OAK)
FCR -    Richard Nicholson, Richmond, VA

THURSDAY
Q.         Who managed the Chicago Cubs the year they blew a mid-August 8½ game lead, finishing the season 8 games behind the East Division winning New York Mets?
Hint:     He was the third base coach when Bobby Thomson hit the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World”.
Hint:     Teammate Babe Ruth called him the “All-American Out” for his diminutive batting average.
Twint:    Though known for his mouth, it was his “Lip” that earned his nickname.
A.         Leo Durocher (1969 Cubs; Managed the NYG and was at third replacing Herman Franks who was moved to the clubhouse to steal signs for the “Shot” which has Durocher celebrating from the 3B box; Ruth quote .257 BA with NYY; Leo “The Lip”)
FCR -    Larry Creeden, Boulder City, NV

FRIDAY
Q.         Who hit the first post dead-ball era, inside-the-park World Series home run?
Hint:     Hit in the top of the 9th, it proved to be the winning run in a 5-4 Giants victory over the Yankees.
Hint:     It was also the first post-season home run hit in Yankee stadium.
Twint:    He was quoted as saying “The secret of managing is to keep the guys who hate you away from the guys who are undecided”.
A.         Casey Stengel (IPHR 10-Oct-1923; G 1 1923 WS, Yankee stadium opened; quote)
FCR -    Dave Serota, Kalamazoo, MI

FRIDAY TWICE
Q.         Who holds the American League career mark for home runs by a second baseman?
Hint:     He won a disputed American League most valuable player award.
Hint:     As manager of the 1960 Indians, in one of the most bizarre trades in Major League Baseball history, he was traded mid-season for the manager of the Detroit Tigers.
Twint:    He was nicknamed “Flash” after his favorite comic book character.
A.         Joe Gordon (246 HR AL, Jeff Kent NL 351; 1942 MVP; traded for Jimmie Dykes after 95 games; Flash Gordon comic strip)
FCR -    Andrew Milner, Bryn Mawr, PA

SATURDAY
Q.         What Indians position player learned to pitch “on the job” and eventually had seven 20 win seasons?
Hint:     He was the centerfielder for Bob Feller’s second no-hitter – a 1-0 victory over the New York Yankees.
Hint:     Two years and two months later, he pitched his first no-hitter.
Twint:    After Billy Martin was fired by the Yankees in 1978, he took over the team and led them to a World Series title.
Twint:    The very next year, he was replaced by Billy Martin after 65 games as the Yankees fell to a 4th place finish.
A.         Bob Lemon (20 W seasons 1948-50, 52-54, 56; Feller’s no-no 30‑Apr‑1946; Lemon’s 30‑Jun‑1948; 1978 NYY; 1979 NYY)
FCR -    Dave Johnson, Swarthmore, PA

SUNDAY
Q.         Who had an OPS over 1.000 in seventeen consecutive seasons of play?
Hint:     He holds the longest streak in Major League history for consecutive games reaching base safely.
Hint:     He also holds the American League record for most consecutive times reaching base in every plate appearance.
Twint:    He was a wartime wingman for John Glenn.
Twint:    John Updike wrote of him, “Gods do not answer letters.”
A.         Ted Williams (OPS [On-base plus Slugging Percentages] 1.000+: 1939-42, 46-58; 84 consecutive games; 16 consecutive PA; Korean War service; Full quote was in response to Williams’ refusing to play his final career game at Yankee stadium and refusing to acknowledge the crowd cries for even a tip of the hat.
FCR -    Richard Nicholson, Richmond, VA


WEEKLY THEME – Expansion team managers who are in the Hall of Fame.

Manager             Managed           Inducted
Berra                NYM 1972-75        1972

Durocher          HOU 1972-73        1994

Gordon               KCR 1969           2009

Herzog                TEX 1973           2010
                          CAL 1974
                        KCR 1975-79

Lemon              KCR 1970-72        1976

Robinson         MON 2002-04        1982
                       WSN 2005-06

Stengel          NYM 1971-1974      1966

D. Williams       CAL 1974-76         2008
                       MON 1977-81
                      SDP 1982-1985
                        SEA 1986-88

T. Williams       WSA 1969-71        1966
                          TEX 1972


First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Alex Holzman, Philadelphia, PA


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





Sunday, August 11, 2013

August 5-11, 2013 Questions from SABR 43 Trivia Quiz not correctly answered.

MONDAY
Q.         Whose final batting average one season left him .0001 behind the winner?
A.         Ted Williams’ (.3428 to George Kell’s .3429 in 1949)
FCR -    Jan Finkel, Swanton, MD
We thought the answer was Williams, but further investigation shows:
1910
Hits
ABs
Average
227
591
0.3840948
194
506
0.3833992
0.0006955
1931
157
450
0.3488889
213
611
0.3486088
Diff.=
0.0002801
1945
195
632
0.3085443
124
402
0.3084577
Diff.=
0.0000866
1949
179
522
0.3429119
194
566
0.3427562
Diff.=
0.0001557
1970
202
614
0.3289902
186
566
0.3286219
Diff.=
0.0003683
1976
215
645
0.3333333
175
527
0.3320683
Diff.=
0.0012650
2003
212
591
0.3587140
209
583
0.3584906
Diff.=
0.0002235

TUESDAY
Q.         Who finished second to Buster Posey in the 2012 National League MVP voting?
A.         Ryan Braun (422 to 285)
FCR -    Dan Laquet, Belleville, IL

TUESDAY TWICE
Q.         Who were the first brothers to both pitch for the Angels?
A.         Jeff Weaver, Jered Weaver (2006 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)
FCR -    Jake White, Fontana, CA

WEDNESDAY
Q.         What Pirate Hall of Famer is the oldest player to hit an inside-the-park home run?
A.         Honus Wagner (age 42 on 01-Jul-1916, the last HR of his 21-year career)
FCR -    Samuel Olken, Chicago, IL

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q.         Randy Johnson’s 2001 season set a one-year record for strikeouts per nine innings with an incredible 13.4099.  Whose already impressive record of 13.2047 did he break?
A.         Pedro Martinez’ (1999)
FCR -    Ira Kotel, Short Hills, NJ

THURSDAY
Q.         Which former Major League home run champ played the most games before he stole a base?
A.         Cecil Fielder (SB 02-Apr-1996, in his 1096th G.  He stole another later that year, the only two of his regular and post-season career)
FCR -    Brett McGinness, Reno, NV

THURSDAY DOUBLEHEADER
Q.         Among major leaguers who only played for one team, whose games-played total is second only to Carl Yastrzemski’s 3,308?
A.         Stan Musial’s (3,026)
FCR -    Ewan Smith, Richmond, VA

FRIDAY
Q.         Who was the only Phillies player to hit for the cycle twice?
A.         Chuck Klein (01-Jul-1931 and 26-May -1933)
FCR -    Barry Sparks, York, PA

FRIDAY FRIDAY
Q.         Who is the only player to have a 50-double season in the American League and the National League?
A.         Albert Pujols (Cards 2003 [51], 04 [51] & Angels 2012 [50])
FCR -    Morris Buenemann, Florissant, MO

IN MEMORIAM
Q.         Who was the first batter Sandy Koufax faced in his major league debut?
Hint:     He was the first MLB Baseball player to win a World Series in the U.S. and Japan.
Hint:     He was the first player to get a post-season hit off Don Larsen after Larsen’s perfect game.
Hint:     He holds the post-war career fielding record for successful chances per game and total chances per game.
Hint:     He was the first shortstop to start a regular season game for the Milwaukee Braves.
Hint:     In the first regular season game played at Milwaukee County Stadium, he caught a pop foul that was the first out ever made at the Braves new home field.
Hint:     In the 1955 All Star Game played on his home field, with the American League up 5-0, his 7th inning RBI that scored Willie Mays was the first National League run scored in a game that ended with a 12th inning Stan Musial walk-off home run that gave the senior circuit a 6-5 win.
Hint:     Driven in by a Hank Aaron home run, he scored the winning run in the game where the Milwaukee Braves clinched their first pennant.
Hint:     He also drove in the tying run then scored the winning run on a bottom of the 10th home run by Eddie Mathews to even the 1957 World Series at two games apiece.
Hint:     In that same Game 4, he set a World Series record for shortstops with 10 assists.
Twint:    Don Hoak of the Reds was once called out for fielding a ball as a base runner and then tossing it to this Braves shortstop to avoid a double play – which resulted in a rule change that eliminated both the runner and the hitter for intentional interference.
Twint:    When he tried out for the Boston Braves, he only had two left-footed shoes but didn’t complain about the pain during the “couple of hundred ground balls” he fielded. 
Twint:    When he finally sat down, the Braves scout Dewey Griggs said “Kid, next week, we’re going to buy you a new pair of shoes”.
Twint:    In 2000, he and a Milwaukee Sentinel sports editor founded the Milwaukee Braves Historical Association.
Twint:    Known for starting fights, he once said “I didn’t mind starting fights.  Mathews was always there to finish them for me”.
Twint:    He once said that “Rome wasn’t born in a day”.
Twint:    His son played two years in the minors with the Yankees
Twint:    His son told me that after he left baseball, he really appreciated how difficult it was to play at the top major league level.  And how much he finally understood what his father achieved.
Twint:    We traditionally have provided this many hints only on the passing of a baseball person of enormous standing such as Bob Feller or Stan Musial.  We have made an exception here because this man was a personal friend and patient of our own Gregg Gaylord.
A.         Johnny Logan http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/219068291.html (Koufax debut 24‑Jun‑1955; WS MLN 1957 & 1964 Nankai Hawks; Larsen WS H 05‑Oct-1957 5th inning; MLN Debut 14‑Apr‑1953; 1955 ASG; Winning R in 11th inning of pennant clincher 23‑Sep‑1957; WS  HR 06‑Oct‑1957; Hoak incident 21‑Apr‑1956 2nd inning; MBHA; Son Jimmy Logan).
FCR -    Frank DiPrima, Morristown, NJ

END-OF-THE-WEEK BONUS
Q.         Who was the first catcher elected to the Hall of Fame?
A.         Connie Mack (610 G at C, HOF 1937)
FCR -    Michael Frank, New York, NY

SATURDAY
Q.         What manager has won more games than any other for the Milwaukee Brewers?
A.         Phil Garner (563)
FCR -    Dave Wise, Hyde Park, NY

SATURDAY SECONDS
Q.         “On my tombstone just write, ‘The sorest loser that ever lived.’”
A.         Earl Weaver (quote 06-Oct-1986)
FCR -    Mike Spatz, Ellicott City, MD

SUNDAY
Q.         Who is the Phillies career stolen base leader?
A.         “Sliding” Billy Hamilton (510 SB in 3629 PA.  2nd is Rollins at 417 with 8698 PA)
FCR -    Mark Hayne, Dumfries, VA

SUNDAY BEST
Q.         Who was the last hurler to win the pitching Triple Crown and not win the Cy Young Award?
A.         Hal Newhouser (1945; CYA first awarded 1956)
FCR -    Andrew Milner, Bryn Mawr, PA


WEEKLY THEME – Questions from SABR43 Trivia Quiz not correctly answered.


First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – R.J. Lesch, Adel, IA (A semi-finalist himself, he figured this out after the Monday question was posted.)


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