Sunday, September 1, 2013

August 26-September 1, 2013 Players over 6' 4" with 20 steals in a season

MONDAY
Q.         Who was the first San Diego Padre batter to lead the National League in a Triple Crown category?
Hint:     He was only the fifth player in the history of baseball to get 3,000 hits and 450 home runs.
Hint:     In a 22 year career, he never played a single day in the minors.
Twint:    George Steinbrenner traded him to the Angels, but then claimed he only did so at the urging of then Yankee Manager Bucky Dent.
A.         Dave Winfield (118 RBI in 1979; 5th player and draft status SABR bio; Steinbrenner controversies)
FCR -    Derek Norin, Arlington, VA

TUESDAY
Q.         Who succeeded Roberto Clemente as the Pirates right fielder?
Hint:     Known for his powerful arm, he threw out Jim Rice at third base and Brian Downing at home in the 7th and 8th innings respectively in the 1979 All-Star Game.
Hint:     Not surprisingly, he was the MVP of that game.
Twint:    A teammate of his won the National League, National League Championship Series and World Series Most Valuable Player Awards that year, giving his team a sweep of all such awards.
Twint:    He hit what might be considered the longers home run in baseball history with a swat that traveled 150 miles.
A.         Dave Parker (17-Jul-1979 ASG box; 1979 awards; playing a home game with the Charleston Charlies, the ball landed in a coal car of a passing train that traveled 150 miles before being picked up in Columbus, OH.)
FCR -    Gene Schwartz, Weston, CT

WEDNESDAY
Q.         Who, after a horrific injury 21‑Aug‑2013, tweeted to his fans “While baseball isn’t life I, love this game to death.”
Hint:     He was selected 14th in the first round of the 2007 amateur draft by the Atlanta Braves.
Hint:     In his 2010 Major League debut, in his first at bat he hit a thre-run homer off Carlos Zambrano.
Twint:    He was the National League Rookie of the Month for April and May of that year.
Twint:    He also started the 2011 season with a home run in his first at bat.
A.         Jason Heyward (Broken jaw on a Jonathan Niese pitch; 2007 amateur draft; debut 5‑Apr‑2010; Rookie of the Month 2010;box 31-May-2011)
FCR -    Bill Carle, Lee’s Summit, MO

HISTORIC DAY BONUS (Not related to this week’s theme)
Q.         What Hall of Famer was present fifty years ago today at the Lincoln Memorial?
Hint:     Following his baseball career, he was an outspoken advocate for civil rights.
Hint:     He was possibly the most famous person present.
Twint:    He served on the board of directors of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). 
FCR -    Samuel Olken, Chicago, IL

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q.         Who was the New York Mets all-time runs batted in leader until he was passed by David Wright?
Hint:     He and Doc Gooden are the only two players to win a World Series with both the Yankees and the Mets.
Hint:     He did not play in the 1998 World Series.
Twint:    In 1987 he became the 10th member of the 30-30 club.
Twint:    He is mentioned in the rap lyrics of the song “Cuz My Gear”.
FCR -    Rich Klein, Plano, TX

THURSDAY
Q.         Who was the regular first baseman for the Montreal Expos the first time they finished the season in first place?
Hint:     After being displaced from the Expos roster by Vladimir Guerrero, he was traded to the Florida Marlins where he won a World Series ring despite spending two long stints on the disabled list, accruing only 137 at bats.
Hint:     His double-turned-home-run-turned-double caused the first use of video replay by umpires in a major league game.
Twint:    After this, the use of video replay was then banned until it became official in 2008.
Twint:    He once called Bobby Valentine the dumbest manager in baseball.
A.         Cliff Floyd (Roster 1994 MON; 1997 Marlins, though he didn’t play in the WS; Controversy 31-May-1999 vs STL: He hit a ball off the scoreboard initially called a double.  The Marlins protest changed the umps’ call to a home run.  [In a long-odds coincidence, Umpire Frank Pulli who made the call passed away this week].  STL immediately then protested the call and the umps used video replay to reverse the reveral and call a it double; Valentine failed to protest brush back pitches thrown at Floyd that set off a feud that included a public spat over Floyd’s making the Valentine-managed 2001 NL AS team.)
FCR -    David Krassin, New York, NY

FRIDAY
Q.         Whom did Ozzie Guillen take out of a game claiming, “I don’t like the way he runs the bases.”?
Hint:     Ironically, he was claimed by the White Sox when the Blue Jays put him on waivers for his “lackadaisical approach to the game”.
Hint:     He finished second to Vladimir Guerrero in the Home Run Derby where the two combined for a total of five long balls.
Twint:    He hit a key 2-run homer in the World Baseball Classic seminals against Japan to propel Puerto Rico into the finals.
Twint:    Earlier this year he went 6-6 becoming the 32nd American League player to do so.
A.         Alex Rios (Benched for failing to hustle 29-Jun-2011; six years remaining on a $69.35million contract, he was claimed by the CHW; 2007 Home Run Derby results, record low total in the “bat off” system was 4 in 1997; 3-1 PR victory put them in the finals vs DR; 6/6 vs. DEt 09‑Jul‑2013)
FCR -    Bill Carle, Lee’s Summit, MO

END-OF-THE-WEEK BONUS
Q.         Who was the first Brewer to achieve back to back 20-steals/20-home run seasons?
Hint:     He beat the Brewers in Milwaukee’s first salary arbitration in 12 years, garnering a raise to $4.8million.
Hint:     He was selected by the fans as the final player for the 2008 All-Star Game.
Twint:    In a remarkable series of three consecutive plate appearances against the Mets, he hit three home runs including his first career walk and his first career grand slam.
Twint:    In 2005 he and teammates Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks guided the Nashville Sounds to the Pacific Coast League Championship.
FCR -    Mitch Bellow, Oakland, CA

SATURDAY
Q.         Who, after being traded to the Phillies in the winter of 82-83, was nicknamed “5-4-1”?
Hint:     Though rarely a lead-off hitter, he was given the opportunity in 1985 and hit a lead-off home run, then a grand slam in his next at bat in his team’s 26-7 victory over the Mets.
Hint:     Thus, he was the first of only five players in major league history to hit two home runs in the first inning.
Twint:    His “Bermanism” was based on a famous Hendrix song.
Twint:    He is the manager of the Alexandria Aces.
A.         Von Hayes (Traded “five [players] for one”, i.e., Manny Trillo, Julio Franco, George Vukovich, Jay Baller and Jerry Willard; box 11‑Jun‑1985 and he also walked with the bases loaded for a total of 4 RBI; 2 HR 1st inning: Bret and Aaron Boone, David Ortiz & Mike Cameron; Labeled Von “Purple” Haze by Chris Berman from Jimi’s Purple Haze; Aces roster)
FCR -    Mitch Bellow, Oakland, CA

WEEKEND BONUS
Q.         In a season this century, who led his league in hits, doubles, batting average, slugging, on base plus slugging, OPS+, runs created, total bases, adjusted batting runs, adjusted batting wins and offensive winning percentage while finishing second in home runs with 46?
Hint:     Despite this, he was third in his league’s Most Valuable Player voting behind players who led in only two categories each.
Hint:     He also won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger that year.
HInt:     It was the only season of his fifteen-year major league career that he led his league in an offensive category.
Twint:    His uncle inspired the movie Mr. Baseball.
Twint:    He helped establish Project 3000.
A.         Derrek Lee (2005 stats; 2005 MVP vote behind Pujols led R/IBB and Andruw Jones led HR/RBI; Uncle Leron Lee was the first MLB player to move to Japan at the height of his career and to wed a Japanese woman; Project 3000 founded with Boston Celtics CEO/co-owner Wyc Grousbeck to eradicate a rare inherited form of blindness)
FCR:     Jim McCoy, Melrose, MA

SUNDAY
Q.         What Phillies batter, in his first three consecutive a- bats of the game, hit a three-run, grand- slam and solo-shot home run—one short of the “homer cycle”?
Hint:     This tied the Phillies runs batted in record of eight in one game.
Hint:     He started his professional career as a catcher, but Blue Jays management moved him to the outfield.
Twint:    At age 31, he signed a $126 million dollar deal with the Nationals.
Twint:    Due to a lackluster 2011, then injury in 2012, he was replaced in right field by Bryce Harper.
Twint:    He has since returned to right field with Harper moving to center.
A.         Jayson Werth (16-May-2008 box; RBI record tied with Mike Schmidt; Became a full-time outfielder with Syracuse in 2002; $126million/7-year deal; 06-May-2012 injury with Harper starting the next game; current roster WSN)
FCR -    Alex Poterack, Providence, RI


WEEKLY THEME – Players over 6' 4" with 20 steals in a season

Player          Ht         SB      Year           Team

Floyd           6' 5"      27       1998           Marlins
                                24       2000                "

Hart              6' 6"      23       2007           Brewers
                                23       2008                "

Hayes          6' 5"      32       1982           Indians
                                20       1983           Phillies
                                48       1984                "
                                21       1985                "
                                24       1986                "
                                20       1988                "
                                28       1989                "

Heyward       6' 5"      21       2012           Braves

Lee              6' 5"      21       2003           Marlins

Parker          6' 5"      20       1978           Pirates
                                20       1979                "

Rios             6' 5"      32       2008           Blue Jays
                                24       2009           Jays/White Sox
                                34       2010           White Sox
                                23       2012                "
                                32*      2013           Sox/Rangers

Strawberry    6' 6"      27       1984           Mets
                                26       1985                "
                                28       1986                "
                                36       1987                "
                                29       1988                "

Werth           6' 5"      20       2008           Phillies
                                20       2009                "

Winfield        6' 6"      23       1975           Padres
                                26       1976                "
                                21       1978                "
                                23       1980                "
*As of 31-Aug

First Correct Respondent to Identify ThemeAlan Monarchi, Red Hook, NY


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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