June 23-29, 2014 Three HBP in a row

MONDAY

Q.         Who was the last pitcher to start both ends of a double-header?

Hint:     He lost both games, but only pitched part of the first frame in the opener.

Hint:     He had five consecutive seasons with 40 games started.  No one else has had even one such since 1987.

Hint:     He is also the last pitcher to amass more than 375 innings of service in a season in the majors.

Twint:    He is arguably the greatest leftie to master the knuckleball, having learned his trade from Hoyt Wilhelm.

A.         WILBUR WOOD (20-Jul-1973 [1] & [2], lost both to NYY; 5 seasons 40 GS 1971-75, Charlie Hough 40 GS 1987; 376.2 IP 1972)

FCR -    Mark Bricker, Cincinnati, OH

Incorrect answers:  Don Newcombe, Phil Niekro, Robin Roberts, Jim Kaat, Lew Burdette, Hal Newhouser, Tom Seaver, Iron Man McGinnity, Nolan Ryan, Fergie Jenkins, Mickey Lolich, Warren Spahn

TUESDAY

Q.         Who won the final game of the 2006 World Series against the team with which he debuted?

Hint:     Earlier that same series-winning year, he was designated for assignment by the Angels in order to make room for his brother.

Hint:     He twice led the American League in shutouts – once with the Tigers and later with the Mariners.  

Twint:    He gave up a 12^th inning walk-off home run to Alex Gonzalez in the 2003 World Series allowing the Marlins to even the series at 2-2.

Twint:    The Marlins would go on to win the next two games and win the series.

A.         JEFF WEAVER (Game 5 2006 WS vs DET; Jered Weaver debuted 2006 LAA; 3SHO 2002 and 2 in 2007; 2003 WS)

FCR -    Dave Serota, Kalamazoo, MI

Incorrect answers:  Jered Weaver, J.C. Romero

WEDNESDAY

Q.         Who was named American League Comeback Player of the Year when the Yankees lost the World Series to the Big Red Machine?

Hint:     He also led the Pirates in wins and win-loss percentage the year Roberto Clemente got his second ring.

Twint:    That same season he won thirteen consecutive games as a starter, tying the 61-year-old franchise record set by Deacon Phillippe.

A.         DOCK ELLIS (Sporting News COPY 1976; 19-9 W/L% .679 in 1971; 13 consec. W 1910 Phillippe and 1971 Ellis)

FCR -    Mark DeLodovico, Rockville, MD

Incorrect answers:  Steve Blass, Virgil Trucks, Jim Bibby, Doc Medich, Bert Blyleven, Chris Chambliss, John Candelaria, Paul O'Neill

MIDWEEK BONUS

Q.         Which Yankee pitcher gave up the Game 7 grand slam homer to Johnny Damon that cemented the 2004 Red Sox ALCS comeback from a 0-3 deficit?

Hint:     Ironically, his Game 3 win in that series would be the only post-season win of his career.

Hint:     He was then promptly traded to Arizona in the deal that brought Randy Johnson to the Yankees.

Hint:     When he achieved his 2,500^th career strike out, he was the active leader in career strike outs.

Twint:    He was the "Silent Assassin".

A.         JAVIER VAZQUEZ (G 7 ALCS 2004; 1-1 post-season record; Trade of 11-Jan-2005 for Johnson included Brad Halsey & Dionner Navarro and $8.5 million; Career 2,536 Ks finishing with 162 his final season with FLA)

FCR -    David Ramsden, Barcelona, SPAIN

Incorrect answers:  Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano, Esteban Loiza

THURSDAY

Q.         Which former Cincinnati Reds first-round draft pick played Dutch Leonard in the movie "42"?

Hint:     Much of the action footage was filmed in Engle Stadium, Chattanooga, Tennessee - the stadium where he first broke into the majors.

Hint:     He also pitched in Japan and in 2007 became the first pitcher to throw only one pitch in a game and get a double play in both the majors and in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Hint:     Though he had ten seasons in the majors, he is perhaps best known for his career in the media as a writer, radio host and color analyst including hosting "Eye on Baseball" in 2013 for CBS Sports Radio.

Twint:    At the end of his playing career, he was a LOOGY.

A.         C.J. Nitkowski (Cast and crew "42"; 1994 Chattanooga Lookouts; DP reference; Media career highlights; LOOGY – Left-Handed One Out GuY)

FCR -    David Krassin, New York, NY

Incorrect answers:  Dirk Hayhurst

FRIDAY

Q.         Who was the last National League pitcher to log 440 innings in a season?

Hint:     He led the league with 27 losses one season, but the next year won 31.

Hint:     Because of his success and well-dressed appearance, he was given the moniker "Duke of Pittsburgh".

Twint:    Like his twin brother "Blue", he was referred to as a color reportedly because his mother gave the boys different colored ribbons in order to distinguish the two look-alikes.

Twint:    He still holds the National League career record for hit batters with 195.

Twint:    He once lost a game 1-0 to future Hall of Fame pitcher Joe McGinnity despite striking out 21 opponents and not allowing a hit.

A.         PINK HAWLEY (440.1 innings pitched STATS 1894 19-27 STL, 1895 31-22 PIT; Born 5-Dec-1872; Though stories differ as to who placed the ribbons, he wore a "Pink" ribbon to differentiate him from his twin brother who had the blue one; Semi-pro game 1891 or 1891 with Fort Smith, AR losing to Joe McGinnity then with the Krebs, Indian Territory, reported in the "Utica Globe")

FCR -    Richard Letarte, Lunenberg, MA

Incorrect answers:  Vic Willis, Joe McGinnity, Elroy Face, Steve Carlton, Jack Chesbro, Mickey Welch

           

SATURDAY

Q.         Who is the only knuckleballer to lead the majors in complete games in a season since Charlie Hough did it in 1984?

Hint:     His nickname "Phone Book" was earned when he dislocated his shoulder trying to rip a telephone directory in half.

Hint:     In another incident, he incurred elbow ligament damage when he stopped his motion mid-throw trying to gun down a runner.

Twint:    In spite of making appearances in 51 games in 2003, his record between the A's and Tigers in 2003 was only 0-6 with two saves.

A.         STEVE SPARKS (8 CG in 2001; Thwarted by the Phoenix Yellow Pages in 1994 spring training)

FCR -    Josh Murphy, Cedar Rapids, IA

Incorrect answers: Tom Candiotti, Tim Wakefield, R.A. Dickey, Phil Niekro

WEEKEND BONUS

Q.         Who threw the first no-hitter for the St. Louis Browns?

Hint:     He won the game 5-1 with the only run scored against his team coming from a Hall of Famer who walked and advance on an error.

Hint:     In 1918, he went 6-0 with 6 complete games and one shutout for the Pirates before enlisting in the Navy.

Twint:    He once accepted $5,000 to jump to Kansas City of the Federal League.  Ban Johnson told the Brown’s President Robert Hedges that the American League would spend every dollar in the league treasury to stop him.

Twint:    Eventually, he stuck with the Browns after Hedges met with the player's father who "…was much distressed that his boy should show such scant regard for his signed contract…".

A.         EARL HAMILTON (No-no 30-Aug-1912, Ty Cobb scored the sole run; Kansas City Federal League purchase of Hamilton "The Nerviest Proposition I Ever Saw" saga)

FCR -    Rich Klein, Plano, TX

Incorrect answers:  Ernie Koob

SUNDAY

Q.         Who hurled the Chicago National League franchise’s last no hitter before they became the Cubs?

Hint:     In his brief four seasons in the majors, he was teammates with Hall of Famers Frank Chance, Cap Anson and Clark Griffith.

Hint:     His playing days in the Bigs ended in a cloud of mystery, with several versions extant.

Twint:    He later assembled a semi-pro team that won its first 27 games, playing (and shutting out) professional teams.

.           WALTER THORNTON (No-no: 21-Aug-1898 Chicago Orphans 2-1 over Brooklyn Bridegrooms [The Chicago NL team first played as the Cubs in 1904.]; Some reports say that Thornton’s beaning the previous season caused him to lose his ability to think clearly. [Read Thornton’s SABR bio by Will Anderson]; Thornton’s team from Everett, WAS enjoyed beating the pros from Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane.)

FCR -    Richard Tharp, Gaithersburg, MD

Incorrect answers:  Three-Finger Brown  

WEEKLY THEME – Pitchers with three consecutive hit batsmen.

Pitcher         Date                   Inning      Offended parties

Ellis             01-May-1974       1^st *          Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Dan Driessen

Hawley         07-Apr-1894        1^st            ~

                    09-May-1896       7^th **        ~

Hamilton       10-Sep-1912       6^th            New York Hilltoppers (Yankees)

Nitkowski     03-Aug-1998       8^th            Derek Lee, Ryan Jackson, Kevin Orie

Sparks         22-May-1999       3^rd            Paul Sorrento, Miguel Cairo, Kevin Stocker

Thornton       18-May-1898       4^th            Chicago Orphans (Cubs)

Vazquez       23-Sep-2010       7^th            Desmond Jennings, Willy Aybar, Kelly Shoppach

Weaver         21-Aug-2004       1^st            J.D. Drew, Chipper Jones, Johnny Estrada

Wood           10-Sep-1977       1^st            Dave Kingman, Don Baylor, Dave Chalk

*First three batters of the game

**Hit two additional batters during game

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Makoto Ozawa, Scarsdale, NY (after Weaver)

Incorrect theme guesses:

Monday

               -  Pittsburgh Pirate draftees

               -  Lefty knuckleballers

               -  Knuckleballers with repeating initials

               -  Players with consecutive 10 WAR seasons

               -  Players with 10 WAR seasons not to win MVP

Tuesday   -  Notable pitchers with last names beginning with "W"

Wednesday

               -  Pitchers who won 2 of the 3 Triple crown pitching categories but didn't win the Cy Young award

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

June 16-22, 2014 Tony Gwynn and the 8 batters he beat out for a batting title

IN MEMORIAM

Q.         Who was drafted in the third round of the MLB draft and tenth round of the NBA draft on the same day?

Hint:     His draft position placed him six spots behind John Elway.

Hint:     His statue at Petco Park has an inscription reading, "If you work hard, good things will happen," the motto of his father.

Hint:     The baseball field at San Diego State University is named in his honor at the insistence of the Padres owner who donated the money for its renovation.

Hint:     He had the highest single-season batting average after Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941.

Hint:     No player in the history of the National League won more batting titles.

Hint:     His son's first major league hit came 24 years to the day after his own first.

Hint:     His career batting average is the highest of any player debuting after World War II.

Hint:     His nineteen consecutive seasons batting over .300 is bested only by Ty Cobb.

Hint:     He had "5 . 5 Hole" written on the tongue of his spikes, indicating the place on the field where he most liked to slap the ball.

Twint:    He earned the nickname "Captain Video" for his pioneering use of the medium to improve his performance.

Twint:    He once sneaked into the Angels Spring Training camp to spy on a Rod Carew bunting clinic.

Twint:    He called his bat "Seven grains of pain."

A.         TONY GWYNN Obit: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2099120-hall-of-famer-tony-gwynn-passes-and-there-is-a-55-hole-in-baseball-universe (Padres owner John Moores; .394 in 1994; 19-Jul-1982 and 19-Jul-2006; Round 3 of 1981 draft 09-Jun-1981, Elway chosen last in Round 2 ; 8 BA titles, tied with Honus Wagner; Tony Gwynn, Jr.; Career BA .338; Shoes; Video work; Seven grains)

FCR -    Josh Sullivan, Tomball, TX

Incorrect answers:  Dave Winfield, Ken Griffey, Jr.

TUESDAY

Q.         Who holds the Los Angeles Dodgers record for highest batting average in a season (minimum 500 AB)?

Hint:     His OPS+ of 185 led the majors that year.

Hint:     His time with the Marlins was even shorter that his time with the Padres or A’s.

Twint:    He was the first catcher to collect 200 hits in a season.

A.         MIKE PIAZZA (.362 in 1997; 5 G w/MIA, 126 w/SDP, 83 w/OAK; 201 H 1997)

FCR -    Josh Sullivan, Tomball, TX

Incorrect answers:  Gary Sheffield, Tommy Davis, Steve Garvey, Hanley Ramirez, Zach Wheat

WEDNESDAY

Q.         Who was the last 20^th century player to receive six bases-on-balls in a game?

Hint:     This former Falcon and Hawk had a leg kick that actually thrust him back as he struck the ball.  (And he struck the ball often and well.)

Hint:     He changed his primary fielding position because of a player who went on to win the MVP with a different team.

Twint:    He won the Middlesex County Role Model of the Year Award.

A.         JEFF BAGWELL (6 BB 20-Aug-1999; Xavier High Falcons [Middletown, CT], University of Hartford Hawks, Swing; Moved from 3^rd to 1^st because of 3^rd baseman Ken Caminiti; Middlesex, CT RMAA)

FCR -    Makoto Ozawa, Scarsdale, NY

Incorrect answers:  Brian Jordan, Gary Sheffield, Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Deion Sanders, Juan Gonzalez, Cal Ripken

MIDWEEK BONUS

Q.         What Canadian native played the most games in the majors?

Hint:     A Most Valuable Award, seven Gold Gloves, three Silver Slugger Awards and 28 postseason games were not enough to keep him on the Hall of Fame ballot.*

Twint:    He was the first National League player to collect an extra-base hits in each of six consecutive plate appearances.

Twint:    Few people remember his finish with the Cardinals.

A.         LARRY WALKER (1,988 G; 6 EBH:  HR, 3B, 2B, 2B, 3B, 3B on 21, 22-May-1996 [He slugged a ridiculous 2.833 over that indomitable span.]; St. Louis 2004-05)

FCR -    Gregg Bernstein, Oakland, CA

Incorrect answers:  Dave Winfield, Gary Carter, Terry Puhl, Rusty Staub
*As of this writing, Walker is still on the Hall of Fame ballot.

THURSDAY

Q.         Who broke Terry Puhl's National League Championship Series batting average record, set at .526 in 1980 when he hit .650 years later?

Hint:     He’s one of the few to hit a grand slam in each league in the same season.

Twint:    Nuschler?  Really?!

A.         WILL CLARK (NLCS batting avg. record set in 1989 against the Cubs; 2 GS 20-Jul-2000 for BAL, 24-Sep-2000 for STL, last year of his career)

FCR -    Victor Piacentile, Yorktown Heights, NY

Incorrect answers:  Carlos Beltran, Manny Ramirez, Lloyd Mclendon, Billy Hatcher, David Ortiz, Mark McGwire, Kevin Bass, Davie Justice, Willie McGee

FRIDAY

Q.         Who was the next Red Sox batter, after Bill Regan in 1928, to hit two home runs in the same inning?

Hint:     He said of his retirement plans, "I'm just gonna get big and fat when I get out of baseball"?

Hint:     He went to college in Paris.

Twint:    His numbers at his peak would have won the Triple Crown five times during his career!

Twint:    He never won a single leg of the Triple Crown in any year of his 18-year major league career.

A.         ELLIS BURKS (HR X2 in 1 inning:  27-Aug-1990, Regan's HRs:  16-Jun-1928; Paris Junior College, Paris, TX; Triple-Crown-adjacent year:  1996, 40 HR, 124 RBI & .344 avg)

FCR -    Walt Cherniak, Dayton, MD

Incorrect answers:  Rudy York, George Scott, Moe Berg, Bill Mueller, Gene Stephens, Mo Vaughn, Vern Stephens

SATURDAY

Q.         Who was the last native of Cuba to appear in an All-Star game in the 20^th century?

Hint:     He played in more major league games than any other player in the 1990s.

Hint:     On Friday, 10-Jun-2005, he and two other 500-Home-Run-Club members played in the same game.

Twint:    He is the only designated hitter to win a Gold Glove

A.         RAFAEL PALMEIRO (ASG 1999; 500 HRC X3: 10-Jun-2005 Sammy Sosa & Ken Griffey, Jr.; GG 1b 1999)

FCR -    Rich Klein, Plano, TX

Incorrect answers:  Sammy Sosa, Minnie Minoso, Tony Perez, Alex Rodriguez, Jose Canseco

WEEKEND BONUS

Q.         Whom did writer Bill James call "the best hitter God has made in a long time"?

Hint:     He famously grounded into a double play to end a former teammate’s no-hitter.

Hint:     He now coaches in the Mexican minor leagues.

Twint:    In 1999 he was acquitted of a drug offense when his attorney used a rather humiliating defense.

A.         PEDRO GUERRERO (DP for Fernando 29-Jun-1990; Coach of Rieleros-de-Frontera of the Liga del Norte de Coahuila; Acquittal)

FCR -    Fred Worth, Arkadelphia, AR

Incorrect answers:  Carlos Delgado, Manny Ramirez, Edgar Martinez, Wade Boggs, Craig Biggio

SUNDAY

Q.         Who was the first Dodger to play designated hitter in a game?

Hint:     He was the first to homer in three consecutive pinch-hit plate appearances.

Twint:    He is an alum of the same high school that produced three Hall of Fame inductees.

A.         Lee Lacy (G 1 1978 WS 10-Oct-1978; HRs 2-, 6- & 17-May-1978, also received a BB during the string; HOFers from McClymonds High School in Oakland, California:  Ernie Lombardi, Frank Robinson & Bill Russell of the NBA)

FCR -    Richard Tharp, Gaithersburg, MD

Incorrect answers:  Mike Piazza, Frank Howard, Eric Karros, Reggie Smith, Rick Monday, Dave Hansen, Dave Anderson, Manny Mota

WEEKLY THEME – Tony Gwynn and the eight batters who finished in 2^nd place the years he won the National League batting title.

Year     2^nd Place        Team    Avg.     Gwynn’s

1984     Lacy              PIT       .321      .352

1987     Guerrero        LAD      .338      .370

1988     Palmeiro        CHC     .307      .313

1989     Clark              SFG     .333      .336

1994     Bagwell          HOU     .368      .394

1995     Piazza            LAD      .347      .368

1996     Burks             COL      .344      .353

1997     Walker           COL      .366      .372

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – No one

We archive our questions here:  http://horsehidetrivia.blogspot.com/

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

June 9-15, 2014 Players whose names have, at least for pronunciation purposes in English, an unneeded z: Redundanzees

MONDAY

Q.         Who was the first to play in 3,300 major league games?

Hint:     He was the first American League player to win a Gold Glove Award and batting title in the same season.

Twint:    He replaced Ted Williams in left field for the Red Sox.

A.         CARL YASTRZEMSKI (3,300^th G 18-Sep-1983, total 3,308 [Only Pete Rose has more.]; GG/batting title 1963)

FCR -    Bob Heckman, Alexandria, VA

Incorrect answers:  Tris Speaker, Cap Anson, Ty Cobb, Cal Ripken, Luis Aparicio, Brooks Robinson, Pete Rose, Robin Yount, Lou Boudreau, Paul Molitor, Al Kaline, Rod Carew         

TUESDAY

Q.         Who was the last player to lead the league in home runs while hitting home runs more times than he struck out?

Hint:     He graduated from college, but not until he had helped his school win the Big Ten football championship—its only undefeated season ever.

Hint:     He was the first player to hit two home runs in his first World Series game.

Hint:     He was one of the first players to evaluate and improve his on-field performance by studying game film.

Twint:    The team didn’t like the sleeveless look—at first.

A.         TED KLUSZEWSKI (1954:  49 HR, 35 K [but finished a distant second to Willie Mays in MVP voting that year]; Indiana University at Bloomington 1941-46 with the 1945 team going 11-0-1; G1, 1959 WS; His wife Eleanor used the family camera to shoot game footage which Klu reviewed at home; He claimed his tight uniform constricted his swing, so he tore the sleeves out to create a now iconic look.)

FCR -    Mark Linneman, Sacramento, CA

Incorrect answers:  Johnny Mize, Johnny Hornsby, Chuck Essegian, Kirk Gibson, Dave Winfield, Ted Williams, Steve Garvey, Charlie Keller, Gene Tenace, Greasy Neale

IN MEMORIAM

Q.         Whose World Series start was pre-empted by Loma Prieta?

Hint:     Undeterred, the following year he became the last pitcher to win more than 25 games in a season, winning the Cy Young Award in the process.

Hint:     He won World Series championships with teams from both ends of California.

Hint:     He was also the pitching coach for the Diamondbacks when they won their World Series.

Hint:     He once struck out Reggie Jackson to end a World Series game, a feat that’s now part of Dodger lore.

Hint:     He also once started a World Series game only to be pulled without recording a single out.

Twint:    He was employed by the Oakland A’s at the time of his passing.

Twint:    He surrendered Mike Schmidt’s 400^th home run.

Twint:    He was frank about his battle with alcoholism in his autobiography, calling it his greatest victory.

A.         BOB WELCH (Was scheduled to pitch the 3^rd G of the 1898 WS when the famous earthquake struck shortly before game time,  A two-week delay resulted so A’s manager Tony LaRussa decided to go with his hot hand, Dave Stewart, who would be by then, equally rested.  Stewart won and Oakland swept San Francisco; 1990 CYA; WS win w/LAD in 1981, OAK in 89; ARI in 2001; Pre-"Mr. October" K, G 2 1978 WS; Bad start: G 1, 1981 WS; Schmidt HR 15-May-1984; Book:  Five O’Clock Comes Early)

FCR -    Mark Hayne, Dumfries, VA

WEDNESDAY

Q.         Whose lovely locks gently caress the shoulders of the Cubs’ ace?

Hint:     He has averaged almost exactly a strikeout per inning for the past four seasons.

Hint:     A three-sport standout in high school, he was runner-up for Mr. Football in his state—as a junior!

Twint:    His record of 1,249 yards receiving was third in the storied history of the Fighting Irish.

Twint:    He caught passes in eight straight games, a team record.

A.         JEFF SAMARDZIJA (Tresses; IP between the beginning of 2011 and 07-Jun-2014 = 560.1, Ks = 556)

FCR -    Josh Sullivan, Tumball, TX

No incorrect answer, but the following variations were among those sent in: 

S.

Samardija

Samardijia

Samardja

Samardjia

Samardjia

Samardjza

Samardzia

SamardzijaZ

Samardzja

Samardzjia

Samarja

Samarjzia

Samarzdija

Samarzdija

Samarzjia

Smadrzja

Smardia

Smardijiza

Smardizja

Smardja

Smardjia

Smardjzia

Smardzia

Smardzjia

Smarjia

Smarjia

Smartizia

Smarzazdjia

Symardija

Szamarjida

Szchmardija

Szmardja

MIDWEEK BONUS

Q.         What major leaguer was teammate of Alex Rodriguez in high school?

Hint:     He is one of five American players to win both an Olympic gold medal and a World Series championship.

Hint:     He once had to go on the fifteen-day DL when he tore his right hamstring while warming up in the on-deck circle.

Hint:     The year he won his Gold Glove Award was the only season he received MVP votes.

Twint:    He was a big part of last year’s Miracle brawl.

A.         DOUG MIENTKIEWWICZ (Westminster Christian Academy, Miami, FL [J.P. Arencibia also attended]; Other 4 w/Olympic Gold & WS win:  Ed Sprague, Pat Borders, Orlando Hernandez & Jose Contreras; On deck injury 25-Jun-2005;  Brawl article and video)

FCR -    Bob Kimball, Washington, DC

Incorrect answers:  Tino Martinez, Mark Buehrle

THURSDAY

Q.         Who was nicknamed "Scrabble" during his time with the Blue Jays?

Hint:     He was an important part of a recent St. Louis Cardinals World Series championship, with four pitching appearances and zero runs scored.

Twint:    He was also an important part of the Highlanders winning their conference and going to the NCAA tournament.

A.         MARC RZEPCZYNSKI (2011 WS; University of California, Riverside Highlanders 2007 Big West Conference champs)

FCR -    Max Burgess, Austin, TX

Incorrect answers:  Octavio Dotel, Chris Carpenter

FRIDAY

Q.         Who was the only pitcher to win more than 10 decisions for the Toronto Blue Jays in their inaugural season?

Hint:     He was named to an All-Star team, but never saw All-Star action.

Hint:     He has been a full time pitching coach at the New York Baseball Academy for 20 years.

Twint:    His son played for four years in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

A.         DAVE LEMANCZYK (13-16 in 1977, 1979 ASG; NYBA; Son Matt)

FCR -    Rich Klein, Plano, TX

Incorrect answers:  Jim Clancy, Jerry Garvin, Pete Vuckovich, Dave Stieb

SATURDAY

Q.         Which NCAA Division I pitcher trailed only David Price in college strikeouts the year before being drafted.

Hint:     He was the fourth overall pick, behind only Tim Beckham, Pedro Alvarez and Eric Hosmer.

Hint:     After a few games as a starter, he became a mainstay in the bullpen, striking out 19 with a 1.35 ERA in 18 appearances.

Hint:     He also did not allow a single inherited runner to score.

Twint:    Sidelined by a rectus abdominis tear, he made a full recovery following off-season surgery.

A.         BRIAN MATUSZ

FCR -    Richard Tharp, Gaithersburg, MD

Incorrect answers:  Drew Storen, Daniel Moskos, Trevor Rosenthal

WEEKEND BONUS

Q.         Eyechart

Hint:     Homered off a known diabetic.

Hint:     Nail

Twint:    Was a backup to Terry Kennedy in 1984, but was not on the Padres postseason roster.

Twint:    His 39 games played that year was a career high.

A.         DOUG GWOSDZ ("Eyechart" was the nickname give Gwosdz by his coaches, mocking the seemingly random assemblage of letters composing his name; His only major league home run was off Bill Gullickson, famous for his struggle with diabetes, on 21-Aug-1983; Gwosdz translates roughly to "nail" in Slavic.)

FCR -    Don Masi, San Antonio, TX

Incorrect answers:  Doug Mientkiewicz, Len Dykstra, Josh Willingham,

SUNDAY

Q.         What Oral Roberts University alum once led the Pacific Coast League in saves?

Hint:     He has invented a product called the ThrowTrac to help young players develop proper throwing habits and skills.

Twint:    After his playing career, he scouted for the Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants, signing Hayden Penn, Nick Noonan, Brett Pill and Dan Runzler.

A.         RAY KRAWCZYK (ORU, ; ThrowTrac, endorsed by Chuck Finley and Lee Carballo)

FCR -    Bob Chan, Oakland, CA

Incorrect answers:  Lech Walesa

WEEKLY THEME – Players whose names have, at least for pronunciation purposes in English, an unneeded z.  Let's call them the Redundanzees.

Name              \Pronunciations given in www.baseball-reference.com\

Gwosdz               \GOO-sh\

Kluszewski           [klu-ZOO-skee]

Krawczyk            [KRAV-chick]

Lemanczyk          \luh-MAN-chick\

Matusz                 \MAT-iss\

Mientkiewicz        \mint-KAY-vich\

Rzepczynski        \zep-CHIN-skee\

Samardzija          \suh-MAR-jah\

Yastrzemski         \yuh-STREM-skee\

There are others, but these all had 100 games in the Bigs.

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

Incorrect theme guesses:

Monday   -  Players with over 3000 career games played

               -  Offensive Players with the best single-season WAR of all time

Tuesday   -  300 homers with a Z in their name

               -  The all-time Polish-American all-star team

               -  The top home run hitters whose name ends in "ski"

               -  The top home run hitters who have a 'z' in their name

               -  Polish guys with hard-to-spell names who led the league in HR

               -  Names that is often misspelled

               -  Polish guys with hard to spell names who led the league in HR

               -  Players whose names end in ski / whose names we can't pronounce or write

               -  Members of the Polish American sports hall of fame

Wednesday

               -  Big Ten Football Players

               -  College football stars

               -  Polish-American players who went to college in Indiana

               -  Guys who have 'z's in their name who made an All-Star team

               -  High scrabble values for players

               -  Multi sport athletes from Indiana colleges

               -  Polish who hit WS homers

               -  Polish who went to college on scholarship for other sports

               -  Polish Gold Glove winners

               -  Polish bat left, throw right

Thursday  -  Toughest names to spell

               -  Players with the most often misspelled names

               -  Players whose last name has a Z following a consonant

               -  Players with letter z in last name

               -  Players with insanely hard-to-spell names

               -  Players of Polish descent

               -  At least 10 letters in the last name

               -  Silent consonants in the last name

               -  Players with more than ten letters in their last name, including a z

               -  All-Alphabet Chart team

               -  Proud Poles

               -  Announcers’ Nightmares

               -  Players with long and hard-to-spell last names who won a World Series

               -  Players whose name you can only correctly say with a mouthful of phlegm

Friday      -  Non-Latino players with a Z in their names

Saturday  -  Players with Z in their name not as the first letter

               -  American-born players, who played baseball at the college level, and all had the letter Z in their surname

Sunday    -  Members of the Polish baseball HOF

               -  Players of Polish descent with over 100 major league appearances.

               -  Non-Hispanic players from the past 20 years with at least one z in their name

               -  Polish sounding players not born in Chicago

               -  Vowel to consonant ratios

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