Horsehide Trivia: November 2014

Sunday, November 30, 2014

November 24-30, 2014 Well-known owners who played in the majors

MONDAY

Q. Who did Dale Murphy call "…the only pitcher you start thinking about two days before you face him."?

Hint: He was the first person to play for the four 1961-62 expansion franchises.

Hint Those are the only teams he played for in the majors.

Hint: "He was the only guy that could put fear in me. Not because he could get me out, but because he could kill me. You just hoped to mix in a walk so you could have a good night and go 0-for-3," stated Reggie Jackson.

Twint: He holds two records that look as unassailable as any on the books.

A. NOLAN RYAN (NYM 1966, 68-71, CAL 1972-79, HOU 1980-88, TEX 1989-93 [Moved from Washington after the 1971 season.]; Unreachable records: 7 no-hitters & 5,714 career Ks)

FCR - Phil Hertz, North Bethesda, MD

Incorrect answers: Ryne Duren, Randy Johnson

TUESDAY

Q. Who was known as baseball biggest tightwad before becoming a baseball, and even social, icon?

Hint: He still holds the record for most bases stolen against a catcher in a single game: 13!

Hint: He was George Sisler’s college baseball coach.

Twint: He’s a “double-unique”.

A. BRANCH RICKEY (13 SB 28-Jun-1907 by WSH; Coached Sisler @ Michigan 1912-15; No one in the major leagues’ 144-year history has played under the first name of Branch or the last name of Rickey.)

FCR - Steve Bonfield, Calgary, AB

Incorrect answers: Ty Cobb, Buck Ewing, Charlie Comiskey. Leo Durocher, Clark Griffith, Billy Hamilton

TUESDAY BONUS

Q. Who played more games at second base than any other player in history?

Hint: He led his league in fielding nine times during his career.

Hint: He had seasons of hit .372, .365 and .360 and a lifetime average of .333 but never won a batting title in his 25-year career.

Twint: He won a league MVP for the team he debuted with and had played for nine seasons, but was sold to a team in the same league a few weeks later.

Twint: He soon became captain of his new team.

A. EDDIE COLLINS (2,650 G @ 2b; MVP 1914, dealt to CHW for 1915)

FCR - Victor Piacentile, Yorktown Heights, NY

Incorrect answers: Johnny Evers, Ryne Sandberg, Nap Lajoie, Rogers Hornsby, Cap Anson, Bid McPhee

WEDNESDAY

Q. Who was the only man ever to lead the Players’ League in number of times hit-by-pitch?

Hint: He was the first Pirates manager to pilot the team to winning records for two full seasons.

Hint: He lost six syllables along the way.

Twint: He was fined $100 & ordered off the field for using "insulting and abusive language" on former teammate Hank O'Day.

Twint: He refused to leave until several policemen ushered him from the field.

Twint: He was tactically tall.

A. CONNIE MACK (Players League only operated in 1890. Mack had 20 HBP and lost big $ he had invested in the league; PIT 1895-96; Birth name: Cornelius McGillicuddy = 9 > Connie Mack = 3; As a manager was nicknamed “The Tall Tactician”)

FCR - John Robertson, Cambridge, ON

Incorrect answers: Fred Clarke, Bill McKechnie, Al Buckenberger, Horace Phillips

MIDWEEK BONUS

Q. Who was the first player to collect more RBI in a season than the number of games he played (minimum 100)?

Hint: In 2005, Julio Franco replaced him as the oldest player to hit two home runs in one game.

Hint: He only had three all year.

Twint: He hit those two in the 2,276^th game of his 2,277-game career, spanning 27 seasons.

A. CAP ANSON (1886 for CHC: 125 G/147 RBI*; At age 45 years and 169 days, homered twice on 03-Oct 1897 for CHC against STL, Franco was 45 years )

FCR - Bill Deane, Cooperstown, NY

*It turns out that over 60 players have accomplished this feat, most notably Dave Orr who did it TWO YEARS before Anson. We apologize with a tip of the hat to those who saw through this and answered with Anson anyway.

Incorrect answers: Babe Ruth, Minnie Minoso, Jason Giambi

THURSDAY

Q. What slick-fielding first baseman was appointed player/manager by his team’s mercurial owner at age 25 and won four consecutive pennants in his first four full seasons?

Hint: He was instrumental in the founding of three major leagues, one of which survives today.

Hint: He toured several major league stadiums to get ideas for the design his new stadium prior to its construction.

Hint: He called the stadium a “monument to the fans”, but built it on a former garbage dump and named it after himself.

Twint: His nicknames match neither his political leanings nor his ethnicity.

A. CHARLIE COMISKEY (Owner was beer baron Chris von der Ahe, Pennant run w/STL 1885, 86, 87, 88; A vital part of founding the short-lived Players’ League [1890], the American League [1901‑ ] & the Federal League [1914-15]; Comiskey Park [1910-90]; “Commy” [paragon of capitalism] & “The Old Roman” [He was of Irish descent.])

FCR - Harvey Judkowitz, Miami, FL

Incorrect answers: Charlie Ebbets, Connie Mack, Frank Chance, Fred Clarke, Bill Terry, Cap Anson, Harry Wright

TRYPTOPHAN SPECIAL

Q. Who changed from a right-handed pitcher to a left-handed outfielder when his right arm went bad?

Hint: His career home runs surrendered exactly matches the number of home runs he hit.

Hint: Scholastically, he was twice leonine.

Hint: The baseball world has only recently agreed on what he should be called.

Twint: As a twenty-year-old he pitched a perfect game, the second in history.

Twint: His home town is within the boundaries of the Bob Davids chapter of SABR.

A. MONTE WARD (Stopped pitching in 1884; 26/26; Columbia Lions/Penn State Nittany Lions; “John Ward”, “John Montgomery Ward”, “Montgomery Ward”, “J.M. Ward”; [I don’t know who settled it, but thank you.]; Perfecto 17-Jun-1880, losing pitcher was Pud Galvin, also headed for the Hall, B. 03-Mar-1860 in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania)

FCR - Gary Moore, Walker, MI

Incorrect answers: Smokey Joe Wood, Rick Ankiel, Lefty O’Doul

FRIDAY

Q. Which Hall of Famer was born in a log cabin, the son of a fur trapper?

Hint: He was the first pitcher to ever face only one batter in a season and give up a home run.

Hint: He was the first manager to use eight pitchers in a game. Good ploy—they got the win.

Hint: He claimed to be the inventor of the screwball.

Twint: He recruited 39 players to the new American League, then played in that same league pitched 20 victories and managed his team to the first league pennant.

Twint: He was a player, manager and owner, serving in each capacity for twenty years, a record unmatched in major league history.

Twint: Of him, Bobo Newsom said, "He was the greatest humanitarian who ever lived and the greatest pillar of honesty baseball ever had. I never played for a better man, on the field or off."

A. CLARK GRIFFITH (B. Clear Creek, MO 20-Nov-1869; Player 1891-1914, Manager 1901-1920, Senators Owner 1920-1955; Faced Hal Chase and yielded a homer 05-Oct-1912, matched only by Dave Koslo 14‑Apr‑1955 to Bill Virdon; 8 P-G 04-Oct-1913; VP of the League Protective Player’s Association he helped Ban Johnson form the AL, as player/manager Chicago White Stockings/White Sox 1901 went 83-53 record to top the league. No World Series was played until 1903)

FCR - Kirk Colwell, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Incorrect answers: Iron Man McGinnity, Fred Hutchinson, Red Schoendienst, Candy Cummings, Judy Johnson

SATURDAY

Q. What legendary skipper managed 27 players who became major league managers?

Hint: Six of those have been elected to the Hall of Fame.

Hint: He was the last out in Lee Richmond's perfect game.

Hint: He owned the property where the team he managed built their ballpark.

Twint: He played for the Detroit Wolverines all eight years of their existence.

Twint: He managed five teams who won the National League pennant, the top championship of its day.

A. NED HANLON (First ever major league perfect game 12-Jun-1880)

Hanlon managed the following players who became major league managers: [Underlined are in the Hall of Fame]

Frank Bowerman

Lave Cross

Bill Dahlen

Bill Donovan

Jack Doyle

Fred Dunlap

Pud Galvin

John Ganzel

Doc Gessler

Kid Gleason

Charley Huffington

Hughie Jennings

Fielder Jones

Joe Kelley

Hans Lobert

Harry Lumley

John McGraw

Deacon McGuire

Doggie Miller

Fred Mitchell

Joe Quinn

Wilbert Robinson

Jack Rowe

Harry Stovey

Cub Stricker

George Van Haltren

Deacon White

- - -

Jack Dunn*

- - -

John Hummel**

Bob Spade**

*Became legendary himself managing the minor league Baltimore Orioles, including one George H. Ruth

**Managed in the Negro Leagues

FCR - Andrew Distler, New York, NY

Incorrect answers: Connie Mack, Bill Phillips, John McGraw, Casey Stengel, Rod Dedeaux, Buck O’Neil, Jim McCormick, Hughie Jennings, Addie Joss

WEEKEND BONUS

Q. Which big league pitcher, eligible for the title, holds the career record for win percentage?

Hint: He is the only pitcher to lead his league in wins six consecutive years, during which he became the only pitcher with consecutive fifty-win seasons.

Hint: After his six-year streak, he only won a single game the rest of his career.

Twint: The league and sporting goods company he formed survive to this day.

A. AL SPALDING (Career .795; 1871-1876 led with 19/38/41/52/54 (National Association) 47 (National League); 1877 1-0; National League [w/William Hulbert] & Spalding Sporting Goods)

FCR - Dave Johnson, Swarthmore, PA

Incorrect answers: Hughie Jennings, Cy Young, Bob Caruthers, Charles Radbourn

SUNDAY

Q. What major leaguer was once an All-SEC quarterback and catcher for the University of Florida?

Hint: His rocket arm got him an offer from the Boston Red Sox.

Hint: His Florida football coach asked future Hall of Famer Bill Terry to speak with him about the offer, and they had this conversation: Terry asked the prospect, “Do you mean to tell me you get this money even if you don’t make it to the big leagues?” He said that he did and Terry replied, “Then boy, what are you waiting for?”

Twint: He was the Boston Red Sox General Manager when the team’s reputation got “dented”

A. HAYWOOD SULLIVAN (GM 1977-84, Bucky Dent’s famously infamous homer coming in 1978; SEC Quarterback/Catcher 1950-1951, signed in 1952 by the Red Sox for a $75,000 bonus and conversation from SABR Bio)

FCR - Andrew Distler, New York, NY

Incorrect answers: Jake Gibbs

END-OF-THE-WEEKEND BONUS

Q. After Jim Creighton's death in 1862, who was considered the fastest pitcher in "base ball"?

Hint: He was undefeated for the Brooklyn Atlantics in 1864-65.

Hint: He was the first native of Massachusetts to play in the major leagues.

Twint: His debut game was also his last and only game. He went two-for-six.

A. TOM PRATT (B. 26-Jan-1844, Chelsea, MA, Debut 18-Oct-1871)

FCR - No one

Incorrect answers: Amos Rusie, Candy Cummings

WEEKLY THEME – Well-known team owners who also played in the majors.

Anson Chicago Cubs

Collins Chicago White Sox

Comiskey Chicago White Sox

Griffith Washington Senators

Hanlon Brooklyn Dodgers

Mack Philadelphia A's

Pratt Philadelphia Athletics

Rickey St. Louis Cardinals

Ryan Texas Rangers

Spalding Chicago Cubs

Sullivan Boston Red Sox

Ward Boston Braves

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Marc Kell, Columbia, MD

Incorrect theme guesses:

Monday - Hall of Famers known by their middle name

Tuesday - Team presidents

- Highest per cent of Hall of Fame votes

- Hall of Famers whose sons became baseball executives

- Hall of Fame players who were team presidents

- Players who later moved to the front office (Hall of Famers)

Wed - HOFers who were players and also were Executives of teams in the World Series

Thursday - HOFers who have children or other ancestors who are or have been baseball execs

Friday - Owners who named parks after themselves

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

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

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Week of November 17-23, 2014 World Series Home Runs off Whitey Ford

MONDAY

Q. Who was the only player to win Rookie of the Year with a New York Giant and a New York Yankee finishing 2^nd and 3^rd in the same voting respectively?

Hint: He was later traded to the New York Giants, but chose to retire rather than accept that indignity.

Twint: He once “called out” the Yankees for not racially integrating sooner.

A. JACKIE ROBINSON (1947 ROY vote, only one award for the majors; NYG Larry Jansen 2^nd, NYY Spec Shea 3^rd; charged the NYY organization, but not the players, with racism on NBC)

FCR - Doug Greenwald, San Francisco, CA

Incorrect answers:

TUESDAY

Q. What former Compton High School quarterback holds the National League record for career World Series home runs?

Hint: He holds the record for most homers against any single pitcher.

Hint: Two of those homers were the last two hit in Ebbetts Field.

Twint: His first two career homers came in the first game of a doubleheader, the first of which was hit inside-the-park.

A. DUKE SNIDER (19 HR off Robin Roberts; 22-Sep-1957 he had two 2-R homers; 1^st inning IPHR and 7^th inning 2-R shot both off Curt Simmons 2-May-1948(1))

FCR - Doug Greenwald, San Francisco, CA

Incorrect answers: Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Hank Aaron, Roy Campanella

WEDNESDAY

Q. Who won the first Gold Glove given to a first baseman?

Hint: Along with Willie Mays and Roy McMillan, he took the honor the first three years it was awarded.

Hint: Dal Maxville broke his infamous record of futility by going 0-22 in the 1968 World Series.

Twint: Unlike Maxville, he did manage to get an RBI on a line drive off the man who finished 2^nd in the AL MVP voting that year.

A. GIL HODGES (1957-9 GG Awards; Hodges went 0-21 in the 1952 WS; Allie Reynolds won game 7, the same game Hodges got his RBI, and finished second to Bobby Shantz for the AL MVP)

FCR - Roy Glasser, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Incorrect answers: Ted Kluszewski, Vic Power

MIDWEEK BONUS

Q. Whose near-fatal kidney ailment led to a 42-year broadcasting career after nine years as a productive player in the majors?

Hint: He won his state’s prep Player of the Year honors in football and basketball, the first player to receive both awards in different sports in the same year.

Hint: His home run in the ninth inning of a World Series seventh game was too little too late.

Twint: His high school teammate was Dick Musial, Stan’s son.

A. MIKE SHANNON (Played 1962-1970 for STL, Has been in the broadcast booth for them since 1972; Attended Christian Brothers College HS in Clayton, MO, a suburb of St. Louis; WS HR off Mickey Lolich [WS MVP] 10-Oct-1968)

FCR - Mike McCroskey, Sugar Land, TX

Incorrect answers: Jerry Coleman, Pee Wee Reese, Tony Kubek, Ron Santo, Ralph Kiner, Bill Skowron, Joe Garagiola, Bob Feller, Rex Barney, Jim Gilliam, Ken Harrelson

THURSDAY

Q. Who holds the Dodger franchise record for most triples in a season by a catcher?

Hint: Four times he hit at least seven three-baggers in a season—the only catcher to do it more than once wearing a Dodger uniform.

Hint: His first career home run was the only walk-off home run he would hit in his fourteen-year stay in the majors.

Twint: He wrote an autobiography about great days and “Other Days with Others”.

A. JOHN ROSEBORO (Nine 3B 1958, 7 each ’59, ’62-3; HR 19-July-1957 against the Cubs driving in Hodges and Cimoli, Roseboro’s 12^th G, but only his 1^st @ C [Incidentally, it was Gil Hodges Night.; From Glory Days with the Dodgers and Other Days with Others, referring to his encounter with Juan Marichal who infamously retaliated against a Roseboro “brush-back throw-back” by hitting Roseboro on the head with his bat.)

FCR - Mel Williams, Middlebury, IN

Incorrect answers: Steve Yeager, Mike Piazza, Mickey Owen, Paul Lo Duca, Duke Ferrell, Bruce Edwards, Tommy Corcoran, Mike Scioscia

FRIDAY

Q. Alfonso Soriano was the second player to hit his 200^th career home run at RFK Stadium. Who was the first?

Hint: He was also the first player to hit ten home runs in a span of 20 at-bats.

Hint: Only he, Frank Robinson, Dick Allen and Mark McGwire won a Rookie of the Year Award in one league and a home run title in the other.

Twint: He was the only player to win a home run title for that franchise in that city.

A. FRANK HOWARD (200^th FR 14-Apr-1968, Soriano’s 200^th 13-Aug-2006; HR run 12‑15‑May‑1968 [That certainly was not the WEEK of the Pitcher!]; HRs Title 1968, 70)

FCR - Dean Kloner, New York, NY

Incorrect answers: Vlad Guerrero, Carlos Delgado, Dick Allen, Jason Bay, Carlos Beltran, Miguel Cabrera

SATURDAY

Q. Who had a higher batting average than any other qualifying catcher in the “Year of the Pitcher”?

Hint: …or any other player on his team?

Hint: He once came to bat in a major league regular-season game when his brother was the home-plate umpire.

Twint: He figures in a famous Danny Kaye song.

Twint: He was in the first trade between the Giants and Dodgers since they moved west.

A. TOM HALLER(.285 in 1968; Brother Bill Haller umped in the majors 1961, 63-82, worked the game on 14-Jul-1972; Kaye’s “The Dodger Song” describing a fictionalized Giants/Dodgers game; Traded with Francis Kacheta from SFG to LAD for Ron Hunt & Nate Oliver on 13-Feb-1968. It was the first trade between those two teams since they moved from New York)

FCR - Kevin Warren, Briarcliff Manor, NY

Incorrect answers: Dick Dietz, Bill Kunkel, Bill Haller

SUNDAY

Q. Who became a deputy sheriff in Berks County, Pennsylvania after retiring from baseball?

Hint: He took his only major league team to court because of how they released him.

Hint: He won a substantial settlement, but eliminated his chances of working in baseball.

Hint: Though he would become a major league All-Star in the outfield, his minor league manager tried to convert him into a pitcher.

Hint: Accuracy was a problem and he was too good a hitter not to have in the lineup on a daily basis.

Twint: He won a National League batting title, hitting 33 points higher than his teammate who won the MVP.

A. CARL FURILLO (Sued the Dodgers in 1960; Minor league mgr. Fresco Thompson, AS in 1952, 53; Hit 345 in 1953, MVP teammate Roy Campanella hit .312)

FCR - Bob Kimball, Sutton, MA

Incorrect answers: Curt Flood, Rocky Colavito, Dick Allen, Buck Weaver

WEEKLY THEME – Guys with a World Series home run off Hall of Famer and holder of numerous World Series records: WHITEY FORD

Year Batter Date Gm Inning

1955 Furillo 28-Sep-1955 1 2^nd

Snider 28-Sep-1955 1 3^rd

1956 Robinson 03-Oct-1956 1 1^st

Snider 03-Oct-1956 1 3^rd

1962 Haller 08-Oct-1962 4 2^nd

1963 Roseboro 02-Oct-1963 1 2^nd

Howard 06-Oct-1963 4 5^th

1964 Shannon 07-Oct-1964 1 6^th

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Steve Schwartz, Chico, CA

Incorrect theme guesses:

Tuesday - "The Boys of Summer"

- Dodger Heroes

Wed. - Players on the last BROOKLYN Dodger team (1956) to have the number 4 as part of their uniform number.

- Players that played for all the Dodger pennant winners from 1947 to 1956

- Players in more than one World Series with the Brooklyn Dodgers

- Dodger players on the field when Bobby Thomson hit “The Shot Heard Round the World”?

- Members of the 55 Dodgers WS Team

- Men who played with the Brooklyn Dodgers during all four of their 1950s World Series

- Dodgers staring line up in the 1952 World Series

- Ebbets Field all-time hits leaders (>1500)?

- Home run in game 7 of WS being on losing team

Saturday - Two-sport college athletes

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

Sunday, November 16, 2014

November 10-16, 2014 Pitchers who lead the league with 20+ wins but didn't throw a shutout all year

10-Nov‑2014

MONDAY

Q. Who is the only left-handed hitting pitcher to win a Cy Young Award for the Kansas City Royals?

Hint: It was his second stint with them.

Hint: He had just won a World Series ring the year before, but with a different team.

Twint: He was mistaken for Jewish when he pitched in New York.

A. DAVID CONE (CYA 1994; KCR 1986, 93, 94; WS champ with TOR in 1993)

FCR - Kevin Epstein, San Antonio, TX

Incorrect answers: Bret Saberhagen, Danny Jackson, Paul Splittorff, Mark Davis

MONDAY BONUS

Q. What former Houston Astro is the major league record holder for postseason pitching victories?

Hint: He also has pitched the most career innings in the postseason.

Twint: He surrendered Alex Rodriguez’ 150^th career home run.

A. ANDY PETTITTE (19 W; 276.2 IP; A-Rod HR 07-Apr-2000)

FCR - Richard Tharp, Gaithersburg, MD

Incorrect answers: Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Mike Scott, Nolan Ryan

TUESDAY

Q. What hurler has been paid an average of $1,459,969 for each pitching victory since 2009?

Hint: He became the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history when he signed the contract that began that year.

Hint: His tremendous year as a rookie didn’t result in a Rookie of the Year Award because of the outstanding play of someone who had transferred from another league.

Twint: He was recruited by UCLA to play football for them.

A. CC SABATHIA ($132,857,142 / 91 W; 2001 ROY Ichiro Suzuki)

FCR - Andrew Distler, New York, NY

Incorrect answers: Barry Zito [$2,416,667], John Lackey $[1,408,667], Cliff Lee [$1,455,224], Johan Santana [$3,672,182], Clayton Kershaw [$256,387], Justin Verlander [$786,557], Roy Halladay [$1,250,000], Tim Lincecum [$1,061,184]

TUESDAY BONUS

Q. Who is the only Dominican-born Cy Young Award winner to suit up for both the Mets and the Yankees during his career?

Hint: His best years, however, were not played in New York.

Twint: He has been granted free agency six times since 2003.

A. BARTOLO COLON (CYA 2005, NYY 2011, NYM 2014)

FCR - Michael Caragliano, Flushing, NY

Incorrect answers: Pedro Martinez, Orlando Hernandez, Luis Tiant

WEDNESDAY

Q. What pitcher set the record for strikeouts in a game by a rookie when he struck out eighteen Cubs?

Hint: He’s one of the few pitchers to surrender five home runs in a single game.

Twint: He was the last 20^th century pitcher to win twenty plus games in a season for the Tigers.

Twint: He famously, publicly dealt with his diabetes as a major leaguer.

A. BILL GULLICKSON (18 K: 10-Sep-1980; 5 HR 25-Jun-1987; 20-9 in 1991)

FCR - Dave Mason, Ottawa, ON

Incorrect answers: Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Dwight Gooden

MIDWEEK BONUS

Q. Whose 319 strikeouts are the most in a season by any right-handed pitcher not in the Hall of Fame?

Hint: A future teammate of his hit his first major league home run off him, a mammoth 446-foot shot.

Twint: Conspicuously cruor-blemished hosiery.

A. CURT SCHILLING (319 K in 1997 for PHI; HR by Erubiel Durazo 07-Aug-1999; Bloody red sock in the 2004 ALCS 19-Oct-2004)

FCR - Tucker Warner, Spottsylvania, VA

Incorrect answers: J.R. Richard, Rube Waddell, Fergie Jenkins, Mike Scott, Don Drysdale, Sam McDowell

THURSDAY

Q. What All-Star was the most frequent incorrect answer to Tuesday’s question this week?

Hint: He was the A's player representative during their Moneyball season.

Hint: The day of one of the meetings was when he was scheduled to start, so he nominated and sent a fellow rotation member in his place.

Twint: His father composed for Duke Ellington and conducted the London Symphony Orchestra.

A. BARRY ZITO (2002-03 Oakland A’s; Sent Mark Mulder in his place)

FCR - David Krassin, New York, NY

Incorrect answers: Tim Hudson

IN MEMORIAM

Q. Who was the first person to manage teams from each league in the All-Star game?

Hint: He was the only manager to guide both major league teams in the San Francisco Bay area, winning pennants with each and a World Series with the A’s.

Hint: He was the only player besides Jackie Robinson to win the Rookie of the Year Award when it was not league-specific, but represented all of major league baseball.

Hint: He was the anchor of New York Giants during their championship year of 1954, playing in every game and leading the league in at-bats.

Hint: He was the lead-off batter and later scored in the inning where Bobby Thomson famously went deep.

Hint: He starred in three sports in college, most noticeably as a running back on the Tigers’ football team.

Twint: He never caught a pass from Y.A. Tittle.

Twint: As a middle infielder, he was not a great home run hitter, with 126 over his fourteen-year career.

Twint: He did, however, manage to hit home runs off Hall of Famers Robin Roberts, Warren Spahn, Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax.

A. ALVIN DARK (http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/sports/baseball/2014/11/13/baseball-great-alvin-dark-easley-passes-away-age/18975331/)

FCR - Harvey Judkowitz, Miami, FL

Incorrect answers: Dick Williams, Monte Irvin, Sparky Anderson

THURSDAY BONUS

Q. Who holds the modern era record for retiring the most consecutive batters faced in his major league debut?

Hint: He was originally drafted out of high school in the 43^rd round by the Cardinals.

Hint: He chose instead to attend college, later becoming the University of Missouri’s first ever first-round pick.

Twint: Although very intelligent and only once-in-a-while angry, he’s neither “Smart” nor “Mad”.

A. MAX SCHERZER (13 BF 29-Apr-2008 v HOU; 2003 drafted by STL; 2006 by ARZ, out of Mizzou’; Neither Mad Max nor Maxwell Smart)

FCR - Steven Coleman, Belleville, IL

Incorrect answers: Pete Reichert, Rick Henninger, Mike Boddicker

FRIDAY

Q. Which pitcher holds the Florida Marlins franchise record for the most strikeouts in the postseason?

Hint: In his first two postseason years, not only did he get rings, he won an NLCS MVP and a World Series MVP.

Hint: He was awarded Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America, The Sporting News and USA Today.

Twint: He was the only Manatee ever to achieve even one of these awards.

A. JOSH BECKETT (47 Ks, Livan Hernandez 2^nd with 26; 2003 WS MVP/2007 ALCS MVP; Minor League POY 2001 BA, TSN and USA)

FCR - Mark DeLodovico, Rockville, MD

Incorrect answers: Kevin Brown, Livan Hernandez, Orlando Hernandez, A.J. Burnett, Dontrelle Willis, Alex Fernandez, Brad Penny

SATURDAY

Q. What former Blue Devil was the most recent San Francisco Giants pitcher to win as many as 24 games in a season?

Hint: His total would have topped the majors were it not for a certain knuckleballer.

Hint: His performance earned him Cy Young Award and MVP consideration, but he won neither and was out of baseball two years later.

Twint: His downslide into a swimming pool coincided with his career downslide.

A. RON BRYANT (24W 1973, Davis Senior High School Blue Devils; Wilbur Wood also 24W 1973-74; A gash while taking a slide into a pool led to his poor post 1973 league leading season)

FCR - Richard Tharp, Gaithersburg, MD

Incorrect answers: Billy Swift, Jack Sanford

WEEKEND BONUS

Q. What pitcher surrendered the first All-Star game home run hit by a National Leaguer?

Hint: He was nicknamed after America’s first administrator of the draft lottery.

Hint: He was stationed in Siberia twice during World War I.

Twint: He was the last Washington Senators pitcher to lead the league in wins for consecutive years.

A. GENERAL CROWDER (1933 ASG HR by Frankie Frisch; General Enoch Crowder and the Selective Service Act of 1917; American Expeditionary Force in Siberia; after Walter Johnson, W24 and W26 1932-3.

FCR - John Michael Pierobon, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Incorrect answers: Grover Cleveland Alexander, Bill Hallahan, Lefty Gomez, Urban Shocker

SUNDAY

Q. Who was the first African American to play a professional game in the Boston Red Sox organization?

Hint: Given the racially charged atmosphere of the team, it should be no surprise that he batted .400 and was named “Camp Rookie of the Year” during spring training of the year and made it to the Bigs, but not until the end of July that year.

Hint: Not that they couldn’t have used him—they were in last place.

Hint: With him on the team, they managed to climb to third by the end of the season.

Hint: In his last year in the majors, he would hit a home run that made him the last pitcher to get homers in both leagues prior to CC Sabathia’ s accomplishment in 2008.

Twint: He is the all-time career batting leader for home runs hit by pitchers in the post-expansion era.

A. EARL WILSON (Signed and played in the minors in 1953, Elijah “Pumpsie” Green wasn’t signed until 1956*; SABR BIO indicates that GM Manager Bucky Harris might have brought Wilson up, but owner Tom Yawkey, not exactly a model of liberalism, was convinced by Pinky Higgins to keep Wilson in the minors; his 1 HR with the Padres.)

*Walt Cherniak of Dayton, Maryland, first among equals, pointed out to us that Wilson was preceded by several years under the Red Sox aegis by Piper Davis who signed with them in 1950. Wilson, however, aligns correctly with all the remaining hints.

FCR - Steve Basford, Dublin, OH

Incorrect answers: Pumpsie Green, Reggie Smith, Willie Tasby, Piper Davis

WEEKLY THEME – Pitchers who lead the league in wins, but failed to get even a single shutout (20 W min.)

Pitcher Year W L ShO

Beckett 2007 20 7 0

Bryant 1973 24 12 0

Colon 2005 21 8 0

Cone 1998 20 7 0

Crowder 1933 24 15 0

Gullickson 1991 20 9 0

Pettitte 1996 21 8 0

Sabathia 2010 21 7 0