Sunday, June 25, 2017

2107-06-19 Famous final outs

19-Jun-2017

MONDAY
Q.        What manager set such a good example for his players that no fewer than 28 of them became major league managers?
Hint:     They in turn managed dozens of players who became managers.
Hint:     He is credited with pioneering the use of the hit-and-run.
Hint:     He is also credited with popularizing platooning right- and left-handed hitters.
A.         NED HANLON
-  Played for Hanlon in the majors and later managed in the majors:

FCR -  David Ramsden, Barcelona
Incorrect answers:  Casey Stengel, Connie Mack, John McGraw, Rube Foster, Walter Alston, Tony LaRussa, Earl Weaver, Wilbert Robinson, Miller Huggins, Cap Anson, Al Spalding

TUESDAY
Q.        Which Hall of Fame manager said, “If you don’t win, you’re going to be fired.  If you do win, you’ve only put off the day you’re going to be fired.”?
Hint:     He had 5 seasons as a player/manager yet managed late enough to guide one of the first expansion teams.
Hint:     He was nicknamed after one of his most active body parts.
A.         LEO DUROCHER
-  Player/Mgr 1939, 1940 , 1941 (won NL pennant), 1943 & 1945.  Managed the Houston Astros 1972-1973
-  “Leo the lip” for his propensity of mouth off to just about anyone.
FCR -  Will McCracken, Bradenton, Florida
Incorrect answers:  Bucky Harris, Mickey Vernon, Bill Rigney, Lou Boudreau, Casey Stengel, Dick Howser, Pete Rose

WEDNESDAY
Q.        Which manager stripped Carl Yastrzemski of his captaincy?
Hint:     He was later fired by the owner, partly on the recommendation of Yastrzemski.
Hint:     His conversion of a Hall of Fame pitcher from starter to a reliever led to a string of championships.
A.         DICK WILLIAMS
-  Soon after becoming the manager of the Red Sox in 1967, he decided that there was no need for a player to hold any position, nominal or otherwise and is reported to have told the players, “There’s only one chief, and the rest of you are Indians.’’
-  He was let go by Boston owner Tom Yawkey with 9 games to go in the 1969 season.  Yastrzemski stayed with the team another 14 seasons.
-  Rollie Fingers became the closer for the 1971-75 Oakland A’s with 5 straight division titles and 3 consecutive World Series Championships, with Williams the manager for the first two, 1972-73.
FCR -  Scott Matteson, Shawnee, Kansas
Incorrect answers:  Don Zimmer, Ralph Houk, Dallas Green, Joe Morgan, Bobby Cox, Joe Morgan

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q.        What American League batting champ didn’t see postseason action in his 15 year MLB career until he was traded to a National League team?
Hint:     He received MPV votes and was an All-Star in each of his first 8 seasons in the majors.
Hint:     Six years before his batting title, he was voted the American League Rookie of the Year, missing unanimity by a single vote.
Hint:     He managed hitters so powerful that they were called “Wall Bangers”.
A.         HARVEY KUENN
-  After 8 seasons w/DET and 1 in CLE, he joined SFG and went to the WS with them in 1962.
-  MVP votes and AS 1953-59.  (Also received MVP votes in ’62 w/SFG.)
-  ROY in 1953, with Tom Umphlett get that single vote.
-  Managed the Milwaukee Brewers 1975, then 1982-83, the teams of the latter stint were known as Harvey’s Wallbangers, recognizing the powerful hitters on the team as well as a play on a popular drink.  The ’82 team went to the World Series, losing to STL in 7 games.
FCR -  Bob Dorrill, Kingwood, Texas
Incorrect answers:  George Bamberger, Paul Molitor, Wade Boggs

THURSDAY
Q.        Who is the only Toronto Blue Jay to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game more than once?
Hint:     His dramatic home run off the pitcher who was voted that season’s MVP marked a turning point in the history of his franchise.
Hint:     He and a prominent European professional tennis player were once an item.
A.         ROBERTO ALOMAR
-  Games with HR from each side:  10-May-1991 & 03-May-1995
Homered off Dennis Eckersley in the 9th inning of the 4th G of the 1992 ALCS, tied the G which the Jays won in the 11th and then the series 2 games later, putting Toronto into its first World Series.
-  For a time dated French tennis pro Mary Pierce.
FCR -  Bob Flynn Gilbert, Arizona
Incorrect answers:  Tony Fernandez, Gary Carter

FRIDAY
Q.        Who is credited with creating the bat weight donut?
Hint:     He was the first black coach in the American League.
Hint:     He is tied with Pee Wee Reese for playing on the losing side in a World Series the most times.
A.         ELSTON HOWARD
Coach w/NYY 1969-79
-  6 times on the losing side in a WS:  1955, 57, 60, 63, 64 & 67
FCR -  Larry Creeden, Boulder City, Nevada
Incorrect answers:  Jackie Robinson, Frank Robinson, Junior Gilliam, Larry Doby, Manny Sanguillen

WEEK-ENDER
Q.        Which player did the Yankees obtain from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Jay Buhner?
Hint:     He joins Mark McGwire and Dave Kingman and a handful of others as players who retired with more than 25% of their career hits being home runs.
Hint:     He once broke up a pitcher’s perfect game with a two-out, 9th-inning home run.
A.         KEN PHELPS
-  Trade took place 21-Jul-1988 with other players on both sides.
-  McGwire (35.9%), Kingman (28.1), Phelps (27.8), Harmon Killebrew (27.5), Ron Kittle (27.2), Rob Deer (27.0), Gorman Thomas (25.5), Ralph Kiner (25.4), Steve Balboni (25.4)
-  Spoiled Brian Holman’s no-hit bid 20-Apr-1990.
FCR -  Jeff Kallman, Las Vegas
Incorrect answers:  Richie Sexson, Tino Martinez, Dave Kingman, Henry Cotto

SATURDAY
Q.        Which Oklahoma-born starter did Casey Stengel attempt to replace with Minnie Minoso after the American League had batted in the top of the 3rd inning of the 1952 All-Star game, before Commissioner Frick ordered him to keep the starter in for the required 3 innings?
Hint:     Since 1926, no one has had more triples in a season than he did in his best year.
Hint:     In that seminal season, he struck out only 11 times in 685 plate appearances.
Hint:     In spite of those dominant stats, he didn’t even finish in the top 20 among those receiving MVP votes that year.
A.         DALE MITCHELL
-  1952 ASG
-  23 3b in 1949 (Kiki Cuyler hit 26 3b in 1925)
Ted Williams won the AL MVP in 1949.  Mitchell was tied with Allie Reynolds for last (26th) among those receiving votes.
FCR -  Bill Carle, Lee’s Summit, Missouri
Incorrect answers:  Allie Reynolds, Mickey Mantle

WEEKEND BONUS
Q.        Who was the first post-expansion Detroit Tiger to hit for the cycle?
Hint:     He was the first American League player to score five runs in a game in the decade of the 1990's.
Hint:     He was once the scrappiest Scrapper?
Hint:     Is currently a hitting instructor for the Cleveland Indians farm system.
A.         TRAVIS FRYMAN
-  Cycle 28-Jul-1993
-  5-R G 17-Apr-1993
FCR -  Neil Cohen, Brooklyn
Incorrect answers:  Phil Garner, Danny Bautista, Kirk Gibson

WEEKEND BONUS #2
Q.        Who won MVP awards in 2 minor leagues, was a minor league Player of the Year, won a World Series championship in his rookie season in the majors and then was traded away for next-to-nothing after that season was over?
Hint:     He is one of only eleven players to play in both the Little League World Series and the Major League World Series.
Hint:     After playing a very sub-par year for the Pirates, he left baseball in what much be called a unique way.
A.         DEREK BELL
-   Won the 1991 International League Most Valuable Player award, and Baseball America magazine named him the Minor League Player of the Year. Traded with Stoney Briggs for Darrin Jackson at the end of the 1992 season.
-  Played in the 1980 and 1981 Little League World Series.  Had 2 plate appearances in the 1992 World Series.
-  Was told at spring training in 2002 that he would be competing for a job, petulantly stated that that was something he just didn’t do.  Walked away but collected that year’s $5,000,000 salary anyway.
FCR -  Gary Hoffman, Moon Township, Pennsylvania
Incorrect answers: 

WEEKEND BONUS #3
Q.        What player was drafted ahead of (in the same draft) MVP’s Ryan Braun and Andrew McCutchen?
Hint:     …also ahead of all-Stars Ryan Zimmerman, Alex Gordon, Ricky Romero, Troy Tulowitzky, Jay Bruce, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner and Travis Wood.
Hint:     …and ALCS MVP Matt Garza, ROY Jeremy Hellickson and others.  It was a very strong draft.
Hint:     His relative was also drafted high, but in a different year.
Hint:     He’s twice and All-Star and three times a Silver Slugger.
A.         JUSTIN UPTON
2005 MLB June Amateur Draft.  38 of the 1st round’s 48 picks have spent time in the  majors.
-  Brother B.J. Upton (now goes by his given name, Melvin) was drafted #2 in the 2002 MLB June Amateur Draft, ahead, in his own right, of many MLB luminaries.
FCR -  Benjamin Chase, Huron, South Dakota
Incorrect answers: 

SUNDAY
Q.        Who puts on what some have called the “greatest show in baseball” in nearly every MLB game he plays?
Hint:     He once stole two bases on a single pitch.
Hint:     A major league veteran, he played a heavy negotiating hand and finally ended up playing for his hometown team.
Hint:     His honors include thrice being an NL All-Star, 4 times a Gold Glove Award winner and a Silver Slugger bat adorns his den.
A.         BRANDON PHILLIPS
-  His acrobatic, inventive plays at second base wowed the fans in Cincinnati in more than 1,800 games over 11 seasons.
-  On 01-Aug-2007, stole second and third base on the same pitch, while the infield shifted for Adam Dunn.
-  Brandon grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta and now plays for the Braves.
FCR -  Benjamin Chase, Huron, South Dakota
Incorrect answers:  Bret Boone, Rickey Henderson, Giancarlo Stanton, Willie Mays

SUNDAY FINALE
Q.        What Yankee outfielder once played an entire season of over 300 chances without a single error?
Hint:     His defensive stats led the outfielders, but his WAR led the whole team that year.
Hint:     The next season he led the American League in bases-on-balls.
Hint:     He grew up in Compton, California playing sock ball.
A.         ROY WHITE
-  1971 – 306 chances, 0 errors
-  6.7 Wins Against Replacement
-  99 BB in 1972
-  "We'd take an ankle leg sock and stuff it with rags, and then we'd wrap it with tape or maybe sew it. The pitcher would stand about twenty-five feet away because the ball was so light. But you could curve it, throw a screwball," White would later explain when asked about how he developed his batting eye and hitting style.
FCR -  Ron Kaufman, Thornhill, Ontario
Incorrect answers:  Jackie Jensen, Dave Winfield


WEEKLY THEME – Famous final outs

Alomar             01-May-1991             Ryan’s 7th no-hitter
Bell                  06-May-1998             Wood’s 20th strikeout victim
Durocher          15-Jun-1938              Vander Meer’s 2nd no-hitter
Fryman            18-Sep-1996              Clemens’ 2nd 20th strikeout victim
Hanlon             12-Jun-1880              Richmond’s perfect game
Howard            04-Oct-1955              Brooklyn’s only WS championship
Kuenn              09-Sep-1965              Koufax’ perfect game & 4th no-no
Mitchell           08-Oct-1956              Larsen’s perfect World Series game
Phelps              29-May-1986             Clemens 1st 20th strikeout victim
Phillips             06-Oct-2010              Halladay’s NLDS no-hitter (28th batter)
Upton               11-May-2016             Scherzer 20th strikeout victim
White               21-Oct-1976              Big Red Machine postseason sweep completed
Williams           21-Sep-1962              Cheney’s 21st strikeout victim

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Many were close, but none were chosen

Incorrect theme guesses:

Monday  -  Managers who have either been to or won the World Series the most times.
               -  19th century player/managers
               -  Managers with most wins by decade

Tue         -  Brooklyn managers who won titles elsewhere, but not in Brooklyn.

Wed        -  Managers who were associated with Brooklyn but won championships elsewhere
               -  Lowest career batting averages of (non-pitcher) players in HOF
               -  Ned Hanlon managerial tree -- all "descendants" of Hanlon, having played for him, or played for someone who played for him, etc.
               -  HOF managers on the Hanlon tree.

Thurs      -  R-O-Y who later won lg batting titles, were player reps & mgrs, but not voted into H-O-Fs

Sat          -  Guys who made last out in a perfect game
               -  Last out in World Series






Sunday, June 18, 2017

2017-06-12 Current MLB stadiums that have never hosted a World Series

12-Jun-2017

This week’s theme, questions, hints and answers come from longtime reader
John Michael Pierobon of Fort Lauderdale.
MONDAY
Q.        Which is the northernmost baseball park in the major leagues?
Hint:     It is where Cal Ripken, Jr. hit his last home run in an All-Star game.
Hint:     Adrian Beltre hit the first inside-the-park home run at this venue.
A.         SAFECO FIELD
1250 First Avenue South, Seattle, Washington  98134-1216
-  AS HR off Chan Ho Park 10-Jul-2001
-  IPHR 23-Jul-2006 off Mike Timlin
FCR -  Adrian Fung, Toronto
Incorrect answers:  Rogers Center, Metrodome, Target Field

TUESDAY
Q.        Which ballpark hosted the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game?
Hint:     Ken Griffey, Jr. holds the distinction of having the first hit in this stadium's history.
Hint:     It is within walking distance of the Ohio River.
A.         THE GREAT AMERICAN BALLPARK
100 Joe Nuxhall Way, Cincinnati, Ohio  45202-4109
-  39.0875 Lat, 85.50667 Long
-  Griffey doubled 31-Mar-2003, but the Reds were clobbered by PIT
FCR -  Ralph Fessler, Ellicott City, Maryland
Incorrect answers:  PNC Park, Cinergy Field, Three Rivers Stadium

TUESDAY TWO-FER
Q.        Where have Daryle Ward, Garret Jones, and Pedro Alvarez each hit the ball out of the park and its surrounding grounds?
Hint:     This ballpark is near a famous bridge.
Hint:     It is within walking distance of the Ohio River.
A.         PNC PARK
115 Federal Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania  15212-5740
FCR -  John Rudy, Cooperstown
Incorrect answers:   Heinz Field, The Great American Ballpark, Three Rivers Stadium, Riverfront Stadium

WEDNESDAY
Q.        Which is the southernmost baseball park in the major leagues?
Hint:     This fishy park has an aquarium behind home plate on the first base side.
Hint:     Carlos Beltran holds the distinction of having the first major league hit in this stadium's history.
A.         MARLINS PARK
501 Marlins Way, Miami, Florida  33125-1121
-  Latitude: 25.783638°, Longitude: -80.221315°
-  Beltran’s inaugural H 04-Apr-2012
FCR -  Bob Bogart, Glen Rock, Pennsylvania
Incorrect answers:  Tropicana Field, Pro Player Stadium

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q.        Which is the northernmost baseball park in the major leagues with neither roof, canopy nor dome?
Hint:     It hosted the 2014 All-Star game.
Hint:     In 2010, ESPN The Magazine ranked it as the #1 baseball stadium experience in North America.
Hint:     Marco Scutaro holds the distinction of having the first major league hit in this stadium's history.
A.         TARGET FIELD
1 Twins Way, Minneapolis, Minnesota  55403-1418
-  Latitude: 44.9793305°, Longitude: -93.2805701°
Scutaro’s inaugural H 12-Apr-2010
FCR -  Richard Lerner, Silver Spring, Maryland
Incorrect answers:  Safeco Field, AT&T Park, Fenway Park

THURSDAY
Q.        Which ballpark hosted the Major League Baseball All-Star Game less than 16 months after it opened?
Hint:     Rick Sutcliffe threw the first pitch in front of a crowd of nearly 45,000.
Hint:     It is the first MLB park since Ebbets Field to have the outfield wall made up entirely of straight segments.
Hint:     A specially-colored seat marks when and where Ernie Banks’s record was broken.
A.         ORIOLE PARK at CAMDEN YARDS
            333 W. Camden Street, Baltimore, Maryland  21201-2577
-  First game 06-Apr-1992 w/44,568 in attendance; ASG 13-Jul-1993
Murray’s 500th HR 06-Sep-1996 off Felipe Lira
-  On 15-Jul-1993 Cal Ripken hit his 278th career HR, for most by a SS.  The seat where the HR ball landed commemorates the event and is located at Section 86, Row FF, Seat 10.
FCR -  Adrian Fung, Toronto
Incorrect answers:  Wrigley Field, Shea Stadium, Globe Life Park

FRIDAY
Q.        Where did a former Cy Young Award winner hit his only home run in 500+ career games with more than 300 plate appearances?
Hint:     Barry Bonds hit his 755th home run there to tie Hank Aaron's record.
Hint:     It has hosted several World Baseball Classic games over multiple tournaments.
A.         PETCO PARK
100 Park Boulevard, San Diego, California  92101-7405
-  Bartolo Colon homered there off James Shields 07-May-2016
Bonds’s 755th off Clay Hensley 04-Aug-2007
-  Hosted WBC games in 2006, 2009 and 2017
FCR -  Justin Zeleny, Columbia, Maryland
Incorrect answers:  Dodger Stadium, The Astrodome, Coors Field, AT&T Park, Citi Field, Qualcomm Stadium

WEEKEND INTRO BONUS
Q.        Where, until this year, was the venue the farthest south that the NHL Winter Classic had ever been held?
Hint:     It’s a stadium known for power.
Hint:     Its original plan featured an enormous, interior-lit, rotating baseball globe atop a rotating restaurant.
Hint:     To ensure that the large analog clock no longer give inaccurate times, the club simply removed the clock’s hands.
A.         NATIONALS PARK
1500 South Capitol Street, SE, Washington, District of Columbia  20003-3599
- Held the NHL Winter Classic on 01-Jan-2015.  Latitude 38.873093 Longitude -77.007573  (2916 site St. Louis Busch Stadium is Lat 38.622644 Long -90.192813, less than 17 miles farther south)
-  Located in the national capital, the seat of power
-  The rotating globe would, according to the original idea, be able to morph into a globe of the world or alternately project scores and replays.  It turned out to be cost-prohibitive.  The restaurant/bar did get built.
   -  Former clock now just a large logo.
FCR – Tom Di Iaconi, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Incorrect answers:  Washington, Houston, Wrigley Field, AT&T Park, Busch Stadium, Citizens Bank Park, Coors Field, Safeco Field

SATURDAY
Q.        In what major league stadium can you purchase Sharp’s?
Hint.     The Arctic Tailgate is an annual event.
Hint.     It was where we saw Torii Hunter turn a Barry Bonds home run into a long out.
Hint:     The club claims that “… (has) unique dimensions are designed to maximize every aspect of watching - and playing - America's Pastime.”
A.         MILLER PARK
1 Brewers Way, Stop 4, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53214-3691
-  Sharp’s is the Miller Brewing Company’s low-alcohol brewed beverage
Hunter catch in the 2002 ASG.  Bonds homered 2 innings later.  It was the 1st of Hunter’s 5 ASF appearances.
FCR – Mark Kell, Columbia, Maryland
Incorrect answers:  Target Field, Safeco Field, Comerica Park

SUNDAY
Q.        About which stadium did architect Earl Santee predict that it will feel “twice as intimate as (the then current stadium in the same city)”?
Hint:     The construction of the stadium and adjacent accommodations topped $1 billion.
Hint:     The head county officer for the location of the new stadium called the project “Operation Intrepid”.
A.         SUNTRUST PARK
755 Battery Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia  30339-3017
-  Cozier than Turner Field was the claim.
-  Adjacent accommodations include The Battery Atlanta.  Total cost exceeded $1.3 billion.
-  Cobb County Chairman Tim Lee
FCR – Jeff Kallman, Las Vegas
Incorrect answers:  Marlins Park, Petco Park, AT&T Park, Comerica Park


WEEKLY THEME - Active major league venues that have never hosted a World Series game.

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme - Vince Granieri, Cincinnati (After SAFECO!!)


Incorrect theme guesses:

Monday  -  Trivia about MLB ballparks

Tuesday -  Stadia that have been the site of a no-hitter in the current decade
               -  Home ballparks of the two Griffeys.
               -  Ballparks that have hosted an All-Star game
               -  Highest rated ballparks by fans
               -  Ballparks within 1/4 mile of a major body of water.

Wed        -  Ballparks located next to bodies of water.
               -  Parks in which Junior Griffey homered the most
               -  MLB Parks whose points -- when connected by straight lines -- form a polygram that encloses the largest land area and has the longest perimeter.
               -  Ballparks that replaced multipurpose stadiums
               -  Call parks opened in the last 20 years.  Newest ballparks
               -  MLB ballparks built in this century