Sunday, October 1, 2017

2017-09-25 Select players with red beards in 2017

MONDAY
Q.        What relief pitcher could be mistaken for an upper-case “F” as he leans in to get the sign from the catcher?
Hint:     He led his league in saves his first four full seasons in the majors.
Hint:     He was an All-Star and top 10 in Cy Young Award voting in each of those seasons and received MVP votes in 3 of the 4.
Hint:     His favorite player was Bob Feller, according to his web site.
A.         CRAIG KIMBRELL
-  His bent-at-the-waist look-in.
-  In seasons 2011-2014, he had 46, 42,50 & 47 saves respectively, leading both leagues in 2013.
-  His major league career ERA is a microscopic 1.79.
-  He loved Rapid Robert’s fastball.  Feller died in December of Kimbrel’s MLB debut year, 2010.  Kimbrel’s web site here.
FCR -  David Paulson, Columbia, Maryland
No cigar:  Al Hrabosky, Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith, Trevor Hoffman, Stu Miller, Roy Face, Rich Gossage

TUESDAY
Q.        Who was the only college player on the 2008 US Olympic team?
Hint:     He won the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy as the nation’s top amateur player.
Hint:     In his second start for Syracuse, he pitched six no-hit innings before exiting the game.
Hint:     He holds the record for most strikeouts in his first three major league starts.
Hint:     With too much fast food, he ballooned to 250 pounds as a junior in high school.
A.         STEPHEN STRASBURG
-Won a bronze medal in Beijing as part of the US baseball team
GSA & DHT won in 2009
-  Had a 1.08 ERA for the AAA Syracuse Chiefs in 2010 after his MLB debut.
-  Had 32 K in his 1st 3 career GS in 2010, breaking J.R. Richard’s record of 29, set in 1971.  Strasburg reached 50 K total in his first GS.
-  He struggled as a pitcher at West Hills High School outside of San Diego. He ignored conditioning and devoured tacos and French fries at Estrada's Taco Shop every day after practice.
FCR -  David Krassin, Los Angeles
No cigar:  Chris Reitsma, Ben Sheets, Mike Trout

WEDNESDAY
Q.        Who led Team USA for the 2007 Baseball World Cup in OPS, beating out tourney MVP?
Hint:     He has never suffered fewer than100 strikeouts in each of his full major league seasons.  That streak will be broken this year.
Hint:     His brother played in the majors.  Another brother and his father both played professional baseball.
Hint:     His name is essentially a cheese and a 16th-century Dutch philosopher/theologian.
A.         COLBY RASMUS
-  OPS was .7806.  Tourney MVP was Jayson Nix.
-  Asked his 2017 team, the Tampa Rays, for a leave of absence for unspecified reasons in July.  They do not expect him to return.
-  Rasmus is the brother of pitchers Cory Rasmus and Casey Rasmus, and the son of minor leaguer Tony Rasmus.
FCR -  Steve Berman, Bergenfield, New Jersey
No cigar:  Adam Laroche, Jayson Nix

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q.        Who won the Babe Ruth Award the most recent year the Royals went all the way?
Hint:     His first major league team was only an hour’s drive from his home town.
Hint:     He was a journeyman starter until he became a closer and his services are now highly sought in that role, this year earning an 8-figure salary with his new team.
Hint:     In his first full season as a reliever, he had a stretch from 24-Jun to 16-Sep where he did not allow a single earned run.
A.         WADE DAVIS
-  2015, when KCR won their most recent WS championship.  The award is given to the most outstanding player in a particular year’s postseason, considering all levels of the play-offs.
-  Grew up in Lake Wales, Florida and played his 1st 4 seasons for the Tampa Bay Rays, some 60 miles away.
-  Will make $10,000,000 in 2017 with CHC.
-  At the end of that scoreless run in 2014, his ERA stood at 0.69.  He ended the year at 1.00 w/109 K’s over 72.0 innings.
FCR -  Madison McEntire, Bryant, Arkansas
No cigar:  Salvador Perez, Greg Holland, Jorge Soler

THURSDAY
Hint:     An increase of the quality of his new team has resulted in a considerable increase in his performance on the mound.  Maybe he was too cavalier before?
Hint:     When thousands say his nickname, not everyone hears it as cheering.
Hint:     He was drafted as an outfielder.
Hint:     In his only All-Star appearance, he struck out a slugger he may well have to contend with this fall.
A.         SEAN DOOLITTLE
-  The Nats lost in their 1st round (LDS) of the playoffs all 3 X they won the NL East.  They clinched again last week.
-  Doolittle is an alumnus of the University of Virginia, the Cavaliers.
-  “Dooooooooooooo!”
-  OAK selected him 1st round, 41st overall, in the 2007 draft, as a first baseman/outfielder.
-  Struck out Anthony Rizzo in the 2014 ASG.
FCR -  John Burbridge, Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania
No cigar:  Yu Darvish, Johnny Cueto, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Archie Bradley, Jose Quintana

FRIDAY
Q.        Whose walk-off 2-run homer in the bottom of the 19th inning mercifully ended the longest-lasting game in Oakland A’s history?
Hint:     This personable journeyman has managed to pack service to 7 different franchises during his 11 years in the majors.
Hint:     For four consecutive seasons, he played for a team that went to the playoffs, but never won a single series.
A.         BRANDON MOSS
-  The walk-off shot against Barry Enright on 29-Apr-2013 put an end to six hours and 32 minutes of play.  Moss had already homered in the 6th.
-  Postseason HR 2014 ALDS
-  - Played with OAK in:         2012 ALDS losing to DET
-  - Played with OAK in:         2013 ALDS losing to DET
-  - Played with OAK in:         2014 ALWCG losing to KCR (in 12)
-  - Played with STL in:          2015 NLDS losing to CHC
FCR -  Bob Flynn, Chandler, Arizona
No cigar:  Eric Hinske, Reggie Sanders, Rajai Davis, Josh Willingham, Rickey Henderson, Scott Hatteberg, Matt Stairs

END-OF-THE-WEEK BONUS
Q.        Who was the first National League player to collect two hits in one inning in his major league debut?
Hint:     He was the first Atlanta Brave to go 4 for 4 with 4 extra-base hits in one game.
Hint:     When called on to pitch in the majors, he employed a pitch he called “LaLob”.
Hint:     He and a switch-hitting predatory, feline opponent were the first two players to hit grand slams in the same postseason game.
A.         ADAM LaROCHE
-  Single and Double, bottom of the 4th 07-Apt-2004.
-  Big 4 G = 30-Aug-2006, 3 doubles, 1 triple (and his team only won 5-3.)
-  Entire MLB pitching career consisted of one inning on 31-Jul-2015.  He faced 3 batters, getting a pop fly, a ground out & a swinging strikeout.  Career ERA will forever be 0.00.
-  LaRoche and Lance Berkman each hit grand slams in the 4th and final G of the 2005 NLDS, Series finale, won by HOU.
FCR -  Mark Hayne, Dumfries, Virginia
No cigar:  Andres Galarraga, Dusty Baker, Dave LaRoche, Jeff Francoeur, Andruw Jones

SATURDAY
Q.        What National League All-Star commutes to work for home games on an electric scooter?
Hint:     Despite missing 50% of his college games one year due to an injury at mid-season, he was still named the conference player of the year.
Hint:     His teammates tease him because a slight mispronunciation of his name produces a children’s comic super hero.
Hint:     A spinal disorder that left him with no flexibility in his thoracic spine goes part way to explaining his unorthodox approach to most baseball fundamentals.
A.         HUNTER PENCE
-  Watch the scooter story here.        
-  Playing for the University of Texas at Arlington in 2004, he also led the Southland Conference with a .395 batting average
-  “Hunter Pence” said quickly (or drunk) with a verbal emphasis on his last name can sound like underpants, hence the reference to “Captain Underpants”.
-  He received his diagnosis of Scheuermann’s Disease only after signing a five-year $90,000,000 extension with SFG.
FCR -  Eric Stone, Los Gatos, California
No cigar: 

WEEKEND BONUS
Q.        What former Orioles is a prime candidate for MVP this season?
Hint:     His name describes one of the fielding functions he does very, very well.
Hint:     He was drafted by the Yankees and might have won a ring had he not decided to return to school, taking some solace in having already won an NCAA World Series Championship.
A.         JUSTIN TURNER
-  Debuted with BAL and played 17 games for them in 2009-10.
-  He turns double plays with the best.
-  Drafted by NYY in 2005 in the 29th round in 2005.  College champs at Cal State Fullerton in 2004.
FCR -  Mark Hayne, Dumfries, Virginia
No cigar:  Aaron Judge, Jonathan Schoop, George Springer

SUNDAY SUNRISE SPECIAL
Q.        Who is the only major league catcher to lead his league in doubles in the last hundred years?
Hint:     He was, in back-to-back seasons, traded at the deadline to help his new team make the postseason.
Hint:     It worked in both cases.
Hint:     His once broke his throwing hand with a suitcase.
A.         JONATHAN LUCROY
-  53 2b in 2015 for MIL to lead NL.  46 were hit in games he caught, a season high for all catchers.        
-  Traded from MIL to TEX 01-Aug-2016; traded from TEX to COL.  Other players were involved in both trades.
-  The 2016 Rangers won their division.  The 2017 Rockies enjoyed postseason play.
-  Suitcase injury
FCR -  Rich Klein, Plano, Texas
No cigar:  Mike Piazza, Yogi Berra, Pudge Rodriguez, Joe Rudi     


WEEKLY THEME – Select players sporting red beards in 2017.  [Certainly not an exclusive club, but it seems that these guys led with their chins this year.]

*Not active in 2017.

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Nary a soul

Incorrect theme guesses: 

Sunday   -  Players whose names are also verbs
                



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