Sunday, July 15, 2018

2018-07-09 They might be Giants


02-Jul-2018

Q.        Who played for the Pistons and was once traded with Bob Uecker?
Hint:     After returning from military service and for the next 12 straight seasons, he had fewer than 20 doubles only once, including leading the majors the first year after being traded.
Hint:     He’s now a professional broadcaster.
A.         DICK GROAT  [SABR Bio]
-  After a successful college basketball career, including winning the Helms College Basketball Player of the Year in 1951, spent a year in the NBA w/FTW.  Traded 27-Oct-1965 by STL w/ Bob Uecker & Bill White to the PHI for Pat CorralesAlex Johnson & Art Mahaffey.
-  Traded 19-Nov-1962 by PIT w/ Diomedes Olivo to STL for Don Cardwell & Julio Gotay.  Hit 43 2b in 1963 for STL.  20+ 2b 1955-66 (19 in 1956).
-  Is the color commentator for Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball radio broadcasts.
FCR -  Tim Phares, Laurel, Maryland
Incorrect guesses:  Dave DeBusschere, Bill White, Gene Conley, Ron Reed, Bill White,

MONDAY DOUBLE-HEADER
Q.        Who hit more home runs from 1950 to 1959 inclusive than Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays?  (…or, FWIW, anyone else?)
Hint:     He and NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors were athletes at the same high school.
Hint:     For three straight seasons, he was in the Top 5 of league MVP voting, twice losing to a teammate.
A.         DUKE SNIDER  [SABR Bio]
-  MLB HR leaders 1950-59:
Snider        326
Hodges     310
Mathews   299
Mantle       280
Musial        266
Berra         256
Mays         250
   NOTE:  He falls to 3rd place in the properly measured decade 1951-60.
-  Both attended Compton High School in Los Angeles, as did NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle.
-  Finished 3rd, 4th & 2nd in 1953, 54 & 55 respectively.  Roy Campanella was NL MVP in 1953 & 55, beating Snider by a mere 1% in 55.
FCR -  Sarah Grynpas, Toronto
Incorrect guesses:  Harmon Killebrew, Eddie Mathews, Ralph Kiner

TUESDAY
Q.        Who holds the Baltimore Orioles (1954-2018) record for RBI in a single season?
Hint:     Among Orioles, only Brian Roberts and Manny Machado have hit more doubles in a season.
Hint:     Eight times he has received MVP votes, twice finishing in the top 5.
Hint:     His 12 grand slams were distributed among 4 of the 6 teams he played for.
A.         MIGUEL TEJADA
-  150 RBI in 2004
-  50 2b in 2005, Robert has 56 in ’04 and Machado hit 51 in 2013.
-  MVP in 2002; Finished 5th in 2004.
-  GS for BAL, HOU, OAK & SFG.
FCR -  Lawrence Creeden, Boulder City, Nevada
Incorrect guesses:  Jim Gentile, Eddie Murray, Rafael Palmeiro, Frank Robinson, Adam Jones

TUESDAY TWICE
Q.        Who is the only position player to win the National League’s Rookie of the Year Award for the Mets?
Hint:     In his 6th season, he won a league home run title, even though he had hit the same number of homers the prior year and only finished 3rd in that category.
Hint:     He had 8 All-Star appearances and twice won the Silver Slugger Award, but never got voted a Gold Glove.
Hint:     He and a teammate were the first 30/30 “Club” members for their franchise in the same year.  That teammate, however did it again twice.
A.         DARRYL STRAWBERRY  [SABR Bio]
-  1988 = 39 HR; 1987 = Andre Dawson had 49 & Dale Murphy had 44
-  1987 = 39 HR, 36 SB; Howard Johnson had 36/32 and did it again in 1989 & 91.
FCR -  Madison McEntire, Bryant, Arkansas
Incorrect guesses:  Howard Johnson, David Wright, Kevin Mitchell, Ron Hunt

WEDNESDAY
Q.        Who holds the record for most National League games played at catcher?
Hint:     I kid you not.
Hint:     He once threw out Lenny Randle three times in the same game.
Hint:     As a senior in high school, he had scores of scholarships to play football in college.
A.         GARY CARTER  [SABR Bio]
-  2,056 G @ C for MON, NYM, SFG, LAD
-  Nicknamed “The Kid”
-  CS X 3 for Randle = 15-Apr-1978
-  Turned down football offers to sign with the Expos
FCR -  Adam Balutis, Arlington, Virginia
Incorrect guesses:  Johnny Bench, Bob Boone, Ted Simmons, Tim McCarver

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q.        Which player hit into a triple play on 8/8/88?  (Wouldn’t it be great if the center fielder made all three outs?!)
Hint:     Before becoming a pro, he was the Sporting News College Player of the Year.
Hint:     He was the first player for his franchise to homer twice in an inning.
A.         JOE CARTER  [SABR Bio]
-  CPOY 1981
-  HR X 2 for TOR = 03-Oct-1993, the last G of the regular season.  (You might remember, he also homered in the last G of the postseason that year!)
FCR -  Adam Balutis, Arlington, Virginia
Incorrect guesses:  Tim Wallach, Billy Beane, Robin Ventura, Pete Incaviglia, Ken Griffey, Will Clark

THURSDAY
Q.        Who was the first pitcher to win a Cy Young Award for a team not based in New York?
Hint:     His quote about baseball management is one of the greatest of all time.
Hint:     One of his best career performances inspired the young opposing pitcher to blatantly defy that pitcher’s manager, a manager who was seldom overridden.
A.         WARREN SPAHN  [SABR Bio]
-  CYA 1957, the 2nd year of the award. Brooklyn’s Don Newcombe was the 1st winner, the Yankees’ Bob Turley was the 3rd.
-  Spahn pitched for the Casey Stengel-led 1942 Boston Braves.  They finished 7th in an 8-team league, 30 G under .500 and 44 G out of first.  Spahn came back a hero from WWII and had his Hall of Fame career for the Braves, including 3 pennants and a World Series championship while Stengel was winning 10 pennants and 7 WS titles w/NYY.  As his career began to wind down, Spahn again found himself on a Casey Stengel-managed team, the 1965 Mets.  They finished 10th in a 10-team league, 62 G under .500 and 47 G out of first.  Spahn’s quote?  I'm probably the only guy who worked for Stengel before and after he was a genius.
-  On 02-Jul-1963, SFG’s Juan Marichal matched Spahn scoreless inning for scoreless inning.  Giants’ manager, Al Dark wanted to pull Marichal to rest his arm.  The 25-year-old Marichal implied he’d come out of the game when that 42-year-old out on the mound did the same.  Willie Mays hit his 383rd career home run to end the game in the 16th and give Marichal his 13th W of the year.
FCR -  Tim Phares, Laurel, Maryland
Incorrect guesses:  Dean Chance, Vern Law, Bobby Shantz

THURSDAY TWICE
Q.        Who was the most recent pitcher to tie Steve Carlton’s total of four National League Cy Young Awards?
Hint:     And that’s a tall order!
Hint:     Since retiring from baseball, he has pursued a second career as a photographer.
Hint:     He led his league in strikeouts nine (9!) times.
A.         RANDY JOHNSON  [SABR Bio]
-  Won the NL CYA in 1999, 2000, 2001 & 2002, all for ARI.  He won his first CYA for SEA in 1995 w/.
-  Johnson is 2.08 meters tall (6'10")—2nd-tallest player ever.
-  Randy Johnson Photography (Check out the logo.)
-  K-king 5 X for ARI & 4 X for SEA.  (Walter Johnson led the AL in K an amazing 12 times.)
FCR -  Adrian Fung, Toronto
Well-meaning guesses:  Greg Maddux

THURSDAY THRICE
Q.        Who was the last player to steal 75 American League bases in a season?
Hint:     He played for nine major league teams this century alone.
Hint:     For three of them he played for more than 100 games each.
Hint:     He once score from second base on a postseason-game passed-ball.
Hint:     He set the PAC-12 record for steals in a college career.
A.         KENNY LOFTON
-  75 SB for CLE in 1996.
-  2001-2007 played for 9 teams:  2001 CLE*, 2002 CHW, 2002 SFG, 2003 PIT, 2003 CHC, 2004 NYY, 2005 PHI*, 2006 LAD* & 2007 TEX.  * = 100+ G
-  Scored on a passed-ball 6th G of 1995 LCS.
-  Made 200 steals for the University of Arizona basketball team.
FCR -  Dr. Lewis Freedman, Fordham University
Well-meaning guesses:  Rickey Henderson, Tom Goodwin, Jay Payton

FRIDAY
Q.        Who was the first player since expansion to represent four different teams in the All-Star Game?  [Not the same game—that would be a record!]
Hint:     His nickname was bestowed by a teammate and he tolerated it for a while, not imagining it would stick forever. 
Hint:     His 308th career save earned Nolan Ryan his 308th career victory.
Hint:     He is not a fan of bat flips.
A.         RICH GOSSAGE  [SABR Bio]
-  AS for CHW, PIT, NYY & SDP
-  was given his nickname by Chicago White Sox roommate [and Horsehide Trivia subscriber] Tom Bradley, who carefully explained to him that he looked like a goose when he leaned in for the catcher’s sign.  Gossage now asks that we call him “Rich” in spite of continuing to use Goose in all his promotional material, including his website.
-  308 X 2 = 23-Jul-1991
- Famously criticized Jose Bautista for his 2016 play-off bat flip.
FCR -  Jesse Asbury, Norman, Oklahoma
Incorrect guesses:  Francisco Cordero, Lee Smith, Mitch Williams, Billy Wagner, Dennis Eckersley

SATURDAY
Q.        Who balked more than any other pitcher in major league history?
Hint:     He also holds the single-season balk record for the National League.
Hint:     He earned his 100th and 300th career wins against the team that traded him away.
Hint:     He was heavily influenced by the teaching of a yogi.
A.         STEVE CARLTON  [SABR Bio]
-  90 balks = 8 in the AL + 92 in the NL (also the NL record)
-  11 balks in 1979 for PHI (Dave Stewart balked 16 times for OAK in 1988)
-  From Carlton’s SABR Bio:  During his teenage years, Carlton became a big believer of the teachings of Eastern philosophy, in particular the writings of Paramahansa Yogananda, who believed that greatness in life can be achieved through meditation. The teachings of the Yogananda and other philosophers played a crucial role in Carlton’s maturation process as a big-league pitcher.
FCR -  David Krassin, Los Angeles
Incorrect guesses:  Charlie Hough, Gaylord Perry, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver

SATURDAY SPECIAL
Q.        What original Expo was a major league coach for nearly a third of a century, seeing his team in the playoffs 10 times?
Hint:     His coaching career followed his 20-year career as a player, including an appearance in the All-Star Game.
Hint:     Two of his sons made it to the majors.
Hint:     His cousin was one of the original Seattle Mariners.
Hint:     Most people expected him to pass former teammate Smokey Burgess.
A.         MANNY MOTA  [SABR Bio]
-  C w/LAD 1980-2012
-  Played in NL 1962-1980, 82
-  Sons Andy and Jose played briefly, no doubt somewhat based on their lineage.
-  Cousin Jose Baez played 1977 & 78 with SEA.
-  Passed Burgess for most career pinch-hits, 150 to 145.
FCR -  Jesse Asbury, Norman, Oklahoma
Incorrect guesses:  Chris Speier, Felipe Alou, Jose Cruz

SATURDAY NIGHT SURPRISE
Q.        Whose 37 home runs are the most in a season by a player who also stole 50 bases that year?
Hint:     In his best season of stolen bases, only Vince Coleman and Rickey Henderson finished ahead of him.
Hint:     He was the first National League player to hit three grand slams in one calendar month.
Hint:     It was actually HIS bat that Fernando Tatis used to hit two gran slam in one inning.
A.         ERIC DAVIS
-  1987 = 50 SB, 37 HR
-  80 SB in 1986.  Coleman had 107, Henderson 87.
-  3 GS 01-, 03- & 30-May-1987, all on the road
-  Tatis GSs = 23-Apr-1999
FCR -  Dave Goss, Wind Gap, Pennsylvania
Incorrect guesses:  Gus Bell, Maury Wills, Bob Boone, Willie McGee, Jeff Bagwell, Jim Edmonds

WEEKEND BONUS
Q.        Who was the first 21st-century player to play every inning of an All-Star Game?
Hint:     He dominated the voting when he won the Rookie of the Year Award.
Hint:     He is the recent winner of the Hope Award.
A.         CARLOS BELTRAN
-  2006 ASG = Only he had 4 ABs
-  He got a 95% share of the 1999 ROY voting.
-  Sports Illustrated awarded him their Hope Award for his work helping spearhead efforts to restore Puerto Rico, his homeland, after Hurricane Maria.
FCR -  David Ramsden, Barcelona
Incorrect guesses:  Mike Trout, Ichiro Suzuki, Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, Cody Bellinger, Cal Ripken

SUNDAY
Q.        After Joe Gordon in 1938, what future former Washington National was the next rookie second baseman to homer twenty times in his debut season?
Hint:     He is the only second baseman in MLB history to hit at least 30 home runs in four consecutive seasons.
Hint:     Toward the end of his rookie year, he and two additional teammate rookies touched up opposing pitchers for a total of 5 home runs.
A.         DAN UGGLA
-  27 HR in his rookie season, the lowest total he would have for the next 5 seasons.  Gordon hit 25 as a rookie.
-  2007-2011 30+ HR each year
-  5-R G 11-Sep-2006.  Cody Ross had 3; Josh Willingham and Uggla had 1 each.
FCR -  David Krassin, Los Angeles
Incorrect guesses:  Davey Johnson, Alfonso Soriano, Danny Espinosa, Daniel Murphy

SUNDAY’S COOL
Q.        What Ontario native attended the same high school where two Hall of Famers had played?
Hint:     In his own words, “I was a pudgy little kid and not a very good athlete, but I was enthusiastic.”
Hint:     The biggest influence in his development was former minor leaguer Pep Lemon.
Hint:     He developed his major league swing by playing pepper.
A.         DEL CRANDALL  [SABR Bio]
-  Born in Ontario, California.  Went to Fullerton Union High School, the alma matter of both Walter Johnson and Arky Vaughn.
-  Managed MIL 1972-75.  Aaron played there in 1975 and also in ’76 under Alex Grammas.)
FCR -  Dave Serota, Kalamazoo
Incorrect guesses:  Joey Votto, Larry Walker, Russell Martin

WEEKLY THEME – Fifteen major league All-Stars you probably don’t first think of as San Francisco Giants, and yet they all played there.

Player            MLB Y    MLB G       SFG Y      SFG G
Beltran.............. 20........ 2,586.......... 2011......... 44
Carter, G............ 19........ 2,296.......... 1990......... 92
Carter, J............. 16........ 2,189.......... 1998......... 41
Crandall............. 16......... 1,573.......... 1964......... 69
Davis................. 17........ 1,626.......... 2001......... 74
Gossage............. 22........ 1,002.......... 1989......... 31
Groat................. 14........ 1,929.......... 1967......... 34
Johnson............. 22............ 618.......... 2009......... 22
Lofton............... 17........ 2,103.......... 2002......... 46
Mota.................. 20......... 1,536.......... 1962......... 47
Snider................ 18........ 2,143.......... 1964......... 91
Spahn................ 21............ 665.......... 1965......... 16
Strawberry......... 17......... 1,583.......... 1994......... 29
Tejada............... 16......... 2,171.......... 2011......... 91
Uggla................ 10......... 1,346.......... 2014........... 4


First Correct Respondent to Identify ThemeBarry Nelson, Guilderland, New York (after Gary Carter)

Incorrect theme guesses:

Monday  -  All Stars from 50 years ago: 1968 game. 
               -  All-Stars from 35 years ago, 1964
               -  List of gold glove winners, multiple years by position. 











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