Sunday, September 4, 2011

August 29-September 4, 2011 Players with 1,000 games with each of two franchises


MONDAY
Q.         Who is the only player to win four consecutive Most Valuable Player Awards?
Hint:     In fact, he is the only player to win four total.
Hint:     Or five...
Hint:     Or six...
Hint:     Or seven.
SABR:  He recently lost a high-profile legal appeal.
Twint     He holds both the single-season and career home run records.
A.         Barry Bonds (MVPs 1990, 1992-93, 2001-04; lost appeal to overturn conviction on obstruction of justice charge; 73 HR in 2001, 762 career HR)
First Correct Respondent – Dave Matchett, Toronto

TUESDAY
Q.         Which Hall of Famer unveiled the 1992 Toronto Blue Jays World Series championship banner?
Hint:     He was the first player to receive the Branch Rickey award.
SABR:  He was the only player to hit his 400th career home run while playing for the Angels.
Twint:    He was an honorary coach for the 2000 All-Star game.
A.         Dave Winfield (BRA 1992; HR 14-Aug-1991)
FCR -    Will McCracken, Bradenton, FL

WEDNESDAY
Q.         Among Hall of Famers, who has the fourth highest career batting average?
Hint:     Among Hall of Famers, only five find themselves ahead of him on the career triples list.
Hint:     Among Hall of Famers, nobody has more career doubles.
SABR Hint:       He was born as a right-hander, but threw and batted lefty throughout his baseball career.
Twint:    He was an active member of the Ku Klux Klan in his home state, far from major league baseball.
A.         Tris Speaker (.345; 222 3b; 792 3b [not a typo]; Began throwing lefty after a broken arm in his youth.)
FCR -    Jim McCoy, Melrose, MA

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q.         Who became only the fourth member of the exclusive 500-home run/3,000-hit club?
Hint:     He won a Gold Glove Award in a season where he played only 28 games at the position for which the award was, um… awarded.
Hint:     In fairness, it was his third straight season winning the award, totaling over 300 games at that position in the two seasons prior.  Perhaps momentum just carried him.
SABR:  He had three Bulldog teammates who also became major league All-Stars.
Twint:    His high school has sent four other players to the majors.
A.         Rafael Palmeiro (GG 1997-99; Mississippi State University:  Will Clark, Jeff Brantley & Bobby Thigpen; Andrew Jackson High School, Miami, FL, alma mater of Fred Norman, Warren Cromartie, Bobby Ramos & Lenny Harris)
FCR -    David Krassin, New York

THURSDAY
Q.         Before Dick Groat in 1960, who was the last position player to win the NL MVP Award while hitting fewer than five home runs that season?
Hint:     He won a World Series championship in his first full season as a manager, but never again reached the Series in his 16-year managerial career.
SABR:  After a falling-out with John McGraw, he was traded for Rogers Hornsby who had his own falling out with Cardinals owner Sam Breadon.
Twint:    He was the chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee on Baseball Veterans.
A.         Frankie Frisch (4 HR in 1931; Frisch-Hornsby trade [with Jimmy Ring joining Frisch going to the Cardinals] 20-Dec-1926)
FCR -    Dave Williams, Glastonbury, CT

FRIDAY
Q.         Which player was named the Greatest Athlete from Vermont by USA Today, and also New Hampshire’s Most Outstanding Athlete by Sports Illustrated?
Hint:     On 02-Aug-1985 he made both putouts in an 8-6-2 double play.
SABR:  He started the 1974 season late after taking a foul tip to the groin in spring training, then had his season ended early after a home plate collision in June.
Twint:    Most historians agree he hit the second most famous home run ever.
A.         Carlton Fisk (2 PO DP: Rickey Henderson hit a long fly ball to center field, and Luis Salazar missed the ball.  He recovered to throw to Ozzie Guillen who relayed to Fisk.  Yankees base runner Bobby Meacham tripped approaching the plate and he was quickly followed by Dale Berra, who had run through the stop sign at third base.  Fisk tagged out Meacham only to turn around to see Berra coming so he tagged him for an 8-6-2 double play.; 1975 WS HR; Joe Torre spring training foul tip cost 3 weeks recovery, Leron Lee collision 28-Jun-1974 ended Fisk’s season; His HR 21-Oct-1975 sent the WS to a 7th game, which his team lost.)
FCR -    Jim Casey, Savannah

SATURDAY
Q.         Who is the only player to hit two home runs on his 40th birthday?
Hint:     The Astros traded him because manager Harry Walker considered him a troublemaker.
SABR:  Nellie Fox suggested he flap his back arm like a chicken to keep his elbow up while batting.
Twint:    His franchise record for most home runs in a season by a second baseman was broken by Brandon Phillips.
A.         Joe Morgan (2 HR 19-Sep-1983; traded to Cincinnati 29-Nov-1971; Reds 2B HR record 27 in 1976, Phillips hit 30 in 2007)
FCR -    David Krassin, New York

WEEKEND BONUS
Q.         Which 1984 US Olympic Team member was chosen first overall in the 1985 draft?
Hint:     A Major League third baseman by 1988, he moved to the outfield in 1995.
SABR:  His high school home run, launched over Route 139, is still lauded as “The Killer,” and the spot where the ball landed is marked to this day.
Twint:    By the time he retired he had played every position in the majors except pitcher.
A.         B. J. Surhoff (“The Killer” bounced off a firehouse wall and killed a small squirrel in 1985.)
FCR -    J.J. McCoy, Washington            , DC

SUNDAY
Q.         Which player led the White Sox in batting during the 1917 World Series (minimum 10 PA), then missed the last portion of the 1918 season due to military service?
Hint:     His career .333 batting average notwithstanding, he never won a batting title.
SABR:  His son Eddie became a Phillies executive.
Twint:    Ty Cobb called him the best second baseman ever to play the game, an assertion confirmed by Bill James’ win shares.
A.         Eddie Collins (.409 in 1917 WS; Eddie Collins Jr. supervisor of PHI minor league organization ca. 1945-55)
FCR -    Frank DiPrima, Morristown, NJ


WEEKLY THEME – Players with 1,000 games with each of two franchises

Bonds           Pirates      1,010         Giants          1,976
Collins           A’s           1,156         White Sox    1,670   Bio
Fisk               Red Sox   1,078         White Sox    1,421   Bio
Frisch            Giants       1,000         Cardinals     1,311   Bio
Morgan          Houston    1,032         Reds           1,154
Palmeiro        Rangers    1,573         Orioles         1,000
Speaker         Red Sox   1,065         Indians         1,516   Bio
Surhoff          Brewers    1,102         Orioles         1,001
Winfield         Padres      1,117         Yankees      1,172   Bio

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Bill Garrod, Edgewood, WA

Monday, August 29, 2011

August 22-28, 2011 Two-time High School All-Americans, according to the “Baseball America Almanac”.


This week’s theme is from reader Brad Fox of Erie, PA.

MONDAY
Q.         Which World Series Most Valuable Player Award winner has been on the Disabled List 12 times since his debut in 2001?
Hint:     He was part of a seven-player blockbuster trade two years after winning the World Series MVP.
SABR:  He was voted Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year.
Twint:    He played for the USA team in the Futures game in 2000.
A.         Josh Beckett (Minor League Player of the Year 2001; Traded 24-Nov-2005 by the Florida Marlins with Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota to the Boston Red Sox for Jesus Delgado, Harvey Garcia, Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez; First Team High School All American Pitcher, 1998, 99)
First Correct Respondent - Derek Norin, Arlington, VA

TUESDAY
Q.         Who, in 2007, was a single shy of being the youngest ever to hit for the cycle?
Hint:     His brother and he were both first round draft picks, although in different years.
SABR:  Peter Gammons stated that a Major League general manager had told him that "[He] was the best 20-year-old he's ever seen."
Twint:    He was the youngest player in the majors the year when Julio Franco was the oldest.
A.         Justin Upton (19 yrs 347 days on 07-Aug-2007; Justin pick #1 in 2005, brother B.J. #2 in 2002; 2007)
FCR -    Alan Monarchi, Red Hook, NY

WEDNESDAY
Q.         Who was often overlooked playing alongside four MVPs, two Rookies of the Year and a Cy Young Winner in his thirteen seasons in Oakland?
Hint:     Now, in his first year on another team, plays with almost as many such winners.
SABR:  It’s hard to overlook his six Gold Glove Awards and one Silver Slugger Award.
Twint:    He hit the last cycle in the American League in the 20th century.
A.         Eric Chavez (MVPs, ROYs & CYA winners on the A’s 1998-2010: Jason Giambi, Rickey Henderson, Miguel Tejada, Barry Zito, Frank Thomas, Mike Piazza, Nomar Garciaparra. 2011 Yankees have Alex Rodriguez, Bartolo Colon, Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia; GG 2001-06, SS 2002; Cycle 21-Jun-2000)
FCR - Derek Norin, Arlington, VA

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q.         What two-time All-Star and former American League strikeout champion was given his unconditional release earlier this year, seven career strikeouts shy of 1,000?
Hint:     As a high school senior, he struck out 172 batters in 75 innings and had an ERA of 0.37.
Hint:     He was the youngest pitcher to start an Opening Day game since Dwight Gooden.
SABR:  He was drafted ahead of Matt Cain and Cole Hammers.
Twint:    He was also a starting quarterback in high school and verbally committed to play football for the University of Texas.
A.         Scott Kazmir (Release by the Angels 15-Jun-2011; Cypress Fall High School, Houston, TX; 03‑Apr‑2006 @ 22 years, 2 months and 10 days; Drafted by the Mets 1st round [15th pick] 2002.)
FCR -    Dave MacEntee, Beacon, NY

IN MEMORIAM
Q.         Who was the last Orioles lefty to win more than twenty games in a season?
Hint:     He won the American League Cy Young Award that same year.
Hint:     He was on the mound for the last out recorded at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium twelve years later.
Hint:     He twice served as the Orioles pitching coach, both times under men who were more famous as pitching coaches.
Hint:     He has also served three separate stints as the Orioles broadcaster.
SABR:  He coined the term "Horn" for a six-strikeout performance by teammate Sam Horn.
SABR:  His father, Ed, was a minor league pitcher from 1944-52.
Twint:    His eldest daughter was the first non-Caesarian test tube baby born in the United States.
Twint:    To make room for him on their roster, the Blue Jays released Phil Niekro.
A.         Mike Flanagan Story Another story Story #3 (23 W in 1979; 06-Oct-1991; PC under Phil Regan 1995 & Ray Miller 1998; Broadcaster 1996–97, 1999-2002 & 2010; Horn’s 6 Ks 17‑Jul‑1991; Ed Flanagan; Daughter born 09‑Jul‑1982; Niekro released by Toronto 31-Aug-1987)
FCR -    J.R. Richardson, Clarksville, MD

THURSDAY
Q.         Who received a fifty-game suspension while playing for AAA Durham for throwing a bat at the home plate umpire?
Hint:     His older brother was an All-Star in the American League and the National League.
SABR:  He was the Most Valuable Player of the AA Southern League although he only played in 84 games.
Twint:    He twice played for Team USA in the Futures Game.
Twint:    He was traded last week.
A.         Delmon Young (Throwing incident 26-Apr-2006; Brother Dmitri Young; SL MVP 2005; Traded from the Twins to the Tigers 16-Aug-2011)
FCR -    Tony Kostello, Troy, MI

FRIDAY
Q.         What Blue Jays’ starting pitcher was given uniform #4?
Hint:     He was traded for a Cy Young Award winner.
Hint:     He is currently in AAA for “seasoning” (not, one would assume, basil or garlic).
SABR:  In high school he hit 27 home runs and amassed a 30-1 pitching record.
Twint:    His father won a Cy Young Award with the Pirates.
A.         Kyle Drabek (Traded [with other players] from the Phillies for Roy Halladay; Father Doug Drabek CYA 1990)
FCR -    David Krassin, New York

SATURDAY
Q.         Which player was expelled three days after his team lost the 2002 Florida state high school championship game?
Hint:     In 2007 he was called up from the minors to replace a player who was 26 years his senior.
SABR:  He’s a “double unique”.
Twint:    He played for the U.S. in the Futures Game in 2005.
A.         Lastings Milledge (expelled by Northside Christian HS [St. Petersburg, FL] for having “marital relations outside of marriage”; No other major league has ever been named “Lastings”, no other has ever been named “Milledge”; replaced 48-year-old Julio Franco in ’07)
FCR -    Michael Bender, Derwood, MD

WEEKEND BONUS
Q.         Who was the only American Leaguer to appear in 30 or more games at each OF position during the 2010 season?
Hint:     He went to the same high school (though not at the same time) as David Aardsma and Brad Lidge.
SABR:  His brother and cousin both played in the Majors.
Twint:    He was given a 50-game suspension in 2005.
A.         S (30 G LF, 69 G CF, 34 G RF; Cherry Creek HS [Greenwood Village, CO]; brother Donzell & cousin James; suspended for violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program)
FCR -    Rod Nelson, Detroit

SUNDAY
Q.         Who was the only player drafted ahead of Todd Helton and Roy Halladay to play fewer than 100 games above AA?
Hint:     Although his family name is the third most common in the history of the majors, he has not yet added to that total.
SABR:  The year after he was drafted, Baseball America ranked him as the 31st-best prospect in baseball, but he never again cracked the top 100.
Twint:    He tried to revive his career as a pitcher, but gave up after one season of independent minor league play.
A.         Jaime Jones (drafted 6th overall in 1995 [Helton 8th, Halladay 17th], played 99 career AAA games, 0 ML games; “Jones” ranks behind only “Smith” and “Johnson”; 0-2, 1 SV 5.25 ERA as a P for 2006 Kansan City T-Bones)
FCR -    Bill Garrod, Edgewood, WA


WEEKLY THEME – Two-time High School All-Americans, according to the “Baseball America Almanac”.


Beckett             1998-99
Chavez             1995-96
Drabek             2005-06
Jones               1994-95
Kazmir              2001-02
McDonald         1996-97
Milledge            2002-03
Upton               2004-05
Young              2002-03

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Joe Ullian, Santa Barbara

Sunday, August 21, 2011

August 15-21, 2011 Players with 600 at-bats in a season as a designated hitter


MONDAY/TUESDAY
Q.         Who won the American League Most Valuable Player Award the year the corresponding National League award was shared?
Hint:     He appeared in the American League Championship Series for five different teams.
Hint:     He has coached for seven different franchises at the major league level.
SABR:  He hit .188 in the postseason the year he was MVP.
Twint:    He turned down the opportunity to become the first black football player for the University of Texas.
A.         Don Baylor (1979, Stargell & Hernandez tied for NL MVP; ALCS with 1973-74 BAL, 1979, 82 CAL, 1986 BOS, 1987 MIN, 1988 OAK; coached 1990-91 ML4, 1992 SLN, 1999 ATL, 2003-04 NYN, 2005 SEA, 2009-10 COL, 2011 ARI)
FCR -    Larry Creeden, Boulder City, NV

WEDNESDAY
Q.         Who is the only player to collect 500 hits for four different teams?
Hint:     He set a record by appearing as a pinch-hitter 94 times in a single season.
Hint:     He was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame 20 years after being inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame.
SABR:  The Expos retired his number in 1993, though he was only on the team for slightly more than three seasons.
Twint:    His foundation provides over 600,000 meals each year to needy residents of New York’s boroughs.
A.         Rusty Staub (792 H for HOU, 709 H for NYM, 582 H for DET, 531 H for MON; 94 PH AB in 1983; NYN HOF 1986, TX BB HOF 2006; #10 retired by Expos, played in MON 1969-71, and 38 games in 1979; Rusty Staub Foundation responsible for 7 emergency food pantries in NYC)
FCR -    David Krassin, New York

THURSDAY
Q.         Who was the only batter to appear for the Royals during the conclusion of the “Pine Tar Game”?
Hint:     After hitting .171 in the Senior Professional Baseball League, he became hitting coach for four major league teams.
SABR:  His body-blocks at second base led to a rule requiring runners to slide into second when breaking up double plays.
Twint:    After Hank Majeski in 1948, he was the next American League player to have six extra-base hits in a doubleheader.
A.         Hal McRae (K’ed in Pine Tar conclusion 18-Aug-1983; .171 in 1989, hitting coach for 1990-91 MON, 1995-96 CIN, 1997-2000 PHI & 2005-09 SLN; 5 2B & 1 HR 27-Aug-1974—26 years to the day; Still called “The Hal McCrae Rule”.)
FCR -    Paul Hirsch, Danville, CA

FRIDAY
Q.         Which Mariners coach reflected, “They used to call me lazy or lackadaisical, but the lazier I felt, the better I’d hit.”
Hint:     When he retired, he held the major league record for highest career pinch-hitting batting average. (minimum 150 AB)
SABR:  He was a high school basketball teammate of NBA Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens.
Twint:    He ended his career one game short of 2,000.
A.         Tommy Davis (1982 Mariners hitting coach; .320 PH AVG, since tied by Alex Arias; Wilkens’ teammate at Boys HS [Brooklyn, NY])
FCR -    John Wilson, Mesa, AZ

WEEKEND
Q.         Which Seattle slugger holds the record for most at-bats in a season by a designated hitter?
Hint:     He hit exactly 100 minor league home runs.
SABR:  His number was retired by his first Major League team, making him the only non-Hall of Famer so honored by them.
Twint:    What would have been his 300th home run bounced off a Kingdome speaker, and he ended up with a single instead.
A.         Willie Horton (646 in 1979; #23 retired by Tigers in 2000; HR-turned-1b 05-Jun-1979)
FCR -    Paul Hirsch, Danville, CA


WEEKLY THEME – Players with 600 at-bats in a season as a designated hitter.

Baylor       608 in 1982
Davis        623 in 1974
Horton       646 in 1979, 615 in 1975
McRae      612 in 1978, 609 in 1982
Staub        642 in 1978, 621 in 1977

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – No one

Sunday, August 14, 2011

August 8-14, 2011 Hall of Famers who played the outfield for Casey Stengel

MONDAY
Q.         Who was on-deck when Roger Maris hit his 61st home run in 1961?
Hint:     He managed teams in the World Series in both leagues.
SABR:  He was the first Yankee catcher to appear in 140 games in a season.
Twint:    He appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “Saturday Night Live”.
Twint:    He was never linked to any of the missing picnic baskets.
A.         Yogi Berra (Bottom 4th 01-Oct-1961; 1964 Yankees, 1973 Mets; 151 G in 1950)
First Correct Respondent - Larry Creeden, Boulder City, NV

MONDAY, MONDAY
Q.         Who broke Dizzy Dean’s toe with an All-Star line drive?
Hint:     He had broken Bobo Newsom’s kneecap in a regular season game with a line drive two years earlier.
SABR:  He was the first native of Washington to be inducted to the Hall of Fame.
Twint:    His son hit the first home run at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles.
A.         Earl Averill (ASG with FDR in attendance 07-Jul-1937; Newsome G 28-May-1935; HOF 1975; Son Earl, Jr.’s HR 27-Apr-1961 off Camilio Pascual)
FCR -    Al Hurley, Columbia, MD

TUESDAY
Q.         What hero of Willie McCovey’s debuted with the Dodgers two days after Jackie Robinson did?
Hint:     His nickname came from an actor’s nickname.
SABR:  He is the Dodgers’ all-time leader in career offensive Wins Above Replacement.
Twint:    He was often called “The Silver Fox” due to premature greying.
A.         Duke Snider (17-Apr-1947; John Wayne, “The Duke”; WAR 67.1)
FCR -    Patrick Fazzone, Arlington, VA

TUESDAY, TUESDAY
Q.         Whose “mad dash” in the 1946 World Series made him a hero in St. Louis?
Hint:     Even more impressive, he played the Series with a broken arm.
SABR:  He also played in the World Series for a team in the American League.
Twint:    He appeared as a pinch hitter in his 2,000th major league game.
A.         Enos Slaughter (WS
FCR -    Dave MacEntee, Beacon, NY

WEDNESDAY
Q.         Who is the only National League player with a 50-home run, 200-hit season?
Hint:     He considered becoming a professional boxer until the commissioner nixed the idea.
SABR:  He received no MVP consideration for his seminal season.
Twint:    His shoe size was smaller than his hat size.
A.         Hack Wilson (1930; Commissioner Landis; 0 MVP votes; Shoes 6, hat 7&1/4)
FCR -    Joe Haardt, McClean, VA

WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY
Q.         Whose 361 career home runs is good, but all the more impressive when seen against a backdrop of a mere 369 career strikeouts?
Hint:     He played on World Series championship teams his first four years in the majors.
SABR:  He, along with Jesse Owens, was the first athlete to be awarded the Presidential Medal for Freedom.
Twint:    Before Nomar Garciaparra in 1999-2000, he was the last right-handed batter to win consecutive American League batting titles.
A.         Joe DiMaggio (1936-39; MOF 10-Jan-1977; 1939-40)
FCR -    David Krassin, New York

THURSDAY
Q.         Who was the first switch-hitter to win a batting title?
Hint:     He was the first 20-year-old to hit a post-season home run.
SABR:  He only played for one team in the majors.
Twint:    His rookie Topps card is the most valuable of them all.
A.         Mickey Mantle (.353 in 1956*; NY Yankees; Card; b. 20-Oct-1931 WS HR 06-Oct-1952)
FCR -    Judah Kaplan, Silver Spring, MD

*It turns out Mantle was not the first such.  That honor goes to Tommy Tucker who hit .372 for the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association in 1889.  The original question stands with the addition of “modern” or “American League”.  Thanks to our alert readers for this one.


THURSDAY, THURSDAY
Q.         Who was the first 18-year-old to appear in a World Series game?
Hint:     He thrice led his league in fielding percentage at his position.
SABR:  He grew up not from Comiskey Park, an ardent White Sox fan.
Twint:    His son played exactly one major league game (but managed a triple in his only at-bat).
A.         Fred Lindstrom (b. 21-Nov-1905 WS G 04-Oct-1924; 3b NL 1925, 27-28; Son Charlie Lindstrom 28-Sep-1958)
FCR -    Jim Casey, Savannah

FRIDAY
Q.         Of whom was it said, in 1971, that when sober he was the greatest right fielder the Pirates ever had?
Hint:     The same source claimed that when drunk he shrank to the second-best right fielder in Pittsburgh history.
Hint:     His nickname is based on a colloquial mispronunciation.
SABR:  The retirement of his uniform number 11 was 42 years after his retirement.
Twint:    After bouncing a grounder off Eddie Joost's glove for what would have been his 3,000th hit, he openly petitioned the scorekeeper to rule the hit an error, because he didn't want his 3,000th hit to be tainted.
A.         Paul Waner (Quote source Beaver Falls, PA sports editor Joe Tronzo; Big Poison from Big Person in Brooklynese; # retd. In 2007; 17-Jun-1942 real 3,000th hit 19-Jun-1942)
FCR -    Paul Hirsch, Danville, CA

FRIDAY, FRIDAY
Q.         Who finished highest in the MVP voting during a season in which his brother won the award?
Hint:     He holds the modern record for most singles and runs scored by a rookie.
SABR:  He missed most of the 1930 season due to appendicitis.
Twint:    He was an Orioles scout in 1955.
A.         Lloyd Waner (6th place in 1927; 198 1b & 133 R in 1927)
FCR -    Paul Hirsch, Danville, CA

SATURDAY
Q.         Who is the only outfielder to record 400 putouts in nine different seasons?
Hint:     He is also the only outfielder to record 500 putouts in four different seasons.
SABR:  He still holds this bizarre record:  The fewest RBI in a National League season where he played more than 150 games.
Twint:    He was the only rookie voted to the 1948 All-Star team.
A.         Richie Ashburn (20 RBI in 153 G in 1959)
FCR -    Bill Keane, West Chester, OH

SATURDAY, SATURDAY
Q.         Who was the first player to have a string of ten consecutive years with at least 100 RBI?
Hint:     He was the last player before Jason Giambi to hit 40 2b in consecutive seasons for the A's.
SABR:  He had three separate stints with the A’s.
Twint:    His most famous All-Star performance was more infamous than glorious.
A.         Al Simmons (100+ RBI 1924-34; 41 2b in each of 1929-30, Giambi in 1996-97; A’s 1924-32, 40-41, 44; 4th of 5 consecutive strikeouts by Carl Hubbell in 1934 ASG)
FCR -    Jim Casey, Savannah

SUNDAY
Q.         Which umpire halted a major league game so President Roosevelt's radio address about WWII could be heard over stadium loudspeakers?
Hint:     The first game he umpired in the majors was one that he had begun as a player.
SABR:  He umpired two games where a player hit four home runs.
Twint:    He is mentioned thrice in a famous Danny Kaye song.
A.         Jocko Conlan (G stopped 27-May-1941; Song)
FCR -    Phillip Oppenheim, Sacramento

SUNDAY, SUNDAY
Q.         Who is the only Brooklyn Robin to lead the National League in outfield assists?
Hint:     In his major-league debut, he singled four straight times, drew a walk, drove in two runs, and stole three bases.
Hint:     As a pitcher, he led his high school team to the state championship.
SABR:  In the minors, Senators scout Mike Kahoe called him a "dandy ballplayer, but it's all from the neck down."
Twint:    His nickname came about in a poker game during a rain delay.
A.         Casey Stengel (30 A 1917; Missouri; Debut 17-Sep-1912; Casey for K.C. = Kansas City, Stengel’s home town)
FCR -    Glenn Horowitz, New York


WEEKLY THEME – Hall of Famers who played the outfield, professionally, for Casey Stengel.

Ashburn         1962                    Mets
Averill            1941                    Braves
Berra             1956-60              Yankees
Conlan           1930                    Toledo Muds Hens
DiMaggio       1949-51                Yankees
Lindstrom      1936                    Dodgers
Mantle           1951-60                Yankees
Simmons       1943                    Braves         Bio
Slaughter       1954-59                Yankees
Stengel          1926, 27, 29, 31    Toledo         Bio
Snider            1963                    Mets
Waner, L.       1941                    Braves
Waner, P.       1941-42                Braves         Bio
Wilson           1934                    Dodgers

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – No one