August 27-September 2, 2012 Players who won a batting title by at least 40 points

MONDAY

Q.         Who became the first player to steal a base in four decades?

Hint:     ESPN's Sports Century placed him 16^th among the top athletes of the 20^th Century.

Hint:     He once signed over his World Series share to the clubhouse attendant.

Twint:    He was the second recipient of SABR's Hero of Baseball Award.

A.         Ted Williams (SBs in 1939, 1941, 1955, 1960 [among others])

FCR:     Leanne Rohrbach, Minnapolis

TUESDAY

Q.         Who was the first grandfather to hit a home run in the major leagues?

Hint:     For good measure, he hit another one the following week.

Hint:     He's a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame even though he never played for the Dodgers.

Twint:    President Lyndon Johnson named him his physical fitness advisor.

Twint:    He hit 17 career home runs off of Warren Spahn.

A.         Stan Musial (HR on 10-Sep-1963; 2^nd HR 16-Sep-1963; voted in the BDHOF as a "respected opponent")

FCR:     Bradley Curtis, Roseville, CA

WEDNESDAY

Q.         Who appeared on the cover of Time the year he was named Most Valuable Player?

Hint:     The American Amateur Baseball Congress 6-and-under age division is named for him.

Hint:     In 2002, he was inducted into the United States Marines Sports Hall of Fame.

Twint:    His number has been retired by two teams.

A.         Rod Carew (Time cover 18-Jul-1977; AABC; USMS HOF; No. 29 retired by Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels)

FCR:     John Michael Pierobon, Ft. Lauderdale

MIDWEEK BONUS

Q.         Who was managing the Texas League's Fort Worth Cats when he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Hint:     Actor Frank Lovejoy played him in the Grover Cleveland Alexander biopic The Winning Team.

Twint:    He succeeded Joe McCarthy as manager of the Chicago Cubs.

Twint:    He had a passion for gambling on the horses and greyhounds.

A.         Rogers Hornsby (1942 elected to the Baseball HOF; 1930)

FCR:     Kenny Fink, Ocala

THURSDAY

Q.         Whose 1933 Goudey baseball card was named one of the Top 10 most valuable cards by Forbes in 2002?

Hint      Part of his success was due to a specially designed bat that had two knobs at the end.

Hint:     At 44, he tried to enlist in the U.S. Army, but was refused.

Twint:    He was the first player from his position to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

A.         Nap Lajoie (Goudey card; Inducted to Baseball HOF in 1937 as a second baseman)

FCR:     Arieh Siegal, Austin

FRIDAY

Q.         What professional batsman led the league in batting average, OBP, slugging and OPS, but only finished 10^th in the MVP voting?

Hint:     Two years later, he hit .461 in his home ballpark.

Hint:     His career RBI total is identical to Mickey Vernon's.

Twint:    He has won the Tip O'Neill Award a record nine times.

A.         Larry Walker (1999; Coors Field in 1999, 1,311 RBI; Tip O'Neill Award:  annual award for Canada's best baseball player)

FCR:     David Serota, Kalamazoo

SATURDAY

Q.         Who delivered the hit that ignited Enos Slaughter's mad dash to home in the 1946 World Series?

Hint:     He started the baseball program at the University of Alabama Birmingham where he coached from 1979-86.

Hint:     His father, a pitcher for the Washington Senators (1909-1912), roomed with Walter Johnson.

Twint:    He was often described as "loquacious."

A.         Harry Walker (H 8^th inning, 7^th G; UAB Baseball; Father Ewart "Dixie" Walker)

FCR:     John Null, Sugarland, TX

SUNDAY

Q.         Who was the first player to start an All-Star Game as a write-in candidate?

Hint:     He had 88 RBI as a rookie, but only once exceeded that total in his 15-year career.

Hint:     His 31-game hit streak stood as a club record for 41 years.

Twint:    He was runner-up for the National League batting title and for Rookie of the Year.

A.         Rico Carty (1970 ASG; 88 RBI in1964, 101 RBI in 1970; 1970 Atlanta Braves record broken by Dan Uggla in 2011; .330 in 1964, 2^nd to Clemente’s .334, 2^nd in ROY to Dick Allen)

FCR:     John Rickert, Terre Haute, IN

WEEKLY THEME – Players who won a batting title by at least 40 points.  Thanks to Barry Sparks of York, Pennsylvania for this week’s quiz.

Carew         1977       .388       Lyman Bostock .336      (+.052)

                  1974       .364       Jorge Orta        .316      (+.048)

                  1973       .350       George Scott    .306      (+.044)

Carty          1970       .366       Joe Torre          .325      (+.041)

Hornsby      1924       .424       Zack Wheat       .375      (+.049

                  1922       .401       Ray Grimes       .354      (+.047)

                  1921       .397       Edd Roush       .352      (+.045)

Lajoie         1901       .426       Mike Donlin       .340      (+.086)

Musial         1948       .376       Richie Ashburn  .333      (+.043)

H. Walker    1947       .363       Bob Elliott        .317      (+.046)

L. Walker    1999       .379       Luis Gonzalez    .336      (+.043)

Williams      1941       .406       Cecil Travis       .359      (+.047)

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Randall Chandler, Germantown, TN

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

August 20-26, 2012 Players who have won 2 MVPs but are not in the Hall of Fame.

MONDAY

Q.         Whom did Chipper Jones pass for most games played in an Atlanta Braves uniform?

Hint:     He participated in the All-Star game after just completing a three-year Mormon mission.

Hint:     Before Barry Bonds, he was the only player to play left field in consecutive MVP seasons.

Hint:     He was the last player to reach base seventeen times in a regular-season series.

Twint:    Not everybody remembers his five consecutive Gold Glove Awards.

A.         Dale Murphy (1,926 G, Jones 2,465 G; 2000 ASG as honorary NL captain; Series vs. L.A. 09-, 10-, 10-, 11- & 12‑Sep‑1985, 10 H, 7 BB; 1982-83; GG 1982-86)

FCR -    Gene Rudzinski, Buffalo

TUESDAY

Q.         Who hit the first regular-season home run in major league history in the month of March?

Hint:     He is the first player to win two Silver Slugger Awards at each of two different positions.

Hint:     Though he is in the exclusive 500 home run club, he never led the league in home runs in his 19-year career.

Twint:    He owns five of the top ten best offensive WAR seasons in the history of the Chicago White Sox.

A.         Frank Thomas (HR 31-Mar-1996 off Randy Johnson; SS @ 1b 1993, 94, @ DH 1994, 2000; WAR)

FCR -    Arieh Siegal, Austin

WEDNESDAY

Q.         Who was the first National League player to hit thirty home runs in a season for ten consecutive years?

Hint:     He was the oldest player to lead his league in home runs.

Hint:     He won the Home Run Derby contest the only time it was held in Philadelphia.

Twint:    He was the first player to hit fifty home runs in a season using a maple bat.

Twint:    His lead in career intentional bases-on-balls is so great that he has over twice as many as the player in second place.

A.         Barry Bonds (30 HRs 1992-2004; 37 in 2001, dob 24-Jul-1964; HRD 1996; Maple bat in 2001; 688 IBB to Hank Aaron’s 293)

FCR -    David Krassin, New York

THURSDAY

Q.         Who is the only former Cleveland Indian to hit fifty home runs in a season?

Hint:     He was the last player to hit an inside-the-park home run and a grand slam in the same game.

Hint:     He represented the A’s at the All-Star game in spite of missing 45 games that spring.

Hint:     He set a record with seven RBI in a single game of the minor leagues’ Junior World Series.

Hint:     His ethnic roots are the same as Johnny Pesky’s, and as Pesky did, legally changed his last name.

Twint:    His career as a Sooner running back lasted less than a semester, though he was on a team that won the Orange Bowl.

A.         Roger Maris (HR 61 in 1961, played for CLE 1957-58; 2 HR playing for the Kansas City A’s 03-Aug-1958; Jr. WS 1956 with the Indianapolis Indians; Croation background; 1953 Oklahoma Sooners football)

FCR -    Jason Hoagland, Columbus, OH

FRIDAY

Q.         Who owns the most 100-runs-batted-in seasons?

Hint:     His career batting average is in the Willie Mays range, but could slip to the Mickey Mantle range if his hand doesn’t get better.

Twint:    He has more career home runs than any other player of Hispanic descent.

A.         Alex Rodriguez (14 seasons w/100 RBI; Mays .302, Mantle .298, A-Rod currently at .301; 644 HR, passing Sammy Sosa’s 609)

FCR -    Bob Dorrill, Kingwood, TX

SATURDAY

Q.         What Angel is an angel, at least according to the people his Down syndrome foundation has helped?

Hint:     He is the active leader in career batting average.

Twint:    For the past three seasons, his most similar player, according to the statistical similarity scores of www.baseball-reference.com, is Jimmie Foxx.

A.         Albert Pujols (Pujols Family Foundation; .325; Similarity Scores)

FCR -    Steven Elsberry, Windsor Heights, IA

SUNDAY

Q.         Who was the first American League player to hit his 400^th career home run in the 21^st century?

Hint:     He twice hit two home runs on Opening Day.

Hint:     At home games, he appeared to the sounds of the "Imperial March," Darth Vader's theme music.

Twint:    They nicknamed him “Gone” because so many of the balls he hit were exactly that.

A.         Juan Gonzalez (HR #400 05-Jun-2002; OD HRs 1993, 2001)

FCR -    Bill Deane, Cooperstown, NY

WEEKLY THEME – Players who have won two Most Valuable Player Awards but are not in the Hall of Fame.

Player               MVP Years

Bonds              1990, 92, 93, 2001, 02, 03, 04

Gonzalez           1996, 98

Maris                1960, 61

Murphy             1982, 83

Pujols               2005, 08, 09

Rodriguez         2003, 05, 07

Thomas            1993, 94

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Mark DeLodovico, Rockville, MD [After the Tuesday Q.]

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

August 13-19, 2012 Batters with 0 hits in 7 at-bats in a game in 2012

MONDAY

Q.         Who led the Major Leagues in hits last year, edging out his new teammate by one?

Hint:     He was the first overall pick in the 2000 MLB draft.

Twint:    Although he was born in San Diego, he played for Mexico in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics.

Twint:    He lives in Southern California, but has so much family in Tijuana that he has been known to cross the border several times a week.

A.         Adrian Gonzalez (tied with Michael Young @ 213 H, 1 ahead of Jacoby Ellsbury; 2000 MLB Draft)

FCR -    Ira Kotel, Short Hills, NJ

IN MEMORIAM

Q.         For whom is the pole named?

Hint:     He would have had the best batting average in the majors in his rookie were it not for his teammate Ted Williams.

Hint:     He lost three seasons in the heart of his career to service in the U.S. Navy in World War II.

Hint:     He led the American League in hits in each of his first three years in the league.

Hint:     He legally changed his last name five years after joining the Red Sox.

Twint:    He and Dom DiMaggio anchored the “Talkin' Ted Williams Forum” at SABR 32 in Boston in 2002.

Twint:    His brother Vincent played in the Yankees’ minor league system.

A.         Johnny Pesky, whose passing was announced this afternoon (Pesky Pole; Name at birth John Michael Paveskovich, changed in 1947; Vincent; SABR bio)

FCR -    Jim Casey, Savannah

TUESDAY

Q.         Whom did Cole Hamels welcome to the majors with a fastball to the kidney?

Hint:     He stole home before the inning was over.

Hint:     It was his first stolen base in the majors.

Hint:     He was the first overall pick in the 2011 MLB draft.

Twint:    Of all the questions this week, none are of the clown variety.

A.         Bryce Harper (BHP, SB 06-May-2012; 2011 MLB Draft; 13-Jun-2012, Harper had had a solid game and was asked by an unthinking reporter is he planned to celebrate with some alcoholic beverage.  Harper, widely known by the press to be a teetotaling Mormon, not only did not dignify the question with an answer, he removed some dignity from the asker:  Video.)

FCR -    Steve Van Wagener, Bethesda

TUESDAY YET AGAIN

Q.         Who hit his 100^th career major league home run just an hour after his younger brother hit his 100^th?

Hint:     He was the second overall pick of the 2002 major league draft, ahead of Zach Greinke, Prince Fielder and Cole Hamels among others.

Hint:     His aforementioned sibling was the first overall draft pick three years later.

Twint:    He is the youngest person ever to play for Tampa Bay.

A.         B. J. Upton (HR 03-Aug-2012, brother Justin 03-Aug-2012; 2002 MLB Draft; 2005 MLB Draft; Debut 02-Aug-2004 at 19 yrs 346 days)

FCR -    Dennis Degenhardt, West Bend, WI

WEDNESDAY

Q.         Who had four hits in five at-bats with two RBI and two runs scored at the XM Futures All-Star Game in Anaheim in 2009?

Hint:     He was the third overall selection in the 2008 MLB Draft, but only played in three professional games that year.

Hint:     The Miami Herald twice chose him as Florida's Baseball Player of the Year, an honor given to high school players in the state.

Twint:    Prior to this season, he was a celebrity spokesperson for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kansas City.

Twint:    He didn’t duck his duty when selected to play in the Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic in 2007.

A.         Eric Hosmer (2008 MLB Draft, 3 G for the Idaho Falls Chukars; FBPY 2007-08; BBBS/KC; Aflac)

FCR -    Art Springsteen, Sunapee, NH (a disillusioned Royals fan)

MIDWEEK BONUS

Q.         Who appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated wearing the tools of ignorance above the magazine’s bold declaration, “The Perfect Catch”?

Hint:     He was drafted fifth overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft.

Twint:    He is currently leading all American League catchers in putouts and errors.

A.         Matt Wieters (SI cover 15-Mar-2010; 2007 MLB Draft)

FCR -    Art Springsteen, Sunapee, NH

EARLY THURSDAY

Q.         Who is the dreaded member of the A’s infield?

Hint:     He might have joined his brother in the majors sooner, but he chose to attend the University of Miami.

Hint:     He was the 12^th overall choice of the 2008 MLB Draft.

Twint:    He was chosen Rookie of the Month his first month in the majors.

Twint:    His first game that month wasn’t even until the 7^th.

A.         Jemile Weeks (Wears his hair in dreadlocks; 2008 MLB Draft)

FCR -    Bob Chan, Oakland

THURSDAY

Q.         Who played as pitcher and first baseman for the U.S. champion Phenix City National Little League team in 1999?

Hint:     His total of 25 home runs in a high school season ranks only behind Bo Jackson’s for the Alabama record.

Hint:     He was chosen 28^th overall in the 2005 MLB Draft.

Twint:    In 2008, he was selected to play baseball as a member of the US Olympic Team in the Beijing Olympics, but he was unable to attend due to injury.

A.         Colby Rasmus (2005 MLB Draft)

FCR -    Bob Stuart, Scarborough, ON

THURLY EARSDAY

Q.         Who hit home runs in his first two plate appearances as a Yankee?

Hint:     He made the last put-out in old Yankee Stadium.

Twint:    He successfully jumped onto sixty inches of boxes during a spring training session.

A.         Cody Ransom (HRs 17- & 22-Aug-2008; PO 21-Sep-2008, 60”)

FCR -    Steve Bonfield, Calgary

FRIDAY

Q.         Who won a game as a pitcher after playing fifteen innings as designated hitter in the same game?

Hint:     In his first career start in right field, he robbed Chipper Jones of a certain extra base hit with a highlight-reel catch.

Hint:     He is the first Ranger to homer in his first two major league starts.

Twint:    He replaced Josh Hamilton for the Texas Rangers.

A.         Chris Davis (W 06-May-2012; catch 15-Jun-2012; Ranger HRs 27- & 29-Jun-2008; Replaced Hamilton when Hamilton suffered a fracture of the humerus bone in his shoulder diving into home plate on 12-Apr-2011.)

FCR -    Walt Cherniak, Woodbine, MD

START-OF-THE-WEEKEND BONUS

Q.         Who leads all active first basemen in fielding percentage?

Hint:     He holds the major league record for consecutive errorless games at first base.

Hint:     He was taken by the Angels in the first round of the MLB Draft in 2001.

Twint:    With 48 plate appearances without a strikeout at the start of an Angels career, he almost doubled the previous record.

Twint:    In 2011, he led Tampa Bay in infield hits with 18.

A.         Casey Kotchman 1-13 (.9977; 274 straight games, ending 21-Aug-2010; Gus Polidor held the record with 26 G)

FCR -    Walt Cherniak, Woodbine, MD

SATURDAY

Q.         Whose 56^th career home run was the first to launch the gaudy flamingo sculpture at Marlins Park into action?

Hint:     He lost his starting role when the Tigers acquired Carlos Guillen.

Hint:     He led the majors in fielding assists in 2011.

Twint:    He was the first Florida Marlin with extra base hits in each of the first three innings of a game.

A.         Omar Infante (HR 15-Apr-2012, HR, 2b, HR 09-Sep-2011)

FCR -    Rod Nelson, Detroit

MIDDLE-OF-THE-WEEKEND BONUS

Q.         Who currently leads his team in hits, home runs, RBI and slugging, but was not the team’s representative to this year’s All-Star Game?

Hint:     John Smoltz was the winning pitcher of the first major league game he played in.

Hint:     On his Twitter account, he describes himself as a “redneck from south GA”.

Hint:     Two spectacular outfield catches this year, against Toronto and Baltimore, have made him a fan favorite in Oakland.

Twint:    He was barely noticed in parts of three seasons in Boston.

A.         Josh Reddick (Oakland A’s; Debut 31-Jul-2009)

FCR -    J.R. Richardson, Clarksville, MD

SUNDAY

Q.         Who was the first Mariners rookie to have a multi-homer game at new Yankee Stadium?

Hint:     He played for team Canada in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Hint:     He replaced Milton Bradley for the Mariners.

Twint:    He played for the Mariners before the Mariners drafted him.

A.         Michael Saunders (HRs 30-Jun-2010; Bradley was put on the restricted list for psychological evaluation and Saunders debuted 07-May-2010; Victoria Junior Mariners of the BCPBL)

FCR -    Neal Traven, Seattle

[The following questions were added AFTER the answers were sent because, hey--stuff happens.]

EX-POST FACTO

Q.         Who holds the record for the most RBI in a single postseason?

Hint:     He was the final guy to qualify for this week’s theme.

Twint:    He could have played baseball for Mizzou, but ended up being a Missouri hero.

A.         David Freese (21 RBI in 2011; University of Missouri, 2011 NLCS & WS MVP)

FCR -    J.R. Richardson, Clarksville, MD

EX-POST FACTO EXTRA

Q.         Who won the National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award who is a teammate of the current title holder?

Hint:     He’s won the Silver Slugger Award four out of the last six seasons.

Twint:    Without him the Colorado Rockies would almost certainly not have won their first pennant.

A.         Matt Holliday (Teammate: David Freese)

FCR -    John Rickert, Terre Haute

EX-POST FACTO EXTRA EXTRA

Q.         Who, with his debut in 2010, bumped Limb McKenry off the Double Uniques list, when McKenry had held sway since 1915?

Hint:     The high school where he played baseball won the Tennessee state titles in State Titles in 1982, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011

Twint:    He was originally named to the USA roster for the 2009 Baseball World Cup, but was injured and replaced by Lucas May before play started.

A.         Michael McKenry

FCR -    No one

WEEKLY THEME – Batters with no hits in seven at-bats in a single game to date in the 2012 season.  Thanks to reader Bill Chuck for the idea and the research here.

Davis                06-May

Freese              19-Aug

Gonzalez           06-May

Harper              16-Jun

Holliday            19-Aug

Hosmer             16-May

Infante              16-Jun

Kotchman         05-Apr

McKenry           19-Aug

Ransom            17-Jun

Rasmus            05-Apr

Reddick            30-Jul

Saunders          07-Aug

Upton               30-Jul

Weeks              30-Jul

Wieters             16-May

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Gregg Gaylord, Chicago (on only his second guess)

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