Sunday, August 30, 2015

August 24-30, 2015 Hall of Famer War veterans who led the majors in WAR in a season

MONDAY
Q.         Who was the first player to hit a home run in the majors before he turned 20 and after he turned 40?
Hint:     His last name rhymes with the last name of the second player to do it.
Hint:     It does not, however, rhyme with the last name of the third player to do it.
Twint:    Nor the 4th.
Twint:    Ironically, he was very dismissive of the home run as an offensive tool.
A.         TY COBB
- 1st HR 23-Sep-1905 IPHR (19 yrs 326 days) off Cy Falkenburg;
   Last HR 16-May-1928 (41 yrs 150 days) off Mel Harder, who not yet born when
   the 1st HR was hit
- Rusty Staub 1st HR 03-Jun-1963 (19 yrs 63 days) off Don Drysdale
  Last HR 22‑Jun‑1985 (41 yrs 82 days) off Jeff Reardon
- Gary Sheffield 1st HR 09-Sep-1988 (19 yrs 296 days) off Mark Langston
  Last HR 29‑Jun‑2009 (40 yrs 223 days) off Carlos Villanueva
- Alex Rodriguez 1st HR 12-Jun-1995 (19 yrs 291 days) off Tom Gordon
  Most recent HR 20-Aug-2015 (40 yrs 24 days) off Josh Tomlin

FCR -    Alex Poterack, Providence, RI
Incorrect answers:  Gary Sheffield, Jimmie Foxx, Phil Cavarretta, Rickie Zisk, Al Kaline, Cap Anson, Mel Ott, Ted Williams, Ken Griffey, Jr., Stan Musial

TUESDAY
Q.         Who was the first person elected to the Hall of Fame posthumously?
Hint:     He still has the record for the most consecutive seasons with twenty pitching wins.
Hint:     He was considerably bigger than six.
Hint:     He was known to play cards well into the night with his Hall of Fame manager.
Twint:    He was a double-unique until his brother’s first sip of coffee.
A.         CHRISTY MATHEWSON
- Died 07-Oct-1925, first HOF election 1936
- 12 seasons, 1903-14, w/20+ W’s (4 of the 1st 6 were 30+)
- Nickname was “Big Six”, likely referring to a local efficient fire department.  He was 6’1”.
- Was intimate with Mgr. John McGraw
- Brother Henry played 1906-07
FCR -    Victor Piacentile, Yorktown Heights, NY
Incorrect answers:  Cy Young, Amos Rusie, Addie Joss, Walter Johnson, Robin Roberts, Mordecai Brown

WEDNESDAY
Q.         Which Hall of Famer set an unbreakable record that contains a 6 and a 1 that neatly matches the year when he accomplished it.
Hint:     Somebody once called him, "ungainly, with a shambling walk.”
Hint:     Adding further, “…his uniform never seemed to fit properly and his cap looked a size too small."
Twint:    He is the only player (possibly the only person) ever named for a sitting U.S. president and then later portrayed on film by a future U.S. president.
Twint:    He was not exiled to Elba, but escaped from it.
- 16 complete-game shutouts pitched in 1916.  Cincinnati eked out 4 earned runs in the 6 innings he threw at them that year.
- Quote attributed to John McGraw
- He was born almost exactly in the middle of President Grover Cleveland’s first term.  (Ironically, Grover was the president’s middle name.)  Ronald Reagan portrayed Alexander in a biopic 2 years after his death.
FCR -    Jason Hoagland, Columbus, OH
Incorrect answers:  Roger Maris, Matt Kilroy, Honus Wagner, Yogi Berra, Brooks Robinson, Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Bob Gibson, Jim Bottomley, Babe Ruth, Norm Cash

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q.         Who He was the first president of the MLB Players Association?
Hint:     Before his rookie season was over, the New York Times reported that his name was “on the tongues of a million fans.”
Twint:    His family barn is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A.         BOB FELLER
- Became chair after the 1955 season
- Rookie year 1936, after finishing his junior year at Van Meter High
- Barn built in 1886 Actually, the entire farm is listed there.
FCR -    Bob Flynn, Chandler, AZ
Incorrect answers:  Joe Black, Robin Roberts, Ralph Kiner, Marvin Miller

THURSDAY
Q.         Who was the last rookie to bat over .325 in a season during the 1930’s? (qualified for batting title)
Hint:     He was, however, the only rookie to lead the league in a season in RBI’s during the 30’s.
Hint:     In fact, no other rookie has ever topped that RBI total.
Twint:    He was a San Diego Padre while still in high school.
A.         TED WILLIAMS
- .327 1939. George Watkins led the decade for rookies with .373 for STL in 1930
- 145 RBI's 1939
- He played 42 games for the San Diego Padres of the Pacific League after his junior year in high school (age 17).
FCR -    David Block, New York, NY
Incorrect answers:  Joe DiMaggio, Frank McCormick, Wally Berger, Barry Bonds, Ted Williams, Julio Franco, Jimmie Foxx

FRIDAY
Q.         Who has the highest season batting average for a player in his 40's since Sam Rice hit .349? (Must qualify for title)
Hint:     Even before Rice did it, only Ty Cobb had hit for a higher average at that advanced age.
Hint:     He was one home run shy of a triple crown the year he won his third MVP.
Hint:     He actually lost a home run that year due to a rain-out.
Twint:    A pair of graduates from his high school once hit one-of-a-kind back-to-back home runs in the majors.
A.         STAN MUSIAL
- .330 in 505 PA @ age 41 in 1962; Rice .349 in 1930
- Cobb .357 in 1927,
   for the Mariners 14-Sep-1990, the only father-son duo ever to do so.
- 39 HR in 1948, Kiner and Mize tied for the NL lead w/ 40;
   Musial led the majors in BA .376, and the NL with 131 RBI.
- Ken Griffey Sr. & Jr. also attended Donora HS, Donora, PA and hit the homers. CORRECTION:  Ken Griffey Jr. attended Archbishop Moeller High in Cincinnati. He and his Dad were born in Donora, Pa.
FCR -    Rick Zucker, St. Louis, MO
Incorrect answers:  Ted Williams, Barry Bonds

SATURDAY
Q.         Who was the first black player to win a batting title in the majors?
Hint:     A former U.S. president, who died less than a month before he was born, provided the inspiration for his middle name.
Twint:    His steal of home is one of the most sensational and controversial moments in World Series history.
A.         JACKIE ROBINSON
- Appropriately, he hit .342 in 1949 to lead the NL
- Middle name Roosevelt was a tribute to President Theodore Roosevelt.
- Game 1, 1955 WS, he stole home against Ford and Berra but it proved to be the final run in a 6-5 loss.  Yogi, to this day, says the call was incorrect.
FCR -    Alex Griffel, Great Neck, NY
Incorrect answers:  Larry Doby, Rod Carew, Frank Robinson, Willie Mays

WEEKEND BONUS
Q.         Who was the first National Leaguer to win consecutive MVP awards?
Hint:     He was the first player from his franchise to win a Gold Glove.
Twint:    It was the only GG of his career.
Twint:    He and Alex Rodriguez are the only shortstops with 45 homers in a season.
A.         ERNIE BANKS
- MVP 1958, 1959.
- GG 1960 at shortstop.
- A-Rod 2001-3 with 52/57/47, Banks 1958-9 with 47/45.
FCR -    Scott Schleifer, Suffern, NY
Incorrect answers:  Roy Campanella, Frank Robinson, Joe Morgan

SUNDAY
Q.         Who is the only player to lead his decade in stolen bases with fewer than 200? (modern era)?
Hint:     He is the first player since Ty Cobb to do it while playing for a single team.
Twint:    He is the oldest living National League player voted into the HOF by the BBWAA.
A.         WILLIE MAYS
- Mays had 179SB, the most in the 50’s and the fewest ever to lead a decade.
- Cobb led 1910-19, all while playing for Detroit.  Mays stole all of his for the Giants.
- Born 1931, AL players Berra (1925) and Whitey Ford (1928) are the only older living players voted in by the BBWAA.
FCR -    Rich Klein, Plano, TX
Incorrect answers:  Luis Aparicio, Dom DiMaggio


WEEKLY THEME – Hall of Famer War veterans who led the majors in WAR in a season

Player............. Year       WAR     Service
Alexander....... 1916..... 11.7        WW I Army
                        1920..... 12.8       

Banks............. 1959..... 10.2        Army Korean War

Cobb.............. 1911..... 10.7        WW I Army

Feller.............. 1939....... 9.8        WW II Navy
                        1940....... 9.8       

Mathewson.... 1909..... 10.2        US Army WW I

Mays.............. 1954..... 10.6        US Army Korean WAR
                        1958..... 10.2       
                        1962..... 10.5       
                        1963..... 10.6       
                        1964..... 11.0       
                        1965..... 11.2       

Musial............. 1943....... 9.4        US Navy WW II
                        1948..... 11.1

Robinson........ 1949....... 9.6        US Army officer WW II
                        1951....... 9.7

Williams.......... 1941..... 10.6        Marine fighter pilot in WW II and Korea
                        1942..... 10.6
                        1946..... 10.9
                        1947....... 9.9

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – No one

Incorrect theme guesses:

Monday   -  HOFers who played their first ML game as teenagers

Tuesday   -  First class inducted into the HOF

Wed        -  Hall of Famers that served in the Europe Theater during the Great War

Thursday  -  Hall of Famers who served in the military during war
               -  Hall of Famers that actually served while serving in the military
               -  Some heavy dudes
               -  Hall of Famers who fought in wars
               -  Hall of Famers who served in combat (to come:  Warren Spahn, Yogi Berra, Branch Rickey?)

Saturday  -  Players who won MVP awards after serving in the military
               -  First black players to win MVPs

Sunday    -  Players to be elected to the Hall of Fame with over 95% of the vote
               -Hall of famers who served in the military during wars and saw actual combat


Questions archived here:  http://horsehidetriviA.  blogspot.com/


1 comment:

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