Monday, April 23, 2018

2018-04-16 American managers of foreign teams


Q.        What Hall of Famer shortstop was so confident in his defensive abilities that his stated goal was to win a Gold Glove while Ozzie Smith was still active?
Hint:     Although he attended college out of state, he played his entire major league career in the city he was born in.
Hint:     His World Series ring may have helped him land a job at ESPN.
A.         BARRY LARKIN
-  Turns out he got his wish, depriving Ozzie (and every other NL SS) of a GG in 1994, 95 & 96.
-  B. 28-Apr-1964 in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Played 19 seasons for the Reds, 1986-2004.
- Won the 1990 WS w/CIN, sweeping the Bash Brothers of OAK.  Worked as a color commentator for ESPN television 2011-14.
FCR -  Madison McEntire, Bryant, Arkansas
Incorrect guesses:  Cal Ripken, Alex Rodriguez, Ozzie Guillen, Jimmy Rollins

TUESDAY
Q.        When the Blue Jays set a major league record with 10 home runs in a single game, who was the only batter who hit 3 that day?
Hint:     He was the last out in Len Barker's perfect game.
Hint:     He was the last original Toronto Blue Jays player to appear in their lineup.
Hint:     On the night the Blue Jays gave away 10,000 bobblehead dolls of him, his daughter sang the national anthem.
A.         ERNIE WHITT
-  3 HR 14-Sep-1987
-  Traded to ATL 17-Dec-1989; was on TOR roster since expansion year of 1977
-  Bobblehead/anthem game, Sunday, 28-Sug-2005
FCR -  Adrian Fung, Toronto
Incorrect guesses:  Lloyd Moseby, Cito Gaston, Willie Upshaw, Jose Bautista, Alvis Woods, Otto Velez, George Bell, Fred McGriff, Jesse Barfield

WEDNESDAY
Q.        Who was Randy Johnson’s first American League Manager?
Hint:     He won easily over Joe Morgan for Rookie of the Year and took home a World Series ring that same season.
Hint:     He was Sergeant Zurilli.
A.         JIM LeFEBVRE
-  Managed SEA 1989-91; Johnson arrived 30-May-1989
-  ROY 1965, the 2nd ever LAD ROY.  LAD won 1965 WS.
-  Played the role of Sgt. Zurilli on a Feb-1983 episode of M*A*S*H.
FCR -  Timothy Kearns, Washington, DC
Incorrect guesses:  Lou Piniella, Felipe Alou, Mike Hargrove, Frank Howard, Buck Rodgers

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q.        Whose perfect interim managerial record helped his team achieve a record for the most wins by any team in a season in the 21st century?
Hint:     He managed them twice again, years later, but never for a full season.
Hint:     He owns a career .667 winning percentage managing the newest team in the majors.
A.         JOHN McLAREN
-  He was 4-0 with the 116-46 Seattle Mariners of 2001.*
-  Managed the games of 03, 04, 05 & 06-Jun-2001 in relief of Lou Piniella.*  [Baseball-reference.com doesn’t recognize such managerial ‘pinch-hitting’.  The foundational structure that B-R is built on, however, Retrosheet.org, does.]
-  Managed SEA in 2007 (43-41) and 2008 (25-47)
-  Managed WAS in 2011 (2-1) [NOTE:  Newest ‘team’; not newest ‘franchise’]
* MARINERS NOTEBOOK  Sun | Sports
Kirby Arnold — 04-Jun-2001

*Death in the family
Mariners manager Lou Piniella left Seattle before Sunday's game and returned to his home in Tampa after the death of his father-in-law. Frank Garcia, the 77-year-old father of Anita Piniella, died early Sunday morning after a long battle with ALS.
“Piniella, who seemed clearly affected by the news, will miss the three-game home series against Texas and return for Friday's game against San Diego. The funeral will be Wednesday.
“John McLaren, the Mariners' bench coach, will manage the team while Piniella is gone.

FCR -  Mike Sparks, Sarasota
Incorrect guesses:  Lou Piniella, Buck Rodgers

THURSDAY   
Q.        What former National League infielder was presciently awarded the Emerging Leader Award at the University of California San Diego?
Hint:     He has a brother with MVP votes in 8 different seasons.
Hint:     They have totaled over 320 home runs and 2,140 hits in the majors.
Hint:     One of his homers drove in his brother.  His brother had done that for him twice earlier that same season.
A.         EDGAR GONZALEZ
-  2004 awards list from Nu Alpha Kappa at UCSD.  Attended UCSD (La Jolla) & UCSD (San Diego).
-  Brother Adrian received MVP votes in 2007-10, 2013-15
-  Totals as of 19-Apr-2018:  Edgar 122 H, 11 HR; Adrian 2,021 H, 313 HR
-  Edgar’s HR drove in Adrian 20-Sep-2008; Adrian’s HRs that drove in Edgar:  25-May-2008 & 26-Jul-2008, the first one a walk-off.
FCR -  Seth Opitz, Somerville, Massachusetts
Incorrect guesses:  Chris Gwynn, Chris Giles, Dave Roberts, Vince DiMaggio, Roberto Alomar, Bret Boone, B.J. Upton

FRIDAY
Q.        Who was the last 20th-century manager to post a winning record in each of his 1st 5 seasons?
Hint:     His absence this year hasn’t been missed—yet.
Hint:     He hails from the chemical capital.
Hint:     He has been in the voting for the National League Manager of the Year 7 times and another 2 for the AL equivalent.  No problem because he HAD been named the Minor League Manager of the Year.
A.         TERRY COLLINS
-  1994-1998 = .528 over 1st 745 G
-  The Mets are off to their hottest start in the first year after his reign.
-  From Midland, Michigan, world headquarters of Dow Chemical.
-  Minor League MOY 1987 managing The Albuquerque Dukes.
FCR -  David Young, New York City
Incorrect guesses:  Dallas Green, Dusty Baker, Whitey Herzog, Joe Girardi,

SATURDAY   
Q.        Who was the first manager to challenge an umpire's decision under the expanded video review rule?
Hint:     He became the 40th manager in the history of the American League’s only Chicago-based franchise?
Hint:     He had earlier become the 59th manager in the history of Chicago’s National League franchise.
Hint:     At no point was he ever offered managerial jobs with the Whales or ChiFeds, the teams of Chicago’s Federal League franchise.
Hint:     Chicago’s baseball franchise of the Players League, the Pirates, was before his time.   
Hint:     In his playing days, he stole 2 major league bases.
A.         RICK RENTERIA
-  In his first game at the helm on 31-Mar-2014, Renteria challenged an umpire's decision under the expanded video review rule. He argued that baserunner pitcher Jeff Samardzija was safe at first base in spite of umpire Bob Davidson’s out call.  Video evidence proved the ump right.
-  On 07-Nov-2013, he was selected to manage CHC
-  On 03-Oct-2016, he was named manager of CHW
-  Federal League 1914 & 1915
FCR -  John Burbridge, Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania
Incorrect guesses:  Robin Ventura, Lou Piniella, Joe Maddon, Clint Hurdle

SUNDAY
Q.        What former bear now helps guide the goats?
Hint:     He is a member of multiple Halls of Fame.
Hint:     Even with 26,000 Twitter followers and a lifetime of accolades, he is still probably underappreciated.
Hint:     He is the last person who fits this week’s theme.
A.         JERRY WEINSTEIN
-  A double UCLA (Bruin) grad, he now is the manager of the Hartford (CT) Yard Goats, a Double-A minor league baseball team in the Eastern League, in the Colorado Rockies organization.
-  He is a member of the Sacramento City College Athletic Hall of Fame, the California Community College Hall of Fame, and the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.[19] He was also inducted into the Sacramento Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017.         
FCR -  (no one)
Incorrect guesses:  Warren Schaeffer, Dave Roberts


WEEKLY THEME – American managers of foreign World Baseball Classic teams.

Larkin         2013    Brazil
Whitt          2013    Canada
McLaren     2013    China
Renteria     2013    Mexico
LeFebvre   2006    China
Collins       2009    China
Gonzalez    2017    Mexico
Weinstein  2017    Israel


First Correct Respondent to Identify ThemeRichard Giovanoni, Morton Grove, Illinois (after LeFebvre)

Incorrect theme guesses:

Monday  -  Players that were at least three-time All-Stars who attended one of the colleges whose teams were in this year's NCAA Men's Basketball tournament’s Final Four.

Tuesday -  Former ML players who have managed teams in the World Baseball Classic.

Wed        -  All Stars who were coaches during the 2009 WBC
               -  World Baseball Classic managers.









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