Sunday, October 28, 2018

2018-10-22 State Capitals


Q.        Who is the center fielder in the Negro League Baseball Museum Field of Legends?
Hint:     Bill James rates him the fourth-greatest player of all time, behind Ruth, Wagner and Mays.
Hint:     It was said, “He's so fast that he makes Ty Cobb look like Ham Hyatt.”
A.         OSCAR CHARLESTON  [Bio]
-  Ham Hyatt wasn’t THAT slow.  He did have 11 career stolen bases.
FCR -  Michael Mattsey, Robinson, Illinois
Incorrect guesses:  Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson, Willie Mays

TUESDAY
Q.        What player was chosen in the 40th round of the Draft, received Rookie‑of‑the‑Year votes, twice received MVP votes, stole more than 470 bases, yet was never selected to an All-Star team?
Hint:     He made a leaping, over-the-wall catch of a Barry Bonds's drive preventing Bonds from tying Babe Ruth on the career home run list.
Hint:     He hit .333 in the World Series the year his team won.
A.         JUAN PIERRE
-  6th in ROY votes in 2000; got MVP votes in 2003 & 2004 and has 614 career SB.  As for being drafted, as correction to the question is in order.  Pierre Drafted by SEA in the 30th round of the 1995 MLB June Amateur Draft, the Seattle Mariners in the 48th round of the 1996 MLB June Amateur Draft and the Colorado Rockies in the 13th round of the 1998 MLB June Amateur Draft.  None of those draft positions reflect his eventual value to MLB.
-  Catch made on 09-May-2006 at AT&T Park in front of the 39,357 in attendance.  Bonds didn’t homer for another 11 days.
-  2003 WS for FLA
FCR -  Sarah Grynpas, Toronto
Incorrect guesses:  Kenny Lofton, Otis Nixon, Devon White, Torii Hunter, Jim Edmunds, Omar Moreno, Curt Flood, Jay Payton

WEDNESDAY
Q.        What Brown University alum threw a no hitter between graduation events?
Hint:     He led in WAR in two of the three years of his franchise’s existence.
Hint:     He was 2nd in the 3rd year.
Hint:     The last out of that his no-hitter was a player who would become a Hall of Fame major league manager.
A.         LEE RICHMOND  [SABR Bio]
-  Perfecto 12-Jun-1880.  It was history’s first perfect game.  Brown U. had already been operating for over a century by the time of his graduation.
-  32 W in 1880 & 23 W in 1881.  1882 was the only additional year of the franchise.  Had WAR’s of 7.3, 4.4 & 1.0, finishing behind the legendary Harry Stovey in 1882.
-  27th out = Ned Hanlon
FCR -  Larry Hayes, San Francisco
Incorrect guesses:  Allie Reynolds

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q.        Who was the top fan vote-getter in his league of the only All-Star Game he ever played in?
Hint:     He knows a lot.
Hint:     Many still believe that it is impossible to overstate his athletic ability.
A.         BO JACKSON  [SABR Bio]
-  1989 ASG  Top AL vote-getter.  Will Clark led all players.
-  G.O.A.T.?
FCR -  Maureen Walsh, Tallahassee
Incorrect guesses:  Joe Charboneau, Wally Joyner, Chris Young, Mark Fidrych

THURSDAY
Q.        Who held the career postseason record for WHIP until 2014?
Hint:     He won exactly one game in each of the first three consecutive World Series championships ever to be won by the same team.
Hint:     Two of his three wins were complete games.  In the one that wasn’t, he got every out but the last one.
Hint:     His nickname was “Hoot”.
A.         MONTGOMERY “Monte” PEARSON
-  WHIP of .729 was finally bested by Jeremy Affeldt w/SFG.  He finished in 2014 at .702.
-  NYY = 1936 G 4, 1937 G 3, 1938 G 3, 1939 G 2 (Yes—they won a 4th one as well and so did he.)
-  In 1937, Johnny Murphy got Giants’ catcher Harry Danning to fly out for the final out.
FCR -  Mark DeLodovico, Rockville, Maryland [Even before the correction!]
Incorrect guesses:  Bob Gibson, Mariano Rivera, Jack Billingham, Hoot Evers, Art Nehf, Red Ruffing, Mordecai Brown, Burt Hooten, Whitey Ford, Lefty Gomez, Ernie Shore

FRIDAY
Q.        Who, in the season’s antepenultimate inning, hit the 50th home run off Bert Blyleven, setting a new all-time record for most home runs surrendered by a pitcher in a single year?
Hint:     He enjoyed 5 full seasons as a first base coach in Chicago.
Hint:     He often used a whistle to get the attention of outfielders for re-positioning.
Hint:     He and an All-Star Cubs first baseman attended the same Cincinnati high school, but 5 years apart.
A.         DARYL BOSTON
-  HR 04-Oct-1986, 7th inning.  That record still stands.  Blyleven is also 3rd on the same list.  It was only Boston’s 5th HR that season.
-  Coached CHW 2013-17
-  Attended Woodward High School as did Leon Durham.
FCR -  Scott Matteson Shawnee, Kansas
Incorrect guesses:  Billy Williams, Ron Kittle, Ed Brinkman

SATURDAY
Q.        What future former Cub is the most recent player to lead his league in triples in consecutive seasons.
Hint:     He hit a triple and an inside-the-park home run in the same game.  It was the first time anyone on his team had done that in 35 years.
Hint:     He lost the Rookie-of-the-Year vote to a pitcher who did not play in the majors in 2018.
Hint:     He led his team in strikeouts his first four years in the majors, which is possibly why he was traded during his fifth season.
Hint:     The Dodgers drafted a pitcher from his high school.
A.         AUSTIN JACKSON
-  Led in 3b 2011 (11) & 2012 (10) w/DET (Tied w/LAA’s Bourjos in 2001); Played w/CHC in 2016.
-  3b + ITP HR = 10-Aug-2012, a 2b away from a cycle.  3b/HR combo last accomplished for DET in 1977 by Steve Kemp
-  Led DET in K’s 2010-2013, averaging more than 150 per season.  Led the AL in his rookie year, 2010, w/170.
-  LAD drafted fellow Billy Ryan High alum Javy Guerra in the 4th round in 2004.
FCR -  Mike Sparks, Sarasota
Incorrect guesses:  Lance Johnson

SATURDAY SATURATED
Q.        Who managed to scratch out a 32.50 ERA for the A’s one year?
Hint:     He had more luck in the minors with an ERA under 2.00 in four different stops with an additional four stints of under 4.00.
Hint:     He comes from Norse and Greek mythology.
A.         STEVE PHOENIX
-  On 06-Aug-1995, in 1⅔ innings in 1995 he surrendered 6 earned runs in relief of Todd Stottlemyre against a 1st-place Mariners team before Coach Dave Duncan brought in Ramon Fermin who didn’t fare much better, but finished the game anyway.
-  Born with the name Phoenix and attended Valhalla High School in El Cajon, California.
FCR -  Mike Sparks, Sarasota
Incorrect guesses:  Kendall Graveman, Mike Marshall, Stanley Jefferson 

SUNDAY
Q.        What speedster stole 10 bases over 3 seasons for the Orioles?
Hint:     His minor league stolen base total, however, is possibly the best in recent memory, including one season where he totaled 81.
Hint:     He accomplished something only Ken Griffey, Jr. had done in the history of the majors.
A.         TIM RAINES, Jr.
-  3 SB in 2001, 0 in 2003 & 7 in 2004
-  He played in a major league game with his father.  In fact, did it 4 times:  03‑Oct, 04‑Oct, 05-Oct (2) and 06-Oct-2001, all at Camden Yards.
FCR -  Josh Murphy, Cedar Rapids
Incorrect guesses:  Russ Snyder, Stanley Jefferson, Jeff Stone, Rick Dempsey, Alan Wiggins


WEEKLY THEME – Select players who names call to mind U.S. state capitals.

Austin.................. Texas
Boston................. Massachusetts
Charleston.......... West Virginia
Jackson............... Mississippi
Little Rock........... Arkansas
Phoenix............... Arizona
Pierre................... South Dakota
Richmond........... Virginia

Considered but not included this week were -

Raleigh Aitcheson,
Madison Bumgarner,
Denver Grigsby,
Jesse Jefferson City,
Mike Lansing,
Carson (City) Bigbee
Trent(on) Hubbard,
Bucky Harris(burg),
Dean Anna(polis),
Indian(apolis) Bob Johnson,
June(au) Greene,
Jarrod Salt(Lake City)alamacchia,
Charlie Frank(fort),
Columb(us)ia Lou Gehrig,
Al Alb(any)urquerque,
Frank Sac(ramento)ka,
Baton Roug(e)ned Odor,
Don August(a) or even
Saint Paul Molitor, as good as that would have been.

First Correct Respondent to Identify ThemeDavid Washburn, Marietta, Georgia (After Pierre)

Incorrect theme guesses:

Friday     -  Cities
               -  Cities that are the last names of MLB players / All-Stars
               -  Cities that had baseball teams












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