Q. Who is the
only shortstop to win a Gold Glove Award for the Padres?
Hint: He and a
high school teammate both became first-ballot Hall of Famers.
Hint: The Bell
tolled for him.
Hint: His son was
a Top Ten finalist on American Idol and sang the national anthem before a World
Series game.
- Smith and Eddie Murray were 1 year apart at Alain LeRoy Locke College Preparatory Academy in Watts, California (formerly Locke High School). They were also only 1 year
apart in their Hall of Fame selections, 2002, 2003.
- Smith’s string of 13
consecutive Gold Glove awards (1980-1992) was
broken when PIT’s Jay Bell won his only Gold
Glove award in 1993.
- Son Nikko Smith competed in “American Idol” in Season 4. (No one was surprised that he is a tenor.) He sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” in St. Louis before the 4th
G of the 2006 WS.
FCR - Wayne Bradshaw,
Monteagle, Tennessee
Incorrect guesses: Jay
Bell
TUESDAY
Q. What
shortstop played more than 2,000 major league games never once wearing a protective
cup?
Hint: He is the
only player with 2,000 games who could not coax his career batting average above
.230.
Hint: His Hall of
Fame major league manager had known him at two levels of the minors and liked
him well enough to announce, “I don’t care if you hit .150. You’re my starting shortstop!”
Hint: In career
Defensive WAR he ranks above Brooks Robinson, Omar Vizquel, Andrelton Simmons
and many other renowned glove men.
- No cup?
Self-professed; teammate verified.
- Played 2,016 G, hit .228.
- Earl Weaver told him that after hit .186 in
1972, the first year in 4 when that the O’s didn’t reach the World Series or
even the postseason.
FCR - Doug Wedge, Edmond, Oklahoma
Incorrect guesses: Mario Mendoza, Dal Maxvill, Larry Bowa, Phil
Rizzuto, Ray Oyler, Dave Concepcion, Marty Marion
WEDNESDAY
Q. Who led the National League in runs
scored the same season he led the majors in assists by a player at any position?
Hint: His hometown of 80,000 people boasts more
than thirty major leaguers born there.
Hint: When he played for the Senators, Roberto
Clemente was his manager.
Hint: He was traded on Tuesday for Monday.
- 1978 = 104 R + 558 A (He’d had 595 the year
before.)
- Played with the San Juan Senadores (Senators)
of the Puerto Rican Winter League in 1969, when Roberto Clemente was his manager.
- On Tuesday, 11-Jan-1977, LAD traded de Jesus
with Bill Buckner and minor leaguer
Jeff Albert to CHC for Rick Monday and Mike Garman.
FCR - Richard Tharp, Gaithersburg, Maryland
Incorrect
guesses: Bill Buckner
MIDWEEK BONUS
Q. What outstanding defensive catcher was
managed by Casey Stengel on two different teams?
Hint: He played for more than a decade in the
majors and never once had a manager who is not now in the Hall of Fame.
Hint: Hall of Fame catcher and manager Al Lopez
was he only player he was ever traded for.
Hint: Lopez became his roommate and lifelong
friend.
Hint: He had a long, successful career as a
pitching coach.
- Played for Stengel on the Dodgers in 1934 & 36 then
again on the Boston Bees & Braves in 1940 & 41.
FCR - Phillip Ross, Denver
Incorrect
guesses: Jim Hegan, Yogi Berra
Q. Who was the first American League player
to win a World Series MVP Award?
Hint: The first batter he faced in the majors,
Harvey Kuenn, would become his World Series teammate nine years later.
Hint: Prior to his passing, he was one of just
nine surviving St. Louis Browns veterans.
Hint: He went 3-21 one season leading the AL in
losses, but two of his wins came against the Yankees, making enough of a
favorable impression that they traded for him after the season.
Hint: He was nicknamed "Gooney Bird"
for his prominent ears, gangly arms and pear-shaped body.
Hint: He played first base for a US Army team.
Hint: Mickey Mantle said of him, "[He] was
easily the greatest drinker I've known, and I've known some pretty good ones in
my time!"
Hint: He celebrated his 62nd wedding
anniversary this past December 7.
Hint: He started Game 7 of the 1958 World Series
but left with a no-decision.
Hint: He was part of a player package that was
traded for Roger Maris.
Hint: He won the deciding playoff game between
the Dodgers and Giants in 1962, then won Game 4 of the World Series.
Hint: He is one of only two pitchers to pitch a
perfect game *and* hit a grand slam.
- WS MVP 1956, the second year it was awarded
- In the US Army 1951 and 1952.
- Many of the Yankees of the 1950s were regular drinkers
- 1958 WS G 7. He was replaced by that year’s WS MVP and CYA
winner, Bob Turley, who had been his
teammate in St. Louis and Baltimore.
- Traded from NYY to KCA 11-Dec-1959 with Hank
Bauer, Norm Siebern & Marv Throneberry
FCR - Kellen Nielson, Blanding, Utah
Incorrect guesses:
THURSDAY
Q. What Californian played for San
Francisco a total of ten seasons even though he did it in three separate
stints?
Hint: In five of those seasons he played in more
than 180 each with a high of 196.
Hint: He was so popular that a day was held in
his honor and tickets sold out five days in advance.
Hint: He worked as a guard for two decades at
Folsom Prison. He never mentioned Johnny Cash.
- Played for the AAA San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League 1922-25, 1928 & 1934-38. Joe DiMaggio was his teammate there 1934-35.
- Play 196 G in 1924. During Rhyne’s PCL years, he played in the
following:
1922—189 of 198 Seals games scheduled
1923—168 of 201
1924—196 of 201
1925—188 of 199
1928—185 of 191
1934—184 of 188
1935—150 of 173
1936—137 of 176
1937—121 of 178
1938— 5 of 178
During the 1905 season the San Francisco Seals set the
all-time PCL record by playing 230 games. Teams regularly played between 170
and 200 games in a season until the late 1950s.
- Hal Rhyne Day was
held at San Francisco’s Recreation Park, “Big Rec II”, on 20‑Aug‑1922. An
estimated 14,000 fans turned out.
Admission (“just” 25 cents) got you either a ham sandwich or a shot of
whiskey. A part of the bleachers was
sectioned off with chicken wire and aptly named the "Booze Cage."
FCR - John Burbridge, Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania
Incorrect
guesses: Lefty O’Doul
FRIDAY
Q. Whose first name was pronounced combined
with his uniform number as he was introduced as he came to bat in Jack Murphy
Stadium?
Hint: His spot was taken by a Hall of Famer the
year after he left the team.
Hint: In his relatively brief career in the
majors, he played alongside four future Hall of Famers, eight future major
league managers and a future general manager, not to mention a future team
physician.
Hint: One season, when his WAR finished at
exactly 0.0, he actually led the majors in sacrifice hits.
- The public address announcer at San
Diego Stadium would
announce Enzo Hernandez as "Numberelevenenzo... HerNANdez!". Enzo modeled himself after fellow Venezuelan
Luis Aparicio. On routine grounders,
Luis would look deliberately at his grip before throwing. Enzo did exactly the same thing. He also wore
the same number and copied Luis' batting stance.
- Ozzie Smith became the full time SS in 1978. Enzo’s last year with SDP was 1977.
- In his 8 years in the Bigs, he was teammates
with Dave Winfield, Willie McCovey, Rollie Fingers and Don Sutton.
- Future managers were Pat Corrales, Bobby
Valentine, Dusty Baker, Tommy Lasorda, Cito Gaston, Davey Lopes, Bill
Russell & Johnny Oates. The GM was Dave Stewart
& the doc was Dr. Ron Taylor.
- Had 24 SH in 1975, beating the AL’s leader
Mark Belanger, by 1.
FCR - Jerry Miller, Liberty Hill, Texas
Incorrect
guesses: Sixto Lezcano, Jigger Statz,
Nate Colbert, Garry Templeton, Bill Almon, Oddibe McDowell
SATURDAY
Q. Who appears in a Blue Jays uniform and
cap on Baseball-Reference even though he never played a single inning in the
majors for Toronto?
Hint: Led the majors in sacrifice hits in his
sophomore season and was in the top ten in MLB sacrifice hits an additional two
seasons.
Hint: In the space of two games in his second
year he hit his first three career home runs.
Hint: His very first home run was a lead-off home
run off a hurler considered to be one of the best all-time. He did it at the peak of that pitcher’s Hall
of Fame career.
30-Oct-2014: Granted
Free Agency.
During his final stint
with the Jays (Apr-June 2015), Santiago played only for their AAA franchise.
- 1st HR off Pedro Martinez 03-Jun-2002. In the 7th he teed off on Tim Wakefield and the very next day he homered off bowler
extraordinaire John Burkett.
FCR - Mike Sparks, Sarasota
Incorrect
guesses: Cito Gaston, Roy Hartsfield
WEEKEND BONUS
Q. Who is the only son of a major leaguer
whose father ended his career with a negative WAR when he also ended his with a
negative WAR?
Hint: He is one of 90 major leaguers buried in
the tiny city of Colma, California—living population 1,792. The city’s ironic motto is “It’s great to be
alive in Colma!”
Hint: His career was so evenly split that he only
played one game more at shortstop than at second. He played at no other position in his entire
career.
- WAR = -3.7, Del Sr.’s WAR = -0.3.
- Colma is he final resting place of Hall of
Fame players Joe DiMaggio, Willie McCovey and High Pockets Kelly. Population figure is from the 2010 census.
- 148 G @ SS; 147 @ 2B
FCR - Bruce Didriksen, Park Ridge, New Jersey
Incorrect
guesses: Dick Schofield
SUNDAY
Q. Whose debut game in the majors was the
only one he played in the National League?
Hint: He then played for more than a decade in
the American League, but not until he spent five years playing for seven teams
in the minors.
Hint: He finished, finally with Toronto.
Hint: Some of his Hall of Fame teammates were
Johnny Mize, Jim Bottomley, Enos Slaughter, Billy Southworth, Lou
Boudreau, Ted Lyons, Hal Newhouser and Nellie Fox.
- Played 2 innings in the field without an
at-bat with STL in a blowout over the
Dodgers on 20-Jul-1932 in his major league
debut.
- His final professional playing experience was
with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1949 under manager Del Bissonette.
- Mize was a minor league teammate on the 1932 Class B Elmira Red
Wings
in the STL organization. The remaining 7 named (and many others) were
major league teammates on STL, CLE, CHW, DET & PHA.
FCR - *Mike Sparks, Sarasota
Incorrect
guesses:
* Only answer, right or
wrong!
WEEKLY THEME – Upside
down Triple Crown. These are the
qualified batters who had the fewest HRS, fewest RBI and lowest batting average
in a league in a season. All except
Berres are middle infielders.
Year Player Team Lge Pos. HR/RBI/BA Career WAR
1970...... Belanger....... BAL............ AL...... SS............ 1\36\.218... 40.9
1940...... Berres........... PIT\BSN..... AL....... C............. 0\16\.192.... -3.0
1981...... De Jesus...... CHC........... NL...... SS............ 0\13\.194... 11.0
1971...... Hernandez.... SD.............. NL...... SS............ 0\12\.222.............. 0.4.................
1930...... Rhyne........... BOS............ AL...... INF........... 0\23\.203..... 3.4
2003...... Santiago....... DET............ AL...... SS............ 2\29\.225..... 7.6
1979...... Smith............ SDP............ NL...... SS............ 0\27\.211... 76.9
1945...... Webb............ DET............ AL...... INF........... 0\21\.199.... -4.5
1937...... Young........... PHI............. NL...... INF........... 0/24/.194.... -3.8
First
Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Randall Chandler, Germantown,
Tennessee (After de Jesus)
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Monday - Players
who have hit Championship game Walk-off home runs.
- Players
who had hall of fame high school teammates
- Consecutive
birthdays after Christmas
- Players
in the Baseball Bunch open
- Hall
of Fame board members
Tues - Shortstops
with at least 4 consecutive gold gloves
- Players
with at least 6 gold gloves in a row
- The
players with the highest defensive dWAR (career)
- Shortstops
with less (fewer) than 30 HR (career)
- Shortstops
with at least 8 Gold Gloves and 40 WAR
- Shortstops
with the most dWar (defensive Wins Above Replacement) as listed at Baseball
Reference
Wed - Shortstops
leading the league in assists
- Shortstops
who have led the Majors in assists more than once
Sat - Players
who played 100 games but had fewer than 20 extra base hits
- They
all had the lowest SP in their league
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