Monday, July 6, 2020

2020-06-29 Monopoly Tokens


MONDAY  -  29-Jun
Q.        Which Hall of Famer pitched complete games and won both ends of three (3!) doubleheaders in the span of one calendar month?
Hint:     He pitched for the Baltimore Orioles in the National League and then for the Baltimore Orioles in the American League.
Hint:     His nickname is derived from his previous occupation, not, as believed, his performance as a player.
A.         JOE McGINNITY  [SABR Bio]
-  3 DHers in August 1903:  01-Aug vs. BSN; 08-Aug vs. BRO; and 31-Aug vs. PHI.
-  In 1899 he was on BLN for their last year of existence then when the American League  included Baltimore (BLA), as one of the original franchises McGinnity pitched for them in 1901-02, the only years of their existence.
-  Worked in an Oklahoman iron foundry during his off-seasons.  Serendipitously self-coined his enduring nickname during an newspaper interview in which he detailed his winter time employment as, “I am an iron man.”
FCR -  David Johnson, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Incorrect guesses:  Hoss Radbourn, Monte Ward, Mordecai Brown, Pud Galvin, Frank Foreman

MONDAY BONUS  -  29-Jun
Q.        What young pitcher was barraged with farm animal sounds by the opposing Detroit Tigers as he warmed up for his first major league game?
Hint:     All taunting stopped after the first pitch.
Hint:     He had more career wins against the Detroit Tigers than against any other team.
A.         WALTER JOHNSON  [SABR Bio]
-  He had been pitching in the low minors in Idaho, so the Tigers’ bench jockeys imitated a cow mooing and shouted, “Get your pitchfork ready, Coach, he’s headed back…”
-  Cobb described his first at-bat against Johnson like this, “I watched him take that easy wind-up—and then something went past me that made me flinch.  The ball came in so fast that I wondered if he had concealed a gun on his person.  I hardly saw the pitch, but I heard it.  The thing just hissed with danger.  Despite the jeering, Johnson fared well in his debut—but as frequently happened pitching for the usually hapless Senators—he dropped a close one.  Cobb hit .366 in his career off Johnson (120-for-328)—quite amazing considering Cobb's average against all pitchers was a career .366.  Unlike most batters, Cobb could hit Johnson’s fastball.
-  Johnson had 66 win vs. DET.
FCR -  Patrick Roth, Chicago
Incorrect guesses:  Rich Gossage, Bob Feller, Ted Lyons, Mark Fidrych Lefty Gomez, Jim McDonald

TUESDAY  -  30-Jun
Q.        Which Hall of Famer’s nicknames seem to be polar opposites?
Hint:     He is still the last National League batter to win the Triple Crown.
Hint:     He was once taken out of a World Series game by the Commissioner.
A.         JOE MEDWICK  [SABR Bio]
-  Nicknames “Muscles” and “Ducky”.  While playing for the A-level Houston Buffaloes, Medwick acquired the nickname Ducky.  Some say it was because he waddled like a duck when he walked.  His teammates picked up on it and started calling him Ducky or even worse Ducky Wucky.  Joe detested the name, but it caught on and for years sportswriters routinely referred to him as Ducky.  Medwick much preferred to be called Muscles and induced some of his teammates to use that appellation.
-  In 1937, Medwick had 31 HR, 154 RBI & hit .374.
-  In the 6th inning of G 7 of the 1934 WS, Medwick tripled off the CF fence, sliding into third spikes high.  Whether he deliberately spiked DET 3B Marv Owen is up for debate.  Medwick claimed Owen stomped on his leg.  Still on the ground, Medwick began kicking at Owen and fisticuffs erupted.  Hall of Fame umpire Bill Klem broke up the tussle with neither player ejected, but Owen ignored Medwick’s handshake offer.  In the B6, Medwick jogged out to his position in LF and was met by a salvo of fruit and soda bottles from the Detroit fans who were already in a foul mood because the Tigers were getting beat 8-0.  This is when Commissioner Landis stepped in and had Medwick removed for A) his own safety and B) so the final 3 innings of a blow-out game could resume.  STL won in a walk, 11-0.  It was otherwise a great Fall Classic with multiple Hall of Fame players on each side.
FCR -  Lincoln Mitchell, New York City
Incorrect guesses:  Chuck Klein, Frank Robinson, Jim Bottomley

TUESDAY BONUS  -  30-Jun
Q.        Who most often gets credit for switching Babe Ruth from a starting pitcher to an everyday outfielder?
Hint:     He was born on a hemp plantation in Illinois on a stopover during his family’s move from Ohio to Nebraska via covered wagon.
Hint:     Hall of Famers Fred Clarke and Honus Wagner were two of the players he found while working as a scout for the team that became the Pirates.
A.         ED BARROW  [SABR Bio]
-  Barrow was the GM of the 1918 Red Sox and liked the advice of one of his star players Harry Hooper to switch The Babe to the outfield so he could get his potent bat into the lineup more often.  Ruth gradually reduced his mound appearances during 1918 and 1919 (still posting a glittering 22-12 W-L with a 2.55 ERA and 30 CG in 34 GS during those seasons), but for all extents and purposes Ruth’s assault on the pitching record books was over and his dominance of the offensive record books was underway.  It was Barrow who masterminded this historical transition.
-  The infant Barrow completed the family’s arduous 2-year trek west to Nebraska, but the harsh farming conditions they encountered there prompted them to leave Nebraska after 6 years and relocate to Iowa.
-  Barrow was Clarke’s boss at an Iowa newspaper and, legend has it, discovered Wagner as the youth was tossing rocks and lumps of coal prodigious distances near some railroad tracks.
FCR -  Tom Bowen, Dallas
Incorrect guesses:  Miller Huggins, Harry Hooper

WEDNESDAY  -  01-Jul
Q.        When Eric Karros set the Los Angeles Dodgers career home run record, what former Cougar’s mark did he surpass?
Hint:     He was the Chicago Cub’s team RBI leader on the only Cubs team that went to the postseason between 1946 and 1988.
Hint:     He joined the same college fraternity that Lou Gehrig had joined.
Hint:     Bobo gave him his nickname.
A.         RON CEY  [BR Bio]
-  Karros had 270 as an L.A. Dodger, his 229th passed Cey’s 228 and is still the most by an L.A. Dodger.  Cey had played for Washington State University.
-  Had 97 RBI for CHC in 1984.
-  Gehrig and Cey were members of Phi Delta Theta, Gehrig at Columbia, Cey at Washington State.
-  According to Cey himself, his nickname “The Penguin” was bestowed on him by his college coach, Chuck "Bobo" Brayton, the 4th winningest baseball coach in NCAA history when he retired.
FCR -  Dave Serota, Kalamazoo
Incorrect guesses:  Andre Dawson, Steve Garvey, Bill Buckner, Ryne Sandberg

CANADA DAY SPECIAL  -  01-Jul
Q.        Who was the first player to lead two leagues in a season in home runs with more than twenty homers each time?
Hint:     He led four different major league teams in home runs for at least one season apiece, for a total of eight seasons as his team’s HR leader.
Hint:     He currently works in the front office for one the team he played for as Special Assistant.
A.         FRED McGRIFF  [SABR Bio]
-  Hit 36 HR for AL’s TOR in 1989.  Hit 35 for NL’s SDP in 1992.  [HOF Sam Crawford had led the NL (CIN) & AL (DET) in HRs in 1901 & 1908 w/ 16 & 7 respectively.  (Yes.  – 7!)]
-  Led TOR (1988, 89, 90); SDP (1991, 92); ATL (1994, 95); TBD (1998)
-  Works for ATL as Special Assistant, Amateur Scouting.
FCR -  Adrian Fung, Toronto (Where else?!)
Incorrect guesses:  Reggie Jackson, Dave Kingman


THURSDAY  -  02-Jul
Q.        Who is the only qualifying player with a batting average better than Ted Williams’ the year after Williams won his first MVP?
Hint:     The way he won his batting title hadn’t been done before.
Hint:     His uncle had been a reserve outfielder/pinch-hitter for the St. Louis Browns back before they cracked the highly-coveted .600 winning percentage plateau for the first time in franchise history.
A.         HARRY WALKER  [SABR Bio]
-  Walker won the 947 NL batting title playing for two National League  teams.  10 G for the WS Champ STL then the rest of the season (130 G) for the 7th-place PHI (out of 8 teams).  In the AL, this had been done by Dale Alexander in 1932.  In the NL, Walker's feat was nearly reproduced in 1982 by Willie McGee whom the Cardinals decided had outlived his usefulness when they traded him to the Oakland A's.  His AL BAs didn't figure in and he won the NL title.
-  Uncle Ernie Walker played for SLB 1913-15—a stretch during which they went 191-269, posting an unimpressive .415 winning percentage.  7 years after Ernie had moved on, the Browns went over .600 in a season in 1922 (finishing a mere 1 G back of Babe Ruth’s Yankees).
FCR -  David Gordon, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Incorrect guesses:  Mickey Vernon, George Kell, Lou Boudreau, Phil Cavarretta, Stan Musial, Snuffy Stirnweiss, Debs Garms

FRIDAY  -  03-Jul
Q.        Who overcommitted to the fans in two ballparks?
Hint:     He led his high school teams to two basketball state championships as well as two state baseball championships.
Hint:     He was so beloved as a stadium announcer for more than 23 years that the day he passed away the game he normally worked was played without a public address announcer.
Hint:     He once pitched a no-hitter against his team’s bitter and most passionately-hated rival.
A.         REX BARNEY  [SABR Bio]
-  As the Public Address announcer for the Orioles, whether at their home stadium Memorial Stadium or their current one, OPACY, Barney would exclaim, “Give that fan a CONtract !” every time (and I mean every time!) a fan caught a foul ball or home run, sometimes even if they missed.
-  Attended Creighton Prep, a Catholic school for boys in Omaha and won those four Nebraska state championships while he was there.
-  The Orioles commemorated Barney’s passing with a three-minute ceremony led by Orioles voice Chuck Thompson, a moment of silence and the flying of flags at half-staff.  For the entire game the public-address microphone was shut off, and Oriole and Athletics batters walked to the plate unannounced, welcomed only by the crowd.
-  No-no for BRO vs. NYG 09-Sep-1948.  It was the only no-hitter thrown by a Dodger pitcher against a Giants team in the Polo Grounds.  8 years later Carl Erskine no-hit the Giants, but that was in the safe confines of the Dodgers home venue, Ebbets Field.
FCR -  Adam Balutis, Arlington, Virginia
Incorrect guesses: 

SATURDAY  -  04-Jul
Q.        Which Georgian Hall of Famer did Walt Alston replace?
Hint:     He was the only player to lead his league with more than fifty home runs while striking out fewer than fifty times that same season.
Hint:     He was the third National Leaguer to hit fifty home runs in a season.
A.         JOHNNY MIZE  [SABR Bio]
-  In the final G of his rookie season, 27-Sep-1936, in the top of the 7th, Mize had a difference of opinion with umpire Ziggy Sears about the location of the strike zone and was ejected.  Frankie Frisch replaced him at bat.  However, at first base in the top of the 8th, Alston replaced Mize at 1st base for the only 2 innings of his major league playing career.  Alston made an error in the field and at bat he struck out for the final out of the Cardinals’ season.  Managing was clearly his strength.  Amusing that ⅔ of the umpire crew were Ziggy and Quigley… and that Ziggy also tossed Buzzy and Jolly Cholly.
-  51 HR with just 42 K in 1947.
-  Ralph Kiner beat Mize by 2 days for 2nd NLer to hit 50 in a season.  Mize reached that plateau 20-Sep-1947.  Kiner had hit his 50th that year on 18-Sep-1947.
FCR:    Jeffrey Fink, Howell, New Jersey
Incorrect guesses:  Ralph Kiner, George Foster, Chuck Dressen, Mel Ott

FIREWORKS EXTRA  -  04-Jul
Q.        What NSW/SEC product ended with the Angels?
Hint:     He was the first native of his country in more than a century to make it to the majors.
Hint:     He has worked for the Diamondbacks since 2012.
A.         CRAIG SHIPLEY  [BR Bio]
-  Shipley was born in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia and played baseball for the University of Alabama which is in the Southeastern Conference.
-  Before Shipley’s MLB debut on 22-Jun-1986, the last (and first) Australian-born player to break into the majors was Joe Quinn who debuted 26-Apr-1884!  Quinn enjoyed a 17-year career, playing for 8 teams in 4 leagues.
-  In 2012, Shipley was hired by ARI as an assistant to GM Kevin Towers.  As of 2018, he is still part of the Diamondbacks front office, assisting the Baseball Operations Department in international and special assignment scouting, evaluating the D-backs' farm system and serving as an advisor to the GM.
FCR -  Mark DeLodovico, Rockville, Maryland
Incorrect guesses:  Cesar Geronimo, Dave Nilsson

SUNDAY  -  05-Jul
Q.        Which Maryland native, pitching in his major league debut, beat the winningest pitcher that state has ever produced?
Hint:     A notorious partyer, he was once found “conducting” a swing band at a nightclub at 4:00 A.M. on the morning he was scheduled to be the starting pitcher in a game beginning at 12:30 P.M.
Hint:     Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned him from organized baseball.
Hint:     He successfully filed for unemployment insurance. Sort of...
A.         BOOTS POFFENBERGER  [SABR Bio]
-  Hurling 1-run ball over 6.2 innings of relief in his first ML appearance on 11-Jun-1937 the Williamsport, MD native Poffenberger bested Lonaconing, MD’s favorite son and eventual 300-game winner Lefty Grove.
-  Despite begging to be left alone to “sleep it off”, DET manager Mickey Cochrane gave Boots some tough love and had him start that sweltering-hot day’s game anyway. He gutted it out until the B3, when CHW exploded for 4 runs before he was yanked and mercifully sent to the showers. 
-  In 1939, the continuous hard-drinking, late-night carousing and frequent vanishing acts finally exhausted the patience of his last major league manager, Leo Durocher.  After missing curfew for the umpteenth time, The Lip fined, suspended and demoted Poffenberger to the Dodgers’ Montreal farm team.  Despite promising the team four times that he’d report to Montreal, Boots actually never reached La Belle Province.  Poffenberger said he made it as far as New York, stopped off to enjoy a few beers, and then turned back around and just headed home to Williamsport. That’s when Commissioner Landis lowered the boom on Boots.
-  After Landis’ decree and when all of the forms had been completed for his unemployment claim, the State of Maryland couldn’t give Poffenberger his money because they were unable to locate him.  Boots had gone missing yet again.
FCR -  Brad Clark, Madison, Wisconsin
Incorrect guesses:  Eddie Cicotte, Lefty Williams, Lefty Grove

WEEK’S FINALE  -  05-Jul
Q.        Which player was a PTBNL nearly sixty years after his major league playing career ended?
Hint:     In the tenth and final game of one season’s final championship series, he started and was knocked out of his series-winning team’s resounding 18-7 ... loss
Hint:     In that losing effort, he did at least salvage some dignity by getting two hits against a pitcher who won over 30 games the following season. 
A.         LEDELL TITCOMB  [SABR Bio]
-  Arm injuries forced Titcomb to retire from MLB at the age of 23 after the 1890 season. Always known by just his unique first name Ledell during his playing days, his 1950 obituary mysteriously referred to him as the possessor of the previously unused and unexplained nickname of “Cannonball”. This 60 year gap as a Player TBNamed Later is believed to be the longest in baseball history.
-  After the 1888 season, an end-of-the-year professional baseball season championship playoff series was held between the NL winner New York Giants and the AA’s St. Louis Browns.  Although the Giants prevailed by winning 6 of the 1st 8 G, the final 2 G were nevertheless played as scheduled.  Titcomb, perhaps understandably pitching without his heart in it, started the last one and was shelled.  He possibly didn’t enjoy hoisting the Hall Cup which was awarded to his victorious Giants, but was happy to accept his share from the series winner’s pool:  $328.00.
-  Owner of a ghastly .098 career batting average, Titcomb hit a pair of hits versus Elton “Ice Box” Chamberlain (winner of 32 in 1889).
FCR -  Ken Kirk, Corning, New York
Incorrect guesses: 


WEEKLY THEME – Players whose names call to mind well-known Monopoly tokens.

Barney.............. -....... T-Rex
Barrow.............. -....... Wheelbarrow
Cey................... -....... Penguin
Johnson............ -....... Train
McGriff*............ -....... Dog
McGinnity......... -....... Iron
Medwick........... -....... Duck
Mize.................. -....... Cat
Poffenberger.... -....... Boot
Shipley.............. -....... Battleship
Titcomb............. -....... Cannon
Walker.............. -....... Top Hat
*Originally signed to play for the Georgia Bulldogs.

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Larry Hayes, San Francisco


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