MONDAY — 21-Sep
Q. Who joined
former catcher Wes Westrum and retired umpire Augie Donatelli to re-create a
famous photo?
Hint: Born in
Texas, he grew up in California, but owns a baseball geography record that can
never be broken.
Hint: He led the
majors in strikeouts as a rookie, fanning that year more than any player had in
either league for the previous eight seasons.
A. EDDIE
MATHEWS [SABR Bio]
- They gathered in
Milwaukee in 1979 to simulate Sports Illustrated
magazine’s first-issue cover on its 25th
anniversary.
- He is the only
player in the 20th century to play for a franchise in each of the
three cities where it was domiciled.
Played for the Braves in Boston in 1952, the Braves in Milwaukee 1953-65 and the Braves in
Atlanta in 1966.
- K’d 115 X in 1952
but had the 3rd-best WAR on the team among position players.
FCR - John Hill, Atlanta
Incorrect guesses: Vic
Wertz, Billy Meyer, Eddie Shoemaker, Dave Kingman
TUESDAY — 22-Sep
Q. What former
Michigan State basketball player led not only his league but the majors in Wins,
Games Started, Games Completed, Innings Pitched and Batters Faced for each
of FOUR consecutive seasons?
Hint: During that
period, his team finished fourth, third, fourth and fourth.
Hint: He led his
team in WAR for the first three of those campaigns, but slipped to second in
the fourth season, just behind a fellow Hall of Famer.
A. ROBIN
ROBERTS [SABR Bio]
- From 1952 through
1955, Roberts was the best pitcher in baseball.
He also led the majors in strikeouts during 2 of those seasons. In college, Roberts was twice elected captain
of the Spartan basketball team but was merely a walk-on for the baseball team.
- That :Phillies team
had the misfortune of playing against some strong NL competition.
- Richie Ashburn led PHI
in WAR in 1955.
FCR - Frank Ittner, Atlanta
Incorrect guesses: Mike Marshall, Carl Hubbell, Derek Lowe
WEDNESDAY — 23-Sep
Q. Who has more career strikeouts than any
other pitcher in the storied history of the Pittsburgh Pirates?
Hint: He surrendered the first of Pete Rose’s
4,256 major league hits, a triple.
Hint: He was the first National Leaguer to be the
winning pitcher twice in an All-Star game.
A. BOB FRIEND [SABR Bio]
- 1,682 K.
Never led the league although was in the top ten 4 X = 1956, 57, 58
& 1960.
- 1st Rose H = 13-Apr-1963
FCR - David Skelton, Woodway, Texas
Incorrect
guesses: Vern Law, Bob Veale, Jim
Bunning, Elroy Face, John Candelaria
MIDWEEK BONUS — 23-Sep
Q. Who is the only Red Sox player to
collect six hits in a nine-inning game?
Hint: He led the majors in sacrifice flies and
doubles in the same season.
Hint: He won Gold Gloves for outfield play for
different teams.
Hint: In the minors, he once took out a squirt
gun to “clean off the plate” for the umpire after striking out on a called
strike three. History does not recall
the results of this action.
A. JIM PIERSALL [SABR Bio]
- 6 H = 10-Jun-1953
- In 1956 he had 40 2B & 12
SF for BOS.
- GG for BOS in 1958 & for CLE in 1961 THURSDAY
— 24-Sep:
THURSDAY — 24-Sep:
Q. What one-time
Milwaukee Brave was the WAR leader on the first American League team to win
more than 110 games in a single season in the 20th century?
Hint: He also led the league in hitting (batting
average) that year.
Hint: He tied his franchise’s record the day he
collected fifteen total bases in a game.
A. BOBBY AVILA [SABR Bio]
- WAR of 7.1 for CLE in 1954, 111-43.
That team boasted 4 HOF pitchers.
- Hit .341 to lead the AL. Coincidentally, in the WS that year, he faced
the NL’s batting titlist.
- 15 TB = 20-Jun-1951 (3 HR + 2B + H), tying
the CLE record Pat Seerey had set on 13-July-1945. Then on 10-Jun-1959, Rocky Colavito did them both one better.
FCR - Mark Kanter, Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Incorrect
guesses: Joe Adcock, Al Rosen
FRIDAY — 25-Sep
Q. Whose major league debut was to replace
his player/manager on a team that would soon win the World Series?
Hint: He was the last 20th-century Detroit
Tiger to have back-to-back four-hit games.
Hint: He was the first major leaguer to have a
son and grandson play in the majors.
Hint: He was the second one too.
- Called up to CLE in 1948 and replaced Lou Boudreau B 5th 03-Sep-1948.
- 4 H X 2 = 11-, 12-Jul-1957 (Placido Polanco did it for DET on 10-,
11-Sep-2005)
- Son Bob Boone played in MLB 1972-1990. Bob’s son Brett debuted 19-Aug-1992. Bob’s
son Aaron debuted 20-Jun-1997.
FCR - Mike Sparks, Sarasota
Incorrect
guesses: Gus Bell, Mickey Cochrane, Bob
Boone, Burt Shotton, Bucky Harris
T.G.I.F. SPECIAL — 25-Sep
Q. What former major league fastballer, in
spite of being appointed to federal government positions, was, according to the
New York Times, “…viewed as a rustic innocent.”?
Hint: He surrendered Hank Aaron's 61st
and 161st career home runs.
Hint: He surrendered Gil Hodges’ National-League-record-tying
twelfth career grand slam.
Hint: His nickname, supposedly
geographically-based, was fudged a little.
Hint: He was appointed as an executive director
of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
A. VINEGAR BEND MIZELL [SABR bio]
- In 1968,1970 & 1972 Mizell was elected to
the U.S. House of Representatives for North Carolina and then he was named by
President Ford as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development in
March 1975. President Reagan appointed
Mizell in 1982 as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Governmental and
Public Affairs.. NYTimes
reference is from his obit there.
- Aaron’s HR #61 = 01-Sep-1956; #161 = 25-Jun-1959.
- Hodges’ record was passed by Hank Aaron and is
currently held by Willie McCovey.
- Mizell was born in Leakesville,
Mississippi,
but at the time, his family lived in nearby Vinegar Bend,
Alabama,
the source of his nickname. (I don’t see
what’s wrong with “Leakesville Mizell”!)
- Mizell had been a Republican U.S. congressman representing
the Fifth District in North Carolina but lost his seat following President
Nixon’s resignation. He remained active
in government and President George H. W. Bush appointed him to the Council of P.F. & S. The current co-chairs is are Misty May-Treanor,
Mariano Rivera and Herschel Walker.
In 2010 it was re-named President's Council on Sports, Fitness and
Nutrition (PCSFN). The fact that
“executive” was in his title tells you exactly how much work he did.
FCR - Mark Pattison, Washington, DC
Incorrect
guesses: Larry Jackson, Bob Friend, Jim
Bunning
SATURDAY — 26-Sep
Q. Who was the first Pittsburgh Pirate
player to lead the league in triples after World War II?
Hint: He didn’t make the All-Star team or get any
MVP votes until he was traded to Cincinnati.
Hint: He knocked in Willie Mays ahead of him when
he homered in his 2nd All-Star game.
Hint: He homered off Sal Maglie to break off
Maglie’s attempt to tie the record for consecutive scoreless innings for a
National League pitcher. Maglie finished
one out shy of tying Carl Hubbell’s 45⅓ scoreless innings.
- Tied w/Stan Musial at 12 triples each
in 1951.
- Bell’s 8th inning heroics weren’t enough. The NL fell to the AL 11-9in the 1954 ASG on 13-July-1954 in the highest scoring
contest in All-Star Game history.
- Traded on 14-Oct-1952, 3 days after the WS, by PIT to CIN for Cal Abrams, Gail Henley and Joe Rossi. Made
the NL AS squad in 1953, 54, 56 & 57.
- HR off Maglie on 13-Sep-1950 was a mere 257-feet. It hit off the RF foul pole at the Polo
Grounds. It was only Bell's 7th
in the majors.
FCR - Michael McCroskey, Sugar Land, Texas
Incorrect
guesses: Frank J. Thomas, Don Hoak, Dick
Groat, Joe Adcock, Dale Long, Dave Parker, Gene Freese
WEEKEND BONUS — 26-Sep
Q. Which middle infielder had a nine-year
major league career, played only for one team and whose first and last seasons were
capped by playing in the World Series?
Hint: And he appeared in four additional World
Series in between!
Hint: After a hiatus, he found himself back in
uniform on the field, this time managing, but in the other league.
Hint: As stated in the title of his
autobiography, he was successful in the air and on the air.
A. JERRY COLEMAN [SABR Bio] [B-R Bio]
- Played for NYY 1949-1957.
- Played in WS 1949, 1950, 1951, 1955, 1956
& 1957. NYY was in the WS in 1952
& 53, but Coleman was a captain in the U.S. military, a pilot during the military
action in Korea.
- This “hiatus” included multiple stints as a
broadcaster particularly for SDP, all resulting in his being award the Ford C. Frick Award in 2005.
- His autobiography, “An American Journey: My Life On the Field, In the Air,
and On the Air”
was written with Richard Goldstein.
FCR - Rick Pyle, Concord, California
Incorrect
guesses: Phil Rizzuto, Tony Kubek, Bobby
Richardson
SUNDAY — 27-Sep
Q. Who was the first batter for a
regular-season game on the west coast?
Hint: His Topps card one year is one of the most awkward
ever produced.
Hint: He was an All-Star in his first full season.
A. GINO CIMOLI [SABR Bio]
- Came to bat 15-Apr-1958 for LAD in Seals Stadium vs. SFG. Ruben Gomez struck him out.
- Cimoli’s 1958 Topps card, no. 286, shows him swinging a bat, but with
the bat painted out. The entire set that
year has the backgrounds painted out, but Topps took his a step too far.
- AS in 1957. K’d in
his only PA.
FCR - Philip Trostler, Norwich, Connecticut
Incorrect
guesses: Jim Davenport, Junior Gilliam, Charley
Neal, Pee Wee Reese
WEEKLY THEME – In a recurring
feature of SPORT magazine titled “Campus Queen”, various female guest
contributors would comment on some aspect of sports. In the September
1957 issue, tennis star Gussie
Moran selected “Baseball’s Ten Handsomest Men”. Here they are (I could not source the
original article for the pictures, so these will have to do. Just click a name for that player’s image.)
Mark
Armour (SABR’s current president) penned an essay entitled “Ode to
Sport” in 2007 that Cappy Gagnon (previous
holder of that office) came across and suggested these 10 players would make a
lovely theme for Horsehide Trivia. Gents,
I thank you both. This was too good to
pass up.
First
Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Rich Klein, Plano, Texas (after the hint)
Incorrect theme guesses:
Tuesday - Hall of
Fame players who at some point played for the Houston Astros.
Wed - 1950s
NL top All Star vote getters
- Something
to do with 1956 NL All Stars
Friday - Fathers
of Hall of Famers
- Players
that have had a movie made based on their life
- 1950's
All Stars who were later involved in politics
Sat - Families
in MLB
If you know
someone who would enjoy receiving Horsehide Trivia, please refer them to this
site:
This week’s quiz archived
here: http://horsehidetriviA. blogspot.com/
Horsehide Trivia encourages independent research.
No comments:
Post a Comment