MONDAY – IN MEMORIAM
Q. Which Texas native
is the only second baseman to win the MVP in successive seasons?
Hint: If a handful
of first-place MVP votes hadn’t gone to his stellar teammates, both votes for
him would have been unanimous.
Hint: His team won
the World Series in each of those seasons.
Hint: He holds the
consecutive-National League All-Star game hitting streak record.
Hint: His Hall of
Fame manager called him, “…the greatest offensive player I ever managed.”
Hint: Teammate
Pete Rose once said, “I'm not bad. I'm
no __________.”
Hint: Teammate
Johnny Bench averred, “ (he) wasn’t just the best second baseman in baseball
history, he was the best player I ever saw and one of the best people I’ve ever
known.”
Hint: Bill James has
called him the best second baseman ever.
Hint: After
retiring, he was often heard broadcasting and providing color commentary for
major league games, sharing duties behind the mic with some of the best in the
business.
Hint: In addition
to serving as vice chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Baseball
Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, he was involved in numerous community and national
efforts on behalf of baseball.
Hint: His 246th
career home run caused the reigning World Series champions to miss postseason
play.
A. JOE MORGAN [SABR Bio]
- In 1975, Pete Rose’s two 1st-place
votes were the only ones Morgan didn’t receive and in ’76 George Foster received 5 of the 26
votes. In each year, Morgan had the
remainder of the votes. Rose &
Foster in turn, each won an NL MVP, 1973 & 1977 respectively. (Neither by unanimous vote.)
- Morgan had a hit in
each of 7 All-Star Games, in 1970, representing HOU and in 72, 73, 74, 75, 76 & 77 for CIN. (Historians are still pondering why he didn’t
make the team in 1971.) Mickey Mantle & Dave Winfield have
similar 7 G streaks for NYY in AL AS competition.
- CIN mgr. Sparky
Anderson was no stranger to exaggeration, but in this case, it’s
hard to doubt him.
- Rose began his career as a second baseman so
comparisons were inevitable.
- Bench played with
and against some of the best players in history.
- Bill James is
famous for the thoroughness of his evaluations.
- He was a baseball broadcaster for
CIN, SFG and ESPN, teaming with, among others, Jon Miller, Bob Costas and Bob Uecker. He hosted a weekly
nationally-syndicated radio show on Sports USA.
- On 03-Oct-1982, playing for SFG, Morgan homered in the
7th inning HR off LAD’s Terry Forster to help
seal the fate for the Dodgers and hand Atlanta the NL West division
championship. It would help him win the Sporting News Comeback Player of
the Year Award for 1982.
FCR - Andrew Milner,
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Incorrect guesses: Jeff
Kent
TUESDAY — 13-Oct
Q. Whose record
for home runs by a rookie second baseman did Dan Uggla break?
Hint He is the
only man to manage two different American League teams in the same city.
Hint: Only he, Jimmie
Foxx and Lou Gehrig took Bob Feller deep twice in 1938.
A. JOE GORDON [SABR Bio]
- Gordon hit 25 HR (1
as a PH) for NYY in his rookie season of 1938.
Uggla hit 27 for FLA in 2006 (all while
playing 2B). Gordon got MVP votes; Uggla
made the AS team.
- Managed the 1961
Kansas City A's (KCA), 1969 Kansas City
Royals (KCR)
- 1938 was Feller’s
first All-Star season in the majors. His
record was 17-11, struck out more batters than anyone had in the AL since
Walter Johnson (240), but those 3 homered off him a couple of times each. Gordon did it on 12-Jun-1938 & 05-Aug-1938.
FCR - James Higgins, Bethesda
Incorrect guesses: Tony Lazzeri, Charlie Gehringer, Eddie Yost, Rogers Hornsby, Lou Boudreau, Buddy Myer
TUESDAY TUICE — 13-Oct
Q. What Hall of
Famer played for seven major league teams and retired trying out for an eighth
team managed by Lou Piniella?
Hint: His private
life became public when he was still an active player.
Hint: He hit a
famous postseason home run.
Hint: He claims he
doesn’t have a bone to pick with a certain ex-Rookie of the Year.
A. ROBERTO
ALOMAR [SABR Bio]
- Played for SDP (1988-90); TOR (1991-95); BAL (1996-98);
CLE (1999-2001); NYM (2002-03); CHW (2003-04); & ARI (2004). He left spring training in 2005 after attempting a comeback with TBD.
- In 1999 Alomar was engaged to tennis player Mary Pierce, but she broke off the engagement and ended
the relationship.
- Alomar’s dramatic game-tying HR off Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley on 11-Oct-1992 changed the
momentum of that ALCS and helped propel TOR to their first WS championships in
1992.
- Alomar won every AL Gold Glove from 1991 to
2001 except 1997 when the Twins’ Chuck Knoblauch took the honors, denying Alomar a string of 12
straight. This became even harder to
tolerate when Knoblauch developed the inability to throw, a key asset at the
keystone position.
FCR - Tim Genson, Scotville, Michigan
Incorrect guesses: Chuck Finley, Joe Gordon, Kevin Mitchell
WEDNESDAY — 14-Oct
Q. Whose record for played games at second
base without ever playing another position during his entire career in the
majors, did Lou Whitaker break?
Hint: He was a coach for the Toronto Blue Jays in
their early years.
Hint: A certain-MVP-to-be broke his franchise
record for grounding into the most double plays in a season.
A. BOBBY DOERR [SABR Bio]
- Played 1,852 G at 2B w/BOS. Also appeared in 8 as PH and 10 as PR (1,865
G in all).
- Doerr had 31 GIDP in 1949, but Jackie Jensen (AL MVP 1958) had 32 in 1954, also w/BOS. Current record holder is Jim Rice who had 36
in 1984 (BOS record, but also MLB record).
FCR - Adrian Fung, Toronto
Incorrect
guesses: Joe Morgan, Bill Mazeroski, Charlie
Gehringer, Nellie Fox
MIDWEEK BONUS —
14-Oct
Q. Who is the only second baseman since
1871 to have more than 500 putouts in a single season?
Hint: He led the league in home runs the same year.
Hint: He is routinely called the best second
baseman of the nineteenth century.
Hint: Still a double-unique to this day.
A. BID McPHEE [SABR Bio]
- Had 529 PO for CIN in 1886.
- Hit 8 HR that year to lead the American Association.
- He holds the all-time major league record for PO among second basemen w/6,552, all
accomplished during the 19th century.
- D-U since no other player of the 19,902 historical
major leaguers have ever had* the first name “Bid” OR the last name
“McPhee”. (Full list here.) He
might be best known as the last player to play the field without a fielder's
glove. Bid did not use a glove until 1896 and toughened his hands by soaking
them in salt water. John Alexander McPhee acquired his nickname at an early age
by “doing the bidding” of his elders.
*Names as known by
during MLB career.
FCR - Andrew Milner, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Incorrect
guesses: Rogers Hornsby, Nap Lajoie,
Fred Dunlap
THURSDAY — 15-Oct
Q. Who is the only second baseman ever to
grace the box cover of PlayStation’s game “MLB The Show”?
Hint: He won the Rookie-of-the-Year Award helping
his team to a World Series championship then won the MVP the very next season.
Hint: In his MVP year, he also won his first Gold
Glove and his Silver Slugger award.
Hint: He couldn’t participate in the All-Star
Game one year even though selected and his college teammate replaced him on the
roster.
A. DUSTIN PEDROIA [B-R Bio]
- Pedroia was featured on the game’s 2009 iteration.
- ROY in 2007 w/BOS; MVP in 2008 + GG & SS
- Pedroia and Ian Kinsler attended Arizona State
University together for one year. Kinsler backed up the freshman Pedroia most
of that season. Kinsler then transferred to the University of Missouri for his
junior year.
FCR - Kevin Decker, Hillsborough, New Jersey
Incorrect
guesses: Derek Jeter, Jose Altuve, Robinson
Cano, Javier Baez, Brandon Phillips, David Eckstein, Bobby Grich
FRIDAY — 16-Oct
Q. What son of a former Yankee farm hand
later starred for that team in the Bronx?
Hint: He (not the father) is an eight-time MLB
All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger Award winner and two-time Gold
Glove Award winner. He was an
All-Star Game MVP and, in a different season, the Home Run Derby winner.
Hint: This guy—don’t you know?—is good !
A. ROBINSON CANO [B-R Bio]
- His father, Jose Cano, pitched just 3 games for the NYY’s Rookie
League affiliate in 1980 before being released. He persevered and finally reached the majors in
1989 w/HOU. Jose named his son after Jackie Robinson.
- Click here, here
and here for further info on his stats and accolades.
- The expression “Don’t you know(?)” is one of Cano’s nicknames.
FCR - Mark Kanter, Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Incorrect guesses: Derek Jeter, Dave Winfield, Alex Rodriguez
SATURDAY — 17-Oct
Q. What second baseman appears in the top
ten for career offensive statistics more than thirty times for his American
League franchise?
Hint: In more than half of those categories, he’s
in the top five.
Hint: The third time he made the All-Star team he
arrived at the venue without his uniform.
He still played but improvisation was the watchword of the day. The Smithsonian requested the jersey he
concocted and it remains a part of their collection.[
Hint: He turned 1,527 double plays at second
base. That’s fourth best all-time. Some of the second basemen with fewer include
Morgan, Alomar, Gehringer, Doerr, Schoendienst, Collins, Sandberg and Frisch.
A. LOU WHITAKER [SABR Bio]
- Played his whole 19-year career for DET, taken
by them in the 5th round of the 1975 MLB Draft, #99 overall, as a
third baseman—a position he never played in the majors.
- Having left much of his uniform and gear behind
in a bag in his car and because he was his league’s starter at 2B, his All-Star teammates and some Twins clubbies pitched in to help construct a
uniform that was acceptable by game time.
Here is the jersey he left behind.
- The only 2B with more DPs are Mazeroski, Fox & Willie Randolph. Additional HOF 2B finishing behind Whitaker but
not mentioned above are Billy Herman, Bucky Harris, Rod Carew, Johnny
Evers, Craig Biggio, Tony Lazzeri, Joe Gordon, Nap Lajoie and
Rogers Hornsby.
FCR - S R Wright, Naperville, Illinois
Incorrect
guesses: Charlie Gehringer, Nelly Fox, Robbie
Alomar, Alan Trammel, Eddie Collins
WEEKEND BONUS — 18-Oct
Q. What former and future Tiger is the only
modern major leaguer to have six hits in six plate appearances in a nine-inning
game while hitting for the cycle?
Hint: He joined a club limited to thirteen
members by being a multiple-30/30 major leaguer.
Hint: Even though he is currently a member of another
country’s national team, he helped an MLB team that advanced in the playoffs in
2020.
A. IAN KINSER [B-R Bio]
- On Jackie Robinson Day against BAL in 2009, Kinsler was 6 for 6, including 2
doubles, a triple, a HR & 2 singles.
Played for the University of Missouri Tigers in 2003 and DET 2014-2017.
- He had 31 SB & 31 HR in 2009, then 30 SB & 34 HR in 2011, both for TEX.
- The Israeli national team is excited that he has joined them. He
is currently employed by SPD as a special advisor to their front office.
FCR - Karen Hermele, Denver
Incorrect
guesses: Curtis Granderson, Jose Altuve
SUNDAY — 18-Oct
Q. Who is the only second baseman to both
pull off and be tricked by the hidden ball trick?
Hint: He was the first rookie to be placed on the
All-Star ballot.
Hint: He was the player put in to pinch run for
Rennie Stennett after Stennett’s seventh hit in seven plate appearances.
A. WILLIE RANDOLPH [SABR Bio]
- In the 1st inning of the G on 06-May-1978, Willie Randolph pulled the hidden ball trick
on Bump Wills of the Texas Rangers. In
the 2nd inning of the G on 4-Oct-1980, Randolph has the trick pulled on him by Lou Whitaker.
- Quoted in the 2002 NYY Media Guide. Evidenced by the 1976 AS G ballot—seen here.
- On 16-Sep-1975, PIT Mgr. Danny Murtaugh put his rookie
Randolph in to pinch run for Stennett after the 7th H. Randolph also played 2 innings at 2B and even
had an assist on a grounder for the last play of the G.
FCR - Lincoln Mitchell, New York City
Incorrect
guesses: Phil Garner, Dave Cash, Bill Madlock,
Alan Wiggins, Jose Lind, Al Oliver, Marty Barrett
WEEKLY THEME – Best
second basemen in major league history (95% of games played at second minimum)
based on a career WAR of at least 50.0.
2nd
Baseman Career WAR
Alomar*.......................... 67.0
Cano............................... 68.9
Doerr*............................. 51.1
Gordon*.......................... 55.7
Kinsler............................ 55.2
McPhee*......................... 52.5
Morgan*........................ 100.5
Pedroia........................... 51.6
Randolph........................ 65.9
Whitaker......................... 75.1
*Hall
of Fame
First
Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – No one
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Tuesday - Hall of
fame second baseman
Wed - Second
Basemen voted into the Hall of the Fame by the Veteran's Committee
Sat - Best
hits/HRs/WAR by decade by second basemen
Sun - Second
basemen who played for teams in both leagues that advanced in postseason
playoffs.
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