IN MEMORIAM — Dec 07
Q. Which player
appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated during 1972 with a mustache &
mutton chop sideburns, juggling three baseballs?
Hint: He was the first
player to win the Baseball Digest Player of the Year Award the same year he won
the American League MVP award.
Hint: He was the first
post-expansion player to hit two inside-the-park home runs in one game.
Hint: He was the
most successful of three brothers who played in the majors.
Hint: He was
involved in the 7-player trade that led Curt Flood to challenge the reserve
clause.
Hint: He was once
traded for the same journeyman catcher twice in a six month span.
Hint: Also
involved in that trade was the player that Dale Murphy credits with his
conversion to Mormonism.
Hint: In Spring
Training, he would purposely not swing at pitches until there were two strikes,
so he could prepare himself when it really mattered. He would also take batting practice at 6:00 A.M.
every day through Spring Training, so nobody was around to distract him.
Hint: His manager
resigned, mid-season, citing this player’s lack of discipline.
Hint: His career
OPS+, while not as good as those of Pete Browning or Dave Orr, exceed
those of Hank Aaron, Joe DiMaggio and Frank Robinson.
A. DICK ALLEN [SABR Bio] [Obit]
- 2 ITP HR = 31-Jul-1972,
both off future HOF Bert Blyleven
- Dick’s brothers Hank and Ron combined
for almost 400 G in the majors
- Allen and Flood
were the headliners of the 7-Oct-1969 swap, but Flood refused to report to PHI,
setting in motion a series of events
that would have enormous impact on baseball.
- On 03-Dec-1974 he
was traded by the CHW to the ATL for a player to be named later and cash. ATL sent Jim Essian to the CHW to complete
the trade. Then on 7-May-1975, the
Braves sent Allen and Johnny Oates to the Philadelphia Phillies for Barry Bonnell,
$150,000 and ... Jim Essian.
- The Braves’ Barry Bonnell
was the devout LDS player that Murphy
cites as the player responsible for his conversion.
May 7, 1975: Traded by the Atlanta Braves with Johnny Oates
to the Philadelphia Phillies for Barry Bonnell, Jim Essian and $150,000.
- Regarding those
unorthodox habits he said, "You can keep your mind in that little box without
all the camaraderie and laughing."
- Mgr. Bob Skinner left
PHI on 07-Aug-1969 just
before a team road trip. Skinner’s
future managerial prospects did not benefit as after this his managing of an
MLB team was limited to 1 G w/SDP, a Sunday afternoon W
over HOU on 28-May-1977. He did coach for another 11 years
in the majors.
- Career OPS+ (This improved stat takes a player's on-base
plus slugging percentage and normalizes the number across the entire league. It
accounts for external factors like ballparks. It then adjusts so a score of 100
is league average, and 150 is 50 percent better than the league average.) Check the list here.
FCR - Jim Lovelace,
Kent, Ohio
Incorrect guesses: Joe Rudi, Reggie Jackson
TUESDAY — Dec 08
Q. Which Notre
Dame graduate won the MVP the year he had two thirds of the Triple Crown?
Hint: Although he
didn’t receive even a single vote for Rookie of the Year, in his second year he
received MVP votes and was an All-Star in his third year in the majors.
Hint: One season
he racked up 377 total bases and did so with nary a triple.
A. GIANCARLO STANTON [B-R Bio]
- Attended Notre
Dame High School
in Sherman Oaks, California where he lettered in football,
basketball
and baseball. Was named NL MVP in 2017 when his 59
HR and 132 RBI led the majors.
- Rookie in 2010 (Buster Posey was the NL ROY in 2010); Was tied for
23rd in MVP voting in his sophomore
campaign and was an AS in 2012.
- In 2017 he had 168 H of which 32 were 2B and
59 were HR, but none were 3B.
FCR - Jerry Miller, Liberty Hill, Texas
Incorrect guesses:
WEDNESDAY — Dec
09
Q. Who was the most recent Baltimore Oriole
to lead the American League in saves?
Hint: He and Hippo Vaughn attended the same high
school.
Hint: In spite of racking up eleven wins in his
rookie season, he didn’t receive a single vote for Rookie of the Year.
Hint: His older brother was a player, coach and
manager at multiple levels in the minors.
A. ZACK BRITTON [B-R Bio]
- 47 S in 2016
- Both attended Weatherford High School in Weatherford, Texas.
- Symmetrically, he was 11-11 as a rookie in
2011.
- His brother Buck Britton managed the A level Delmarva Shorebirds and the AA Bowie Baysox.
FCR - Eric Stone, Los Gatos, California
Incorrect
guesses: Jim Johnson, Hoyt Wilhelm, Lee
Smith, Greg Olsen
THURSDAY — 10-Dec
Q. Whose 3,000th hit was his
last in the majors?
Hint: No other major league player had more hits
1960-1969 than he did.
Hint: He hit his 2,000th career hit
off a future Hall of Famer.
Hint: His nephew spent some time in the majors at
the end of the twentieth century.
A. ROBERTO CLEMENTE [SABR Bio]
- Final H = 30-Sep-1972, a 2B off the Mets’ Jon
Matlack.
- He had 1,877 H in the 1960s. His aggregate batting average (.328) and
triple total (99) also paced the majors that decade.
- Hit #2,000 came off CHC’s Fergie Jenkins 02-Sep-1966, 5th inning. It was an upper-deck, opposite-field homer to
right at Forbes Field
- Edgard Clemente is his nephew. He was an outfielder for the Rockies and Angels and is now the owner
of Prime
Hitting
in Orlando.
FCR - Jeff Cohen, Wantagh, New York
Incorrect
guesses: Al Kaline, Wade Boggs
FRIDAY — Dec 11
Q. Which one-time St. Louis Cardinal set
the single-season record for strikeouts by a player who went homerless in the live
ball era?
Hint: He hit a triple and a double in a League
Championship Series to help his team win the pennant. He and his team won the subsequent World
Series.
Hint: He came from a city that has become famous
for producing stars at his primary position.
A. MANUEL LEE [Wiki]
- Struck out 107 X in 1991 w/TOR with exactly 0 HR. That mark was equaled by speedster Michael
Bourn in 2015. (Back in 1906, Billy Maloney had that same HR total while whiffing 116 X.) Ended his career with a 1-G season with STL in 1995. (He went 1 for 1 in that G to bat 1.000 for
the season. Unfortunately, he also added
an E and was pulled before the 4th inning.)
- Hit a 3B in G 3 & a 2B in G 6 of the 1992 ALCS, won
by TOR.
- Lee was born in San Pedro de Marcoris,
Dominican Republic. Even though it’s a
city of fewer than 200,000 people, it is amazingly the home of 101 major
leaguers. It is often called “The Cradle
of Shortstops” because 6 Marcorisanos have played SS while earning MLB All-Star
honors: Alfredo Griffin, Tony Fernandez, Jose Offerman, Jorge Polanco, Rafael
Ramirez and Fernando Tatis, Jr.
FCR - Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan
Incorrect
guesses: Ozzie Smith, Tommy Herr, Vince
Coleman, Willie McGee
SATURDAY — Dec 11
Q. Who played alongside Ryan Zimmerman,
David Wright, Mark Reynolds and Michael Cuddyer in the AAU baseball program in
southeastern Virginia?
Hint: Once his team changed its name, he stole
forty or more bases in each of the next three seasons.
Hint: Unfortunately, he led MLB in caught
stealing in the first of those years.
Hint: It’s amazing that his brother was drafted
at a higher position that he was.
A. MELVIN UPTON, Jr. [B-R Bio]
- In an area of southeastern Virginia now called
Hampton Roads, these 4 major leaguers, as well as Upton’s younger brother Justin,
helped make Norfolk and suburbs famous as a source for baseball talent.
- Tampa Bay Devil Rays changed to Tampa Bay Rays
(exorcism?) after the 2007 season. In
2008-2010, Upton stole 44, 42 & 42 bases respectively.
- In 2008, he was caught trying to steal 16
times.
- Melvin was drafted #2 overall in 2002. Justin went at #1 in 2005.
FCR - Adam Balutis, Arlington, Virginia
Incorrect
guesses: Mark Reynolds, Justin Upton, Chone
Figgins
SUNDAY — Dec 13
Q. Who is the only native of Jamaica to get a hit, to have an RBI or to score a run in a major league All-Star game?
Hint: He was an All-Star three times representing
three different teams.
Hint: He was a pivotal member of three World
Series Championship teams.
Hint: He made the catch that resulted in a World
Series triple play… that wasn’t called.
A. DEVON
WHYTE [BR-Bio]
- All three accomplished for the first time in Camden Yards on 13-Jul-1993. He added 3 more AS H & a R in 1998. Fellow Jamaican Chili Davis never managed an
All-Star hit, going 0-1 in each of his ASG appearances in 1984, 1986 &
1994. Only remaining Jamaican All-Stars are pitchers, including Heathcliff Slocumb.
- AS for CAL in 1989; for TOR in 1993; for ARI in 1998.
- Earned a ring w/TOR in 1992 & 1993 and
w/FLA in 1997.
- The scene: 1992 WS, G 3, the 4th inning
of a scoreless G, w/2 Atlanta Braves on base, David Justice hit a long fly ball
to deep center field which Whyte tracked down and caught as he smashed into the
outfield wall. The ball was so well hit
and the likelihood of a catch so low that baserunners Deion Sander and Terry
Pendleton, who had both singled to open the inning, began to run. The only thing better than the catch was the
throw to Alomar to relay as the baserunners sped to get back. First baseman John Olerud caught the relayed
throw and tagged the bag securing Pendleton’s out and whipped the ball to Kelly
Gruber who then tagged Sanders’ heel as he dove back into 2nd base. However,… infield umpires Bob Davidson
& Richard Shulock didn’t see Gruber’s tag. The play ended as a double play. Lonnie Smith then stuck out to end the
inning.
FCR - Mark Kanter, Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Incorrect
guesses: Chili Davis
WEEKLY THEME – Players
to be named later (Changed during their careers)
Player.............. Previous....... Changed
Allen................ Richie*.......... Dick
Britton.............. Zach.............. Zack
Clemente......... Bob............... Roberto
Lee................... Manny........... Manuel
Stanton............ Mike.............. Giancarlo
Upton............... B.J................ Melvin, Jr.
Whyte.............. White............ Whyte
*He never really was Richie.
That was bestowed on him by the minor
league media then reinforced by the Philly media. When he protested, they called him
"uppity" (How's that for a racist word?) and they doubled
down, knowing how much it would irk him. He really had to escape the, ahem..., City of
Brotherly Love, to be recognized by the name he'd known since childhood.
First
Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Tom Byrne, Old Greenwich, Connecticut (after Britton)
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Tuesday - Players
who led the league in HRs with 37
- Players who
have struck out 200 or more times in a season
- Reigning
league HR champs who played on the same team the following year with the
reigning champ from the other league:
- Stanton
and Judge (2017 HR champs, teammates in 2018);
- Allen and
Schmidt (1974 HR champs, teammates in 1975);
- Johnny
Mize and Joe D (1948 HR champs, teammates in 1949);
- Hank
Greenberg and Ralph Kiner (1946 HR champs, teammates in 1947)?
Wed - MVPs
without a triple
Thurs - Rule
5 draft picks
- Name
changes by Topps on the player's baseball card
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