Q. Which one-time
infielder moved to the outfield with Ken Caminiti set to play third base and
new acquisition Jeff Bagwell set to play first base?
Hint: During his
greatest season, he was overshadowed by a member of the 3,000 hit club and two
members of the 500 home run club, he beat them both in one night, however.
Hint: His fifty-home-run
season was one of the quietest ever.
A. LUIS GONZALEZ [B-R Bio]
- In his 1st
year w/HOU, he had only played 1B
& 3B, but became and All-Star and Silver Slugger outfielder.
- Even with Gonzalez’
WAR at 7.9 in 2001, Ichiro Suzuki won the AL MVP and Rookie of the Year awards.
Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa finished
ahead of Gonzo in the NL MVP voting. However,
he won the Home Run Derby
that year, beating Sosa 6-2 in the final at Ichiro’s home ballpark, Safeco
Field.
- In that same year,
Gonzalez hit 57 home runs for ARI in his 12th
season in the majors at age 33. Most
people, however, were focused on the 2 players who finished ahead of him, Bonds
w/73 & Sosa w/64.
FCR - Evan Thompson, Mesa
Incorrect guesses: Brady
Anderson, Greg Vaughn, Derrek Lee, Craig Biggio, Lance Berkman
TUESDAY
Q. Who hit the
first home run into the pool in Arizona’s Bank One Ballpark?
Hint: He is a proud
member of the 50/500 doubles club.
Hint: The year he
reached his career high in home runs, he finished 53 behind the league leader
at his position.
A. MARK
GRACE [B-R Bio]
- Grace reached the pool on 12-May-1998, the first to do so. The BOB is now Chase Field.
- He racked up 511 doubles (good for 56th
all-time)
and had a season (1995) with 51 to lead the NL. In 10 of his career’s 16 years, he had more
than 30 doubles.
- He finished 1998 with 17 home runs, just
slightly behind Mark McGwire’s record setting 70.
FCR - Paul Nielsen, Bowie, Maryland
Incorrect guesses: Luis Gonzalez, Craig Biggio, Travis Lee, Bobby
Abreu
WEDNESDAY
Q. Which catcher had his MVP performance
overshadowed by a commissioner’s decision?
Hint: He tried but failed to get Bartman off the
hook.
Hint: He remains the only player from his
Wisconsin college to be drafted or even to play affiliated ball.
A. DAMIAN MILLER [SABR Bio]
- He would likely have been named MVP of the 2002 All Star Game, his only one, had the
AL not tied the game, leading to Bud Selig’s infamous decision.
- He started G 7 of the 2003 NLCS for CHC & drove in
their 1st run.
- Drafted in the 20th round in 1990 from Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI.
FCR - John Laycock, Sykesville, Maryland
Incorrect
guesses: Ivan Rodriguez, Scott Servais,
Jody Davis, Vinny Castilla, Travis Lee, Tony Fernandez
MIDWEEK BONUS
Q. What Cleveland Indians rookie and future
Gold Glover and Silver Slugger took a Hall of Fame pitcher deep on the first
pitch he saw in the major leagues?
Hint: He only hit 195 home runs in 18 seasons,
but one of those was extremely valuable.
Hint: His gold glove broke the longest streak of
gold gloves by a National League position player.
- Homered off Bert Blyleven 29-Sep-1986
- Sixth-inning Grand Slam on 11-Jul-1999 won $1 million for lucky
fan
Gylene Hoyle.
- Bell’s 1993 GG award stopped Ozzie Smith’s streak at 13.
FCR - Ken Divincenzo, Mayfield Heights, Ohio
Incorrect
guesses: Kenny Lofton, Sandy Alomar, Jr.,
Chris Chambliss, Roberto Alomar, Manny Trillo, Gordy Coleman, Joe Carter
THURSDAY
Q. Which former Colorado Rockies player is
the only active National League manager with more than 500 career wins yet has only
managed one team in the majors?
Hint: He’s been compared to both a chicken and a
chimney sweep.
Hint: He had more championship walk-off
opportunities than at-bats for the team that drafted him.
A. CRAIG COUNSELL [SABR Bio]
- Counsell w/MIL. [ While
all of Dave Roberts wins have come
w/LAD, he was interim manager for 1 G w/SDP in 2015. Kevin Cash does correctly answer the
question, but doesn’t satisfy the hints.]
- Baseball-Reference says his nickname is “Chicken.” Tim McCarver compared his batting stance to a “chimney sweep
who missed a spot” during G 1 of the 2001 WS.
- While he never delivered a walk-off hit for a
championship, he tied Game 7 in the 1997 WS with a
sacrifice fly and scored the winning R after reaching on an error in the 11th.
In 2001 he was hit by a pitch
with runners on second and third.
FCR - Joe O’Neill, London, Ontario
Incorrect
guesses: Walt Weiss, Dave Martinez, Scott
Servais
FRIDAY
Q. Which one-time Yankee led all of MLB in
stolen bases during the ten years from 1997 through 2006?
Hint: From 1998-2000, he logged over 100 starts
at three different positions.
Hint: His career Wins Above Replacement rating is
a poor indicator of the number of big moments he had.
A. TONY WOMACK [Wiki Bio]
- Stole 359 of 363 career steals during those
seasons. He stole 190 out of his career
363 steals from 1997-1999. Juan Pierre
and Eric Young are the only other two players with 300 steals during that
time.
- Started 149 G at 2B in 1998, 102 G in RF in
1999 & 142 G at SS in 2000.
- Among other big moments, Womack hit an ITP GS 21-Jul-1999 in Houston, another GS on Father’s Day just weeks after his
father died and, of course, a walk-off H in G 5 of the 2001 NLDS after missing a
suicide squeeze attempt. Career WAR= 2.5.
FCR - Elliott Frankfother, Rock Falls, Illinois
Incorrect
guesses: Ricky Henderson, Chuck Knobloch,
Mickey Rivers, Alfonso Soriano, Kenny Lofton, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter
SATURDAY
Q. Which occasional commentator overcame a
degenerative bone disease to play ten further seasons in the major leagues?
Hint: In his rookie season, he led the league in
triples.
Hint: He never hit more than five triples in any
other single season.
Hint: He’s a Hall of Famer, but not in
Cooperstown.
A. DAVID DELLUCCI [Wiki Bio]
- Dellucci had Kienböck's Disease. This is the news release after his surgery. He works as a color commentator in Louisiana
for Sports South, ESPN3, Atlantic Sun TV and CST. He has a more regular gig as color analyst
for his alma mater Ole Miss baseball and SEC Network.
-12 triples in 1998, his 1st full
season (just 32 plate appearances with BAL in 1997)
- Had 5 triples in each of 2005 & 2006.
- Member of the 2011 class of the Louisiana
American Italian Sports Hall of Fame.
FCR - Tom Lee, Nashville
Incorrect
guesses: Deion Sanders, Steve Finley, Jeffrey
Hammonds, Bill White, Carlton Fisk
WEEKEND
BONUS
Q. Who scored the run that handed a certain
Hall of Famer reliever the only World Series blown save of his career?
Hint: He went 0-for-8 in the postseason for his
career, yet scored a run in both of his World Series appearances.
Hint: He is the lone representative from his
place of birth to appear in a major league World Series.
A. MIDRE CUMMINGS [SABR Bio]
- Scored the tying run against Mariano Rivera in
Game 7 in 2001
- Both World Series appearances were as a pinch
runner, 2001 &
- Born in Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands.
FCR - Joe O’Neill, London, Ontario
Incorrect
guesses: Jay Bell, Dave Roberts, Damian
Miller, Craig Counsell , Tony Womack,
Sandy Alomar
SUNDAY
Q. Who twice almost fit in this week’s theme
but didn’t quite make it?
Hint: In 265 pinch hit plate appearances, he hit
.316.
Hint: Despite being drafted as a catcher, he only
spent one inning at that position at the major league level.
A. GREG COLBRUNN [B-R Bio]
- Colbrunn was on-deck to pinch hit twice, but
never made it to the plate.
- For comparison, in over 4,300 at bats by pinch
hitters so far in 2021, they have hit just .211.
- The Expos planned for him to be a catcher, but
arm injuries put a stop to it. He caught
one inning on 29-Jul-1998, in his final game
with the Colorado Rockies before being traded to the Braves.
FCR - David Gordon, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Incorrect
guesses: Bob Fothergill, Jerry Lynch, Dave
Philly, Manny Mota, Harold Baines, Mike Ivie, Bob Brenly
WEEKLY THEME – Diamondbacks players
appearing in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series 2001.
Here’s how it happened:
Grace: Single to CF.
Dellucci: Pinch runner for Grace, made only out of
inning at 3rd base.
Miller: Sacrifice attempt, reached on error when
Mariano Rivera threw wide to 2nd base.
Bell: Failed sacrifice, safe on fielder’s choice,
scored winning run.
Cummings: Pinch runner at second for Miller, scored
tying run.
Womack: Double to right field, drove in tying run.
Counsell: Hit by pitch.
Gonzalez: walk-off single.
Our thanks go to Preston
Salisbury of Starkville, Mississippi for submitting this week’s theme,
questions and hints.
First
Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Sarah Grynpas, Toronto (After Miller)
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Monday - Batters
who hit less (sic) than 30 hrs the year after they hit 50 plus hrs.
- Players
with Muppet nicknames ("Gonzo")
Tuesday - Players
on the first ever opening day lineup for the Arizona Diamondbacks
- Hitters
involved in beating the Yankees in the 2001 World Series
- Starting
lineup for the 2001 World Series Champs
- Former
Cubs who won a world series somewhere else
- Members
of the oldest starting lineup in World Series history
Wed - Former
Cubs on 2001 Diamondbacks
- Hitters
Rivera faced the final inning of G 7 of the 2001 WS
- Blown
save opportunities for Mariano Rivera
- Members
of the 2001 diamondbacks who were on the Cubs
- 2001
Arizona D'backs with 100 hits
- Top
Candidates for the title of “Mr. November”
- 2001
Arizona Diamondbacks starting lineup
- Starters
in Game 7 of the 2001 WS Champion Arizona Diamondbacks
Thurs - Arizona
Diamondbacks who played in game 7 of the 2001 World Series
Friday - Players
who appeared in 100+ games for the 2001 Diamondbacks
Sat - Members
of the 2001 World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks
Questions archived here: http://horsehidetriviA. blogspot.com/
Horsehide Trivia home
page: https://sites.google.com/site/tnfotobbpics/home/horsehide-trivia
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