MONDAY —27-Dec
Q. Who was the first
Cincinnati Reds player to receive the National League Most Valuable Player Award?
Hint: #1
He was the first alumnus from his high school to be elected to the Hall
of Fame, but he wasn’t the last.
Hint: #2
A catcher, he caught both of Johnny Vander Meer’s no-hitters.
A. ERNIE LOMBARDI [SABR Bio]
- #1 Lombardi
grew up in Oakland, California. He
attended McClymonds
High School, the same school as HOF Frank Robinson. It’s noteworthy that Curt Flood and
Vada Pinson also went there, not to mention basketball HOFers Bill Russell
& Paul Silas.
- #2 No-hitters
on 11-Jun- vs. BSN then 15-Jun-1938 at BRO.
FCR - Larry Farin, Plano,
Texas
Incorrect guesses: Barry
Larkin, Bucky Walters
TUESDAY —28-Dec
Q. Who is the only pitcher in modern major
league history to hit three home runs in one game?
Hint: #1 When he threw his one career no-hitter, the
only player to reach base was a former teammate and future Hall of Famer.
Hint: #2 The media was generous with nicknames for
him, including Abba Dabba, Old Ironsides, The Rock of Gibraltar and Shamus.
- Ans. 3
HR = 13-May-1942. He only
got 4 RBI for his efforts, but he had 3 X the H & R of any one of his
teammates that day. He had warmed up for
this show the day before by pinch-hitting a HR.
The 1st P w/3-HR G was Guy Hecker on 15-Aug-1886(2).
- #1 On 27-Apr-1944, Tobin’s G was prevented from being a perfecto
by Dodger Paul Waner who walked twice, one to lead off the game and the
other w/2-out in the 9th inning.
Waner had been Tobin’s teammate on PIT 1937-39 & BSN 1941-42.
- #2 It’s
nicknames from teammates and coaches that tend to stick more than those
invented by the press.
FCR - Jim Casey, Savannah
Incorrect guesses: Babe Ruth, Candy Cummings, Rick Wise, Tony
Cloninger, Jim Bagby, Wes Ferrell, Joe McGinnity, Rocky Colavito
WEDNESDAY —29-Dec
Q. Which player was sold by the San Francisco
Seals to create room on their roster for Joe DiMaggio?
Hint: #1 He tied a career record originally set by
Jimmie Foxx.
Hint: #2 His first trade in the majors was made with
the greatest of EE’s.
A. VINCE DiMAGGIO [SABR Bio]
- Ans. In
1933 Vince went to the Tucson Lizards then had stops in Hollywood and San Diego before reaching the majors.
- #1 He
led the league in strikeouts 5 times, 3 X leading MLB. V-DiMag led an additional time and Foxx ended
with 7 such.
- #2 On
04-Feb-1939, the Boston BEEs sent DiMaggio to the YankEEs. [See
“Transactions” on Fox’s B-R
page.]
FCR - Bruce Didriksen, Park Ridge, New Jersey
Incorrect
guesses: Lefty O’Doul, Augie Galan, Tony
Lazzeri
MIDWEEK BONUS —29-Dec
Q. Who was the first manager of the first
expansion team?
Hint:
#1 His postseason heroics will be long
remembered.
Hint:
#2 His U.S. military service status was
“Registrant deferred because of hardship to dependents”, but he still chose to
enlist and missed four seasons at the apex of his career.
A. COOKIE LAVAGETTO [SABR Bio]
- Ans.
Assuming we overlook the 8 AL teams that came into being in 1901, moving
the Senators to Minnesota and re-naming them the Twins, they could be considered the 1st,
or at worst, tied for 1st, expansion team. Lavagetto was the incumbent mgr for WSN & so preceded the LAA’s Bill Rigney.
- #1
With his PH RBI-2B in the 9th inning of what was about to be
Yankee Bill Bevans’ 1st WS no-hitter in G 4 of the 1947 WS, Lavagetto not only spoiled the no-no, but provided the 2
walk-off runs for a Dodger win. BRO did,
however, lose the Series, 4 G to 3 to NYY.
- #2 He
played in the majors for 8 yrs before WWII, but only 2 after.
FCR - Stephen
Klatsky, Washington, DC
Incorrect
guesses: Ted Williams, Mickey Vernon, Bill
Rigney, Casey Stengel
THURSDAY —30-Dec
Q. Who was the first Yankee to lead the American
League in home runs between 1938 and 1953 who wasn’t Joe DiMaggio?
Hint: #1 Played for the Wildcats in college.
Hint: #2 His career followed a pattern similar to
those of Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx and Willie Mays.
Hint:
#3 He is a terrible past participle.
A. NICK ETTEN [B-R Bio]
- Ans. HR
champ in 1944 w/22.
- #1 Attended
Villanova University.
- #2 All
those players led the league in homers and started their career in one then
finished their careers in the same city on a different team. There are probably more than listed here.
- #3 Eat,
ate, eaten. Not etten. C’mon!
FCR - Terry Sloope, Cartersville, Georgia
Incorrect
guesses: Johnny Mize, Charlie Keller,
Joe Gordon, Tommy Henrich, Snuffy Stirnweiss
FRIDAY —31-Dec
Q. Which one-time Orioles outfielder hit for the
cycle in consecutive seasons?
Hint: #1 He replaced Stan Musial in his All-Star
appearance.
Hint: #2 He was the last surviving member of a well-known
major league squad.
A. WALLY WESTLAKE [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Cycles
for PIT 30-Jul-1948 & 04-Jun-1949. Played
8 G for BAL in 1955.
- #1 Replaced
Musial in LF in the bottom of the 9th in the 1951 ASG. Did
not get a PA.
- #2 Played
in 84 G for CLE in 1954.
FCR - Michael
Russell, Riverside, Connecticut
Incorrect
guesses: Frank Robinson, Enos Slaughter,
Willie Tasby, Dave Pope, Maury Wills, Gene Woodling
E.O.Y. SPECIAL —31-Dec
Q. Who was the first player to amass six doubles
in a single postseason series?
Hint:
#1 His nickname came from a fictional
animal.
Hint:
#2 Ted Williams’ military service led to
a starting position for this player as well as an All-Star selection.
- Ans.
Had 6 2B in the 1934 WS. He added 3 more
the very next year.
- #1 His
speed in the minors had fans and media calling him “Peter Rabbit”, eventually
reduced to “Pete”. Ervin is his given
name.
- #2
Played more than 120 G for BOS in each of 1943 & 44 and was on the 1944 AL AS team, his only such selection. He did not get in the game.
FCR - Steven Wright, Naperville, Illinois
Incorrect
guesses: Snuffy Stirnweiss
SATURDAY —01-Jan
Q. Which New Englander pitcher was listed as the
"Baseball Throwing Instructor" for the movie The Natural?
Hint: #1 He got the pitching victory for the only
All-Star game he ever appeared in.
Hint: #2 He never quite lived up to the high
performance standards of he set in his rookie season.
- Ans. Born
in Naugatuck, Connecticut in 1920. Died
in New Haven in 2002. See his Hollywood
credit at IMDB. Robert Redford himself probably didn’t need too much guidance
shooting The Natural since he had played baseball at Van Nuys High
School in Southern California alongside teammate Don Drysdale.
- #1 1947 ASG
- #2 In
1947, Shea’s 1st MLB season, he finished 3rd in the first ever ROY vote, made the All‑Star team, led the AL in
W/L% (14-5, .737), was 14th in the AL MVP voting and won 2 Gs in the WS. In the remaining 7
years of his MLB career, he didn’t win more than 12 G in a season, never
received a single MVP vote and never again appeared in a postseason G.
FCR - Lee Dembart, Hollywood, California
Incorrect
guesses: Mark Fidrych, Sibby Sisti, Chet
Nichols, Dave Stenhouse, Mike Boddicker
WEEKEND BONUS —01-Jan
Q. Who was the first major-league World War II
draftee?
Hint: #1 In doing so, he announced, “I'm on a winning
team now.”
Hint: #2 Pitching in relief in his major league debut,
he retired in succession three future Hall of Famers Paul Waner, Lloyd Waner
and Arky Vaughn
A. HUGH MULCAHY [SABR Bio]
- Ans. He
spent 4½ “prime” years in military service, effectively ruining his big-league
career.
- #1 Having
lost 18, 20, 16 & 22 Gs in the 4 years prior to
joining the U.S. army, “My losing streak is over for the duration… I'm on a
winning team now.” His Phillies
during those seasons 1937-40 had a record of 201-406-4.
- #2 On 24-Ju-1935 he K’d Paul Waner, Lloyd Waner & Arky
Vaughan one after the other.
FCR - Elliott Frankfother, Rock Falls, Illinois
Incorrect
guesses: Elmer Gedeon, Bob Feller, Hank
Greenberg, Johnny Allen
SUNDAY —02-Jan
Q. Who is the first manager to lead four
different major league teams to divisional titles?
Hint: #1 He had two hits in one inning in his first
major league game.
Hint: #2 As a player he had sixteen Hall of Fame
teammates. He played for three manager
and a coach who became Hall of Famers. Then,
finally, he managed seventeen players and coaches who became Hall of Famers.
A. BILLY
MARTIN [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Division
titles: 1969 MIN AL
West 97-65
1972 DET AL
East 86-70
1976 NYY AL
East 97-62
1977 NYY AL
East 100-62
1978 NYY AL
East 100-63*
1981 OAK AL
West 64-45**
*1st of 3 Mgrs
that year
**Work stoppage divided
the season into 2 parts. Martin’s A’s
were
37-23 & 27-22.
NOTE: Although Martin was first, Dick Williams, Davey
Johnson, Dusty Baker and, depending on how you count them, Tony LaRussa, also
qualify. Many Mets fans believe Buck
Showalter will soon join this select group.
- #1 2 H/inning
in debut. = 18-Apr-1950, a feat later repeated by Russ Morman (03-Aug-1986) & Chad Krueter (14-Sep-1988)
- #2 HOF
teammates: Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto, Johnny
Mize, Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, Enos Slaughter, Jim Bunning,
Al Kaline, Minnie Minoso, Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews,
Warren Spahn, Jim Kaat & Harmon Killebrew.
His Hall of Fame managers were Casey Stengel, Lou Boudreau &
Joe Gordon; the coach was Bill Dickey.
The HOFers Martin managed or managed with: Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Jim
Kaat, Early Wynn, Al Kaline, Fergie Jenkins, Gaylord Perry, Catfish
Hunter, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson, Bobby Cox, Yogi Berra, Rich Gossage,
Rickey Henderson, Dave Winfield & Phil Niekro.
FCR - Glenn Horowitz, New York City
Incorrect
guesses: Lou Piniella, Joe Torre, Buck
Showalter
WEEKLY THEME – MLB
All-Stars who played for manager Casey Stengel in AAA Oakland 1946, 47 & 48.
Player On Oaks MLB All-Star (Career) WAR
DiMaggio.................... 1947................... 1943, 44.......................................... 17.8
Etten........................... 1947, 48............. 1945................................................ 16.0
Fox............................. 1946................... 1944................................................ 16.1
Lavagetto.................... 1948................... 1938, 39, 40, 41............................... 12.9
Lombardi................... 1948................... 1936, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43.............. 37.9
Martin........................ 1947, 48............. 1956.................................................. 3.0
Mulcahy..................... 1947................... 1940.................................................. 4.3
Shea............................ 1946................... 1947.................................................. 5.8
Tobin.......................... 1948................... 1944................................................ 19.3
Westlake..................... 1946................... 1951................................................ 14.6
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan
(After Etten)
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Monday - Catchers
with most passed balls since 1900
Tuesday - Members
of the 1948 Oakland Oaks, known as the “Nine Old Men.”
Wed - Bees
who were All Stars
- Players who played
for the Oakland Oaks and on a MLB all-star team
Thurs - Alumni
of the Oakland Oaks who made an All-Star team
Sat - Al-Star
participants who were 4-f and didn’t serve in the military
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