Sunday, December 18, 2022

2022-11-12 Former MLB players currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Hall of Fame

MONDAY  —12-Dec

Q.  Ernie Banks did it in the National League but who was the first American League shortstop to win more than one Most Valuable Player award?

Hint: #1  He was the last twentieth century American League player to collect six hits in one game.

Hint: #2  Who was the first American League player to have 650 at-bats in a season without stealing a single base.

A.  CAL RIPKEN  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans. AL MPVs = 1983, 1991.  Shortstop Robin Yount was AL MVP in 1982 and won it again, but was a CF the 2nd time around in 1989.

-  #1   6 H = 13-Jun-1999

-  #2  1993 = 663 AB, 0 SB in 1983.  Don Mattingly, J.J. Hardy & Robinson Cano have duplicated the feat since then.

FCR -  Evan Thompson, Mesa

Incorrect guesses:  Nomar Garciaparra, Lou Boudreau, Alex Rodriguez, Dustin Pedroia, Robin Yount, Derek Jeter

 

 

TUESDAY  —13-Dec

Q.  Who has been a contestant in the modern version (since 1985) of the Home Run Derby more than any other player?

Hint: #1  He was the first thirty-year-old player to collect eight runs batted in in a single game in the 2000s.

Hint: #2  At select home games, he came to bat to the sounds of ”Sirius” by the Alan Parsons Project.

A.  KEN GRIFFEY Jr.  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Griffey was a contestant in the HRD in 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999 &, 2000, winning it thrice, in 1994, 1998 & 1999.  Both are records.

-  #1  8 RBI = 08-Jul-2000.  Age 30 +230 days

-  #2  Listen here.  Any connection to any basketball team, college or pro, is merely coincidental.

FCR -  Keith Sims, Bloomington, Indiana

Incorrect guesses:  Albert Pujols, Shawn Green, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Robinson Cano

 

 

IN MEMORIAM  —14-Dec

Q.  Who was the last surviving “Whiz Kid”?

Hint: #1  He is one of only two major leaguers born in Egypt.

Hint: #2  He was the National League’s starting pitcher in two All-Star Games.

Hint: #3  In high school, he pitched his teams to three straight high-school championships and two American Legion state championships.

Hint: #4  News of the young lefthander’s exploits reached Phillies owner Bob Carpenter.  In 1947, Carpenter arranged an exhibition game between his Phillies and an all-star team comprised of Lehigh Valley high school players.

Hint: #5  He (Not Carpenter) surrendered Willie Mays's 400th career home run in the majors.  Two years later he gave up Ernie Banks’s 400th career home run.

Hint: #6  Many people felt that he was talented enough to go to the Hall of Fame, but an ill-fated accident befell him one afternoon as he was engaged in yard work.

Hint: #7  During his unfortunately timed military service, he missed his franchise’s first World Series in a generation.

Hint: #8  Justice of a sort was had when he and his new teammates beat the Yankees in the World Series fourteen years later.

A.  CURT SIMMONS  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  The 1950 Philadelphia Phillies were nicknamed the “Whiz Kids” because of the youth of their stars and mimicking the name of a radio show in the U.S. called “Quiz Kids” popular in the 1940s & 50s.

-  #1  Simmons was born in Egypt, Pennsylvania and Bob McClure were born in Egypt, Texas.  Egypt, PA is northwest of Allentown.

-  #2  NL AS starting P in 1952 & 1957.

-  #3  Attended Whitehall High School in nearby Whitehall, Pennsylvania.

-  #4  In front of 4,500 people at the grand opening of Egypt’s Memorial Park, Simmons struck out 11 Phillies in a game that ended in a 4-4 tie.

-  #5  Mays’s 400th =  27-Aug-63.  Banks’s 400th = 02-Sep-1965.

-  #6  On 05-Jun-1953, Simmons had a record of 7-1 and wanted to try out his recently purchased power lawnmower.  Unfortunately, he slipped and his left foot went under the mower with bad results.  Read more here.

-  #7  PHI’s 1st modern WS was 1915 when they ran into the powerhouse Babe Ruth and the Red Sox.  For the next 34 seasons, they averaged more than 92 losses per year (w/12 100-L seasons).  They averaged (averaged!) 36 G out of 1st place & 7th in the standings.  Then in 1950, they edged out BRO for the NL flag while Simmons was serving* his country.  His National Guard unit was called up because of the conflict in Korea.  Without him, PHI got swept by NYY.

-  #8  Three days after PHI released Simmons in 1960, he was signed by STL and with his help, they defeated NYY in the 1964 Fall Classic.

FCR -  Len Levin, Providence

Incorrect guesses:  Curt Schilling, Bobby Shantz, Robin Roberts

 

WEDNESDAY  —14-Dec

Q.  Who was the first Atlanta Braves pitcher to have three consecutive twenty-win seasons in the Expansion Era?

Hint: #1  He won the Cy Young Award in a year where he had fewer first-place votes than the runner-up.

Hint: #2  Facing his league’s reigning Cy Young Award winner, he left his major league debut with two outs in the fourth inning having given up five walks, ten hits and six earned runs with an ERA of 14.73.

A.  TOM GLAVINE  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  In 1991, 1992 & 1993, Glavine’s record was 20-11, 20-8 & 22-6.

-  #1  CYA in 1998. Shows Glavine w/11 1st-place votes and Trevor Hoffman w/13.

-  #2  His Braves went down 11-2 to HOU’s Mike Scott & his superb 8-inning 2 H, 0 BB & 10 K effort.

FCR -  Chandler Vinson, Knoxville

Incorrect guesses:  Greg Maddux, Phil Niekro, Joe Niekro

 

 

THURSDAY  —15-Dec

Q.  Which Hall of Famer’s first World Series at-bat resulted in a home run off another future Hall of Famer, immediately after his teammate, another first-ballot Hall of Famer, had already homered?

Hint: #1  No player in major league history played more seasons for one team.

Hint: #2  As a boy, he operated the scoreboard at a field in his hometown and then began his playing career there.  That field is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

A.  BROOKS ROBINSON  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Robinson homered off Don Drysdale on 05-Oct-1966 in the top of the 1st after the 2-R HR by Frank Robinson.

-  #1  His 23 seasons w/BAL is tied with Carl Yastrzemski’s 23 w/BOS.

-  #2  Lamar Porter Field on the NRHP in Little Rock, is a point of immense civic pride.

FCR -  David Raglin, McLean, Virginia

Incorrect guesses:  Carl Yastrzemski, Eddie Mathews, Mel Ott, Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Andruw Jones, Willie Mays

 

 

FRIDAY  —16-Dec

Q.  Which former Mustang was the first National League shortstop to win the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards in the same season?

Hint: #1  More than ninety players from his home state have been major league All-Stars.

Hint: #2  His migration from birth state to baseball excellence followed a trajectory not unlike those of Walter Johnson, Jackie Robinson, Frank Robinson, Rickey Henderson, Willie Stargell, Reggie Smith, Tommy Harper and Chet Lemon.

A.  OZZIE SMITH  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  GG + SS (Not ss.) = 1987.  It was Smith’s only SS.  Played for the California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) Mustangs

-  #1  Smith (with 15) trails only Hank Aaron (25) & Willie Mays (24) in All-Star appearances by Alabamians.

-  #2  All these players as did Ozzie Smith, were born in other states but had their secondary education in the state of California.  There were no doubt others.

FCR -  Bruce McClure, New London, New Hampshire

Incorrect guesses:  Barry Larkin, Jay Bell, Robin Yount

 

SATURDAY  —17-Dec

Q.  Who, after his wife was slapped by a White Sox fan, said, “Don't put him in jail.  Bring him to me in the dugout.”?

Hint: #1  He is the last player to hit one hundred doubles to lead the majors over two consecutive seasons with at least fifty doubles each year.

Hint: #2  During one stretch, he led the league in plate appearances five out of eight seasons, twice leading the majors.

A.  CRAIG BIGGIO  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  The slap occurred during G 2 of the 2005 WS.  The quote is at least what Biggio said he had told the authorities.

-  #1  In 1998 & 1999, Biggio hit 51 then 56 2B.

-  #2  From 1992 through 1999, he averaged some 696 PA and that included 2 seasons marred by work stoppages

FCR -  Rick Tharp, Gaithersburg, Maryland

Incorrect guesses:  Ty Cobb, Billy Herman, Al Simmons, Edgar Martinez, Joe Medwick

 

 

WEEKEND 1  —17-Dec

Q.  Which Hall of Famer struck out more than any other batter against Randy Johnson?

A.  RICKEY HENDERSON

-  Ans.  85 PAs, 30Ks

FCR -  Bruce McClure, New Hampshire

Incorrect guesses:  Derek Jeter, Mike Piazza, Larry Walker, Jim Thome, Ivan Rodriguez, Fred McGriff

 

 

WEEKEND 2  —18-Dec

Q.  Which is the only former major league franchise to win a thousand games before its demise?

A.  The Baltimore Orioles of the American Association & National League

-  Ans.  1,133 from 1882 to 1899.  The Chicago American Giants & Kansas City Monarchs also won more than 1,000 games each.

FCR -  Jason Winston, Riverside, California

Incorrect guesses:  Louisville, Boston Beaneaters, Montreal Expos, Washington Senators, Providence Grays

 

WEEKEND 3  —17-Dec

Q.  Who is the only pitcher to log ten years each with a team in each league?

A.  CHARLIE HOUGH

-  Ans.  11 years LAD; 11 years TEX  (He had 2 additional stints: 2 seasons each w/LA & CHW)

FCR -  Andrew Milner , Upper Darby, Pennsylvania

Incorrect guesses:  Cy Young, Jim Bunning, Mike Mussina, Jamie Moyer, Nolan Ryan

 

 

WEEKEND 4 —18-Dec

Q.  What was the second name of the stadium known as Oracle Park?

A.  SBC PARK

-  Ans.  Named after Southwestern Bell Corporation 2004-2005.  Succeeded Pac Bell Park.

FCR -  Lee Dembart, Hollywood, California

Incorrect guesses:  AT&T Park, Pac Bell Park, Polo Grounds, 3Com Park

 

 

WEEKEND 5 —18-Dec

Q.  Name the Hall of Famers inducted in the second class in 1937.

A.  1937 HoF Class:  MORGAN BULKELEY, BAN JOHNSON, NAP LAJOIE, CONNIE MACK, JOHN McGRAW, TRIS SPEAKER, GEORGE WRIGHT & CY YOUNG

-  Ans.  There were 3 separate elections:

19-Jan-1937    =  Lajoie, Speaker & Young (BBWAA)

07-May-1937   =  McGraw (Veterans)

07-Dec-1937   =  Bulkeley, Ban Johnson, Mack, George Wright (Centennial)

FCR -  Joe O’Neill, London, Ontario

Incorrect guesses:  Pete Alexander, Eddie Collins, Christy Mathewson, George Sisler

 

 

WEEKEND 6 —18-Dec

Q.  Who pinch ran for Ray Chapman when Chapman was hit by pitch in his last at-bat?

A.  HARRY LUNTE

-  Ans.  On 16-Aug-1920, Chapman was hit in the temple with a pitch and died the following day.

FCR -  Sarah Grynpas, Toronto

Incorrect guesses:  Joe Sewell 

 

 

WEEKEND 7 —18-Dec

Q.  Who is the only pitcher in the last half of the twentieth century to throw eighteen innings in one game?

A.  VERN LAW

-  Ans.  19-Jul-1955.  Making an emergency start on short rest, Law went the equivalent of two complete games.  Unfortunately, although the Pirates were victorious, Law did not get the W.

FCR -  Andrew Milner , Upper Darby, Pennsylvania

Incorrect guesses: 

 

 

WEEKLY THEME –  Former MLB players currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Hall of Fame

 

First Correct Respondent identifying themeWarren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan (After Brooks)

 

Biggio................................. 65.5

Glavine............................... 80.7

Griffey................................ 83.8

Ripken................................ 95.9

Robinson............................. 78.5

Smith.................................. 76.9

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Mon     -  This week: HOFers who won an MVP with another HOFer as the runner-up.

 

Tues    -  Hall of Famers who are Jr.'s.

 

Wed     -  Hall of Famers starting the 1992 All-Star Game

-   First ballot Hall of Famers with over 90%

 

Sat          - Graduates from SMU in MLB

 

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