MONDAY — 06-Mar
Q. Who
was the first player to win the local Roberto Clemente Award more than once?
Hint: #1
He hit the most HRs in
the first MLB ASG HR Derby, but did NOT win the event.\
Hint: #2
He once broke the catcher’s collarbone in a collision at home plate on
Opening Day.
- Ans. The
Pittsburgh Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America selects a recipient
for the Roberto Clemente
Award each year.
The award goes to the Pirate who most exemplifies the standard of
excellence established by Hall-of-Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente. Parker won it in 1974, 1977 & 1978.
- #1 The
HRD as we know it today, was begun & sponsored in Century 21 Real Estate
& held in Minneapolis. Originally dubbed “The All-Star Home Run Contest”) was a team event,
pitting 5 NLers versus 5 ALers & although Parker did hit the most HR among
all contestants, he won no individual crown & his NL actually lost the
event.
- #2 On Opening Day
in 1976 in Philadelphia at Veterans Stadium, Parker (6’5”, 230+
lbs.) crashed into catcher Johnny Oates (5’11”, 188 lbs.) in the top of the 9th
inning tying the G at 4-4. The impact, however, was hard on
Oates, breaking his collarbone. He
didn’t play again until the 3rd
of June.
FCR - Brad
Clark, Madison, Wisconsin
Incorrect guesses: Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey, Jr., Eric Davis, David Wright, Al Kaline, Jim Thome,
Roberto Clemente
TUESDAY — 07-Mar
Q. Who is the only
player to hit two grand slams in his home park in a single game?
Hint: #1 A journeyman
with a 1.2 career WAR, cost him his double-unique status.
Hint: #2 His rookie
season sent everyone scrambling to find thesauri for the best descriptions.
A. NOMAR GARCIAPARRA [SABR
Bio]
- Ans. GS: On
10-May-1999,v Garciaparra had 2
4-RBI HRs: 1 in the bottom of the 1st
inning then again with the bases loaded in the 8th. To really bolster his stats that day, he had
also hit a 2-R HR in the 3rd.
All 12 of the other
major leaguers who have hit 2 GS in 1 G, did it in away games.
- #1 His first and last names had never graced a
major league roster before, giving him Double-Unique status. That distinction lasted for nearly 2 decades,
even after his last MLB G, when Nomar Mazara stepped to the plate for SDP
in the 1st inning on 10-Apr-2016.
- #2 So masterful was Garciaparra’s debut season
in 1997 for BOS that that he swept the 1st-place votes for the 1997 AL ROY & was awarded more
than hardware… he earned some of baseball’s best adjectives.
FCR - Tom Lee, Nashville
Incorrect guesses: Vada Pinson, Fernando
Tatis, Tony Cloninger, Jim Gentile, Mark Whiten, Frank Robinson, Joe
Charboneau, Vida Blue, Alex Rodriguez, Dino Restelli, Bert Campaneris
WEDNESDAY—08-Mar
Q. Which one-time Tigers player regularly beat out even the highest
hitting of future Hall of Famers to win annual league batting titles?
Hint: #1 He missed
being in the “Company” but was an important part of the “Family”.
Hint: #2 While an
outstanding athlete in high school, he received literally hundreds of university scholarship
offers for his skills variously as a basketball and football player.
- Ans. Played for DET in 1987, the final 87
G of his playing career in MLB. Madlock’s
NL batting crown in 1975 was 22 points above Ted Simmons’ .332 & 27 more
than Joe Morgan’s .327. The next year,
he bested all major leaguers, including George Brett by 5 points & Rod
Carew by 8. Again the MLB top in 1981,
his .341 outshone Rickey Henderson & Mike Schmidt. Finally, in 1983, his .323 was the
NL’s top mark. There are, of course,
additional ones.
- #1 Madlock wasn’t on PIT when they called “The Lumber
Company” in the early 1970s, referencing their tremendous batting
prowess, but he came to the team in 1979 and helped them win their 2nd
WS of the decade. That Pirates team told
the world, “We Are Family”.
- #2 At Eisenhower High in Decatur, Illinois, he played
basketball, football &baseball. He
received 150 scholarship offers for his skills as a basketball player, circa 100 for his skills as a football player
& 2 for his skills as a baseball player. He chose
instead between the 2 baseball scholarships offered at Southeastern Community
College in Keokuk, Iowa. He said it was because he [preferred playing
a less hazardous game.
FCR - Jaime Aron, Dallas
Incorrect guesses: Dave Parker, Jim Tabor
MIDWEEK BONUS — 08-Mar
Q. Who holds the National
League career record for sacrifice hits?
Hint: #1 Admiration
and esteem by teammates, fans and opponents led to his ad hoc baseball canonization.
Hint: #2 He is the
oldest player to die while still in the majors.
- Ans. Although ranking behind Hall of Famer Eddie
Collins, the MLB leader in career sac hits, Daubert still leads the Senior
Circuit w/392. His NL record has stood since he passed Jimmy Sheckard in
1921 & has not been seriously challenged since. The current active leader is Clayton Kershaw
(!) with 110.
- #1 Successfully eschewing the vices rampant
among baseball professionals in his day—smoking, chewing tobacco, drinking,
flouting curfews & other team rules &, most potentially damaging to the
long-term health of the game itself—gambling, Daubert acquired the title
“Saint”.
- #2 Daubert had a hereditary blood disorder called hemolytic spherocytosis, which contributed to his death at the age of 40, but an appendectomy by the team doctor didn’t help matters.
FCR - Joe Cohen
Holden, Massachusetts
Incorrect guesses: Ron Hunt, Roberto Clemente, Henry Aaron, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Manny Mota, Red Schoendienst, Lou Gehrig, Eddie Collins
THURSDAY — 09-Mar
Q. Who holds
the record for the second-most double plays in a season turned by a first
baseman?
Hint: #1
He ranks ahead of Shoeless Joe Jackson and Mickey Mantle in career
on-base percentage.
Hint: #2
He was known for his short fuse.
A. FERRIS FAIN [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. He also holds the record for
the first most! Look here.
-
#1 He is 15th all-time. Look here.
-
#2 He had an explosive temper on and off the field. Eventually it affected his playing ability.
FCR - Steven
Wright, Naperville, Illinois
Incorrect guesses: Frank
Chance, Keith Hernandez, Jimmy Foxx, Donn Clendenon, Eddie Murray,
Joe Pepitone, Bill Terry, Dan Brouthers, Lu Blue
FRIDAY— 10-Mar
Q. Which
one-time Seattle Pilot holds the
highest career batting average among pinch-hitters (minimum 200 ABs)?
Hint: #1
From 1950 through 1997, no other player had more runs batted in in a
single season.
Hint: #2
His play on defense was seldom mentioned.
Hint: #3
Two future NBA Hall of
Famers were teammates of his when he played on his high school basketball team.
A. TOMMY DAVIS [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. With 62 base hits in 202 career ABs as a PH, Davis hit .307. Played for SEP in 1969.
-
#1 With one of the best RBI seasons in history, Davis had 153
RBI in 1962, the pitchers’ era by most other measures.
-
#2 Known much more for his hitting prowess, in the 3 seasons
prior to shattering his ankle in 1965, Davis was the best defensive left fielder in the NL (measured by
putouts, assists, DPs, Fielding%, Range Factor & Total Zone Rating).
-
#3 Davis was an outstanding multi-sport athlete at Boys High School in
Brooklyn & played alongside
future NBA Hall of Famers Tom “Satch"
Sanders and Lenny Wilkens.
FCR - Leonard Epstein, Dallas
Incorrect guesses: Don Mincher, Willie Davis, Jerry Lynch, Gorman Thomas
SATURDAY — 11-Mar
Q. Who
hit the National League’s first ever home run?
Hint: #1
He set a season record that year today still leads in that category.
Hint: #2
In spite of playing alongside five Hall of Famers, many believe he
was the dominant offensive force in leading the team to four straight pennants.
A. ROSS BARNES [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. On 02-May-1876, Barnes, playing for CHC had the NL's first homer,
off CIN’s Cherokee Fisher. Barnes pulled one deep right down the left-field line
towards a group of horse carriages parked beyond the periphery of the
field. By the time the ball was
retrieved, Barnes had sped around the bases with an inside-the-park HR— the 1st
in NL annals.
-
#1 In Barnes established the single-season record for runs scored
per game (2.13),
a mark that has a good chance of lasting another 150 seasons.
- #2 The Boston Red Stockings were 1st
in the N.A. in 1872, 1873, 1874 & 1875v with Barnes 2nd
on the team in WAR in 4 of the squad’s 5 years of existence (behind only masterful
pitcher Al Spalding). Additional players who helped that team
remain at the top were Deacon White, George Wright, Jim O’Rourke, Harry Wright &
Spalding, all now Hall of Fame enshrinees.
FCR - Bill Deane, Cooperstown
Incorrect guesses: King Kelly, Charley Jones, Tommy Leach, Ned Williamson, Dan
Brouthers, Jimmy Ryan, Lip Pike, George Wright, Harry Wright
ANALYTICS CONFERENCE BONUS — 11-Mar
Q. Who was
the first former major leaguer to die in Montreal?
Hint: #1
He was once third in a team’s rotation, behind two Hall of Fame
moundsmen.
Hint: #2
The highest honor bestowed by the Canadian Hall of Fame is the
____________ Award.
A. TIP O’NEILL [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. O’Neill passed away 31-Dec-1915. Only Hall of Famer to die in Montreal was Don
Drysdale.
-
#1 A charter member of the New York Gothams (later Giants), O’Neill began his professional career in 1883
as the back-up pitcher to HOFers Mickey Welch & John Montgomery Ward.
-
#2 The Tip O'Neill Award is an annual distinction
given out by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
to the Canadian
baseball
player "…judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team
contribution while adhering to the highest ideals of the game of
baseball." Larry Walker is a 9-time honoree, Joey Votto, 7.
FCR - Barry
Nelson, Guilderland, New York
Incorrect guesses: Don Drysdale, Woody Fryman, Don Newcombe
SUNDAY — 12-Mar
Q. Which former star was
accused of being a pickpocket while working for the US Department of
Agriculture?
Hint: #1 At the time of his
retirement, only Cap Anson had more career at-bats.
Hint: #2
He performed the first posthumous Triple Crown.
A. PAUL HINES [Wiki Bio]
-
Ans. Upon
his accusal in 1922, police searched his home and found a large collection of
wallets, purses & eyeglasses.
- #1 Retired in 1891 w/7,062 AB to Anson's 7,681.
- #2 He passed away not knowing he had won a Triple
Crown. The recognition of it was delayed
because for many years he was thought to have been runner-up in the batting
race. Abner Dalrymple was initially shown as winning the NL’s 1878 batting title with a
.356 BA. However, modern research using
tools that are found in The
Baseball Encyclopedia & Total
Baseball now list Hines in the top spot for that season with a .358
BA. This contrast was due to the NL’s
policy in 1878 of not including statistics from tie games in its official
records. Consequently, hits made in tie games
were not originally counted. So, after
recalculating the final averages, including those with stats compiled in
ties, Dalrymple’s BA dropped to .354, just short of Hines’s BA which remained
at .358. Hines emerged with the higher
BA and since he’d also led the NL in both HR & RBI in 1878, was
posthumously crowned baseball’s first Triple Crown winner in 1968, 33 years
after his death.
FCR - Elliott
Frankfother, Rock Falls, Illinois
Incorrect
guesses: Napoleon
Lajoie, Eddie Collins
WEEK’S THEME – Qualifying
players with batting titles in consecutive seasons, but not in the Hall of Fame
Barnes........................ 1872 (.430),
1873 (.431).................. 27.7
Daubert...................... 1913 (.350),
1914 (.329).................. 39.3
Davis.......................... 1962 (.346),
1962 (.326).................. 20.5
Fain............................ 1951 (.344),
1952 (.327).................. 27.2
Garciaparra............... 1999 (.357), 2000
(.372).................. 44.3
Hines.......................... 1878 (.358),
1879 (.357).................. 44.9
Madlock..................... 1975 (.354),
(1976) (.339)............... 38.2
O’Neill........................ 1887 (.435),
1888 (.335).................. 25.4
Parker........................ 1977 (.338),
1978 (.334).................. 40.1
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Joe
Merrill, Montpelier, Vermont
(After Madlock)
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Tues - Players to win only 2 batting titles and both
were back-to-back.
- Non-Hall of Famers to win only 2 batting titles and
both were back-to-back
Wed - Players who have won consecutive year batting titles since 1975
-
Players who won exactly 2 consecutive batting
titles in the second half of the 20th Century (1951-2000)
Thu - 20th century players with back-to-back
batting titles who are not in the HOF
-
Players to win back-to-back batting titles with
the lowest career WAR
-
right-handed batters who copped multiple batting
titles
-
Multiple batting champion winners who aren’t in
the HOF
-
Players who won multiple batting titles before
the age of 28
-
Winners of multiple batting titles who are HOF
eligible but not inducted
-
Multiple batting title winners not in the Hall of Fame
Fri - Multiple-season batting champions who never got 10% of
the HOF vote
-
Players with WAR <45 who have won consecutive
batting titles
Sat - Multi batting champions who never got more than 25%
HOF vote (who are HOF eligible)
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