Subject: Baseball
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
I have three guesses:
PIT INF Phil Garner
PHI SS Larry Bowa
LAD 2B Dave Lopes
User: BuzzClik
Message:
Gonna echo Brewski’s comment from yesterday: Bosox fans should be in heaven. They are now over .500 on the season.
User: TNmountainman
Message:
If you're guessing on the trivia, no to all. He was a Redneck. Since I capitalized it, it means he played for that baseball club in Cincy. And I'm pretty sure he wasn't a "redneck".
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
I'm sure there are all sorts of rednecks who demand their eponym be capitalized...
More guesses: Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, Johnny Bench, Pete Rose...I'd have to look at rosters to have more guesses...
User: TNmountainman
Message:
In the meantime.....here's another one......
Who has won the most games as a pitcher for the Texas Rangers? [Hints: 1) he also has the most losses for them; and 2) started the first game ever for the Florida Marlins; and 3) that win total is under 200.]
User: TNmountainman
Message:
Interesting guess, but no (to either of the above questions).
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
Charlie Hough
George Foster
(But I looked at a couple rosters, ONLY a couple...
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
Baby Doll Jacobson
Tiger of the Day (I'm watching their broadcast, Skubal dealing...
User: TNmountainman
Message:
Hough is correct. Foster is not. But a great guess.
Hough was 139-106 for the Rangers - which - unless recently changed or my memory is playing a trick on me - is the lowest win total in all of MLB for a team's winningest pitcher. And I know Texas hasn't been around all *that* long, but still..... Kenny Rogers second with 133. Then Witt with 104. And that includes when they were the 'new' Washington Senators before moving to Texas. For 139 to be the most is pretty shocking to me. They've been around since 1961, and nobody has won more than 139 games - and only 3 guys have won 100+. And they had Nolan Ryan (after he hit 40 or so).
[Caveat/addendum: that *may* not include the most recent expansion teams. I don't remember from my research earlier.]
Can you say "screwball":
User: TNmountainman
Message:
The other answer - the victim - was Cesar Geronimo. That's hard. No way I would have known it.
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
Ohtani currently this season: 5th best OPS, 2nd best starter's ERA
(You're kidding, right?)
I'm seriously beginning to consider calling GOAT, and I will if this keeps up much longer...
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
In pitching parlance, is "sweeper" synonymous with "slurve"?
And if not, please explain difference.
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
RACHEL ROBINSON TURNS 104 TODAY!
Beautiful.
>2/5 America's age? The America that her husband lifted, made better?
Stunning...
User: TNmountainman
Message:
Next trivia question: Who was the last pitcher to win 25 or more games in a season?
Hint: in "modern times", but not real recently.
Further hint: he won the Cy Young that year.
User: TNmountainman
Message:
Trivia question only for BrewCrew: What Cy Young winner got both the first shutout (over Jim Palmer) *and* first save ever for the Blue Jays?
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
Bob Welch had a lot of victories but I think it was Denny McClain...
User: TNmountainman
Message:
[Just fyi.......this post was composed before I saw the last one above by BrewCrew.]
McClain famously racked up 31 in '68, but with Lolich winning 3 in the W.S. to down Gibson and the Cards. Before '68, it had been over 30 years since someone had won 30.
Lefty then won 27 in 1972 - but yes, the answer is Bob Welch (not the same guy from Fleetwood Mac!), also collecting 27, in 1990. So........36 years since then. Will it ever happen again? "Ever" is a very long time.
Welch won 137 times in the '80s, behind only Jack Morris and (surprise!) Dave Stieb.
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
I was going to guess Lolich for the other question, but it's a guess...maybe Pat Dobson? Of Mark Fydrich? I'm only guessing...
...Vida Blue?
Bruce Sutter?
User: TNmountainman
Message:
Hint: Why would I pose the question specifically for you?
User: TNmountainman
Message:
Addendum to to earlier question about winningest pitcher in Texans history (Hough): he also happens to be #4 on list of most wins in the '80s - behind the three I noted above. And yes, I'm mildly surprised, too.
User: MrFixit
Message:
Yes I'm a big baseball fan but I gotta admit this is funny.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWCCPUPjjfR/?igsh=b2N5YnpmY3lvbWY=
He's got another thing where he tries to make fun of basketball but it's not near as good. That baseball stuff is pretty spot on. I've got a friend who thinks any rule change is blasphemy. And if you really wanna wind my friend up mention the 2nd base ghost runner in extras.
"He's eating on the field. Is it even a sport?!?!"
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
Ken Sanders?
(I was considering him, but my knowledge of the Brewers' first handful of seasons is sparse...
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
I looked it up...never knew Vuke pitched for Toronto...
Toronto Blue Jays vs Baltimore Orioles Box Score: June 26, 1977
User: TNmountainman
Message:
I figgered you'd dig it out soon enough. And I'm somewhat surprised you didn't figger it out. Did you do a mental scan of your internal library of known Cy Young winners? In any event.........cool little factoid.
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
I mistakenly saw "30" instead of "25" when you asked about pitchers' wins...which is why I probably jumped to recall Bob Welch...but I've forgotten so much...these little quizzes can help...surprised more don't take part here...
User: TNmountainman
Message:
I can do more, but don't wanna bore folks.
User: TNmountainman
Message:
Oh, what the heck - here's one I posed to somebody a month or two ago:
What player led his team for 18 consecutive years(!!) (a record) in a Triple Crown category? YES - EIGHTEEN! This player was also the youngest to reach 100 HRs.
Even tho that's astounding........it's probably not enough for most to suss it out, so I'll go ahead and add a big hint up front:
--- first NL player to get 8 *consecutive* 100 RBIs in a season. And the only others since have been Mays, Chipper, Sosa, and Pujohls. So that helps date him somewhat. There's one more hint that I could add that's scarcely believable, but I'll hold off in it for a bit to allow some guesses to come in.
User: .l.
Message:
Buying the Baseball Encyclopedia is totally satisfying. Its phonebook thickness can provide a lifetime of satisfaction. One can read about every stat of every player who ever played the game. TNmountainman,you are the kenwa of stats and info here. Truly amazed at your ability to be interested in not a few bat seemingly endless subjects. Only problem with quizzez on here is answers can be quickly looked up. Almost like giving a spelling test...bet you cant spell supersede.
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
My third guess, think I got it (after checking stats): Mel Ott?
aka "Bucketfoot"
Knowing NL, first thought maybe Hornsby (short on HRs), maybe Musial...
User: TNmountainman
Message:
Well, obviously......we're all aware that the answers can be looked up - but what fun is that? Kinda like using a deck of cards to solve a frecell deal 😂☹️. No prizes here; so it's just for fun - and to provoke thought/teach history. If someone has to look up the answer(s)........they can either spoil it for others.......or wait an appropriate amount of time, at least for revealing - as BrewCrew correctly did.
As to the history aspect..........it's harder to know what all went down before one was born. But baseball has had decent stats since almost its beginning - so there's plenty of material that's easily available and digestible, for those inclined to be curious enough to seek it out. And I personally think - probably more than any other sport - that that long legacy helps add considerable richness to the game even today. How cool is it that we can look back and know what Christy Mathewson's WAR was? And how cool to know what Elroy Face (or 100s of others) did after he retired. And so on......
[P.S.-- Mathewson won over 30 4 times, and 12 times 20+, including 11 in a row. His WAR was over 100!]]
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
When I was a little kid I bought a huge, leather-bound, paper-covered (for protection) tome with all the old time great players' bios (5-10k word!)...it was printed around '70, so not even Mays or Aaron made it...but I recall making it dog-eared...I'm gonna dig it out, I KNOW I still possess it somewhere...sort of priceless to me...
User: TNmountainman
Message:
🛎🛎🛎🛎 Mel Ott it is!!
And although it no longer matters........the additional astounding hint I was gonna give is this:
When he retired...........he was more than 200 HRs ahead of all other National League players 😯😳. Absorb that. And as another factoid - pay attention Snowguy! - he had a second cousin who was on the 1979 Championship Pittsburgh Pirates team.
User: TNmountainman
Message:
And he was about 5'9" (or possibly 10"), and only about 170-175 lbs. (Some think maybe 180.) Yet he smacked 511 dingers. As the Toy Cannon (and Aaron) aptly demonstrated........"it's all in the wrists". The Bash Brothers, Bonds, etc. would beg to differ, of course.
Not really surprisingly............the finesse of the wrists is also of paramount importance in tennis and golf, too - but more for control than extra power. I've seen very hi level tennis players do wrist things with their rackets that would appear impossible.
[Addendum: As a final(?) factoid......he (Ott) was one of only 6 NL players to spend an entire 20+ year career with the same team.]
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
If Ohtani suffered a career-ending injury tomorrow (Lord forbid), he'd still deserve 1st BALLOT HOF ENTRY.
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
Brewers have the best record in baseball right now, but just ask 2001 Seattle fan how much that means.
User: TNmountainman
Message:
OK, here's a quick, easy one. Not necessarily on first guess - but fairly straightforward:
Who leads the Pirates all-time in innings pitched and strikeouts? [Speak up, Snowguy!!]
Hint/quirky factoid: first man to lead the league in ERA while pitching for a last-place team.
[Addendum: there are more quirky anecdotal tidbits that I'll add afterwards - but won't help one to arrive at an answer.]
User: TNmountainman
Message:
Bonus trivia question: who gave up the most HRs to Aaron? Who second-most?
Both from the same team. One HOF; one not.
User: TNmountainman
Message:
No and no. And they weren't on the same team - unless very temporarily. Not to mention............I believe both those are in, are they not?
User: TNmountainman
Message:
Trying to come up with a decent hint on this bonus one isn't easy. But here's some sketchy ones. One is a RHP; the other is not. The one who is *not* in the Hall originally played for the Rednecks then Senators, before landing on his long-term team to join the guy who *did* go to the Hall. And very obviously that is an NL team. Both have both wins and losses in the W.S.
[Edit - bigger hint: the guy who *is* in the Hall is a 'name', kinda obviously. The other is not a 'name' - but also someone you've definitely heard of. Focus on the former - then take some guesses on the latter.]
[Further hint, and it's a biggie: the guy in the Hall for a while held a remarkable pitching record - but has since been broken.]
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
Bob Gibson and Jim Kaat?
Edit: Jim Kaat and Steve Carlton?
User: TNmountainman
Message:
Nope and nope. And I'm assuming(?) you're going for the bonus question? If so, Gibson, Kaat, and Lefty are all in the Hall, so that can't work. These two were teammates for most of their lengthy careers - excepting the earlier-noted time the non-inductee spent with the Reds and Senators. Not to mention.........Kaat was mostly an AL hurler, tho not exclusively.
Snowguy.............still waiting on you to supply the answer to the Pirates question. You're bound to know that one immediately.
P.S. - I also have a follow-up question to this 'bonus' one - pending it's solution.
User: BrewCrewOldSkool
Message:
I looked up the Pirates' answer...I never ever would would have gotten it.