1986 Sports Cube Baseball Trivia Quiz

Each year, The Crimson challenges its readers to take a baseball quiz at the start of the season. Well, the Red Sox open on Monday, so it must be time for the 1986 edition of the Sports Cube's Baseball Trivia Quiz. Each question below is worth a total of 10 points.

If you score 160-200 total points, you'll play this season in Fenway. 120-159, and you're almost good enough to make the bigs. You'll have to spend this year at Pawtucket, though. 80-119 points, and you're going down Route 84 to New Britain and Double-A ball. Less than 80, and you've been designated for assignment. Plan on spending the summer in the Florida Instructional League.

1. Although not a baseball mecca, a few Harvard students have gone on to play in the major leagues. Mike Stenhouse '79, the Crimson's most recent contribution to the big leagues, was recently cut by the Red Sox. But even fewer major leaguers have been born in Cambridge. Ten points if you can select the Cantabrigian who had a distinguished major league pitching career.

a) Jim Lonborg

b) Wilber Wood

c) Mike Cuellar

d) Ferguson Jenkins

e) Catfish Hunter

2. Everybody knows that the National League had a great class of pitchers last year. There was Orel Hershiser's 19-3 record; John Tudor's 1.93 ERA; and Rick Reuschel's valiant performance for the hapless Pirates. But no one has thrown a nohitter in the Senior Circuit since September, 1983. Ten points if you can name the artist of that masterpiece.

a) Charlie Lea

b) Nolan Ryan

c) Steve Carlton

d) Bob Forsch

e) Joe Niekro

3. And speaking of great NL pitchers, there's always Mr. Gooden, owner of a 24-4 record and a 1.53 ERA last year. But perhaps the most amazing stat of Dr. K's '85 campaign was accomplished in his last nine starts. Ten points if you can identify that feat.

a) He struck out at least 10 men in each game.

b) He didn't give up an earned run.

c) He drove in as many runs as he allowed.

d) He didn't allow more than five hits in any game.

e) He pitched nine straight complete games.

4. There was another young phenom running around New York last year: AL MVP Don Mattingly. If you're a big Mattingly fan, you might know that he was selected in the 19th round of the 1979 amateur baseball draft. But did you know three future NFL quarterbacks were picked ahead of him? Ten points if you can single out the QB below who was not picked ahead of Don in '79.

a) Jeff Hofstedtler

b) John Elway

c) Dan Marino

d) Jay Schroeder

5. Celtics fans will recognize the name of star Philadelphia 76'ers point guard and Celtics-nemesis Maurice Cheeks. Though there are few other NBA players whose last names are also parts of the body, there have been several baseball players whose surnames fall into this category. Ten points if you can identify the only body part listed below not represented by a major leaguer (with minor spelling variations allowed).

a) Face

b) Foot

c) Lip

d) Fingers

e) Hands

6. Several players can thank David Letterman for adding to their fame in 1985 (though perhaps not their fortunes). Terry Forster, for example, became a national hero when the Late Night host referred to the ex-Braves hurler as a "fat tub of goo." Another of Letterman's pet projects last summer was Kansas City Royals shortstop Buddy Biancalana, who suffered through a horrendous. 188 regular season campaign. Ten points if you can remember when Biancalana's first seven consecutive starts of the season occured.

a) The last seven games of the regular season

b) A homestand in July

c) A stretch in May when Onix Concepcion was injured

d) The AL Championship Series vs. the Blue Jays

e) The World Series

7. Moving from the team that won the World Series last year to the team that is predicted by many to win it this year, the New York Mets played in a number of extra inning contests in '85, but none as memorable as their July 4th epic 19-inning thriller at Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium against the Braves which ended at 3:55 a.m. The Independence Day fireworks began at 4:30! Ten points if you can name the player who scored four runs in that contest after entering in the ninth inning.

a) Brad Komminsk

b) Clint Hurdle

c) Gerald Perry

d) Howard Johnson

e) Danny Heep

8. Braves owner Ted Turner, the genius behind that 4:30 a.m. fireworks display, was involved in another debacle in recent years, when he let Phil Niekro go to the Yankees, and then proceded to try to lure him back once he shone in the Big Apple. (Turner ended up settling for a statue of Neikro). Knucksie is also the oldest current major leaguer, having just celebrated another birthday on April 1. Five points if you can name Phil's exact age, and five more if you can identify the only player on the list below who is older than Niekro.

a) Zoilo Versalles

b) Tony Conigliaro

c) Jim Kaat

d) Pete Rose

e) Carl Yastrzemski

9. All of these greats were around--though none played in--the great 1968 World Series between the Tigers and the Cardinals. That series featured a great pitching match-up between Bob Gibson (1.12 ERA that year) and Denny McLain (the last 30-game winner at 31-4 that year). To no one's surprise, one pitcher won three games in the series that ended with the Tigers triumphing, four games to three. To everyone's surprise, though, the pitcher accomplishing this rare feat was neither Gibson or McLean. Ten points if you can identify that pitcher.

a) Earl Wilson

b) Steve Carlton

c) Mickey Lolich

d) Nelson Briles

e) Joe Sparma

10. We move from great Series pitching performances to terrible Series hitting performances. Ever since the American League adopted the designated hitter rule in 1973, d.h.'s have been employed in alternating World Series. Not surprisingly, AL pitchers have enjoyed little success for the plate, going 0-for their last 73. Ten Points if you can name the last AL hurler to bang out a hit in the Series.

a) Tim Stoddard

b) Jim Palmer

c) Tommy John

d) Rick Reuschel

e) Mike Torrez

11. Of course, not all AL pitchers have been poor hitters. Seventy years ago, a mound prospect named George Herman Ruth hit so well for the Red Sox and Yankees that he was moved to the outfield where he could play everyday. The "Babe" had the most famous nickname ever, but thousands of players have been saddled with less notable monickers. Two points for each of the following players' nicknames.

a) Brooks Robinson

b) Mike Epstein

c) Greg Luzinski

d) Sam Crawford

e) John Milner

12. But nicknames go both ways. Brooklyn Dodgers great Pee Wee Reese, for example, can't leave home without the American Express card when he goes by the name of Harold. One point for the given name of each of the following.

a) Blue Moon Odom

b) Moose Haas

c) Mookie Wilson

d) Lefty Grove

e) Goose Goslin

f) Ducky Medwick

g) Red Schoendienst

h) Mudcat Grant

i) Three Ginger Brown

j) Boots Day

13. While Bobby Bonds hasn't earned a spot on the American Express advertisement yet, he has merited a lite beer commercial. Toward the end of his career, Bonds moved around the league about as fast as he did around the bases (461 career steals). Ten points if you can name the only club listed below which the journeyman did not play for in his 14-year major league career.

a) Yankees

b) White Sox

c) Indians

d) A's

e) Cardinals

14. But while Bonds moved around the league a lot, legendary Dodgers manager Walter Alston did not. The only move Alston made in his 23-year managerial career was from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, and then only when the entire franchise was moving as well after the 1957 season. Before embarking on his career as a skipper, Alston kicked around in the minor leagues as a first baseman. In 1936, he got his one--and only--major league plate appearance. Ten points if you can select the correct outcome of that sole appearance.

a) Base on balls

b) Strikeout

c) Home run

d) Single

e) Reached on fielder's choice

15. Though Alston chose to move from the playing field to the dugout, several other major leaguers have retired to the broadcasting booth. Five points if you can name the announcer below who socked the most home runs in his major league career, and one additional point for naming the team with which each announcer started out.

a) Bob Montgomery

b) Bob Uecker

c) Phil Rizzuto

d) Tony Kubek

e) Joe Garagiola

16. By the way, those announcers combined for 174 round trippers--less than a quarter of Hank Aaron's all-time record of 755. Hammerin' Hank's chase of Babe Ruth was one of the most celebrated in all of sports. Aaron pounded his record-tying 714th tater on opening day, 1974. Five points if you can name the pitcher off whom Aaron connected and five more if you can name the stadium in which the momentous event took place.

a) Jack Billingham

b) Steve Carlton

c) Don Gullett

d) Phil Niekro

e) Andy Messersmith

17. Even a casual baseball fan knows that Aaron holds the all-time home run record, and baseball aficionados can easily tell you that Pete Rose is the all-time singles leader. But such renown has not followed the man with the most career triples. Ten points if you can name him.

a) Ed Delahanty

b) Harry Heilmann

c) Wee Willie Keeler

d) Sam Crawford

e) Rabbit Maranville

18. We now move from triples to triple crowns. The American League saw back-to-back triple crowns in the mid 60's when Frank Robinson and Carl Yastrzemski turned the trick in 1966 and '67, respectively. But the National League hasn't seen a triple crown winner in a much longer time. Ten points if you can name the last NL player to accomplish that feat.

a) Stan Musial

b) Joe Medwick

c) Willie Mays

d) Roberto Clemente

e) Mel Ott

19. And finally, we turn from triple crowns to triple plays. The Kansas City Royals turned the only triple play of the 1985 season. Ten points if you can identify the player who hit into the triple killing.

a) Jim Rice

b) Oddibe McDowell

c) Jim Presley

d) Garth Iorg

e) Rickey Henderson

20. And from triple plays, we turn to...the Harvard Government Department. Nine of the following Gov. professors have had at least one namesake play in the major leagues. Score one point if you can single out the outsider, and one point for each of the nine major leaguers represented on the department roster (only one pro per prof).

a) Lisa Anderson

b) Henry E. Brady

c) Eliot A. Cohen

d) Peter A. Hall

e) Harry N. Hirsch

f) Stanley Hoffmann

g) Joseph S. Nye, Jr.

h) Robert D. Putnam

i) H. Douglas Price

j) James Q. Wilson

Answers: Be sure to look for all the answers to the 1986 Sports Cube Baseball Trivia Quiz stumpers--along with a special baseball package--in next Tuesday's Crimson.