Comments on: The Pitchers & Poets Not-Quite Midseason Quiz

By: Stretch

Stretch — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:43:26 +0000

1. Spiezio – the only player to have a facial hairstyle named for him.
2. Hose B. Canseco
3. Coney
4. Bob Forsch
5. ’44 Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) – paired with Veeck.
6. Come ON, Ray … You CANNOT sell this farm.
7. Kruk and Kuip hands down.
8. Who am I to question or dis ANY HOFer?
9. Ain’t no trolleys to dodge in LA … of course, there aren’t in Brooklyn any more either. Regardless, a new Ebbets would be great.

By: Lunchbox

Lunchbox — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:41:14 +0000

1. Dennis Eckersley
2. Ozzie Canseco. Seriously, how do you follow up the great Jose?
3. David Cone- Apparently he liked to have a good time in the bull pen.
4. Babe Ruth. Next question.
5. 1953 Yankess. “If we’re going to win the pennant, we’ve got to start thinking we’re not as smart as we think we are.”[
6. Bull Durham. Field of Dreams is a chick flick.
8. Candy Cummings.
9. Montreal Expos.
10. Pretty much anything Lou Piniella does is ok with me.

By: Exiled in NJ

Exiled in NJ — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 23:23:05 +0000

1. Al Hrabosky….Bake McBride was the poor man’s Oscar Gamble

2. Mark Leiter….a half season of decent pitching then poof.

3. Cone

4. Don Newcombe wasn’t bad, Mike Hampton or Kenny Brett

5. 49 Yankees, just to show he was not a fool

6. Bull Durham though I can’t stand Mr. Monotone

7. The late Kalas and Ashburn

8. Rabbit Maranville

9. Philadelphia Athletics

10. Who carried an umbrella to the plate to point out it was raining? Bobby Bragan had a few techniques, including laying down on his back I believe.

By: Walter

Walter — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 10:07:20 +0000

1. Ken Caminiti had some real aggressive facial hair. He looked like a tweaked out biker who just spent the past three years lifting weights in San Quentin or Pelican Bay.
2. My first thought is Billy Ripken, though maybe it should be Mike Maddux. The real answer has to be Ozzie Canseco, right? Was Ozzie Canseco an identical twin? Because career minor leaguer versus borderline/potential hall famer (or at least Jose would be if he didn’t rub so many people the wrong way) has to be the be the biggest discrepancy between two baseball brothers with (potentially) identical genes. Ramon Martinez was probably the best lesser brother in recent memory.
3. It seems like Cone had the longer career, being with those Mets teams early, the Blue Jays in the middle, and Yankees late in his career.
4. Well the obvious answer is Babe Ruth, isn’t it? Excluding him, I remember Fernando and Orel being good hitters, especially with 1988 Orel outhitting Canseco (aside from his monster home run in game one, and I don’t mean Ozzie).
5. Miracle Mets? Stengel was way before my time.
6. I have never seen Field of Dreams. Bull Durham by default. Eight Men Out is by far my favorite sports movie.
7. I only know the Dodger and Angel broadcast crews, best known for Vin Scully and Rex Hudler respectively. Can you guess which one I like and which one I don’t?
8. Everyone who played prior to integration is not deserving if you want to honest about it. Relief pitchers are probably undeserving as well. Bill Mazerowski?
9. Les Expos.
10. Taking the base and either throwing it, or taking it with you to the clubhouse.

By: Brian Wolff

Brian Wolff — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 22:15:29 +0000

1- Jeff Bagwell’s mid to late 90s goa-tee could’ve rivaled ZZ Top’s

2- Ozzie Canseco (exactly…huh, who?) for identical twins Jose sure got all the power, Ozzie had a whooping 0 bombs in his few years of sporadic games in the bigs inbetween long minor league power dominances

3- David Cone BY FAR. Not a knock on Dave Steib at all who was a good pitcher in his own right, but come on…5 Rings, a perfecto, and a Cy Young

4- Other than the obvious early Babe Ruth. I’d say that Micah Owings would probably pinch hit for power better than most bench players out there. He could pull off the next “Rich Ankiel” move if his pitching doesn’t improve soon.

5- The 1954 Yanks. Casey managed so many HOFers and great players on this team that swept the Indians who were national league then in the Series. He had Mantle, Rizzuto, Berra, Ford, Enos Slaughter off the bench wow. I love his line, “Managing is getting paid for homeruns someone else hits.” I’m sure that applied in ’54 really well for him.

6- Tough call 2 great movies (Costner’s only decent ones in my opinion) but Bull Durham wins out for me because of the comedic value of the behind the game type stuff like the chit chat of the whole infield’s conversations during mound visits, etc

7- Being a Dodger fan its hard not to pick Scully but since I can’t, the Joe Morgan & Jon Miller combo for the dreaded Giants (blah) games are very entertaining. Must be why espn uses them for their primetime broadcasts

8- Roger Bresnahan definitely doesn’t have anywhere close to H.O.F. stats although he did popularize modern catching equipment his 26, YES!, 26 career homers/530rbi/.279avg over 17 seasons while being a great and versatile fielder just does not add up to enough to mention only 1 post season and a losing record as a manager

9- Not a big league move but I used to love going to Peninsula Pilots games as they once were the single A affiliate of the Mariners in Hampton, VA. They moved to Delaware I think, back in ’93. Now they use the really OLD stadium for a young local independent semi-pro team which is cool but not quite the same. AAAANNNNDD also, if I could play Bud Selig/God for a day I would have Arte Moreno sell back his L.A. title back to Mayor Villaraigso and keep it strictly “Anaheim” again.

10- That minor league manager a couple years ago that went absolutely crazy by screaming at the ump in a tirade then covered the plate with dirt, picking up and throwing bases and then throwing imaginary gernades while army crawling through the infield was completely ridiculous to see. Still entertaining to look up on you-tube from time to time

By: Anon

Anon — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:49:30 +0000

1. Excluding Rollie Fingers, who has the greatest facial hair in the history of the game?

- Piazza’s fu manchu

2. Least enviable inferior big league brother. Example: Wilton Guerrero.

- Tommy Aaron

3. Dave Stieb or David Cone?

- Cone

4. The game is on the line. You have to send a pitcher – any pitcher – to the plate. Who is it?

- early Babe Ruth (or, if that’s cheating, Don Drysdale)

6. Bull Durham or Field of Dreams?

- Bull Durham

9. If you could resurrect one dislocated or disbanded franchise, which?

- Montreal Expos. I feel that city really could support a major league team, and might still have a team if the 94 season were played out.

10. Most memorable instance of creative technique employed by manager in confrontation with umpire.

- Lloyd McClendon’s last stolen base.

By: Marc R

Marc R — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 01:55:13 +0000

1. Bruce Sutter- The pre-Ted Kazinsky

2. Billy Ripken

3. Steib

4. Obviously C.C. Sabathia-as he gets larger it would be a hoot to see him having to run out a potential hit

5. Any Boston Brave or Brooklyn Dodger team

6.Bull Durham-even though it had way too much sex and not enough baseball

7.Cubs-even with Santo

8.It’s all one person’s opinion. I think the whole place is tainted with somw of the players in there.

9.The Cleveland Spiders-to make the Nats look good.

10.The magic of the Lloyd McClendon stolen base.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 02:23:53 +0000

1. Al Hrabosky

2. Vince Dimaggio or one of the crappy Delahantys. It’s bad enough if you have one brother who’s way better than you but to have two or more is on another level.

3. Stieb

4. Discounting any pitchers who wound up playing as regulars at another position, Bob Lemon. Currently, Owings has to be the pick.

5. I don’t want to go with a Yankees team but the rest of his teams are only memorable for being awful, so I guess I’ll have to pick the 1951 Yankees with the changeover from DiMaggio to Mantle, plus Johnny Mize.

6. Field of Dreams

7. Don’t really have one.

8. Morgan Bulkeley. President of the National League for its first year but didn’t do much of anything.

9. The Providence Grays. Just because there’s nothing you can do with gray to make it interesting, especially when every team wears gray on the road anyway.

10. The Braves minor-league manager could have won if he cut his act by just a little bit. It wound up being overdone even though the grenade act was probably the most original single action I’ve ever seen. Otherwise, it’s the previously mentioned Bobby Valentine facial hair.

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:52:27 +0000

1. Excluding Rollie Fingers, who has the greatest facial hair in the history of the game?

I’m partial to Rod Beck for the walrus mustache/mullet combo. Oscar Gamble was a great choice.

2. Least enviable inferior big league brother. Example: Wilton Guerrero.

Since I wrote the quiz, I’ll stick with Wilton.

3. Dave Stieb or David Cone?

Stiebster.

4. The game is on the line. You have to send a pitcher – any pitcher – to the plate. Who is it?

The answer is obvious: Hideo Nomo.

5. Favorite Casey Stengel managed ball club?

Kind of shamefully, I’m partial to the 1956 Yankees.

6. Bull Durham or Field of Dreams?

Bull Durham.

7. Best local broadcast crew, excluding your hometown/favorite team?

Anybody but the White Sox crew.

8. Least deserving Hall of Famer?

Rube Marquard. Also the least deserving pitcher named Rube in the Hall.

9. If you could resurrect one dislocated or disbanded franchise, which?

The Seattle Pilots. I think that market needs a second baseball team.

10. Most memorable instance of creative technique employed by manager in confrontation with umpire.

I’m partial to the Lloyd McClendon’s taking out the first base bag and carrying it off the field with him to the clubhouse.

By: Paul Catalano

Paul Catalano — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:31:54 +0000

1. Excluding Rollie Fingers, who has the greatest facial hair in the history of the game?

Oscar Gamble. Great afro and a awesome huge moustache

2. Least enviable inferior big league brother. Example: Wilton Guerrero.

Mike Maddux

3. Dave Stieb or David Cone?

Dave Cone

4. The game is on the line. You have to send a pitcher – any pitcher – to the plate. Who is it?

Mike Hampton. Batted .311 one year.

5. Favorite Casey Stengel managed ball club?

1962 Mets

6. Bull Durham or Field of Dreams?

Bull Durham. hands down, now.

7. Best local broadcast crew, excluding your hometown/favorite team?

Dunno, really. Never really listened elsewhere

8. Least deserving Hall of Famer?

Bill Mazeroski No offense Bill. But a .260 BA, 138 HRs and a .299 OBP dopn’t really cut it.

9. If you could resurrect one dislocated or disbanded franchise, which?

Easy. Brooklyn Dodgers. I’m a Brooklyn boy and I would love to have seen them play.

10. Most memorable instance of creative technique employed by manager in confrontation with umpire.

Not sure. But any of Earl Weavers would have been great to see now.