Greetings, Sports Fans! This is your old pal, Pops “Fungo” Bunion coming to you from Spring Training, U.S.A.
Yep, we’re just a few short weeks from baseball’s Opening Day. In fact, Little Leaguers and school teams are taking infield and BP as we speak.
Aah, the sound of horsehide meeting hickory signals the start of longer days and warmer weather, a new spring, a fresh start! The sound of baseballs hitting the bat are a nice harbinger as well, but why quibble*
I thought it would be fun to usher in a new season with a little contest.
Let’s test your knowledge of our National Pastime’s history and see if we can pawn off a little A News Café.com souvenir.
Here’s the deal, the readers who can correctly answer the following baseball trivia questions will have their names entered in a drawing to win a — drum roll please — a cartoon/caricature/drawing of their favorite Hall of Famer rendered by the hack who does the cartoons for A News café.com!
We’ll even matte it and mail it to you!
Not much of a prize? Well, not much of a challenge for you to Google the answers either, is it, Smartypants? Want a real prize? Invent a device to keep the guy behind you in the bleachers from spilling his beer down the back of your shirt when Pablo Sandoval actually closes his eyes and swings as hard as he can and doesn’t pop-up! You’ll be a millionaire!
Not good with trivia? That’s OK, too. You can enter in the drawing just by posting your prediction of who will meet in the 2009 World Series in the “comments” section at the end of this post. In fact, post your predictions anyway!
The topic is Baseball History. Here’s the quiz, good luck!
- It is generally agreed that the first organized game of baseball was played on Sept. 23, 1849 between the New York Knickerbockers and the New York Nine. Where was the game played? Who won?
- The “modern” National League was formed in 1877. There is only one of the originally chartered clubs still operating in the same city. What club is it?
- The first “World Series” was played in 1903. Who were the participants and who won?
- What position did Babe Ruth play when he made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox? What position did he play when he first appeared as a New York Yankee?
- The Red Sox ownership sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees in order to finance what Broadway play?
- What team was known as “The Gashouse Gang”?
- The Brooklyn Bridegrooms became the “Robins” when they were managed by Wilbur Robinson. Why did they end up with the nickname “Dodgers”?
- The Brooklyn Dodgers were the first team to break the long-standing “Gentlemen’s Agreement” that had kept baseball segregated. What was the last major league team to allow an African-American player on its roster?
- What is “The Miracle at Coogan’s Bluff”?
- Chicago’s Wrigley Field, home of the National League’s Chicago Cubs, is a hallowed baseball landmark, but there was another Wrigley Field that housed an American League team for an entire season. Where was this “other” Wrigley Field and who played there? What year?
- Name the three cities the Athletics have called home.
- When the New York Giants moved to San Francisco in 1958, where did they play while they waited for Candlestick Park to be completed?
- What Hall of Famer, and San Francisco native, played in San Francisco and coached in Oakland? (Hint: He was mentioned in a Simon & Garfunkle song).
- Name the only team to play in a World Series to feature an all switch-hitting infield.
- The Washington Senators were one of the original American League teams, where do they play now and what is their nickname? Hint: Their opponent in one World Series was the switch-hitting infield team in a question above. Another aside, the Senators were known for their futility on the field and made the phrase, “Washington, first in war, first in peace and last in the American League” popular. They were also the underdog team that set out to topple those “Damn Yankees” of Broadway fame.
- There was once an American League team in St. Louis, where do they play now and what is their nickname? By the way, they were able to keep the same team colors.
- Who was on-deck when Bobby Thompson hit, “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”?
- What current major league manager was on-deck when Henry Aaron hit his historic 715th home run?
- How many World Championships have the Los Angeles Dodgers won since moving from Brooklyn in 1958?
- How many World Championships have the San Francisco Giants won since moving from New York in 1958?
Bonus tie-breaker question: What the heck is a “fungo”?
OK, folks! There it is! Easy-peasy lemon squeezy! You can copy and paste the questions into your E-mail browser along with your answers and send it to: philf.anewscafe@gmail.com with the word “Quiz” in the subject line. We’ll pick a winner on Opening day, April 6th. Again, you can enter just by leaving a message in the “Comments” section of this post. PLAY BALL!
*The word “quibble” was brought back to general, everyday usage by elderly, yet persistent, Schoolmarms and A News Café.com columnist, Steve Brewer. It is used here with reverence toward both. (Not really, I’m just trying to be nice. I honestly thought “quibble” is what you fed your dog. It’s certainly not a word an adult male should use in public.)
