Baseball trivia Question of the Day, or thereabouts

[Webster29]

Donald Eugene (Gene) Conley   Milwaukee Braves    Boston Celtics

[dasher]

That's the player - Gene Conley.
Thanks Big Red for the answer.

[retrojint]

Still looking for the answer to 8-30s question:
 
Limited time today so I will post 8-31: The Yankees are playing in their 109th season. Ergo there have been 109 Opening Days & 109 corresponding Opening-Day lineups. Name the player who hit lead-off the most times in the Opening Day lineup. (The past test framing of the question does not necessarily eliminate a current player from consideration, by the way)

[dasher]

They are all Angels.

[babywhales]

Retro,
 
 I actually heard the story about Mays as a side note to a story my neighbors father told us as kids regarding Mays in Japan and the fans cheering (say hey). He could not pronounce it in Japanesse but would than reference the ole mira used in PR.
 
 
Another bit of useless info.  Doc Medich's family were family friends of my mother.  We used to go down to his father in laws on the Cheesapeake and spend the weeknd from time to time.  His father or father in law (can't rememeber) would go down to the bay and catch crab and make some of the best crab cakes.  when he was with the Brewers we went to Yankees Stadium and he got us into the dugout and my brother, medich's nephew and myself and we got to meet  Cecil Cooper, Yount, Sutton, Molitor, rolle and someothers....   As I got older, in the occasional conversation with my mother she would give me an update on his circumstances.  It is just a shame on how that one turned out.   he was a very bright guy and very nice.  But just couldn't stop popping pills and writting prescriptions for other players.
 
I think I recall he was the pitcher who started the game or was pitching when Henderson broke Lou Brock's record, only to  declare "today i am the greatest"

[babywhales]

Is it Jeter?

[retrojint]

Mad Dash for Cash: Yes all Angels. They need(ed) the obligatory "halo at the top"cap circa expansion LA Angels that the kid wore from the movie "Sandlot." Later on he got really into the 60s and disappeared. My hero in that movie is Squint. He ended up marrying the very lovely lifeguard. 9 kids were the product of his insatiable desire for her.
 
Wales: Thanks for the background. A certain personality, with a certain biochemstry, is hooked for life when they try some of that stuff. Don't really follow the Henderson comment. Do you mean he started the game? Geez I don't think so if I'm understanding you correctly. 
The Jeter guess is incorrect. I wasn't putting the parathentical element in there to lead anybody astray either. Jeter finished tied for second in this question, along with six other players. That is 6 with 5 names at the top. The leader has 8.

[babywhales]

Yes , it was just a meaningless Medich reference but he was pitching the game Henderson broke Lou Brock's record. 
 
(I just was not sure if he was still in the game during the inning the record was broken)

[bighitterdalama]

Horace Clark.

[babywhales]

What Yankee is credited with inventing the batting donut?

[retrojint]

Wales: Thank you for the clarification. Elston Howard invented the donut. They don't allow you to use those in Little League games, anymore. Too bad. Best way to make the bat feel lighter in your hands once you stepped in against the pitcher. 
 
Big Hitter: Incorrect. Hoss is one of the guys in a log-jam for second with 5 opening- day lead-off assignments. 

[babywhales]

I figured you might have known that one. 
 
Why is the donut banned?

[retrojint]

Conjecture. Somebody got seriously injured or killed by the donut flying off. That's usually what happens. Insurance considerations. For example, the on-deck area for the next hitter has been banned. The kid has to stay in the fenced-off, bench area. Little League affiliates fenced off an on-deck enclosure so a kid could get his swings in there. Not too worry. Also banned. As I recall, the on-deck deal was a result of another player walking up to the side of the kid on-deck who inadvertantly hit the kid in the head with one of his practice swings. I don't see how Ellie's could have flown off the top part of the bat. As you know, those fit pretty snuggly once you worked it up from the handle. 

[nygsem]

Conjecture. Somebody got seriously injured or killed by the donut flying off. That's usually what happens. Insurance considerations. For example, the on-deck area for the next hitter has been banned. The kid has to stay in the fenced-off, bench area. Little League affiliates fenced off an on-deck enclosure so a kid could get his swings in there. Not too worry. Also banned. As I recall, the on-deck deal was a result of another player walking up to the side of the kid on-deck who inadvertantly hit the kid in the head with one of his practice swings. I don't see how Ellie's could have flown off the top part of the bat. As you know, those fit pretty snuggly once you worked it up from the handle.

Story time - In his last year of playing little league my son, Jeff, made the all-star team.  He played SS during the regular season, but because so many of the SS's made the all-star team he ended up playing CF.  He was a so-so hitter, but was a good athlete and that translated to a better fielder than hitter in his case.  During his final all-star game against a team from another city he was on deck waiting to face a pitcher with a pretty good fastball.  He was lazily swinging the bat, with no real purpose.  So I stepped down off the bleachers and called him over and told him he should stick a doughnut on and try to time the pitcher while waiting his turn, so he did.  Wouldn't you know it his first two ABs were with the bases loaded.  He hit two triples, both high off the wall in LF. I guess I should have given him that tip earlier in the season. 

Side note - Jeff played in the same Little League as the Baltimore Orioles' reliever Jim Johnson, back then he was known as Jimmy Johnson. Jeff still reminds of the game when Johnson no-hit my son's team, all outs except one via the strike out.  In one AB my son grounded out weakly to 1B - a moral victory. 

 

[retrojint]

Quite an accomplishment for Jeff, nygsem. I would guess as time went by, he rooted for Johnson? I remember reading somewhere that when Ken Griffey Jr. was 12  years-old, he didn't make an out the entire season. Can you imagine what a nightmare scene it must have been like pitching to him?
 
OK new tact on today's trivia question. I will list all of the participants except for the leader, who as I mentioned, did it 8 times.
5 times (7 players): Derek Jeter, Willie Randolph, Horace Clarke, Hank Bauer, Phil Rizzuto, Frank Crosetti, Stuffy Stirnweiss
4 times (2 players): Chuck Knoblach, Rickey Henderson
3 times (4 players): Johnny Damon, Mickey Rivers, Bobby Richardson, Fritz Maisel
2 times (10 players): Alfonso Soriano, Wade Boggs, Steve Sax, Omar Moreno, Tom Tresh, Whitey Witt, Frank Gilhooley, Henry Wolter, Charlie Hemphill, Patsy Dougherty
1 time (26 players): Brent Gardner, Bernie Williams, Randy Velarde, Luis Polonia, Sandy Alomar, Sr., Roy White, Jerry Kenney, Phil Linz, Tony Kubek, Roger Maris, Gil McDougald, Jackie Jensen, Jerry Priddy, Sammy Bryd, Red Rolfe,  Mark Koenig,  Ben Paschal, Elmer Miller, Chick Fewster, Frank Gleich, Sammy Vick,Bert Daniels, Harry Niles, Danny Hoffman, Wid Conroy, Lefty Davis.
5 x 7 = 35. 2 x 4 = 8 4 x 3 = 12  2 x 10 = 20  26  Those come to 101. Now all you need is the leader who supplies 8, gets me to 109. When I was researching this I couldn't get my columns to balance, which was pissing me off, royally. I neglected Maris's 1960 opener in lead-off. Found it. I probably had a mental block about him batting 1. OK with that as a background, I will also say that our boy is in the HOF.  Now can somebody here play this game?