Baseball trivia Question of the Day, or thereabouts

[Bill Brown]

I don't know anything about glaucoma but a gent named Mike Ferraro, from Kingston NY played for the Yanks and Pilots.

Bill

But I now see a post by the Big Hitter that confirms my thinking. 

[retrojint]

Yes way to go boys. Mike Ferraro, once a fairly prized prospect, who was supplanted for a time by a guy named Bobby Cox. Yes, that one.  Much better manager than player that guy. Notice how The Big Hitter only responds with answers that are wrapped inside enigmatic questions furthering the puzzle. Churchill one of his heroes. Stay thirsty my friends.

9-6-11:  What explosive quality did George "Not Patton" Scott, Ron Blomberg and David Wells share? 

[babywhales]

9-6-11:  What explosive quality did George "Not Patton" Scott, Ron Blomberg and David Wells share?

Boomer

[retrojint]

Nicely done, Mr. Wales. All possessed the Boomer nickname.

9-7-11:  Bam Bam and Bye Bye were two of the most over-hyped, pseudo sluggers in Yankee History. Who were they?

[bighitterdalama]

"Bam Bam" was Hensley Meulins. I think "Bye Bye" might have been Steve Balboni.

[Webster29]

I do believe that Brian nailed that one.    If memory serves the Scooter used to love to say Bye Bye Balboni all the time.

[retrojint]

Yes, Red, the Big Hitter strikes again. If memory serves it might have been Frank Messer, who provided the sobriquet for Big Steve. I should note that Balboni hit 181 HRs over his career with a 451 slugging percentage. It's just that most of his damage was done with the Royals. By comparison, Bam Bam pulls in at 15 and 350.  So I took a liberty with the double-entry nicknames. Saw Meulens absolutely vaporize a ball in Syracuse at Old Mac the year when Columbus threatened the all-time winning percentage for a minor-league team. Over the left-center fence, almost to the train tracks.  He had raw power, but a poorly defined, flawed swing.

9-8-11:  The Chisox had a defensive position covered by 2 future Hall-of-Famers most of the time from the period from 1930 to 1970. They had oddly similar names. Name the 2 players.

[dasher]

The answer to the City trivia question is Los Angeles. In 1962, it was Don Drysdale of the Dodgers, 1964 was Dean Chance of the Angels, and 1963, '65, and '66, it was the Dodger's Sandy Koufax.

[retrojint]

Dash: Sorry we missed that one in the wash from the posting history. Didn't see the question.  That was a good one because it worked in Dean Chance, who gets a lot of trivia play. So does Bo Belinsky. Chance's career numbers are a bit deceiving because of the era during which he pitched, but he was still pretty good. 83 complete games in 294 career starts. Anyway 64 was his signature season, which was a great one in any guy's league. 

My question is still on the clock from above.

[Webster29]

OK Steve how about Luke Appling and Little Luis Aparicio

Luke was a bit before my time but I remember pictures of him with the old Sox lobo   the big S with an O and an X in the middle of the S     I always thought it was pretty cool

And from my youth I remember the Go-Sox of 1959.    Aparicio teamed up with Nellie Fox (played at Jamestown by the way) to form a pretty good double play combo.

[Webster29]

Let me throw in a question if I may.   One of my all time favorite non-Yankee World Series was 1968 between the Cards and the Tigers.   Tiger manager Mayo Smith made quite a bold defensive move during that series.  What did he do?

[dasher]

That was one great World Series.
I won't give the answer but there would soon be a Seattle Pilot connection.

[Bill Brown]

The late 60s and early 70s are almost a blank for me when it comes to sports.  In the USAF, stationed in Germany, so didn't get much for sports news. And maybe all that good beer and other good things had something to do with it too.     Without looking up the answers,  I could not even tell you if thay had a worlds series in 68.  

Bill

[babywhales]

It was three years till I was even a thought, but I do own and watch a dvd set of all World Series.  Every now and then a watch a disc that covers 2-3 series. 

The two things I remember about 68 :
1-McClain pitched 3 times and the 3rd was after 3 poor performances 
2-Eddie Mathews career ended in that series after being inserted into the lineup for his bat.


So I would have to guess Mayo Smith pitched McLain a thrid night for his first win after 2 poor outings. 

[retrojint]

Good work Red. The 2 Aps pretty much had it covered for many years. Not all of the time, but a good percentage of it. The answer is Mickey Stanley being moved to SS by Mayo "The Clinician" Smith.  Dash had an allusion to Ray Oyler, who was another Pilots expansionite.  That season he got into a mini-brawl with Bobby Murcer at second base.  A frustrated Murcer later apologized, admitting to being frustrated about his poor defensive work at 3B. The move to the outfield soon followed. 

Wales: Eddie Matthews was a great player, an HOFer. However, he is something of a "what might have been" guy, career-wise. His early seasons led to projections of maybe 775 career HRs. He did most of his best work early in his career. For example 40+ HRs when he was 21. I think he had a bad back or neck-something like that. He is the answer to a much asked trivia question. Who is the only Brave to play in all three cities in the franchise's history?

9-9-11: Truly an odd looking fellow, The Stork played in parts of 2 seasons with the Mets. Without much distinction. Name the player. He is from the 70s.