Tom Thayer presented this quiz at the April 2019 monthly chapter meeting.
Answers are at the end of this page.
This quiz consists of assembling three “All-Animal” teams, each with their own theme. The animal names can be in the first name, last name, or nickname. It can also be a homophone of an animal name. Each player is worth a point. To get credit, you must give both the first and last name of the player or both the nickname and last name of the player.
Team Aquatic
1b: This former Pirates and Braves first baseman is most famous for his mad dash home ahead of Barry Bonds’s throw in the 1992 NLCS. ______________________________________
2b: This career.267 hitter from the turn of the 19th/20th century was frequent trade bait as he played for seven different NL teams in unspectacular fashion (94 career OPS+). He was mostly an outfielder and first baseman, but he did play some 2b. ______________________________________
SS: He was the 1944 NL MVP not for his hitting, but because his tentacles could get to balls that no other SS could reach. ______________________________________
3b: This stalwart of the early 20th century great Pirates teams played both 3b and OF. He certainly did not suck as he helped the Pirates to four pennants and hit .310 in the postseason. He hit .269 for his career, but due to more walks and power, had an OPS+ 15 points higher than this team’s 2b, who was a contemporary. ______________________________________
LF: This former Astros outfielder is better known for playing RF. He fell for Jesse Orosco’s low curveball hook, line, and sinker when he struck out to end the 1986 NLCS.
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CF: This native of Millville, NJ has never had lower than 6.6 WAR in a full season and has three seasons over 10 WAR. ______________________________________
RF: This former Angel returned to his original team every year, much as his namesake return to the same spawning grounds where they were born.
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Reserve OF: He led the NL in batting average for the 1974 Braves and finished his career with a .306 average. Both his last name and one of his nicknames fit the theme. ______________________________________
C: No catcher had a name or nickname that fit the theme, but this 1975 WS Game 6 hero would have if you change one letter in his name. ______________________________________
SP: This father/son pitching combo shares a last name with the team’s CF, though they are no relation. The father (a righty) was on the 1945 Tiger team that defeated the Cubs in the WS, and the son (a lefty) was on the next Cubs team to make the postseason in 1984.
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SP: This hall of famer was given his nickname by Charlie Finley and was baseball’s first 3 million dollar man. ______________________________________
SP: He won 21 games for the 1965 pennant-winning Twins plus two more games in the WS. He won 145 games total in his 14 year career with an even 100 ERA+.
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RP: This reliever led the league in saves for the 2000 Marlins with 45. His nickname comes from having six fingers on each hand. ______________________________________
Team Terrestrial
1b: This hall of famer won three MVPs and hit 534 home runs in his career.
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2b: This hall of famer was the 1959 MVP and hit .375 in the WS that year. He made 11 All Star teams in a row from 1951 to 1961. ______________________________________
SS: This hall of famer must have been somewhat fleet of foot with 291 stolen bases. He played 23 seasons, mostly for the Boston Braves, hitting .308 in two WS despite only hitting .258 for his career. ______________________________________
3B: This stocky 3b played for the Dodgers and Cubs, hitting 316 HRs and making six straight All Star teams in the 1970s. No word on how he looks in a tuxedo. ______________________________________
LF: This hall of famer hit over .400 twice for the Cleveland Spiders and won three batting titles but earned his nickname from his cranky and pugilistic disposition.
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CF: This member of the fearsome 1929-1931 Athletics led the league in sacrifices 6 times despite his .292 career batting average, yet his 40 sacrifices in 1929 was only good for second place. Despite that, he was nicknamed not for his stubbornness but for the supposed kick provided by his bat. ______________________________________
RF: Before he got caught up in the Pittsburgh drug trials, this 1978 MVP was known for striking quickly with his bat and arm as well as bopping with the boys.
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Reserve OF: He was not fleet of foot but was three true outcomes before it was cool, hitting .220, leading the league in strikeouts 4 years, and hitting 230 home runs in 11 seasons in the 1980s and early 1990s mostly for the Brewers and Tigers.
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C: A 19th century player who played almost all positions for Pittsburgh, he may not have been pitcher’s best friend behind the plate with 5 seasons of over 40 passed balls. However, he provided 6 seasons of above average offense and finished with a 97 career OPS+. ______________________________________
SP: These three pitchers share the same name, but for one, it’s a last name, for one, it’s a first name, and for one, it’s a nickname. One is in the hall of fame with 270 wins (yet only one 20 win season, his last). One pitched for the 1971 WS champion Pirates and died in a car accident on his 29th birthday. One pitched for the Harvey’s Wallbanger Brewers, winning exactly 100 games. Watch out for Sarah Palin.
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SP: This Texas native stood 6’4″ and was listed at 215 lbs, though he may have acquired his nickname by gaining weight later in his career. He was part of the famous double “no hitter” with Fred Toney in 1917 (he did allow a couple of hits in the 10th inning) and led the league in ERA and wins for the Cubs in 1918.
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SP: This lefty was with the Phillies for 8 years before changing teams 8 different times. His record was 133-125 with a 99 ERA+, but he had his own pack of fans during his time in Philly. His brother was a contemporaneous umpire.
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SP: Spending his entire career in one city, he played on three Cardinals pennant winners, leading the league in ERA and strikeouts and winning 20 games in 1948. His nickname sprang from his nimble fielding and quick reflexes off the mound.
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RP: This peripatetic Utah native was once traded three times in one season (once for Curt Schilling) and was later involved in a ten player trade between the Astros and Blue Jays. Despite that, he can take some pride in his 107 career ERA+ and the 2007 postseason where he gave up no runs in 5 games for the Diamondbacks.
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Sky Team
1b: While active, he was known as much for his style and golfing as for his baseball playing, yet he hit 30+ home runs twice for the Red Sox. He was the longtime voice of the White Sox but now “He gone”. ______________________________________
2b: He played more games at SS but played most of his 19 year career as a utility infielder for such teams as the 1960 WS champion Pirates and 1968 pennant-winning Cardinals. He got his nickname from his father, a minor league SS (who shared it with this team’s reserve OF). Baseball runs in the family as his son and grandsons both had major league careers. ______________________________________
SS: He was out of baseball after age 30, so his nickname doesn’t really fit. He was the first batter ever for the expansion Washington Senators in 1961, but with a career OPS+ of 60, he may not have been the best leadoff man. His last name could qualify him for Team Terrestrial, but PETA would not be in favor.
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3b: A utility infielder for the Pirates and Cardinals of the Dead Ball Era, he was 6’1″, which was tall for that time, so his last name may have also been an appropriate nickname. He was studying at Harvard Law in the offseason when he died of the flu in 1910. ______________________________________
LF: A hall of famer who sported a .316 career batting average and was on the first World Series champions for the Tigers and Senators (and all of the Washington pennant winners). He led the AL in batting average in 1928 at .379.
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CF: This Texan hall of famer was overshadowed by his contemporary hall of fame center fielder Ty Cobb though he holds the records for career doubles and outfield putouts and double plays. His nickname may have come from his prematurely graying hair. ______________________________________
RF: This hall of famer played primarily for the Expos and Cubs, winning the MVP in 1987 while hitting 49 home runs and driving in 137 runs. His nickname supposedly came from his eye at the plate when he was younger, but he never walked more than 44 times in a season. ______________________________________
Reserve OF: This player shares a nickname with the 2b on this team and won the MVP in 1937 while also winning the Triple Crown. In 1934, he batted .379 in the WS to help lead the Cardinals to victory, though he didn’t fare so well in the 1941 WS with the Dodgers when he only hit .235.
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C: His nickname came from his high-pitched, chirping voice, and his career spanned 14 years playing for the Tigers, Red Sox, and Indians. In 1940, he hit .296 as he replaced Rudy York behind the plate (Hank Greenberg being moved to the OF to make room for York at 1b) and helped the tigers capture the pennant. He later managed the Red and Indians after his playing days were over.
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SP: He won 192 games in 15 seasons with the Cubs and Cardinals, including a league leading 22 in 1932 to go along with the league leading ERA. Was 2-0 with a .54 ERA in the 1935 WS in a losing effort for the Cubs. His nickname came about after being traded to the Cardinals due to his quick and darting delivery.
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SP: He won 21 games for the pennant-winning 1961 Reds and followed it up in 1962 with 21 more wins. Outside of those two years, he never won more than 11 games in 13 years with the Braves and Reds. Finished his career with 99 wins and a 99 ERA+. ______________________________________
SP: He was an ugly duckling in his first three years with the Mets, posting ERAs of 8.64, 4.45, and 6.39 in brief stints. However, he blossomed into a major league pitcher, leading the league in ERA in 1978. ______________________________________
SP: This Astro didn’t really display his true feathers until 2017 when he went 13-2 with a 3.07 ERA and saving Game 3 of the World Series.
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RP: Get off his lawn! Back in his day, he exceeded 100 innings in relief 4 times, led the league in saves 3 times, and was a 9 time All Star. He pitched in 1002 games with 310 total saves and a 3.01 ERA, earning him a place in the Hall of Fame.
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RP: A failed starter with the Tigers before moving to the pen with the Dodgers where he led the NL in saves and games finished twice. He would hang around the late innings of games looking for leftovers from the starter that he could turn into a win. After his playing days, he became a pitching coach for several teams and managed the Orioles for one year. ______________________________________
The answers:
1b Sid Bream
2b Shad Barry
ss Marty “The Octopus” Marion
3b Tommy Leach
lf Kevin Bass
cf Mike Trout
rf Tim Salmon
of Ralph “Gator” Garr
c Carlton Fis(h)k
sp Dizzy Trout/Steve Trout
sp Catfish Hunter
sp Mudcat Grant
rp Antonio “El Pulpo/The Octopus” Alfonseca
1b Jimmie Foxx
2b Nellie Fox
ss Rabbit Maranville
3b Ron “Penguin” Cey
lf Jessie “Crab” Burkett
cf Mule Haas
rf Dave “Cobra” Parker
of Rob Deer
c Doggie Miller
sp Mike “Moose” Mussina/Bob Moose/Moose Haas
sp Hippo Vaughn
sp Randy Wolf
sp Harry “The Cat” Brecheen
rp Brandon Lyon
1b Ken “Hawk” Harrelson
2b Dick “Ducky” Schofield
ss Coot Veal
3b Alan Storke
lf Goose Goslin
cf Tris “The Grey Eagle” Speaker
rf Andre “The Hawk” Dawson
of Joe “Ducky’ Medwick
c Birdie Tebbetts
sp Lon “The Arkansas Hummingbird” Warneke
sp Joey Jay
sp Craig Swan
sp Brad Peacock
rp Phil “The Vulture” Regan