November Newsletter
By Gilbert D. Martinez
Hot stove topics, highlights of the 2023 season and a veterans-themed quiz dominated the November meeting less than two weeks after the Texas Rangers won the World Series.
Eleven members and guests gathered at Serranos on Sunday to speculate about free agent Shohei Ohtani’s future. According to recent news reports, Ohtani was going to meet with the Toronto Blue Jays, including fellow countryman Yusei Kikuchi. Some at the table thought that the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants may be among the favorites to land the coveted superstar.
Having won Ira Siegel’s hodgepodge quiz at the World Series Watch Party at the end of October, Jim Baker crafted a clever Veterans Day Quiz asking questions about players who served in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War (including some who participated in multiple conflicts).
Cy Morong eked out a narrow victory with 17 points over Jerry Miller’s 16 points. Ira, 13, and Monte, 12, were the only others in double figures. For their first and second place achievements, Jim generously awarded Cy and Jerry gift cards to Serranos.
Take your turn with Jim’s quiz at the bottom of this page. The quiz answers immediately follow the questions.
This was the 204th consecutive month in which the chapter has had a meeting, a streak that began in December 2006.
Research Spotlight
Jim Baker noticed a graphic during World Series Game 5 that showed that Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien set an MLB record with 835 plate appearances during the season and postseason. Baker compiled the all-time list of most plate appearances in a season and shared it with chapter members on the chapter email list.
“Of course, that includes the postseason as well, and, since they keep adding layer after layer to the playoffs, it’s no surprise the record was broken,” Baker wrote. “Not to take away from what Semien did, but the real record is what happens in the regular season (where, to his credit, Semien had the 18th-highest total in 2023). I thought I’d show the evolution of the record, which Jimmy Rollins has now held for 16 seasons.
“The increase in the number of games helped drive up the number, although it took until 1974 for someone to really blow away the 154-game record set by Frankie Crosetti in 1938 (Maury Wills only broke it by two with his additional eight games).”
PAs Year Player
778 2007 Jimmy Rollins
773 1993 Lenny Dykstra
771 1974 Pete Rose
759 1962 Maury Wills
757 1938 Frankie Crosetti
755 1930 Woody English
752 1928 Taylor Douthit
747 1922 Rabbit Maranville
731 1921 Jack Tobin/Whitey Witt
722 1898 George van Haltren
712 1892 Tom Brown
Upcoming Meetings
We’ve set the December meeting for 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at Serranos at Lakeline (11100 Pecan Park Blvd., Cedar Park). Hope you can join us!
Also, please save Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024 – it’s the date of our 18th Annual Bill Gilbert Winter Meeting at Texas State University in San Marcos. We’d love to see you there!
Veterans Day Quiz
By Jim Baker
We know by now that Abner Doubleday definitely did not invent baseball, but he did fight in the Civil War. On which side was he in that conflict?
WORLD WAR I
Three of these Negro League Hall of Famers served in the military during World War II and one during World War I. Which one was the latter?
Buck O’Neil Leon Day Jackie Robinson Bullet Rogan
Name the two World War I veterans who both ended up with 373 career victories:
Which of these World War I vet Cooperstowners came up 13 hits shy of collecting 3,000 for his career?
Sam Rice George Sisler Harry Heilmann Tris Speaker
Which of these World War I vet Hall of Famers registered the most career victories?
Rube Marquard Eppa Rixey Herb Pennock Waite Hoyt
WORLD WAR II
This 300-game winner was a combat engineer in World War II and took part in the famous Battle of Remagen Bridge in 1945. (He also famously said he played for Casey Stengel, “before and after he was a genius.”)
This legendary catcher definitely played for Stengel while he was a genius. He was also present on the Normandy coast on D-Day in 1944, bombarding the Germans from a rocket boat.
Famous team owner Bill Veeck, Jr., (Indians, Browns, White Sox) lost what while serving in the Marine Corps during the Bougainville Campaign in the Pacific Theatre in World War II?
Among these slugging World War II veteran Hall of Famers, which one had the most career home runs?
Joe DiMaggio Hank Greenberg Ralph Kiner Johnny Mize
This Hall of Fame pitcher was wounded at the Battle of the Bulge in 1944 and carried a piece of shrapnel in his back even while still an active major leaguer over a quarter-century later. His military service earned him the nickname “Old Sarge.”
This HOFer would have most probably won 300 games (instead of 266) and struck out over 3,000 men (instead of 2,581) had he not spent the better part of four seasons in the military during WWII.
KOREA
Hall of Famer Ted Williams served in both World War II and the Korean conflict. In which branch of the service was he?
Which two of the following Hall of Famers did not serve in the military during the Korean War?
Ernie Banks Hank Aaron Willie Mays Whitey Ford Mickey Mantle
This Yankee infielder saw action in both World War II and Korea as a Marine pilot. He later became a long-time broadcaster and the broadcast booth at Petco Park is named in his honor.
VIETNAM
A first baseman-outfielder primarily with the White Sox and Yankees from 1968 to 1977, this player lost part of his thumb in a mortar misfire while training with the Marine Reserve. In 1969, he and his brother became the first siblings to face off in an All-Star Game. Oh, and he’s the only player in MLB history to have his birthday on the back of his jersey!
In Vietnam in 1967, Indians minor leaguer Phil Hennigan was awarded for gallantry while serving as an artilleryman. He made his big league debut two years later and was traded to the Mets in 1972 for this former Astros pitching coach.
This famous executive was never a player but served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam. He was at the helm for the Bash Brothers-era Oakland A’s, mentored Billy Beane, and helped lead the Mets to their last pennant.
This career Oriole outfielder (except for 68 games with the Padres in 1985) was the Rookie of the Year in 1973 and was on the championship team for 1983 in their triumph over the Phillies. He was also a platoon leader in Vietnam where he won the Bronze Star.
The previous player’s opposite number in centerfield for the Phils in the ’83 World Series was this player, who began his career as a Giant. When he found out they were paying other minor leaguers more money, he quit, joined the army and volunteered for duty in Vietnam. He later went on to win eight Gold Gloves and amass a career WAR of 36.8.
TIE BREAKER
This former Reds/Phillies/Giants infielder was a captain in the American Expeditionary Forces and was killed in action 37 days before the Armistice that ended the Great War. A monument honoring him was erected in center field of the Polo Grounds in 1921. This plaque famously disappeared when the crowd stormed the field after the Giants last game in 1957.
Answers
He was a general in the Union army. There is a statue of Doubleday at Gettysburg.
World War I
Bullet Rogan; he was nearly 50 when the WWII started.
Christy Mathewson and Grover Alexander
Sam Rice-2987, Harry Heilmann-2660, Tris Speaker-3514, George Sisler-2812
Eppa Rixey-266, Herb Pennock-241, Waite Hoyt-237, Rube Marquard-201
World War II
Warren Spahn
Yogi Berra
His leg. Foot is also acceptable.
While a co-owner of the Brewers, Veeck served for nearly three years in the United States Marine Corps during World War II in an artillery unit. During this time a recoiling artillery piece crushed his right leg, requiring amputation first of the foot, and shortly after of the leg above the knee. Over the course of his life he had 36 operations on the leg.[3] He had a series of wooden legs and, as an inveterate smoker, cut holes in them to use as ashtrays. Veeck also used the wooden leg in props such as a recreation of iconic Revolutionary War soldiers during the Bicentennial year of 1976. At other times, engaged in intensive trade talks with competing owners, Veeck would complain they were demanding “an arm and a leg” in negotiations, then unbuckle the leg and throw it on the desktop for dramatic effect.
369 Kiner, 361 DiMaggio, 359 Mize, 331 Greenberg
Hoyt Wilhelm, who pitched until 1972
Bob Feller
Korea
He was a Marine aviator.
Hank Aaron and Mickey Mantle
Jerry Coleman
Vietnam
Carlos May; vs. Lee May of the Reds. His jersey read MAY 17
Brent Strom
Sandy Alderson
Al Bumbry
Garry Maddox
Tie Breaker
Eddie Grant. The plaque was finally located 40 years later in a New Jersey attic.
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