Category: Hornsby News

May meeting, No. 162, returns to Zoom

Twenty-five chapter members and guests joined us for our second consecutive Zoom meeting on Saturday, May 16, to talk baseball and forget about everything else for a time.

Our Zoom gathering marked a milestone for the chapter – it was the 162nd consecutive month with a meeting. The coronavirus has temporarily prevented us from meeting for lunch at favorite restaurants around Austin, but it’ll take more than that to stop us from getting together somehow.

Jan Larson supplied a number-centric quiz with questions about many of baseball’s well-known magic numbers, and a few not-so-well-known. Cy Morong took home top prize with 13 correct answers out of 20 questions. Jim Baker was runner-up with 11 correct. Try to top that in the quiz, attached below (answers come after the questions). Jan also had tiebreaker questions, which we didn’t need.

Among the topics we batted around included impressions of watching Korea Baseball Organization games on ESPN. Some members thought the broadcasters, who watch the games in studios in the United States, need improvement. Based on limited viewing, some thought the level of play was comparable to other international leagues. Another said watching the games reminded him of MLB games in the 1980s in which teams manufactured runs rather than relying on the long ball.

We also continued talking about a question posed by Dan Walsh on our email list: Name the player who holds the career record for the most runs batted in without ever having a 100-RBI season. Monte supplied the correct answer: Pete Rose had 1,314 career RBI with a season high of 82. This led to further discussion about the largest differential between season-high and next highest totals. (Also, if you’re on the Hornsby email list, you’ll see Ryan Pollack’s update on this. After a good job researching the numbers, he identified the top five players with the largest RBI season deltas.).

We also shared some baseball memorabilia and apparel. For example, Jerry Miller sported a 2020 Los Angeles All-Star Game shirt, wryly noting that it’s unlikely that game will take place as planned. Mike McNulty showed his commemorative Wheaties cereal box depicting 2004 World Series champion David Ortiz on the cover. In remembrance of Bob Watson, I shared a signed ball by former Astros player Enos Cabell, who played with Watson and considered him a mentor. The Athletic recently published an article in which Cabell remembered Watson, who later served as general manager for the Astros and the Yankees, helping the Yanks win the World Series in 1996.

Speaking of the Yankees, one of our members (who’ll remain nameless here) changed his Zoom display name to “Yankees Suck!!!!!” (see photo above), despite or especially because of some on the call being avowed Yankees fans.

We also talked about MLB’s decision to limit the 2020 draft to five rounds and how that may affect the sport for years to come. We discussed what might become of minor league teams that were already under threat of contraction before the coronavirus hit.

Assuming no major changes related to the virus, we’ll likely have our next meeting on Zoom on the first day of summer: Saturday, June 20.

By the Numbers

By Jan Larson

  1. What uniform number did Hank Aaron wear throughout the majority of his career?
  2. How many times did Hank Aaron’s season home run total match his uniform number? 
  3. What was George Brett’s final batting average in 1980?
  4. What was Tony Gwynn’s final batting average in 1994?
  5. What was Ted Williams’ final batting average in 1941? 
  6. Early 20th century Phillies outfielder, Gavvy Cravath, led the NL in home runs six times including the war-shortened 1918 season (Phillies played 125 games).  How many HRs did he hit in 1918?
  7. Most baseball fans deem the “Mendoza line” to refer to a batting average of .200.  What was Mario Mendoza’s career batting average? 
  8. Dexter Fowler is the active leader in career triples (through 2019).  How many does he have?
  9. Which team was the first to wear uniform numbers on the back of their jerseys? 
  10. For five seasons from 1921 through 1925, this Cardinals infielder batted a cumulative .402.  Name him. 
  11. How many career home runs did Babe Ruth hit? 
  12. How many career strikeouts did Nolan Ryan accumulate? 
  13. Earl Webb of the Red Sox holds the major league record for most doubles in one season.  How many? 
  14. Ichiro Suzuki of the Mariners holds the major league record for most hits in one season.  How many? 
  15. Why did Keith Hernandez take uniform number 17 when he joined the Mets after wearing number 37 with the Cardinals? 
  16. In 2016 Bartolo Colon became the oldest player in Major League history to hit his first home run.  How old was he? 
  17. In 1988 the Dodgers’ Orel Hershiser set the record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched.  How many innings?
  18. How many consecutive games did Cal Ripken play? 
  19. In 1971 Ron Hunt became the modern (since 1901) record holder for most hit by pitch in one season.  How many? 
  20. Of all Major League clubs, the Los Angeles Angels have the all-time record that is closest to .500.  How many games above or below .500 are the Angels through the 2019 season?

Tiebreaker 1:  How many players have accumulated 3,000 or more hits?

Tiebreaker 2:  How many times did Ozzie Smith’s season home run total match his uniform number?

Tiebreaker 3:  How many World Series have been won by the New York Yankees?

Answers

  1. 44
  2. 4
  3. .390
  4. .394
  5. .406
  6. 8 (accept 7-9)
  7. .215
  8. 82 (accept 80-84)
  9. Indians (1929; Yankees opened two days later also wearing numbers on backs of jerseys).
  10. Rogers Hornsby
  11. 714
  12. 5,714
  13. 67 (1931)
  14. 262 (2004)
  15. 37 retired by Mets for Casey Stengel
  16. 42 yrs (349 days)
  17. 59
  18. 2,632
  19. 50
  20. 10 below (accept -12 to +12)

Tiebreaker 1:  32

Tiebreaker 2:  4

Tiebreaker 3:  27

Zoom 2 – The Sequel

With the success of the first online Hornsby Chapter meeting, we will be holding our second virtual meeting on Saturday, May 16 beginning at 1:00 p.m. CDT.

Once again, we will be utilizing the Zoom platform and request that those interested in participating please send an RSVP to Jan Larson at jan.a.larson@gmail.com.  The Zoom meeting ID and passcode will be distributed on Friday evening, May 15 to those that have submitted RSVPs . 

Note that when you login to Zoom to attend the meeting you will be placed in a “waiting room” until the moderator admits you to the meeting.   Only those that have submitted an RSVP will be admitted.

Virtual meeting for the win!

Eighteen chapter members and guests – including SABR members from across the country – joined the Hornsby Chapter’s first-ever virtual meeting on Zoom on Saturday.

With stay-at-home orders for most of us, meeting monthly at our favorite local barbecue, Italian and Mexican food restaurants is on hold until it will be safe to do so. As a result, we took to Zoom to set aside our coronavirus concerns and enjoy nearly two hours pondering baseball trivia and contemplating the 2020 season.

Tom Wancho prepared an Opening Day-themed quiz for March that worked perfectly for us in our virtual meeting. I read questions one by one, giving participants a chance to write their answers.

It was a close call – Jerry Miller took top prize with a score of 22. Cy Morong was second with 21. Mike Dillon and Don Dingee were next with 20 apiece. Try your hand at the quiz with questions and answers below.

We also considered what favorite ballpark food and beverage we missed most. Popular favorites include hot dogs (with a special shout-out to the Dodger Dog), Cracker Jack, garlic fries, peanuts, brats with Budweiser, tater tots with burnt ends (a new culinary offering at Minute Maid Park last season) and pretzels.

We also considered how many games in a shortened season would be necessary to provide a competitive schedule. Some thought at least half (81 games) of a normal season, while others figured 50 or 60 might do. Ryan Pollack said whatever happens at the end of the shortened season shouldn’t be called the World Series.

Another question that came up was whether the delay of the 2020 season might suppress the anger directed at the Astros because of the sign-stealing scandal. Some think that when baseball returns, most people will just be happy to celebrate the return of baseball, while others weren’t so sure that ire directed at the Astros will subside.

This was the chapter’s 161st consecutive month with a meeting and first virtual meeting. Our meeting streak dates to December 2006.

We were glad to welcome SABR members from other chapters. We had members from the Larry Dierker Chapter, the Emil Rothe/Chicago Chapter, the Casey Stengel/New York Chapter, the Central Pennsylvania Chapter and the Indianapolis Chapter.

We’re planning another Zoom chapter meeting in May, as it seems likely we’ll still be unable to meet safely in person. More details to follow next month on our email list and on this website.

OPENING DAZE

By Tom Wancho

1. Whenever this season begins, Clayton Kershaw will start his ninth consecutive Dodgers Opening Day, extending his club record. Which pitchers, who share a first name, are tied for second in Dodgers history? (one point for each correct answer)

2. On April 8, 1975 Frank Robinson debuted as the first black manager in the major leagues. Robinson, who was actually a player/manager, hit a home run in his first at-bat off of this Yankees pitcher. Name that pitcher. (one point)

3. Name the 17 sitting U.S. Presidents who threw out an Opening Day first pitch (one point for each correct answer).

4. Name the pitcher who has the most Opening Day starts? (one point)

5. This team sports an MLB-best .661 Opening Day winning percentage. Name them. (one point)

6. This National League team set an Opening Day attendance record of 80,327. Name the team (one point), the stadium (one point), and the year (one point).

7. This pitcher started seven Opening Days for three different American League teams Blue Jays, Yankees, and Orioles) and won all of them, retiring in 1998 with an unblemished 7-0 record in season lidlifters. Name him. (one point)

8. These two teams (one NL, one AL) hold the record for most consecutive Opening Day wins with nine. Name them. (one point for each correct answer).

9. This career National Leaguer collected a record 31 Opening Day hits. Name him. (one point)

10. Two of the three players who share the record for most home runs hit on Opening Day (with 8 apiece) are in the Hall of Fame. The third makes his first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2020. For one point each, name each of these three players.

11. Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record of 714 with his first swing of the 1974 season against what team (one point) in what stadium (one point)?

Answers (33 total points)

  1. Don Drysdale, Don Sutton
  2. Doc Medich
  3. (Robert Taft, 1910; Woodrow Wilson, 1913, 1915-1916; Warren Harding, 1921, 1922, 1923; Calvin Coolidge, 1924, 1927, 1928; Herbert Hoover, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931; FDR 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941; Harry Truman 1946, 194, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952; Dwight Eisenhower 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960; John Kennedy 1961, 1962; LBJ 1964, 1965. 1967; Richard Nixon 1969, 1970; Gerald Ford 1976; Ronald Reagan 1984, 1986; George H. W. Bush 1989, 1990,1991, 1992; Bill Clinton 1993, 1994, 1996; George W. Bush 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008; Barack Obama 2009, 2010.
  4. Tom Seaver – 16
  5. The Mets, even though they lost their first eight Opening Days, have gone 39-20 since they began playing in 1962. New York has won 39 of its last 51 Opening Days.
  6. Rockies, Denver’s Mile High Stadium, 1993
  7. Jimmy Key
  8. Reds 1983-1991) and Tigers (2009-2017
  9. Pete Rose
  10. Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Robinson, and Adam Dunn
  11. The Reds in Riverfront Stadium

Monthly meeting zooms online in April

We hope you and your loved ones are safe as we all endure the effects of the coronavirus. We’re missing a lot more than baseball.

We have a plan to continue our monthly meeting streak by having a video conference on Zoom later this month. At 1 p.m. Saturday, April 18, you can join our call with a desktop or laptop computer, electronic tablet or smartphone. If your device has a camera, then you can be part of our video conference, or you can be on the call with audio only.

To ensure a secure call, we’ll send out the meeting details and instructions to those who RSVP to Jan Larson (jan.a.larson@gmail.com). If you intend to join the video conference, please let Jan know by Friday, April 17.

Even though there’s no baseball (yet) and we can’t gather at our favorite local restaurants, we can still connect and talk baseball. Hope you can join us!

The Streak Lives!

After taking the unprecedented step of cancelling the “official” March lunch meeting in the interest of caution due to the coronavirus pandemic, three chapter members decided to meet at the County Line BBQ anyway to (1) keep the 160 month streak of consecutive monthly meetings intact, (2) enjoy the BBQ and talk baseball and (3) enjoy what might be the end of the aforementioned streak.  No one knows what conditions might be like next month so if this is the end, well there are probably more important things to be worried about.

The atmosphere at the County Line was understandably different than usual.   The crowd was smaller and diners were seated at dispersed tables to ostensibly reduce person-to-person contact.  Each of the three attendees followed prescribed protocols by refraining from the usual handshakes and, after handling the menus and placing orders, excused themselves to the men’s room to take advantage of the hot water and soap.

Attendees

The baseball-related conversations included the delay of the start of the season, the proposed expansion of the playoffs, the Astros on-going sign stealing saga and Trevor Bauer’s “sandlot” game.   Although baseball was discussed and all would have preferred to discuss baseball exclusively, the conversation always seemed to return to the virus.  The consensus was to be safe out there!

March Lunch Meeting – CANCELLED

In light of the coronavirus pandemic and given the fluid nature of the situation, it has been decided to cancel the lunch meeting in the interest of caution.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

The March meeting of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter will be once again held at the birthplace of the Chapter – the County Line BBQ located at 5204 Ranch Road 2222 in Austin (a short distance east of Hwy 360 on 2222) at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 15.  With spring training in full swing and the season rapidly approaching, there should be plenty to discuss.  Members, guests and baseball fans in general are welcome to attend.

Please RSVP to Jan Larson at jan.a.larson@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

Talking Baseball at Dell Diamond

Fifty one participants, caregivers, and volunteers enjoyed a day of “Spring Training” on February 19 at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas.  Our BasebALZ and “Talking Baseball” groups from Austin and Sun City/Georgetown were hosted by the AAA Round Rock Express baseball club.

We had planned to play whiffle-ball on the pro diamond, but inclement weather forced the event indoors.  Not to worry, the Express opened up the clubhouse and batting cages to the group:

After Express GM Tim Jackson welcomed the group, former major league pitcher Ross Ohlendorf threw “batting practice” to the participants (above).  For those not wanting to “step up to the plate”, a game of baseball beanbag toss was underway in the next batting cage.

Other highlights of the day included:

Trading baseball cards with new/unopened packs of cards provided by Card Traders of Austin.  Several Nolan Ryan cards were located – but none were traded!

Breaking in and oiling up baseball gloves.

Lunch provided by Alzheimer’s Texas.  After lunch, Ross Ohlendorf led a very interesting Q&A session with the group.

The day was viewed as a great success by all involved.  Perhaps it is best summed up by one of the SABR volunteers, who stated: “I am proud to have been involved in the organization of our group and feel supremely lucky to associate with such a great group of guys and gal. I find it interesting that our efforts to help others has resulted in such a great gift to ourselves.  Or at least that’s how I feel. Being involved has rekindled my baseball juices, which died along with my playing career.”

An excellent video about the event (6 min.) can be viewed here.

The event was also covered by local media.  An article can be found on page 2 of the local newspaper:  Williamson County Sun

We hope to make this an annual event.  Many thanks to Tim Jackson and the Round Rock Express, to Ross Ohlendorf, to Card Traders of Austin, to our long-time sponsor Alzheimer’s Texas, and to our many dedicated volunteers.  

 

 

 

February Meeting Wrap-Up

Thirteen Hornsby Chapter members gathered for lunch at Serranos Cocina  y Cantina, one of the restaurants in the chapter’s regular restaurant rotation, on Saturday, February 22.  A total of nine teams were represented via shirt and/or cap by the 13 attendees including the Braves, Phillies, Dodgers, Yankees, Diamondbacks, Mets and Indians from the Major Leagues, the Durham Bulls of the International League and Naranjeros de Hermosillo of the Mexican Pacific League.  Conspicuously absent was any representation for the Houston Astros.

Discussions centered upon the upcoming season in which various individuals expressed optimism for their team, cautious optimism, pessimism or, in some cases as previously coined by member Tom Wancho, cautious pessimism.

Also discussed were the Astros’ ongoing sign stealing saga, the performance of Commissioner Rob Manfred in his handling of said saga, proposed playoff changes and on the bright side, Monte Cely discussed his recent trip to Puerto Rico for the Serie del Caribe or Caribbean Series.  Winners of the Series this year was the Toros del Este, champions of the Dominican Winter League.

Saturday’s meeting marked our chapter’s 159th consecutive monthly meeting.

Information on the March meeting is TBD and will be forthcoming.

Hornsby Chapter joins 11th Annual SABR celebration

Monte and Linda Cely ponder home run trivia.

Thirteen chapter members and guests celebrated SABR Day on Saturday with a hearty Italian lunch and plenty of baseball talk.

We discussed the election of Derek Jeter and Larry Walker to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and noted that our own Hall of Fame vote at our winter meeting two weeks ago perfectly matched that of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced last week.

From left, Tom Melecki, Jan Larson and Jerry Miller work on their trivia quizzes.

Another major topic was the continuing fallout from the Houston Astros cheating scandal, which, so far, has claimed the jobs of a general manager and three managers. Meanwhile, the Astros reportedly have cast a wide net in search of a replacement skipper.

Thanks to the Larry Dierker Chapter, we tried our hand at one of their trivia quizzes about home run leaders by letters of the alphabet. Jerry Miller dominated the quiz, scoring 79 points with Ira Siegel in second with 63 points. For their acumen, they were given a hearty handshake and congratulations.

Mike Dillon, right, and guest Joe Gallagher review their answers on the trivia quiz.

Among the Major League ballclubs represented were the Chicago White Sox, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cleveland Indians, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. We also had a Round Rock Express cap, an Arizona spring training shirt, a SABR 44 (Houston) shirt and an El Paso Chihuahuas cap. I paired a National Baseball Hall of Fame shirt with a Nippon Professional Baseball Seibu Lions ballcap.

The lunch was part of the 11th Annual SABR Day, a coordinated international event to celebrate the organization and baseball. You can read more about other SABR Day events at this link: https://sabr.org/sabrday

The next monthly meeting will be at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, at Serranos (MoPac and 290) in Southwest Austin. We’ll make a call for RSVPs on the email list in mid-February.