Dan Walsh’s “Sliders, Curves and Junk” quiz

1. Which of the following players was not born in Texas?

  • Tex Carleton 
  • Tex Clevenger 
  • Tex Hughson 
  • Tex Shirley 
  • Tex Erwin 

2. Which of these players batted right-handed?

  • Lefty Grove
  • Lefty O’Doul
  • Lefty Williams 
  • Lefty Gomez
  • Steve “Lefty” Carlton

3. Which one of these managers has the best  career winning percentage?  4. And name the one who has a losing record (below .500) as a manager?

  • Bruce Bochy  
  • A.J. Hinch                   
  • Don Mattingly              
  • Joe Maddon                
  • Mike Matheny            
  • Mike Scioscia                          
  • Terry Francona                       

5. Which of the following players was the tallest?

      (a)Tiny Bonham               

      (b)Wee Willie Keeler       

      (c)Bryan Little                  

      (d)Pee Wee Reese                     

      (e)Chris Short                  

6. Which of the following players was a dentist in the off season?

     (a)  Doc Cramer   

     (b)  Dock Ellis

     (c)  Doc Gessler

     (d)  Doc Gooden  

     (e)  Doc Medich

     (f)   Doc White 

7. Which of the following pitchers hit 2 HRs in one game the most times?

    (a)   Babe Ruth                   

    (b)   Don Newcombe                      

    (c)   Red Ruffing                 

    (d)   Tony Cloninger                        

    (e)   Wes Ferrell

8. Who was the last pitcher to hit two HR in a game? 

9. Which of the following players was actually named after a “Moose”?

    (a)   Walt “Moose” Dropo

    (b)   Moose Haas

    (c)   Bob Moose                 

    (d)   Mike “Moose” Moustaksas

    (e)   Moose Skowron

10. Which one of these players hit the most “dingers” in his career?

    (a)   Buddy Bell                  

    (b)   Derek Bell                    

    (c)   George Bell                 

    (d)   Gus Bell                       

    (e)   Jay Bell                                    

11. Above“The Mendoza Line”: Only one of the following players has a career batting average above Mario Mendoza’s career average(minimum 1000 plate appearances). Who is it?

    (a)   Dave Duncan             

    (b)   Eric Munson                

    (c)   Joey Gallo                   

    (d)   Chris Carter                

    (e)   Dick Tracewski                       

    (f)    Dave Nicholson                      

12. Which of these players received the most votes when elected to the Hall-of-Fame?

    (a)   Ken Griffey, Jr.                       

    (b)   Greg Maddux              

    (c)   Cal Ripken                  

    (d)   Mariano Rivera                       

    (e)   Tom Seaver                

13. Which one of the following players was manufactured (born) in Detroit?

    (a)   John Dodge                

    (b)   Whitey Ford                

    (c)   Tim Hudson                

    (d)   Billy Pierce                  

    (e)   Charlie Maxwell                      

    (f)    Mickey Stanley                        

    (g)   Jim Nash                     

14. The Rafaels:  All of these Dominican natives played shortstop; however, one of them started more games at a position other than shortstop. Name him.

  • Rafael Belliard
  • Rafael Furcal              
  • Rafael Landestoy 
  • Rafael Ramirez                       
  • Rafael Santana           

15. Which of the following players spent part of his playing career in “The Windy City”?

    (a)   “Stormin’ Norman” Cash 

    (b)   Storm Davis

    (c)   Sammy Hale

    (d)   Rich Gale

    (e)   Roy Weatherly

    (f)    Mike Blowers

16. Which one of these players is the shortestin height?

    (a)   Josh Towers               

    (b)   Andy High                   

    (c)   The Big Unit                

    (d)   “Stretch” McCovey      

    (e)   Dale Long                   

17. During the past 10 years, all of these players won a batting title with the Colorado Rockies.  Which one had the highest batting average in the season he won his title?

    (a)   DJ LaMahieu

    (b)   Carlos Gonzalez                     

    (c)   Charlie Blackmon       

    (d)   Michael Cuddyer        

    (e)   Justin Morneau                       

18. Which one of these players had the most stolen bases in his major league career?

    (a)   “Rapid Robert” Feller  

    (b)   Tom “Flash” Gordon   

    (c)   Bob Hasty                   

    (d)   Speed Martin              

    (e)   Bob Rush                    

    (f)    Fleet Walker                

19. Which of the following players drew the most walks in his major league career?

    (a)   Eddie “The Walking Man” Yost          

    (b)   Dixie Walker               

    (c)   Curt Walker                 

    (d)   Larry Walker               

    (e)   Neil Walker                 

    (f)    Todd Walker               

    (g)   Walker Cooper                        

20. A cup of coffee -or -Who ate his Wheaties?  All of these guys played professional ball at some level – which one had the longest stint in the majors?

      (a)Eddie Bacon               

  • John Waffle                 
  • Frosty Thomas                       
  • James Pancake                      
  • Jack Coffey                 
  • Bill Kellogg      

21. Which of the following guys played the majority of his career with the Cincinnati Reds?

  • Red Ames
  • Red Donahue
  • Red Faber
  • Red Lucas
  • Red Rolfe
  • Red Smith

22. Which surname has the most players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?

  • Brown              
  • Johnson          
  • Robinson                     
  • Smith               
  • Williams           

23. Which of the following pitchers had the most Victories in his career?

  • Victor Albury               
  • Victor Aldridge             
  • Victor Cruz                  
  • Victor Lombardi                       
  • Victor Sorrell               
  • Victor Zambrano         

24. Which of these players appeared in the most games in the “junior circuit”?

      (a) Junior Gilliam 

      (b)Junior Griffey

      (c)Junior Kennedy

      (d)Junior Ortiz

      (e)Vern “Junior” Stephens

25. Who had the most stolen bases in the major leagues during the 1950’s (1950-59)?

26. Name the player with the most RBI in the major leagues during the 1960’s (1960-69)

27. Who hit the most home runs in the major leagues during the 1970’s (1970-79)?

28. Who had the most base hits in the major leagues during the 1980’s (1980-89)?

29. Name the pitcher with the most saves in the major leagues during the 1990’s (1990-99).

30. Name the pitcher who had the most wins in the major leagues during the 2000’s (2000-09).

Total Score____________________________ 

Tiebreaker: 

Name the only 3 players who hit more than 500 HR and more than 100 triples in their careers?

ANSWERS

1. Tex Clevenger                                            

2.  Lefty Williams 

3. Mike Matheny                                             

4. Bruce Bochy  

5.  Chris Short                                                 

6.  Doc White 

7.  Wes Ferrell                                                

8. Zack Greinke

9. Bob Moose                                                 

10. George Bell

11. Chris Carter                                              

12. Greg Maddux                      

13. Billy Pierce                                                

14. Rafael Landestoy 

15. Norm Cash                                               

16. Andy High              

17. DJ LaMahieu                                             

18. Speed Martin                    

19. Eddie Yost                                                

20. Jack Coffey                                  

21. Red Lucas                                                

22. All have 3 players each

23.Victor Aldridge                                            

24. Junior Griffey   

25. Willie Mays                                               

26. Hank Aaron           

27. Willie Stargell                                            

28. Robin Yount

29. John Wetteland                                         

30. Andy Pettitte

Tiebreaker: 

Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, and Jimmie Foxx

Rogers Hornsby Chapter Annual Report (June 2018 to May 2019)

Society for American Baseball Research

Rogers Hornsby Chapter

Central and South Texas

Annual Report, June 2018 – May 2019

By Gilbert D. Martinez

Chapter Commissioner

Rogers Hornsby Chapter

The Rogers Hornsby Chapter enjoyed another year of baseball-related activities and said goodbye to chapter founder Bill Gilbert in the last year.

Gilbert, who also founded the Larry Dierker Chapter in Houston prior to moving to Central Texas in the mid-2000s, brought baseball enthusiasts together in the Austin area to form the Rogers Hornsby Chapter. He also started our tradition of annual winter meetings filled with research presentations and visits from former ballplayers, managers, umpires, agents and front-office staff. In recognition of his contributions to SABR and the chapter, we have named our annual winter meeting after him, which will now be known as the Bill Gilbert Winter Meeting of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter.

At the 13th annual winter meeting in January 2019, we honored Bill Gilbert and had a videoconference with acclaimed baseball writer (and commissioner of the West Coast League) Rob Neyer. Bob Joyce, son of former Major League pitcher Bob Joyce, recounted his father’s career, pitching with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1939 and with the New York Giants in 1946. In addition, Joyce won 94 games as a starting pitcher for the Double-A San Francisco Seals from 1942 to 1945, including a 31-game win total in 1945. In addition, Bob Joyce shared his own collegiate baseball experiences playing for the University of San Francisco. Other presentations included Gilbert Martinez’s “Baseball in Japan,” in which he described attending Chunichi Dragons games in June 2018, visiting the Ichiro Suzuki museum near Nagoya, Japan, and presenting Ichiro’s father with a photo of Ichiro’s 3,000th professional hit (Nippon Professional Baseball hits plus MLB hits). In addition, longtime broadcaster for the Round Rock Express Mike Capps shared details about the long-anticipated return of the Triple-A affiliate to the Astros’ farm system.

The chapter’s “Talking Baseball” reminiscence program celebrated its 100th session in April 2019. Our SABR chapter’s program in Austin, offered in conjunction with Alzheimer’s Texas, has been running for four years.  This session concluded our 11th “season” in Austin.  The monthly program in Kerrville, in cooperation with the Veteran’s Administration there, has been in operation for three years.

Monte Cely also attended and filed dispatches about the Caribbean Series 2019 from Panama City, Panama. Panama defeated Cuba to take the Serie del Caribe crown.

In May 2019, the chapter met for the 150th consecutive month, a streak dating back to December 2006.

Many of the monthly meetings include lunch at a restaurant in the Austin area, sometimes involving baseball trivia quizzes.

“Talking Baseball” enjoys evening at Dell Diamond

Twenty participants, volunteers and family from the baseball reminiscence program enjoyed an evening at Dell Diamond in Round Rock on Monday May 13. 

In a “rematch” (of sorts) of the 2017 World Series, the Astros and Dodgers AAA affiliates squared off.  The Express prevailed 5-2 over the OKC Dodgers.

A big “THANK YOU” goes out to United Heritage Credit Union for arranging the use of their luxury suite plus food and drink.  Thanks, as always, to our great sponsors at Alzheimer’s Texas.  A good time was had by all. 

All Animal Teams Quiz highlights April monthly meeting

Quiz winner Jim Baker (left) and runner-up Jan Larson (Photo by Gilbert D. Martinez)

Seven chapter members were treated to Italian fare and a fun animal-name themed baseball quiz by trivia master Tom Thayer on Saturday, April 14.

Thayer – winner of many chapter quizzes and a member of the runner-up quiz team at SABR 44 in Houston in 2014 – devised a quiz with clues for players whose names and/or nicknames are also animal names. The players made up three teams – Team Aquatic, Team Terrestrial and Sky Team.

Jim Baker took top prize with 25 points, and Jan Larson was runner up with 20 points. For his efforts, Jim took home the Robert W. Creamer biography, “Stengel: His Life and Times.” To try your hand at the quiz, click here.

With a smaller group, we still had a nice diversity of of clubs represented. Jan had the cap of the meeting featuring the cartoon logo for the Baltimore Orioles in honor of Chris Davis ending his record 0-for-54 hitless streak the day before. In usual fashion, Tom Wancho wore a non-baseball shirt – this time representing the Cleveland Caveliers of the NBA.

Jim wore his Fukuoka Daiei Hawks cap. Mike Dillon wore a Rangers cap and nice Arizona spring training Rangers polo shirt. I wore my Norichika Aoki Astros shirsey with “Astros” in Japanese script (アストロズ) on front and Aoki’s name (in Japanese kanji: 青木)and No. 3 on the back. Aoki joined the Astros for the first half of the 2017 season before finishing out the season with the Blue Jays and the Mets. He re-joined the Nippon Professional Baseball last year with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, where he continues to play.

It was the 149th consecutive monthly meeting.

We hope you can join us for the May and June meetings, which have been set. In May, we’ll gather at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at Serranos (MoPac and Ben White in Southwest Austin). In June, we’ll have an outing to see the Round Rock Express on Saturday, June 1. Requests for RSVPs and more information will come later.

Tom Thayer’s All Animal Teams Quiz

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.

______________________________________

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.

______________________________________

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.

______________________________________ ______________________________________

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+.

______________________________________

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.

______________________________________

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.

______________________________________

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.

______________________________________

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.

______________________________________

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.

______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________

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.

______________________________________

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.

______________________________________

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.

______________________________________

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.

______________________________________

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.

______________________________________

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.

______________________________________

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.

______________________________________

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.

______________________________________

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.

______________________________________

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.

______________________________________

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.

______________________________________

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

Baseball Reminiscence program celebrates 100th session

The “Talking Baseball” reminiscence program celebrated its 100th session on Monday April 8 at Westminster Senior Living in Austin.  Our SABR chapter’s program in Austin, offered in conjunction with Alzheimer’s Texas, has been running for four years.  This session concluded our 11th “season” in Austin.  The monthly program in Kerrville, in cooperation with the Veteran’s Administration there, has been in operation for three years.

We had “standing room only” with 26 participants, caregivers, family, guests and volunteers in attendance.  This also set a record for attendance at a single session.

Two special guests joined us for our Centennial program.  Former Texas Longhorn and professional baseball pitcher Jim Gideon (standing) entertained the group with stories of his years at U.T. and in the Texas Rangers organization.  Jim also fielded questions and autographed baseball cards and baseballs for the attendees.  Local radio personality and Alzheimer’s Texas board member Ed Clements (seated) added to the fun.  We sincerely thank Ed and Jim for joining us.

Very special thanks to our long-time sponsors at Alzheimer’s Texas.  In addition to all their logistical support, they even brought the cake!

Our next scheduled events are the monthly program at Kerrville VA Hospital and then a night at Dell Diamond in May (in one of the luxury suites courtesy of United Heritage Credit Union).   Planning for Season 12 is underway.  Stay tuned! 

 

Members enjoy barbecue as another season gets cued up

Tom Thayer, right, wins another trivia quiz while Ira Siegel takes second. Photo by Gilbert D. Martinez

A dozen chapter members and guests shed their coats, shut off the hot stove, munched on barbecue fare and looked forward to a new season of baseball on Saturday.

-Jan Larson brought a trivia quiz of random baseball tidbits, won by Tom Thayer. Runner-up was Ira Siegel. For his efforts, Tom took home a Kyle Seager bobble-head while Ira won a Franklin Gutierrez bobble-head.

Some of the topics included Mike Trout’s record contract, Ichiro Suzuki’s retirement, and the SABR Project, Eight Myths Out, a deep dive into examining what we know, and have been told, about the infamous Black Sox Scandal in 1919. The collection of articles debuted earlier in the week. For more information about Eight Myths Out, click this link: https://sabr.org/eight-myths-out

An Ichiro Suzuki jersey and Mariners cap were worn in recognition of Ichiro’s recent retirement. Other baseball gear making appearances were a Royals cap and shirt; a t-shirt recognizing Dodgers’ spring training camps; a Cleveland Indians cap; and a Fukuoka Daiei Hawks cap. Tom Wancho wore a t-shirt that commemorated the “original” Friday Night Lights – the first football stadium in Texas to have lights was at New London in 1940.

This was the 148th consecutive month in which the chapter has met.

Next meeting is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Sunday, April 14, at the Macaroni Grill at the Arboretum in North Austin. A request for RSVPs will go out on our email list next month.

March BBQ

Our March lunch meeting will be held at the birthplace of the Rogers Hornsby 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 Saturday, March 23.  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.