A Two-Part Trivia Question

June 17, 2009

Thanks largely to Joe Torre’s rather unique, some would say bizarre while others would say just plain stupid, ideas on correct batting order construction First baseman James Loney has 44 RBIs through 65 games despite having only two home runs.  At his current pace he’ll finish the season with only 5 homers but 110 RBIs.  The first question will be fairly easy for anybody close to my age (forty-two):  Who was the last player to drive in over 100 runs in a single season with fewer than 10 home runs?

Now, for the much harder second question:  There was a team during my lifetime that actually had two players combine for over 200 RBI’s, but fewer than 20 home runs. Can you name the team and these two players?

I’m on such a roll right now that I’m going to leave you all with a bonus trivia question.  I wish it would continue the theme I set with the first two, but it doesn’t.  I’ve been a Dodger fan since 1973.  I clearly remember being absolutely blown away by Mike Piazza’s rookie season in 1993, his triple crown stats in particular:  A .318 BA, 35 HR, 112 RBI.  I remember thinking to myself that few catchers could match those triple crown stats in any season, so I did a little research and discovered to my great surprise that in all of baseball history only ONE catcher has ever had a season in which he surpassed Piazza’s ROOKIE season totals in all three triple crown categories–and he only did it ONCE.  Can you name this catcher and the year he had this huge season?

Written by James Chang · Filed Under Blog | 4 Comments 

Three Days, Three Games, in Three Stadiums: Day Two

June 17, 2009

This is the second of three days spent touring the Chicago area’s ballparks.  Stop two of the Holy Trinity of Baseball” or the midwestern “Trifecta”  was Wrigley Field for the Twins vs. the Cubs:

Day Two.  Minnesota Twins vs. Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field (Kevin Slowey vs. Randy Wells)

Highlights of the Game- Milton Bradley joins the likes of recent all-star-turned-retiree Larry Walker in nonchalantly tossing a live ball into the crowd with less than two men out  to the synchronous booing of an entire stadium of vocal Cubs fans.  What made this particularly special was where it happened, to whom it happened, and the way Bradley played the ball.  Of all crowds to offend with apathetic, bone-headed play, the throngs of Wrigley faithfuls were the last, and were absolutely livid over the thoughtless play.  Bradley is simply not likable enough as a teammate and player to get away with such a blunder.  His postgame commentary didn’t much help, either.

The Cubs offense hardly hiccoughed during the entire game, with once hot-now frozen Kosuke Fukudome impishly whiffing three times.  The real disappointment was previously-brilliant Randy Wells.  Although never a prospect, Wells had battled opposing batters effectively ’til Friday’s defeat. I would bet shortly after Friday’s performance his name appeared on many waiver wires (likelier though is that fantasy GM’s will cut Wells some slack on this first Major League hardship).

The Stadium (Wrigley Field)– Wrigley Field is a mecca of baseball.  The non-digital, hand-powered scoreboard and ivy covered walls give the field a charm and warmth that stadiums like Yankee “Box Suite” Stadium just cannot offer.  Fans are devoted, informed, and vocal.  The taunting (especially relative to Bradley’s blunder) makes Cubs games particularly fun.  Relationships abound in the stands reminiscent of the “bleacher creatures” of the elder Yankee Stadium or present day Fenway Park.  In other words, it seems everyone knows one another and not just for the past few weeks, either.

The Cubs - Before the game my father and I were guessing at a possible final score.  We agreed on around a 6-4 or 7-3 finish.  My dad and I typically agree that American League teams have the edge in interleague matchups simply because of the DH, who more likely than not began as a position player, and will end up penciled into lineup cards during interleague play at NL home parks, further bolstering an already offensively loaded AL lineup. In this case, Minnesota had Mauer catching and and Kubel in the outfield with Carlos Gomez taking a seat.  

Wells, for his part, was atrocious and in this armchair scout’s opinion, and had been due for a return to planet Earth after a surreal start to ‘09.  His minor league numbers don’t presume even a sub 3.00 ERA Major League hurler, so I would expect more lumps along the way, especially after seeing him throw.  Soto looks lost at the plate and Lou Piniella’s stubborn insistance on sticking with Alfonso Soriano (and his sub-.300 OBP) in the leadoff spot is a mystery to moneyballers everywhere. 

In any case, the Cubs’ lineup, lacking firestarters such as Aramis Ramirez, and featuring an array of slumping former stars, seems reasonably impotent right now.  Lee seems reduced to a 20 home run cornerman.  Milton Bradley seems a poor defender and even poorer offensive investment.  Soto’s sophomore slumping and Fukudome appears back to being a 10+/10+ threat.  Perhaps the return of Aram will recharge a lackluster, sub-par Cub offense, but for now Cub faithfuls will have to wait out some truly disappointing play. 

Overall: Day Two was excellent!  Day three - Chicago White Sox against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Field. Contreras vs. Parra. Stay Tuned.

Written by Russell Sandman · Filed Under Miscellaneous | Leave a Comment