Category: Hornsby News

The Rogers Hornsby Chapter will return to the venue of our June lunch meeting on Saturday, September 24 at 12:30 p.m.   We will be meeting at the Hurricane Grill located at 2701 Parker Road in Round Rock.  Parker Road is perpendicular to the westbound service road (W. Louis Henna Blvd) of Toll 45 just west of I-35 at the La Frontera shopping area.  No tolls are required!  Please RSVP to Jan Larson if you plan to attend so we can get an accurate head count.

A quiz about the given names of ballplayers known by their nicknames and discussions of baseball trips and major league players in local minor league games highlighted the August meeting on Saturday.

Twelve chapter members and guests enjoyed breakfast tacos at Rudy’s Bar-B-Q in Southwest Austin. The temperature in the 80s was quite comfortable as compared to our last breakfast meeting at the same location in March, when it was 40 degrees!

Jan Larson posed a multiple-choice quiz challenging us to identify the given names of baseball players widely known by their nicknames. Dan Walsh (pictured above, right) won the competition with 20 out of 25 points (plus three tie-breaker points). Jim Baker (pictured above, left) took second with 20 (plus one tie-breaker point). Gary McIntosh placed third with 18 points (plus two tie-breaker points).

Take a swing at Jan’s quiz below. The answers follow the quiz questions. For their efforts, Dan won a Yogi Berra bobblehead, and Jim won an Ernie Banks bobblehead.

We spent a little time talking about how much baseball has changed over the years and how the game itself – separate from the endless tweaks by MLB – has endured and kept our attention.

 

 

Round Rock Express season ticket holder Andrew York talked about Dallas Keuchel’s seven innings of shutout ball in a 4-0 win over the El Paso Chihuahuas on Friday, Aug. 19. Since being released by the Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this season, the former Cy Young winner and Astros starter has been pitching for the Express for the past month and may get called up to the Texas Rangers soon.

Joining us for his first meeting, Scott Lopez from San Antonio shared a few photos from the 30th anniversary of the premiere of “A League of Their Own” in Rockford, Illinois. He also saw Fernando Tatis Jr. play for the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Municipal Stadium a few weekends ago, just before MLB announced its 80-game suspension of the Padres star for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

On our Google group list, Mike Lassman, who’s attending this weekend’s SABR national convention in Baltimore, shared that SABR 51 will be in Chicago. The convention is scheduled for July 5-9, 2023. There’s interest in putting together a Hornsby Chapter group to attend next year.

This was the 189th consecutive month in which the chapter has met, a streak dating to December 2006.

Our next meeting will be at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at Hurricane Grill and Wings in Round Rock.

Also, save the following dates. We’ll have our October meeting on Saturday, Oct. 29, at Jim Baker’s house in Cedar Park for the World Series Game 2 watch party (teams to be determined).

And we’ll have our 17th Annual Bill Gilbert Winter Meeting on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, at Texas State University in San Marcos. More details will be forthcoming in the coming months.

What’s in a Name?

By Jan Larson

Circle each player’s given first name (per www.baseball-reference.com).  One point for each correct answer.

1. Lefty Grove: Robert, Charles, Gilbert, Samuel
2. Lefty O’Doul: Joseph, Francis, Anheuser, Orel
3. Babe Ruth: Roger, George, Calvin, Babe
4. Rocky Colavito: Rockwell, Rocco, Domenic, Vito
5. Buck O’Neil: John, Jordan, Robert, Orel
6. Ozzie Smith: Oswald, Osborne, Leroy, Earl
7. Boog Powell (1961-1977): Wesley, John, Samuel, Paul
8. Chico Carrasquel: Carlos, Charles, Alfonso, Gomez
9. Mudcat Grant: Mudcat, Timothy, Robert, James
10. Home Run Baker: Double, Franklin, John, Robert
11. Three Finger Brown: Two Finger, Mordecai, Murgatroid, Murray
12. Sammy Sosa: Samuel, Samson, Sam, Bob
13. Tony Gwynn: Keith, Antonio, Antoine, Anthony
14. Spike Owen: Robert, John, Alan, Spike
15. Biff Pocoroba: Robert, William, Biff, Martin
16. CC Sabathia: Charles, Carsten, Carlton, Carroll
17. Willie Stargell: William, Wilver, Willie, Bob
18. Ty Cobb: Tyson, Tyrone, Tyrus, Tyler
19. Pie Traynor: Joseph, Harold, Caleb, Pumpkin
20. Chipper Jones: Larry, Wayne, Robert, Willie
21. Sandy Koufax: Santander, Sandy, Bob, Sanford
22. Doc Medich: Francis, George, Bob, William
23. Rusty Greer: Thurman, Clyde, Bob, Roger
24. Dizzy Dean: Jerome, Darvin, Jay, Roger
25. Duke Snider: Roger, Calvin, Donald, Edwin

Tie breaker:  Rube Walker: Roger, Caleb, Albert, William

Tie breaker:  Mookie Betts: Marvin, Markus, Mookie, Mohamad

Tie breaker:  Rip Sewell: Roger, Ronald, Samuel, Truett

Correct answers in bold and underlined below.

1. Lefty Grove: Robert, Charles, Gilbert, Samuel
2. Lefty O’Doul: Joseph, Francis, Anheuser, Orel
3. Babe Ruth: Roger, George, Calvin, Babe
4. Rocky Colavito: Rockwell, Rocco, Domenic, Vito
5. Buck O’Neil: John, Jordan, Robert, Orel
6. Ozzie Smith: Oswald, Osborne, Leroy, Earl
7. Boog Powell (1961-1977): Wesley, John, Samuel, Paul
8. Chico Carrasquel: Carlos, Charles, Alfonso, Gomez
9. Mudcat Grant: Mudcat, Timothy, Robert, James
10. Home Run Baker: Double, Franklin, John, Robert
11. Three Finger Brown: Two Finger, Mordecai, Murgatroid, Murray
12. Sammy Sosa: Samuel, Samson, Sam, Bob
13. Tony Gwynn: Keith, Antonio, Antoine, Anthony
14. Spike Owen: Robert, John, Alan, Spike
15. Biff Pocoroba: Robert, William, Biff, Martin
16. CC Sabathia: Charles, Carsten, Carlton, Carroll
17. Willie Stargell: William, Wilver, Willie, Bob
18. Ty Cobb: Tyson, Tyrone, Tyrus, Tyler
19. Pie Traynor: Joseph, Harold, Caleb, Pumpkin
20. Chipper Jones: Larry, Wayne, Robert, Willie
21. Sandy Koufax: Santander, Sandy, Bob, Sanford
22. Doc Medich: Francis, George, Bob, William
23. Rusty Greer: Thurman, Clyde, Bob, Roger
24. Dizzy Dean: Jerome, Darvin, Jay, Roger
25. Duke Snider: Roger, Calvin, Donald, Edwin

Tie breaker:  Rube Walker: Roger, Caleb, Albert, William

Tie breaker:  Mookie Betts: Marvin, Markus, Mookie, Mohamad

Tie breaker:  Rip Sewell: Roger, Ronald, Samuel, Truett

The Rogers Hornsby Chapter will hold our second breakfast meeting at 9:00 am on Saturday, August 20th at Rudy’s BBQ at 2451 S. Capital of Texas Hwy in Austin (same location as our previous breakfast meeting).  This meeting promises to be warmer than the previous meeting held at Rudy’s in March.

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

Five members and guests of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter braved 100+ degree temperatures to watch the home standing Austin Weirdos (Pecos League) fall to the visiting Roswell Invaders by a score of 25-11 in 10 innings in a game played in a not-so-snappy 5:08. 

Austin trailed 5-0 before plating eight runs in the bottom of the third, highlighted by a grand slam home run by center fielder Christian Jones, his ninth home run of the season.

 

Things would fall apart of the Weirdos in the ninth which started with Austin leading 11-8.  Roswell tied the game by plating three runs and then, after holding Austin scoreless in the bottom of the ninth, exploded for 14 runs in the top of the tenth.  The explosion was aided by 10 (count ’em) walks issued by the gassed Weirdo pitching staff in the tenth inning.  By the time the dust settled (the field is not watered down before the game so there is actual dust flying) the Invaders had scored a 25-11 victory.

The gathering marked the 188th consecutive monthly meeting of the chapter.  The August meeting will be another weekend breakfast meeting.  More information to come.

 

The July meeting of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter will include a trip to an Austin Weirdos baseball game as the Weirdos take on the Roswell Invaders at Parque Zaragosa in East Austin at 6:30 pm. on Saturday, July 9.  The Weirdos are playing their inaugural season in the independent Pecos League.

A Weirdos game is vastly different than a game at the home of an affiliated team, such as the Round Rock Express.  Seating consists of covered bleachers behind home plate (bring along a stadium seat if you want anything resembling comfort).  Concessions are very limited and the restrooms are porta-johns.  The PA system consists of a guy and a bullhorn.  There is no scoreboard so spectators must pay attention!

Game tickets are $10 each and may be purchased online on the Weirdos’ website.   There is parking along both sides of Gonzales Street to the south of the field.  Just be careful not to park in the home run zone beyond the right/right center field fence!

For what may be the first time in chapter history, we had a perfect score on a trivia quiz. Congratulations to Ryan Pollack for this outstanding accomplishment!

Fifteen chapter members and guest enjoyed a laid-back beach-inspired setting at Hurricane Grill & Wings in Round Rock for the monthly meeting on Sunday, June 12.

Jim Baker created a quiz that challenged us to name the current manager of each of the 30 Major League teams. Ryan Pollack demolished the competition with a perfect score, winning a Hurricane Grill gift card generously provided by Jim. Jerry Miller took second with 20, and Jan Larson and I tied for third with 18. Because of Ryan’s perfect score, the tie-breaker questions were not needed. Try your hand at the quiz below. The quiz answers are provided after the quiz questions.

Our newest member, Bailey, brought a book she found at library book sale called “Change Up: An Oral History of 8 Key Events that Shaped Modern Baseball” by Larry Burke and Peter Thomas Fornatale with the chapter’s very own Jim Baker! She asked Jim to sign it for her.

It was the chapter’s 187th consecutive month with a meeting, a streak dating to December 2006.

Our next chapter meeting will be to watch the Austin Weirdos, which is part of the independent Pecos League, at Parque Zaragosa on Saturday, July 9. More details will be shared on the chapter’s email list in the coming weeks. For more information about the Weirdos, please go to their website: http://www.weirdosbaseball.com/

Jim Baker’s Manager Quiz

Name the current manager of each Major League team.

BAL ________             ATL ________

BOS ________            MIA ________

NYY ________             NYM ________

TBR ________             PHI ________

TOR ________            WAS ________

CWS ________            CHC ________

CLE ________             CIN ________

DET ________             MIL ________

KCR ________             PIT ________

MIN ________            STL ________

LAA ________             ARI ________

HOU ________           COL ________

OAK ________            LAD ________

SEA ________             SDP ________

TEX ________             SFG ________

Tie Breaker #1: Which of these managers has been in his current managerial job the longest?

Tie Breaker #2: Which of these managers has a perfect managerial record (before game play on Sunday, June 12)?

Tie Breaker #3: Aside from the answer to #2, which of these managers has the best career  winning percentage?

Answers

BAL Brandon Hyde      ATL Brian Snitker

BOS Alex Cora             MIA Don Mattingly

NYY Aaron Boone       NYM Buck Showalter

TBR Kevin Cash           PHI Rob Thompson

TOR Charlie Montoyo WAS Dave Martinez

CWS Tony LaRussa      CHC David Ross

CLE Terry Francona     CIN David Bell

DET A.J. Hinch             MIL Craig Counsell

KCR Mike Matheny     PIT Derek Shelton

MIN Rocco Baldelli      STL Oliver Marmol

LAA Phil Nevin             ARI Torey Lovullo

HOU Dusty Baker        COL Bud Black

OAK Mark Kotsay        LAD Dave Roberts

SEA Scott Servais        SDP Bob Melvin

TEX Chris Woodward  SFG Gabe Kapler

Tie Breaker #1: Terry Francona

Tie Breaker #2: Rob Thompson

Tie Breaker #3: Dave Roberts

The Rogers Hornsby Chapter will be dining at a different venue for our June lunch meeting; one that hopefully is more accessible to chapter members in the northern reaches of the Austin metro area.  We will be meeting on Sunday, June 12 at the Hurricane Grill located at 2701 Parker Road in Round Rock.  Don’t be confused by the obscure address, Parker Road is perpendicular to the westbound service road (W. Louis Henna Blvd) of Toll 45 just west of I-35 at the La Frontera shopping area.  In other words, it is easy to get to the Hurricane Grill.  Note that no tolls are required.  We will be meeting at 12:30 on the 12th.  Please RSVP to Jan Larson if you plan to attend so we can get an accurate head count.

Eleven chapter members saw a minor league game at Dell Diamond on Saturday that featured former Blue Jays/Giants/Red Sox/Rockies/Mets outfielder Kevin Pillar and Eddy Alvarez, a winter and summer U.S. Olympic champion.

Both Pillar and Alvarez, who play for the Oklahoma City Dodgers, contributed to building a lead against the Round Rock Express. Pillar was 2-for-3 with a run and RBI, while Alvarez was 3-for-3 with 2 RBI.

Though the Express lost to the Dodgers 5-1, fans were treated after the game to a screening of a new documentary, “Facing Nolan,” about the career of Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan.

The documentary opens in a limited release on May 24, including some screenings in the Austin area.

A smaller group gathered at Salt Lick BBQ for an early pre-game dinner.

This was the 186th consecutive month in which the chapter has had a meeting.

The chapter’s next meeting will be at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, June 12, at Hurricane Grill & Wings (2701 Parker Road, Round Rock). A request for RSVPs will go out on the email list soon.

The Hornsby Chapter’s monthly meeting in May will include a trip to the Dell Diamond to take in the Round Rock Express versus the Oklahoma City Dodgers in exciting AAA baseball action starting at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday, May 14.

Different this year is that, unfortunately, I will no longer be able to use discounted vouchers to obtain seats.  Instead, each party will be responsible for obtaining their own tickets prior to the game.  The link to the ticket selection page is shown below:

https://mpv.tickets.com/?agency=MILB_MPV&orgid=22433&pid=8978432&tfl=#/event/8978432/seatmap/?seatmapId=9504&selectBuyers=false&minPrice=20&maxPrice=60&quantity=1&sort=price_desc&ada=false&seatSelection=true&onlyCoupon=true&onlyVoucher=false

I have reserved two seats for myself in section 121, row 23, seats 18 and 19.  On the seat map accessible via the above link, these seats are shown grayed out near the right end of row 23.   Members wishing to attend and sit with the group are encouraged to select seats near these (same row, row below, row above as desired) and are also encouraged to purchase seats as soon as you have identified your ticket requirements.

We will meet at the nearby Salt Lick restaurant for a pregame BBQ dinner at 4:30 pm.  Those wishing to attend the dinner should send their RSVP to jan.a.larson@gmail.com so we can have a headcount to give to the staff at the Salt Lick.  NOTE:  The Salt Lick does NOT do separate checks so please bring sufficient cash to cover the cost of your meal + tip.

Baseball fans have long looked forward to spring, when hope springs eternal. And despite a week’s delay in the start of the season, we are all glad that the 2022 season is under way.

In addition to enjoying the start of the season, 14 chapter members and guests had the opportunity to welcome Bailey, our newest member! She’s a freshman in high school with a knack for math and a love for baseball. Bailey (pictured above, first on the left) is interested in statistical research and roots for the Chicago Cubs. According to unofficial records, she may be our youngest member ever! Welcome to the chapter, Bailey! And thanks to Bailey’s parents, Brian Hall and Nicole Bryan-Hall (who took the above photo) for joining us, too.

We talked about a wide range of topics, including the start of the season, Apple TV’s new foray into Friday night baseball, and new baseball rules.

Jerry Miller, winner of last month’s quiz, brought an alliterative-themed quiz to challenge, stymie and stump us. Jim Baker won with 18 points. Ira Siegel followed with 15, and Jan Larson had 14. Jerry presented nice prizes for first and second place (Photos below by Charles Kaufman; Jim Baker, left, and Ira Siegel, right).

Take your swing at Jerry’s quiz below. The answers follow the questions.

This was our 185th consecutive month in which the chapter has met, a streak dating to December 2006.

We’re making plans to attend a Round Rock Express game on May 14 with a traditional pregame dinner at Salt Lick BBQ. More details about purchasing tickets will be forthcoming to the chapter list.

ALLITERATIVE BASEBALL PLAYERS QUIZ

By Jerry Miller

The following quiz is comprised primarily of ballplayers with alliterative names (Don Drysdale, Barry Bonds, etc.). Each letter of the alphabet has been represented; however, where there is no suitable answer, your quiz master has exercised his discretion to temporarily suspend the rules, as indicated. Players’ first names are those used to identify them in baseball-reference.com (e.g.,
Dick Allen rather than Richie Allen, Bob Boone rather than Robert Boone, etc.).

1) A.A.      Caught Nolan Ryan’s record-breaking fifth no-hitter in 1981.
2) B.B.      Utility player who was the first pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1977 American League expansion draft.
3) C.C.      Journeyman shortstop who hit extra inning walkoff home run to clinch the 2016 National League West title for the Dodgers in Vin Scully’s last home game.
4) D.D.      Relief pitcher for six American League teams who gave up Hank Aaron’s 755th and last home run in 1976.
5) E.E.      Slugging third baseman later converted to a full time DH who hit 424 career home runs, good for third among active players as of his last season (2020).
6) F.F.      Three decade pitcher for New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers, whose rotundity earned him the nickname “Fat” and made him a Triple F.
7) G.G.      Third baseman for 1987 World Series champion Minnesota Twins, who hit 360 career home runs, but whose devout Christianity offended free spirit teammate Kent Hrbek.
8) H.H.      Hall of Fame outfielder who won four batting titles, and whose .342 career batting average is behind only Hornsby and Delahanty among right-handed batters.
9) ii      Larry Csonka’s running mate for undefeated Miami Dolphins team of 1972, whose last name included a “double eye.”
10) J.J.      50s/60s pitcher for Braves and Reds who was the first Little League Baseball graduate to play in the major leagues.
11) K.K.      Cleveland Indians third baseman who made several dazzling plays to help break Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak in 1941.
12) L.L.       Third baseman/outfielder who was the last Dodger player to wear #34 before Fernando Valenzuela (it has not been worn since).
13) M.M.      Outfielder for Pirates, Expos, and Dodgers, who retired as the all-time leader in pinch hits (since eclipsed).
14) N.N.      Rookie pitcher who appeared in six games for Yankees in 2020.
15) O.O.      Well-traveled right handed pitcher who pitched for eight teams between 1990 and 2001, including five years with the Cardinals. He won a combined 15 games for two teams in 1999 and was the first Seattle Mariners pitcher to get an RBI.
16) P.P.      Journeyman ’60s/’70s infielder who was traded by the Dodgers to reacquire Maury Wills.
17) _.Q.      Other half, along with MVP Zoilo Versalles, of 1965 American League champion Minnesota Twins’ double play combination; also later managed the Twins (last name only starts with “Q”).
18) R.R.      Utility player for six teams (mostly Phillies and Padres) in ’80s and ’90s. Currently manages the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in the AA Oxymoron League.
19) S.S.      Journeyman infielder for ’40s/’50s Boston and Milwaukee Braves. Later appeared as the manager for the opposing Pittsburgh team in the climactic scene from “The Natural.”
20) T.T.      Rookie of the Year outfielder for the New York Yankees. Appeared in three straight World Series 1962-63-64.
21) U.U.      1999 National League saves leader for Montreal, and the only person that could possibly qualify as the answer to this question.
22) V.V.      Six year major league pitcher who appeared in six games for the Phillies in 2020, and who prevented me from being forced to ask for the name of the actress who played Ethel Mertz on “I Love Lucy” (Vivian Vance).
23) W.W.      ‘60s/’70s outfielder, primarily for White Sox, affectionately known as “No Neck” (and he really did have no neck).
24) xx      Hall of Fame slugger whose last name ends with two Xs, hence his nickname.
25) Y.Y.      Journeyman early 2000s reliever for Dodgers whose first name began and ended with “Y.” Or, you can name a right handed relief pitcher from Japan who pitched two seasons for the Royals in 2008-09.
26) zz      Name two of the three Hall of Famers (one a 2B, one a SS, one a C) with a “Double-Z” in their last names.

Answers:
Alan Ashby
Bob Bailor
Charlie Culberson
Dick Drago
Edwin Encarnacion
“Fat” Freddy Fitzsimmons
Gary Gaetti
Harry Heilmann
Jim Kiick
Joey Jay
Ken Keltner
Lee Lacy
Manny Mota
Nick Nelson
Omar Oliveres
Paul Popovich
Frank Quillici
Randy Ready
Sibby Sisti
Tom Tresh
Ugueth Urbina
Vince Velasquez
Walt Williams
Jimmie Foxx
Yhency Brazobán/Yazuhiko Yabuta
Tony Lazzeri, Phil Rizzuto, Mike Piazza

P.S.: After preparing this quiz, I discovered a pitcher for the 1913-15 Chicago Cubs named Zip Zabel (real name George Washington Zabel). It turns out he holds the record for most innings thrown by a relief pitcher in a single game, replacing an injured starter in the first inning and pitching 18 1/3 innings until his team scored the winning run in the 19th. It also turns out that, according to his SABR biography, the nickname “Zip” was rarely used. So, if you knew about this guy, you obviously have way too much time on your hands.