Society for American Baseball Research, Rogers Hornsby Chapter

Watching Aaron Judge’s at-bats, pondering a challenging quiz about Hall of Fame players traded when they were 25 years old or younger and talking about the playoff race highlighted the September chapter meeting on Saturday.

Seventeen chapter members and guests gathered at Hurricane Grill and Wings in Round Rock to talk about the teams that are in, and the teams that are hanging on. We also talked about the new playoff format and Albert Pujols’ two home run night to become only the fourth player in MLB history to reach the 700 club.

Ryan Pollack, who won a trivia quiz a few months ago, created a quiz in which we had to name Hall of Fame players (not too difficult) who were traded by their age 25 season or earlier (proved to be quite difficult!).

Tom Wancho took top honors on tiebreakers by outlasting Dan Walsh. Both scored 18 out of 39 total points. Jim Baker came in third with 15 points.

Take your turn with this quiz below. The answers follow the questions.

Chapter Commissioner Gilbert Martinez announced that the next chapter meeting would be the World Series Watch Party at Jim Baker’s house in Cedar Park, a long chapter tradition. It will be for World Series Game 2 on Saturday, Oct. 29.

Martinez also asked members to mark their calendars for Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, when the chapter is planning to host its 17th Annual Bill Gilbert Winter Meeting. Meeting coordinator Jerry Miller is organizing the annual event and will be in touch with the chapter via the email list soon with more information.

During our meeting at Hurricane Grill and Wings, televisions around the restaurants were mostly showing college football games, but one was tuned to the matchup between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. We paused our discussions to watch closely for each Judge at-bat. In fact, ESPN’s broadcast of the Texas Longhorns-Texas Tech Red Raiders football game went to split-screen to show Judge’s at-bats.

Alas for some, Judge’s pursuit to tie Roger Maris with 61 home runs in a season would have to wait at least another day. Instead, while we were at Hurricane Grill, we saw Judge fly out and strike out.

In other news, Monte Cely shared that he’s not planning on attending the Caribbean Series, which is scheduled to be in Venezuela. His 10-year streak of attending the series was snapped in 2021 because of the coronavirus. He said he’s looking forward to the series coming to Miami, Florida, in 2024.

Also, Bailey Hall shared a story about meeting former Mets great Keith Hernandez and his broadcast partner Gary Cohen in the broadcast booth at Citi Field in New York in 2019. Her great-uncle, Mike Bryan, has been the ghost writer for a number of baseball books, working with Cal Ripken Jr. and Kirby Puckett. He’s also the author of “Pure Baseball,” written with Hernandez, which comes highly recommended by Bailey.

The October meeting will be Saturday, Oct. 29 (World Series Game 2 Watch Party). Jim Baker will be in touch with the chapter through the email list.

This was the 190th consecutive month in which the chapter has met, a streak dating to December 2006.

Hornsby Chapter Quiz 9/24/22

By Ryan Pollack

Thirteen Hall of Fame inductees have been traded prior to, or during, their age-25 season. Fill in the following table – one point for each answer, 39 points total. “Traded From” and “Traded To” must be the full city/team name to receive a point; e.g. “Sugarland Space Cowboys.”

Player full name	Traded From	Traded To

Tiebreaker questions involved identifying the age at which each player was traded.

Answer Key

Player Name	Traded From	Traded To	Age (Tiebreaker)	HOF Inducted Year
Roberto Alomar	SDP	TOR	22	2011
Bert Blyleven	MIN	TEX	25	2011
Lou Brock	CHC	STL	25	1985
Dennis Eckersley	CLE	BOS	23	2004
Nellie Fox	PHA	CHW	21	1997
Goose Gossage	CHW	PIT	25	2008
Trevor Hoffman	FLA	SDP	25	2018
Fergie Jenkins	PHI	CHC	23	1991
Ryne Sandberg	PHI	CHC	22	2005
Randy Johnson	MON	SEA	25	2015
George Kell	PHA	DET	23	1983
Pedro Martinez	LAD	MON	22	2015
Nolan Ryan	NYM	CAL	24	1999

 

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.