THE DARING, DEFINITIVE AND ULTIMATE YANKEE QUIZ (IV)
By Harvey Frommer
Apparently, even though the Bronx Bombers are out of the post-season this time around and did not have much going for them during the 2015 winter meetings, there are enough fans still interested in all things Yankees. So as a result of popular demand – here is the fourth installment of the brain-teaser called ULTIMATE YANKEE QUIZ.
Incidentally, your loyal scribe is hard at work on what is being billed as “The Ultimate Yankee Book” so if you have questions and answers, stories, sidebars, send them along for the book.
Now - -let’s get to the quiz:
42. Mickey Mantle hits his final home run, off a Red Sox Pitcher. Who was he?
A. Ray Culp B. Jim Lonborg C. Jose Santiago D. Sparky Lyle
43. Who has put in more consecutive years as the everyday play-by-play announcer than anyone else in Yankees history?
A. Red Barber B. Mel Allen C. John Sterling D. Curt Gowdy
44. How many attended to make for the record smallest crowd in the history of the Yankee franchise?
A. 1,000 B. 413 C. 5400 D. 8810
45. Who asked: “Where is Reggie Jackson? We need Mr. October or a Mr. September. Winfield is Mr. May.”
46. How many times did George Steinbrenner change the manager during his first twenty-three seasons?
A. 10 B 15 C18. D. 20
47. Who made up the "Core Four"?
48. Who said "Yankee Stadium was a mistake, not mine, but the Giants."
A. Yogi Berra B. Harry Frazee C. Jake Ruppert D. Babe Ruth
49. Who played more games for the Yankees than any other player in history?
A. Mickey Mantle B. Babe Ruth C. Lou Gehrig D. Derek Jeter
50. When did the Yankees play at Shea Stadium when Yankee Stadium was being refurbished?
51. Who wore uniform Number 2 before Derek Jeter?
52. Who originally designed the Yankees logo?
A. Jake Ruppert B. NYC Police Department C. Tiffany D. A fan
53 First-baseman Wally Pipp has gone down in history for being the
player Lou Gehrig replaced. What other distinction belongs to Pipp?
A. He was a manager. B. He came from the same neighborhood Gehrig grew up in. C. He was a home run champ. D. He made money endorsing aspirin.
54. Who was the first major leaguer to hit two grand slams in the same game?
A. Babe Ruth B. Lou Gehrig C. Mickey Mantle D. Tony Lazzeri
55 . Who played the most games for the Yankees?
A. Mickey Mantle B. Yogi Berra C. Lou Gehrig D. Derek Jeter
56. Who was the first DH to bat? (He was a Yankee)
A. Jerry Moses 56 B. Ron Bloomberg C. Fred Stanley D. Johnny Callison
ANSWERS (No peeking)
42. B. Jim Lonborg
43. C. John Sterling
44. B. 413
45. George Steinbrenner
46. C. Twenty times,
47. Derek Jeter, Jose Posada, Andy Petite, Mariano Rivera
48. C. Jake Ruppert
49. A. Mickey Mantle played more games for the Yankees than any other player, with 2401.
50. 1974 and 1975
51. A. Mike Gallego wore it in 1992, 1993 and 1994
52. The interlocking NY logo was originally designed by Louis C. Tiffany for the NYPD valor medal.
53 C. Pipp was an American League home run champion in 1916-17.
54. D. Tony Lazzeri
55. D. Derek Jeter
56 B. Ron Bloomberg
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
ALI AND THE FIFTH STREET GYM by Harvey Frommer
ALI AND THE FIFTH STREET GYM
Excerpt from IT HAPPENED IN MIAMI
by Myrna Katz Frommer and Harvey Frommer
“Cassius Clay was born in Louisville. But Muhammad Ali was born in Miami.”
–Ferdie Pacheco
DAVE ROGERS: The Fifth Street Gym on Fifth Street and Washington Avenue was iconic. People came there from all walks of life. There was no air conditioning. It was musty. It smelled of sweat -- boxers sweat. There was a back room with a bed and mattress, a place where the boxers would shower, towel off.
BERNIE ROSEN: There was no elevator. You had to walk up two flights of steps to the first floor. Sitting right there at a table would be Chris Dundee who ran the gym. He used to charge 25 cents to let people in to see the fighters train. If he knew you, you paid nothing.
LUISTA PACHECO: I remember one guy didn't want to pay the quarter because, he said, he was the press. "Press my pants," he was told.
BERNIE ROSEN: In 1960, after Ali – the young Cassius Clay then -- won the Olympic light heavyweight championship gold medal, he was managed by the people that made Seagram's Whiskey in Louisville, Kentucky. Those people had him come down here to Miami to be trained and managed by Angelo Dundee who got him a little apartment in Overtown.
FERDIE PACHECO: That was when I met Cassius Clay. He came to my office in the ghetto in Miami at North West Second Avenue and 10th Street. I thought he was the most exceptional looking individual I had ever seen in a boxer. He was beautiful, he was shapely, all his muscles were in the right places. And he was extremely fast, fast with his mouth, talked all the time. He was not an intelligent man in the conventional sense. He was totally instinctive, just did the right thing , and he was very funny. He could charm anyone even my usually uncharmable old Baptist Church nurse, Miss Mabel Norwood, who summed him up: “That boy is either going to be the champion of the world or he’s crazy.”
Ali was a solitary figure then with nobody to keep him company, an 18-year-old, new to the big city of Miami, trying to find out what it was like. He had no guy friends. He had no girlfriends. All he had was the Fifth Street Gym and Angelo Dundee and Chris Dundee. That’s who he had. But inside of two months, he had taken over. He was a magnetic figure. The whole town was following him around. If you hung around him, you became attached to him and were under his spell.
LUISTA PACHECO: Ali was such an unassuming person. He didn’t care about getting dressed up, he would always wear black. He was so kind to everyone. He would collect antique cars, ride around in the cars, and talk with Ferdie.
I was a dancer and dance teacher, and from my expert point of view, he was very light on his feet.
DAVE ROGERS: Sarria, a Latin guy, would massage Ali in the back room, work his muscles with the cream and all that. Once when Ali was getting his massage and workout, I tried to get into the room, and this big black Muslim guy -- he was wearing one of those hats that look like yarmulkes – was standing at the door blocking my way. “Man, you can’t come in here,” he said.
But Ali overruled him. “Hey, that’s my man Jesus,” he said. That came from the time I was wearing a little beard like Mephistopheles, and the cut man, Angelo Dundee, introduced me to Ali saying: “This is my friend, Jesus Christ.” After that, and for all the years that I knew him, Ali called me Jesus.
I saw things between Angelo and Ali that most people didn’t see, didn’t know. There was such a close tie. Ali seemed to have a great love for Angelo, and Angelo for him. He would put his arm next to Angelo who was Italian and had dark skin, and he’d say, “Angelo, you a nigger; you more of a nigger than I am.” But lovingly.
BERNIE ROSEN: Angelo and his brother Chris founded the Fifth Street Gym in the early fifties. Angelo was one of the top trainers in the 20th century. Chris was a promoter of the fights in the Miami Beach auditorium, the place where Jackie Gleason would eventually put on his shows. I would go over every single Monday and do a preview of the fights, and Chris would put on shows every Tuesday night. We used to shoot one of the fights and run it back to the station to have it processed and put on the air. That was a huge thing back then.
DAVE ROGERS: We used to go to Wolfie’s after the Tuesday night fights: Angelo, Chris, Ferdie Pacheco -- the fight doctor who had a medical practice in Liberty City and would regale us with all kinds of stories -- and Jimmy Ellis, the fighter. They were all part of Ali’s entourage.
“Angelo, give me a couple of dollies,” Ali would say. Dollies, not dollars. Angelo would support fighters who needed money. He kept one pocket for singles and one pocket for larger bills.
Every day, I’d pick up Angelo, and we’d go to the gym. A lot of people came to the gym, guys from all walks of life. They would come off the street, up the steps, and there on the right would be this little guy sitting at a desk, always with a cigar. That was Sully Emmet, a true Damon Runyon character.
I was in the insurance business and insured a place on 23rd Street called Ollie’s. It had great steaks and hamburgers with special seasoning.
Ollie had a girlfriend, Terry. They would argue; the language was terrible. Whenever he and Terry had a fight, he’d go out in the back and smoke his cigar. He was always smoking a cigar. Sometimes the ashes would fall on the hamburgers. “Ah,” he’d say, “that’s what makes it good.”
I took Ali to Ollie’s. There was a bus outside filled with a class of kids. Ali went over to the bus and made like he was boxing, hitting the window of the bus. Then we went in. I said to him, “You’ll get only one Ollie burger. That’s all you’ll get.” (In those days they would name a burger after someone.)
Ali said, “I want another one.”
“You can’t get another one.” Then Ollie came over. “Ali, for you, there’s another one.”
Angelo brought Moe Fleisher along. He was a guy who sold boxing shows from New York and was publisher of Ring Magazine.
We’d go out for lunch, and Moe would invariably say “I have to go meet the girl.” The girl lived in the Tropics Hotel on Collins Avenue and 15th Street (I wrote the insurance for the building). He was 86 at the time; she was 84.
Once I was with Moe in the Convention Center. We go to the bathroom. He’s standing next to me in from of the latrine. Before anything starts, he looks down and he says “Son of a bitch, you died before I did.” That was Moe Fleisher.
Another time at the Convention Center, Ali’s standing next to me. “Muhammad,” I tell him, “One of the fighters at the gym is gay.”
He says, “Who is it?”
“I can’t tell you; he’ll beat the crap out of me.”
“Tell me. No one’s gonna touch you.”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Come on, you gotta tell me.”
I say, “Bend over, I’ll whisper it to you.”
He bends over. I kiss him on the cheek. He slides down the wall, hysterical.
I called Ali the Pied Piper of Hamelin. He would talk to everyone, give autographs to everyone. He was a real good guy.
LUISTA PACHECO: When Ali was at the Fifth Street Gym, chairs were lined up all around the ring. People would scream and yell as he shadow-boxed around. Other fighters were training there, but it was never packed the way it was when he was there.
JOSEPH KRUTEL: I’d see Ali there, watch him spar, sit on his lap. The Fifth Street Gym had to be the greatest one location on Miami Beach when it came to sports. I used to go there with my father and a group of guys. We saw Sonny Liston fight there. My father would be in the huddle in the ring; he shot it on 16 mm. My father was best friends with Angelo Dundee. I saw the training that was done with Angelo. I saw Ferdie Pacheo, the most famous fight doctor ever known in sports, and his wife Luista at the gym. They were my mom’s dear friends.
FERDIE PACHECO: “The Fight Doctor” name for me was New York stuff. That was hardly all that I was. I was a scholar who gave lectures at Harvard and all over.
I liked every boxer I ever took care of. I was a hero to people because I was taking care of their heroes. There is something ennobling about taking care of people who are on their last legs, 18, 19 years old and they don’t know what to do with themselves.
The Cuban boxers were my favorites. They came to Miami completely lost. They were political exiles and had been oppressed, horribly. I took them into my house and let them sleep in the garage. I had a Cuban maid. She was a great cook, and she cooked the food they liked, lots of it. They all made money and all became champions.
I met Angelo Dundee around the time I came to Miami to live. “I like boxing and jazz,” I told him. “Any boxer that gets cut I will sew him up for nothing. I will take care of his medical
needs. For the rest of your life you will never have to write out a check for me. On the other hand, I want a ticket to every fight you promote -- for me and my wife and maybe more if I want to bring friends.” He got a good deal. So did I. He saved himself at least a hundred, two hundred thousand dollars. For my part, because of Ali, worlds of interest opened up to me that I had never known. I met the Queen of England, Winston Churchill, Malcolm X, the Beatles, Elvis. Through the 1960s and 1970s, everyone who was anyone was at our door. They all wanted to be with Ali.
I met Budd Schulberg. He liked being at the Fifth Street Gym. He loved boxing. He was a great writer, a perceptive writer. He wrote On the Waterfront, The Harder They Fall among other top writings. I had written a very good novel of my growing up. It delineated the society of Tampa and Ibor City better than anybody else has ever written it. I asked him if he would read what I had written.
We agreed that he would come over to my house at ten the next morning. He asked me to have a good bottle of vodka for him. I had a case ready. He went into the backyard with the manuscript, sat under the shade tree, and began to read. He stayed with me for two days and read it straight through. He edited it for me and did not make many changes. He said he liked it a lot and if it doesn’t get published, it will be a shame. However, he couldn’t get it published for me. I couldn’t get it published either.
But Schulberg was extremely helpful to me, and I was extremely helpful to him. And that was because of Ali. Because I knew Ali, people wanted to know me, to help me.
(to be continued)
Excerpt from IT HAPPENED IN MIAMI
by Myrna Katz Frommer and Harvey Frommer
“Cassius Clay was born in Louisville. But Muhammad Ali was born in Miami.”
–Ferdie Pacheco
DAVE ROGERS: The Fifth Street Gym on Fifth Street and Washington Avenue was iconic. People came there from all walks of life. There was no air conditioning. It was musty. It smelled of sweat -- boxers sweat. There was a back room with a bed and mattress, a place where the boxers would shower, towel off.
BERNIE ROSEN: There was no elevator. You had to walk up two flights of steps to the first floor. Sitting right there at a table would be Chris Dundee who ran the gym. He used to charge 25 cents to let people in to see the fighters train. If he knew you, you paid nothing.
LUISTA PACHECO: I remember one guy didn't want to pay the quarter because, he said, he was the press. "Press my pants," he was told.
BERNIE ROSEN: In 1960, after Ali – the young Cassius Clay then -- won the Olympic light heavyweight championship gold medal, he was managed by the people that made Seagram's Whiskey in Louisville, Kentucky. Those people had him come down here to Miami to be trained and managed by Angelo Dundee who got him a little apartment in Overtown.
FERDIE PACHECO: That was when I met Cassius Clay. He came to my office in the ghetto in Miami at North West Second Avenue and 10th Street. I thought he was the most exceptional looking individual I had ever seen in a boxer. He was beautiful, he was shapely, all his muscles were in the right places. And he was extremely fast, fast with his mouth, talked all the time. He was not an intelligent man in the conventional sense. He was totally instinctive, just did the right thing , and he was very funny. He could charm anyone even my usually uncharmable old Baptist Church nurse, Miss Mabel Norwood, who summed him up: “That boy is either going to be the champion of the world or he’s crazy.”
Ali was a solitary figure then with nobody to keep him company, an 18-year-old, new to the big city of Miami, trying to find out what it was like. He had no guy friends. He had no girlfriends. All he had was the Fifth Street Gym and Angelo Dundee and Chris Dundee. That’s who he had. But inside of two months, he had taken over. He was a magnetic figure. The whole town was following him around. If you hung around him, you became attached to him and were under his spell.
LUISTA PACHECO: Ali was such an unassuming person. He didn’t care about getting dressed up, he would always wear black. He was so kind to everyone. He would collect antique cars, ride around in the cars, and talk with Ferdie.
I was a dancer and dance teacher, and from my expert point of view, he was very light on his feet.
DAVE ROGERS: Sarria, a Latin guy, would massage Ali in the back room, work his muscles with the cream and all that. Once when Ali was getting his massage and workout, I tried to get into the room, and this big black Muslim guy -- he was wearing one of those hats that look like yarmulkes – was standing at the door blocking my way. “Man, you can’t come in here,” he said.
But Ali overruled him. “Hey, that’s my man Jesus,” he said. That came from the time I was wearing a little beard like Mephistopheles, and the cut man, Angelo Dundee, introduced me to Ali saying: “This is my friend, Jesus Christ.” After that, and for all the years that I knew him, Ali called me Jesus.
I saw things between Angelo and Ali that most people didn’t see, didn’t know. There was such a close tie. Ali seemed to have a great love for Angelo, and Angelo for him. He would put his arm next to Angelo who was Italian and had dark skin, and he’d say, “Angelo, you a nigger; you more of a nigger than I am.” But lovingly.
BERNIE ROSEN: Angelo and his brother Chris founded the Fifth Street Gym in the early fifties. Angelo was one of the top trainers in the 20th century. Chris was a promoter of the fights in the Miami Beach auditorium, the place where Jackie Gleason would eventually put on his shows. I would go over every single Monday and do a preview of the fights, and Chris would put on shows every Tuesday night. We used to shoot one of the fights and run it back to the station to have it processed and put on the air. That was a huge thing back then.
DAVE ROGERS: We used to go to Wolfie’s after the Tuesday night fights: Angelo, Chris, Ferdie Pacheco -- the fight doctor who had a medical practice in Liberty City and would regale us with all kinds of stories -- and Jimmy Ellis, the fighter. They were all part of Ali’s entourage.
“Angelo, give me a couple of dollies,” Ali would say. Dollies, not dollars. Angelo would support fighters who needed money. He kept one pocket for singles and one pocket for larger bills.
Every day, I’d pick up Angelo, and we’d go to the gym. A lot of people came to the gym, guys from all walks of life. They would come off the street, up the steps, and there on the right would be this little guy sitting at a desk, always with a cigar. That was Sully Emmet, a true Damon Runyon character.
I was in the insurance business and insured a place on 23rd Street called Ollie’s. It had great steaks and hamburgers with special seasoning.
Ollie had a girlfriend, Terry. They would argue; the language was terrible. Whenever he and Terry had a fight, he’d go out in the back and smoke his cigar. He was always smoking a cigar. Sometimes the ashes would fall on the hamburgers. “Ah,” he’d say, “that’s what makes it good.”
I took Ali to Ollie’s. There was a bus outside filled with a class of kids. Ali went over to the bus and made like he was boxing, hitting the window of the bus. Then we went in. I said to him, “You’ll get only one Ollie burger. That’s all you’ll get.” (In those days they would name a burger after someone.)
Ali said, “I want another one.”
“You can’t get another one.” Then Ollie came over. “Ali, for you, there’s another one.”
Angelo brought Moe Fleisher along. He was a guy who sold boxing shows from New York and was publisher of Ring Magazine.
We’d go out for lunch, and Moe would invariably say “I have to go meet the girl.” The girl lived in the Tropics Hotel on Collins Avenue and 15th Street (I wrote the insurance for the building). He was 86 at the time; she was 84.
Once I was with Moe in the Convention Center. We go to the bathroom. He’s standing next to me in from of the latrine. Before anything starts, he looks down and he says “Son of a bitch, you died before I did.” That was Moe Fleisher.
Another time at the Convention Center, Ali’s standing next to me. “Muhammad,” I tell him, “One of the fighters at the gym is gay.”
He says, “Who is it?”
“I can’t tell you; he’ll beat the crap out of me.”
“Tell me. No one’s gonna touch you.”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Come on, you gotta tell me.”
I say, “Bend over, I’ll whisper it to you.”
He bends over. I kiss him on the cheek. He slides down the wall, hysterical.
I called Ali the Pied Piper of Hamelin. He would talk to everyone, give autographs to everyone. He was a real good guy.
LUISTA PACHECO: When Ali was at the Fifth Street Gym, chairs were lined up all around the ring. People would scream and yell as he shadow-boxed around. Other fighters were training there, but it was never packed the way it was when he was there.
JOSEPH KRUTEL: I’d see Ali there, watch him spar, sit on his lap. The Fifth Street Gym had to be the greatest one location on Miami Beach when it came to sports. I used to go there with my father and a group of guys. We saw Sonny Liston fight there. My father would be in the huddle in the ring; he shot it on 16 mm. My father was best friends with Angelo Dundee. I saw the training that was done with Angelo. I saw Ferdie Pacheo, the most famous fight doctor ever known in sports, and his wife Luista at the gym. They were my mom’s dear friends.
FERDIE PACHECO: “The Fight Doctor” name for me was New York stuff. That was hardly all that I was. I was a scholar who gave lectures at Harvard and all over.
I liked every boxer I ever took care of. I was a hero to people because I was taking care of their heroes. There is something ennobling about taking care of people who are on their last legs, 18, 19 years old and they don’t know what to do with themselves.
The Cuban boxers were my favorites. They came to Miami completely lost. They were political exiles and had been oppressed, horribly. I took them into my house and let them sleep in the garage. I had a Cuban maid. She was a great cook, and she cooked the food they liked, lots of it. They all made money and all became champions.
I met Angelo Dundee around the time I came to Miami to live. “I like boxing and jazz,” I told him. “Any boxer that gets cut I will sew him up for nothing. I will take care of his medical
needs. For the rest of your life you will never have to write out a check for me. On the other hand, I want a ticket to every fight you promote -- for me and my wife and maybe more if I want to bring friends.” He got a good deal. So did I. He saved himself at least a hundred, two hundred thousand dollars. For my part, because of Ali, worlds of interest opened up to me that I had never known. I met the Queen of England, Winston Churchill, Malcolm X, the Beatles, Elvis. Through the 1960s and 1970s, everyone who was anyone was at our door. They all wanted to be with Ali.
I met Budd Schulberg. He liked being at the Fifth Street Gym. He loved boxing. He was a great writer, a perceptive writer. He wrote On the Waterfront, The Harder They Fall among other top writings. I had written a very good novel of my growing up. It delineated the society of Tampa and Ibor City better than anybody else has ever written it. I asked him if he would read what I had written.
We agreed that he would come over to my house at ten the next morning. He asked me to have a good bottle of vodka for him. I had a case ready. He went into the backyard with the manuscript, sat under the shade tree, and began to read. He stayed with me for two days and read it straight through. He edited it for me and did not make many changes. He said he liked it a lot and if it doesn’t get published, it will be a shame. However, he couldn’t get it published for me. I couldn’t get it published either.
But Schulberg was extremely helpful to me, and I was extremely helpful to him. And that was because of Ali. Because I knew Ali, people wanted to know me, to help me.
(to be continued)
Thursday, December 3, 2015
The Amazing, Brain-Teasing Yankee Quiz III by Harvey Frommer
The Amazing, Brain-Teasing Yankee Quiz III
By Harvey Frommer
All kinds of hot stove rumors, trades, talk are part of the baseball scene these December days but no baseball. Still there are enough fans much interested in all things Yankees. So as a result of popular demand—here is the third installment of the brain-teaser called ULTIMATE YANKEE QUIZ.
(No peeking at answers below)
Incidentally, your loyal scribe is hard at work on what is being billed as “The Ultimate Yankee Book” so if you have questions and answers, stories, sidebars, please send them along for the book. Harvey.Frommer@Dartmouth.edu.
Now—let’s get to the quiz:
31. Who founded “Yankeeland Farm” in Frederick, Maryland after his playing career ended and had a successful career as a breeder?
A Charlie Keller B Tom Tresh C. Elston Howard D Bob Kuzava
32. Who was the central figure when the first Old-Timers game was staged in a major-league park and the first uniform number retired?
A. Babe Ruth B. Lou Gehrig C Lefty Gomez D. Joe McCarthy
33. Who was the General Manager before Brian Cashman?
A. Bob Watson B. Lou Piniella C. Bob Quinn D. Gene Michael
34. How Many games did Ron Guidry win in his record Cy Young season of 1978? A. 19 B. 20 C. 23. D. 25
35. Who was nicknamed "Chairman of the Board?"
A. Whitey Ford B. Reggie Jackson C. Yogi Berra D. Frank Howard
36. Who was the last Yankee and major leaguer to wear Number 42?
A. Billy Martin B. Mariano Rivera C. Carlos Beltran D. Johnny Blanchard
A. Rivera is the last active major leaguer to wear number 42
37. Who wore #51 for sixteen Yankees seasons, from 1991-2006?
A. Paul O’Neill B. Hideo Matsui C. Bernie Williams D. Jorge Posada
38 . Who replaced Joe Torre as Yankee manager in 2008?
39. Who was called "Donnie Baseball"?
40. Who made the first error in Yankee Stadium history?
A. Lou Gehrig B. Babe Ruth C. Tony Lazzeri D. Wally Pipp
41. What pitcher did Bucky Dent hit the go-ahead home run off at Fenway Park in the 1978 tie breaker game?
A. Mike Torrez B. Dennis Eckersley C. Bill Lee D. Bob Stanley
ANSWERS
31. A Charlie Keller
32. B. Lou Gehrig
33. A. Bob Watson 34. C. 25-3
35. A. Whitey Ford
36. B. Mariano Rivera
37. C. Bernie Williams
38. He is still there as of this writing – Joe Girardi
39. Don Mattingly
40. B. Babe Ruth
41. A. Mike Torrez
Written by acclaimed sports author and oral historian Harvey Frommer, with an intro by pro football Hall of Famer Frank Gifford, When It Was Just a Game tells the fascinating story of the ground-breaking AFL–NFL World Championship Football game played on January 15, 1967: Packers vs. Chiefs. Filled with new insights, containing commentary from the unpublished memoir of Kansas City Chiefs coach Hank Stram, featuring oral history from many who were at the game—media, players, coaches, fans—the book is mainly in the words of those who lived it and saw it go on to become the Super Bowl, the greatest sports attraction the world has ever known. Archival photographs and drawings help bring the event to life.
Dr. Harvey Frommer is in his 39th year of writing books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 42 sports books including the classics: best-selling “New York City Baseball, 1947-1957″ and best-selling Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball, his acclaimed Remembering Yankee Stadium and best-selling Remembering Fenway Park.
By Harvey Frommer
All kinds of hot stove rumors, trades, talk are part of the baseball scene these December days but no baseball. Still there are enough fans much interested in all things Yankees. So as a result of popular demand—here is the third installment of the brain-teaser called ULTIMATE YANKEE QUIZ.
(No peeking at answers below)
Incidentally, your loyal scribe is hard at work on what is being billed as “The Ultimate Yankee Book” so if you have questions and answers, stories, sidebars, please send them along for the book. Harvey.Frommer@Dartmouth.edu.
Now—let’s get to the quiz:
31. Who founded “Yankeeland Farm” in Frederick, Maryland after his playing career ended and had a successful career as a breeder?
A Charlie Keller B Tom Tresh C. Elston Howard D Bob Kuzava
32. Who was the central figure when the first Old-Timers game was staged in a major-league park and the first uniform number retired?
A. Babe Ruth B. Lou Gehrig C Lefty Gomez D. Joe McCarthy
33. Who was the General Manager before Brian Cashman?
A. Bob Watson B. Lou Piniella C. Bob Quinn D. Gene Michael
34. How Many games did Ron Guidry win in his record Cy Young season of 1978? A. 19 B. 20 C. 23. D. 25
35. Who was nicknamed "Chairman of the Board?"
A. Whitey Ford B. Reggie Jackson C. Yogi Berra D. Frank Howard
36. Who was the last Yankee and major leaguer to wear Number 42?
A. Billy Martin B. Mariano Rivera C. Carlos Beltran D. Johnny Blanchard
A. Rivera is the last active major leaguer to wear number 42
37. Who wore #51 for sixteen Yankees seasons, from 1991-2006?
A. Paul O’Neill B. Hideo Matsui C. Bernie Williams D. Jorge Posada
38 . Who replaced Joe Torre as Yankee manager in 2008?
39. Who was called "Donnie Baseball"?
40. Who made the first error in Yankee Stadium history?
A. Lou Gehrig B. Babe Ruth C. Tony Lazzeri D. Wally Pipp
41. What pitcher did Bucky Dent hit the go-ahead home run off at Fenway Park in the 1978 tie breaker game?
A. Mike Torrez B. Dennis Eckersley C. Bill Lee D. Bob Stanley
ANSWERS
31. A Charlie Keller
32. B. Lou Gehrig
33. A. Bob Watson 34. C. 25-3
35. A. Whitey Ford
36. B. Mariano Rivera
37. C. Bernie Williams
38. He is still there as of this writing – Joe Girardi
39. Don Mattingly
40. B. Babe Ruth
41. A. Mike Torrez
Written by acclaimed sports author and oral historian Harvey Frommer, with an intro by pro football Hall of Famer Frank Gifford, When It Was Just a Game tells the fascinating story of the ground-breaking AFL–NFL World Championship Football game played on January 15, 1967: Packers vs. Chiefs. Filled with new insights, containing commentary from the unpublished memoir of Kansas City Chiefs coach Hank Stram, featuring oral history from many who were at the game—media, players, coaches, fans—the book is mainly in the words of those who lived it and saw it go on to become the Super Bowl, the greatest sports attraction the world has ever known. Archival photographs and drawings help bring the event to life.
Dr. Harvey Frommer is in his 39th year of writing books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 42 sports books including the classics: best-selling “New York City Baseball, 1947-1957″ and best-selling Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball, his acclaimed Remembering Yankee Stadium and best-selling Remembering Fenway Park.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
IBWAA SELECTS DONALDSON, HARPER IN MVP VOTE
IBWAA SELECTS DONALDSON, HARPER IN MVP VOTE
Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the winners in its Most Valuable Player category Thursday, with the Toronto Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson winning the group’s American League award, and Bryce Harper, of the Washington Nationals, being selected in the National League.
Donaldson received 124 first-place votes (69.27%) and 2222 points while being named on 179 of 180 ballots (97.22%). Others receiving first-place votes include Mike Trout (53), David Price (1) and Chris Davis (1).
Harper received 170 first-place votes (94.44%) and 2461 points while being named on all 180 ballots. Others receiving first-place votes include Paul Goldschmidt (4), Yoenis Cespedes (2), Zack Greinke (2), Nolan Arenado (1) and Anthony Rizzo (1).
Election results are as follows:
AL MVP
1st Place: Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays – 2222 points
2nd Place: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 1820
3rd Place: Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals– 967
2nd Place: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 1820
3rd Place: Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals– 967
4th Place: Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles – 792
5th Place: Nelson Cruz, Texas Rangers – 663
6th Place: Jose Batista, Toronto Blue Jays – 467
7th Place: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers – 348
8th Place: Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros – 333
9th Place: Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles – 320
10th Place: David Price, Toronto Blue Jays – 309
NL MVP
1st Place: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals – 2461 points
2nd Place: Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks – 1314
3rd Place: Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds – 998
2nd Place: Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks – 1314
3rd Place: Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds – 998
4th Place: Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates – 814
5th Place: Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs – 772
6th Place: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants – 595
7th Place: Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies – 533
8th Place: Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs – 508
9th Place: Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers – 465
10th Place: Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs – 351
Ballot tabulations by Brian Wittig & Associates, using the Borda Method.
The IBWAA was established July 4, 2009 to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as a digital alternative to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Voting for full season awards takes place in September of each year, with selections being announced in November. The IBWAA also holds a Hall of Fame election in December of each year, with results being announced the following January.
In 2010, the IBWAA began voting in its own relief pitcher category, establishing the Rollie Fingers American League Relief Pitcher of the Year and the Hoyt Wilhelm National League Relief Pitcher of the Year Awards.
Among approximately 400 others, IBWAA members include Jim Bowden, Jim Caple, David Schoenfield and Mark A. Simon of ESPN.com; Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports; Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports Hardball Talk; Bill Chuck, GammonsDaily.com; Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; King Kaufman, Bleacher Report; Kevin Kennedy; Kostya Kennedy, Sports Illustrated; Will Leitch, Sports on Earth; Bruce Markusen, Hardball Times; Ross Newhan; Dayn Perry and Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com; Mark Purdy, San Jose Mercury News; Tom Hoffarth and J.P. Hoornstra Los Angeles Daily News; Pedro Moura, Orange County Register; Tracy Ringolsby, MLB.com; Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com; Eno Sarris, FanGraphs; Dan Schlossberg, USA Today; Jesse Spector, Sporting News and Wendy Thurm.
Association membership is open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a yearly fee of $20, or $35 lifetime. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available. Members must be 18 years of age to apply.
For more information please visit www.ibwaa.com.
For more information please visit www.ibwaa.com.
Contact:
Howard Cole
Founding Director, IBWAAbaseballsavvy@aol.com
Founding Director, IBWAAbaseballsavvy@aol.com
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
IBWAA SELECTS KEUCHEL, ARRIETA IN CY YOUNG VOTE
IBWAA SELECTS KEUCHEL, ARRIETA IN CY YOUNG VOTE
Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the winners in its Cy Young category Wednesday, with the Houston Astros’ Dallas Keuchel winning the group’s American League award, and Jake Arrieta, of the Chicago Cubs, being selected in the National League.
Keuchel received 92 first-place votes (51.40%) and 956 points while being named on 175 of 179 ballots (97.22%). Others receiving first-place votes include David Price (80), Chris Sale (5) and Sonny Gray (2).
Arrieta received 79 first-place votes (43.89%) and 930 points while being named on 178 of 180 ballots (98.89%). Others receiving first-place votes include Zack Greinke (68), Clayton Kershaw (31) and Max Scherzer (2).
Election results are as follows:
AL Cy Young:
1st Place: Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros – 956 points
2nd Place: David Price, Toronto Blue Jays – 904
3rd Place: Sonny Gray, Oakland A’s – 351
2nd Place: David Price, Toronto Blue Jays – 904
3rd Place: Sonny Gray, Oakland A’s – 351
4th Place: Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox – 282
5th Place: Chris Archer, Tampa Bay Rays – 227
NL Cy Young:
1st Place: Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs – 930 points
2nd Place: Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers – 851
3rd Place: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers – 655
2nd Place: Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers – 851
3rd Place: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers – 655
4th Place: Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh Pirates – 184
5th Place: Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals – 169
Ballot tabulations by Brian Wittig & Associates, using the Borda Method.
The IBWAA was established July 4, 2009 to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as a digital alternative to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Voting for full season awards takes place in September of each year, with selections being announced in November. The IBWAA also holds a Hall of Fame election in December of each year, with results being announced the following January.
In 2010, the IBWAA began voting in its own relief pitcher category, establishing the Rollie Fingers American League Relief Pitcher of the Year and the Hoyt Wilhelm National League Relief Pitcher of the Year Awards.
Among approximately 400 others, IBWAA members include Jim Bowden, Jim Caple, David Schoenfield and Mark A. Simon of ESPN.com; Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports; Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports Hardball Talk; Bill Chuck, GammonsDaily.com; Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; King Kaufman, Bleacher Report; Kevin Kennedy; Kostya Kennedy, Sports Illustrated; Will Leitch, Sports on Earth; Bruce Markusen, Hardball Times; Ross Newhan; Dayn Perry and Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com; Mark Purdy, San Jose Mercury News; Tom Hoffarth and J.P. Hoornstra Los Angeles Daily News; Pedro Moura, Orange County Register; Tracy Ringolsby, MLB.com; Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com; Eno Sarris, FanGraphs; Dan Schlossberg, USA Today; Jesse Spector, Sporting News and Wendy Thurm.
Association membership is open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a yearly fee of $20, or $35 lifetime. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available. Members must be 18 years of age to apply.
For more information please visit www.ibwaa.com.
For more information please visit www.ibwaa.com.
Contact:
Howard Cole
Founding Director, IBWAAbaseballsavvy@aol.com
Founding Director, IBWAAbaseballsavvy@aol.com
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
IBWAA SELECTS CORREA, BRYANT IN ROOKIE OF THE YEAR VOTE
IBWAA SELECTS CORREA, BRYANT IN ROOKIE OF THE YEAR VOTE
Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the winners in its Rookie of the Year category Monday, with the Houston Astros’ Carlos Correa winning the group’s American League award, and Kris Bryant, of the Chicago Cubs, being selected in the National League.
Correa received 105 first-place votes (58.66%) and 711 points while being named on 171 of 180 ballots (95%). Others receiving first-place votes include Francisco Lindor (57), Miguel Sano (7) and Billy Burns (4).
Bryant received 167 first-place votes (92.78%) and 864 points while being named on 178 of 180 ballots (98.89%). Others receiving first-place votes include Matt Duffy (8), Jung Ho Kang (3), Joc Pederson (1) and Noah Syndergaard (1).
Election results are as follows:
AL ROY:
1st Place: Carlos Correa, Houston Astros – 711 points
2nd Place: Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians – 511
3rd Place: Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins – 172
2nd Place: Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians – 511
3rd Place: Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins – 172
NL ROY:
1st Place: Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs – 864 points
2nd Place: Matt Duffy, San Francisco Giants – 368
3rd Place: Jung Ho Kang, Pittsburgh Pirates – 166
2nd Place: Matt Duffy, San Francisco Giants – 368
3rd Place: Jung Ho Kang, Pittsburgh Pirates – 166
Ballot tabulations by Brian Wittig & Associates, using the Borda Method.
The IBWAA was established July 4, 2009 to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as a digital alternative to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Voting for full season awards takes place in September of each year, with selections being announced in November. The IBWAA also holds a Hall of Fame election in December of each year, with results being announced the following January.
In 2010, the IBWAA began voting in its own relief pitcher category, establishing the Rollie Fingers American League Relief Pitcher of the Year and the Hoyt Wilhelm National League Relief Pitcher of the Year Awards.
Among approximately 400 others, IBWAA members include Jim Bowden, Jim Caple, David Schoenfield and Mark A. Simon of ESPN.com; Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports; Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports Hardball Talk; Bill Chuck, GammonsDaily.com; Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; King Kaufman, Bleacher Report; Kevin Kennedy; Kostya Kennedy, Sports Illustrated; Will Leitch, Sports on Earth; Bruce Markusen, Hardball Times; Ross Newhan; Dayn Perry and Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com; Mark Purdy, San Jose Mercury News; Tom Hoffarth and J.P. Hoornstra Los Angeles Daily News; Pedro Moura, Orange County Register; Tracy Ringolsby, MLB.com; Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com; Eno Sarris, FanGraphs; Dan Schlossberg, USA Today; Jesse Spector, Sporting News and Wendy Thurm.
Association membership is open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a yearly fee of $20, or $35 lifetime. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available. Members must be 18 years of age to apply.
For more information please visit www.ibwaa.com.
For more information please visit www.ibwaa.com.
Contact:
Howard Cole
Founding Director, IBWAAbaseballsavvy@aol.com
Founding Director, IBWAAbaseballsavvy@aol.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)