I’m a dad to two wonderful children, Elizabeth, and Jen, and one terrific dog, Casey. They all make my life better. My dad introduced me to baseball. It became our shared passion. And I’m sure there are hundreds of thousands of kids (and dads) who have had that same life experience. And there are hundreds of thousands of children who have shared the joy of baseball with their moms, and vice versa.
Baseball is unique among the major sports in that the game is a little more complex to initially understand. Basketball? Put the ball in the hoop. Hockey? Put the puck in the net. Football? Watch big humans go to war. Soccer? Hope something might happen. Each sport has rules and subtleties. And wonderful personalities and idiots. My preference is baseball; yours might be a different sport. (What do you know? I’m joking. Kinda.)
Each sport has history. IMHO, I don’t think any sport has better stories than baseball. If you have a chance, watch some baseball or any sport with a kid or kids. Share stories about players, plays, the joys of victory and the agony of defeat. Teach them to cheer and not to boo. Teach them to appreciate the joy of viewing, listening or reading about the game. Let them have the opportunity to enjoy a moment of history as it happens.
And maybe someday you can do the weekly quiz together. Even better, maybe you can write one together. Have a special day tomorrow and today, have fun and learn a lot.
1. Felipe Alou was one of the three Alou brothers who played in the majors. Moises was Felipe’s son, and he, too, played in the majors. Which Alou(s) played in Chicago?
a. Felipe
b. Matty
c. Moises
d. Jesus
e. They all did
2. Sandy Alomar was one of three Alomars who played in the majors. He was the father of Roberto Alomar and Sandy Alomar (not a Junior). Which Alomar(s) played in Chicago?
a. Roberto
b. Sandy the elder
c. Sandy the younger
d. They all did
3. Ray Boone is the father of Bob Boone, who is the father of Aaron and Bret Boone. Which Boone(s) played in Chicago?
a. Ray
b. Bob
c. Aaron
d. Bret
4. Cecil Fielder never played for a Chicago team, which is too bad because he hit 319 homers in his career. His son Prince never played for a Chicago team, which is too bad because he hit 319 homers in his career. Which Fielder hit the most homers against Chicago teams?
a. Cecil
b. Prince
c. The same
5. On Sept. 14, 1990, Ken Griffey Jr. and Ken Griffey Sr. made history when they became the first father-son duo to hit back-to-back home runs in a game. Who was their opponent?
a. Red Sox
b. White Sox
c. Angels
d. Athletics
6. Mel Stottlemyre pitched for 10 seasons for the Yankees, making the All-Star team five teams. His lifetime record was 164-139. His son Todd pitched for 14 seasons in the majors and finished his career 138-121. Mel’s other son, Mel Stottlemyre, pitched one season in the majors and had an 0-1 record. Which Stottlemyre recorded the most losses against Chicago teams?
a. Mel the father
b. Mel the son
c. Todd
7. Terry Francona is one of my baseball favorites. In the very first game I went to, I saw his dad, “Tito” Francona, play. Which of the Francona(s) played in Chicago?
a. Tito
b. Terry
c. They both did
8. “Dizzy” Trout was one of baseball’s best pitchers during the war years. Pitching in the majors for 15 years, he had a pair of 20-win seasons and a pair of All-Star seasons, and he pitched for a pair of teams that reached the World Series, including one, the 1945 Tigers, that beat the Cubs. He was wacky and well-deserving of his nickname. His ninth child, Steven, was born in July 1957 (Dizzy ended up with 10 children) and pitched most of his 12-season major-league career with Chicago teams, five with the White Sox and five with the Cubs. Steve’s nickname is “Rainbow.” For which Chicago team did Steve have more wins?
a. Cubs
b. White Sox
c. The same
9. As I walk off this week, I also need to mention that I have two terrific grandchildren, Alexa and Archer, and one wonderful granddog, Sesame. Jayson Werth, who played in the majors for 15 years, is the grandson of which former big-leaguer?
a. Carl Yastrzemski
b. Dick Schofield
c. Don Money
d. For What It’s Werth
ANSWERS
1. Outfielder Moises Alou played 17 seasons in the majors and was a six-time All-Star. From 2002 to ’04, he played with the Cubs. And played well. He is perhaps best remembered for Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS against the Marlins when in the eighth inning, as he was attempting to catch a foul ball, a fan (whose name need not be mentioned) might have prevented him from making the catch.
2. Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar ended his career in 2004 with 18 games with the White Sox. Sandy the elder played 167 games for the Sox in 1967-69. Sandy the younger played for the White Sox in parts of seasons from 2001 to ’04 and 2006. He totaled 265 games with the Sox.
3. Ray Boone played 86 games for the White Sox in 1958-59. He was the only member of the family who wore a Chicago uniform. I bet Pat Boone, the singer, at one time performed in Chicago.
4. Cecil hit 34 homers against the Sox and never played the Cubs. Prince hit 22 homers against the Cubs and seven against the Sox for a total of 29 against Chicago teams.
5. It was the top of the first for the Mariners when the Griffeys went B2B against Kirk McCaskill, then of the Angels. McCaskill pitched the last five seasons of his career with the White Sox. The Angels won that game 7-5.
6. Todd was 3-1 against the Cubs and 6-7 against the White Sox for a combined record against Chicago teams of 9-8. Mel, the father, never faced the Cubs but went 13-16 against the White Sox to be the winner of the most-losses competition.
7. Tito played from 1956 to ’70 in the majors. In 1958, Tito played 41 games for the White Sox. Terry played from 1981 to ’90 in the majors. In 1986, Terry played 86 games for the Cubs.
8. Steve was 0-4 with the Yankees, 8-10 with the Mariners, 37-40 with the White Sox and 43-38 with the Cubs.
9. Carl’s grandson Mike Yastrzemski plays for the Giants. Don Money’s grandson Buddy Kennedy played last season for Arizona, and this season he’s tearing up Triple-A for the D-backs’ Reno team. Jayson Werth played 15 years in the majors (2002-2017). His grandfather was Dick Schofield, who played 19 years in the majors (1953-1971) and whose son, Dick Schofield, played 14 big-league seasons (1983 to ’96). “For What It’s Worth” was a 1967 classic sung by Buffalo Springfield and written by Stephen Stills.
