Baseball Photo Trivia

[fan_since79]

The player on the left replaced the player on the right on May 2, 1939.

[fan_since79]

He was the other "Babe".

He was also the first MLB player to be drug tested. That was in 1943, as he attempted to dispel an unsubstantiated rumor that he was using marijuana.

Someone has to know this one.

 

 

[Homebrewer]

I had to look it up, and I would not have known the name otherwise.

I seriously doubt they had even developed a test for pot in 1943.

[Angel Oracle]

Babe Dahlgren

[fan_since79]

The umpires and the Tigers' manager are stunned as Lou Gehrig presents the lineup card without his name on it. May 2, 1939 

[tomsred]

8 hours ago, fan_since79 said:

The umpires and the Tigers' manager are stunned as Lou Gehrig presents the lineup card without his name on it. May 2, 1939 

Things got worse.  Within three years virtually the entire U.S. Naval Fleet in the Pacific was not in the lineup either.

[fan_since79]

Lou watches the game from the dugout.

[Blarg]

And to think, when Hamilton sat by himself to watch the game everyone was upset. Just following in the Greats footsteps.

[NJHalo]

Craig Carton told a funny Mickey Rivers story on WFAN this morning that I thought would be appreciated here.

So Mickey Rivers, center fielder for the Yankees from 1976 to 1979 -- the infamous Bronx Zoo years -- goes to George Steinbrenner just before a game and demands a $10,000 raise. George says, "OK, you deserve it. It will be in your next paycheck." Rivers says, "No. I want it right now. In cash." Mick the Quick loved to bet on horseracing and I guess he had a hot tip.

George goes to the safe in his office and takes out $10,000 in cash. Mickey -- already in his uniform -- puts the money into the back pocket of his baseball pants and goes to the field.

He forgets about the $10,000 in his back pocket. During the game he steals second base, sliding feet first. The catcher's throw goes into center field. Mickey pops up to go to third, but he looks down and sees the $10,000. So he flops back down on second and gathers up the money.

Carton says Mickey told the story at a celebrity softball game, and that Willie Randolph, who was also at the celebrity softball game, said the story is 100% true.

[Angel Oracle]

My mom always called Rivers "Fidget" back then, because he was always fidgeting at his uniform and helmet and stepping in place when batting.

Rivers still has the single season Halos SB mark, with 70 in 1975.

The trade (Rivers and starting pitcher Ed Figueroa for Bobby Bonds) after the 1975 season gave the Yankees their CF and a key starting pitcher in their early WS runs in the mid/late 1970s. 

Bonds had one solid season in 1977 for the Halos, before being traded to the ChiSox with Thad Bosley and Richard Dotson for Chris Knapp and some guy named Downing.  

Bonds only played one month before being traded from Chicago to Texas, where he hit well that same season and had one more solid season the following year in Cleveland.

Dotson had one big productive season for the ChiSox in 1983 (22 game winner), and won 111 MLB games although mostly struggling after 1984 (age 25 season).

So Rivers and Figueroa did essentially help to bring Downing in here.

[fanfromday1]

A couple of paragraphs from an article about Mickey Rivers at 'The Hardball Times.'

Though not as controversial as some of his teammates, Rivers had his moments. He liked to bet on horses at the racetrack, an unfortunate habit that led to some heavy financial losses. During the 1978 season, the Yankees actually removed the telephone from the clubhouse at Yankee Stadium to prevent Rivers from calling in his bets to the track.

Sometimes the financial defeats at the horse track left Rivers so upset that he failed to hustle on the field. At other times, he simply felt too depressed to play. Word of Rivers’ sudden “depression” would circulate the clubhouse until it eventually reached the office of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. “The Boss” would then slip some money into a white envelope and have it delivered to Rivers, whose depression would give way to a renewed enthusiasm in playing that day. Those “white envelopes” became an infamous (and humorous) part of Yankees lore in the 1970s. The payments, which acted as advances in salary, usually maintained Rivers’ presence in the lineup.

http://www.hardballtimes.com/cooperstown-confidential-the-legend-of-mick-the-quick/

[NJHalo]

A friend of mine was a trainer for the NJ Devils, and he told me a funny story about former Devil and LA King star Bernie Nicholls. When Bernie was with the Devils, he loved to bet the horses, and there was the Meadowlands Race track right across the street from the Arena. Bernie got a hot tip on a horse, and was trying to get one of the staff to run across the street and put down 5k for him. Nobody would do it for fear of GM Lou Lamoriello finding out. So Bernie goes out and gives a two handed slash to the back of a NY Rangers player, and gets thrown out of the game. Well Bernie runs thru the locker room puts shoes on and runs across the street and places his bet. By the time he got back, it was between periods, and the team was back in the locker room. Lamoriello finds Bernie and says "I can understand why you needed to go out to the parking lot and blow off some steam, I hate the Rangers too" 

He never got in trouble because no one found out, and his horse won. 

[makepeac]

I remember a teammate of Mickey Rivers' who was a pitcher telling the story many years ago of one rough night on the mound when he was getting shelled by the opposing team. After yet another shot to the gap by the opposing team he took leave behind the mound to try and regain his composure. The shortstop told him to check Mickey out in centerfield. When he looked he saw Mickey facing the centerfield wall down in a sprinter's stance looking back over his shoulder telling the pitcher he was ready for the next pitch. Gozzlehead....

[Troll Daddy]

[fan_since79]

This player hit 34 home runs for the Mets in 1962. Earlier he had several successful seasons with the Pirates. Played for seven teams altogether in his career. Another player with the same name is in the Hall of Fame.

[Troll Daddy]

[Redondo]

Spoiler

Frank Thomas?

Had to look it up.

[fan_since79]

Frank Thomas it is!

He still holds the Pirates' record for most home runs in a season by a third baseman with 35.

 

[fan_since79]

In the Yankees pic, that's Miller Huggins in the middle, Babe of course next to him, and Bob Meusel second from the right. The two guys on either end, I have no idea.

 

[Redondo]

Looked it up

Hoyt and Shawkey

1927 Yankees Photo 8X10 - Babe Ruth Hoyt Huggins Meusel Shawkey New York Yankees

[fan_since79]

Here's a tough one. The starting pitchers for the 1916 Boston Red Sox.
Ruth is there, of course, but who are the others?

[fan_since79]

Some hints:

The guy on the right holds the American League record for lowest season ERA, 0.96, which he set in 1914.

The tall one in the middle had a controversial perfect game, which was removed years later from the record books.

Second from left: in 1920 he threw the pitch that killed Cleveland's Ray Chapman.

 

[Angel Oracle]

2nd and 3rd from the left: 

Carl Mays and Ernie Shore

[fan_since79]

4 hours ago, Angel Oracle said:

2nd and 3rd from the left: 

Carl Mays and Ernie Shore

You got it.

Two more to go.

 

[fan_since79]

There was another pitcher some years later with the same name as the pitcher on the far right.

First name was a nickname. Think European countries.