Hidden Baseball Teams Trivia Quiz

Answer: Braves

"...the stadium lights ebB, RAVES begin ..." In their long history (the team was one of the first in the National League), the Atlanta Braves have gone by many names. In 1871, the brand-new club was the Boston Red Stockings. Twelve years later, the team took on the alias of Beaneaters, which freed up the Red Sox name for that other Boston team.

In 1912, they became the Braves, a name which stuck through moves to Milwaukee (in 1953) and Atlanta (in 1966). The team's 1995 World Series victory against the Cleveland Indians made them the first franchise to pick up championships for three different cities. The mid-1990s were also the height of a public panic about raves, dance parties fueled by electronic dance music and, occasionally, drugs. They may not usually have been organized in response to baseball achievements, but it would have been a good excuse for a party!

Answer: Red Sox

"This team's doctors caRED, SO X-ray tests were promptly performed ..." The Boston Red Sox were one of the very first teams to be founded in the American League, in 1901. Their name comes from the red stockings used as part of their home uniform. Although the Red Sox won five World Series championships in the twentieth century - including the very first one - they are well known for their supposed curse: after Babe Ruth was traded to the New York Yankees in 1920, the Red Sox didn't win another World Series until 2004.
Ted Williams, a left fielder, played with the Red Sox for his entire major league baseball career - including the incredible 1941 season, when he batted .406. His later career was plagued by injuries, however, and he missed much of the 1954 and 1955 seasons. Pedro Martínez pitched for the Red Sox from 1998 to 2004 and was a crucial contributor to the team's success, despite persistent trouble with back and rotator cuff injuries.
The name of the Reds (Cincinnati's baseball team) was also hidden in this sentence - it's unavoidable, since "Reds" is hidden in the name "Red Sox"!

Answer: Angels

"... The players sANG. ELSewhere, a suburb ..." The Angels, an American League team, played their first game in Los Angeles in 1961. Their first owner was Gene Autry, "The Singing Cowboy," who starred in several movie westerns and released a number of hit songs -- including "Frosty the Snowman" and a cover of "You Are My Sunshine." Beginning life as the Los Angeles Angels, the team moved to Anaheim in 1966 after the suburb built a new stadium for them. Though they stayed in Anaheim, the team underwent a number of name changes: they became the California Angels in 1966, the Anaheim Angels in 1997 and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (whew!) in 2005. Famous Angels include pitcher Nolan Ryan, and outfielders Reggie Jackson and Rickey Henderson, all of whom spent large parts of their careers on other teams.

The Angels' first World Series victory came in 2002 against the San Francisco Giants.

Answer: Nationals

"... a city's determiNATION - ALSo a generous financial package ..." Washington, DC, has historically had bad luck with its baseball teams. The Washington Senators - whom pitcher Walter Johnson led to a World Series win in 1924 - were one of the first teams in the American League, but Washington lost them to Minnesota in 1961. (The team hadn't seen much success in other years; in fact, the saying went that Washington was "First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League.") The city quickly got a second team (also the Washington Senators), but lost them to Texas in 1972.

When the Montreal Expos, a National League team founded in 1969, became the Washington Nationals in 2005, they provided the city's first pro baseball games in 33 years. Washington, DC beat out many other candidates - including Las Vegas and Oklahoma City - for the team's destination, partly on the strength of a generous stadium financing plan proposed by the city's mayor.

The move was called into question when the City Council rejected this plan - and when Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos, widely reviled in Washington DC, complained that a new nearby team would cut into his earnings. Fortunately for the Washington area's baseball fans, these problems were worked out in time, even if the team itself was slow to achieve inspiring play.

Answer: Astros

"... The 2005 season's lAST ROSes bloomed ..." The Houston Astros, a National League team, moved to Minute Maid Park in 2000. Founded in 1962 as the Colt .45s, the team changed their name in 1965 to match their brand new stadium, the Astrodome. (The stadium got its own name out of pride in Houston's role in the U.S. space program: the city had just become home to NASA's Mission Control Center.) The team made its World Series debut in 2005, losing to the Chicago White Sox in a four-game sweep.

Answer: Padres

"... laid down his PAD, RESting at home plate ..." The San Diego Padres have been in the National League since their 1969 founding, and won the league pennant twice in the twentieth century: once in 1984, and once in 1998. (Sadly, they lost the World Series both times: first to the Detroit Tigers, and then to the New York Yankees.) Benito Santiago, a right-handed catcher, had a 34-game hitting streak in 1987, his first season, setting a record both for catchers and for rookies, and landed the National League Rookie of the Year title for his efforts; the team as a whole, however, did not do anywhere near as well.

Answer: Pirates

"... a taPIR ATE Some turf ..." This tale may be completely fabricated, but I don't blame the fictional zoo animals for wanting to visit PNC Park; inaugurated in 2001, it's a beautiful ballfield, with a view of Pittsburgh's three rivers and downtown skyline. The Pittsburgh Pirates (also known as the Buccaneers or Bucs) have been part of the National League since 1887, and won five World Series titles during the twentieth century - although their later performance was nothing to brag about.
Honus Wagner was the Pirates' star shortstop from 1900 to 1917. His fame comes not only from his outstanding baseball record, but also from the record set by his baseball card: the T206 card, issued from 1909 to 1911, is widely regarded as the most valuable baseball card in existence.
The tapir, in case you are curious, is a relative of the rhinoceros which can be found in the jungles of Asia and South and Central America.

Answer: Rockies

"... is a cROCK. I EStimate ..." The Colorado Rockies, along with the Florida Marlins, were an expansion team established to begin the 1993 season with the National League; both teams were stocked in an expansion draft (in which players are taken from the rosters of existing teams) in November 1992. Expansion teams have a reputation for poor performance in the first season, and the Rockies were no exception - but the team set records for attendance with almost four and a half million people attending home games in Denver that season.

The team's first World Series appearance came in 2007 after success as a wild card, but they were defeated in only four games by the Boston Red Sox.

Answer: Phillies

"... uP HILLIESt University City ..." The Philadelphia Phillies, a National League team, went through a few name changes after their 1883 founding - although they never left the City of Brotherly Love. Beginning as the Quakers, they later became the Philadelphians, but by 1890 they'd chosen to go by their nickname - the Phillies. Their symbol is the cracked Liberty Bell, a symbol of American independence that is proudly displayed in their hometown, but despite their long history and storied players - including Mike Schmidt, Richie Ashburn and the controversial Pete Rose - their first World Series victory did not come until 1980, against the Kansas City Royals. (Their 2008 win was against the Tampa Bay Rays.)

One of Philadelphia's claims to fame is its Art Museum, which is only seven years older than the Phillies. Its current building sits atop a long set of steps that was immortalized in the movie "Rocky," wherein boxer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) runs up and down the stairs while getting in shape for a big bout. The Phillies, who share with Rocky a kind of underdog mystique, might well have imitated his training routine.

Answer: Orioles

"... Once your team goes tO RIO, LESs active cities seem dull ..." The Baltimore Orioles began life in 1901 in Milwaukee as one of the American League's first eight teams, the Brewers. They became the St. Louis Browns the next year, and finally wound up in Baltimore as the Orioles in 1954. (They inherited the name from the first Baltimore Orioles, a successful team in the 1890s before being closed out of the National League.) Notable Orioles include outfielder Frank Robinson, first baseman Eddie Murray, and shortstop/third baseman Cal Ripken, Jr., who famously broke Lou Gehrig's record for most consecutive games played in 1995. The 20th century saw three World Series titles for the Orioles: 1966 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, 1970 against the Cincinnati Reds, and 1983 against the Philadelphia Phillies.