A Rose By Any Other Name Trivia Quiz

Answer: Honus Wagner

Honus Wagner is regarded by many as the greatest shortstop of all time. After three years with the Louisville Colonels (1897-99), Wagner was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he played the remainder of his 21 year career in the Major Leagues. He finished with a lifetime .329 batting average, 3,430 hits, and 722 stolen bases. He was one of the first five members voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His nickname, "the Flying Dutchman," came from his German heritage and his great speed in running the bases.

Despite his remarkable feats as a player, Wagner may be best known today for appearing on one of the most valuable baseball cards. From 1909 through 1911, the American Tobacco Company included baseball cards in packets of its cigarettes. Wagner, a nonsmoker, informed the company that he did not want his picture associated with a tobacco product, and production of his card was halted shortly after printing began. Only a handful of these cards are known to exist today; in 2007, one in good condition sold for $2.8 million.

Answer: Christy Mathewson

Mathewson, who played 17 seasons from 1900 through 1916, was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history, finishing with a career record of 373-188, and an ERA of 2.13. His finest moment came in the 1905 World Series where he pitched three shutouts in six days, to lead the New York Giants to victory over the Philadelphia Athletics. He was one of the first five players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Unlike most players of the time, Mathewson did not smoke or drink. He was also deeply religious, and refused to pitch on Sunday. He joined the United States Army during World War I, and served in the Chemical Warfare Service. He was accidentally exposed to poison gas during a training exercise, and his lungs were seriously damaged. He later contracted tuberculosis, and died at the age of 45 in 1925.

Answer: Ty Cobb

Tyrus Raymond Cobb may not have been a nice guy, but he was probably the greatest all-round player in baseball history. Born on December 18, 1886 in Narrows, Georgia, Cobb played in the Major Leagues for 22 seasons, and compiled career statistics that are simply unbelievable. He had a career batting average of .367, collected 4,191 hits, and stole 892 bases. He also hit 117 home runs - no mean feat in the "dead ball" era. He received the highest amount of votes of any player when ballots were cast for the inaugural class of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936, being chosen by 222 of 226 voters.

Ty Cobb was not a likable person. He had a violent temper and played to win by any means possible. He was known for sharpening the spikes on his shoes, and sliding high into second base, endangering the opposing player. He once climbed into the stands during a game and severely beat a handicapped man who was heckling him. But he was also a shrewd businessman, and left an estate valued at almost $12 million when he died in 1961.

Answer: Babe Ruth

When you talk about baseball, the first name that comes into many people's minds is Babe Ruth. He began his Major League career as a pitcher with the Boston Red Sox, compiling a record of 94-46 with a stunning ERA of 2.28. But it was after he was sold to the New York Yankees in 1920 that his career really took off. He hit 60 home runs in 1927, and finished his career with 714 in total; both records would stand for decades.

Off the field, Ruth was known for his drinking and womanizing. He often showed up at spring training fat and out of shape. If he had taken better care of himself - and had not spent his first four seasons in the Major Leagues as a pitcher - who knows how many home runs he might have hit? His statistics are still incredible, his lifestyle notwithstanding. Ruth died of cancer in 1948, at the age of 53. Although he played his last Major League game in 1935, many of Babe Ruth's records were still unmatched 80 years later.

Answer: Walter Johnson

Walter Johnson pitched for the Washington Senators for 21 seasons, from 1907 through 1927. He compiled a record of 417-279, pitching for what was a mediocre team for much of his career; in 65 of his losses, the Senators failed to score a single run in his support. His career ERA was a sparkling 2.17. His record of 3,508 strikeouts stood for many years. He pitched 110 shutouts, won over 30 games in a season twice, and won the pitching "Triple Crown" (wins, strikeouts, and ERA) on three separate occasions. He was one of the first five players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

In contrast to players like Ty Cobb, Johnson was easy going and well liked by his teammates and opposing players alike. After his playing days were over, he stayed in baseball as a manager, first with the Senators, and later with the Cleveland Indians. Johnson died of a brain tumor in 1946 at the age of 59.

Answer: Bob Feller

There are some who believe that Bob Feller may have had the fastest fastball ever in the Major Leagues. He began pitching in 1936 at the age of 17 for the Cleveland Indians, and in his first Major League start he struck out 15 batters! Two weeks later, he tied what was then the Major League record by striking out 17. He would go on to compile a record of 266-162, lead the American League in wins six times, and strikeouts seven times. He also pitched three no hitters, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1962.

Feller's record would have been even more impressive if he had not missed four seasons due to his service in World War II. Two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Feller enlisted in the United States Navy, and served until the end of the war. He not only served (although he could have gotten a deferment as the sole support of his elderly father), he demanded that he be given a rating that would allow him to see combat. The Navy obliged, sending him to Gunner's Mate school, and assigning him to the USS Alabama (BB-60). Feller earned eight battle stars on his Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and was promoted to Chief Petty Officer in only four years. Bob Feller died on December 15, 2010, at the age of 92.

Answer: Lou Gehrig

Next to Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig is probably the most famous Yankee of them all. He was born to poor German immigrants on June 19, 1903 in New York City. His baseball talent earned him a scholarship to Columbia University, and he was signed by the Yankees in 1923. He earned his nickname, "The Iron Horse," by playing in 2,130 consecutive games, a record that stood for over 50 years. Gehrig retired with a .340 lifetime batting average, 1,995 RBIs, and 493 home runs.

At the beginning of the 1939 season, it was obvious that something was wrong with Gehrig. During the month of April, he hit only .143, and was having difficulty fielding his position at first base. On May 2, he asked to be benched "for the good of the team." In June he flew to the famous Mayo Clinic, where he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, an incurable and fatal disease of the nervous system, now known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease." On July 4, 1939 the Yankees held a retirement ceremony for Gehrig, where he gave a famous speech, declaring, "Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." The Baseball Hall of Fame held a special election, and inducted Gehrig on December 7, 1939. Gehrig passed away on June 2, 1941 at the age of 37.

Answer: Joe Jackson

Joseph Jefferson Jackson was born on July 16, 1887 in Greenville, South Carolina. He acquired the nickname "Shoeless Joe" while playing a game for the factory team where he worked; a pair of new shoes caused blisters, so he took them off and played in his bare feet. He was signed by the Philadelphia Athletics in 1908, but played only a few Major League games over the next three years. In 1910 he was traded to Cleveland, and in 1911, his first full season in the Major Leagues, he hit for a .408 batting average, an unbelievable feat for rookie. He was also an outstanding outfielder; one sportswriter said his glove was "the place where triples go to die." He ended his career with a remarkable .356 batting average.

Jackson is the most famous of the players involved in the "Black Sox" scandal. Several players on the Chicago White Sox conspired to throw the 1919 World Series in exchange for payments from professional gamblers. Jackson's involvement is still debated to this day. He batted .375 during the World Series, and did not commit an error. The other seven players accused of fixing the games testified that Jackson was not part of the conspiracy. Nevertheless, he was banned from baseball by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis in 1921, along with seven other players. Shoeless Joe is featured prominently in the movies "Eight Men Out" and "Field of Dreams."

Answer: Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle grew up in Commerce, Oklahoma and became the best switch hitter in baseball history. Signed by the New York Yankees, Mantle made his Major League debut in 1951. After a rather mediocre rookie season, he soon became one of the game's most dominant players. He was an All Star in 16 of his 18 Major League seasons, the American League's Most Valuable Player three times, and hit 536 home runs. He earned the nickname "The Commerce Comet" because of his blazing speed on the base paths, despite tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in 1951. Mantle and teammate Roger Maris kept the nation enthralled in 1961 as each strove to break Babe Ruth's single season home run record. Maris was the winner, with 61 home runs to Mantle's 54, but Mantle missed several games late in the season due to injuries, and Maris had 52 more at bats.

Mickey Mantle was my favorite player when I was growing up, and I had the pleasure of meeting him in 1969. He was very nice to me, and signed two autographs. Mantle was a heavy drinker, and eventually developed alcohol-induced cirrhosis, as well as hepatitis C. Despite receiving a liver transplant, Mickey Mantle died on August 13, 1995 at the age of 63.

Answer: Ernie Banks

No city has ever loved a baseball player as much as Chicago loved Ernie Banks. Banks began his professional baseball career at the age of 19 in 1950, playing for the Kansas City Monarchs of the old Negro League. After serving two years in the Army, he was signed by the Cubs in 1953, their first black player. Over the next 19 seasons he would belt out 512 home runs, collect 2,583 hits, and be named the National League's Most Valuable Player twice. He would also be named to 14 All Star teams, and win the first Gold Glove in Cubs history. No wonder the Windy City loved him! But it wasn't just his performance that endeared him to the fans, it was his attitude. Banks really loved baseball. His favorite saying was "Let's play two!"

Even after his retirement in 1969, Banks stayed close to the Cubs. He was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1977. The Cubs retired his uniform number, 14, in 1982; Banks was the first Cub to be so honored. In 2008, a statue of Banks was unveiled in front of Wrigley Field, and in 2013, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Ernie Banks died of a heart attack on January 23, 2015, eight days prior to his 84th birthday.