Dave's Baseball, Ghost Pepper Style 5 Quiz

Answer: Cleveland Spiders

The Spiders were a pretty good team in the National League after joining the league in 1890. They rostered players in the names of Cy Young, Jesse Burkett, and Nig Cuppy among others. In 1898 it was the Robison brothers who owned the team but they also purchased the St. Louis Browns and changed that team name to St. Louis Perfectos.

The conflict of interest would force them to sell one franchise by the end of the season. The Robison's "sold" the contracts of the good Spider players to the Perfectos which left the Spiders to be the worst team in baseball history in 1899.

The Spiders barely drew over 3000 fans total in their first 16 home games. The other teams refused to play at Cleveland's League Park because there was not enough ticket sales to pay the visiting teams.

The Spiders were forced to play over 100 games on the road. Their 1899 home attendance in Cleveland averaged only 145 fans per game in the 9000-seat ballpark along with their 20-134 season record.

Answer: Dave Orr

Orr was a New York Metropolitan of the American Association in 1886. The first baseman banged out 31 triples and led the league in hits during the season but New York still finished in seventh place of eight teams. Reitz tied Orr's record in 1894 with the Baltimore Orioles of the National League. John Owen "Chief" Wilson set a new season record with 36 triples in 1912 with Pittsburgh.

The Pirate outfielder was the only player to hit 30 triples in a season during the entire 20th Century.

Answer: Associated Press

The Associated Press news organization named Al Lopez of the White Sox and Walter Alston of the Dodgers to win the first award in each league in 1959. The AP continued to name a manager in each league for the award until 1983 when the BBWAA began their own Manager of the Year Award.

In 1984 the AP changed their format and named only one manager in the entire Major Leagues for the Award. In 1984 while Jim Frey of the Chicago Cubs and Sparky Anderson of the Detroit Tigers received the award in the BBWAA, the Associated Press named Frey as the sole winner.

The conflict between Major League Baseball and the two organizations continued until 2000 when Jerry Manuel of the White Sox received the sole AP Award while both Manuel and Dusty Baker of the Giants won the award with the BBWAA.

The Associated Press then stepped aside from the award giving way to the BBWAA.

Answer: Ferguson Jenkins

Jenkins was a pitcher from 1965-1983 with four teams over his 19 seasons. Five times Fergie was in the top three balloting for the Cy Young Award and won it in 1971 with the Chicago Cubs. His 24-13 season record won the award over the Mets' Tom Seaver. Nicknamed "Fly", Fergie was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987.

He would then be inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991.

Answer: Temple Cup

In the 1880s there were unofficial World Series held at the end of a season known as 'exhibition games' between the winner of the National League and the winner of the American Association League. When the American Association closed their doors after the 1891 season, some of the AA teams were absorbed into the National League in 1892. William Chase Temple who was president of the Pittsburgh Pirates wanted some sort of championship games. From 1894-1897 there were four best-of-seven game championships played for the Temple Cup.

The championship pitted the National League pennant winner against the NL second place team. The winner received 65% of ticket sales with the loser receiving 35%. The Baltimore Orioles won the first three Temple Cup Championships with the Boston Beaneaters winning the final series in 1897.

Answer: Buffalo Bisons

The Bisons were in the National League from 1879-1885. In every season of their existence they had a 20-game loser, mainly in the name of Pud Galvin. Buffalo's 20-game losers were Galvin 37-27 in 1879, Galvin 20-35 in 1880, Galvin 28-24 in 1881, Galvin 28-23 in 1882, Galvin 46-29 in 1883, Galvin 46-22 in 1884, and finally Billy Serad 7-21 in 1885. Pud Galvin went 218-179 in seven seasons with the Bisons.

After his years with Buffalo, in seven seasons with Pittsburgh he went 126-110. Pud had a 365-310 career record. James Francis "Pud" Galvin was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1965 by the Veteran's Committee.

Answer: Philadelphia Phillies

The first player in baseball history to hit four home runs in a game was Bobby Lowe of the Boston Beaneaters in 1894. Hall of Famer Ed Delahanty followed suit in 1896 with the Phillies. Little did fans know that Ed's big day was only the first for the franchise. Hall of Fame outfielder Chuck Klein would be the second to hit four out for the Phillies in 1936 against the Pirates. Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt would become the third Phillie to hit four home runs in a game in April 1976 against the Chicago Cubs. Throughout the entire 20th Century the American League did not have a franchise accomplish this even twice.

Answer: Philadelphia Athletics

The Athletics found themselves in the new National Association in 1871 and won the first NA pennant. The franchise shutdown after the 1873 season. The team name was then found in the new National League in 1876. That was the franchise's only season in the NL after going 14-45.

In 1882 the name appeared again in baseball in the American Association under manager Jumbo Latham. The team won the AA pennant in 1883 with their 66-32 record by one game ahead of the runner-up St. Louis Browns. The team closed their doors in the league after the 1890 season.

Another Philadelphia Athletics team name emerged in the Players League in 1890 in the league's only season. In the new American League in 1901 a new Philadelphia Athletics franchise emerged. That franchise would win its first World Series in 1910, then again in 1911 and 1913.

Answer: 1976

Spalding was a pioneer in early baseball. He pitched in the National Association with the Boston Red Stockings from 1871-1875. Al went 204-53 with Boston including two 50-win seasons. After the National Association closed their doors in 1875, Spalding was with the Chicago White Stockings (later Cubs) in the National League in 1876.

After convincing the National League officials to go with his baseballs in 1876, he retired from baseball in 1877 knowing that more money was to be made in making baseballs.

Although changes were made to the baseball throughout the years, the A.G. Spalding Company was ready to make the required changes to the ball as dictated by Major League Baseball. Among those changes was in 1974 that required to change the outer layer of the ball from horsehide to cowhide and player's statistics began to change.

As a result it was decided and voted on by Major League Baseball to finally change the contract from A.G. Spalding Company to Rawlings Company to obtain their baseballs.

Answer: Walter Johnson

No pitcher retired the side on three pitches in their career more than twice in the 20th Century except for the "Big Train". Johnson was a career 21-season Washington Senator. His big money innings in a game while not doing much came in the 1911, 1913, 1915, and 1917 seasons.

Many pitchers in the century had done this twice, but Johnson's feats were over and above the pitching normal, of course with the help of his defensive teammates. Walter was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936 during the inaugural induction of four other baseball greats.