Famous Quotes From Baseball Trivia Quiz

Answer: Babe Ruth

This is an excerpt from the speech Ruth gave on the occasion of his final farewell to the fans at Yankee Stadium on June 14, 1948. His voice was raspy and weak from the throat cancer that was killing him. This was one of the most poignant and memorable moments in baseball history. He died two months later at the age of 53.

Answer: Wee Willie Keeler

Keeler was the archetypical punch and judy hitter. He stood only 5 foot four and a half inches tall and weighed only about 140 pounds and he used the smallest bat in big league history, a 29oz 30' matchstick, but he sure got the job done. He was a career .341 hitter, and was one of the first 12 men to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in when it opened in 1939.

He batted safely in the first 44 games of the 1897 season, a record that wasn't surpassed until Joe DiMaggio had his celebrated streak of 56 in 1941. Keeler still shares the National League consecutive games hit record with Pete Rose. Rose tied his mark in 1978.

Answer: Leo Durocher

'Leo the Lip' was a major league player from 1925 to 1945, and a manager or coach from 1939 to 1973. He was famous for his 'win at all costs' style both on and off the field. He would do or say anything if he thought it would help win a ballgame. He was a member of the famous 1930's St. Louis 'Gas House Gang' teams, as a matter of fact, he coined the phrase.

He was also the manager of the Dodgers when Branch Rickey decided to break baseball's color line by promoting Jackie Robinson to the majors in 1947. Durocher was completely behind the integration of baseball, being eager to do anything he could to improve his team.

Answer: Ernie Banks

'Mr. Cub' was always ready to play, even if his teammates weren't. Banks was voted National League MVP in 1958 and 1959, both years the Cubs finished fifth in an eight team league.

Answer: Pete Rose

Pete will be in the Hall someday. I just hope it happens before he checks out.

Answer: Reggie Jackson

'Mr. October' never had a problem with his self image. He was always supremely self confident, and was always willing to talk about it with anyone who would listen.

Answer: A. Bartlett Giamatti

This is an excerpt from Giamatti's 'Green Fields Of the Mind'. Rose and Giamatti . Giamatti and Rose. The two names will dance tragically together forever in baseball purgatory. Two men who loved the game, each in their own way, one dead before his time, one banned for life. Euripedes never wrote a sadder tale.

Answer: Willie Stargell

Hitting against Koufax gave a lot of major leaguers the willies!

Answer: Jerry Coleman

Coleman has been an announcer for San Diego since 1972, except for 1980-1981 when he served as the team's manager. He is well known for his malaprops in the broadcast booth. Here's a couple of other goofs. ' McCovey swings and misses, and it's fouled back'. '...And he slides into second base with a stand-up double'. ' Rich Folkers is throwing up in the bullpen'. 'Ozzie Smith just made a play that I've never seen before. And he does that more often than anyone else'.

Answer: Dan Quisenberry

'Quiz' was quite a guy, he threw more junk than Fred Sanford and he was a world class smart alec to boot!

Answer: Casey Stengel

The 'Ol Perfessor' had his ups and downs in the game, but he was never at a loss for words. The all-time undisputed champion of double talk.

Answer: Mel Allen

This phrase was Allen's trademark for over fifty years.

Answer: Warren Spahn

Spahn holds the record for most wins by a lefthanded pitcher with 363. He won 20 or more games 13 times during his 23 year career. Spahn played for Casey Stengel on the 1942 Braves and the 1965 Mets, both really sorry teams, prompting him to once say, 'I played for Stengel both before and after he was a genius'.

Answer: Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson had a very important life.

Answer: Walt Whitman

Whitman loved all things American, especially baseball.

Answer: Mickey Mantle

Mantle was one of the most talented and charismatic players to ever lace up pair of spikes, but his career was cut short by injury and self abuse. At the end of his life, he had the courage to hold himself out as an example of how not to live one's life, in the hope that it would help young people.

Answer: Willie McCovey

McCovey was recalling making the final out in game seven of the 1962 World Series. This was immortalized by a series of 'Peanuts' cartoons by Charles M. Schulz. Here's how they went. Panel one: Linus and Charlie Brown and sitting on a curb looking dejected. Panel Two: Still sitting there , not saying anything. Panel Three: No change, still looking glum. Panel four: Charlie Brown looks up and as if talking to God, yells,'Why couldn't have McCovey hit the ball just three feet higher'? Next day, same strip except this time he yells, 'Why couldn't have McCovey hit the ball just TWO feet higher'? And so on...Finally, in the last strip Linus gets up without speaking and walks away, leaving Charlie Brown sitting alone on the curb, with his head in his hands.

Answer: Tug McGraw

McGraw coined this phrase, the battle cry of the 1973 Mets. How it came about was this. The Mets were really awful in early 1973, so bad that team board chairman M. Donald Grant took it upon himself to go to the clubhouse and deliver a little pep talk to the players.

He told the Mets that if only they believed they would win, they would. So McGraw goes berserk, jumps up and starts grabbing his teammates, yellin at the top of his lungs, 'He's right!... He's right!... Just Believe!... Ya gotta Believe'! He repeated the phrase over and over.

Some of those present, including Grant, thought that the exuberant McGraw was mocking the big boss. Regardless of whether or not Tug was sincere in his outburst, the phrase caught on and became the Mets mantra as they went from last place on August 30 to the National League Pennant.

Answer: Satchel Paige

Paige was the most famous pitcher to come to the majors from the negro leagues. He was over forty when he made his ML debut with the Indians in 1948. He pitched his last game in the bigs in 1965 at the age of 58.

Answer: Bob Uecker

'Mr. Baseball' hung around as a player for seven years in the National League, filling bench space for Milwaukee, St. Louis, Philadelphia , and Atlanta. During this time he compiled a whopping 146 hits, had zero stolen bases, and hit exactly .200. Why it's called the Mendoza line, I'll never know. It should be called the Uecker line.

Answer: Connie Mack

Mack played for ten years in the majors and managed the Philadelphia Athletics for 53. Mack also owned the A's, so he held the manager' job as long as he wanted it. He finally gave up managing at the age of 87. He was old school all the way, he always wore a suit and tie in the dugout.Oh, yeah. His real name was Cornelius McGillicuddy

Answer: Harry Caray

I figured I had to have one fill in the blank question, and if this isn't a gimme, I don't know what is! Harry and Phil both used this phrase liberally in the broadcast booth.

Answer: Tom Treblehorn

It's a new century, Cubs fans. Things have gotta change.

Answer: Yogi Berra

Yogi learned his craft at the knee of the master, Casey Stengel. He's always been humble about his fame. He once said, ' I never said most of the things I said'.

Answer: James Earl Jones as Terence Mann in 'Field of Dreams'

Get a ticket and go see a baseball game. You'll be glad you did.