I'm a Cincinnati Reds fanatic. Living in Portsmouth, Ohio, just 100 miles upriver from the Queen City, I was Reds-blooded born and bred. As a kid, I would play imaginary baseball games (with full commentary) in my backyard against Cincinnati rivals, and, of course, my '50's Reds -- including the likes of Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson, Wally Post, Joey Jay, and Ted Kluszewski -- were never beaten in my out-back park.
I was treated to the era of the Big Red Machine while adoring Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Joe Morgan, Dave Conception, Don Gullett and others. I attended the1984 managerial return of my favorite player, Pete Rose, followed the 4,192 hit quest religiously, and had my heart broken when "Charlie Hustle" was banned from the game for gambling.
I was thrilled when the 1990 Reds under new manager Lou Piniella shocked baseball by leading the club to a wire-to-wire World Championship featuring Barry Larkin, Eric Davis, Chris Sabo and the "Nasty Boys" (Rob Dibble, Norm Charlton, and Randy Myers).
Now, in 2010, the Reds have posted their first winning season since 2000. They are the National League Central champions and have earned their first playoff appearance in 15 seasons. I have decided to make a very trivial Reds quiz to commemorate the history of the club and to honor the 2010 Reds. Much has been written about Reds' famous players and major accomplishments of the team; however, this quiz may better test the knowledge of some true trivia.
Take the quiz and grade your answers (provided after the post). No cheating now! Post your number of correct answers if you like and enjoy the Reds in the 2010 Postseason.
1.___ In 1868, the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first team to wear knickers rather than pants. The reason: believe it or not, it was to show off the team’s high red socks, which had been designed by
a. the Governor of Ohio, b. William T. Sherman, c. Kenesaw Mountain Landis, d. the owner's wife.
2.___ 1869 in the first game ever played by a professional baseball team (all paid players, no amateurs), the Cincinnati Red Stockings beat the Mansfield Independents, 48-14 on June 1st. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club played the entire season with all of its players under contract. The total salary outlay was approximately $11,000, with the salary of their star shortstop at nearly $2,000. The shortstop was
a. George Wright, b. Alexander Cartwright, c. Fred Waterman, d. Candy Cummings.
4. ___ The Cincinnati Red Stockings disbanded after the 1870 season. In 1871, Harry Wright took most of his best players to Boston, and founded the Boston Red Stockings, now known as the oldest franchise in baseball, the
a. Atlanta Braves, b. Boston Red Sox, c. St. Louis Cardinals, d. Chicago Cubs.
5.___ The Reds have represented Cincinnati in National League professional baseball since 1876 with the only exception of 1881, when the Reds were thrown out of the league for
a. violating city contract negotiations, b. lack of attendance, c. selling beer and playing on Sunday, d. repeated incidents incidents of on-field violence.
6.___ The fifth Cincinnati franchise (not, of course, counting the 1891 AA Porkers or the 1884 Outlaw Reds of the Union Association) is the one that still exists today as the Cincinnati Reds. This franchise began playing
a. in 1891, b. in 1910, c. in 1925, d. in 1930.
7.___ In 1918, Reds Manager Christy Matthewson would be one of a number of people involved in baseball to fight in World War I. Matthewson would not escape the war unscathed. He had to stop his active career managing the Reds because of
a. suffering "shell shock," b. receiving numerous bullet wounds, c. the effects of being a prisoner of war, d. breathing mustard gas.
8.___ The first night game in Major League history was played at Cincinnati's Crosley Field on May 24, 1935, as the Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1. General Manager Larry MacPhail and Powel Crosley persuaded the commissioner and other owners to allow the Reds to stage seven night games that year because
a. day games were taking a toll on the players, b. Crosley had to work during the day, c. MacPhail thought night baseball would provide desperately needed revenue, d. the city fathers wanted to crown Cincinnati as the U.S. "City of Lights."
9.___ On August 26, 1939, the Reds played the Brooklyn Dodgers from Ebbetts Field in Brooklyn in
a. Jackie Robinson's major league debut, b. the first televised Major League baseball game, c. the first game ever attended by a President of the United States, d. the only Major League game ever attended by Adolf Hitler.
10.___ Against the backdrop of the 1954 McCarthy hearings and the rising threat of Communism, the Reds changed their name to
a. Patriots, b. Redlegs, c. Rockets, d. Red Stockings.
11.___ MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn blocked the proposed trade of this Oakland A’s great to the Reds “for the best interest in baseball.”
a. Dave Stewart, b. Dennis Eckersley, c. Blue "Moon" Odom, d. Vida Blue.
12.___ Which of these left-handed hitters was the first Reds player to homer into the upper deck at Riverfront Stadium?
a. Champ Summers, b. Paul O'Neill, c. Paul Householder, d. Dave Parker.
13.___ Which Reds' great does not have his number retired?
a. Davey Conception, b. Tony Perez, c. Pete Rose, d. Joe Morgan.
Some very trivial present-day material:
14.___ Bronson Arroyo is of what lineage?
a. African-American, b. Cuban-American, c. Mexican-American, d. Native American.
15.___ Francisco Cordero is also known as CoCo because
a. he loves to eat coconuts, b. his family was a fan of wrestling great CoCo Brazil, c. he actually does "go koo-koo for Coco-Nuts," his favorite cereal, d. it is a combination of the last two letters of his first name and the first two letters of his last name.
16.___ Who does Johnny Cueto credit for inspiration? Cueto said. "One of my biggest dreams is to be able to meet him in person, shake his hand and tell him that he has been my hero and my role model."
a. Pedro Martinez, b. Luis Tiant, c. Juan Marichal, d. Tom Seaver.
17.___ His name was revealed to be Edison Volquez after an immigration crackdown in 2003. In 2007, he asked the Rangers to add an "n" to his name after checking his birth certificate to find he was born Edinson. When he was signed by the Rangers in 2001 at age 17, he went by the name
a. Edwin Volestra, b. Julio Reyes, c. David Aquino, d. "Buster" Martin.
18.___ In just his third career start, versus the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on July 10, 2010, Travis Wood flirted with a perfect game, pitching
a. 6 flawless innings, b. 7 flawless innings, c. 8 flawless innings, d. 9 and two-thirds flawless innings.
19.___ Ramon Hernandez and which ex-Oakland teammate are godfathers to each other's children.
a. Jason Giambi, b. Miguel Tejada, c. Eric Chavez, d. Matt Holliday.
20.___ Orlando Cabrera has had the unique coincidence of
a. winning four World Championships with four different teams, b. hitting for the cycle in both leagues, c. playing nine different positions in Major League baseball, d. making the playoffs at least once with every team with which he spent the end of the season.
21.___ Brandon Phillips in the fourth inning on August 1, 2007, game, against John Lannan of the Washington Nationals
a. stole two bases in one single pitch, b. broke up a Lannan no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning, c. recorded three hits in a single inning, d. became the first Red to steal home in 30 years.
22.___ Joey Votto broke the Reds record for the most runs batted in by a rookie in a single season. The previous record was held by Hall of Fame outfielder Frank Robinson with 83 RBI set in 1956. Votto drove in 84 runs during the 2008 season. He finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting to the
a. Geovany Soto, b. Ryan Braun, c. Torii Hunter, d. Corey Patterson.
23.___ Jay Bruce became the first Major League player since 1977 to reach base in his first ____ plate appearances.
a. twenty, b. ten, c. nine, d. six.
24.___ Jonny Gomes has the number "707" on his glove and cleats because
a. his father is a commercial pilot, b. this is the area code for his hometown of Petaluma, California, c. he originally was the 707th pick in the 2001 draft, d. he was born on July 7.
25.___ Drew Stubbs graduated from Atlanta High School in 2003. At the University of Texas, he was a three-time All-American in baseball and a two-time
a. All-American track star, b. basketball MVP, c. varsity swimmer, d. academic All-American.
26.___ In 2005 (for players with over 100 games played) Miguel Cairo had the highest
a. winning percentage of any player in the majors when he played in a game, b. batting average in the American League, c. fielding percentage of any infielder in the American League, d. on base average of any major league player.
27.___ In 1998, Scott Rolen won his first of seven Gold Glove awards. Only Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson (16) and who have more at third base?
a. Clete Boyer (14), b. Mike Schmidt (10), c. Lee Tannehill (9), d. Gary Gaetti (8).
28.___ Ryan Hanigan is the only player currently in the majors born in
a. Washington D.C, b. Samoa, c. West Virginia, d. Baltimore, Maryland.
29.___ In 2009, infielder Paul Janish made the Opening Day roster and spent the entire year with the club, although he saw little playing time and was primarily a reserve infielder. However, that year Janish
a. caught five games, b. made two pitching appearances, c. batted .650, d. hit three walk off homers.
30.___ In 2001, Arthur Rhodes was pitching against the Cleveland Indians when Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel said that Rhodes
a. was throwing spitballs, b. was making unusual gestures with his hands, c. had diamond earrings that were distracting him, d. threw at his head intentionally.
Extra-Credit Question: Name 3 of any 4 of the last Reds pitchers who have thrown a no-hitter.
1. __________________ 2. _____________________ 3. ____________________.
Answers: 1. d 2. a 3. a 4. a 5. c 6. a 7. d 8. c 9. b 10. b 11. d 12. a 13. c 14. b 15. d 16. a 17. b 18. c 19. b 20. d 21. a 22. a 23. d 24. b 25. d 26. a 27. b 28. a 29. b 30. c
Extra Credit Answers:
| Tom Browning | Los Angeles (1-0) | 9/16/1988 (Perf. Game) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tom Seaver | St. Louis (4-0) | 6/16/1978 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jim Maloney | Houston (6-1) | 4/30/1969 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| George Culver | (at) Philadelphia (6-1) | 7/29/1968 |
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