So, how’s it going? We’re a week into the new year. Are you managing to keep your new year’s resolutions? How’s that new diet working out? OK, OK, I’ll let you slide because, after all, my name is Bill Chuck, not Will Power.
Good luck with this week’s quiz about managers.
Email me your questions at walkoffs@gmail.com.
1. The Buck starts here (meaning 2022). Buck Showalter is the new Mets skipper, and he returns to the dugout ranked among the top four active managers in games. They’re listed below. Put them in order from most games to least.
a. Buck Showalter c. Tony La Russa
b. Terry Francona d. Dusty Baker
2. What do these managers have in common? Alex Cora (Red Sox), Dave Roberts (Dodgers), Kevin Cash (Rays), Gabe Kapler (Giants), Rocco Baldelli (Twins), David Ross (Cubs) and Mark Kotsay (A’s).
a. They all played for Tony La Russa.
b. They all played for Terry Francona.
c. They all played for Dusty Baker.
d. They all played for Joe Maddon.
3. From 1950 to ’60, two managers led an American League team to the World Series. One was Casey Stengel. Who was the other?
a. Paul Richards c. Joe Gordon
b. Marty Marion d. Al Lopez
4. Which manager had the most ejections
in 2021?
a. Tony La Russa c. Dusty Baker
b. David Ross d. Brian Snitker
5. Theo Epstein was never a manager, but he is a future Hall of Fame executive. He famously signed a free agent with whom he had Thanksgiving dinner, along with the player’s family, while the negotiating was taking place. Who was that player?
a. David Ortiz c. Jon Lester
b. Andre Dawson d. Curt Schilling
6. Who played for the White Sox, was a player/ coach for the Detroit Pistons and was the commissioner of the American Basketball Association?
a. Hot Rod Hundley
b. Dave DeBusschere
c. Bill Bradley
d. Danny Ainge
7. You’ve heard of George Halas. He was the great Bears head coach, which is the equivalent of a baseball manager. When Halas was young, he played major-league baseball, going 2-for-22 for which team?
a. Cubs c. Yankees
b. White Sox d. Braves
8. Speaking of head coaches, Philip K. Wrigley decided that the abysmal Cubs of 1961 didn’t need a manager. Instead, P.K. declared they would have a “College of Coaches.” However, in 1962, the Cubs did something under their various coaches they had never done before. What was it?
a. Hit 150-plus homers c. Stole 100-plus bases
b. Lost 100-plus games d. Hit 200-plus doubles
9. One of the more controversial figures to manage in Chicago was Leo Durocher, who managed the Cubs for 6½ seasons from 1966 to mid-’72. “Leo the Lip” was a big-league manager for 24 seasons. Here are four “facts” about him. Which are true, and which are false?
a. Durocher was Babe Ruth’s teammate.
b. Durocher was Ernie Banks’ manager.
c. Durocher was Willie Mays’ manager.
d. Durocher was Jackie Robinson’s manager.
ANSWERS
1. La Russa, Baker, Francona, Showalter.
2. They all played for Terry Francona.
3. Al Lopez managed the 1954 Cleveland squad and the 1959 White Sox.
4. Baker and Snitker each had one, La Russa had two and David Ross had five ejections.
5. Theo and Jed Hoyer enjoyed some turkey with Curt and Shonda Schilling and family.
6. Dave DeBusschere pitched a shutout on
Aug. 13, 1963, for the Sox against Cleveland. It was his last MLB win.
7. Halas played for the 1919 Yankees.
8. The Cubs lost 103 games in 1962, their first year losing more than 100 games. But they still finished 18 games ahead of the Mets.
9. They are all true. Leo also “acted” on “The Donna Reed Show,” “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “Mister Ed.”
