MLB Trivia: That Would Be Grand

Nine players in MLB history have hit two grand slams in one game. Among those players: Nomar Garciaparra is the only player to have hit his from each side of the plate, Jim Northup hit his on consecutive pitches received, and Fernando Tatis hit his in the same inning. But what about grand slam droughts? Can you name the player who hit the most home runs before hitting his first grand slam?

MLB Trivia: April Homers

As of this writing, we're almost halfway through April and Justin Upton leads the majors with 7 homers. The MLB record for most homers hit in the month of April is 14. It's held by two players. Can you name them?

Beware the Baseball Stare-Down Bluff

Poor Zack Greinke got into some trouble last night. He claims he didn't intend to hit Carlos Quentin with a pitch, but Quentin thinks otherwise. What we do know for sure is that Quentin charged the mound and Greinke received a broken collarbone that will likely keep him on the shelf for a couple months.

In reviewing the video of their brawl it's clear that after Greinke's pitch hit Quentin, both men engaged in the classic baseball stare down between pitcher and batter. This is significant because if we're to believe Greinke that he didn't intend to hit Quentin, he would have been wiser to react as though he were actually mad that Quentin would be taking first base. Maybe Greinke could have kicked the dirt or swore into his glove, something along those lines. Instead he chose to stare down Quentin, which conveys the message: "I'm not afraid of you." And, as we've since learned, Quentin decided to go about changing that.

When you think about it, vision is critical when it comes to hunting. In the animal kingdom, when you're on the hunt you keep your eye on the prize ... er prey. When two adversaries are staring at each other, to avert your eyes and look elsewhere is to essentially say, "Do what you want with me." You've lowered your guard, handing an advantage to the other who has kept you in sight.

If you're weirded out when someone keeps staring at you, there's a good reason. Your survival instincts are wondering if you're being hunted.

Steve Jobs, the CEO who eventually led Apple to become the most valuable company in the world, knew the intimidating power of a stare. And he loved the idea of being in control of that, so he practiced it to the point where he could be comfortable giving people a piercing stare through long conversations. While this might sound like some great (and humorous) skill that Jobs had acquired, the reality is that he chose his "prey" wisely. After all, if you stare at some people the wrong way they'll make sure you never do it again.


When it comes to staring, power, and control, Steve Jobs had nothing on Iron
Mike Tyson. Starting at about 2:13, you can see a true stare master go to work.

It happens from time to time in the MLB when one guy unwittingly bites off more than he can chew just by getting into what he thinks is a harmless stare down. Probably the best example of this is in the video below -- it's the one where Paul Wilson is actually batting against Kyle Farnsworth. After Farnsworth throws one inside, Wilson sees fit to stare at Farnsworth and offer some choice words. Then something happens that I think caught Wilson totally by surprise: The pitcher (Farnsworth) starts charging the batter!

I don't think Wilson in a million years wanted any piece of this action. The video below is actually mislabeled because it says Wilson charges Farnsworth (and the normally spot-on Steve Stone also incorrectly says Wilson is the one who goes after Farnsworth). I can't find other versions on the web right now, but I remember Farnsworth is clearly the guy who starts charging Wilson first. In fact, if you watch carefully at the 0:23 second mark, you'll see Wilson takes a little slide step to avoid going over the third base line. I think that's the moment Farnsworth started charging, and in that split second Wilson had the horrifying thought: "Oh no, big strong Kyle Farnsworth is charging ME! I'm dead! Maybe if I slink away he'll spare me! But then I'd look like a wimp to all my teammates! I better hurry up and make it look like I'm charging too!"


Aside from the subtle slide step at 0:23, there's also the awkward move
Wilson has at 0:26/0:27 right before Farnsworth takes him down. I think that's
the "I don't care if I look stupid as long as I keep myself alive" move.

In the MLB and in life, it's probably best not to get into a stare down that you can't back up.

MLB Trivia: Lefties with Lofty Averages

Among active MLB players, two of the top five career batting averages are by right-handed hitters: Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera. Can you name the three left-handed hitters who are also on that top five list?

MLB Trivia: Ending the No-No Drought

This baseball season we've already seen a few no-hitters. But no-hitters aren't always that easy to come by. In the modern era, the longest amount of time between two MLB no-hitters is 3 years and 44 days (between Bobby Burke's on August 8, 1931, and Paul "Daffy" Dean's on September 21, 1934). However, the greatest number of games between no-hitters is 6,364--this drought began right after Randy Johnson's perfect game on May 18, 2004. Can you name the pitcher who threw the no-hitter to end this drought?

After 9/11: Trying to Find Normal

Today I came across this CNN article by Steve Politi, titled "One swing of the bat showed the healing power of sports after 9/11." It was a good reminder of just how much the world had changed in the days that followed 9/11. Even for something as simple as sports, our society wasn't sure what should come next. Here's an excerpt:

Todd Zeile still can remember the smell. It was an awful, metallic stench, the odor of burning steel, that filled the Mets team bus as it pulled across the George Washington Bridge on September 12, 2001.

The players, returning from a trip to Pittsburgh in the only way they could after a nationwide air traffic shutdown, crowded to the right side of the bus. They saw that black cloud over lower Manhattan where the World Trade Center had stood, and in an instant understood the pain and fear that had gripped their city.

"I remember wondering, 'What do we do with the group?'" said Bobby Valentine, their manager at the time. "If we were going to just be a Band-Aid over this gaping wound or were we going to actually make a difference?"

The answer, in so many ways, was the latter. The immediate reaction after the 9/11 attacks was to dismiss sports as unimportant, to postpone the games as the nation came to grips with what happened.

Everyone agreed that was the right decision. But soon after, the games people love became an integral part of the healing process for the New York region. The athletes, some with absolutely no ties to the city but a uniform, became a source of inspiration.

The entire article is here.

MLB Trivia: Hittin' and Runnin'

Recently Juan Pierre got his 2,000th career hit. This means he's currently the only active MLB player with at least 2,000 hits and 500+ steals. In fact, only two other active MLB players have 2,000+ hits and 400+ steals. Can you name them? (Hint: Both of these guys currently play for AL teams.)

Trivia: MVP = Most Valuable Pitcher?

Some people consider Justin Verlander a contender for this season's AL MVP Award. If Verlander were to win the AL MVP this season, he'd be the first pitcher to accomplish the feat since Dennis Eckersley in 1992. Can you name the most recent pitcher to win AL MVP prior to Eckersley? Hint: This pitcher's career actually went well past the year 2000.