CLEANING OUT THE
BUCK THE BARTENDER MAIL BAG
INTRODUCTION
March 23, 2020
My father was known for a great many things through a long sports career – writing, broadcasting, speaking, public relations – but none more so than for his Buck The Bartender and Ask Buck columns which appeared in the Philadelphia Bulletin (1977-82) and Philadelphia Daily News (1982-92).
When the column ended, he was still receiving letters from fans with questions and thoughts and opinions, some of which he never got to open. Shortly after his death - on this date in 2005 - the last few dozen of those made their way to my home office, where they have sat untouched for nearly 15 years.
Now, it is time to open them and share, which we do below, starting at the bottom.
We can’t be sure that all − or many or even any – of the subjects in those letters will have aged well. The Internet was still rattling around on the back burner of society at that time and the need for sports information was through books and memories and the people that had them. Every little nugget is now at virtually everyone’s fingertips.
But we will try to get to one every day or so and see if we can shed some light on what was suggested and expand upon it. We’ll skip the full names (but maybe not the places) since so much time has passed.
More than anything, we won’t skip out on the fun . . .
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
>>> APRIL 22, 2020
“My father and I were looking for switch-hitters who hit 100 home runs from both sides of the plate.”
At the time of this letter’s writing (August, 1989), there were three such hitters, as Eddie Murray earlier that season had joined Mickey Mantle and Ted Simmons as 100/100 guys.
The list has since grown to nine (home runs as a left-handed hitter listed first, in order of total career home runs):
372 / 162 . . . Mickey Mantle (2 N/A)
362 / 142 . . . Eddie Murray
361 / 107 . . . Chipper Jones
311 / 124 . . . Carlos Beltran
297 / 112 . . . Mark Teixeira
233 / 117 . . . Chili Davis
179 / 108 . . . Bernie Williams
181 / 106 . . . Bobby Bonilla
146 / 102 . . . Ted Simmons
>>> APRIL 21, 2020
“I see where the Boston Celtics shot 35-for-35 from the foul line against the Miami Heat last week (April 12, 1990). Is that the NBA record for most free throws without a miss in a game? Also, what is the NCAA record.”
That great free performance was (and remains) the second-best from the charity stripe in NBA history. Eight seasons earlier (Dec. 7, 1982), the Utah Jazz drilled all 39 freebies against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The NCAA Division I mark is 34-for-34, done three times: in 1981 (UC Irvine vs. Pacific), 1990 (Samford vs. Central Florida) and 2013 (Oklahoma vs. Iowa State).
>>> APRIL 20, 2020
“I came across an old box score for the 1961 NCAA Third Place game where Saint Joseph’s topped Utah, 127-120, in four overtimes. Is that the highest scoring game ever played in the NCAA Tournament?”
When this question was submitted in January, 1987, the 247 stood as the highest two-team total in NCAA Tournament history. But three years later, Loyola Marymount thumped Michigan, 149-115, to reach 264 points – in regulation! That was the 1990 Loyola team that featured Philadelphia’s Bo Kimble and former La Salle head coach Paul Westhead and was playing with the memory of recently departed teammate Hank Gathers. There is a 15-minute video on youtube of just the Loyola offense from that game. Fun to watch.
>>> APRIL 17, 2020
“Joe says that Bob Boone is the all-time leader in percentage of throwing out base-runners. We say he is full of hockey pucks.”
According to baseball-reference.com, Boone (39.75%) is 230th all-time in career percentage of throwing out basestealers, well behind the leaders Roy Campanella (57.40%), Gabby Hartnett (56.11%) and Buddy Rosar (54.81%).
Clay Dalrymple (48.80%), who is 30th on that list, would be the highest-ranking regular Phillies catcher.
>>> APRIL 16, 2020
“Who hit the latest home run in All-Star Game history?”
Tony Perez’s 15th-inning solo home run in the 1967 game at Anaheim Stadium was the third extra-inning dinger in ASG history and remains the latest. It was the last until 2017 (one) and 2018 (three), when the total number of extra inning home runs more than doubled to seven.
>>> APRIL 15, 2020
“While at the La Salle-Temple game game (Jan. 4, 1989), someone nearby mention that La Salle’s Craig Conlin and Penn State’s Shane Conlin were brothers. I had to interject that it was Shane’s teammate Chris Conlin that was Craig’s brother. Confirm this for me.”
Well, since Shane Conlin was actually Shance Conlan (with an “a”) that clears that part up pretty easily. Now, Chris Conlin and Craig Conlin were indeed brothers (two of eight children). Craig played basketball at La Salle for four years (through 1988-89). Shane (1983-86) and Chris (1984-86) were both on Penn State’s 1986 National Championship football team.
>>> APRIL 14, 2020
“I tried telling my buddies here in this Port Richmond taproom that Pete Rose is not his real name, but shortened from something else, maybe of Polish descent. Can you check this out?”
If there was a name change in the Rose family, it was done before his parents had the little Hit King. He was born Peter Edward Rose to Harry Francis “Pete” and LaVerne Rose on April 14, 1941 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Happy Birthday, Pete!)
>>> APRIL 13, 2020
“I am trying to convince my fellow workers that the Eagles once had a player who was an ex-con out of Sing Sing. Can you help me out?
Alabama Pitts did indeed play three games as a halfback and defensive back with the 1935 Eagles (two interceptions in one game) after being released from the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York that June. He had served six years for a series of robberies.
>>> APRIL 12, 2020
“Who was the youngest pitcher to ever appear in the American League?”
Before Joe Nuxhall (at age 15 years, 316 days) made his major league debut for the Reds on June 10, 1944, Carl Scheib owned the record for youngest major leaguer by making the show for the Athletics on Sept. 6, 1944, at the age of 16 years, 248 days.
>>> APRIL 11, 2020
“Has there every been a state which had won all four major professional sports at the same time?”
There have been many states that have held two of the four championships at the same time, but we could find only four instances when three of the titles resided in the same state. (The bold reflects the date the third team won the title to complete the triple.) No state has ever held all four at the same time (although there was no NBA in 1935-36, so Michigan was 3-for-3):
> June 12, 2009 − Pennsylvania (Phillies, Steelers, Penguins)
> Jan. 22, 1989 − California (Lakers, Dodgers, 49ers)
> June 8, 1982 − California (Dodgers, 49ers, Lakers)
> April 11, 1936 − Michigan (Tigers, Lions, Red Wings)
>>> APRIL 10, 2020
“What were Stan Musial’s totals against Warren Spahn, whose career ran concurrently to The Man?”
Records (via baseball-reference.com) show that Musial faced Spahn for the first time on June 17, 1946 (single) and for the last time on Sept. 13, 1963 (double). In 353 plate appearances, Musial batted .318 (96-302) with 21 doubles, six triples and 14 home runs. His on-base average was .415 and his slugging percentage was .566. He walked 48 times and struck out 30, with one sacrifice, two hit batsmen and three GIDPs.
The two may faced each other more than that, but play-by-play is missing for some of their early careers.
>>> APRIL 9, 2020
From February, 1986: “Name the top five career home run hitters in order. The reference book we have in the office is old and very outdated by now.”
The top five at that time was the same it had been since the end of the 1973 season and it would not change until the next century . . .
> Through 1973 − Henry Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Harmon Killebrew.
> In 2001, Mark McGwire passed Killebrew for fifth.
> In 2002, Barry Bonds passed McGwire and Robinson for fourth.
> In 2004, Bonds passed Mays for third.
> In 2005, Sammy Sosa passed Frank Robinson for fifth.
> In 2006, Bonds passed Ruth for second.
> In 2007, Bonds passed Aaron for first.
> In 2008, Ken Griffey Jr. passed Sosa for fifth.
> In 2012, Alex Rodriguez passed Griffey for fifth.
> In 2015, Rodriguez passes Mays for fourth.
> Through 2019 – Bonds, Aaron, Ruth, Rodriguez, Mays.
>>> APRIL 8, 2000
“We have an argument about who has the most knockouts in professional boxing history. I say it is Sandy Saddler. My barber says it is Archie Moore. Would you set up straight on this matter?”
Here is what are believed to be the boxers with the most knockouts in history (knockout totals via boxrec.com), with weight divisions, active years (and wins-losses-draws):
138 . . . Billy Bird, welter, 1920-1948 (260-73-20)
132 . . . Archie Moore, light heavy, 1935-1963 (186-23-10)
129 . . . Young Stribling, heavy, 1921-1933 (224-13-14)
128 . . . Sam Langfiord, heavy, 1902-1926 (178-29-38)
120 . . . Buck Smith, middle, 1987-2009 (181-20-2)
114 . . . Kid Azteca, welter, 1929-61 (192-47-11)
112 . . . George Odwell, welter, 1930-45 (160-39-12)
109 . . . Sugar Ray Robinson, middle, 1940-1965 (174-19-6)
104 . . . Pete Maher, heavy, 1888-1911 (130-21-4)
104 . . . Sandy Saddler, feather, 1944-56 (145-16-2)
>>> APRIL 7, 2020
“Off whom did Mike Schmidt hit his first career home run?”
Ahead by 1-0 with two outs and a man on third in the bottom of the seventh inning on Sept. 16, 1972, Expos manager Gene Mauch decided to intentionally walk Roger Freed to get to Schmidt, playing in just his third major league game. Schmitty turned on a high fastball from Balor Moore – who was riding a 25-inning scoreless streak − for his first career home run, a game-winner.
>>> APRIL 6, 2020
“Which team ended Schoolboy Rowe’s 16-game winning streak in 1934?”
That streak for the Tigers’ right-hander came to an end at Shibe Park in the second game of a doubleheader on Aug. 29, when the A’s touched Lynwood Thomas Rowe (20-5) for 12 hits and 11 runs over 6.2 innings in a 13-5 victory. His previous loss had come June 10 against the White Sox.
>>> APRIL 5, 2020
“I believe that during the New York Islanders’ time as Stanley Cup Champs, they were almost eliminated in a five-game series by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Can you confirm?”
During their four-year reign (1980-83), the Islanders won 16 consecutive playoff series, but only one went the distance − the 1982 best-of-five first-round match with the Penguins. New York, in fact, trailed by a 3-1 score midway through the decisive Game 5, but rallied to victory in overtime. John Tonelli scored the game-tying goal with 2:21 to go in regulation and won it 6:19 into the extra period.
>>> APRIL 4, 2020
“Who was the losing Dodgers pitcher on the day Don Larsen threw his perfect game in the 1956 World Series?”
Sal Maglie allowed just five hits and two runs to the powerful Yankees that day, to no avail.
>>> APRIL 3, 2020
“In 1927, when Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs, did he hit any in Shibe Park? And if so, off which pitchers?”
Ruth belted five of his then-record 60 home runs at Shibe Park that season, his second favorite road park that season. He hit eight at Boston’s Fenway Park.
The five at Shibe (off Athletics pitcher):
No. 2 . . . April 23, Rube Walberg
No. 14 . . May 30 (Game 2), Rube Walberg
No. 15 . . May 31 (G1), Jack Quinn
No. 16 . . May 31 (G2) Howard Ehmke
No. 44 . . Sept. 2, Rube Walberg
>>> APRIL 2, 2020
“Who holds the National League record for career home runs by a switch-hitter?”
When this question was originally asked in August, 1987, Ted Simmons (179) was the answer, followed by Reggie Smith (165) and Pete Rose (160).
Here is the list through the 2019 season:
468 . . . Chipper Jones
359 . . . Lance Berkman
247 . . . Bobby Bonilla
235 . . . Carlos Beltran
230 . . . Ken Caminiti
229 . . . Jimmy Rollins
Simmons (182), Smith and Rose would now be ninth, 10th and 11th respectively.
>>> APRIL 1, 2020
“When was the second deck put on Franklin Field?”
According to the University of Pennsylvania website, the stadium, which was originally opened In 1895, was rebuilt in 1922 to its present form. It held crowds up to 80,000 for many years, but has been refurbished and seats 50,000+ now.
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
>>> MARCH 31, 2020
“My question has to do with the first Joe Frazier-George Foreman fight (Jan. 22, 1973). I have a bet going with my brother. I said the fight was on closed-circuit television and my brother says the fight was on live TV.”
The heavyweight title bout, which Foreman won by TKO after knocking the previously undefeated Frazier (29-0) down six times in two rounds, was indeed on closed-circuit TV. It was shown at almost 300 locations in the United States and Canada, including Philadelphia area venues such as the Spectrum and the Arena in the city, the Cherry Hill Arena, the Atlantic City Steel Pier and Fournier Hall in Wilmington, Del.
>>> MARCH 30, 2020
“Who had the most home runs by a visiting player at Connie Mack Stadium? I remember Ernie Banks as one player who hit a lot of them when I went to see the Phillies and Cubs play.”
First a refresher . . .
Connie Mack Stadium (1953-70) was original known as Shibe Park (1909-52) and the American League Athletics played there until they left for Kansas City following the 1954 season. The National League Phillies, whose home had been the Baker Bowl since the 1890s, played a handful of games at Shibe in 1927 (roof collapse at Baker Bowl) before moving to Shibe for good on July 4, 1938.
Having nailed all that down, here is whom baseball-reference.com has as the all-time home run leaders as a visiting player in regular season games at Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium:
68 . . . Babe Ruth
45 . . . Lou Gehrig
39 . . . Henry Aaron, Ernie Banks
35 . . . Ted Williams
27 . . . Joe DiMaggio, Harry Heilman, Eddie Mathews
26 . . . Gil Hodges
25 . . . Ken Boyer, Duke Snider
24 . . . Bobby Thomson
For what it is worth, Tony Lazzeri (Yankees, Dodgers) had the most home runs (22) by a visiting player who did so for both AL and NL teams.
>>>MARCH 29, 2020
“What is the longest recorded hole-in-one in golf?”
Currently, the U.S. Golf Registry recognizes a 517-yard hole-in-one by university of Denver real estate professor Mike Crean on the Par 5 ninth hole of Green Valley Ranch Golf Club near Denver International Airport on July 4, 2002.
According to the March 1, 2005, edition of the University of Denver Magazine: “The fairway was hot, the ground was hard and Crean had a 30-mph tail wind.” We are sure that altitude also helped.
This request was made in 1989, and at that time the longest hole-in-one very well might have been 480 yards by Larry Bruce on the fifth hole of the Hope Country Club in Arkansas in 1962.
By the way, a hole-in-one recorded on a Par 5 is officially known as a “condor”.
>>> MARCH 28, 2020
“My mind is not like it used to be, but I think Bevo Francis of little Rio Grande back in the early 1950s may hold the college point record at the former Arena . . . I think he may have had in the neighborhood of 60 points.”
Well, as they say, 39 is the new 60, or something like that.
The high-scoring Francis (he had games of 116 and 113 and averaged 50 one season) did come into Philadelphia to play Villanova on Dec. 4, 1953. The Redmen took the Wildcats to overtime, but Villanova prevailed, 93-92.
>>> MARCH 27, 2020
“Didn’t the USFL New Orleans Breakers move to Portland in 1985? And did Chicago have a team run by the league?”
The Breakers did indeed pull the USFL hat trick: Three seasons, three cities.
The original Boston Breakers (1983) moved to New Orleans for the 1984 season, then when the spring league announced before 1985 campaign it would shift to a fall schedule in 1986, they were off to Portland, Oregon. (That 1986 USFL season never materialized, by the way.)
The Chicago Blitz was 12-6 in the first season, but ran into ownership apathy after that and didn’t last beyond its 5-13 second slate. As far as we can tell, the league never got involved in its ownership.
>>> MARCH 26, 2020
“Can you tell me who was the pitcher that relieved Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers when he attempted to pitch a doubleheader against the Phillies. I am unsure of the year, but it was the 1940s or 1950s?”
The Dodgers came into Shibe Park on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 1950, 7½ games behind the Whiz Kids in the National League pennant race. Newcombe threw a complete-game three-hitter in the 6 p.m. opener, besting Bubba Church, 2-0.
He took the mound for Game 2, but was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the top of the eighth, as the Dodgers were trailing, 2-0. Dan Bankhead came in to pitch a perfect bottom of the inning and Brooklyn rallied for three runs in the top of the ninth to win it and close to within 5½ games.
>>> MARCH 25, 2020
“Didn’t Jersey Joe Walcott fight Harold Johnson (future light heavyweight champion)? . . . I believe there was an incident with a doped orange.”
The two did indeed meet as heavyweights at the Arena on Feb. 8, 1950, a decade or so before Johnson would win the light heavyweight title. Walcott stopped Harold in the third round, just as he had stopped Harold’s father Phil at Shibe Park in 1936. The pair are believed to be the first father/son combination to face the same fighter.
The “doped orange” incident was not that bout but Johnson’s 1955 rematch with Julio Mederos at the Arena. Johnson seemed to go down without being hit in the second round and later complained of a “bitter” orange he had eaten before the fight, given to him by a stranger that afternoon.
>>> MARCH 24, 2020
The gang at what was then known as “Paddy’s Place” (now “Paddy’s Old City Pub”) wanted to know if there was an actual “heavyweight crown” as they had heard so many times in boxing circles. “We have seen the belt . . . ”
No, there has never been an official crown for the heavyweight boxing champion of the world, but goodness knows what the current champions of the wrestling and MMA sects get to strut around in when they win a title.
All that said, me guess is they were just trying to get a T-Shirt.
>>> MARCH 23, 2020
"Did Army's Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis play against Penn when Chuck Bednarik played . . . And did they play Villanova while they were at Army?"
Oh boy, did they!
The Black Knights trounced Villanova by scores of 83-0, 54-0 and 35-0 in the three seasons (1944-45-46) that Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside took to the college gridiron. Penn also fell three times, by the count of 62-7, 61-0 and 34-7.
Davis (Mr. Inside) had 14 touchdowns over the six contests. Blanchard scored nine.
Bednarik was on the 1945 and 1946 Penn teams.
BUCK THE BARTENDER MAIL BAG
INTRODUCTION
March 23, 2020
My father was known for a great many things through a long sports career – writing, broadcasting, speaking, public relations – but none more so than for his Buck The Bartender and Ask Buck columns which appeared in the Philadelphia Bulletin (1977-82) and Philadelphia Daily News (1982-92).
When the column ended, he was still receiving letters from fans with questions and thoughts and opinions, some of which he never got to open. Shortly after his death - on this date in 2005 - the last few dozen of those made their way to my home office, where they have sat untouched for nearly 15 years.
Now, it is time to open them and share, which we do below, starting at the bottom.
We can’t be sure that all − or many or even any – of the subjects in those letters will have aged well. The Internet was still rattling around on the back burner of society at that time and the need for sports information was through books and memories and the people that had them. Every little nugget is now at virtually everyone’s fingertips.
But we will try to get to one every day or so and see if we can shed some light on what was suggested and expand upon it. We’ll skip the full names (but maybe not the places) since so much time has passed.
More than anything, we won’t skip out on the fun . . .
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
>>> APRIL 22, 2020
“My father and I were looking for switch-hitters who hit 100 home runs from both sides of the plate.”
At the time of this letter’s writing (August, 1989), there were three such hitters, as Eddie Murray earlier that season had joined Mickey Mantle and Ted Simmons as 100/100 guys.
The list has since grown to nine (home runs as a left-handed hitter listed first, in order of total career home runs):
372 / 162 . . . Mickey Mantle (2 N/A)
362 / 142 . . . Eddie Murray
361 / 107 . . . Chipper Jones
311 / 124 . . . Carlos Beltran
297 / 112 . . . Mark Teixeira
233 / 117 . . . Chili Davis
179 / 108 . . . Bernie Williams
181 / 106 . . . Bobby Bonilla
146 / 102 . . . Ted Simmons
>>> APRIL 21, 2020
“I see where the Boston Celtics shot 35-for-35 from the foul line against the Miami Heat last week (April 12, 1990). Is that the NBA record for most free throws without a miss in a game? Also, what is the NCAA record.”
That great free performance was (and remains) the second-best from the charity stripe in NBA history. Eight seasons earlier (Dec. 7, 1982), the Utah Jazz drilled all 39 freebies against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The NCAA Division I mark is 34-for-34, done three times: in 1981 (UC Irvine vs. Pacific), 1990 (Samford vs. Central Florida) and 2013 (Oklahoma vs. Iowa State).
>>> APRIL 20, 2020
“I came across an old box score for the 1961 NCAA Third Place game where Saint Joseph’s topped Utah, 127-120, in four overtimes. Is that the highest scoring game ever played in the NCAA Tournament?”
When this question was submitted in January, 1987, the 247 stood as the highest two-team total in NCAA Tournament history. But three years later, Loyola Marymount thumped Michigan, 149-115, to reach 264 points – in regulation! That was the 1990 Loyola team that featured Philadelphia’s Bo Kimble and former La Salle head coach Paul Westhead and was playing with the memory of recently departed teammate Hank Gathers. There is a 15-minute video on youtube of just the Loyola offense from that game. Fun to watch.
>>> APRIL 17, 2020
“Joe says that Bob Boone is the all-time leader in percentage of throwing out base-runners. We say he is full of hockey pucks.”
According to baseball-reference.com, Boone (39.75%) is 230th all-time in career percentage of throwing out basestealers, well behind the leaders Roy Campanella (57.40%), Gabby Hartnett (56.11%) and Buddy Rosar (54.81%).
Clay Dalrymple (48.80%), who is 30th on that list, would be the highest-ranking regular Phillies catcher.
>>> APRIL 16, 2020
“Who hit the latest home run in All-Star Game history?”
Tony Perez’s 15th-inning solo home run in the 1967 game at Anaheim Stadium was the third extra-inning dinger in ASG history and remains the latest. It was the last until 2017 (one) and 2018 (three), when the total number of extra inning home runs more than doubled to seven.
>>> APRIL 15, 2020
“While at the La Salle-Temple game game (Jan. 4, 1989), someone nearby mention that La Salle’s Craig Conlin and Penn State’s Shane Conlin were brothers. I had to interject that it was Shane’s teammate Chris Conlin that was Craig’s brother. Confirm this for me.”
Well, since Shane Conlin was actually Shance Conlan (with an “a”) that clears that part up pretty easily. Now, Chris Conlin and Craig Conlin were indeed brothers (two of eight children). Craig played basketball at La Salle for four years (through 1988-89). Shane (1983-86) and Chris (1984-86) were both on Penn State’s 1986 National Championship football team.
>>> APRIL 14, 2020
“I tried telling my buddies here in this Port Richmond taproom that Pete Rose is not his real name, but shortened from something else, maybe of Polish descent. Can you check this out?”
If there was a name change in the Rose family, it was done before his parents had the little Hit King. He was born Peter Edward Rose to Harry Francis “Pete” and LaVerne Rose on April 14, 1941 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Happy Birthday, Pete!)
>>> APRIL 13, 2020
“I am trying to convince my fellow workers that the Eagles once had a player who was an ex-con out of Sing Sing. Can you help me out?
Alabama Pitts did indeed play three games as a halfback and defensive back with the 1935 Eagles (two interceptions in one game) after being released from the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York that June. He had served six years for a series of robberies.
>>> APRIL 12, 2020
“Who was the youngest pitcher to ever appear in the American League?”
Before Joe Nuxhall (at age 15 years, 316 days) made his major league debut for the Reds on June 10, 1944, Carl Scheib owned the record for youngest major leaguer by making the show for the Athletics on Sept. 6, 1944, at the age of 16 years, 248 days.
>>> APRIL 11, 2020
“Has there every been a state which had won all four major professional sports at the same time?”
There have been many states that have held two of the four championships at the same time, but we could find only four instances when three of the titles resided in the same state. (The bold reflects the date the third team won the title to complete the triple.) No state has ever held all four at the same time (although there was no NBA in 1935-36, so Michigan was 3-for-3):
> June 12, 2009 − Pennsylvania (Phillies, Steelers, Penguins)
> Jan. 22, 1989 − California (Lakers, Dodgers, 49ers)
> June 8, 1982 − California (Dodgers, 49ers, Lakers)
> April 11, 1936 − Michigan (Tigers, Lions, Red Wings)
>>> APRIL 10, 2020
“What were Stan Musial’s totals against Warren Spahn, whose career ran concurrently to The Man?”
Records (via baseball-reference.com) show that Musial faced Spahn for the first time on June 17, 1946 (single) and for the last time on Sept. 13, 1963 (double). In 353 plate appearances, Musial batted .318 (96-302) with 21 doubles, six triples and 14 home runs. His on-base average was .415 and his slugging percentage was .566. He walked 48 times and struck out 30, with one sacrifice, two hit batsmen and three GIDPs.
The two may faced each other more than that, but play-by-play is missing for some of their early careers.
>>> APRIL 9, 2020
From February, 1986: “Name the top five career home run hitters in order. The reference book we have in the office is old and very outdated by now.”
The top five at that time was the same it had been since the end of the 1973 season and it would not change until the next century . . .
> Through 1973 − Henry Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Harmon Killebrew.
> In 2001, Mark McGwire passed Killebrew for fifth.
> In 2002, Barry Bonds passed McGwire and Robinson for fourth.
> In 2004, Bonds passed Mays for third.
> In 2005, Sammy Sosa passed Frank Robinson for fifth.
> In 2006, Bonds passed Ruth for second.
> In 2007, Bonds passed Aaron for first.
> In 2008, Ken Griffey Jr. passed Sosa for fifth.
> In 2012, Alex Rodriguez passed Griffey for fifth.
> In 2015, Rodriguez passes Mays for fourth.
> Through 2019 – Bonds, Aaron, Ruth, Rodriguez, Mays.
>>> APRIL 8, 2000
“We have an argument about who has the most knockouts in professional boxing history. I say it is Sandy Saddler. My barber says it is Archie Moore. Would you set up straight on this matter?”
Here is what are believed to be the boxers with the most knockouts in history (knockout totals via boxrec.com), with weight divisions, active years (and wins-losses-draws):
138 . . . Billy Bird, welter, 1920-1948 (260-73-20)
132 . . . Archie Moore, light heavy, 1935-1963 (186-23-10)
129 . . . Young Stribling, heavy, 1921-1933 (224-13-14)
128 . . . Sam Langfiord, heavy, 1902-1926 (178-29-38)
120 . . . Buck Smith, middle, 1987-2009 (181-20-2)
114 . . . Kid Azteca, welter, 1929-61 (192-47-11)
112 . . . George Odwell, welter, 1930-45 (160-39-12)
109 . . . Sugar Ray Robinson, middle, 1940-1965 (174-19-6)
104 . . . Pete Maher, heavy, 1888-1911 (130-21-4)
104 . . . Sandy Saddler, feather, 1944-56 (145-16-2)
>>> APRIL 7, 2020
“Off whom did Mike Schmidt hit his first career home run?”
Ahead by 1-0 with two outs and a man on third in the bottom of the seventh inning on Sept. 16, 1972, Expos manager Gene Mauch decided to intentionally walk Roger Freed to get to Schmidt, playing in just his third major league game. Schmitty turned on a high fastball from Balor Moore – who was riding a 25-inning scoreless streak − for his first career home run, a game-winner.
>>> APRIL 6, 2020
“Which team ended Schoolboy Rowe’s 16-game winning streak in 1934?”
That streak for the Tigers’ right-hander came to an end at Shibe Park in the second game of a doubleheader on Aug. 29, when the A’s touched Lynwood Thomas Rowe (20-5) for 12 hits and 11 runs over 6.2 innings in a 13-5 victory. His previous loss had come June 10 against the White Sox.
>>> APRIL 5, 2020
“I believe that during the New York Islanders’ time as Stanley Cup Champs, they were almost eliminated in a five-game series by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Can you confirm?”
During their four-year reign (1980-83), the Islanders won 16 consecutive playoff series, but only one went the distance − the 1982 best-of-five first-round match with the Penguins. New York, in fact, trailed by a 3-1 score midway through the decisive Game 5, but rallied to victory in overtime. John Tonelli scored the game-tying goal with 2:21 to go in regulation and won it 6:19 into the extra period.
>>> APRIL 4, 2020
“Who was the losing Dodgers pitcher on the day Don Larsen threw his perfect game in the 1956 World Series?”
Sal Maglie allowed just five hits and two runs to the powerful Yankees that day, to no avail.
>>> APRIL 3, 2020
“In 1927, when Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs, did he hit any in Shibe Park? And if so, off which pitchers?”
Ruth belted five of his then-record 60 home runs at Shibe Park that season, his second favorite road park that season. He hit eight at Boston’s Fenway Park.
The five at Shibe (off Athletics pitcher):
No. 2 . . . April 23, Rube Walberg
No. 14 . . May 30 (Game 2), Rube Walberg
No. 15 . . May 31 (G1), Jack Quinn
No. 16 . . May 31 (G2) Howard Ehmke
No. 44 . . Sept. 2, Rube Walberg
>>> APRIL 2, 2020
“Who holds the National League record for career home runs by a switch-hitter?”
When this question was originally asked in August, 1987, Ted Simmons (179) was the answer, followed by Reggie Smith (165) and Pete Rose (160).
Here is the list through the 2019 season:
468 . . . Chipper Jones
359 . . . Lance Berkman
247 . . . Bobby Bonilla
235 . . . Carlos Beltran
230 . . . Ken Caminiti
229 . . . Jimmy Rollins
Simmons (182), Smith and Rose would now be ninth, 10th and 11th respectively.
>>> APRIL 1, 2020
“When was the second deck put on Franklin Field?”
According to the University of Pennsylvania website, the stadium, which was originally opened In 1895, was rebuilt in 1922 to its present form. It held crowds up to 80,000 for many years, but has been refurbished and seats 50,000+ now.
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
>>> MARCH 31, 2020
“My question has to do with the first Joe Frazier-George Foreman fight (Jan. 22, 1973). I have a bet going with my brother. I said the fight was on closed-circuit television and my brother says the fight was on live TV.”
The heavyweight title bout, which Foreman won by TKO after knocking the previously undefeated Frazier (29-0) down six times in two rounds, was indeed on closed-circuit TV. It was shown at almost 300 locations in the United States and Canada, including Philadelphia area venues such as the Spectrum and the Arena in the city, the Cherry Hill Arena, the Atlantic City Steel Pier and Fournier Hall in Wilmington, Del.
>>> MARCH 30, 2020
“Who had the most home runs by a visiting player at Connie Mack Stadium? I remember Ernie Banks as one player who hit a lot of them when I went to see the Phillies and Cubs play.”
First a refresher . . .
Connie Mack Stadium (1953-70) was original known as Shibe Park (1909-52) and the American League Athletics played there until they left for Kansas City following the 1954 season. The National League Phillies, whose home had been the Baker Bowl since the 1890s, played a handful of games at Shibe in 1927 (roof collapse at Baker Bowl) before moving to Shibe for good on July 4, 1938.
Having nailed all that down, here is whom baseball-reference.com has as the all-time home run leaders as a visiting player in regular season games at Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium:
68 . . . Babe Ruth
45 . . . Lou Gehrig
39 . . . Henry Aaron, Ernie Banks
35 . . . Ted Williams
27 . . . Joe DiMaggio, Harry Heilman, Eddie Mathews
26 . . . Gil Hodges
25 . . . Ken Boyer, Duke Snider
24 . . . Bobby Thomson
For what it is worth, Tony Lazzeri (Yankees, Dodgers) had the most home runs (22) by a visiting player who did so for both AL and NL teams.
>>>MARCH 29, 2020
“What is the longest recorded hole-in-one in golf?”
Currently, the U.S. Golf Registry recognizes a 517-yard hole-in-one by university of Denver real estate professor Mike Crean on the Par 5 ninth hole of Green Valley Ranch Golf Club near Denver International Airport on July 4, 2002.
According to the March 1, 2005, edition of the University of Denver Magazine: “The fairway was hot, the ground was hard and Crean had a 30-mph tail wind.” We are sure that altitude also helped.
This request was made in 1989, and at that time the longest hole-in-one very well might have been 480 yards by Larry Bruce on the fifth hole of the Hope Country Club in Arkansas in 1962.
By the way, a hole-in-one recorded on a Par 5 is officially known as a “condor”.
>>> MARCH 28, 2020
“My mind is not like it used to be, but I think Bevo Francis of little Rio Grande back in the early 1950s may hold the college point record at the former Arena . . . I think he may have had in the neighborhood of 60 points.”
Well, as they say, 39 is the new 60, or something like that.
The high-scoring Francis (he had games of 116 and 113 and averaged 50 one season) did come into Philadelphia to play Villanova on Dec. 4, 1953. The Redmen took the Wildcats to overtime, but Villanova prevailed, 93-92.
>>> MARCH 27, 2020
“Didn’t the USFL New Orleans Breakers move to Portland in 1985? And did Chicago have a team run by the league?”
The Breakers did indeed pull the USFL hat trick: Three seasons, three cities.
The original Boston Breakers (1983) moved to New Orleans for the 1984 season, then when the spring league announced before 1985 campaign it would shift to a fall schedule in 1986, they were off to Portland, Oregon. (That 1986 USFL season never materialized, by the way.)
The Chicago Blitz was 12-6 in the first season, but ran into ownership apathy after that and didn’t last beyond its 5-13 second slate. As far as we can tell, the league never got involved in its ownership.
>>> MARCH 26, 2020
“Can you tell me who was the pitcher that relieved Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers when he attempted to pitch a doubleheader against the Phillies. I am unsure of the year, but it was the 1940s or 1950s?”
The Dodgers came into Shibe Park on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 1950, 7½ games behind the Whiz Kids in the National League pennant race. Newcombe threw a complete-game three-hitter in the 6 p.m. opener, besting Bubba Church, 2-0.
He took the mound for Game 2, but was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the top of the eighth, as the Dodgers were trailing, 2-0. Dan Bankhead came in to pitch a perfect bottom of the inning and Brooklyn rallied for three runs in the top of the ninth to win it and close to within 5½ games.
>>> MARCH 25, 2020
“Didn’t Jersey Joe Walcott fight Harold Johnson (future light heavyweight champion)? . . . I believe there was an incident with a doped orange.”
The two did indeed meet as heavyweights at the Arena on Feb. 8, 1950, a decade or so before Johnson would win the light heavyweight title. Walcott stopped Harold in the third round, just as he had stopped Harold’s father Phil at Shibe Park in 1936. The pair are believed to be the first father/son combination to face the same fighter.
The “doped orange” incident was not that bout but Johnson’s 1955 rematch with Julio Mederos at the Arena. Johnson seemed to go down without being hit in the second round and later complained of a “bitter” orange he had eaten before the fight, given to him by a stranger that afternoon.
>>> MARCH 24, 2020
The gang at what was then known as “Paddy’s Place” (now “Paddy’s Old City Pub”) wanted to know if there was an actual “heavyweight crown” as they had heard so many times in boxing circles. “We have seen the belt . . . ”
No, there has never been an official crown for the heavyweight boxing champion of the world, but goodness knows what the current champions of the wrestling and MMA sects get to strut around in when they win a title.
All that said, me guess is they were just trying to get a T-Shirt.
>>> MARCH 23, 2020
"Did Army's Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis play against Penn when Chuck Bednarik played . . . And did they play Villanova while they were at Army?"
Oh boy, did they!
The Black Knights trounced Villanova by scores of 83-0, 54-0 and 35-0 in the three seasons (1944-45-46) that Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside took to the college gridiron. Penn also fell three times, by the count of 62-7, 61-0 and 34-7.
Davis (Mr. Inside) had 14 touchdowns over the six contests. Blanchard scored nine.
Bednarik was on the 1945 and 1946 Penn teams.