NEW TRIVIA CONTEST: You will still be required to enter the drawing as usual. However, through the end of 2024 you will get points depending on the complexity of the questions. Enter each week and correct answers will get those points-one guess per person per week. The reader with the most points after the years final column will get a $50 Starbucks Gift Card. Ties will be placed into a drawing. Questions will be worth anywhere from 10-25 points depending on degree of difficulty. Questions will be more difficult as the year goes on, so you are never really out of the mix. Tell your friends and sports fans who like trivia. We will keep track of your points. - YOU MUST ENTER VIA THE EMAIL AT THE END OF THIS COLUMN.
NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: He hit .329 for a depression era team which had two guys who were starters in the line-up with him, who had different names from this player but they had the same last name as each other, and the same first and last initials. Who was this outfielder? He also played in two World Series. TOTAL 150 POINTS.
Not since the first year Mets did an expansion team begin and end it's life with a crazy bunch of castoffs. Name very familiar on other teams during their prime, the one season Seattle Pilots saw those big-name players run into the ground. The team spent one year there before becoming the Milwaukee Brewers.
Look at the list; Don Mincher, Ray Oyler, Tommy Harper, Tommy Davis, Gus Gil, Rich Rollins, Jim Pagliaroni, Merritt Ranew, Sandy Valdespino, Billy Williams, Diego Segui, Steve Barber, George Brunet, Gary Bell and the guy who revealed it all; Jim Bouton ("Ball Four"). Some of these guys weren't very good when they were in their best years.
The club won three of it's first four games and went down hill from there. The worst hit in late June when they went 4-15 and were 18.5 games out of first place. They would finish 33 games out winning just 64 and losing 98. They scored 10 runs or more just three times and lost one of those while winning 10-9 and 16-13! They allowed 10 or more runs 16 times
Mincher led the team with 25 homers while the club total was 125, Mike Hegan hit .292 to lead the regulars. Segui and Bouton were the only major staff pitchers to finish above .500 with Bouton going 2-1, Segui 12-6. The staff ERA was 4.35. There were worse teams in baseball's celebrated past but this team deserves the credit for finishing in the running of the worst.
TRIVIA CONTEST;