All Kinds of Sports Trivia Thread

[Fencer reregistered]

Which team sport is generally agreed to have originally been invented by Native Americans?

[Fencer reregistered]

Most Olympic sports have separate men's and women's events. What is/are the exception(s)?

Which Olympic sport(s), while generally having separate men's and women's events, also have events for mixed teams?

[Curmudgeon]

Exceptions are the equestrian events. And they don't care about the sex of the horses either.

Mixed teams: tennis, skating (pairs). I understand that there will be some new ones in 2024.

[chakdaddy]

Which team sport is generally agreed to have originally been invented by Native Americans?

Lacrosse

[Fencer reregistered]

Which team sport is generally agreed to have originally been invented by Native Americans?

Lacrosse

Correct!

[Fencer reregistered]

Mike Vrabel right? Now Browns assistant coach / advisor

Correct! Vrabel lined up a number of times as TE, almost exclusively in goal-line plays. That's why all his catches were for TDs.

I think the number is in the range of 12, with a few in the postseason as well. I think he holds the "Most catches with 100% of them being for TDs" record for the regular season, posteason and Super Bowl only alike.

That brings us to the bonus question(s): What are some other NFL receiving records Vrabel holds or shares.

Hint: There are hints above.

Note: Vrabel also lined up at times at every front-seven defensive position, even in one memorable game at nose tackle. That was the last game in which Bill Belichick and the Patriots flummoxed Peyton Manning, to the tune of a 20-3 playoff victory. Ty Law and Rodney Harrison also switched positions for that game, and IIRC Harrison wound up catching as many of Manning's passes as Marvin Harrison did, at 3 each.

Some answers:

-- Every NFL pass Mike Vrabel ever caught was a 1-yard TD. So he obviously holds or ties for various records for lowest average yards per catch.
-- He caught TDs in Super Bowls in 2 consecutive years. Nobody's ever done that for 3, largely because no team has ever gone to the Super Bowl 3 consecutive years.

Side anecdote: ChatGPT tried to convince me that Jerry Rice had done it for 3 years. It stuck by its opinion, even after I got it to admit that the Niners weren't in the Super Bowl one of those years (when Rice was still on the Niners).

I also think David Givens shares that record with Vrabel and Rice, specifically for the same Super Bowls Vrabel scored in. Indeed, he had a streak of 7 consecutive postseason games with a TD around then, which evidently is in second place all time, presumably behind Rice.

[chakdaddy]

Who is the oldest NFL player ever to score a touchdown?

Stabler?

Right idea, but the record is much more recent.

Brady?

[Fencer reregistered]

Exceptions are the equestrian events. And they don't care about the sex of the horses either.

Mixed teams: tennis, skating (pairs). I understand that there will be some new ones in 2024.

Also shooting and archery.

[Fencer reregistered]

Stabler?

Right idea, but the record is much more recent.

Brady?

Indeed!

He cut back on QB sneaks toward the end of his career, but not quite all the way to zero.

[Fencer reregistered]

Approximately nobody will know the answer to this question. It will probably be quite hard to even guess:

As a kid, I listened to a noteworthy baseball game on the radio, even when I was supposed to be asleep, the same night Bobby Kennedy was later assassinated. The significance of the game hinged on a very rare umpiring call -- in the 9th inning no less! -- in which a batter was hit by a pitch but not avoided first base because he didn't try hard enough to get out of its way.

What was the game's significance, and why was that particular call so relevant?

This is hard one, so I'll just give the answer.

In 1968, when complete games were still common, Don Drysdale of the LA Dodgers set a record by pitching 6 consecutive shutouts. In the 9th inning of his fifth shutout, however, he hit a batsman with a pitch while the bases were loaded. Umpire Harry Wendelstedt's reliance on a rarely-invoked rule saved the streak.

[Fencer reregistered]

What was the first major league baseball team to have 4 players hit 30+ homer runs each?

Bonus: Who were the four players? (Warning: 1 guy one might think was included actually was beset by injuries that season and isn't included.)

Hint: Two of the four players have, to some extent, been in recent news. Indeed, one of them has Google News hits from this week, while another has some hits from this month and a lot from 6 months ago.

Further hint: One of the guys is in the news because he's running for political office. The other was in the news in connection with his long managing career.

And it's OK not to get the exact year. I might be wrong by a year or two myself.

[BK_2020]

Approximately nobody will know the answer to this question. It will probably be quite hard to even guess:

As a kid, I listened to a noteworthy baseball game on the radio, even when I was supposed to be asleep, the same night Bobby Kennedy was later assassinated. The significance of the game hinged on a very rare umpiring call -- in the 9th inning no less! -- in which a batter was hit by a pitch but not avoided first base because he didn't try hard enough to get out of its way.

What was the game's significance, and why was that particular call so relevant?

This is hard one, so I'll just give the answer.

In 1968, when complete games were still common, Don Drysdale of the LA Dodgers set a record by pitching 6 consecutive shutouts. In the 9th inning of his fifth shutout, however, he hit a batsman with a pitch while the bases were loaded. Umpire Harry Wendelstedt's reliance on a rarely-invoked rule saved the streak.

Imagine how Barry Bonds' career would've played out if they enforced this rule.

[Fencer reregistered]

Approximately nobody will know the answer to this question. It will probably be quite hard to even guess:

As a kid, I listened to a noteworthy baseball game on the radio, even when I was supposed to be asleep, the same night Bobby Kennedy was later assassinated. The significance of the game hinged on a very rare umpiring call -- in the 9th inning no less! -- in which a batter was hit by a pitch but not avoided first base because he didn't try hard enough to get out of its way.

What was the game's significance, and why was that particular call so relevant?

This is hard one, so I'll just give the answer.

In 1968, when complete games were still common, Don Drysdale of the LA Dodgers set a record by pitching 6 consecutive shutouts. In the 9th inning of his fifth shutout, however, he hit a batsman with a pitch while the bases were loaded. Umpire Harry Wendelstedt's reliance on a rarely-invoked rule saved the streak.

Imagine how Barry Bonds' career would've played out if they enforced this rule.

I misremembered the date; it was May 31, 1968. The June 4 game must have been the sixth and final shutout in the streak. Even though the opponent was the Giants, the batsman in question was not Ron Hunt, famous for getting hit by many pitches that he didn't necessarily try very hard to avoid. It was Dick Dietz, who as a catcher may also have been relatively unconcerned about the dangers of being hit by a pitched ball.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN196805310.shtml

[Fencer reregistered]

At least 13 MLB players have hit 2 grand slams in the same game.

The first to do it in the National League was Tony Cloninger, in 1966. What is particularly remarkable about that?

[BK_2020]

At least 13 MLB players have hit 2 grand slams in the same game.

The first to do it in the National League was Tony Cloninger, in 1966. What is particularly remarkable about that?

He was a pitcher.
*cheated and used google

[Fencer reregistered]

At least 13 MLB players have hit 2 grand slams in the same game.

The first to do it in the National League was Tony Cloninger, in 1966. What is particularly remarkable about that?

He was a pitcher.
*cheated and used google

If people are going to Google for answers and post them right after I post questions, why should I bother posting questions?

[BK_2020]

:shrug:

[chakdaddy]

Approximately nobody will know the answer to this question. It will probably be quite hard to even guess:

As a kid, I listened to a noteworthy baseball game on the radio, even when I was supposed to be asleep, the same night Bobby Kennedy was later assassinated. The significance of the game hinged on a very rare umpiring call -- in the 9th inning no less! -- in which a batter was hit by a pitch but not avoided first base because he didn't try hard enough to get out of its way.

What was the game's significance, and why was that particular call so relevant?

This is hard one, so I'll just give the answer.

In 1968, when complete games were still common, Don Drysdale of the LA Dodgers set a record by pitching 6 consecutive shutouts. In the 9th inning of his fifth shutout, however, he hit a batsman with a pitch while the bases were loaded. Umpire Harry Wendelstedt's reliance on a rarely-invoked rule saved the streak.

Follow up- who broke Drysdales scoreless inning streak?

[Fencer reregistered]

Approximately nobody will know the answer to this question. It will probably be quite hard to even guess:

As a kid, I listened to a noteworthy baseball game on the radio, even when I was supposed to be asleep, the same night Bobby Kennedy was later assassinated. The significance of the game hinged on a very rare umpiring call -- in the 9th inning no less! -- in which a batter was hit by a pitch but not avoided first base because he didn't try hard enough to get out of its way.

What was the game's significance, and why was that particular call so relevant?

This is hard one, so I'll just give the answer.

In 1968, when complete games were still common, Don Drysdale of the LA Dodgers set a record by pitching 6 consecutive shutouts. In the 9th inning of his fifth shutout, however, he hit a batsman with a pitch while the bases were loaded. Umpire Harry Wendelstedt's reliance on a rarely-invoked rule saved the streak.

Follow up- who broke Drysdales scoreless inning streak?

Ack. I've forgotten, but I think it was in the third inning.

If I had to guess a team, I'd say the Pirates, although I'm afraid I may be confusing that with the fact that his sixth shutout was against them. No idea who the batter or baserunner was.

[chakdaddy]

What was the first major league baseball team to have 4 players hit 30+ homer runs each?

Bonus: Who were the four players? (Warning: 1 guy one might think was included actually was beset by injuries that season and isn't included.)

Hint: Two of the four players have, to some extent, been in recent news. Indeed, one of them has Google News hits from this week, while another has some hits from this month and a lot from 6 months ago.

Further hint: One of the guys is in the news because he's running for political office. The other was in the news in connection with his long managing career.

And it's OK not to get the exact year. I might be wrong by a year or two myself.

I know Steve Garvey is running but didn't know he had power like that. Dusty Baker might have been a teammate on the Dodgers. Don't think Ron Cey had power. Maybe Pedro Guerrero and another OF.

Feel like the answer should be 1990s, fewer gaudy power numbers in 70s and early 80s. Maybe from the 1987 juiced ball year, I know those rosters well for video gsme reasons.

Power hitting managers are a rarity, mostly light hitting catchers and infielders