Baseball Nicknames, Quotes, Sayings and Stories Quiz

Answer: "Cool Papa" Bell

A baseball great, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974, James Thomas "Cool Papa" Bell was undeniably fast, and stories about how fast he was are charming. Another one was that he once hit a hard ground ball up the middle and it hit him in the head when sliding into second base. Satchel Paige (pitcher) and Josh Gibson (slugging catcher) were also Negro League greats, though not particularly fast, while Maury Wills was one of the great base stealers of all time, but never played in the Negro Leagues.

Answer: The Yankee Clipper

The Babe, of course, was arguably the greatest baseball player of all time. A great pitcher - who pitched 29 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings in the World Series, a record which stood for many years - Babe didn't become a full-time player/hitter until he was 25 years old. He then went on to set nearly every slugging record. The Yankee Clipper was a nickname for Joe DiMaggio.

Answer: None of the above

The Mendoza line is an expression for a .200 batting average. Anyone batting below .200 is said to be "below the Mendoza line", and no professional baseball player wants to fall below the Mendoza Line. Mario Mendoza was a shortstop whose career average was .215, and was frequently teased for his light hitting. Anyone hitting below the Mendoza Line is likely not going to be playing for much longer.

Answer: Branch Rickey

Most famous for helping to break the color line in baseball by bringing up Jackie Robinson to the big leagues as an executive for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Rickey's many, many other innovations include creating the modern minor league and player development system, introducing the batting helmet and baseball analytics, drafting the first Hispanic player (Roberto CLemente), formalizing spring training, and designing the famous "bird on the bat" logo for the St. Louis Cardinals.

He certainly was a man who made his own luck.

Answer: Ernie Banks

We need more people in the world like Ernie Banks. A great player on lousy Chicago Cubs teams, Banks was eternally optimistic and known for his positive attitude. And he loved baseball so much, he wanted every day to be a doubleheader (i.e two games). Banks was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977, the first year in which he was eligible.

The others are all baseball greats.

Answer: Willie Mays

The greatest ballplayer I ever saw was Willie Mays. He was born to play baseball, with all "five tools" - he could hit, hit for power, run, throw and play defense with the greatest. Despite losing two years in his prime serving in the army, Willie still managed to hit 660 home runs lifetime.

A slugger who batted over .300 for his career, Willie was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.

Answer: "I'd walk through hell in a gasoline suit to play baseball."

Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige was a great Negro league pitcher who made his debut in the major leagues at age 42. He threw pitches he called the Midnight Rider, Jump Ball, Bat Dodger, and Trouble Ball. Once when Buck Leonard asked for a ball to be taken out of play because he thought Satchel must have scuffed it because it moved so much, Satchel said "You may as well thrown 'em all out 'cause they're all gonna jump like that." The quote about walking "through hell in a gasoline suit" is from Pete Rose.

Answer: Garry Templeton

A great athlete, Garry Templeton played for the Cardinals, Padres and Mets in his career. He said the famous quote above in 1979 when despite having the best statistics among shortstops he wasn't the fan's choice to start the All Star Game. Garry had issues with fan relations throughout his career, which in part led to him being traded away by the Cardinals in 1981. None of the other choices were ever shortstops, or Cardinals.

Answer: "I never questioned the integrity of an umpire. Their eyesight, yes."

I think some people overlook the wisdom and artistry in Yogi's sayings. The essence of poetry is expressing in a few compelling words what the average person can't say in 100. You know exactly what Yogi means in each of his quotes, and you could not have communicated the full meaning and emotions involved more succinctly. The quote about umpire's eyesight was from Leo Durocher.

Answer: "The game's ain't over until it's over."

Casey, who managed the New York Yankees and Mets, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Boston Braves, was a great baseball tactician who hid his wisdom behind lengthy, seemingly meaningless, monologues. As the manager of the hapless 1962 Mets, Casey was often the only source of entertainment.

After "Marvelous" Marv Throneberry hit a triple and was called out for not touching second base Casey, of course, came out to argue. Counseled by an umpire not to argue too much because Throneberry had also missed first, Casey said "well, I know he touched third base because he's standing on it!".

The "game ain't over" quote is from Yogi Berra, of course.