The Evolution of Baseball and America Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In 1845, Alexander Cartwright of the New York Knickerbockers helped to codify the rules of baseball. One key change from other similar games such as rounders (round-ball) was to make "soaking" or "plugging" illegal. To what did these terms refer?

Answer: Putting a runner out by hitting him with a thrown ball

Soaking was putting a runner out by hitting him with the ball. By eliminating soaking several things eventuated. First, the ball could be smaller and harder, and therefore more lively. Second, injuries were reduced. Third, coordination among infielders became more important. Fourth, stealing bases became much less dangerous for the runner (though as anyone Ty Cobb stole against will tell you, not for the second or third basemen).

2. In 1869 the first generally accepted professional baseball team in the United States was formed. What was its name?

Answer: Cincinnati Red Stockings

The Cincinnati Red Stockings were formed in 1866, but they were a member of the National Association of Base Ball Players which prohibited professional players until 1869. When professional players were allowed the Red Stockings contracted with ten players and began a national tour which took them from New York to Boston and as far west as San Francisco.

In 1869 they compiled a record of 65-0, which remains the only perfect season in professional baseball history.

3. Though there were earlier baseball organizations and leagues, it is generally accepted that the first well-organised and sustainable professional baseball league was the National League. What year was it established?

Answer: 1876

The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, as it was called in full, came into being on February 2, 1876 and consisted of the Chicago White Stockings, the Boston Red Stockings, the Hartford Dark Blues, the Philadelphia Athletics, the Mutuals of New York, the St. Louis Brown Stockings, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, and the Louisville Grays.

4. The National League was challenged over the years by the American Association, the Union Association, the Players League and others, but managed to either absorb or outlast all challengers until the American League was formed. What year was the American League formed as a separate league?

Answer: 1901

The American League actually began business in 1900, but as a subsidiary and with the approval of the National League. However, in 1901 the American League refused to renew its agreement with the National League and set itself up as a separate and independent professional league.

The two were rivals for a couple of years, but soon saw the wisdom of cooperation and signed a new agreement in 1903 which included provision for a "World Series" to be played between the champions of each league at the conclusion of the season.

5. We are all familiar with the Black Sox Scandal of 1919 in which the Chicago White Sox conspired to throw the World Series in return for illegal payments. This led to the establishment of a new National Commission of Baseball headed by a Commissioner of Baseball. Who was the first Commissioner?

Answer: Kenesaw Mountain Landis

The Black Sox Scandal is often portrayed as the fault of a group of greedy players, and there is little doubt that the players had ties to underworld figures who stood to gain by the throwing of the series. However, the underlying issue was the tightfisted owner of the White Sox, Charles Comiskey, who paid his players very low salaries.

At the same time major league baseball then operated under the "reserve clause," which essentially meant the player had to accept the salary offered or he would not be allowed to play professional baseball for any team.

It was not until Curt Flood refused to accept his trade by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies and challenged the reserve clause in court that the momentum began that eventually led to the formation of a Player's Union and equity for the players. Ironically, Curt Flood's suit was unsuccessful and he never benefitted from the process he set in motion.

6. "Home Run" Baker was one of the storied home run hitters of the early twentieth century. In 1913 he surpassed all his previous exploits by hitting how many home runs in a season?

Answer: 12

Home Run Baker played during the Dead Ball Era, when the balls were not always standardised and were usually used for an entire game without being replaced. There were a number of other factors at work, but it was not until Babe Ruth exploded on the scene in 1919 (having converted from pitcher to fielder) that the modern era of home run production began.

7. The first elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame were held in 1936. Which of the following players was not elected that year?

Answer: Cy Young

The first class in the Hall of Fame was a stellar one, including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewon and Walter "Big Train" Johnson. But it was, in my opinion, flawed in not including Cy Young, who remains the winningest pitcher in major league history with 511 victories, 94 more than Walter Johnson who is in second place - and who was elected ahead of Young. Yeah, I know, BIg Train remains far and away the all time leader in shutouts with 110, but still...

8. We all know that Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play on a professional baseball team since African Americans had been banned from the game in the nineteenth century. One of the men who made Robinson's initial season more tolerable was the captain of the Brooklyn Dodgers who became his best friend in baseball. This teammate famously put his arm around Robinson during pre-game ceremonies in Cincinnati during the Dodgers' first road trip in 1947 thereby silencing the racial epithets being hurled at Robinson. What was the name of this All-Star and eventual Hall of Fame player?

Answer: Pee Wee Reese

Jackie Robinson was a truly heroic figure. In breaking the "color line" he personified the concept of gentleman in the face of ceaseless vilification and prejudice. Despite the obstacles he faced, his strength of character ensured he not only survived, but prospered.

It is nearly Jungian synchronicity that the Rookie of the Year Award was inaugurated in 1947 and that Jackie Robinson won it (at a time when the award was given to only one player in professional baseball, not one player from each league).

He won the Most Valuable Player Award for the National League in 1949 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962. The relationship with Pee Wee Reese was one of respect and true friendship. Reese's gesture of putting his arm around Robinson in Cincinnati has been immortalized in a sculpture by William Behrends that stands outside KeySpan Park in Brooklyn, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones, a minor league affiliate of the New York Mets playing in the New York - Penn League.

It is well worth seeing.

9. For the entire history of the National and American Leagues, no professional team had been located west of Missouri until 1958. In that year, two teams moved to California. What were the original names of the two teams that moved west that year?

Answer: Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants

While this episode broke the hearts of Brooklynites and Giants fans alike, it heralded a new beginning for baseball in the western USA and for baseball in general. I remember this well as a child in California. We had the Pacific Coast League, which was a AAA minor baseball league, but we never had a major league team.

While I sympathize with Brooklyn and NY, I thank them for their sacrifice. And in my opinion this is the time when baseball became a truly National Pastime.

10. Most of us Americans take ourselves way too seriously. Baseball has something to teach us here as well. One man in particular has provided ample evidence of this. Who is responsible for the following quotes: "It ain't over till its over", "Nobody goes there anymore - it's too crowded", "Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't go to yours" and "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

Answer: Yogi Berra

Yogi Berra was one of a kind and nonpareil as a malapropist and non-sequiturist. But though we think of him for his "Yogi-isms" he was a stunningly good baseball player. He was one of only four men to be voted Most Valuable Player in the American League three times, but probably his most incredible achievement was to appear as a player in 14 World Series, more than any other player in history (of course, he was fortunate to be with the Yankees during a period in which they totally dominated professional baseball). And in addition to all this Yogi was the catcher for the only perfect game thrown in post season history, by Don Larsen in the 1956 Series. The snapshot of Yogi suspended off the ground with hands and arms wrapped around Larsen after he charged the mound at the end of the game is one of the iconic photographs in the history of baseball. Appropriately he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972. Quite a guy.

And now, well, as Yogi would say, It's over...

Lizard.

Source: Author lizarddrinking

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stuthehistoryguy before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Baseball is a reflection of America. It has evolved as America has evolved. I hope this quiz will give some indication of the synergy between baseball and American life.

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