Well, it's Tres de Mayo. How's the baseball season going so far? you manage OK? Live okay? You did better than poor Pedro Grifol? The guy waited patiently to become a big league manager, and his first month was – how can I put it? – not so good. It would be inappropriate for me to use foul language, which brings up the fact that this is the 40th anniversary of one of the biggest rants in managerial history.
On April 29, 1983, manager Lee Elijah had just watched the Cubs lose to the Dodgers which dropped their record to 5-14. Joel Bierig, first-year backup reporter for the Sun-Times, was there to catch Lee saying: “We have all these so-called f—–” fans who come here and say they're Cub fans who should be behind You, tear up every single thing you do. I'll tell you one f—–‘ thing: I hope we f—–‘ get hotter than s— only to fill it with 3,000 f—–‘ people showing up every day- —-‘. Because if they're real Chicago fans f—–‘, they can kiss my ass right downtown and PRINT IT!” And that's just the beginning. It's Les Grobstein recording the rant, and you can hear The Grobber's edited footage on YouTube.
Being a baseball manager doesn't sound like an easy gig. Earl Weaver said: “The keys to winning a baseball game are pitching, fundamentals, and three-run homers.” Casey Stengel said: “The key to being a good manager is to keep the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided.” And Joe Maddon added: ”Because the manager has so many voices in the back of his head at the start of the game, it's not a game like it was. It's really a front office game.” So if you want to be a manager, go for it. I'm quite content being Quizmaster because I love asking questions, receiving your emails and reminding you all to have fun and learned a lot about this quiz about managers.
1. In 2008, Cubs manager David Ross played for the Hall of Fame manager while they were both with the Braves. Who's the manager?
A Dusty baker C. Bobby Cox
B. Jim Tracy D. Bruce Bochi
2. Tony La Russa manages the White Sox, A's and Cardinals. He was successful for several seasons and managed a number of Hall of Famers. Here are four HOF-ers. Name the three teams he played for when Tony was his manager.
A Jim Edmonds C. Ricky Henderson
B. Tim Raines D. Ozzie Smith
3. You often hear Joe Girardi on Cubs broadcasts. Which of the following teams does he NOT manage?
A Yankees C. His children
B. Phillies D. Marlin
4. Pedro Grifol was preceded by Tony La Russa. La Russa replaced Rick Renteria. Who was Renteria's direct predecessor?
A Robin Ventura C. Don Cooper
B. Ozzie Guillen D. manual scream
5. Which active manager has the most lifetime wins?
A Terry Francona C. Dave Roberts
B. Dusty baker D. Aaron Bon
6. Which of these Hall of Famers is NOT a major league manager?
A Joe Kronin D. Ted Williams
B. Dear Ruth e. All of them
C. Larry Dobby F. There isn't any
7. Catchers often make good managers because they have to handle the throwing staff, align defenses, communicate with coaches and, of course, observe the game from a unique perspective. Which of these managers with Chicago connections is a catch?
A David Ross D. Jeff Torborg
B. Joe Girardi e. All of them
C. Pedro Grifol F. There isn't any
8. Bobby Cox was sent off in 162 games, the equivalent of a full season. Here are some managers who have spent their career managing teams in Chicago. Rank them the number of times they've been kicked out in their entire managerial career, not just managing in Chicago.
A Tony LaRussa D. Frankie Fresh
B. Joe Maddon e. Paul Richards
C. Leo Durocher
9. Our walk-off question of the week: When the Dodgers' Kirk Gibson beat the A's Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, who was the manager of each team?
A Tommy Laserda D. Tony LaRussa
B. Walter Alston e. Ron Washington
C. Rene Lachemann F. Bill Russell
Have a safe, healthy and happy week. Email me some questions or theme ideas for some of the upcoming quizzes.
ANSWER
1. David Ross played for all of those managers, but the HOF-er in Atlanta was Bobby Cox. 2. Tim Raines (White Sox), Rickey Henderson (Athletics), Ozzie Smith (Cardinals) and Jim Edmonds (Cardinals). 3. Joe Girardi played for the Cubs but never made it. His first managerial position was with the Marlins in 2006. 4. Rick Renteria managed the White Sox in 2017-20. Robin Ventura managed the team in 2012-16. He took over from Ozzie Guillen (with Don Cooper managing two games in the interim). Jerry Manuel preceded Guillen. 5. Johnnie B. Baker, whom we consciously love as “Dusty”, led all active managers to victory. He has managed the Giants, Cubs, Reds, Nationals and Astros. Of his more than 2,100 wins, he has 840 while managing in San Francisco. 6. Babe Ruth really wanted to be a manager and really wanted to manage the Yankees. He never did well in the majors, but the rest did. 7. All of them, though Pedro Grifol never made it to the majors. 8. Leo Durocher, 100; Tony La Russa, 93; Paul Richards, 82; Joe Maddon, 59; and Frankie Frisch, 88. 9. Tommy Lasorda for the Dodgers and Tony La Russa for the Athletics were the managers.