Trivia Answers Thursday*

Once again, many thanks to Terry Martin of Alpharetta, GA (by way of Marietta, OH) for the TT questions this week. He made sure I had to do research fun by not including the answers in his email. Let’s check out the answers!

This player was called “The Antelope” for his blazing speed on the basepaths. He stole 96 bases in 1980:

A. Omar Moreno B. Gene Clines C. Frank Taveras D. Barry Bonds

Answer: A

We started off easy this week. The Antelope was, of course, the leadoff hitter and center fielder for the mid-seventies/early eighties Bucs, including the 1979 World Series champs.

Catching as a duo with Don Slaught in the nineties, this catcher was nicknamed “Spanky” after one of the Little Rascals:

A. Ed Kirkpatrick B. Ed Ott C. Mike LaValliere D. Steve Nicosia

Answer: C

If anyone’s heading to Bradenton for spring training, apparently Spanky’s got quite the crepe-making business going on there on Wednesdays. Or at least he did in 2018.

This Bucs reliever was once a starting pitcher, but was converted to a relief pitcher and went on to become one of the most reliable Pirates relievers of all time. His nickname was “The Baron of the Bullpen”:

A. Dave Giusti B. Jim Gott C. Earl Francis D. Elroy Face

Answer: D

The Baron still holds the record for the highest winning percentage among relievers (.947), as well as most wins by a reliever (18 in 1959).

This Pirate announcer was known for his loud sportscoat, colorful sayings {“We had them all the way,” “a bug on the rug”) and was nicknamed “The Gunner”:

A. Rosey Rosewell B. Lanny Frattare C. Bob Prince D. Nellie King

Answer: C

The Gunner’s fame went beyond Pittsburgh—I remember him doing Game of the Week on ABC back in the day, although I don’t remember him being nearly as colorful as he was in his Pirates heyday.

This Buccos fly chaser was nicknamed “The Quail” for his ability to run down balls hit into the spacious gaps at old Forbes Field:

A. Gino Cimoli B. Roberto Clemente C. Bill Virdon D. Matty Alou

Answer: C

As several of you have pointed out, Bill Virdon had the official Quail nickname. After reaching out to Terry, he realized his oversight. However, when I was researching I must have entered some sort of magic phrase into Google because I did get hits on “Quail” with “Clemente” too. Virdon wasn’t included in Terry’s original answer list, which is where the confusion on my end came up, so this edition of TT will live on in true baseball fashion with an asterisk.

If you want to be like Terry and heed the call to contribute to Trivia Tuesdays, either tweet to me personally or @BucsDugout, or click on my name for my email address. See you next Tuesday!