If Baseball Is a Trivial Pursuit, Have They Got a Book for You

The updated book, “20th Century Baseball Chronicle,” includes its share of pictorial and anecdotal nuggets. A sampling:

--In 1911, the amazing but despised Ty Cobb was the American League’s most valuable player after leading the AL in runs (147), hits (248), runs batted in (127), batting and slugging percentages (.420 and .621, respectively). For his efforts, he received a new Chalmers automobile. As part of the presentation ceremony, Cobb was asked to pose for photographs in his new car. Also pictured were members of the Philadelphia A’s, but not one of Cobb’s Detroit Tiger teammates.

--In 1946, the major league minimum salary was $5,000.

--In 1966, the Yankees fired broadcaster Red Barber after he mentioned to a television audience that attendance was sparse at Yankee Stadium. (Good thing the owners of, say, the Cleveland Indians, are more understanding.)

--Detroit Tiger Norm Cash was so disgusted by Yankee catcher Thurman Munson’s grooming habits that he once asked, “Where’d ya get that haircut, in a pet shop?”

--In 1983, the Seattle Mariners became the first major league team in the century to finish a season without playing a doubleheader.

Add Baseball Chronicle: Kansas City’s George Brett is struggling in this, his 19th major league season. But in 1985, when he led the Royals to a World Series title by finishing the regular season with a .335 batting average, 30 home runs and 112 RBIs, even the umpires were in awe. Said umpires Steve Palermo of Brett: “If God had him no balls and two strikes, he’d still get a hit.”

Trivia time: Only one player shorter than 7-foot has ended his Division I-A basketball career with 60% field goal shooting and more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Two hints: It wasn’t North Carolina’s Michael Jordan and it happened within the past five seasons.

Just don’t do it: The people at Nike’s corporate offices might want to think twice about continuing to run a full-page ad featuring Chicago White Sox catcher Carlton Fisk. Reads part of the ad’s text, supposedly penned by Fisk (yeah, sure--Fisk and a room full of copy writers): “I stay steady. I redefine the word consistency. Along the way there will surely be moments of brilliance. I am, after all, me.”

Fisk, a 21-year veteran of the major leagues, has yet to experience any moments of brilliance this season. Because of an injury, he hasn’t played a game.

Hard to pick: The recent NFL draft was tough on the experts.

Chris Mortensen of ESPN and The Sporting News fame offered a pre-draft chart of the opening round, as did Sports Illustrated’s own Dr. Z, Paul Zimmerman. Undone by several unexpected draft-day developments (David Klingler to the Cincinnati Bengals?), Mortensen and Zimmerman didn’t fare so well.

Final first-round tally: Mortensen--two of 28, Zimmerman--seven of 28, including the prediction that UCLA’s Tommy Maddox would be chosen by the Denver Broncos.

Trivia answer: Stanford’s Adam Keefe (60% field goal shooting, 2,319 points, 1,119 rebounds). Only one player, UCLA’s Lew Alcindor, accomplished the career triple in three seasons.

Quotebook: San Francisco Giant Manager Roger Craig, asked what former Houston Astro pitcher Mike Scott, long suspected of illegally scuffing the ball, was doing these days: “He owns a sandpaper company.”