Received: 1990 Classic Trivia Board Game

(Full disclosure: purchased at a Goodwill for $1.49.)

For years in the late 80s, Classic sold trivia games that “played like the real-life game of baseball”, especially the part of the game when the pitcher spins a spinner and then asks the batter a trivia question.  This led to some exciting showdowns, such as the moment when Dennis Eckersley asked Kirk Gibson a question that happened to be about Gibson’s own childhood, culminating  in that famous limp around the basepaths. It is not impossible that this event led laid the foundation for the second golden era of the televised game show, running from 1999-2008.

Classic cleverly designed their board game by doubling the trivia cards as actual baseball cards, thus rendering them instantly collectible.  The format of my particular game set, series 3, bears early cards of such luminosities as Chipper Jones, Frank Thomas, Adam Hyzdu, Alex Fernandez, and Nolan Ryan’s son Reid.  The card borders, a rich lemon with random navy tiger stripes, make 1991 Fleer look reserved by comparison.  Each card also leaves a helpful 3/8” autograph box on the bottom of the back of the card, because if you’re lucky enough to get an autograph from your favorite baseball player, that’s exactly where you’d want to look at it.

But enough talk!  You don’t come to NotGraphs to read.  You come to NotGraphs to play outdated trivia games with faceless internet writers.  So put on your imagination cap and play some trivia, using whatever spinner you happen to have near the computer.  Try your hand at the actual questions on the backs of these cards.  Answers and scores after the bump.

“Rookie” level questions (1 point):

(11) What is a no-hitter?

(68) How many balls are there in a 3-2 count?

(9) What are the foul lines made out of?

(62) Who is the “longman”?

“Double” level questions (2 points):

(91) I hold the All-Star game record for most sacrifice flies.  Who am I?

(89) I hold the All-Star game record for runs allowed in an inning.  Who am I?

(60) I was called “Buster” by my Yankee teammates.  Who am I?

“Triple” level questions (3 points):

(79) I caught Nolan Ryan’s 2nd no-hitter.  Who am I?

(86) I set a Baltimore opening day RBI record in 1990.  Who am I?

(45) I am the only ML pitcher to win games in 4 different Canadian stadiums.  Who am I?

“Home Run” level questions (11 points each):

(64) I am the Mariners all-time saves leader.  Who am I?

(69) Who became the 200th Toronto Blue Jay?

Answers:

(11) A game in which a team gets no hits.

(68) 3.

(9) Lime.

(62) A relief pitcher expected to pitch more than five innings.  (No partial credit!)

(91) Lenny Dykstra.*

(89) Atlee Hammaker.*

(60) Lou Gehrig.  (This is not even his best nickname.  His best nickname, according to B-R, is Biscuit Pants.  As a favor to me, please always refer to Lou Gehrig as Biscuit Pants.)

(79) Art Kusnyer.

(86) Sam Horn.*

(45) John Candelaria.

(64) Mike Schooler.

(69) Willie Blair.

* (I am too lazy to look up whether this is still true)

 

Results:

0-1 points.  You have obviously stumbled across this website while searching for the name of Dvorak’s ninth symphony, and know nothing of this recreation known as “base ball”.  Bully for you, my good sir.  Enjoy your fortified wine and, I assume, your mutton chops.  I bid you good day.

2-4 points.  You are the Sam Horn of baseball trivia board games.

5-10 points.  There is nothing wrong with being average.  Keep telling yourself this.

11 points.  You are the uncle, sister-in-law, or agent of Willie Blair.

12-15 points. The time you spent learning about baseball rather than, say, hang gliding has really paid off.  After all, hang gliding is a rather dangerous activity.  Next time you see a heron soaring through the skies, remember that your place is here, on the ground.

16-19 points. You’re the sort of person who takes his all-star ballot home from the stadium and actually checks on how players are doing in the other league before voting on them.  For this, I thank you.

20 points.  It hurts when you lie to me.

21-29 points.  You are skilled enough at this trivia game that it might be a good idea to find a copy, and then wager some absurdly large amount of money on the outcome of a single game with a random, wealthy and villainous lecher.  It’s the classic bar bet!

30 points.  You are not the uncle, sister-in-law, or agent of Willie Blair.

31-40 points.  You probably didn’t use google to look up all these answers, which is good, because if you’re going to cheat, you may as well cheat by looking at the answers.  No one is judging you except yourself.

41 points.  You own a copy of the 1990 Classic Series 3 Trivia Board Game.  That, or you’ve broken into my house and rifled through mine.  I do not appreciate this.  A man deserves his own walls.