THE EX-FILES
THE TRUTH IS RIGHT HERE: ALL WE BE REVEALED ABOUT SOME FORMER CUBS AND SOX PLAYERS
1. Hall of Fame pitcher Steve Carlton was one of those guys who stayed too long at the fair. In his last three seasons, including pitching for the White Sox, he went 15-29 with a 5.72 ERA. Once ‘Lefty’ became an ex-White Sox, he pitched for three more teams. Which ones did he throw for? a. Phillies b. Giants c. Cleveland d. Twins e. Devil Rays
2. Don Larsen pitched, what I consider, the greatest game in MLB history when he was perfect against the Dodgers in the 1956 World Series. In his long career, was Larsen an ex-White Sox, an ex-Cub, or was he both?
3. Ex-Cub Jon Lester had 395 different teammates in his career. David Ross was his manager with the Cubs, but was Ross also a Cubs teammate of Lester or were they just teammates in Boston?
4. Wait, wait, I have another David Ross playing question for you: which ex-Cub surrendered Ross’ first MLB homer? a. Mike Morgan b. Rick Helling c. Willie Banks d. Mark Grace
5. David Robertson is both an ex-White Sox and an ex-Cubs pitcher. Robertson recently signed with the Mets, and when he appears in a game, he will join an exclusive club of pitchers who pitched for both Chicago teams and both New York teams. Who are the other two pitchers to achieve this feat? a. Kevin Tapani b. Dick Tidrow c. Lynn McGlothen d. David Aardsma
6. Tony La Russa is in the Hall of Fame as a manager, not for his time as an infielder. La Russa was a two-time ex-White Sox manager, but when he played, he was an ex-Athletic (both K.C. and Oakland) and an ex-Brave. Was La Russa also an ex-Cub?
7. This ex-White Sox player led the Sox in homers in the 1970s, even though he only played with the team through 1975. Here’s a hint: before signing with the Sox in 1964, he played baseball and football at Citrus College. Orange you glad I shared that? a. Dick Allen b. Bill Melton c. Meadowlark Lemon d. Carlos May
8. Here are four new players to Chicago for this coming season. They all have exes. Name the last team that each player played for before adopting a Chicago uniform. a. Cody Bellinger b. Trey Mancini c. Eric Hosmer d. Mike Clevinger
9. From 1980 to 1989, which ex-Cubs Hall of Fame closer led the Cubs in saves? a. Lee Smith b. Bruce Sutter c. Dennis Eckersley
The X-Files’’ first aired from Sept. 10, 1993, to May 19, 2002, and then had a brief revival from Jan. 24, 2016, to March 21, 2018. If that seems like a lot of episodes (218), it’s only because, from the great opening theme to the not always satisfying ending, the viewing public was very hooked. We followed FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) as they investigated intelligent extraterrestrial life, the paranormal and government conspiracies. We were hooked because we wanted to believe. The show was spooky, interesting, educational, sometimes funny and so well-written.
Wait, am I describing ‘‘The X-Files’’ or your weekly quiz in Sports Saturday? And speaking of the quiz, this week we are focusing on players who either were ex-members of the Cubs and White Sox or members of the local nines and their ex-teams. You shouldn’t have too much trouble. Have fun and learn a lot.