Frank Thomas Trivia I'm Surprised I Did Not Know

[Guest Edgy DC]

When the Mets took the field on April 11, 1962 they had an outfield of Gus Bell, Frank Thomas and Richie Ashburn. That trio set a major league record by having the most __________ of any outfield to play together on a major league team.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I already read the book, so I know the answer, and I won't spoil it here.

Was it really a record, though? I don't recall Frank mentioning that in the book. Or did you read that somewhere else?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Elsewhere. Thanks for your restraint.

[MFS62]

Birthdays?
Grey hairs?
Assists?

Later

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I think they probably tied the record for most birthdays.

[Methead]

Career errors?

My calculations ended up with 302 total. It's probably elevated more than usual not only because everyone was old, but Thomas had played 3B quite a bit during his career.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Hinty-poo: it'd take a lot of research to authenticate this as a legitimate record, though it's certainly do-able.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Also the total is only the ones they know about.

[seawolf17]

My first thought on Bret's comment is ex-wives, but I guess they should know about all of those.

[Frayed Knot]

Children

[MFS62]

seawolf17 wrote: My first thought on Bret's comment is ex-wives, but I guess they should know about all of those.

But they might not have known about children fathered while on road trips.


Later

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I have a hunch that any outfield with Darryl Strawberry in it might own the record.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

MFS62 wrote: ="seawolf17"]My first thought on Bret's comment is ex-wives, but I guess they should know about all of those. But they might not have known about children fathered while on road trips. Later

The funny part is that you would need to search pretty long and hard to find three more straight-laced family-type guys (by reputation anyway). Yancy's line about Straw is probably truer than we might suppose. Wasn't there some pro basketball "playa" who had sixty gazillion kids with forty-eleven women or something?

[MFS62]

Bret, I'd guess there would be more than one, from the stories we occasionally hear or read.
In his book Wilt Chamberlain boasted that he had over 10,000 sexual encounters.
Whew! Just reading that makes me tired.

And then there was Magic Johnson. Seems like he was trying to proove that name was correct.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

]Wasn't there some pro basketball "playa" who had sixty gazillion kids with forty-eleven women or something?

If by "some" you mean "the vast majority of the league" then, yes, you're correct.

Steve Kemp was the primo example most cited (7 or 8 .. maybe 9?) but, at one point, it was estimated that they were more illegitimate children by NBA players than there were players in the league.
Not sure any "official" records actually exist.

[seawolf17]

Bret Sabermetric wrote: ="MFS62"] ="seawolf17"]My first thought on Bret's comment is ex-wives, but I guess they should know about all of those. But they might not have known about children fathered while on road trips. Later The funny part is that you would need to search pretty long and hard to find three more straight-laced family-type guys (by reputation anyway). Yancy's line about Straw is probably truer than we might suppose. Wasn't there some pro basketball "playa" who had sixty gazillion kids with forty-eleven women or something?

Calvin Murphy, IIRC. I visited his high school in CT this fall; they have a big shrine to him outside their gym. No mention of the kids.

edit: Perhaps not. A quick search find that he was indicted a year and a half ago for child molestation. Perhaps I was just thinking of that.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Most men have over 20,000 sexual encounters in their lives.

The vast majority, of course, are while no one else is in the room.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Frayed Knot wrote: ]Wasn't there some pro basketball "playa" who had sixty gazillion kids with forty-eleven women or something? If by "some" you mean "the vast majority of the league" then, yes, you're correct. Steve Kemp was the primo example most cited (7 or 8 .. maybe 9?) but, at one point, it was estimated that they were more illegitimate children by NBA players than there were players in the league. Not sure any "official" records actually exist.

While you're editing, you might try crediting the progeny to Shawn (sp?) Kemp, who I was thinking of, and reducing the lifetime totals of ex-White Sock/Tiger/Yankee Steve Kemp

[seawolf17]

But Steve Kemp is funnier.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, children is the correct answer. They had 18 confirmed kiddies at the time, and would eventually broaden their collective brood to 21.

Thomas (8)
Frank William, Peter, Paul, Mark, Joanne, Patricia, Sharon, and Maryanne.

Bell (7)
Buddy, Randy, Timmy and Bobby, Debbie, Becky, and Terry.

Ashburn (6)
Jan (pre-deceased him), Karen, Jean, Sue Ann, Richard, and John.

[MFS62]

IIRC, Paul Horning holds (held?) the all time NCAA record for having beat seven paternity suits while at Notre Dame.

Later

[Centerfield]

In his book Wilt Chamberlain boasted that he had over 10,000 sexual encounters. Whew! Just reading that makes me tired.


You should have seen me on my trip to Latvia...

[seawolf17]

Centerfield wrote: You should have seen me on my trip to Latvia...

I just spit water out my nose. Classic. That's my favorite spam thread ever in the history of spam threads.

[Frayed Knot]

]While you're editing, you might try crediting the progeny to Shawn (sp?) Kemp, who I was thinking of, and reducing the lifetime totals of ex-White Sock/Tiger/Yankee Steve Kemp

D'oh!!

[Guest Edgy DC]

Here's an interesting trivial fact I didn't know. They're may be more than one answer for all I know, but which Met played for one team that was a World Series champion, another that won a pennant, and two that won their division, but never appeared himself in a post-season game for any of them?

[seawolf17]

Can we get the hint as to which of those teams was the Mets (the WS, pennant, or division winner)?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Maybe you can.

Maybe it was none of them!

[seawolf17]

Ass.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Ah come on.

I can definitively say that the Mets were one of those teams.

[seawolf17]

Just kidding about the "ass" comment. Let me run around b-r.com and I'll hazard a guess.