Good offense on today's Birthday Team. That's an extremely speedy outfield.

C/Manager: Bill Carrigan
1B: Jimmie Foxx
2B: Robinson Cano
3B: Michael Barrett
SS: Sam Bohne
LF: Harry Walker
CF: Gerald Young
RF: Ichiro Suzuki

SP: Wilbur Wood
SP: Johnny Morrison
SP: Oscar Jones
SP: Jumbo Elliott
SP: Kid Carsey
RP: Cecil Upshaw
RP: Hector Carrasco

Owner: Phil Ball
Not an adult film star: Chick Lathers
One career at bat, one home run as an Indian: Jamie Quirk

Someone to consider, perhaps, for tomorrow's birthday team.

Historical item at THT notes that today marks 40,000 days since the debut of Mordecai Brown.

Just heard on the radio: the Giants are 0-5 all-time in Game Sevens.

From memory, they lost 1962, and 2002 World Series Game Sevens. 1924 and 1912. (looks it up) 1987 NLCS.

Murphy didn’t get more than three good players for me during my seven years under him.

What's interesting here is that Chance is basically correct. In 1906 the Cubs picked up Orval Overall and Jack Taylor, but after that they didn't make a single deal of consequence in-season until 1911 when Johnny Kling was traded in an eight-player deal with Boston. Their significant pickups after 1906 were mostly players purchased from the minors or acquired in the minor league draft.

-- MWE

What's interesting here is that Chance is basically correct. In 1906 the Cubs picked up Orval Overall and Jack Taylor, but after that they didn't make a single deal of consequence in-season until 1911 when Johnny Kling was traded in an eight-player deal with Boston. Their significant pickups after 1906 were mostly players purchased from the minors or acquired in the minor league draft.

Of course since the Cubs were far and away the best team in the NL during that period this shouldn't have been much of an issue. The Cubs won the NL pennant in 1906, 1907, 1908 and 1910; they finished 2nd in 1909 (despite winning 104 games) and were 2nd again in 1911 (winning winning 92 games). It is easy to make the argument that they didn't need to make any sweeping changes, and were wise not to do so.

Just heard on the radio: the Giants are 0-5 all-time in Game Sevens.

From memory, they lost 1962, and 2002 World Series Game Sevens. 1924 and 1912. (looks it up) 1987 NLCS.

Actually, the Giants won Game 7 in 1912; it just wasn't the decisive game of the series, thanks to the tie in Game 2. They also won Game 7 in 1921, with the same caveat, this time due to the fact that it was a best-of-9 series. So the correct phrasing would appear to be, "the Giants are 0-5 in winner-take-all games." Except that's not true either, because they won Game 5 in the LDS this year and in '02, so it's "the Giants are 0-5 in winner-take-all games in best-of-7 series."

OK, in honor of "The Giants and Tigers have never met in the World Series," a series of trivia questions dealing with World Series matchups.

1. The three most common matchups all feature the Yankees; I'm sure you're as shocked as I was. Who are their opponents in the three matchups, and which of them is the most common?
2. There is a two-way tie for most common matchup not including the Yankees. Name both matchups.
3. Which two teams are tied for second behind the Yankees in number of distinct opponents faced in a World Series?
4. Six of the eight original NL teams have played the Yankees in the Series more often than any other opponent. One has another team they've played more, but is already featured in question 2. The eighth team, however, has played the Yankees and another opponent the same number of times. Name this team and its non-Yankee nemesis.
5. Which team has played in the largest number of World Series without facing an expansion team?
6. Which team has played in the most World Series without ever having a rematch?
7. Which of the original franchises has played the smallest number of distinct opponents?
8. Which franchise has played as many distinct opponents among expansion teams as among originals?
9. The Yankees are the only team to play all of the original franchises in the other league. Which two teams have faced 7 of the 8, and which teams do they need to complete the set?
10. We've avoided the Yankees long enough for a round of World Series trivia. Name the only two franchises to make the Series from the NL who have also managed to avoid them.

1. Yankees-Dodgers most common. Will guess Giants and Cardinals are the other two.
3. A's and Cardinals?
5. Pirates?
10. Astros and Rockies

4. Cubs (and Tiger?)

2. Cardinals-Red Sox, Cards-Tigers?
5. Dodgers
6. Indians?
7. Cubs?

Total guesses:

9. A's (haven't played Atlanta), Cardinals (haven't played White Sox)

1. Yankees-Dodgers (and Giants and Cardinals) are correct. The Yanks and Dodgers have faced off 11 times, all of them within a 41-year span.
2. Neither Cards-Sox nor Cards-Tigers are correct here. Cubs-Tigers, although guessed for #4, is actually one of the answers to this one.
3. Cardinals yes, A's no.
5. Dodgers, yes. Somehow they've won 18 pennants and never played an expansion team in the Series.
6. The Indians have played the Braves twice, so no.
7. Not the Cubs.
10. Astros and Rockies, yes. Both of them have only won one pennant, which means that no team has won multiple NL pennants without playing the Yankees at least once.

The A's actually have played the Braves, although not the Atlanta version (Philly A's and Boston Braves in 1914). They haven't played the Pirates or Phillies, however. The Cards are missing both the White Sox and Indians.

The White Sox have never even played in a deciding Game Five, Seven, or Nine.

6. Orioles (EDIT: Never mind; somehow their two blown 3-1 leads in 7-game World Series losses to the Pirates to bookend the 1970s blurred together in my mind.)
7. Indians

4. Reds (A's)

6. Mets?

8. Phillies?

4. Reds (A's)

Nope. A's twice ('72 and '90), but Yankees 3 times ('39, '61, and '76).

7. Indians

Yes. They've played the Giants, Dodgers, Marlins, and Braves (twice). Every other original franchise has faced at least 5 distinct opponents.

Correct answers so far:
1. Dodgers (and Giants and Cardinals)
2. Cubs-Tigers (and one to go)
3. Cardinals (and one to go)
4.
5. Dodgers
6.
7. Indians
8. Phillies
9.
10. Astros and Rockies

8. Phillies?

Yes. Yanks, Orioles, and Red Sox among originals, Royals, Blue Jays, and Rays among expansion teams.

6. Mets?

Close, but no; there's one team with more.

#8 is the Phillies.
BSN, NY, BAL
KC, TOR, TB

EDIT: A 4 minute old beverage to Randy Jones, although in my defense I didn't use a question mark. :)

9. Dodgers (Red Sox)

nevermind, wrong number.

6. White Sox?

#8 is the Phillies.
BSN, NY, BAL
KC, TOR, TB

EDIT: A 4 minute old beverage to Randy Jones, although in my defense I didn't use a question mark. :)

I knew the Phillies hadn't played in the WS often, but I could only remember Yankees, Orioles and Blue Jays, Rays. You had all 6 teams they faced.

9. Dodgers (Red Sox)

The Dodgers are correct, but the Sox aren't the missing team; they faced off in the first Series Brooklyn ever played in, 1916.

6. White Sox?

Yup. 5 Series appearances against 5 separate teams.

Bonus fact that I wasn't able to turn into a question: No expansion team has ever had a World Series rematch.

The missing team for the Dodgers is the Tigers.

The Dodgers are correct, but the Sox aren't the missing team; they faced off in the first Series Brooklyn ever played in, 1916.

And the Dodgers' non-opponent would be the Indians (edit: guess not. Can't believe the Tigers have never played the Giants or Dodgers).

And the Sox are the other team in 9, missing only the Braves.

The missing team for the Dodgers is the Tigers.

Yes.

And the Dodgers' non-opponent would be the Indians (edit: guess not. Can't believe the Tigers have never played the Giants or Dodgers).

And the Sox are the other team in 9, missing only the Braves.

Played the Indians in 1920. And you're correct on the Sox and Braves.

Correct answers so far:
1. Dodgers (and Giants and Cardinals)
2. Cubs-Tigers (and one to go)
3. Cardinals (and one to go)
4.
5. Dodgers
6. White Sox
7. Indians
8. Phillies
9. Dodgers (Tigers), Red Sox (Braves)
10. Astros and Rockies

Still missing half of the answer to #2 and #3, and the answer to #4.

2. A's-Giants?

I think 4 has to be the Pirates (and Orioles).

I think 4 has to be the Pirates.

Yes. With?

Edit: Damn edit function. Yes, it's the O's.

2. A's-Giants?

Yes. Four times (1905, '11, '13, and '89), even with Cubs-Tigers ('07, '08, '35, and '45).

I think 4 has to be the Pirates (and Orioles).

Also correct ('71 and '79, as Kiko mentioned earlier; played the Yankees in '27 and '60).

Think the other answer to #2 is Giants-A's. 1905, 1911, 1913, and 1989.

-- MWE

EDIT: Coke to SoSH U

Of course since the Cubs were far and away the best team in the NL during that period this shouldn't have been much of an issue.

They were really only far and away the best team in the league in 1906 and 1907; by 1908 the Pirates and Giants had caught up. But the point's otherwise well-taken; the Cubs really didn't need anyone else.

-- MWE

Correct answers so far:
1. Dodgers (and Giants and Cardinals)
2. Cubs-Tigers and A's-Giants
3. Cardinals (and one to go)
4. Pirates (Orioles)
5. Dodgers
6. White Sox
7. Indians
8. Phillies
9. Dodgers (Tigers), Red Sox (Braves)
10. Astros and Rockies

One left.

3. Red Sox?

I missed the whole trivia question. This is what that whole "going to class" thing gets me :)

It's such a good question, though, that it points out one thing to regret about interleague play (apart from its sheer pointlessness). The Giants and Tigers (if SF does win tonight) have never played in a Series (dang Merkle), but they've certainly played regular-season games. So the whole mystique of teams that have gone a century without ever meeting is ruined, permanently. It's nothing big, just a little tarnish on the event, should it happen.

Tigers-Cardinals, now, we seem to get that every few years. I'm for the Tigers no matter what.

3. Red Sox?

Indeed. Both they and the Cardinals have played 9 separate opponents: Cards, Pirates, Giants, Phillies, Dodgers, Reds, Cubs, Mets, and Rockies for the Sox, and Yankees, Orioles, A's, Red Sox, Tigers, Twins, Royals, Rangers, and Brewers for the Cards. (The Yankees, of course, have played 12.)

Great quiz Eric. To me, the most amazing fact about WS matchups is the fact that more than 50 years after the first wave, we still haven't had an all-expansion World Series.

When was the last WS to feature two teams who had never won?

When was the last WS to feature 2 teams who had never been there before?

The Giants and Tigers (if SF does win tonight) have never played in a Series (dang Merkle)

Other (somewhat) near misses:
1987: Both teams win their divisions, but lose in the LCS. (The Tigers would have won the pennant without divisional play, but the Giants wouldn't have.)
1934: Tigers win the pennant, Giants finish 2 back of the Cards.
1924: Giants win the pennant, Tigers finish 6 behind the Senators (and in third).

That's really about it... the Giants were 9 games out in '68, and there are a few other second-place teams that weren't serious contenders (the '37 Tigers were not catching the Yankees, for instance). And since the advent of divisional play, '87 and this year are the only times both teams have made the playoffs.

When was the last WS to feature two teams who had never won?

1980, wasn't it? I think it has to be, because the Phils were the last original team to win and there's never been an all-expansion matchup.

To me, the most amazing fact about WS matchups is the fact that more than 50 years after the first wave, we still haven't had an all-expansion World Series.

Closest was 2000 and 2001, when the NL was won by expansion teams both years, and the Yankees beat the Mariners in the ALCS both years.

When was the last WS to feature 2 teams who had never been there before?

Holy crap, is it 1906? I think it is.

Closest was 2000 and 2001, when the NL was won by expansion teams both years, and the Yankees beat the Mariners in the ALCS both years.

1986 was extremely close.

yes, the answers are 1980 and 1906. The first 3 WS featured teams which had never been there, and then every one since has had at least one. Here's hoping for Mariners/Nationals in 2 years, provided the Nats don't get there next year.

1986 was extremely close.

Ah, yep. Missed that one. 1980 as well.

Expanding on the same theme:

Last Series featuring two teams with one combined appearance?
Last Series featuring two teams that had yet to make multiple appearances?

Ah, yep. Missed that one. 1980 as well.

Yeah, 1980 especially, since the NLCS that year is one of the best playoff series ever.