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Monday, February 25, 2008

Royals tested by baseball quiz

I’d have to be pretty well oiled to pass the Rusty Kuntz quiz…

Now, as a member of Trey Hillman’s new staff in Kansas City, Rusty Kuntz’s written quizzes have become a big feature during the first full week of spring training.

Even Hillman says he’s benefited.

“We talk about wanting this to be a learning situation,” the manager said. “There’s always things you can learn. I’ve learned from Rusty about things that were considered my areas of expertise. If you ever get to a point where you feel like you know it all, it’s probably time to get out.”

Not every player on the Royals was given the written quizzes. Among those who were, there was a wide range of success and failure.

“I’d say it was 50-50,” Kuntz said. “Some of them did relatively well. Some did OK. And some had no clue.”

Kuntz didn’t want to name the slackers, lest anybody be embarrassed. But getting a lot of the written questions incorrect doesn’t necessarily mean the major leaguers haven’t been paying attention while playing the game for as long as most of them can remember.

Repoz Posted: February 25, 2008 at 03:33 PM | 26 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
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1. Golfing Great Mitch Cumstein Posted: February 25, 2008 at 04:29 PM (#2699200)

"Rusty Kuntz", I can't read that without chuckling.

2. The District Attorney Posted: February 25, 2008 at 06:11 PM (#2699313)

Before a game starts, what are the first two things a player should check?

I don't see why it's necessary to make fun of Josias Manzanillo.

When first-base coach Rusty Kuntz asked the Kansas City Royals to take his quiz on outfield play and baserunning fundamentals, there were quite a few "who didn't have a clue."

But that was better than the first player Kuntz quizzed a couple of years ago in Pittsburgh.

"Out of 50 questions, the guy got five correct," Kuntz said. "And this was a starting player in the major leagues, a very well-known guy. I thought, `Oh, my gosh. Oh, my goodness.'"

A very well-known player on Pittsburgh? Must be a typo.

3. Barry`s_Lazy_Boy Posted: February 25, 2008 at 06:17 PM (#2699322)

When sliding feet-first into a base, is your front foot straight up or sideways?

Trick question. Don't slide into first base, feet first or head first.

Before a game starts, what are the first two things a player should check?

His cup and the chicks in the stands.

If these questions are representative of the quiz, no wonder results were all over the board. I would hardly recall the answers "facts".

4. SoSH U at work Posted: February 25, 2008 at 06:19 PM (#2699326)

When sliding feet-first into a base, is your front foot straight up or sideways?

Trick question. Don't slide into first base, feet first or head first.

Read the question again BLB.

5. Barry`s_Lazy_Boy Posted: February 25, 2008 at 06:23 PM (#2699330)

DAMN REEDING COMPREHENSION!

6. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: February 25, 2008 at 06:24 PM (#2699332)

Okay, the dumb Pirates player is.....Jason Bay? I can't think of anyone else on the team that would be considered "well known."

I didn't know the bunt infield fly rule question or the umpire being hit by the ball infield/outfield distinction.

7. Jimmy P Posted: February 25, 2008 at 06:51 PM (#2699357)

Okay, the dumb Pirates player is.....Jason Bay? I can't think of anyone else on the team that would be considered "well known."

Jack Wilson or Jose Guillen.

8. cardsfanboy

Posted: February 25, 2008 at 06:55 PM (#2699359)

Kendall? how many years ago was it, and contrary to what people will argue, when a person says a couple of years ago, it doesn't necessarily mean two.

9. Greg (U)K Posted: February 25, 2008 at 06:57 PM (#2699360)

Wouldn't it be sort of a bad idea to mention how "player x" got 5 of 50 on the quiz if that player is currently on your team? (ie. Guillen)

Or is he hoping Guillen has forgotten how badly he did

10. Greg (U)K Posted: February 25, 2008 at 06:59 PM (#2699363)

just as a sidenote, isn't this one of the funnest parts of BTF?

speculation about who the "I won't say his name, but..." players are

11. cardsfanboy

Posted: February 25, 2008 at 07:02 PM (#2699367)

he did mention that player x got all 50 correct at the end of spring training so it's a somewhat positive comment.

12. Sparkles Peterson Posted: February 25, 2008 at 07:02 PM (#2699368)

Rules trivia and vague questions with dozens of possible correct answers. It's like he's trying to give some of these guys the experience they missed out on by not going to college.

13. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: February 25, 2008 at 07:08 PM (#2699373)

I would guess Kendall would do well since his dad is a former ballplayer and coach. Maybe that is a false assumption.

Its probably Bay since he's Canadian and Kuntz probably gave him a wrong answer when he replied that the bases are 27 meters apart.

14. Craig Calcaterra Posted: February 25, 2008 at 07:18 PM (#2699383)

If I'm a Royals fan, it's my hope that the front office has supplied my team with players who know these rules and practices instinctively even if they can't recall them when quizzed.

And as Crash Davis said: "Don't think. It can only hurt the ballclub."

15. Crispix Attacks Posted: February 25, 2008 at 07:22 PM (#2699388)

Guys, Guillen was traded by the Pirates four years before they hired Kuntz as a coach. In fact, I'd forgotten Guillen was ever on the Pirates, he was traded after 1999.

Kuntz worked for the Pirates from 2003 through last year. Before that he was with the Marlins.

(source: Pirates website, which says Kuntz is still a coach there. And it also says he's in his second year there, having been hired in October of 2002. Maybe they should update that thing more often.)

he did mention that player x got all 50 correct at the end of spring training so it's a somewhat positive comment.

Good point. My initial guess of Aramis Ramirez is probably not correct because he had certainly not been molded into a model of knowledgeable ballplaying by the end of 2003's spring training.

16. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: February 25, 2008 at 07:27 PM (#2699390)

"Before a game starts, what are the first two things a player should check?"

The first thing I'd check is whether it's a home game or a road game. Being in the wrong city would kind of suck.

17. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: February 25, 2008 at 07:32 PM (#2699395)

From the quote, it sounds like Kuntz is talking about a position player, rather than a pitcher. My guess would be Randall Simon, since the timeline is right (2003-2004), Simon's reasonably prominent (albeit more for the "fat monkey" and sausage smacking than for any on-field achievements), and I've heard that he's as dumb as a box of rocks.

Lot of prominent vets on the '03 team, though. In addition to the guys mentioned above, you've also got Brian Giles, Reggie Sanders, Kenny Lofton, and Matt Stairs. I think that Kuntz would've mentioned if the guy were an All-Star, though.

18. Slinger Francisco Barrios (Dr. Memory) Posted: February 25, 2008 at 08:24 PM (#2699447)

I hate to be a killjoy, but Kuntz pronounces his name "koonts". That's closer to the original German than...that other way.

19. Slinger Francisco Barrios (Dr. Memory) Posted: February 25, 2008 at 08:26 PM (#2699451)

He specifically mentioned that it was an outfielder, so that would leave out Ramirez, Kendall, Wilson, and Simon (among others).

20. Slinger Francisco Barrios (Dr. Memory) Posted: February 25, 2008 at 08:28 PM (#2699454)

Oh, and how do you look at the top of a flyball?

21. Barry`s_Lazy_Boy Posted: February 25, 2008 at 08:40 PM (#2699472)

Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz Kuntz

22. Sparkles Peterson Posted: February 25, 2008 at 08:40 PM (#2699473)

Oh, and how do you look at the top of a flyball?

Run back about 75 feet further than the ball is going to fly to maintain the correct viewing angle, of course.

23. The Ghost, elitist lollygagging neck-stabber

Posted: February 25, 2008 at 08:44 PM (#2699482)

Some things a player does are instinctive. I can see a guy not knowing how his foot is positioned when sliding, but always doing it right.

To ask a lifelong Royals player how many wins it takes to win a Division Series would be unfair.

24. Hang down your head, Tom Foley Posted: February 25, 2008 at 10:34 PM (#2699617)

I prefer to think that Kuntz's written quiz convinced a well-known Pirate to learn to read.

25. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: February 25, 2008 at 10:57 PM (#2699635)

He says that it's a quiz on OF play, but he doesn't necessarily say that the player was an outfielder.

If we're restricted to outfielders for our guessing, then I'd have to go with Raul Mondesi.

26. Slinger Francisco Barrios (Dr. Memory) Posted: February 26, 2008 at 02:45 PM (#2699994)

He says that it's a quiz on OF play, but he doesn't necessarily say that the player was an outfielder.

C'mon. It doesn't necessarily say he had use of all four limbs, either. Why would you give a quiz on OF play to a catcher? Or any other position, for that matter. None of those guys I mentioned was even a part-time OF.

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Royals tested by baseball quiz

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