Hangin' With The BLOHARDS

I spent this afternoon with the BLOHARDS, the group of loyal Red Sox followers here in New York that I am a member of. I was asked by Joe Cosgriff, one of the group's leaders, to do some Red Sox trivia, and the winners would get some prizes. The meetings are held twice a year, when the Red Sox are in town for a series. And as you might guess, everyone was in great spirits today (an 8-game lead will do that).

There were also some special guests there, like Eric Hinske and Red Sox broadcaster Glenn Geffner. He conducted an interview with Eric, who came across as a rather personable guy. Dr. Charles Steinberg, who handles media relations for the Sox, was there to chat for about 45 minutes, taking questions from the members. Ed Randall, who hosts a Sunday morning radio show on WFAN, also made an appearance. He had a clip of a show he recently taped with some pitchers, but unfortunately the computer had problems and we couldn't see it. There was also a slideshow of many of the highlights of the season, featuring Red Sox players but also included clips of Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds, which were very funny.

My friends Chris and Rhonda were there along with me. Chris got up and talked about Professor Thom's, and promoted the upcoming "Clamapalooza," that's happening there next month. Rhonda has written a book about being a Red Sox fan, and read a very nice passage about her first trip to Fenway with her family many years ago.

I got up and read five Red Sox trivia questions, and prizes were given away to those who got the questions right. Here are the five, with the answers below.

1. Who holds the Red Sox record for the most grand slams in a single season?
2. What was the last season the Red Sox had two 20-game winners?
3. Who was the Opening Day second baseman for the Red Sox in 1967?
4. Who owned the Red Sox before Tom Yawkey?
5. Carroll Hardy is the only man to pinch-hit for Ted Williams, but what did he do in that at-bat?

Answers: 1. Babe Ruth (4 in 1919); 2. 2002 (Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe); 3. Reggie Smith; 4. J. Robert Quinn (no relation to me); 5. Bunted into a double play.

Surprisingly, it took many guesses before anyone guessed Babe Ruth. The Carroll Hardy question was another toughie, and it seemed like every possibility was yelled out before someone finally said, "hit into a double play." Close enough. The other three were gotten almost immediately. I had an interesting conversation with a gentleman named Dave afterwards, and he told me he was talking to his dad about the 1967 team, and mentioned that Reggie Smith was the Opening Day second baseman, and not Mike Andrews. He was kicking himself because someone got the answer out before he did.

It was a really fun meeting, and the BLOHARDS are really nice people. It was great to get together with fellow Red Sox fans here in New York as this series with the Yankees is about to begin.