Oddball sports trivia:
1) What is the etymology behind the phrase "won hands down." The expression “Hands Down” – as in “he won that game hands down” – originated in horse racing. It referenced how a jockey won the race without whipping the horse or drawing back on the reins.
2) How many times was Roger Maris intentionally walked the year he hit 61 home runs? Zero.
3) How many times has the men's long jump record been broken since 1969? Once. Bob Beamon jumped 29' 2 1/2" at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Mike Powell jumped 29' 4 1/4" in 1991 Tokyo IAAF Championships. It hasn't been broken in the last 30 years.
4) What's the highest score on a par 4 during a PGA tour event? 16, by Kevin Na, on the par-4 476 yard ninth hole during the Texas Open. In 1938, Ray Ainsley took 19 shots on the par 4 16th hole at Cherry Hills during the U. S. Open, but that was not considered a PGA tour event.
5) What is the strangest rule about umpire clothing? They have to wear black underwear, in case their pants get ripped. Seriously.
6) Four NBA players hold the career record of playing with the most teams (12). Three of them had the same college coach. Who was that coach? Of the four NBA players who have played for the most teams, three of them (Jim Jackson, Tony Massenburg and Joe Smith) had a college relationship with former Ohio State and Maryland coach Gary Williams.
7) In a fan vote, "Sharks" was not the winning name voted by the fans of the new San Jose NHL team. What was the winning name? Blades.
8) From 1918 to 1949, how many winning seasons did the Philadelphia Phillies have? Just one. They went 78-76 in 1932. During those 32 seasons, they finished last 16 times and second to last 8 times.
9) What is the only NFL team to neither host nor play in a Super Bowl? Browns
10) Which city has won more Big Four professional sports titles than Dallas, Washington, San Francisco, Baltimore, Denver or Houston? Browns.
11) Olympic trivia, part 1: What percentage of a gold medal is actually gold? Currently, 1%. They're mostly made of silver.
12) Olympic trivia, part 2: When was the last Olympics to use 24 karat gold medals? 1912
13) What is the oldest continually run sporting event in the United States? Kentucky Derby, held every year since 1975.
14) Who was Jeanne-Genevieve Garnerin? First woman to go up in a balloon, and first woman parachutist. Her husband created the parachute, and she jumped out of the balloon about 3,000 feet up.
15) What are the only two days per year in which there are no professional sports contests played in America? The day before and after the MLB All-Star game.
16) What is the score of an automatically forfeited baseball game? 9-0
And a non-sports trivia question for Phogge (or anyone else). Bruce Willis played John McClane in the Die Hard series. Which actor had the contractual first right of refusal to play McClane because of a clause in a contract from a prior role? Frank Sinatra, as noted.
1) What is the etymology behind the phrase "won hands down." The expression “Hands Down” – as in “he won that game hands down” – originated in horse racing. It referenced how a jockey won the race without whipping the horse or drawing back on the reins.
2) How many times was Roger Maris intentionally walked the year he hit 61 home runs? Zero.
3) How many times has the men's long jump record been broken since 1969? Once. Bob Beamon jumped 29' 2 1/2" at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Mike Powell jumped 29' 4 1/4" in 1991 Tokyo IAAF Championships. It hasn't been broken in the last 30 years.
4) What's the highest score on a par 4 during a PGA tour event? 16, by Kevin Na, on the par-4 476 yard ninth hole during the Texas Open. In 1938, Ray Ainsley took 19 shots on the par 4 16th hole at Cherry Hills during the U. S. Open, but that was not considered a PGA tour event.
5) What is the strangest rule about umpire clothing? They have to wear black underwear, in case their pants get ripped. Seriously.
6) Four NBA players hold the career record of playing with the most teams (12). Three of them had the same college coach. Who was that coach? Of the four NBA players who have played for the most teams, three of them (Jim Jackson, Tony Massenburg and Joe Smith) had a college relationship with former Ohio State and Maryland coach Gary Williams.
7) In a fan vote, "Sharks" was not the winning name voted by the fans of the new San Jose NHL team. What was the winning name? Blades.
8) From 1918 to 1949, how many winning seasons did the Philadelphia Phillies have? Just one. They went 78-76 in 1932. During those 32 seasons, they finished last 16 times and second to last 8 times.
9) What is the only NFL team to neither host nor play in a Super Bowl? Browns
10) Which city has won more Big Four professional sports titles than Dallas, Washington, San Francisco, Baltimore, Denver or Houston? Browns.
11) Olympic trivia, part 1: What percentage of a gold medal is actually gold? Currently, 1%. They're mostly made of silver.
12) Olympic trivia, part 2: When was the last Olympics to use 24 karat gold medals? 1912
13) What is the oldest continually run sporting event in the United States? Kentucky Derby, held every year since 1975.
14) Who was Jeanne-Genevieve Garnerin? First woman to go up in a balloon, and first woman parachutist. Her husband created the parachute, and she jumped out of the balloon about 3,000 feet up.
15) What are the only two days per year in which there are no professional sports contests played in America? The day before and after the MLB All-Star game.
16) What is the score of an automatically forfeited baseball game? 9-0
And a non-sports trivia question for Phogge (or anyone else). Bruce Willis played John McClane in the Die Hard series. Which actor had the contractual first right of refusal to play McClane because of a clause in a contract from a prior role? Frank Sinatra, as noted.
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