Obscure sports trivia

I think a lot of players batted for hits rather than power during the dead-ball era.

 

Some players who may have reached 3,000 hits in that span (Williams, Joe D, Mickey Vernon, to name a few) couldn't because they missed 2,3 or 4 seasons because of WWII.

 

Williams also missed because of Korea. He could have finished well over 600 home runs.

 

Yes, there are many other guys who also missed time during the Korean War era, even if they didn't go to Korea. Mays lost 52-53, probably cost him 80 homers. Whitey Ford missed 51-52, cost him 35-40 wins. Curt Simmons missed the last part of 1950 and all of 1951, he missed the 1950 World Series and a shot at 200 career wins.

Billy Martin missed 1954 and most of 1955. Didn't cost him any major statistical goals, but 1954 - the only season he missed - is the only season the Yankees didn't make the Series between 1949-1958.

Billy Martin was an asshole but he hit .333 in five World Series, with five homers and 19 RBIs in 27 games, with a .937 OPS. When it mattered, he was a baller.

 

Answers were George and Nathan Wonsley. Their brother with the Skins was Otis.

 

I am not the world's biggest NFL fan by any means, but I have followed the game for the past 50-60 years. Never heard of these guys.

 

Found them playing a sporcle quiz. Leading weekly rushers of the 1980s. Missed them (obviously) and went down a rabbit hole.

Their oldest brother was the lead blocker on the Riggins TD run…so famous play, but he rarely gets shown because the replay almost always focuses on Riggins knocking down McNeal.

 

I remember Otis mostly because of his name. The others? Nope.

 

A two-fer, after looking at some historical MLB win/loss totals:

1) What team's best single-season win total is the lowest among all MLB teams?
For bonus points, what year was it in? (It's a very notable team)

2) Which franchise has the highest combined total of 100-win and 100-loss seasons?

 

1) Washington Senators.

2) The A's

 

1) The 1969 Senators (86 wins) would be technically correct, but their records include the Rangers as well and the latter has a higher ceiling than the team we're looking for. So it's not the Senators.

2) The A's are correct, with a combined total of 28 — 10 100-win seasons and 18 100-loss seasons. They have the most 100-loss seasons of any team, and rank third behind the Yankees and Dodgers for 100-win seasons with 10.
The Yankees and Braves are second on the combined list, with 23. The Yankees are 21-2 wins to losses, and the Braves are 10-13. The Orioles/Browns are next on the list with 19 (6-13), and then the Phillies with 17 (3-14).

 

Twins? The WS winning team wasn't that great.