Ben Fernandez

April Showers

April 9, 2015 by Ben Fernandez Leave a Comment

Come on! Where is the rain? I am old enough to remember many rainy Aprils, so let’s go…

1. One of the great entertainers of the early 20th century had a huge hit with “April Showers.” Who was he?

2. A famous Saturday Evening Post cover of the 1940s showed managers and umpires gathered around in rain gear trying to decide whether to start the game. Who was the illustrator?

3. A famous story called “Rain” has been made into a movie more than once. Who was the author?

4. Same story, who was the main character, a South Seas woman who with a shady past?

5. In what show did we hear “Don’t Let it Rain on my Parade?”

6. The final play of the 2012 World Series featured the SF Giants 2nd baseman holding his hand out in the rain, praying the game would be over. Who was he?

Lions In, Lambs Out

March 10, 2015 by Ben Fernandez Leave a Comment

The old saying is that March comes in like a Lion and goes out like a lamb ( or was it the other way around?). March, lions and lambs! Let’s give it a go.

1. What was the name of the lion in “Born Free?”

2. Chris’s Crew was the outstanding defensive backfield for which NFL franchise in the 1950s?

3. What actor won the Best Actor Oscar for “Best Day of Our Lives”?

4. Here is one we learn from the crosswords. What British essayist wrote under the pen name of Elia?

5. The “poor little lambs that have gone astray” is from which college song?

6. Who were the four March children in the classic book “Little Women?”

Hustles, Scandals & Scams

February 7, 2015 by Ben Fernandez Leave a Comment

As I sit here dreaming up this nonsense, I keep hearing about “Inflategate.” Are the New England Patriots actually deflating the footballs for an advantage? First steroids, now this. It seems we always have scandals and hints of wrongdoing in all of our endeavors. Let’s look at a few.

1. My favorite movie of 2013 was “American Hustle.” It was based on a famous American political scandal of the 1980’s. What was the scandal known as?

2. The biggest scandal in Baseball history occurred in 1919. What was it called?

3. In the late 1990’s a scandal hit the music world when a singing duo was discovered to have lips synched their way to fame on MTV. Who were they?

4. The television public was up in arms in the 1950s when it was discovered that intellectual Charles Van Doren was guilty of cheating on a popular quiz show. The integrity of all game shows was put into question. What was the quiz show Van Doren was on?

5. Who can forget Watergate? Who was the White House staffer who originally informed a Senate committee that skullduggery was afoot?

6. Old time radio was not immune to a little hanky pinky with the truth. Probably, the most famous sportscaster of the time had a weekly show wherein he described incredible feats of athleticism and amazing coincidences. It turned out, most of them were untrue. Who was this sportscaster?

1915 Rewind

January 9, 2015 by Ben Fernandez Leave a Comment

It is now 2015. It does not flow trippingly across the tongue like 1915, does it? Few of us (including me) were around in 1915. Let’s take a look at it.

1. A World’s Fair was held that year. Where?

2. A pitcher made his baseball debut that year and hit a home-run in his first start. Who was he?

3. A famous movie made its debut that year. What was it?

4. U. S. entrance in WWI was precipitated by German’s sinking what liner that year?

5. Who was our president in 1915?

6. Alexander Graham Bell made a phone call to Thomas Watson that year. From where to where?

Cruise Into Some Trivia

December 8, 2014 by Ben Fernandez Leave a Comment

Just returned from a wonderful Princess Cruise to Mexico. My wife did not see too much of me because there were three separate Trivia games onboard the ship each day. They deal more in General information than I do, but there are some goodies I can share with you. Because the Entertainment staff is fairly British, no baseball. How shocking! Hope Princess does not sue me for stealing their material.

1. What was the first movie that featured Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers?

2. What is Sting’s real name?

3. Who was the first boxer to defeat Muhammed Ali?

4. What is the third largest sea in the world?

5. Who was the author of the book “Witches of Eastwick?”

6. My favorite. Shortly after Margaret Thatcher passed away, an old song was re-released and soared to the top of the British pop charts. What was it?

San Francisco Stuff

November 6, 2014 by Ben Fernandez Leave a Comment

My apologies for being a bit nonplussed. I had the great fortune of attending the 5th game of the recent NLCS playoffs at AT&T Park in San Francisco. I don’t think I can slip a Travis Ishikawa question past our discerning readers. Speaking of San Francisco (I was anyway), try the following.

1. The greatest car chase in movie history took place in San Francisco as Steve McQueen and the pursued covered every section of SF by simply turning a corner. What was the name of this classic movie?

2. The Giants came to town in 1958. Candlestick Park was not built until 1960. Where did the Giants play those first few years?

3. The current anthem to SF is Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” but prior to that it was the title song from the 1936 movie “San Francisco.” Who sang it in the movie?

4. Who was the mayor of San Francisco when Candlestick Park was built?

5. Who were the two stars of the TV show “Streets of San Francisco?”

6. In the 40’s, a future TV star played “Pat Novak for Hire,” a detective show on radio that was produced in San Francisco. Who was he?

FDR: Not a Trivial President

October 9, 2014 by Ben Fernandez Leave a Comment

Ken Burns may have outdone himself with the 7 part series on PBS entitled “The Roosevelts.” What a job! Having spent so many of my early years with FDR as president, I thought he would be our president forever. Four terms of office! Can you believe it? Let’s do some FDR.

1. As with all Presidents, FDR threw out the first ball at the beginning of each baseball season for the Washington team in the American League. Although he could not put much on the ball due to his disability, local sportswriters thought he was one of the best pitchers on the woebegone team. The Washington team now is called the Nationals. What were they called in FDR’s time?

2. Just as much a member of their family as Franklin and Eleanor was their little dog. What was his name?

3. FDR was president through troubled years, including the Depression and World War II. He buoyed the spirits of Americans with a regular Friday evening radio show in which he just talked very reassuringly to the people. What was this radio broadcast called?

4. It sits at Jack London Square today. It was the Presidential yacht for FDR. What is its name?

5. We call it Camp David today. It was renamed by Dwight Eisenhower after his son. It is the presidential retreat. What did FDR call it?

6. Campobello Island in New Brunswick was an FDR favorite from childhood. Who played FDR on the stage and in the movie “Sunrise at Campobello?”

Remembering Paul Hirsh

September 14, 2014 by Ben Fernandez Leave a Comment

I have been furnishing this nonsense to Alive magazine for a few years. At the time I began, a very good friend, Paul Hirsch, also worked regularly with Alive, providing excellent pieces on sports—particularly Baseball. Paul and I became friends 30 years ago when he wandered into the great watering hole in Oakland, Kings X. Kings X was the Bay Area home of Trivia from 1978 to 2002, when it closed.

Paul and I became friends, largely due to our mutual love of Baseball. Another good friend, Mike Tormey, along with Paul and I appeared regularly on the Ron Barr Sports Byline radio show, answering call-in questions from listeners who tried to stump us with Sports Trivia questions. Thanks to Paul and Mike, we acquitted ourselves very well. During that time, Paul and I became special friends.

Along with being a gifted writer and Sports expert, Paul was a devoted family man, who never failed to make his youth league games faithfully. It is with great sadness that I learned, a few days ago, that Paul had died much too soon of brain cancer. What a loss, particularly for his family. At my age, I am becoming used to friends passing away, but it should never happen to someone as young and vibrant as Paul. I hope you forgive me, but this month we do Baseball as a tribute to my friend.

1. Who was the manager of the Giants in their inaugural season of 1958?

2. Who played center field for the A’s in their inaugural season of 1968?

3. Paul had a Baseball card of him in a Dodger uniform. That was his team and his idol was Sandy Koufax. Koufax threw a perfect game in the 60’s against the Cubs. The Cub pitcher threw a one-hitter in the same game. Who was he?

4. In the 1957 World Series, one of the pivotal plays occurred when a Milwaukee Braves batter proved that he had been hit by a pitch by showing the umpire evidence of shoe polish on the ball. Who was that batter?

5. Twelve years later, a New York Met batter did the same thing for the NY Mets. He had the same last name as the player in question five. Who was he?

6. What was the name of the little fellow about three and a half feet tall who batted for the St. Louis Browns on the last day of the 1951 season?

Paul Hirsch

August 12, 1957 – July 26, 2014

Just Another Joe

August 10, 2014 by Ben Fernandez Leave a Comment

OK. OK. I did it for Jack and did it for Tom. Now, Joe is asking for equal time. Everybody knows several Joes, which is not necessarily a good thing. But, what the heck. Let’s give him his due.

1. Who played Jedediah Leland, Kane’s former best friend, in “Citizen Kane?”

2. Ella Fitzgerald sang a song about a famous ballplayer in the early forties stating “we want you on our side.” Who was she singing about?

3. Ethel Waters sang a plaintive tune in the show “Cabin in the Sky” about her lay about, lovable husband. What was the song?

4. He was the information director and propagandist for the Third Reich. Who was he?

5. Bill Mazeroski is the only other hitter to end a World Series with a home run. Who ended the 1993 Series with a tater and for what team?

6. He caught for the 1946 World Series Champ St. Louis Cardinals, then went on to a 50 year career as a broadcaster of Major League games. Who was he?

Trivial Tomfoolery

July 6, 2014 by Ben Fernandez Leave a Comment

I had some flak last month for the “you don’t know Jack” silliness. It seems to have been categorized as tomfoolery. Oh yeah! I will show you some Tomfoolery.

1. He won 300 games in the Majors, but is best remembered as the ace of the Miracle Mets of 1969. Who is he?

2. He played in Western movies in the silents, then hosted a popular radio show. His horse was Tony. Who was this famous movie cowboy?

3. Who was the “Sentimental Gentleman of Swing?”

4. He played a dopey chap on the Steve Allen TV show and finished his career playing the handyman at Bob Newhart’s inn on the “Newhart” show. Who was he?

5. Albert Finney played the title character in this Oscar winning comedic romp of 1963. What was the title character’s name?

6. He was the electrifying running back for the Michigan Wolverines in 1940, became a popular sportscaster, but is now more famous as the father of the star of TV’s most popular show. Who is he?