Baseball Sheep 2018 - Results and Winners!

The Sheep have come home to roost! 

I want to thank everyone for entering the contest this year -- I was hoping for 40 entries...and we got 74!  This is one where having more people makes the results better and the game more fun, so all of your entries (even up to the very last-minute!) are much appreciated.  We had good participation from members of the TCDB, so I appreciate you all coming over to find my blog.

I cleaned up all the results and grouped them based on what I considered to be "equivalent' results.  For example, on question #1, I lumped anyone who said Skydome/Jays/Toronto under the "Rogers Centre" bucket, but I did NOT combine "Astrodome" with "Minute Maid Park" since those are different stadiums.

On some of the questions, there was substantial agreement.  On others, you guys were all over the board.  Without further ado, here are the results:

1) What is the best Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium with a roof?

Minute Maid Park	22
Miller Park	16
Rogers Centre	10
Astrodome	8
Safeco Field	8
Tropicana Field	4
Chase Field	3
Atlanta	1
Marlins Park	1
Metrodome	1

Everybody hop on the train full of oranges for a ride down to Minute Maid Park!  I can confirm that this is a great place to see a game - I saw Ichiro and the Mariners play there in June 2002, and for those steamy Houston summers, a climate-controlled stadium is essential.  

2) Name an Alou.

Moises	42
Felipe	22
Matty	6
Jesus	4

Moises, the youngest of the bunch, takes the crown here from his father and uncles.  He finished his career with 332 home runs, but the first thing I always remember from his career is this (almost) catch.

Despite what one participant wanted to put, I'm afraid there was no "Boog Alou".

3) What is the best baseball card product with no MLB team logos?

Panini Donruss	20
Donruss Optic	13
Panini Diamond Kings	9
Panini Prizm	5
Panini Cooperstown	4
Panini National Treasures	4
Panini	3
Panini Hometown Heroes	3
Panini Chronicles	2
Panini Flawless	2
Panini Immaculate Collection	2
Don't Know	1
KMart	1
None	1
Post Cereal	1
Topps Chrome	1
Topps Gypsy Queen	1
Upper Deck Signature Stars	1

There are a LOT of Panini products on here - they're really the only MLB competitors to Topps these days.  Upper Deck has given up.  Leaf is practically non-existent.  Some people won't touch these cards at all, but I like them -- I think the constraints with team licensing make them have to be a little more creative.  Except on catcher cards...all the gear covers up the logos and you can use a regular shot.  Personally, my vote was Panini Immaculate -- these cards are BEAUTIFUL.  Get on ebay or COMC and find some good ones from your favorite team.  

4) What city without a MLB team most needs one?

Montreal	34
Portland	10
Las Vegas	9
Charlotte	4
Nashville	4
San Antonio	3
Buffalo	2
Indianapolis	2
Anchorage	1
Brooklyn	1
Des Moines	1
Memphis	1
New Orleans	1
Oklahoma City	1

Our french neighbors to the north are familiar with MLB.  The city itself is just shy of 2 million people, but the metro area is 4 million.  They'll need a stadium with a roof, though...maybe go talk to Minute Maid Park to see how it's done.  

Commissioner Rob Manfred has mentioned he wants expansion.  Montreal, Vancouver, Nashville, Portland, Charlotte, Las Vegas, and Mexico were all on his short list. 

5) Budget: How much money (in cash) should you take to a card show?

$100	38
$50	11
$200	8
$500	5
$150	3
$300	3
$20	2
$40	1
$60	1
$250	1
$1,000	1

Whoever is rolling in with $1,000...can I just follow you around for the day?  :-)

$100 feels about right.  Enough that you can get several nice things from a few different tables, but not so much that you regret going.  Or, you can get 1,000 cards from the dime-boxes - that's more my style.

6) What is the most unusual name for an active MLB player?

Mookie Betts	16
Rougned Odor	6
Jarrod Saltalamacchia	5
Yasiel Puig	3
Adeiny Hechavarria	2
Odubel Herrera	2
Xander Bogaerts	2
Buck Farmer	2
Rowdy Tellez	2
Coco Crisp	2
Yoenis Cespedes	2
Mike Trout	1
Scott Blewett	1
Dat Dude	1
Gift Ngoepe	1
Melky Cabrera	1
Gleyber Torres	1
Noah Syndergaard	1
Homer Bailey	1
Asdrubal Cabrera	1
Buster Posey	1
Didi Gregrious	1
Jedd Gyorko	1
Mike Foltynewicz	1
Jesse Winker	1
Albert Pujols	1
Yandy Diaz	1
Odrisamer Despaigne	1
Dallas Keuchel	1
Rhys Hoskins	1
Bartolo Colon	1
Didi Gregorius	1
Kevin Quackenbush	1
Touki Toussaint	1
Khris Davis	1
Kung Fu Panda	1
Adalberto Mondesi	1
JJ Putz	1
Yu Darvish	1
Joc Pederson	1
Justin Smoak	1

Not only does Mookie have a good name, he's also an excellent bowler.  

I had forgotten about Kevin Quackenbush, but that's a good one!

7) Who is the best MLB Mascot?

Phillie Phanatic	52
SD Chicken	4
Orbit	3
Mr. Met	3
Bernie Brewer	2
Stomper	2
Paws	2
Sluggerrr	1
Youppi	1
Ace	1
Fredbird	1
Mr. Redlegs	1
Slider	1

It's a runaway for the Phanatic! I hear he hangs out with Gritty. 

8) Who is the best bunter in MLB history?

Brett Butler	17
Rod Carew	13
Ichiro Suzuki	11
Ty Cobb	4
Lee Mazzilli	4
Rickey Henderson	3
Eddie Collins	3
Wee Willie Keeler	2
Maury Wills	2
Otis Nixon	1
Greg Maddux	1
Pete Rose	1
Jackie Robinson	1
Kenny Lofton	1
Jay Bell	1
Ozzie Smith	1
Mariano Duncan	1
Juan Pierre	1
Billy Hamilton	1
Steve Garvey	1
No Answer	1
None	1
Alvaro Espinoza	1
Lou Brock	1

Butler leads the majors in bunt hits (and Pinnacle once used him as the "blueprint" for bunting technique), but watching Ichiro lay down those drag bunts was a thing of beauty.

9) How many "hits" (autograph or relic cards) do you expect to receive in a hobby box of cards?

2	38
1	19
3	9
4	4
0	3
6	1

2 is pretty common these days.  You get 3 in Allen and Ginter.  6 would be more of the prospect-style products?

10) What is the best professional baseball team name that is no longer in use?

Montreal Expos	30
Houston Colt .45s	12
Seattle Pilots	10
Washington Senators	4
Cleveland Spiders	4
Boston Beaneaters	3
Cincinnati Redlegs	2
Brooklyn Gladiators	1
Chicago Whales	1
Black Sox	1
Sacramento Solons	1
Brooklyn Trolley-Dodgers	1
Sioux City Cornhuskers	1
Bullets	1
Jacksonville Suns	1
Kansas City Monarchs	1

These are so good!  "Chicago Whales" and "Cleveland Spiders" have to be my favorites.  Montreal makes its second appearance in these results.

11) What is the most-useful statistic or measurement to use for evaluating how good a baseball player is?

WAR	49
Batting Average	8
OPS	4
OBP	4
ERA	2
RBI	2
Watching Games	1
Salary	1
WHIP	1
Total Bases	1
Games Played	1

I see the sabermetric revolution has made it to the card-collecting world.

12) Name any baseball player with the initials "J.M." 

Joe Morgan	18
Juan Marichal	14
J.D. Martinez	10
Jack Morris	4
Joe Mauer	4
Johnny Mize	3
Jamie Moyer	3
John Mayberry	2
Jeff Montgomery	1
Jerry Mumphrey	1
Jose Mesa	1
Jason Michaels	1
Jhan Marinez	1
John McGraw	1
Jim Morrison	1
John Montefusco	1
Joe Magrane	1
Jose Martinez	1
Jack McDowell	1
JR Richards	1
James McCann	1
Justin Morneau	1
John Mabry	1
John Mackley	1

I thought Joe Mauer was going to run away with this, but over half of the submissions were in before he got his first vote.  J.D. Martinez never crossed my mind.

13) What is the best baseball movie ever?

Field of Dreams	36
Major League	12
The Natural	8
The Sandlot	7
Bull Durham	7
The Pride of the Yankees	1
Eight Men Out	1
Angels in the Outfield	1
A League of Their Own	1

Great list!  I am glad nobody tried to include "Rookie of the Year" or "Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch".  I am also a fan of "For the Love of the Game" even though it is far from a critic's darling.

Side note: Last year my 8-year-old son entered his school speech contest and recited the Terrance Mann speech from this scene of Field of Dreams.  People will come, Ray...

14) Most people consider Mariano Rivera to be the best relief pitcher ever. Who would you say is the SECOND-BEST reliever?

Trevor Hoffman	35
Dennis Eckersley	23
Rollie Fingers	5
Bruce Sutter	2
Billy Wagner	2
Goose Gossage	2
Eric Gagne	1
Greg Gagne	1
Craig Kimbrel	1
John Smoltz	1
Lee Smith	1

Hell's Bells!  Hoffman takes it.  Eck comes in close-second.  Surprised at the low rate for Bruce Sutter.  Goose Gossage was a good reliever.  Eric Gagne was a good reliever.  Greg Gagne was not a good reliever.  :-)

15) Who is the most over-rated current MLB player?

Bryce Harper	34
Aaron Judge	11
Yoenis Cespedes	4
Giancarlo Stanton	3
Yasiel Puig	3
Manny Machado	2
Robinson Cano	2
Jake Arrieta	2
Shohei Ohtani	2
Miguel Sano	1
Mookie Betts	1
Mike Trout	1
Ryan Braun	1
Chris Davis	1
Cody Bellinger	1
Chris Sale	1
Adam Jones	1
Albert Pujols	1
Kris Bryant	1
Josh Donaldson	1

Great answers!  I think you could definitely make a case for any of these guys.  Except Trout.  Trout is the best so how can he be over-rated?

16) What is the best food item to get at the ballpark?

Hot Dog 🌭	63
Nachos	5
Soft Pretzel	1
Bratwurst	1
Old Bay Fries	1
Chicago Dog	1
Beer	1
Dilly Dog	1

I went with the cheezy chips, and if you also picked something other than hot dog, this is really nacho day!

17) On an average day, how many minutes does a normal collector spend reading about sports cards (blogs/forums/social media/etc.)?

60	32
30	20
45	6
120	4
15	2
90	2
20	2
180	2
1	1
65	1
10	1
2	1

I specifically asked for the answer in minutes....but if you wrote "1 hour" I converted it to 60 minutes for you.  But if you just wrote "1" or "2", well, that's your answer.  :-)

18) Vin Scully has retired. :-( Who will take up his mantle as the best current MLB broadcaster?

Bob Uecker	13
Jon Miller	9
Joe Buck	8
Gary Cohen	6
Duane Kuiper	5
Dan Shulman	3
Joe Davis	2
Marty Brennaman	2
Buck Martinez	2
Matt Vasgersian	1
John Smoltz	1
Dan Dickerson	1
Don Orsillo	1
Len Kasper	1
Chip Carrey	1
Mike Shannon	1
Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow	1
Joe Morgan	1
None	1
Bob Walk	1
Paul Olden	1
Dan McLaughlin	1
Nobody can replace Scully	1
Michael Kay	1
Al Leiter	1
Charlie Stein	1
Bob Costas	1
Tim Kurkjian	1
Steve Stone	1
Gary Thorne	1
Tom Hamilton	1
Glen Kuiper	1
Jim Kaat	1

Just a bit outside...

But seriously, these are great recommendations and I am going to try to hear some of these guys call a game this year!  Shout-out to the Vasgersian fan -- nice choice!

19) For years there have been rumors about MLB contracting a team. If they would do that, which team should be eliminated?

Miami Marlins	33
Tampa Bay Rays	24
New York Yankees	4
San Diego Padres	2
Arizona Diamondbacks	2
Milwaukee Brewers	1
Baltimore Orioles	1
Pittsburgh Pirates	1
Texas Rangers	1
Seattle Mariners	1
Cleveland Indians	1
Minnesota Twins	1
None	1
New York Mets	1

Man, you guys really hate Florida and New York teams!  (You're not wrong)

20) What is the best song that a player could use as his batting walk-up music?

AC/DC - Thunderstruck	7
Metallica - Enter Sandman	7
John Fogerty - Centerfield	7
Star Wars - The Imperial March	3
Pat Benatar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot	3
Guns N Roses - Welcome to the Jungle	3
George Michael - Careless Whisper	2
Queen - We Will Rock You	2
P.O.D. - Boom	2
Wild Thing	2
Black Sabbath - Iron Man	2
Welcome Back Kotter Theme	1
Sick Puppies - You're Going Down	1
Pantera - Walk	1
Fall Out Boy - Centuries	1
The Kingsmen - Louie Louie	1
Bush - Machinehead	1
Ozzy Osborne - Crazy Train	1
George Thorogood - Bad to the Bone	1
DMX - X Gon Give It To Ya	1
Carmina Burna - O Fortuna	1
Don McLean - American Pie	1
Hanson - Mmm Bop	1
Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby	1
Ice Cube - We Be Clubbin'	1
None	1
Imagine Dragons - Whatever It Takes	1
Cypress Hill - Insane in the Membrane	1
Jaws Theme	1
Digital Underground - The Humpty Dance	1
Joe Satriani - One Big Rush	1
Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash	1
Zombie Nation - Woah Oh Oh	1
Smash Mouth - All-Star	1
Corey Hart - Never Surrender	1
Take Me Out to the Ballgame	1
Bruce Springsteen - Glory Days	1
The Simpsons - Talkin' Softball	1
Brooks and Dunn - Hard Working Man	1
Walk of Life - Dire Straights	1
Motley Crue - Kickstart My Heart	1
Earth, Wind, and Fire - Boogie Wonderland	1
No Answer	1
LL Cool J - Momma Said Knock You Out	1
Led Zeppelin - Kashmir	1

3-Way Tie!  What a variety!  I didn't think there would be much agreement here...and there wasn't.  Many of you just put down a song title, so I tried to guess which artist you were thinking on these.  I also corrected a few that didn't use the right title (i.e., the "Put Me In Coach" answers became "Centerfield"). 

Now that you've seen all these, do you just want a convenient way to listen to them all day?  How about this playlist!  It has all 33 songs in it.  Which one will be your new favorite?

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqdzGPIrKaUctZwc71Rp1HpnpA5awAFxj


So that's all the questions!  Great job.  As per the rules, you score the number of points per question equal to the number of people who answered the same (including yourself).  If you had been a complete sheep and used the most-popular answer on every question you would have 629 points.  Anyone over 500 did very well.  Let's see how you all did...

Entrant	Total	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
Diamond Jesters	578	22	42	13	34	38	16	52	17	38	30	49	10	36	35	2	63	32	9	33	7
GCA	551	22	22	20	34	38	6	52	3	38	30	49	18	36	35	11	63	32	2	33	7
Tony Burbs	539	16	42	3	34	38	5	52	17	38	30	49	1	36	23	34	63	20	13	24	1
Scribbled Ink	532	16	42	9	1	38	16	52	17	38	1	49	10	36	35	34	63	32	9	33	1
Gregor 1000	524	22	42	13	34	38	2	52	11	38	30	49	18	8	23	34	63	1	6	33	7
ARPSmith	521	8	22	4	3	38	1	52	13	38	30	49	18	36	35	34	63	32	9	33	3
Tim	515	10	42	3	34	38	1	52	13	38	30	49	2	36	35	11	63	32	1	24	1
Angelsinorder	515	22	42	9	34	38	2	52	17	19	10	49	10	36	35	4	63	32	5	33	3
IfbBirdsCards	507	10	22	13	34	38	2	52	13	19	30	49	18	36	35	3	63	32	13	24	1
Jafronius	495	16	42	4	34	11	1	52	17	38	4	49	18	36	35	11	63	32	1	24	7
Shawon-o-meter	484	8	42	20	10	11	1	52	17	38	30	49	18	12	23	34	63	20	5	24	7
zman40	480	8	42	20	34	38	1	52	1	38	12	49	2	12	35	34	63	32	1	4	2
Brett Alan	479	8	42	20	34	38	6	52	1	9	30	49	10	7	35	11	63	32	6	24	2
Noy	477	8	42	20	34	38	1	52	11	9	12	49	10	12	23	34	63	20	8	24	7
Mad Guru	474	16	22	9	10	38	6	52	1	38	10	49	4	8	35	34	63	32	13	33	1
mark z	471	22	42	20	34	1	16	1	13	38	30	49	18	36	23	1	63	20	9	33	2
dicefoot	468	16	22	5	34	38	1	52	13	19	30	2	1	36	35	34	63	32	1	33	1
kcjays	468	22	22	9	34	8	1	52	2	19	1	49	1	36	35	34	63	32	8	33	7
Parsons0311	466	8	42	20	1	11	5	52	11	38	10	49	14	36	35	34	63	2	1	33	1
Lugnut80	466	16	42	1	9	1	16	52	4	38	4	49	14	7	35	34	63	32	13	33	3
ketchupman36	457	8	42	9	34	38	2	52	13	19	30	49	1	12	35	11	63	6	8	24	1
kazi	452	4	22	2	34	38	1	52	11	19	30	49	14	36	2	4	63	32	3	33	3
Josh D.	451	22	42	2	34	38	1	52	17	4	12	49	18	36	35	34	5	20	3	24	3
Rmpaq5	450	16	42	20	34	8	2	52	1	38	30	49	1	36	35	1	63	6	8	1	7
halos17	447	22	42	20	10	11	3	52	17	9	30	49	3	7	2	34	63	20	13	33	7
Colbey	446	16	42	13	34	2	6	52	17	38	30	4	1	7	23	34	63	20	9	33	2
KMack	443	22	4	13	10	3	16	52	13	19	30	4	10	36	35	34	63	32	13	33	1
mott	442	10	22	4	2	38	1	52	3	38	30	49	14	7	23	11	63	32	3	33	7
Nachos Grande	440	16	42	3	34	11	2	52	3	9	30	49	18	36	35	34	5	20	1	33	7
Matt P (@mjpmke)	429	16	42	13	34	38	1	3	11	38	30	49	18	12	35	34	5	6	13	24	7
Tenets of Wilson	428	16	42	13	4	3	2	52	1	4	30	49	18	12	35	3	63	32	13	33	3
vrooomed	425	22	4	20	34	8	16	52	17	38	10	49	14	36	1	1	63	32	6	1	1
CubinSTL	422	16	42	20	34	11	1	52	17	4	4	49	18	8	23	34	63	20	1	4	1
bbcardz	419	22	42	13	34	38	1	52	1	19	4	49	14	8	1	2	63	20	2	33	1
sanjosefuji	418	8	22	3	34	2	5	52	11	38	12	49	18	7	23	4	63	32	9	24	2
Nate	413	8	42	2	10	8	1	52	1	19	10	49	10	7	35	34	63	32	5	24	1
mdaubrey	412	3	42	4	4	11	6	52	1	9	1	49	14	36	23	34	63	20	6	33	1
The Collector	410	22	22	9	34	11	2	4	17	9	12	49	18	36	23	34	63	2	9	33	1
Gapporin	409	10	42	2	34	38	1	3	2	38	12	49	1	7	35	3	63	20	9	33	7
KMack	406	22	6	13	10	3	16	52	13	19	30	8	10	36	35	34	63	32	1	2	1
Bo Rosny	404	10	22	5	10	38	2	3	11	19	4	49	4	36	35	34	63	32	1	24	2
muskie027	402	10	22	20	9	38	1	52	1	38	12	8	18	36	5	34	63	2	8	24	1
Adam K	397	8	42	4	34	1	1	3	1	38	4	49	4	36	35	1	63	20	13	33	7
Randy	389	10	6	1	34	5	3	4	13	3	30	49	10	36	23	34	63	32	2	24	7
Sportzcommish	384	22	42	3	34	38	1	3	13	19	12	2	18	36	23	11	63	2	8	33	1
WSU and Reds Fan	382	22	6	9	9	38	1	52	4	4	10	49	14	36	2	34	63	2	2	24	1
westendcards	380	8	42	9	2	8	2	52	13	9	10	8	18	36	23	34	63	4	5	33	1
Trevor P	380	8	42	13	3	11	1	1	2	38	10	49	14	7	23	34	63	20	1	33	7
RAZ	369	22	42	2	34	38	6	52	1	38	30	49	4	1	2	34	1	6	1	4	2
wackydog	366	8	22	20	1	38	16	52	3	38	12	1	4	12	35	34	63	4	1	1	1
Celticwolfco	359	8	22	4	10	3	2	52	11	9	30	49	1	12	35	11	63	1	1	33	2
Scottzoe	359	22	22	2	34	38	16	4	4	19	30	4	14	1	23	34	63	20	1	1	7
TCDB kents_stuff	353	8	22	4	4	38	16	52	4	38	3	49	3	8	1	2	63	2	9	24	3
Terry	348	1	42	5	4	8	16	52	11	38	4	4	3	36	23	1	63	32	2	2	1
craigrrules	346	10	22	20	9	38	16	52	2	38	2	49	1	12	35	3	5	20	1	4	7
slakar	337	10	42	13	9	3	16	52	13	38	2	4	1	1	5	1	63	20	8	33	3
Splinter_9	333	4	22	20	2	38	1	52	13	38	1	4	3	12	35	2	63	20	1	1	1
PapaG321	331	22	6	1	3	38	1	52	4	19	1	49	14	36	23	3	1	20	13	24	1
Jayoneill	328	10	6	3	1	38	3	1	4	19	30	49	3	36	35	11	1	32	6	33	7
30 a week habit	326	22	22	5	9	38	2	1	1	19	30	8	4	1	35	34	63	6	1	24	1
terrbear5951	311	1	42	1	2	5	2	1	17	38	30	2	4	36	23	4	63	32	6	1	1
Billy Kingsley	309	22	42	20	4	5	1	3	1	38	3	1	14	7	35	11	63	2	1	33	3
FiresNBeers	293	16	42	13	9	3	1	2	11	19	30	8	14	12	5	3	63	20	13	2	7
switzr1	293	22	22	5	4	38	1	2	17	38	1	4	1	8	35	2	63	4	1	24	1
herkojerko	292	4	6	13	4	5	16	52	17	38	12	8	14	36	23	2	1	1	5	33	2
squaresteve	287	3	22	1	10	1	2	52	17	38	1	8	1	7	23	1	63	32	2	2	1
Jeff Laws	287	16	42	9	9	11	5	52	3	3	12	1	3	36	23	2	1	32	1	24	2
John Sharp	276	16	4	20	34	38	16	2	4	38	1	1	1	8	2	1	63	1	1	24	1
Joshua	273	8	22	1	34	38	1	52	3	19	3	1	1	7	2	11	63	4	1	1	1
Ochawkeye	272	1	42	20	4	8	1	1	1	19	4	49	18	7	1	1	63	6	1	24	1
cynicalbuddha	263	16	42	4	10	38	1	2	1	3	12	2	1	12	5	34	1	32	13	33	1
nyygregory	261	3	42	20	9	5	1	4	17	9	1	4	10	7	1	1	63	32	1	24	7
grim25	252	4	42	20	1	11	5	2	11	1	10	8	1	36	23	2	63	2	8	1	1
DetFan	225	22	4	1	1	8	16	2	4	38	10	49	4	8	5	1	5	32	13	1	1

CONGRATULATIONS to our winner, Diamond Jesters!  He only had one question (the over-rated player) where he did not agree with a large contingent of his fellow sheep. Make sure you check out his "Time-Travel Trading" series as he tries to convert a pack of current Topps cards into the oldest cards he can.

As I also mentioned, there would be one prize pack awarded to a random entrant.  Let's do that draw now....

 

halos17 is the winner!  I will contact both of  you about your prizes.

I would love to run this game again in the future.  Thanks to everyone who entered.  If you have any comments about how this ran, or if you have any good ideas for future questions, please post them in the comments below.