Last week's challenge
Start with the phrase SHARED THING. Change one letter to an R and you can rearrange the result to spell two words (five letters and six letters, respectively) that each name something you might find in a clothes closet. What are the words?
Answer: Change a D to an R and you can spell SHIRT and HANGER.
THIS WEEK'S CATEGORY: “All stars”
On-air questions: The annual Major League Baseball all-star game is Tuesday. It’s being hosted by the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Since the first matchup in 1933, the American League holds a 48-44 edge. In honor of this year’s game, I’ve brought some all-star trivia tonight.
1. To date, New York City has hosted the most all-star games, with nine, most recently at CitiField in 2013. What city, also with two teams, is second, hosting the aforementioned first all-star game at a stadium that had replaced one called South Side Park?
2. Just one current major league franchise has never hosted an all-star game. In the American League since 1998, this team is playing its home games at nearby Steinbrenner Field this year after Hurricane Milton damaged its home. What’s the franchise, whose name is currently one word shorter than it used to be?
3. At the 2001 all-star game in Seattle, hometown starter Alex Rodriguez moved over from shortstop to third base, allowing what former great who played 2,130 straight games during his 21-year career to start the game at short?
4. What stadium, which opened the same week the Titanic sank, has hosted three all-star games, including a memorable 1999 celebration when 19-time all-star Ted Williams threw out the first pitch at its last time hosting?
5. Played with the tagline “This Time It Counts” from 2003 until 2016, the all-star game decided home field advantage for the World Series until a rule change in 2017. What off occurrence at the 2002 game in Milwaukee spurred the change, one of just two times it happened in all-star game history?
Extra credit
1. What record holder for the most Cy Young Awards also pitched in the most all-star games?
This week's challenge
What is the relevant but technically antonymic name of the 2009 and 2012 Home Run Derby champion, one of four players to win more than once?
ANSWERS
On-air questions
1. Chicago’s Comiskey Park was home to the White Sox from 1910 until 1990
2. Tampa Bay Rays (Devil)
3. Cal Ripken Jr. of the Orioles was a 19-time all-star and homered in that final appearance
4. Fenway Park
5. The 2002 game ended in a 7-7 tie after 11 innings with each side running out of available pitchers
Extra credit
1. Roger Clemens (7 Cy Young Awards and 10 all-star game appearances from 11 selections)
