Current Events and History

Golfers

1. 
   Tiger Woods (1975-present) Born to an African-American father and a Thai mother, he appeared on "The Mike Douglas Show" with a golf club at age two. Woods won three straight U.S. Junior Amateurs, and then became the only golfer to win three straight U.S. Amateurs (1994-1996). In 1997 Woods became the youngest ever to win the Masters--by a whopping 12 strokes. At the 2000 U.S. Open, when he won by 15 strokes, Woods began a remarkable run of four straight major championships: British Open (by eight strokes, making him the youngest ever to complete the career Grand Slam), PGA Championship, and the 2001 Masters. Woods added a third Masters in 2002, giving him seven major pro titles.
   
2. 
   Jack Nicklaus (1940-present) Nicknamed "The Golden Bear," he won the U.S. Amateur twice (1959 and 1961), and was the 1961 NCAA champion at Ohio State. He took his first major the following year at the U.S. Open, beating Arnold Palmer on Palmer's home course. Nicklaus became the youngest Masters champion at the time in 1963, and 23 years later became the oldest champion with a final round 65 in 1986. He has a record 18 major pro championships overall, including six Masters, five PGA Championships, four U.S. Opens, and three British Opens. Nicklaus is still somewhat active on the Senior PGA Tour, and as a golf course architect.
   
3. 
   Arnold Palmer (1929-present) A native of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Palmer made golf popular with the masses, as his fans were known as "Arnie's Army." He won seven majors, including four Masters, and was the first golfer to earn one million dollars on the PGA Tour. Later Palmer became one of the stars of the Senior Tour, winning the Senior PGA Open in 1980 and 1981. In 2002 he played in his last competitive Masters.
   
4. 
   Ben Hogan (1912-1997) The PGA Tour's leading money winner from 1940-42 and in 1946 and 1948, two events interrupted his playing career: service in World War II and a near-fatal 1949 head-on car accident. After each, though, Hogan rose to the top of his game; he won nine majors overall (six after the accident), including four U.S. Opens. In 1953 he accomplished a feat matched only by Tiger Woods: winning three modern major championships in one season: the Masters, U.S. Open, and British Open.
   
5. 
   (Robert Tyre) "Bobby" Jones (1902-1971) An Atlanta native, and the greatest amateur golfer of all time, Jones never turned pro, but won thirteen major championships in eight years, including four U.S. Amateurs. In 1930 he won what was then considered the Grand Slam, taking both the British and U.S. Amateur and Open Championships. After that season, Jones retired from golf to practice law, but helped design a golf course in Augusta, Georgia that became the permanent site of the Masters in 1934.
   
6. 
   Sam Snead (1912-2002) No golfer has won more PGA Tournaments than Snead's 81, and he amassed 135 victories worldwide. Nicknamed "Slammin' Sammy," he won seven major professional championships between 1942 and 1954, but he is known more for the one he never won: the U.S. Open. In 1939 Snead led the Open for 71 holes but lost on the last hole when he took an eight. In the 1960s and '70s he won a record six Senior PGA Championships.
   
7. 
   Byron Nelson (1912-present) He won five major championships overall, but Nelson is best known for having the single most dominant year in golf history. In 1945 he won a record 18 tournaments in 30 starts, including 11 consecutive tournaments, a feat no one has come close to matching. Nelson was so even-tempered and mechanically sound that the USGA named its mechanical club and ball-testing device, the "Iron Byron," after him.
   
8. 
   Tom Watson (1949-present) He became the major rival to Jack Nicklaus in the second half of the Golden Bear's career. Watson's greatest achievements were at the British Open, a tournament he won five times between 1975 and 1983. He took eight major championships overall, and still competes occasionally on the regular PGA Tour, though mostly on the Senior Tour, where he won the 2001 Senior PGA Championship.
   
9. 
   Lee Trevino (1939-present) Nicknamed "Supermex" for his Mexican-American heritage, Trevino came from a poor Dallas family and served in the Marines, but came from nowhere to win the 1968 U.S. Open. He won six majors: the U.S. Open, the British Open, and the PGA Championship twice each, his second PGA in 1984 at age 44. That last win was most impressive because it came after the 1975 Western Open, where Trevino was struck by lightning on the golf course.
   
10. 
    Gary Player (1935-present) The most successful non-American golfer in history, this South African has won nine majors. When Player took his only U.S. Open crown in 1965, he not only became the first non-American to win that tournament in 45 years, but he also became one of three (now five) golfers (along with Nicklaus, Woods, Hogan, and Gene Sarazen) to win all four modern Grand Slam events. Nicknames include "The Black Knight" for his dress and "Mr. Fitness" for his devotion to exercise.
    
11. 
    Gene Sarazen (1902-1999) Born Eugene Saraceni, he came to prominence in the early 1920s, winning the PGA Championship in 1922 and 1923, as well as the U.S. Open in 1922. Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen then dominated golf until the early 1930s, when Sarazen returned to form, winning four more majors. At the 1935 Masters, he carded an albatross (three under par) from the fairway of the Par-5 15th hole to force a playoff; when he won, Sarazen became the first golfer to complete the modern career Grand Slam.
    
12. 
    Walter Hagen (1892-1969) Nicknamed "The Haig," he was the first great pro golfer, appearing in over 2,500 exhibitions. A five-time PGA Champion, including four straight from 1924 to 1927, Hagen won eleven majors overall, and he was known most for his showmanship and his ability to recover from poor shots with spectacular ones. Hagen captained the U.S. Ryder Cup team six of the first seven times the event was held.
    

1. 
   1896 Summer (Athens, Greece; April 6 - April 15, 1896) The first edition of the modern Olympics was the brainchild of Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France; winners were awarded silver medals. Some of the stranger events included one-handed weightlifting and 100-meter freestyle swimming for members of the Greek navy. Appropriately, Greek shepherd Spiridon Louis became the hero of the Games by winning the marathon.
   
2. 
   1912 Summer (Stockholm, Sweden; May 5 - July 22, 1912) While the Swedes introduced electronic timers to the games, the athletic hero was United States decathlete and Native American Jim Thorpe. He won the pentathlon, placed fourth in the high jump, and seventh in the long jump. Finally, Thorpe went on to win the decathlon with a score so astounding that it would still have won him the silver medal in 1948. During the medal presentation, Swedish king Gustav V said, "Sir, you are the greatest athlete" to which Thorpe purportedly replied "Thanks, King."
   
3. 
   1936 Summer (Berlin, Germany; August 1-16, 1936) These games are best remembered for Alabama native Jesse Owens' amazing work on the track against a backdrop of Nazi propaganda emphasizing Aryan superiority. The American athlete won the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, long jump, and 4 x 100-meter sprint relay. Despite the growing strength of the Nazi state, the German people became enamored with Owens and named a Berlin street for him after his 1980 death. On other fronts, the Olympics were broadcast on television for the first time (as seen in the film Contact) and also saw the introduction of the relay of the Olympic torch.
   
4. 
   1968 Summer (Mexico City, Mexico; October 12-27, 1968) In addition to being the first Olympics to be held at high altitude, these Games saw U.S. long jumper Bob Beamon set a record of 8.90 meters that would remain untouched for 23 years. The Games ended on a controversial note: to protest the Mexican government's killing of at least 250 unarmed demonstrators on the eve of the Games, Tommie Smith and John Carlos staged a silent protest with a black gloved, raised fist "Black Power" salute during the award ceremony for the 200-meter race. This didn't sit well with the International Olympic Committee who promptly ordered them home.
   
5. 
   1972 Summer (Munich, West Germany; August 26-September 11, 1972) One of the most tragic Olympics ever, these Games saw the kidnapping and killing of 11 Israeli athletes by eight Palestinian terrorists, five of whom were shot dead by West German police. Jim McKay of ABC Sports remained on the air for hours, bringing American viewers up to date on the situation. Though the Olympics paused for 34 hours, the IOC ordered the games to continue and memorable performances were turned in by American swimmer Mark Spitz, who won seven gold medals, and Russian gymnast Olga Korbut, who captivated audiences en route to winning three gold medals.
   
6. 
   1980 Winter (Lake Placid, NY, United States; February 12-24, 1980) In an Olympics where a single man, American speed skater Eric Heiden, would win five gold medals and not be the biggest story, something very special had to happen. In what would become known as "The Miracle on Ice," the U.S. Olympic hockey team, led by head coach Herb Brooks and captain Mike Eruzione, defeated the powerful Soviet team 4-3 on February 22, 1980. Two days later, they defeated Finland to claim America's second Olympic hockey gold medal, the first being in 1960 at Squaw Valley.
   
7. 
   1980 Summer (Moscow, Soviet Union; July 19 - August 3, 1980) Despite the glow from the Lake Placid Games, these Games were marred by a United States boycott ordered by President Jimmy Carter in response to the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This lead was followed by Canada, West Germany, Japan, Kenya and China, while other Western nations left it up to their individual athletes, many of whom chose to partake. The result was an Eastern Bloc field day, with all 54 East German rowers earning a medal and the Soviets totaling 80 gold medals. British distance runner Sebastian Coe produced the West's best performance by winning the 1500-meter race.
   
8. 
   1984 Summer (Los Angeles, CA, United States; July 28 - August 12, 1984) One good turn deserves another, or in this case, "The Russians aren't coming, the Russians aren't coming." Virtually every Communist nation skipped these games, leaving the door open for a "USA all the way" feeling, as the Americans took home 83 gold medals out of a total of 174. Among the highlights were American sprinter Carl Lewis' repeat of Jesse Owens 1936 performance: winning the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, long jump, and 4 x 100 meter sprint relay. In gymnastics, West Virginia native Mary Lou Retton won the all-around gold medal.
   
9. 
   1994 Winter (Lillehammer, Norway; February 12-February 27, 1994) Massachusetts native Nancy Kerrigan and Oregonian Tonya Harding were among America's leading hopes for gold in women's figure skating. During the Olympic Trials in Detroit, Kerrigan was viciously attacked by an unknown assailant, who would later be traced back to Harding. In the ensuing media circus, both Kerrigan and Harding were sent to Norway, but their thunder was stolen by Ukrainian skate Oksana Baiul, who edged out silver medallist Kerrigan, while Harding placed eighth. Sweden won the ice hockey gold by defeating Canada in a shootout; future Colorado Avalanche forward Peter Forsberg's game-winning effort against Canadian goalie Sean Burke was immortalized on a Swedish postage stamp. In speed skating, Bonnie Blair won her third straight gold in the 500-meters and second straight in the 1,000-meters, perennial hard luck kid Dan Jansen won Olympic gold in his last race, the 1,000 meters, and Norwegian Johann Olav Koss won three gold medals, all in world-record times.
   
10. 
    1996 Summer (Atlanta, GA, United States; July 25 - August 8, 1996) In what have been called "The Coke Games," due to their exceptional commercialization in the city of Coke's business headquarters, the sweltering Georgia heat and organizational problems made these Games a veritable nightmare. But a still-unsolved bombing in Centennial Olympic Park that killed one person and injured one hundred that remains the Games' most memorable event. Irish swimmer Michelle Smith won three gold medals in the pool, only to be plagued by rumors of steroid use. Carl Lewis got his ninth gold by winning the long jump for the fourth consecutive Games, while American sprinter Michael Johnson became the first man to win the 200-meter and 400-meter races, the former in a world-record 19.32 seconds.
    

1. 
   Rod Laver (1938-present). Australia produced many talented players (Emerson, Rosewall, Newcombe, Stolle, Hoad) but Laver was the best of all. He weighed just 145 pounds in his playing days but his massive left arm generated incredible topspin shots. The only player to win the Grand Slam twice - in 1962 as an amateur, and in 1969 as a professional - Laver took 11 major singles titles overall. Turning pro in 1963, Laver won five U.S. Pro Championships; had he been allowed to play the majors from '63 to '67, he likely would hold the wins record instead of Pete Sampras. Martina Navratilova and Sampras both idolized Laver, the first to earn $1 million in a career.
   
2. 
   Pete Sampras (1971-present). "Pistol Pete" burst onto the scene in 1990, when he became the youngest man ever to win the U.S. Open. He would take five U.S. Opens and two Australian Opens, but his greatest accomplishments came on the Wimbledon grass. Starting in 1993 he won the tournament seven times in eight years, losing only to Richard Krajicek in the quarterfinals in 1996. The last Wimbledon win (2000) gave Sampras the all-time men's major record, passing Roy Emerson's 12. Married to actress Bridgette Wilson, Sampras silenced his critics (who thought he was washed up) by defeating Andre Agassi for the 2002 U.S. Open title -- then he retired.
   
3. 
   Bjorn Borg (1956-present). On both grass and clay in the late 1970s, resistance to Borg was futile; he won Wimbledon five straight years (1976-80) and the French Open six times, for a total of 11 majors. Borg got started at age nine, after his father won a tennis racket in a ping-pong tournament and gave it to him. He took his first French in 1974 and dominated through 1981, when John McEnroe finally knocked him off at Wimbledon. Borg then inexplicably retired at 26; he tried an unsuccessful comeback in the early 1990s. Despite his great success, Borg never won the U.S. Open (reaching the final four times). He never played at the Australian Open, preferring to take the winter months off.
   
4. 
   Bill Tilden (1893-1953). Between 1920 and 1925, he was almost unstoppable: He won six straight U.S. championships and took Wimbledon both times he played. Tilden was nicknamed "Big Bill" for two reasons: He stood 6-foot-2 with his trademark "cannonball" serve and he faced "Little Bill" Johnston in six out of seven U.S. finals. In all, he won ten majors (seven U.S., three Wimbledon) and turned professional in 1930 - winning a pro title at age 42 and competing in barnstorming tours until he was 50. Tilden also loved the theater; he performed in several Broadway shows (including the lead in "Dracula"), but lost a lot of money backing failed ventures.
   
5. 
   Andre Agassi (1970-present). His father boxed for Iran in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics; his own Olympic exploits included the 1996 tennis gold. Born in Las Vegas, he reached the world's #3 ranking at age 18 but was better known for his image than for his play. Perhaps the greatest returner and baseline player ever, Agassi won his first major on Wimbledon grass in 1992. Briefly married to Brooke Shields, he fell to #141 in the world in 1997, but after they divorced, Agassi rededicated himself to the game. In 1999 he won the French Open, becoming just the fifth man to complete the career Grand Slam. In all, Agassi has won eight major singles titles (five since 1999), and is now married to women's great Steffi Graf.
   
6. 
   John McEnroe (1959-present). Though perhaps best known for his fiery temper and abuse of referees (with taunts like "You can't be serious!"), McEnroe was the dominant player of the early 1980s. As a 17-year old amateur qualifier, he made the semifinals of Wimbledon, and in 1979 he won the first of three straight U.S. Opens. He almost ended Borg's run of Wimbledons in a five-set thriller in 1980, but succeeded the following year. In 1984, McEnroe compiled an 82-3 record, winning Wimbledon and his fourth U.S. Open, for a total of seven majors. An outstanding doubles player as well, he won 77 titles, many with partner Peter Fleming. He also played in the Davis Cup 12 times, captaining the U.S. team in 2000.
   
7. 
   Arthur Ashe (1943-1993). Ashe once claimed that he would consider himself a failure if he were remembered only for tennis. The first black man to win either the U.S. Championship (1968) or Wimbledon (1975), he was also the first American tennis player to earn over $100,000 in one year (1970). The author of Hard Road to Glory, a history of black athletes, Ashe announced in 1992 that tainted blood from a 1983 heart surgery had given him the AIDS virus. Arthur Ashe Stadium, the current home of the U.S. Open, was named for him in 1997.
   

1. 
   Martina Navratilova (1956-present). Born in Prague, she defected to the United States in 1975 because the Czech Tennis Federation had taken most of her earnings. A bit heavy early in her career, Navratilova won the first two of her nine Wimbledons in 1978-79 but subsequent losses led her to pursue a grueling fitness regimen. This paid off: She won 18 singles Grand Slams (58 overall), 167 total singles titles, and even more doubles crowns, many with partner Pam Shriver. A Wimbledon finalist at 37, Navratilova retired from singles in 1994, but returned to play doubles in 2000. In 2003 tied Billie Jean King with 20 overall Wimbledons, taking the mixed doubles… at age 46!
   
2. 
   Steffi Graf (1969-present). Her most devastating shot earned her the moniker "Fraulein Forehand." Graf turned pro at age 13 and steadily rose through the rankings, garnering the #1 ranking and her first major (French) in 1987. The following year, Graf made history by winning the Grand Slam and the gold medal at the Seoul Olympics, the only player ever to go 5-for-5 in one year. Seven Wimbledons, six French, five U.S., and four Australians add up to 22 major career singles crowns - the last coming at the French in 1999 after two years of major back injuries. Graf retired that fall, and is now raising her son Jaden with her husband Andre Agassi.
   
3. 
   Chris Evert (1954-present). Queen of the Clay Courts, she won the French Open a record seven times and rolled off a 125-match win streak on the surface. As a 15-year old, Evert upset Margaret Court, who had just won the Grand Slam. 1974 was the first of a record 13 straight years in which she won a major - several of them hard fought against her rival, Martina Navratilova. In all, Evert took 18 Grand Slam singles titles, and was the first female player to win $1 million in her career. She was married to British tennis player John Lloyd for eight years, but they divorced in 1987, and she then wed Olympic skier Andy Mill.
   
4. 
   Billie Jean King (1943-present). Her records themselves are impressive: 12 Grand Slam singles wins (including six Wimbledons) and 20 overall Wimbledon titles. King, however, is best known for advancing women's athletics. Her brother, Randy Moffitt, pitched for the San Francisco Giants; she herself reached a #4 world ranking in 1960 and turned pro eight years later. At the time, prize money for women was paltry, so she co-founded the Virginia Slims Tour, and in 1971 became the first female athlete to earn $100,000 in a year. Two years later, in front of over 30,000 at the Astrodome, she whipped Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes." King retired in 1983, but not before winning a singles tournament at age 39.
   
5. 
   Margaret Smith Court (1942-present). The most prolific winner, male or female, she amassed 62 Grand Slam titles, 24 of them in singles (3 Wimbledon, 5 French, 5 U.S., and 11 in her native Australia). Billie Jean King called Court "The Arm" because of her long reach, aided by her height of nearly six feet. In 1970 she became the second woman (after Maureen Connolly) to win the Grand Slam, taking 21 singles championships overall that year; less impressive was her 1973 loss to 55-year old Bobby Riggs. Court did defeat King, Riggs's nemesis, 22 of 32 times. She retired in 1977 and became a lay minister.
   
6. 
   Venus and Serena Williams (1980-present and 1981-present). Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe may have preceded them as trailblazing African-American players, but the sisters have taken the game to new levels and to more people. Born in Compton, California and coached from an early age by father Richard, Venus broke through first, reaching the final of the U.S. Open in 1997. Serena won a Grand Slam before Venus did (1999 U.S. Open), but Venus hit #1 by sweeping Wimbledon and the U.S. Opens in both 2000 and 2001. For a long time Serena could not beat her older sister, but that changed in 2002, when she took four straight major finals against Venus. With her 2003 win at Wimbledon, Serena now has six majors to Venus's four. On the side, both are fashion designers, while Venus also designs interiors.
   
7. 
   Helen Wills Moody (1905-1998). A California native nicknamed "Little Miss Poker Face" because her expression rarely changed on the court, Wills's play contrasted with that of the other great woman of the era, the emotional Suzanne Lenglen of France, though they met only once (as Lenglen turned pro). Nonetheless, Wills dominated her competition; between 1927 and 1932 she did not even drop a set! She won 19 major singles crowns - out of 22 entered - including eight Wimbledons, six U.S., and four French championships, in 1928 becoming the first player to win three Grand Slams in one season. Wills also swept the singles and doubles gold medals at the 1924 Paris Olympics.
   

Enough baseball players are frequently asked-about in quiz bowl that nearly any appropriate subset of them would still be too large for a single "You Gotta Know" entry. One franchise, however, has--for good or bad--easily the most distinguished history in baseball. The players and managers below form a reasonable starting point for quiz players just beginning to learn baseball lore. What follows was written by an avowed Yankee fan and edited by an NAQT officer who describes the Yankees as his least favorite team, though he readily acknowledges their singular place in the history of the sport.

1. 
   (George Herman) "Babe" Ruth (1895-1948), the son of a saloon keeper, grew up on the Baltimore waterfront and in the St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys. Ruth spent six seasons with the Boston Red Sox, primarily as a pitcher, winning 89 games and three championship rings. He also distinguished himself at bat, setting a record in 1919 with 29 home runs. Debt-ridden Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Ruth to the Yankees to finance a Broadway production of No, No, Nanette. Prior to the sale, Boston had won five World Series (three with Ruth) to New York's zero; since then the Yankees have won 26 championships (four with Ruth) versus none for the Red Sox. Moved to the outfield, Ruth led the league in home runs ten more times, including the 60 he hit in 1927 as part of the "Murderers Row" lineup. In the third game of the 1932 World Series, he allegedly gestured towards the center field stands before his "Called Shot" home run. Beyond his on-field exploits, Ruth was an infamous eater and carouser.
   
2. 
   (Ludwig Heinrich) "Lou" Gehrig (1903-1941) was born in Manhattan and played football and baseball at Columbia. In 1925 he replaced incumbent first baseman Wally Pipp on Pipp's "day off" but stayed in the lineup for 2,130 straight games, a streak broken by Cal Ripken, Jr., in 1995. The "Iron Horse" also set an American League record with 184 runs batted in (1931) and a major league record with 23 grand slams. After he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (now commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease), he told Yankee fans on July 4, 1939: "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth." In deference to Gehrig, no Yankee was appointed team captain until Thurman Munson in 1976.
   
3. 
   (Joseph Vincent) "Joe" McCarthy (1887-1978), no relation to the Wisconsin senator, began managing the Yankees in 1931, the first of nine straight years that his teams finished first or second. McCarthy led New York to four straight championships (1936-39) and seven overall. His .615 career winning percentage is the all-time best among big league skippers. Besides winning - his teams never finished below .500 - McCarthy's teams were distinguished by their offense: The 1931 Yankees scored 1,067 runs, most by any big league team since 1900.
   
4. 
   (Giuseppi Paolo) "Joe" DiMaggio, Jr. (1914-1999) left the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League and joined the Yankees in 1936, in time to lead New York to its fifth championship, the first of nine the Bronx Bombers would win in his career. The "Yankee Clipper" won three Most Valuable Player awards, two batting titles, and two home run titles. In 1941 "Joltin' Joe" hit safely in a record 56 consecutive games (he had hit in 61 straight for the 1933 Seals). Post-career highlights include his nine-month marriage to Marilyn Monroe, his ads for Mr. Coffee (among the earliest televised celebrity endorsements), and the mention of his name in Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson."
   
5. 
   Mickey (Charles) Mantle (1931-1995) was born to play baseball--his father named him for Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane--but his left leg was not. In high school it was nearly amputated because of osteomyelitis, the first of his many leg problems. Known as the Commerce Comet (after his speed and the Oklahoma town where he grew up), Mantle became the Yankee center fielder following DiMaggio's retirement. Mantle's Yankees played in 12 World Series (winning seven of them); he holds Series records for home runs (18), RBI (40), runs (42), walks (43), extra-base hits (26), and total bases (123). In the regular season, the switch-hitting Mantle had 536 home runs, three MVP awards, and a Triple Crown (1956). In 1961 he and teammate Roger Maris each had a chance of breaking Ruth's home run record; Mantle was the fan favorite but injuries limited him to 54 longballs (Maris broke the record with 61).
   
6. 
   (Lawrence Peter) "Yogi" Berra (1925-Present) is best known for his quotes and malapropisms (e.g. "Little league baseball is a very good thing because it keeps the parents off the streets"). Berra was also notorious for swinging at bad pitches, but he made contact just often enough to set the record for most home runs by a catcher (306, a mark later broken by Carlton Fisk). After playing on ten championship teams and winning three MVP awards, Berra was hired as the Yankees' manager in 1964 but fired following the World Series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. His 1973 pennant with the Mets made him the second manager (after Joe McCarthy but before Sparky Anderson) to win pennants in both leagues.
   
7. 
   (Edward Charles) "Whitey" Ford (1928-Present) was called "Chairman of the Board" because of his cool, efficient pitching. With 236 career wins against 106 defeats, he has the best winning percentage of any pitcher with 200 or more wins. He broke Babe Ruth's World Series record with 33 consecutive scoreless innings (1960-62); his other Series records include ten wins, eight losses, and 146 innings pitched. Manager Casey Stengel often rested him against bad teams so that he could pitch more often against contenders, making his 2.75 career ERA more impressive.
   
8. 
   (Charles Dillon) "Casey" Stengel (1890-1975) managed the Yankees to ten pennants and seven championships, including five in a row from 1949 to 1953. The "Old Perfessor" did not use a set lineup or pitching rotation, instead often mixing and matching players. As a player he was best known for his two home runs against the Yankees in the 1923 World Series. Off the field he was known for his vaudevillian personality and (like Berra) his mangled quotes. In 1958 a Senate subcommittee called him to testify on baseball's anti-trust exemption, leading to an hour of nearly incomprehensible "Stengelese."
   
9. 
   (Alfred Manuel) "Billy" Martin (1928-1989) managed the New York Yankees on five separate occasions, the result of his frequent hirings and firings by owner George Steinbrenner. An alert, combative second baseman from 1950 to 1957, he caught Jackie Robinson's bases-loaded popup in Game 7 of the 1952 World Series and won the final game of the '53 Series with a single in the bottom of the ninth. As manager Martin won two pennants and a World Series (1977) but also nearly came to blows with Reggie Jackson during a nationally televised game.
   
10. 
    (Reginald Martinez) "Reggie" Jackson (1946-Present) was one of baseball's first high-profile free agent signings. After winning three straight World Series with Oakland (1972-74), Jackson left the A's following the 1975 season, spent a year in Baltimore, and then joined the Bronx Zoo (as the Yankees' chaotic clubhouse was then known). Known as Mr. October, he hit three home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, each against a different pitcher, each on the first pitch of the at-bat. Also in 1977 he created a sensation by proclaiming himself "the straw that stirs the drink." He hit 563 career home runs and led the league in homers four times, but also set a major league record with 2,597 career strikeouts.
    
11. 
    Don(ald Arthur) Mattingly (1961-Present) is almost unique among Yankee greats for his lack of a World Series ring. He holds the major league record with six grand slams in a season, led the league in hits twice, and won the 1985 MVP award. "Donnie Baseball" also won nine Gold Glove awards at first base and posted a .996 career fielding percentage. The Yankees of the 1980s, led by Mattingly, Dave Winfield, and Willie Randolph, consistently finished above .500. Mattingly's 1982 rookie season, however, was the first of a 13-year playoff drought. A 1995 Division Series against the Seattle Mariners (won by Seattle in five games) was his only post-season experience.
    
12. 
    Derek (Sanderson) Jeter (1974-Present), in contrast to Mattingly, has reached the playoffs every year in his major league career, including six pennants and four championships. He was Rookie of the Year in 1996, the same year that 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier reached over a railing to turn his fly ball in the American League Championship Series into a controversial home run. In 2003 the Yankees named Jeter their 11th captain in franchise history and first since 1995. (In baseball a "team captain" is a purely honorary position; some teams dispense with the practice of naming one.) His junior high school yearbook named him "Most likely to play shortstop for the New York Yankees."
    

NAQT has a quota for geography questions at all levels of play; these are the deserts that have been most frequently asked about in our past packets.

1. 
   Antarctica (5.4 million sq. mi.) Because it is covered with (solid) water, it is somewhat surprising that Antarctica is considered a desert, but it is classified as such due to its lack of precipitation. Players should be familiar with its tallest mountain (Vinson Massif, in the Ellsworth Mountains), its active volcano Mount Erebus, the surrounding Ross and Weddell Seas, and the Ross Ice Shelf. Norwegian Roald Amundsen was the first to reach the South Pole (1911), while Englishman Robert Scott died trying to reach it. Ernest Shackleton had to abandon his ship, the Endurance, during an attempt to cross Antarctica on foot.
   
2. 
   Sahara Desert (Northern Africa; 3.5 million sq. mi.) The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, but its largest hot desert. Players should know the Atlas Mountains (which bound the western Sahara on the north) and the Sahel, a savannah-like strip that bounds it on the south. It is dominated by rocky regions (hamada), sand seas (ergs), and salt flats (shatt) and dry river valleys (wadi) that are subject to flash floods. Its most asked-about inhabitants are the Berbers and Tuaregs.
   
3. 
   Atacama Desert (Chile; 70,000 sq. mi.) The Atacama's chief claim to fame is the rain shadow of the Andes which makes it the driest (hot) desert in the world. The desert was the primary bone of contention in the War of the Pacific (1879-1883, Chile defeats Peru and Bolivia) that sought to control its nitrate resources (which were necessary for the production of explosives).
   
4. 
   Kalahari Desert (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa; 360,000 sq. mi.) The Kalahari is a large region, not all of which is arid enough to qualify as a desert. It is known for its red sand, large game reserves (meerkats, gemsbok, springbok, steenbok), and mineral deposits (notably uranium). Most famous are its San Bushmen and their click language.
   
5. 
   Mojave Desert (U.S.; 25,000 sq. mi.) The Mojave is bounded by the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountain ranges along the San Andreas and Garlock Faults. It lies between the Great Basin and the Sonoran Desert and it contains the lowest and driest point of North America, Death Valley. It is most strongly associated with the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia).
   
6. 
   Gobi Desert (China and Mongolia; 500,000 sq. mi.) The Gobi, Asia's second largest desert (after the Arabian Desert), is bounded on the north by the Altai Mountains. It is known for its role in the Silk Road trading route and the Nemegt Basin, where fossilized dinosaur eggs and human artifacts have been found.
   
7. 
   Rub' al-Khali (Arabian Peninsula; 250,000 sq. mi.) Its name means "Empty Quarter" in English and this desert can be considered the most inhospitable place on earth. It is known for the world's largest oil field, the Ghawar, and for once being part of the frankincense trade.
   
8. 
   Namib Desert (Namibia and Angola; 30,000 sq. mi.) The Namib, a coastal desert, is known for its bizarre Welwitschia and medicinal Hoodia plants. It is thought to be the oldest desert in the world.
   
9. 
   Painted Desert (Northern Arizona) The Painted Desert, which is shared by Grand Canyon and Petrified Forest National Parks, is known for its colorful, banded rock formations.
   
10. 
    Negev Desert (Israel; 4,700 sq. mi.) The triangular Negev covers the southern half of Israel.
    
11. 
    Taklamakan Desert (China; 105,000 sq. mi.) The Taklamakan is an extremely cold, sandy desert known for splitting the Silk Road into branches running north and south of it. It is bounded by the Kunlun, Pamir, and Tian Shan mountain ranges.
    
12. 
    Great Sandy Desert (Western Australia; 140,000 sq. mi.) Part of the Western Desert, and the ninth largest in the world.