The Brentwood Gazette’s Weekly Teaser — 3-6-2015: Casey At The Bat

Well, the story’s officially run.

The Brentwood Gazette, Brentwood’s local paper, has run the story about the mailbox theft in the area.

I don’t know that the ever capable Joe Sturdy — the reporter behind the story — has god it quite right.

After all, he’s not mentioned the fact that some of my neighbours who feel closed circuit TV camera would be a fat lot of good.

But to be fair?

He DID mention that I’d said moving letterboxes would be good.

There’s also a comment from Royal Mail about lockable, private, letterboxes.

Hmmm … 

How much good that will do, I don’t know.

I can only hope our landlords move letterboxes from outside the building, to INSIDE, would be good.

Here’s hoping … 

~≈Ê≈~

At any rate, that’s not why your here, now is it?

Nope.

Your here because it’s Wednesday: and time for the Gazette’s Weekly Teaser.

Here’s this week’s set, written by yours truly, and covered by the Creative Commons License* …

Q1) 3rd June, 1888, saw the first publication of Casey At The Bat: the USA’s best known poem about baseball.   The piece was published by a major newspaper: in which US city?

Q2) Its writer, Ernest Thayer, published it under a pen name: Phin.   Phin was short for what: Phineas, Phinston or Phibuli?

Q3) The poem is about a team from Mudville.   Two US cities claim to be the original Mudville.   Stockton, in California, is one.   Holliston, the other, is in which US state?

Q4) Casey, himself, is modeled on Michael ‘King’ Kelly.   Kelly spent most of his baseball career with teams based in two US cities.   Name either city.

Q5) Kelly played in many positions, in baseball: and was known for being a competent catcher.   What’s cricket’s equivalent to a catcher: a fielder or the wicket-keeper?

Q6) Cricket has bowlers.   What’s the equivalent position, in baseball?

Q7) Like cricket, baseball features players who both field: and bat.   Someone who bats on behalf of the player who throws the ball, is called a designated … what?

Q8) A game of baseball is played between how many teams: two, three or four?

Q9) How many players are on each team: ten, nine or eight?

Q10) Finally … what name is given to the USA’s Major League Baseball championships?

Here’s last week’s questions and answers …

Questions.

Q1) 27th May, 1703, saw Tsar Peter the 1st — Peter the Great — found Saint Petersburg.   On which river does the city stand: the Moskva, Volga or Neva?

Q2) Which gulf does that river empty into?

Q3) The city was renamed by Russia’s Tsar, during World War 1.   What did he call it?

Q4) Which Tsar was it?

Q5) The city was re-named in 1924: renamed what?

Q6) Saint Petersburg is Russia’s second biggest city, by population.   What’s the biggest, by population?

Q7) Which Saint Petersburg museum was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great?

Q8) Natalia Makarova, Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov have all lived or worked in the city: what have they all worked as … ?

Q9) Russia’s president — Vladimir Putin — was born in Saint Petersburg: in which year of the 1990s did he enter politics?

Q10) Finally … Saint Petersburg is twinned with two cities in the UK.   Name either.

Answers.

A1) The River Neva.

A2) The Gulf of Finland.

A3) Petrograd.

A4) Nicholas 2nd.

A5) Leningrad: as a move to honour V. I. Lenin, who’d died a few days before.

A6) Moscow.

A7) The Hermitage, or State Hermitage.

A8) Ballet dancers.

A9) 1991.

A10) Edinburgh and Manchester.

Enjoy those: I’ll catch you later …

*        All that means is that you’re free to copy, use, alter and build on each of my quizzes: including the Teasers, Gazette Teasers and the Friday Question Sets.   All I ask in return is that you give me an original authors credit on your event’s flyers or posters, or on the night: and, if you republish them, give me an original authors credit AND republish under the same license.   A link back to the site — and to the Gazette’s, if that’s where you’ve found these — would be appreciated: as would pressing my donate button, here.