The Quiz

Ytown Tribe fan · 08-21-2002, 09:22 PM

This guy didn't intimidate hitters -- he just got them out. They hit weak grounders to Frank White all day long.

In 650 major league games, over 1040 innings, how many wild pitches do you suppose Dan Quisenberry threw?

Quiz walked about 90 guys unintentionally in 1040+ innings. He was the greatest control pitcher of all time.

He had a great ERA, even for a closer -- his ERA+ is the third highest of all time, behind only Pedro and Lefty, and even with Walter Johnson and Roger Clemens.

For about 6 years, he was the best closer in the game. The only thing keeping him out of the HoF is career length, and not by that much either.

There is a wonderful writeup about him in James' new HBA -- the man was a poet, and a wonderful speaker with a great sense of humor.

The only batter he could never get out was Al Oliver. Lots of guys had that problem.

Four. In 1040+ innings, Quiz threw four wild pitches. Unreal.

JamesI · 08-21-2002, 11:11 PM

How could he have gotten no hall of fame support. He should at least be considered. He was dominant as a closer before it became the joke position it is now.

Ytown Tribe fan · 08-21-2002, 11:54 PM

I'll tell you what -- I'm wondering why Al Oliver doesn't get HoF support. Look at his career numbers sometime -- he was a hell of a hitter for 18 years: 2700+ hits, 500+ doubles, .303 lifetime BA -- yet you never hear him mentioned for the HoF.

Oliver had his best years for Texas and Montreal, before having the big season for the '85 Bluejays. He was an outfielder for the Bucs before being driven to 1B then eventually to DH.

Still, he hit the ball hard and was a fine hitter -- in the Jim Rice mold but in the wrong parks.

VNV Nation · 08-22-2002, 12:19 AM

Oliver was a heck of a hitter but I see him as Vada Pinson/Kirby Puckett sans defense.

sweaver · 08-22-2002, 12:32 AM

Quisenberry was great. He was like a regular guy playing baseball, someone guys like me could relate to, rather than a super-athlete. And funny, so funny. He was the guy that said of teammate Renie Martin, "Some guys throw to spots, some guys throw to zones. Renie throws to continents."

VNV Nation · 08-22-2002, 12:39 AM

Quiz is one of the reasons why baseball is so great. You know, the incredible athletes like Mantle and A-Rod are great, but in baseball, you have guys like Quiz who have limited athletic ability but manage to succeed anyway.

SmedIndy · 08-22-2002, 12:42 AM

Quiz didn't have the mystique (or moustache) like Fingers, he wasn't as long lasting as Hoyt Wilhelm. He was before his time to be truly recognized, really.

pwdennis · 08-22-2002, 01:19 AM

A better man than a pitcher, Quiz deserved serious HOF consideration. I don't know why he was given the no real consideration

LeGrandOrange · 08-22-2002, 02:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ytown Tribe fan
I'll tell you what -- I'm wondering why Al Oliver doesn't get HoF support. Look at his career numbers sometime -- he was a hell of a hitter for 18 years: 2700+ hits, 500+ doubles, .303 lifetime BA -- yet you never hear him mentioned for the HoF.

Oliver had his best years for Texas and Montreal, before having the big season for the '85 Bluejays. He was an outfielder for the Bucs before being driven to 1B then eventually to DH.

Still, he hit the ball hard and was a fine hitter -- in the Jim Rice mold but in the wrong parks.

And I thought I was the only advocate for his induction.

rcartman28 · 08-22-2002, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by pwdennis
A better man than a pitcher, Quiz deserved serious HOF consideration. I don't know why he was given the no real consideration

I agree totally. And a total shame that a man like that would die of brain cancer at only 45......

KCBOOMER · 08-22-2002, 10:10 AM

The Quiz was truly one of a kind. A really good man who just happened to be a great closer. Don't see him as an HoFer but he does deserve support.

qtlaw · 08-22-2002, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by KCBOOMER
The Quiz was truly one of a kind. A really good man who just happened to be a great closer.

Amen. Quiz was a hilarious speaker and seemed extremely humble. Maybe in the new agreement the owners and players would agree to inject more Quizes and less Frank Thomases.

Thanks for the memories.

BTW, who was better Quiz or Tekulve?

JamesI · 08-22-2002, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by qtlaw

Amen. Quiz was a hilarious speaker and seemed extremely humble. Maybe in the new agreement the owners and players would agree to inject more Quizes and less Frank Thomases.

If only they could arrange this. Baseball needs more good, fun people and less people who make 10+ million and bitch about it.

TimmyB · 08-22-2002, 01:36 PM

He was the kind of guy (person/player) I wished we had in Boston back in the 25-players/25-cabs era.

And talk about a closer -- he was definitely one of those guys who put pressure on the other team to get ahead in the 7th or 8th or it was all over.

Relievers in the HOF are such a tough call. I certainly wouldn't complain if Quiz received some attention.

Ytown Tribe fan · 08-22-2002, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by qtlaw

BTW, who was better Quiz or Tekulve?

That's hard to evaluate.

Tekulve pitched in over 1000 games; about 400 more innings than Quiz. Per inning, Quiz was better (as far as ERA+), but Kent's ERA+ was 132, which is also outstanding. Tekulve had decent control, but it wasn't better than The Quiz's. No biggie -- EVERYONE who pitched after 1900 had worse control than Quiz.

Kent's "glamour numbers" aren't much -- 94 wins, 90 losses, fewer than 200 saves (Quiz had over 240 saves), but that was because of how he was used. Tekulve was never a closer, he pitched whenever they needed a good reliever in late innings.

Middle relievers and setup guys who are really good pitchers, like Tekulve, never get a lot of press -- but they are just as valuable to a team in that they eat up innings without giving up runs -- the basic job of ANY pitcher.

I'd rate the two about even overall, with a slight nod to the Quiz in pressure-situation pitching, control and ERA+, and a nod to Tekulve in games and innings and overall utility.

08-21-2002, 09:22 PM	#1
Ytown Tribe fan Guest Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Scrappers territory Posts: 2,515	The Quiz This guy didn't intimidate hitters -- he just got them out. They hit weak grounders to Frank White all day long. In 650 major league games, over 1040 innings, how many wild pitches do you suppose Dan Quisenberry threw? Quiz walked about 90 guys unintentionally in 1040+ innings. He was the greatest control pitcher of all time. He had a great ERA, even for a closer -- his ERA+ is the third highest of all time, behind only Pedro and Lefty, and even with Walter Johnson and Roger Clemens. For about 6 years, he was the best closer in the game. The only thing keeping him out of the HoF is career length, and not by that much either. There is a wonderful writeup about him in James' new HBA -- the man was a poet, and a wonderful speaker with a great sense of humor. The only batter he could never get out was Al Oliver. Lots of guys had that problem. Four. In 1040+ innings, Quiz threw four wild pitches. Unreal.

08-22-2002, 01:19 AM	#8
pwdennis NetShrine All-Century Team Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Winter Springs, FL Posts: 2,503	A better man than a pitcher, Quiz deserved serious HOF consideration. I don't know why he was given the no real consideration __________________ "I would submit that if the world survives for a million years, perhaps its finest hour may be that in the last half of the 20th century, when the power to blow up the world rested in the hands of a few men in two very unsophisticated and suspicious countries, we didn't do it, and one American, Richard Nixon, moved the cold war away from permanent confrontation toward victory. How could any wrong that he did compare with that?" - John Sears

08-22-2002, 10:10 AM	#11
KCBOOMER NetShrine All-Century Team Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Home of the T-Bones Posts: 11,116	The Quiz was truly one of a kind. A really good man who just happened to be a great closer. Don't see him as an HoFer but he does deserve support. __________________ KCBOOMER *Buck O'Neil: The Monarch of Baseball*

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08-21-2002, 11:11 PM	#2
JamesI Netshrine Vacuum Cleaner Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Potsdam, N.Y. Posts: 3,723	How could he have gotten no hall of fame support. He should at least be considered. He was dominant as a closer before it became the joke position it is now.

08-21-2002, 11:54 PM	#3
Ytown Tribe fan Guest Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Scrappers territory Posts: 2,515	I'll tell you what -- I'm wondering why Al Oliver doesn't get HoF support. Look at his career numbers sometime -- he was a hell of a hitter for 18 years: 2700+ hits, 500+ doubles, .303 lifetime BA -- yet you never hear him mentioned for the HoF. Oliver had his best years for Texas and Montreal, before having the big season for the '85 Bluejays. He was an outfielder for the Bucs before being driven to 1B then eventually to DH. Still, he hit the ball hard and was a fine hitter -- in the Jim Rice mold but in the wrong parks.

08-22-2002, 12:19 AM	#4
VNV Nation Membership Suspended 11/19/02 Join Date: May 2002 Location: VNV Nation Posts: 2,952	Oliver was a heck of a hitter but I see him as Vada Pinson/Kirby Puckett sans defense.

08-22-2002, 12:32 AM	#5
sweaver Netshrine Cleanup Hitter Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: The Mountain State Posts: 8,883	Quisenberry was great. He was like a regular guy playing baseball, someone guys like me could relate to, rather than a super-athlete. And funny, so funny. He was the guy that said of teammate Renie Martin, "Some guys throw to spots, some guys throw to zones. Renie throws to continents."

08-22-2002, 12:39 AM	#6
VNV Nation Membership Suspended 11/19/02 Join Date: May 2002 Location: VNV Nation Posts: 2,952	Quiz is one of the reasons why baseball is so great. You know, the incredible athletes like Mantle and A-Rod are great, but in baseball, you have guys like Quiz who have limited athletic ability but manage to succeed anyway.

08-22-2002, 12:42 AM	#7
SmedIndy NetShrine's Historian Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Zionsville, IN Posts: 10,569	Quiz didn't have the mystique (or moustache) like Fingers, he wasn't as long lasting as Hoyt Wilhelm. He was before his time to be truly recognized, really.

08-22-2002, 01:36 PM	#14
TimmyB NetShrine's Magic 8-Ball Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Where the cops speak slow and the air is nice Posts: 2,591	He was the kind of guy (person/player) I wished we had in Boston back in the 25-players/25-cabs era. And talk about a closer -- he was definitely one of those guys who put pressure on the other team to get ahead in the 7th or 8th or it was all over. Relievers in the HOF are such a tough call. I certainly wouldn't complain if Quiz received some attention.

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