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A collecting theory: the wife test
My wife is not a sports fan, and hasn't watched a whole baseball game in her entire life. I've long held the belief that a good way to determine players with long-term staying power is to find players who have crossover fame and are known to the non-sports fan. Putting two and two together, I came up with something I call the wife test. Simply ask your wife to name every baseball player she knows.
Here are the five baseball players my wife could name, presented in order (with her corresponding comments): 1. Jackie Robinson (obviously) 2. Derek Jeter (ugh) 3. Babe Ruth 4. Lou Gehrig (the guy with the disease) 5. That guy who married Marilyn Monroe It's not a perfect list, but you would probably do better than most by sticking to these five players. Anyone else want to administer the wife test and report the results? |
My wife could only think of three on short notice:
1) Babe Ruth 2) Jackie Robinson 3) Nolan Ryan |
1. Mr Cub Ernie Banks HOF
2. Lee Smith HOF 3. Fergie Jenkins HOF 4 Ryne Sandberg HOF ( nice butt according to my wife) 5. Bill Buckner (again nice butt according to my wife) 6 Elmer Miller ( Great Great uncle of mine) Note the cubs theme being married to me also honorable mention, Harry Caray and Pat Hughes. |
I would immediately divorce any woman who did not know baseball better than that. :eek:
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Babe Ruth
Ichiro Matsui Darvish Ohtani |
i met my beautiful bride at a baseball game…so she was up for the challenge. i asked her to quickly name 5 players
(1) hank aaron (2) big Papi (3) yaz (4) jeter…but she strangely thought his first name was f**kin’, can’t imagine where she got that (5) Pete Rose bonus coverage…from my 16 year old daughter… (1) ty cobb (school project) (2) mookie betts (tennessee’s own) (3) albert pujols (4) mike trout (5) dansby swanson (crush…and she’s a little bitter about him (a) getting married and (b) leaving the braves…in that order interesting mix…i’m a little proud |
No Mickey Mantle thus far?
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My wife was already a Phillies fan when we met nearly 20 years ago. If I used the “wife test” to shape my collection, it would have a decidedly hometown feel.
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I got,
Babe Ruth Jackie Robinson Hank Aaron Willie Mays Willie McCovey I was expecting at least Mark McGwire or Jose Canseco since we grew up in the East Bay during the Bash Brother's heyday. |
I asked my wife to name every baseball player she could, these were the names and the order she gave:
1) Sammy Sosa 2) Robin Ventura 3) Frank Thomas 4) Babe Ruth 5) Ty Cobb 6) Hank Aaron 7) Mickey Mantle 8) Anthony Rizzo 9) Lou Gehrig 10) Alex Rodriguez 11) Jason Heyward 12) Ben Zobrist 13) Kris Bryant 14) Schwarber 15) Arietta 16) Kerry Wood 17) Mark Prior 18) Arnoldis Chapman 19) Ryne Sandberg 20) Honus Wagner 21) Cal Ripken We’re lifelong lost Cub fans… she did really well! |
Ruth, Jackie, And Mantle. That’s it. Modern for Baseball …..ZERO….the future maybe Soccer in the country …..it’s coming.
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My wife also is not a sports fan, and although she has been around me and my collecting for over 30 years, she never picked up any "knowledge" of baseball or sports in general. She tolerated me when we lived in Baltimore by going to Oriole games with me, went to a few Brewers games with me and my kids, went to Spring Training with me one year and even went with me to a World Series game in 2016 in Cleveland. Her answer was "Cal Ripken" and "Charlie Justice" (he was from Asheville, N.C., her hometown.
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Here's hoping girlfriends count. I was shocked that she knew 'The Babe,' 'The Mick' and 'The Say Hey Kid' so readily:
1. Joe DiMaggio..."Because of Marilyn. Remember, we saw the church I think they were married at. And we took pics of the plaque outside the place he was born in Martinez." 2. Willie Mays 3. Jose Canseco..."He went out with Madonna." (Are we sensing a theme?) 4. A-Rod..."He's banging J-Lo." 5. "That Band Aid guy"...referring to my obsession with the 1973 Al Kaline error card. 6. "The steroid guy, the one who got all big and played out here. Barry...Pond or something?" 7. Mickey Mantle 8. Babe Ruth 8. "There's someone else named Willie, too, right?"...referring to the time we took pictures at McCovey Cove, and the fact that 'Stretch' had a restaurant named after him in these parts. Bummed that there wasn't a single mention of Reg-gie. I gotta do better with her in 2023. |
mine
My wife is from Europe. She only knew Babe Ruth.
My mother is 98 years old. First name she came up with (and came up with immediately) was Carl Hubbel , probably remembering his All Star Game feat |
I am fortunate my wife supports me(or humors me) on my collection.
And we have talked about the cards often and often the values (since she is interested what I am putting our (HER) money into) She has no interest in it but can name what I collect and many of the modern players also as a result |
Too long to list. My wife and I are into baseball and she and I have gone to many of games over the past 30+ years. She even finished the 71 Topps baseball set back in the 90s.
I consider myself very lucky that she enjoys the hobby too. Not as much or to the extent of me but she does. Cheers, B. T. |
Mine did ok..
Wagner Cobb Aaron Mantle Ruth She could have went on, we stopped at five. |
Was married for 15 years before divorcing in 2016. My wife loved baseball and I'm sure could name quite a few players. We were at Fenway the first day of our honeymoon as we had a late flight. Now, football, I'm sure she knew Brady and that was about it
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List I got
Barry Bonds (she lived in Pittsburgin the late 80s) Bobby Bonilla (again lived in the PA) Ted Williams (she knows the frozen head story) Cal Ripken (said he was best looking player) And that Perez guy that catches for Kansas City (she had a hard time thinking of a 5th for the list) |
My wife knows a lot of the players from the last 30+ years, not the old timers (but I'm sure could name more than I thought she could). She asks how Juan Soto thinks he could turn down a $430M+ contract (ok, I could try and give her reasons, but she'd give me that stare - "really?"). That said, if I were to ask her to pick out a T206 from an N172 or a 1933 Goudey, she'd be scratching her head.
Now there's a question - how many different baseball card sets can your wife identify. |
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First five in order:
1. Hank Aaron 2. Jackie Robinson 3. Mickey Mantle 4. Babe Ruth 5. "Something" Williams But she turned the table son me and asked me to name all the fashion designers that I know. Got two! |
Fun quiz. My wife named these 4 in order and then drew a blank.
1. Yogi Berra (same birthday) 2. Alex Rodriguez (J-Lo) 3. Mickey Mantle 4. Joe DiMaggio (Mr. Monroe) 80s hockey on the other hand? Would have reeled off an easy 25-30. Huge Oilers fan during their heyday and knew many others around the league at the time. |
mickey rooney, snicker, mantle
babe ruth lou garret, did I say that right? that guy on sharktank sammy sosa |
My wife’s list, and she’s hot, too. :)
Babe Ruth Walter Johnson Ty Cobb Lou Gehrig Hank Aaron (It helps that we named our puppy Walter Johnson.) |
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Babe Ruth Jeter "obviously" A-Rod Paul O'Neill (she had a crush on him back in the day) Then she blanked, went on her phone and came up with a list of players she recognized on sight, but couldn't name when put under pressure to come up with names. Then she asked me to name all the bones in the human body. I gave up after "Tibia". :D |
Remember the scene in Diner?
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Players
Ruth Gehrig arod mays Koufax
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If I asked my wife, her reply would be.....shut the hell up. Baseball is boring. All I hear is baseball talk from March to November so no baseball talk during the off season.
Bob |
My wife EASILY came up with:
Ruth, Mantle, Clemente - she was born in Pittsburg and grew-up during the GREAT Pirates & Steelers years, Ted Williams, and Mays (Always one of my Favorites) She enjoys "The Hobby" and appreciates how close it keeps me and my 3 collecting brothers. She is ASTOUNDED at the knowledge on this Site - "How does ANYONE know all that S---?" And SHE told me to "Bid One More Time" for my T205 Hoblitzell - No Stats after I told her I was out... She's a GREAT GAL! |
Accidentally woke my wife up in the middle of the night so some answers could be attributed to being groggy...
Babe Ruth Mickey Mantle That guy that had his head frozen Honus Wagner Derek Jeter Ortega or something like Ortega (turned out to be David Ortiz) Bob Feller Carl Erskine Ohtani Alex Rodriguez Jose Canseco Not bad, really, and she woulda guessed more at a more reasonable hour. |
Rose
Morgan Bench Perez Foster Griffey Sr. Griffey Jr. A-Rod Ichiro Felix Buhner Olerud Dan Wilson Edgar Randy Johnson Piniella Mays McCovey Mantle Babe Lou DiMaggio Ted W. Cobb Honus Jackie Gwynn George Brett Sosa McGwire Bonds Realmuto (friend of a friend) Comparatively, she did pretty well! |
I said as quick as you can name baseball players....
(1) Mark McGwire (2) Sammy Sosa (these first two she didn't know why it popped to her) (3) Cecil Cooper (she knew my favorite) (4) Paul Molitor (5) Robin Yount (6) Rollie Fingers( we're Brewers heavy) Then I said how bout some Classic Guys.... (1) Babe Ruth (2) Hank Aaron (3) Willie Mays (4) Reggie Jackson (5) Big Pappi (her words) (6) Judge (She started to struggle) (7) Jason Kendall ( Then I said O.K., That'll do) |
Babe Ruth
Johnson (Walter?) Ty Cobb Mickey (Mantle - she likes the name Mickey) Williams (Ted) Willie (Mays?) Robinson (Jackie) and then onto the Padres connection: Macchiato (her nickname for Manny Machado) Soda (Juan Soto - she knew someone with that nickname when younger) Kid that doesn't play now (eventually came up with Tatis) Guy that has statue at San Diego ballpark and has son that is broadcaster (eventually came up with Tony Gwynn's name) Hernandez or guy with name that starts with an 'H' that made it to HOF (she was thinking Trevor Hoffman) Pretty good for someone who mostly enjoys going to the the ballpark to watch the crowd and the nice sunsets during night games, and once used her foot to kick a foul ball coming our way (she grew up with soccer, not baseball) Brian |
Here's my wife's list in order...
Babe Ruth
Cy Young Cecil Fielder Mickey Mantle Joe Dimaggio Mark McGwire |
I asked my wife (lifelong Cubs fan) to name her five favorite. Here's what I got:
Andre Dawson Mark Grace Fred McGriff Shawon Dunston Ryne Sandberg She could have went much further. |
Here goes (after a long clarification that I was not "trying to make her look stupid"). I think she did pretty good.
Babe Ruth Ty Cobb Mickey Mantle Lance Parrish (this is my fault, we have a lot of Parrish stuff on display in my office. :D) Jose Canseco Roberto Clemente Miguel Cabrera Justin Verlander Curtis Granderson (Those three are remainders of the season tickets of a decade+ ago) "The J-Lo Yankees Guy" Jeter Pete Rose Joe Jackson |
Double post
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In order:
Mordecai Brown Joe Tinker Johnny Evers Frank Chance Ty Cobb Shoeless Joe Jackson Babe Ruth Hank Aaron Mark McGwire (She started off strong (4 cubs!) but at this point I started getting discouraged) Sammy Sosa JOHN Mattingly (at this point I said ok we are good but she insisted and looked like her brain was going to burst) Pete Rose THAT GUY THAT HAS AN EXPENSIVE CARD CAUSE HE DIDNT SMOKE (I started to walk away) Honus Wagner Albert Pujols THAT GUY THAT HAD THAT REALLY CRAZY PITCH (I walked back into the room perplexed) Nolan Ryan |
My wife’s answer
Aaron Judge Derek Jeter Mickey Mantle Babe Ruth Rusty Staub. The last one had me laughing. John P |
So far, ONE mention of Ken Griffey Jr. And ONE mention of Albert Pujols. Seriously? Not a single woman you guys married can name both? Wow.
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It’s weird that a lot of you guys have wives that can’t name modern players.
Do you not watch baseball? Don’t have a local team? Don’t go to games? |
My wife knows baseball. There is certainly a home team bias on what she can name, however she can name outside that as well. Really our relationship is built on our love of the game as we first hung out at playoff games.
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Here's my wife's answers, rattled off in order 3 minutes ago....
Mantle Ruth Lajoie Miguel Cabrera A-Rod Trout Judge The Lajoie answer caught me a little by surprise, but it makes sense as I sold one of his professional model bats back in 2005 via Mastro to help fund her engagement ring. |
Asked for 5 real quick, she came up with:
Bo Jackson Curt Schilling George Brett Robin Yount Pete Rose |
She had to think about it:
Derek Jeter Bryce Harper Ivan Rodriguez Chase Utley Cole Hamels Yes, we are Phillies phans. |
Ok, asked my wife if she could name players that started their careers over 50 years ago. To my surprise, the first player she mentioned was Yastrzemski. Then she gave me Wags, Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Ruth. I told her that was enough.
As mentioned before, I could show her cards from different sets and she'd have no clue what sets they came from. |
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My wife got these 5 Wade Boggs No way she wouldn't get Wade as I have around 40 of his bats displayed in our living room. Roger Clemens I have a lot of Clemens items and we have traveled to games just to watch him pitch. Derek Jeter She has been to several Yankees games. Kirby Puckett He was at some event my wife was on the board of and he signed stuff for all of them. Bill Ripken I have heard this countless times. "Another one of the exact same cards" then a big sigh. LOL |
In order….
Babe Ruth Mickey Mantle Ty Cobb Brooks Robinson Gene Stephens Lon Warneke |
I was very impressed with my wife naming several players until she got to Nolan Ryan…….”you know, the bloody sock guy”
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It's astonishing how many are not naming Jackie Robinson.
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Started off with:
1. Ohtani 2. Juan Soto 3. Aaron Judge 4. Brandon Marsh ("The wolf-man, the guy that doesn't shower") 5. Mookie Betts She initially thought I meant only active players. I asked her to name ANY mlb player and she rattled off: 1. Satchel Paige 2. Jackie Robinson 3. Roberto Clemente 4. Babe Ruth 5. Honus Wagner |
My wife's answers in this order, with comments. Context: We live in WA state.
Jackie Robinson Jose Altuve (my son cheated and told her this one) Bryce Harper Alex Rodriguez Edgar Martinez Ichiro Derek Jeter ("the guy we went to see, good looking guy") Barry Bonds McGwire Ken Griffey Jr Babe Ruth Lou Gehrig (my wife's favorite because of PRIDE OF THE YANKEES and Gary Cooper) Ty Cobb Cap Anson Barry Larkin Tris Speaker ("the guy you collect") Mickey Mantle The guy who hit 61 HR (could not name him) Willie Mays Hays ("hahahaha") Jimmie Dugan ("avoid the clap") Felix Hernandez ("King Felix") Keith Hernandez ("thank you Seinfeld") Sent from my SM-G9900 using Tapatalk |
A collecting theory: the wife test
This is the list I got in order with her commentary:
Don Mattingly Lou Gehrig Goose what’s his face Derek Jeter Kirk Gibson Babe Ruth Duke something Arod Ivan Rodriguez Alan Trammel Michael Jordan - he didn’t do it for long (she asked for bonus points on this) Pete Rose Whitey Ford Christy Mathewson Addie Joss She ended with I’m done… Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
I am shocked to see Cap Anson, Addie Joss and Christy Mathewson among the names listed. I would have thought Ruth, Gehrig and maybe Cobb would be the only pre World War 2 players known. :)
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Since it's been six years since my son finished playing HS baseball and we haven't been to many games lately, my wife struggled to come up with the following:
Babe Ruth Roger Clemente the guy with JLo (Arod) Big Papi Ernie Banks - where did that come from??? Roger Maris the steroids guy - turns out it was Sammy Sosa Skipper Jones Don Mattingly the guy that married Marilyn (Joe D) Pete Rose Not bad and representing quite a smattering of baseball greats. |
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She also was disappointed she forgot Ted Williams, Dizzy Dean, and Don Mattingly, and Cal Rpiken. Then she saw Perezfan's wife's answers that had multiple other Mariners players that she forgot: Jay Buhner, Randy Johnson, Lou Piniella. She did not name any current Mariners. And other than Barry Larkin, she didn't name any other Reds players. I have failed her. Sent from my SM-G9900 using Tapatalk |
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My wife:
Aaron Judge Derek Jeter Mickey Mantle Pete Rose Bob Boone Ricky Henderson Carl Yastrzemski Reggie Jackson Roger Maris Jim O'Rourke Mike Piazza Daryl Strawberry Dwight Gooden Mike Schmidt Barry Bonds Don Mattingly My daughter: Babe Ruth Jim O'Rourke (a family favorite :)) Aaron Judge "Mickey Robinson" (ha!) "The one with the elbow".......Tommy John |
I met my wife while we were both teenage ushers at Busch Stadium almost 50 years ago (gulp). Been enjoying baseball together ever since. It's strange for me to see so many short lists here because if I asked my wife to start naming ballplayers, she would go on for hours. She also has this ability to remember uniform numbers from the Cardinals teams of the 70's. As much as she enjoys baseball, she has zero interest and could not care less for my cards or memorabilia.
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My sister is a big vintage collector and my mom art antiques. Runs in the family
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My wife:
JD Martinez Mookie That is it. She is Thai and moved here when the Sox won the 2018 WS. JD was always her favorite. |
Here is my wife's attempt:
Ty Cobb Mickey Mantle Babe Ruth Joe Jackson Willie Mays Hank Aaron Smoltz (technically "guy from the Braves named Smoltz") Mike Trout Aaron Judge Nolan Ryan Eric Hernandez ("Is that one?") Alex Rodriguez Barry Bonds Clemens Vlad Salmon McGwire Honus Wagner Michael Jordan (made clear she is remembering his one baseball game) Cal Ripkin Jr. Dave Ortiz Cy Young Jose Uribe Justice Roger Maris Bo Jackson Tommy Lasorda Sheffield That Japenese Angels pitcher guy (she kind of accidentally said "Ichiro") The pitcher with the bloody sock The guy that was all banged up and hit the home run for the Dodgers And after 20 minutes, she surrendered. She is pretty competitive, so it killed her to give up. |
I go by the family dog sniff test
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My wife said:
Yogi Berra Ichiro Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa Babe Ruth Hank Aaron Interesting to see all the replies. |
My wife didn't do too bad...
My wife is English so baseball isn't her thing. Her knowledge is based on listening to me talk about baseball and from watching some of Ken Burns baseball with me. To her credit, she's a lifelong soccer fan. If you ask her to name soccer players, she'd exhaust the capacity of Excel. |
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My wife did great:
1) Babe Ruth 2) Joe DiMaggio 3) Mickey Mantle 4) Honus Wagner 5) Jackie Robinson 6) Lou Gehrig |
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How did you meet? Were you in the Navy? Sent from my SM-G9900 using Tapatalk |
In order...
1- Babe Ruth 2- Dale Murphy 3- Mickey Mantle 4- Pete Rose 5- Jose Canseco 6- Ken Griffey Jr. 7- Who was the guy married to Marilyn Monroe? 8- Hank Aaron 9- Sammy Sosa and the other steroid guy 10- Mark, his last name starts with an M 11- Randy, the tall guy with a mustache and a mullet. Reminds me of my sister's husband. He was good, I remember him. 12- The guy that hit the home runs this year? Aaron Judge 13- Cal Ripken 14- Lou Gehrig Pretty good list! haha. I collect Dale and Mick, so I am sure that is why they are near the top of her list. |
Roger Clemens
Altuve Mickey Mantle ("I don't know if he counts. Your mother just mentioned him. Would you have thought of him anyway?" "Yes.") Ty Cobb Sammy Sosa "The guy that we saw play, from the red team, St. Louis? He's really good. He's getting old now." [Albert Pujols] "The guy with long hair from Boston who had blood on his socks" [Johnny Damon/Curt Schilling hybrid] Derek Jeter ("Is he a baseball player? From New York. He seems like not a good guy.") Honus Wagner |
Wife's players
My wife quickly named these:
Babe Ruth Ty Cobb Cy Young Jackie Robinson Mark "The Bird" Fidrych (was not expecting this one, but we are from Michigan originally) After I laughed, she was distracted and started looking at baseball stuff in my office, so those names don't qualify for the list. When I complained she wasn't following the rules, she walked away. So I only have 5. My new "Big 5". Ha! |
My wife:
Ted Williams Mike Trout David Ortiz Jose Canseco Babe Ruth I collect and have mentioned Trout often, we're in Red Sox country so Williams and Big Papi make sense, and Ruth is famous on his own. I have no idea where Canseco came from. |
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I nominate this as the Thread of the Year.
A rare feat, indeed, when a fun thread has virtually everyone jumping in to add their better half's responses or to read other people's highly entertaining (and insightful?) accounts, without rancor or frickin' WAR being shoehorned in. Bravo!! |
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Being she's from GA, I thought for sure Hank Aaron or any Brave would be one of her names. |
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