Welcome to the first annual Minnesota Sports Headliners trivia column to celebrate the Fourth of July weekend. While sitting in a fishing boat, sunning by the swimming pool, flipping hamburgers on the Weber grill, or sipping cocktails on the porch, take a few minutes to test your expertise at answering these 26 questions about the Twins, Vikings, Wolves, Wild and Gophers. Why 26? Because that’s how old I would like to be.
Your reward for answering these questions? Simply the satisfaction of a job well done. And, okay, those with a near perfect score can submit questions for next year’s contest. (No complaining allowed about the prizes.)
Also, no cheating for answers by searching on the Internet, or glancing over at someone else’s answers. Here we go with trivia questions in the first two sections of the column, and answers provided in the last section.
1. What was the name of the Twins message board on the scoreboard at Met Stadium?
2. From what team did the Twins acquire Joe Nathan in a 2003 off-season trade?
3. Who was the starting pitcher in the Twins’ first regular season game ever in 1961?
4. Going into this season Joe Mauer had the highest lifetime batting average of any major league catcher. Who was second?
5. What year did Jacques Jones make his major league debut with the Twins?
6. Who were the Twins’ Minor League Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year in 2009?
7. What current Vikings player played for the team’s last three head coaches including Brad Childress?
8. Who is the Vikings’ all-time scoring leader in total points?
9. What team originally drafted Vikings quarterback Brett Favre?
10. Who was the prospective Vikings majority owner who said “I’m 6-foot-1 and tons of fun”?
11. Cris Carter holds the all-time Vikings’ career record for receptions and total yards. Who is No. 2?