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Boof Bonser was the Baseball Player.

Michael Ponsor was the Federal Judge.

Boof Bonser

Born John Paul Bonser, he later legally changed his name to Boof, a nickname his mother had given him. What does it mean? Boof doesn’t know, and never asked. “I just left it alone,” he said. When asked why he officially changed his name, he said he figured, why not? Since everyone knew him as Boof and his mom gave him the name, he “just stuck with it and ran with it.” The San Francisco Giants selected him out of high school in the first round of the 2000 amateur draft. Within the Giants’ system, Boof played for several teams, including the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Hagerstown Suns, and Fresno Grizzlies. With the Suns, he earned the title of the South Atlantic League’s Most Valuable Pitcher and Post-Season All-Star. Later, the Giants traded him to the Minnesota Twins organization. After a fast start in 2006, Bonser was promoted to the major league. He made his debut as the starting pitcher for the Twins against the Milwaukee Brewers, a game in which he went 6.0 innings, gave up one run, and struck out eight. In September of that year, he was named American League Rookie of the Month. However, in subsequent seasons, his performance rose and fell. In 2009, Bonser had surgery for a torn labrum and rotator cuff. His most recent contracts are with minor league teams.

Michael Ponsor

U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor received his B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard College, spent two years studying English Language and Literature at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar, and earned his law degree from Yale Law School in 1975. After spending time in private practice, he served as a U.S. Magistrate judge for 10 years. In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed Ponsor to the federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts. Judge Ponsor has taught as an adjunct professor at Yale Law School, the University of Massachusetts, and Western New England College School of Law. He has co-edited and authored two chapters in the handbook, Civil Litigation in the First Circuit. Additionally, he’s authored articles in The Boston Globe, the Federal Sentencing Reporter, the American Bar Association Journal, and the Western New England College Law Review. Judge Ponsor also penned a novel that discusses the American legal system and the death penalty. Beyond the realms of law and literature, Judge Ponsor has some experience with architects: he played an important role in the design and construction of the $60 million federal courthouse in Springfield, Massachusetts.

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CORRECT!

Boof Bonser

Born John Paul Bonser, he later legally changed his name to Boof, a nickname his mother had given him. What does it mean? Boof doesn’t know, and never asked. “I just left it alone,” he said. When asked why he officially changed his name, he said he figured, why not? Since everyone knew him as Boof and his mom gave him the name, he “just stuck with it and ran with it.” The San Francisco Giants selected him out of high school in the first round of the 2000 amateur draft. Within the Giants’ system, Boof played for several teams, including the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Hagerstown Suns, and Fresno Grizzlies. With the Suns, he earned the title of the South Atlantic League’s Most Valuable Pitcher and Post-Season All-Star. Later, the Giants traded him to the Minnesota Twins organization. After a fast start in 2006, Bonser was promoted to the major league. He made his debut as the starting pitcher for the Twins against the Milwaukee Brewers, a game in which he went 6.0 innings, gave up one run, and struck out eight. In September of that year, he was named American League Rookie of the Month. However, in subsequent seasons, his performance rose and fell. In 2009, Bonser had surgery for a torn labrum and rotator cuff. His most recent contracts are with minor league teams.

Michael Ponsor

U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor received his B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard College, spent two years studying English Language and Literature at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar, and earned his law degree from Yale Law School in 1975. After spending time in private practice, he served as a U.S. Magistrate judge for 10 years. In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed Ponsor to the federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts. Judge Ponsor has taught as an adjunct professor at Yale Law School, the University of Massachusetts, and Western New England College School of Law. He has co-edited and authored two chapters in the handbook, Civil Litigation in the First Circuit. Additionally, he’s authored articles in The Boston Globe, the Federal Sentencing Reporter, the American Bar Association Journal, and the Western New England College Law Review. Judge Ponsor also penned a novel that discusses the American legal system and the death penalty. Beyond the realms of law and literature, Judge Ponsor has some experience with architects: he played an important role in the design and construction of the $60 million federal courthouse in Springfield, Massachusetts.

CONTINUE WITH QUIZ