Batter up!

High and wide!

Danny Boggs was the Federal Judge.

Wade Boggs was the Baseball Player.

Danny Boggs

Born in Havana, Cuba and raised in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Danny Julian Boggs graduated from Harvard College and the University of Chicago Law School, where he served as instructor after receiving his law degree. Following his time at Chicago, Boggs became deputy commissioner for the Kentucky Department for Economic Security. After several positions as counsel and attorney in the political arena, Boggs entered private practice. Soon afterwards, he took a position as attorney for the U.S. Department of Commerce, followed by a stint as assistant to the solicitor general in the U.S. Department of Justice. His later positions in the federal government includes him being assistant to the chairman of the Federal Power Commission, deputy minority counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, special assistant to the president, and deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. Boggs became a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in 1986, and served as chief judge from 2003 to 2009. The Supreme Court has often unanimously upheld Boggs’ decisions, both in his majority and dissenting opinions. In addition to being known for his judicial prowess, Boggs is “infamous” for giving a trivia quiz to his clerkship applicants (although he prefers the term “general knowledge test”). One recent question from him is, “If the moon were made of green cheese, and if green cheese floats in water, what is the most that the moon could weigh (within a factor of 10)?” In fact, three of his Bogg’s previous clerks appeared as contestants on the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” And two of them picked Boggs as their “phone a friend” lifeline choice.

Wade Boggs

Five-time American League batting champion Wade Anthony Boggs “hit for average and got on base better than any other third baseman in base history.” The main ingredients in his success were an excellent batting eye and outstanding patience. The two-strike hitter avoided falling for bad pitches. When he did connect, he sent the ball to all parts of the park. Thus, Fenway Park’s Green Monster would often work to Boggs’ advantage. He could also turn on the inside pitch and drive the ball into the right field stands. Boggs’ batting style was methodical, and resulted from his obsessive tendencies. In fact, he was one of the most superstitious and idiosyncratic people to have ever played in Major League Baseball. How much so? Before each game, he had to (1) take exactly 100 ground balls during infield practice, and (2) eat chicken (earning him the nickname “Chicken man” with Jim Rice, whose name is related to food itself). Night games came with another set of rituals: he stepped into the batting cage at exactly 5:17 and ran sprints at precisely 7:17. He also drew the Hebrew word “Chai” before each at-bat, and, in between innings, took exactly the same route to and from the field. In each of the Hall of Famer’s first 10 seasons, and in 15 of the 18 years he played, he surpassed the .300 mark in batting. Boggs topped the American League in on-base percentage for four consecutive seasons. He also led the league in on-base percentage five straight times. Later, he became the first player in American League history to finish seven consecutive seasons with at least 200 hits. Boggs is also the only member of the 3,000-hit club to reach that mark with a home run.

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CORRECT!

Danny Boggs

Born in Havana, Cuba and raised in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Danny Julian Boggs graduated from Harvard College and the University of Chicago Law School, where he served as instructor after receiving his law degree. Following his time at Chicago, Boggs became deputy commissioner for the Kentucky Department for Economic Security. After several positions as counsel and attorney in the political arena, Boggs entered private practice. Soon afterwards, he took a position as attorney for the U.S. Department of Commerce, followed by a stint as assistant to the solicitor general in the U.S. Department of Justice. His later positions in the federal government includes him being assistant to the chairman of the Federal Power Commission, deputy minority counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, special assistant to the president, and deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. Boggs became a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in 1986, and served as chief judge from 2003 to 2009. The Supreme Court has often unanimously upheld Boggs’ decisions, both in his majority and dissenting opinions. In addition to being known for his judicial prowess, Boggs is “infamous” for giving a trivia quiz to his clerkship applicants (although he prefers the term “general knowledge test”). One recent question from him is, “If the moon were made of green cheese, and if green cheese floats in water, what is the most that the moon could weigh (within a factor of 10)?” In fact, three of his Bogg’s previous clerks appeared as contestants on the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” And two of them picked Boggs as their “phone a friend” lifeline choice.

Wade Boggs

Five-time American League batting champion Wade Anthony Boggs “hit for average and got on base better than any other third baseman in base history.” The main ingredients in his success were an excellent batting eye and outstanding patience. The two-strike hitter avoided falling for bad pitches. When he did connect, he sent the ball to all parts of the park. Thus, Fenway Park’s Green Monster would often work to Boggs’ advantage. He could also turn on the inside pitch and drive the ball into the right field stands. Boggs’ batting style was methodical, and resulted from his obsessive tendencies. In fact, he was one of the most superstitious and idiosyncratic people to have ever played in Major League Baseball. How much so? Before each game, he had to (1) take exactly 100 ground balls during infield practice, and (2) eat chicken (earning him the nickname “Chicken man” with Jim Rice, whose name is related to food itself). Night games came with another set of rituals: he stepped into the batting cage at exactly 5:17 and ran sprints at precisely 7:17. He also drew the Hebrew word “Chai” before each at-bat, and, in between innings, took exactly the same route to and from the field. In each of the Hall of Famer’s first 10 seasons, and in 15 of the 18 years he played, he surpassed the .300 mark in batting. Boggs topped the American League in on-base percentage for four consecutive seasons. He also led the league in on-base percentage five straight times. Later, he became the first player in American League history to finish seven consecutive seasons with at least 200 hits. Boggs is also the only member of the 3,000-hit club to reach that mark with a home run.

CONTINUE WITH QUIZ