Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2019 August 16

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August 16

Has something similar to Kawhi Leonard's performance at the 2018-2019 NBA season happened before in sports?

This is a sequel to my previous question about athletes who won a championship in their only season of being a member of a team, which was a fairly general question. This time I'm asking about a more specific set of circumstances. Leonard was only a part of the Toronto Raptors for one season, but in that one season, he pretty much led the team to the championship to the point of being awarded Finals MVP and becoming a hero in Canada. Has a similar situation ever happened before in the history of sports, where the player who was instrumental in winning a championship was only a member of the team for that one season? Or is Leonard's case unique or unusual in the world of team sports? Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 00:03, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

Moises Alou on the 1997 Marlins. Together with Edgar Renteria, he was one of the two best hitters on the team, leading the team in homers and RBI, and was the best hitter in the post season. He only played for the team in that one year.--Jayron32 02:18, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

Deion Sanders on the 1994 49ers. Sanders was the league's defensive MVP that year, and a key part of the 49ers team that crushed the San Diego Chargers in one of the most lopsided Super Bowl matchups in history. He only played for the 49ers that one season. --Jayron32 12:26, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

A near miss from the NHL: Ray Bourque played slightly more than one season for the Avalanche, they won the Stanley Cup in his only full season. He had been traded to them near the end of the prior season. Bourque was a key defender on that Cup-winning team. --Jayron32 12:29, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

Bob Hazle is another near miss. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:59, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

Wow, a "flash in the pan" type player, akin to Mark Fidrych or the NBA's Jeremy Lin; one spectacular run in an otherwise unremarkable career. --Jayron32 15:42, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

The real-life Moonlight Graham played one game for the 1905 New York Giants, who went on to win the World Series, though Graham had nothing to do with that. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:06, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

Also have a look at what Ivan Rodriguez did for the Florida Marlins when they won the 2003 World Series. He was arguably the team's best player during the season and was named the MVP of their famous win over the Chicago Cubs in the 2003 NLCS. --Xuxl (talk) 12:34, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

Runs for wickets vs. wickets for runs

I asked the following question at Talk:Cricket on 6 August, but it has attracted zero responses so far. I'm sure I asked the question somewhere previously, also to no avail. So, over to the Ref Desk for an instantaneous and incontrovertibly correct answer:

In the entire cricketing world, except Australia, a score is given as e.g. 156 (runs) for 7 (wickets). In Australia it's the reverse: 7 for 156. Can anyone tell me how and why and when this change happened Down Under? -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 00:08, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

Apparently it was Jack Gregory's fault.[1] Hack (talk) 01:35, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

Thanks. Did you mean Ned Gregory? -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 02:28, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

Yeah, wrong guy. Hack (talk) 02:34, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

Minor Superhero from the 60s, cape, white costume, maybe no face?

A friend asks "help me remember a superhero : pretty minor one, origins way back in the 60s for sure, cape, costume is white (I think), no face (I think), and is one of those curious characters who exists somewhat outside of everything, like the Watcher or Silver Surfer. I believe I'm thinking of a character whose name has two words... I keep grasping at "moon" (but not Moon Knight) and, for some reason, Dr. Fate (I don't know why)...

Also, bizarrely, I keep thinking of the flower, monkshood... the shape perhaps being reminiscent of some aspect of the costume... Is there another character whose headpiece is shaped somewhat like Dr. Fate's? -- he wears something on his head that keeps his whole face (if he has one) in shadow, as I remember -- I think it was a DC character -- I think maybe his name has something to do with time? And that he moved at will through time?

I know this guy never had his own book. Which is one thing I loved about him. All my favorite heroes were the ones who flitted through the background, showing up now and again to add their peculiar spice, then fading away again..." Saudade7 10:56, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

"I keep grasping at "moon" (but not Moon Knight)" Any chance that the character is Moonman/Brice Rogers, a DC super-villain from 1958? Dimadick (talk) 11:35, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

How abut Space Ghost? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:55, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

Not El Santo? InedibleHulk (talk) 21:12, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

I figured he checked every box but the DC and monkshood, but he did swoop down to save Bruce Wayne in Batman '66 once. InedibleHulk (talk) 21:28, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

Alas all kind people, my friend says that none of these fit, alas. He emphasises the facelessness, and a strange bell or mushroom-shaped hood that shadows or obscures the face. Only a background character. He said he asked the question years ago on social media and found the name but has now again lost it.

He recently added "the key elements: pretty sure we're not talking about a human, but certainly not somebody recognizably human; has some kind of family resemblance to other *cosmic* heroes (Warlock, Silver Surfer); is probably DC tho; appears at least as early as 60s Silver Age comics... I also have a faint memory that the comic (the single issue that I loved so much as a kid) included Dr. Fate and possibly Superman, or could possibly have been a Justice League comic with this guy helping out."

Thanks again for your help Saudade7 12:22, 17 August 2019 (UTC)

If it's old school Justice League, then your description matches Martian Manhunter most closely. --Jayron32 17:50, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

"the single issue that I loved so much as a kid) included Dr. Fate and possibly Superman" Interesting. The original Dr. Fate series concluded with a story in "More Fun Comics" #98 (July-August, 1944), and the character had no further appearances for about two decades. He was revived in 1963, to take part in the then-annual team-ups between the Justice Society and the Justice League. The 1960s comics where Fate appeared are relatively few:

• Justice League of America #21-22 (August-September, 1963). The Justice League (Aquaman/Arthur Curry, Atom/Ray Palmer, Batman/Bruce Wayne, Flash/Barry Allen, Green Arrow/Oliver Queen, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, Martian Mahunter/J'onn J'onzz, Superman/Kal-El, and Wonder Woman/Diana Prince) team up with the Justice Society (Atom/Al Pratt, Black Canary/Dinah Drake Lance, Doctor Fate, Green Lantern/Alan Scott, Flash/Jay Garrick, Hawkman/Carter Hall, and Hourman/Rex Tyler).
• Justice League of America #29-30 (August-September, 1964).
• Showcase #55-56 (March-June, 1965). Team-up between Fate and Hourman/Rex Tyler. See: https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Rex_Tyler_(New_Earth) and http://dcuguide.com/w/Showcase_55 and http://dcuguide.com/w/Showcase_56
• Justice League of America #37-38 (August-September, 1965).
• Justice League of America #46-47 (August-September, 1966).
• Flash #170 (May, 1967). Team-up between Flash/Barry Allen, Flash/Jay Garrick, Doctor Fate, and Doctor Mid-Nite/Charles McNider. See: https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Charles_McNider_(New_Earth)
• Justice League of America #64-65 (August-September, 1968).
• Justice League of America #73-74 (August-September, 1969). Dimadick (talk) 19:51, 21 August 2019 (UTC)