Where's the Reference Desk?

Bunt4aTriple

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Jul 15, 2005
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North Yarmouth, ME
I recently rented a vacation home from a gentlemen in The Bahamas. Included in the rental was a bright purple golf cart with the Rockies logo on the front. On the day we left, I sent him a picture of the cart with our Sox caps covering the logo and he responded:

Ha! My dad played for the Red Sox back in the day! He hit .421 the year Ted hit .407...he was in the Milk Bottle League (minors back then) and we have a pic with him and Ted with their bats and .400 plaques!
But still have the Red Sox for that '07 sweep!
Glad u enjoyed!
Cheers


Based on the .407 figure, I can't assume that all of these details are accurate. The only thing I have to go on is that the son's last name is Benson. I know I could ask, but now I'm curious. I did some wide open google searching. I also scrolled through each of the '41 Sox affiliates' rosters (and '40 & '42 for good measure), but no luck.

Any other ideas?
 

savage362

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Apr 16, 2003
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Ted did hit .407 in 1953 despite it only being in only 37 games. Maybe you need to check Sox affiliates for '53 too?
 

mt8thsw9th

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Jul 17, 2005
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Why do you assume his last name is Benson? Neither of my grandparents had the same last name as me due to divorce, and due to the patriarchy.
 

Bunt4aTriple

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I guess I wasn't clear. I dealt with the son, who was talking about his father. The son's name is Benson. My post might have implied a third generation. I'm guessing hyphens and merged names were less common then.
 

mt8thsw9th

anti-SoSHal
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Jul 17, 2005
17,120
Brooklyn
The only Benson that ever cracked the top 100 in the minors during Ted's career was Dewey Benson, who only hit .385 in 1954. Wasn't in the Red Sox' system, though.
 

Bunt4aTriple

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Yeah, I'll just end up asking him in the end, but was curious how others would tackle an assignment like this.

I haven't done much research of this variety and was curious.
 

smastroyin

simpering whimperer
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Jul 31, 2002
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there's also a chance it is an exaggerated anecdote and you will just cause embarrassment to push it, but you'll have to get a feel for what those chances are.
 

Zedia

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Jul 17, 2005
6,976
Pasadena, CA
I've never heard of the "Milk Bottle Leagues," and one of the few google hits is this thread. Was that a real thing?
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Dec 16, 2010
53,716
1. Go with the assumption it's the Knickerbocker dude, that did hit .414 in a year that Williams hit .406.

2. Rent the house.

3. Profit.