NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Pop quiz, Ron Washington. Four other members of your 1988 club are now current Major League managers, just like you. Can you name them? The Rangers skipper, approached with this informal test at the Winter Meetings this week, strokes his chin for a second. "Terry Francona," he said. And yes, Francona, the newly named leader of the Indians, hit .311 in 62 games that season, primarily as a designated hitter. "John Farrell," Washington continued. And yes, Farrell, who has changed American League East affiliations -- from the Blue Jays to the Red Sox -- this winter, was an up-and-coming 25-year-old starter who won 14 games that year. "Um," said Washington, looking momentarily stumped, until the memory clicks. "Charlie Manuel was the hitting coach!" Right again. Long before he won a World Series with the Phillies, Manuel was, indeed, the hitting coach on this particular club. One more to go. "Buddy Black!" Washington said, slapping his hands. And yes, Black, principal of the Padres, was a midseason rotation acquisition for the 1988 Indians. "See?" said Washington. "I don't have Alzheimer's!" No, but he does have a spot in one of baseball's trickiest trivia questions. Go ahead and ask your friends if they can name the five active managers who were on the same squad at one time. And then see if they can name that team. Chances are, their minds will immediately gravitate toward a playoff club of some caliber. Doubtful they'll immediately guess the 1988 Cleveland Indians, a team that was every bit as comical as the movie "Major League," filmed in '88 and released in '89, would lead you to believe. "Little did we know," said Farrell, "that the fertile soil of the shores of Lake Erie was cultivating five future managers."

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