Q: Which MLB team has the most black players? How many do the Braves have?
— Eddie Hollins, Atlanta
A: The Philadelphia Phillies had eight black players on their 2014 opening day roster, the most in Major League Baseball. They were: Domonic Brown, Marlon Byrd, Tony Gwynn Jr., Mario Hollands, Ryan Howard, John Mayberry Jr., Ben Revere and Jimmy Rollins. The Atlanta Braves had three black players — Jason Heyward, B.J. Upton and Justin Upton — on their opening day roster. There were 67 black players, or 8.3 percent, on opening day rosters, a league spokesman told Q&A on the News in an email, down from a high of 18.7 percent in 1981. Three teams — the San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals — didn't have a black player on their roster. There were 223 players, or 26.3 percent, who are foreign-born, including 83 from the Dominican Republic, followed by Venezuela (59), Cuba (19), Puerto Rico (11), Canada (10), and Japan and Mexico with nine each.
Q: The coverage of the gubernatorial race — particularly the fact that a state school superintendent is in the race — leads me to wonder what became of Linda Schrenko.
— Drew Plant, Atlanta
A: Schrenko, the state school superintendent from 1994-2002 who pleaded guilty to embezzlement and money laundering charges in 2006, was released from home confinement last August. She received an eight-year sentence for her role in fraudulently obtaining $600,000 in federal education funds. Schrenko, who made a failed run for governor in 2002, served time at a medium-security prison in Sumterville, Fla., and was required to pay $414,000 in restitution.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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