Q: What can you tell me about baseball player Grover Cleveland Alexander?

- G.D., Wilcox, Neb.

A: Born Feb. 26, 1887, in Elba, Neb., Grover Cleveland Alexander, a right-handed pitcher, debuted with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1911. Before retiring from professional baseball in 1930, he also played for the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. Alexander won the National League pitcher's triple crown - wins, earned run average and strikeouts - in 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1920. He won a World Series in 1926 and two National League pennants in 1915 and 1918. Because of his career 373-208 win-loss record, 2,198 strikeouts and a 2.56 ERA, the Baseball Hall of Fame came calling in 1938. Alexander died on Nov. 4, 1950, in St. Paul, Neb.

Q: When I had a respiratory infection, I stayed in bed for several days. On one of the days during my illness, I thought to myself that I was "sick as a dog." What does a dog have to do with being sick?

- G.H., Jim Thorpe, Pa.

A: Nothing, really - it's just an expression. Several linguists claim the phrase originated in the early 1700s and has become part of the lexicon ever since. There are several negative statements that reflect poorly on our canine friends. When you are incredibly fatigued, you might be as "tired as a dog." Or if everything in your life seems to be heading in the wrong direction, you could say your life is "going to the dogs." Not to mention it's "a dog-eat-dog world." Sometimes, expressions are that way: They don't make sense, but everyone knows what you mean.