Challenge the Stupid Sportswriter 2007: Week 4
The certificate came in the mail probably Tuesday, to redeem for a pair of tickets to the Clippers' Oct. 18 exhibition game against ... does it really matter? It's the reward for a top 10 finish in last week's "The Challenge" interactive trivia game that Fred Roggin throws up on the KNBC Channel 4 screen for an hour after the NFL game.
The certificate from Barry's Tickets has no cash value. I'm supposed to call and have them shipped to me when they become available.
Turns out, I can't go to the game anyway. Does anyone want the tickets? Free admission to Staples Center for a meaningless NBA game.
Email me and we'll make arrangements.
I had no interest in the Giants-Eagles game on Channel 4 Sunday night either. We TiVo'd the HBO East Coast feed of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" at 7 p.m., then watched it at about 8 o'clock. I was almost finished with the latest episode where Larry has this problem with his bathroom breaks and Richard Lewis' girlfriend and getting wacked with a towel by his barber for being insensative when I flipped over to see that the game had ended, and yadda, yadda, yadda, I couldn't get my computer up and running fast enough before Fred's version of sports "Jeopardy!" got fired up.
I saw Petros rockin' his Aquaman shirt underneath a blazer as I tried to reboot the Internet machine. No good. Tried again. Something's goofy. Wouldn't kick over. I needed jumper cables or something.
It was unfolding like an episode of "Curb." My language was about as clean as Jeff's wife. The neighbors might have thought I was doing demowork on a Sunday night.
I finally got it going as the first question came on the screen. Hit the pavement running and, in true Larry David fashion, had a miserable time, finishing 4 for 8 (with only really one I knew for sure and got full credit) for a career-low 80 points and didn't even make the top 100.
I felt like Brent Tomko heading into the bedroom for the night.
For the season, I've fallen from seventh to 19th place with 710 points, 175 points out of first but still comfortably ahead of Richel Roggin.
So it goes:
Question 1: Joe Montana completed one of the most famous passes in NFL history. Who was on the receiving end of the Catch?
A) Dwight Clark
B) Jerry Rice
C) John Taylor
D) Freddie Solomon
Question 2: (You Make the Call video): How many players are supposed to be on the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped?
A) 9
B) 8
C) 6
D) 7
Question 3: How many seasons did the Raiders play in L.A. before moving back to Oakland?
A) 11
B) 13
C) 12
D) 10
Question 4: Which player was a member of the original gold medal-winning "Dream Team"?
A) Clyde Drexler
B) Isiah Thomas
C) Dominique Wilkins
D) Reggie Miller
Question 5: (audio): Which race car driver is singing this song?
A) Jacques Villeneuve
B) Michael Schumacher
C) Jeff Gordon
D) Dario Franchetti
Question 6: Which of these have never been contested in an Olympic Games?
A) Rackets
B) Water skiing
C) Croquet
D) Bowling
Question 7: Davey Johnson became manager of the Dodgers in what year?
A) 2000
B) 1999
C) 1998
D) 2001
Question 8: Who is the only Angel to be named the A.L. rookie of the year?
A) Wally Joyner
B) J.T. Snow
C) Tim Salmon
D) Garrett Anderson
And the answers:
A1: A: Clark. Got it right immediately, but not fast enough. Got 35 points.
A2: D: 7. For some reason, I thought it was 6, maybe because that's what I saw on the screen and had that number in my head when I was answering the question. The problem I also had with this: The font for the answers makes a 6 look like a 9 as well as an 8. But if you knew it was 7, you wouldn't have had a problem. My streak of correct answers was over. Got 0 points.
A3: B: 13. I did the math quickly in my head -- '81 to '94. Got 30 points.
A4: A: Drexler. As soon as I clicked Thomas, I knew it was wrong. Got 0 points.
A5: A: Villeneuve. I waited until he was the last choice just to salvage some points. Got 10 points. My streak of scoreless answers was over.
A6: D: Bowling. I picked water skiing. What an idiot. Again, got 0 points.
A7: B: 1999. My first guess was '97, so I was baffled from the start. Waited until the end and got the 5 points.
A8: C: Salmon, in '93. Yeah, the same year Piazza won it with the Dodgers. My first guess was Joyner and as soon as I saw his name come up, I locked in A. Then I saw Salmon and knew I was wrong. Again. For 0 points. (Joyner came up in '86 and hit 22 HRs with 100 RBI and a .290 average. So who won it? That punk Jose Canseco with Oakland).
What a pathetic effort. Where was Aquaman when I was trying to keep my head above water?