We qualified for the Sporcle Live league championship Saturday at Oscar’s in Saline, but it was unlike any venue tournament we’ve ever played before. First off, we had a perfect game one. A rarity for a tournament game! But most importantly, we qualified in the least competitive way possible! We’re no strangers to running the very competitive gauntlets of qualifying for trivia tournaments, even driving hundreds of miles to show up for semifinal games after vacations! We’ve also done the “barhop” route several times, which is its own adventure in and of itself! Anyone who tries to say playing four or more times a week to qualify through barhop is the “easy” way to go? Try it! On Saturday, all we pretty much had to do was show up! Only two other league teams had qualified along with us, and both of them already earned their tournament spots through barhop or by qualifying at a spot earlier in the week. But just to prove we didn’t just push the “easy” button like in the Staples ads, we tried qualifying at a second trivia spot and played the seven minimum games at Original Gravity Brewing Co. in Milan. Close, but no cigar! Only one player was available to go out to this deciding game, I finished in third overall. Saturday, we finished with 140 points, and got a first place sweep of two $15 prizes. Our representative trio was myself, Mike, and “Evan Almighty,” a nickname we jokingly bestowed upon our newest ‘Pod recruit after last night’s game. But that nickname is only going to stick if he promises not to let it go to his head, lol! Without further ado, the questions…
Game One
1. Singers – The 1999 singles “Babylon” and “I Tried” were Billboard hits for two artists who shared what colorful last name? Evan and I teamed up on this one for 10.
2. Countries -The Marshall Islands is a country located near the Equator in which ocean? 9
3. High-Grossing Films – What 2017 film with a single-word title earned $100 million more than “Logan” at the domestic box office? Came up with this last second, Evan mentioned a single-word movie in a specific genre, and “it” let me to the correct film, got this for 3.
4. Literary Quotes – What object fills the blank in this line from O Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi?” “I sold the (blank) to get the object to buy the combs?” Evan and Mike worked together on this one, but only wagered 5.
6. College Basketball – Since 2010, which U.S. state has hosted the NCAA Div. 1 championships three times? I listed three states, luckily guessed the right one for one point.
7. Assassinations – Within four, in what year was San Francisco politician Harvey Milk assassinated? For an extra “nerd” bonus point, hit the year exact. Nailed it for 8 plus the bonus.
8. Video Games – “Phantom Hourglass” is the subtitle for what video game franchise released in 2007? Evan again for 7.
9. Beverages – What sparkling beverage commonly used as a mixer is flavored with a bit of quinine? I was hooked on this stuff for a bit one summer, lol…
10. Classification – What comes between order and genus in biological classification hierarchy? Yay eighth grade science teacher Mr. Francis for teaching me this mnemonic device, finished regular round with just a two-pointer.
Mystery – High-grossing ’90s films – Identify the movie titles based on the following descriptions
1. 1996, tornado, water spout or dust devil
2. 1990, word for a disembodied soul
3. 1998, final and conclusive battle between good and evil
4. 1994, magnitude of velocity irrespective of direction
Got ’em all.
Scores: Twelve teams, scores 22 to 67 with us in first. Sparty On was in eighth with 36, One is the Loneliest Number was in sixth with 51, and More Beer Less Pants was in fifth with 52 points.
Final Category – Borders
Name one of the three nations bordered by France’s overseas possessions in the New World. This question has been heavily abridged.
Got it, but this one took a bit of work!
Final Standings – ‘Pods, 76, Steve, 75. We wagered just enough to put us ahead by just one point.
Game Two
1. U.S. Geography – What state’s lowest point is 2.842 feet above sea level near Red Bluff Reservoir just east of Carlsbad Caverns? 10
2. Board Games – What board game involving bluffing and trivia has a 10-letter name meaning senseless exaggerating talk or nonsense? 9
3. Song Lyrics – What computer program is mentioned in a 2014 song called “All About That Bass?” For an extra “nerd” bonus point, who sang this song? A bit of discussion, but got this for 4 plus the bonus.
4. Pilots – What is the name for a fighter pilot who positions himself behind or to the side of another pilot or for a person who positions themselves similarly in a singles bar? 8
5. TV Characters – Miller, Day and Bishop are last names of characters in what sitcom which debuted in 2011? Got this on a guess for 2.
6. Stadiums – Built in 1957, what NFL stadium was first known as City Stadium until 1965 when it was renamed in honor of the team’s founder? Nope, miss for 3.
7. Information – A byte of information is made up of how many bits? Miss for 1.
8. War History – What decisive World War 2 battle happened one month after the attack on Pearl Harbor on an island roughly equal distance between Asia and North America? 7
9. Movie Feuds – What two factions face off in a 2011 sci-fi movie starring Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig? 6
10. Google – What was the name for the head-mounted Google gadget with an optical display released in 2013? 5
Missed just four points in the game two regular round.
Mystery – AC or DC? All correct responses will be names with initials AC or DC
1. Crime novelist who created Miss Marple
2. Prime minister of the U.K. between 2010 and 2016
3. Lead singer of band recording “Scars to your Beautiful”
4. Comedic actor who wrote a 1997 book called “Dirty Jokes and Beer.”
I came up with right guess for #4 because of a quote from the movie “Heathers” – “This is (state this guy is from) – If you don’t have a brewski in your hand, you might as well be wearing a dress.” Who says movie quotes can’t teach you anything? 🙂

One of the Heathers from “Heathers” deeply regretting eating those corn nuts the night before…

Scores – Seven teams, scores 20 to 60, with us in first.
Final Category – Literary Characters
Name two of the six pig characters in the George Orwell book “Animal Farm.”
I was in the rest room while final scores were being read, we flunked this (only got one correct pig), but still wound up in first with 49 points. And what is WITH all of these pig questions lately? Pass the pigs was asked about in Thursday’s game! How about a question about the Pink Floyd song “Pigs?” Charade, you are! That is a good album! Might have to listen to “Animals” sometime soon! Well, another season is in the books, we’ll see some of you at the Sporcle Live League Championship Dec. 2! We’ll be taking a bit of a break from Sporcle Live games until the end of the year, and in January, might give a central division spot a try. We are still figuring out where we will play for the winter season, we are trying not to stray too far from home! “Evan Almighty” will be joining our “power duo” at finals, and we are currently seeking at least a couple of other players to help us out on the big day! Message me at this page if you are interested in the job! Note, I no longer require applicants to be able to sing songs from “Jesus Christ Superstar” or Evita” from memory to be able to play on our team, lol! But any sports knowledge is always a plus! As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Napoleon the Pig!