I don’t think it could have been a less favorable set of questions for just a couple of ‘Pods Thursday in our Sporcle Live game at Original Gravity Brewing Co.! On a bright note, team This is Sparta featuring Doug and Co. wound up having a great night, winning first for the night and a first/second place prize (go you guys)! As a little bright note for us, and oddly enough, we wound up getting a “sports” final question right! It was such an odd occurrence, in fact, that the trivia host Sporcle Live with Lauren came over after the game to personally congratulate me for getting it right (LOL)! I may not be so hot when it comes to knowing names of professional athletes (though sometimes I get lucky and the answer is Bobby Orr, Roger Clemens, Dan Marino or Bill Russell), or knowing about sports records, championships or stadiums (though sometimes I do get lucky with stadiums).

Roger Clemens on “The Simpsons” can’t stop clucking like a chicken after an ill-fated visit to a hypnotist.

 

I did feel a LITTLE confident in the category of “sports geography” (eleven points confident to be exact)! I’m not even sure why I wagered 11, my wagering strategies as of late have been kind of odd (though full disclosure, I have NOT been using die rolls to determine wagers)! We logged our lowest score of this season with just 67 total points. Betting 20 on an “actresses” final question in game one was a brutal blow for not only our team, but others in the bar as well (only one team got it correct). The question WOULD have to have been about an actress I can list exactly two things I know about (she is going to be in an upcoming Marvel film, and she was at least nominated for or won an acting Oscar). Also a third thing – she shares her name with a cheese (it’s not Gorgonzola). Whine…why couldn’t the question have been about Jane Fonda? Or Glenn Close (no wait, not Glenn Close…we blew a question about HER for 10 points…so maybe not Glenn Close, lol). Uh…how about Glenne Headly? Name two movies she appeared in with Steve Martin? I can do THAT! 

Glenne Headly and Steve Martin in one of the films they appeared together. This is a particularly enjoyable scene in which their decision to get married – or not – will be decided by the “cards.” You really have to see this to appreciate it, but the way she says “You’re On” is so…HOT! In this ending scene, she stands HIM up at the alter (which he did to her on several previous occasions), and after everyone leaves, she shows up, and they play poker. They play a single hand round of nickel ante – if he wins, they get married.  He winds up winning, and they get married. But right after they get married, it’s revealed that she was holding five aces, and would have been the REAL winner. To watch that scene, click here

Clearly it was just not our night…maybe we somehow ran afoul of one of the “carnies” working the Milan Fair’s carnival and they put a Gypsy curse on us! It wouldn’t be the strangest thing that has happened to our team! If you’re looking for a trivia game with a fairy tale-style (or Asian massage parlor style) happy ending, you might not want to continue reading! But if you want to revel in our misery (admit it…you do) – then by all means – go on reading! Ahem…
Game One
1. Nicknames – What U.S. city has been known by the following nicknames – “The Paris of the West,” “Fog City,” and “Baghdad by the Bay?” Correct guess, but not confident for 2.
2. Abbreviations – As used in the abbreviation “ISBN,” what does the letter B stand for? This question is abbreviated…but got it for 5.
3. Plants – Heaths, beans and peanuts are all plants in what family? 10
4. Instruments – On a standard tuned four-string bass guitar, what is the lowest string tuned to? Great game for Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers to bail on us (LOL), miss for 3. We did try on this – we knew which string was lowest on standard guitar tuning (queue up song with super sad guitar solo – how about Led Zeppelin’s “Since I’ve Been Loving You” lol). Yes, I did listen to this song while typing up the questions (it was very fitting theme music for such a sad game).
5. ’80s Movies – In addition to Fatal Attraction and Dangerous Liaisons, for which she was nominated for best actress in two consecutive years; name one other film for which actress Glenn Close was nominated for best supporting actress – also in consecutive years in the 1980s – both for a “nerd” bonus point? Hope you’re still playing that song with the sad guitar solo (I am)…we missed for 10 and no bonus.
6. Toys – The best-selling holiday toy in the 2002 and 2003 was a toy with battling spinning tops, which was released alongside an animated TV series of the same name? Miss for 6.
7. Trophies – Since 2008, the Philip Anschutz Trophy has been given to the teams winning the championship in which sports league? Miss for 1.
8. Theme Songs – Audio clue of a doctor cop lawyer show that aired from 1986 to 1995, got for 8.

Grandpa Simpson was a HUGE fan of this show…as were many other senior citizens, lol.

9. Singers – In 1999, at the age of 13, which singer became the youngest solo artist to go platinum, a record which has since been broken by another artist (did not catch the name of the other artist)? Miss for 4.
10. Exploring – In what decade did the Corps of Discovery explore the newly purchased Louisiana Territory? Should not have thought about a certain war that was going on around that time…otherwise we would have gotten it…miss for 7! We need to stop skipping U.S. history class! Speaking of history…
Mystery – This Day In History
On this day in…
1. 1859 – What London timekeeper gave its first ring?
2. 2005 – Mark Felt was revealed to be the secret source in the Watergate scandal, better known by what nickname?
3. 1996 – What man was elected prime minister of Israel?
4. 1930 – What actor, producer and director was born and best known for the “Dirty Harry” film series?
Got them all…much needed eight points!
Scores – (you don’t want to read THOSE, do you?) – Nine teams, scores 16 to 57 with This Is Sparta in first. We were in seventh playing under the name Ambien Made Us Miss Those Questions (it didn’t really)! Our lame attempt at being “topical” and “current events-y”).
Final Category – Actresses
Actress Brie Larson has appeared in three films that have grossed over 100 million dollars at the U.S. box office. Name any one of those films.
Oh SHIT! We wagered 20 on this! Nope…nope.
Final Scores: This is Sparta, 42; ????, 63 (moved up from fifth). Game two doesn’t get much better for us, but if you’re still reading, uh…OK?
Game Two
1. Reality TV – In May, 2018, Wendell Holland Jr. became the winner of what reality competition series in its 36th season? Got it for 1.
2. Magazines – What magazine, first published in 1925, has sections titled “Shouts and Murmurs” and “Top of the Town?” Miss for 3, though Mike did suggest the correct answer.
3. Nintendo – What is the title of the Nintendo motocross game originally released in the U.S. in 1985? Miss for 3.
4. Basketball – What is the team nickname of either of the WNBA teams that have joined the league since 2001? Nerd bonus, name both. Nope and nope.
5. Measuring – Within three, how many inches are in a meter? Hit this one dead on for 10.
6. Top 10s – What singer, songwriter and dancer had 27 top 10 hits, beginning in 1986 which included “Let’s Wait A While,” “Someone to Call My Lover,” and “If?” We were not the only team to get a little celebratory for getting this right (could this be a “tell” that this was a rough round of questions all around?), got for 5. Should have wagered higher, but our confidence was really shaken by this point!
7. Publishing – The publishing company currently known by its nickname TRONC is also known by what name, which is shared with its flagship company? FB clue, 9.
8. Star Wars – In May, 2018, “Solo – A Star Wars Story” became the second standalone Star Wars film in the series after “The Last Jedi.” In 2020, which will become the third “standalone” Star Wars film? We made SUCH a good guess – and it SHOULD be a standalone film…but we missed this for 7. You KNOW it’s a bad night for the ‘Pods when we miss a question about “Star Wars!”
9. Secretaries – Who was named Secretary of State after Rex Tillerson stepped down (or was fired…) April 26, 2018? Miss for 7.
10. Geography – (oh THANK the trivia gods for this category…) The Malay Peninsula is the southernmost point on which of the seven continents? I originally mispelled it as “melee” in my notes (Freudian slip, lol)…got this for 8.
Mystery –

Missed #2.
Scores – Eleven teams, scores 16 to 59, with us in 10th with 39.
Final Category – Sports Geography
I wanted to wager SOMETHING, but was not confident to wager it all after doing that in game one and ending up with 17 points! So I wagered 11 for no reason other than “well, it’s more than 10.” Don’t ask me to explain how my brain works!
Name both the southernmost and northernmost cities that have at least one team in one of the four major North American sports leagues. (NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB)
Got it…though I was kind of torn between two cities for the “northern” guess.
Final Scores: Big Heads Big Hearts, 77; This is Sparta, 79 (standings did not change).
Yup. This was the most brutal game in recent memory! We have managed to summon one more player to join us the next couple of weeks, which hopefully will help us out a bit! Our next trivia outing is Saturday, though it could be a “Solo” adventure (not involving Han Solo), so look for another recap on Sunday. As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Boba Fett!