This coming Saturday at Wolf’s 1-11 is the sixth annual Trivia Bowl, and the top invitation-only teams will battle it out for the right to claim the championship Trivia Bowl.
These teams were hand-picked by the hosts of the various Trivia Nights Live teams – Baker, General James, Murray, Charlie, and the rest. Automatic berths are bestowed to past Trivia Bowl champions, and the top teams from each of the other Trivia Nights Live-based bars and taverns are given invitations as well. This list is subject to change, and some teams may be added or deleted as we go forward.
So let’s get started with this edition of Selection Sunday. Please note that due to Times-Union blogging requirements, some team names are slightly modified – especially if their name includes one of the seven words George Carlin says you can’t say on TV.
First off, the four teams that have earned Trivia Bowl berths as Past Champions.
- Lynch’s Mob (Trivia Bowl I, Trivia Bowl II)
- Street Academy (Trivia Bowl III)
- Stern Fans (Trivia Bowl IV)
- Sh!tload (Trivia Bowl V; representing Legends on Lark)
Next up are teams that are the best trivia squads from the following Capital District bars and taverns.
Representing Blue 82 (Wednesday nights, 830pm):
- The Tuesday Nighters
- King Dong’s Mom
Representing Pizzeria UNO Chicago Bar and Grille (Tuesday nights, 730pm)
- See You Next Tuesday
- Tres Hombres
- Surf Tulsa
Representing Dakota Steakhouse (Thursday nights, 530pm)
- 106
- Debbie Does Dakota
Representing Katie O’Byrne’s (Tuesday nights, 8pm)
- Pootie Tang
Representing McGeary’s Irish Sports Pub (Tuesday nights, 8pm)
- Clay Aiken’s Skidmarks
Representing Broadway Joe’s (Friday nights, 530pm)
- The Friends
Representing the Side Door Café (Thursday nights, 730pm)
- The Village Idiots
- Bookake
- Joe Rude
Representing Pinhead Susan’s (Thursday nights, 8pm)
- My Wife the Tramp
- The Happy Endings
Representing Junior’s Sports Bar (Thursday nights, 10pm)
- Champions of Chestertown
- Mudrat Detectors
Representing the Stone Crow (Friday nights, 8pm)
- Drunken White Irishmen
Representing Duke’s Irish Pub (Friday nights, 8pm)
- Blue Moon’d
Representing Jessica Stones (Friday nights, 7pm)
- Tap This!
Representing the Recovery Room – Troy (Wednesday nights, 730pm)
- A Few Cards Short of a Deck
And finally, representing The Elbo Room (Thursday nights, 730pm)
- Brown Van Experience
- Woo Hoo a Go Go
There might still be some adjustments, some last-minute cancellations and whatnot. Other teams may still be added to this list, but so far these are the teams that have not only received invites, but have confirmed their acceptance to be part of the championship tournament.
Some teams’ names aren’t on this list. Don’t read anything into that. This should not be taken as a sign of anything other than they either haven’t RSVP’d yet, or that some teams are actually still qualifying at their local bar or restaurant for a coveted berth. Think of it as similar to the teams in the Big Sky Conference still fighting it out for that last automatic berth – and that maybe some teams out there may still receive an at-large bid.
Let the studying – and the bragging – and the trash talking – begin NOW!
Chuck The Writer 
Alright everyone, it. is. on. Good luck to everyone and may the best team (that will be us) win. 😉
LikeLike
Aw, I was looking forward to seeing past luminaries on this list, like “Please Stop The Bus And Let My Friend Jack Off” & “My Couch Pulls Out But I Don’t!” Maybe they’re still qualifying.
Lynch’s Mob, the “Ken Jennings” of Albany team trivia, have always proven tough competitors in the past, but whither have they gone now that Hooters is outta business? They haunt the Bowl as a specter of faded glory, but almost always lag toward the middle of the pack come final question(s) these days. Can they pull another Bowl victory? They’ve done it before and we likely haven’t heard the last of them.
Meanwhile perennial crowd favorite & undisputed “Ric Flair” of greater Albany, Street Academy, is coming down off three so-close-yet-so-far-away tournament losses at the Thursday night game at Elbo Room and any other bar game where he can escape, if even for one evening, the inevitable chorus of boos should even one member of the Skid Marks be present in the crowd. Strong past performer, but lately has been choking rather spectacularly in the clutch. Still, one to keep an eye on.
What would Albany team trivia be without its resident glee club, Clay Aiken Skidmarks? Not as entertaining or boisterous, certainly. The boos (and the cheers) get louder as their drink tab grows, and will probably suffer the most from the 8-player cap at the big game, as lately they’ve had almost double that in the Elbo Room regular season. Can they pull a rabbit out of the hat this time? Not unless by some freak fluke every question is about the Red Sox.
Then there’s the Friends, the deans of the Broadway Joe’s Friday night game, whose spot in this tournament was never really in doubt because none of their competitors can get cell phone service in the shadow of the Knick. A hodgepodge of other trivia teams, they really are testament to the adage that 90% of success is in just showing up & knowing what was asked earlier in the week.
This week’s champions of the Elbo Room $2500 tournament, Mayhem, came off a strong season of first-place prizes but have suffered allegations of cheating in the wake of their victory. These accusations emerged after the fact, aired in anonymous blog comments, and had there been any impropriety the accusers should’ve resorted to the time-honored tradition of pointing & chanting CHEATER had there been any impermissible use of a cell phone in tournament play. There is a whiff of scandal in the air, and they insist that their new corporate sponsor Verizon Wireless is purely happy coincidence. Will their legacy be more Mickey Mantle or Mark McGwire? Too early to say.
Which leads to the team to watch this year: Woo Hoo A Go Go, still quivering with anticipation for Chuck’s series on all the Elbo Room tournaments he’s lost. They now have 2½ tournament victories under their belt, making them the most victorious team in the Elbo Room roster, and remind Street Academy that even though $500 divided by nine may only be $55.56, that’s still more than $0 divided by 1. Some ask, what is the secret to their success? Is it their mastery of all things history, geography, movies, oldies, modern music and baseball? Is it their coalition of young & middle-aged players? Is it their base of state workers who have all day to read & memorize Wikipedia? The world may never know for sure. Twice they have amassed commanding point leads at Trivia Bowl appearances, only to crash & burn in final-question categories that by all rights they never should’ve missed. They have shaken the ghost of Richard Nixon and have forgiven the government of Switzerland for dragging their feet on the women’s suffrage issue, but the boycott of the state of Utah still stands. Now they thirst for redemption, another $500 kitty, and of course the grandest prize, their name emblazoned on the crown jewel of Albany trivia, the coveted Bowl trophy. They have the knowledge base, they have the ambition, and they have past strong performance in their favor, so for Trivia Bowl VI, Woo Hoo A Go Go are the STONE COLD LOCK OF THE CENTURY, of the week.
LikeLike
Ya gotta admire a victory guarantee,,,very Rex Ryan-ish.
Other than that,,,best post ever!
LikeLike
What time Saturday does the fun start?
LikeLike
You should get there around 7.
LikeLike
“Oh look at me, i need to use the power of mis-information and suggestion to gain tactical advantages to win.”
That’s you.
3-time defending Elbo Room trivia champions.
That’s us.
’nuff said.
LikeLike
An Elbo Room champion?! Yeh, I’ve read about that place somewhere.
And aren’t you defending second place? What did Dale call 2nd place?…the first… what?…
LikeLike
Game starts at 3pm on Saturday.
LikeLike
i think i need to chime in and clarify something.
we, the skidmarks, do not represent one single place. we represent every place. we represent…the PEOPLE. we are here to give hope to those who feel they have none in the ever growing world of team trivia. we started 7 years ago as a team of 2, and over the years you have witnessed the evolution of the skidmarks. we represent the PEOPLE, and have therefore been deemed “the peoples trivia team.” and come this saturday we will take home the coveted trivia bowl not just for us, but for YOU, the people. we thank you, fine patrons of team trivia for your growing support.
LikeLike
Okay… I must have missed something… at what time did Clay Aiken’s Skid Marks become “The People’s Trivia Team”? Was that before, during or after your stellar show-stopping performance at Trivia Bowl 5? 🙂
LikeLike
I hope that Woo Hoo has responded to Baker already… It distresses me a little that a reader by the Woo Hoo name is asking what time things start… Ellipses for all! …
LikeLike
It was…a cunning psyche-out attempt! Yeah! That’s the ticket!
LikeLike
Word has it that the team “Send It In Jerome” may have also received an invite to TB6.
LikeLike
Lynch’s Mob has diversified to send teams all over the CR. Weds at Recovery Troy, Fridays at Jessica Stones, and for those of them who seemingly can’t find an establishment outside of Crossgates, they play at Uno’s on Tuesdays.
LikeLike