Now, the final recap of a previous Trivia Bowl. This one took place in February 2009, and I was looking forward to a tough competition at Broadway Joe’s in downtown Albany.
And it was a very tough competition. It looked like 40 different teams had hunkered down at Broadway Joe’s, and the hosts from Baker’s various trivia games were now employed as proctors for the night. In other words, if you had a blackberry in your hands, it better have come from the produce aisle at Price Chopper and not from the cell phone kiosk at the mall.
At 3:00, the first questions were asked. The trivia host, Kevin Baker, ramped up the difficulty on the questions, there were no “gimme” questions in the batch. At the time, I extended an invite to Ryan West, the host of my Wednesday night trivia games at Brown’s, to join me in the game. He accepted, and we were ready for the questions.
It wasn’t the greatest night for Street Academy – we didn’t lead, but we weren’t dead last either. At least one or two teams actually gave up and left, a sure sign that they were in WAY over their heads. It also didn’t help that someone must have turned off any air circulation at Broadway Joe’s – the place was like an unventilated sauna.
For the final round, Baker made everybody place their point wagers on four unknown questions, based only on the knowledge of the categories. You had to bet at least 50% on one question, but you could bet whatever you wanted on the other three categories.
Ryan and I placed our bet on music, and spread minimal amounts on the other three categories – sports, history and geography. The only way Street Academy would win this night would be if we got the four questions right and if most of the other teams either bet conservatively, or bet their entire pot and got every answer wrong.
The questions were –
- In what year did the NFL Network debut?
- After Steven Adler was fired from Guns ‘n Roses prior to a televised awards ceremony, what Hall of Fame drummer stepped in to replace Adler for the broadcast?
- What U.S. President has appeared on the cover of TIME magazine more often than any other President?
- In what state is the highest mountain peak called King’s Peak?
Ryan looked at me. “Sorry Chuck, I got nothing here.”
Honestly, neither did I. And from what I understand, very few people in the bar had the answers to these questions, either.
The NFL Network debuted in 2003. Only one or two of the teams got that.
Don Henley replaced Adler for the Guns ‘n Roses broadcast. Only one team got that one.
Richard Nixon appeared on more TIME Magazine covers than did any other president. Half the teams got that one.
And the final question – King’s Peak is in Utah.
And the cheers and celebration went to an entirely new team, a team I had never heard of previously. Sh!tload, a team that plays at Legends on Lark, claimed the championship bowl and some cash.
Several teams, including myself and Ryan West, congratulated Sh@tload on their victory. Several others headed for the door, and a blast of much-needed chilly air greeted them.
So now it’s time for Trivia Bowl 6. Saturday afternoon. 3:00 p.m. Wolf’s 1-11. Invitation only.
The bowl will be back.
The teams will be back.
I’ll be back.
Let’s rock.
Chuck The Writer 
We had a tactical disadvantage from the outset. One of our team members had a birthday party the night before that started with a keg of Labatt & a bottle of Crown Royal & ended with the birthday boy face-down in a bathtub full of canned Christmas popcorn. Two of our regular members had to work & our ringers brought nothing to the table. Our regulars would’ve won the Nixon question & with it, the bowl.
We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. So now, less than a year later, you can go up the Broadway Joe’s staircase and look down, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark – that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.
Alas, our point lead crashed & burned into a smoking wreck. The team boycott of the state of Utah still stands.
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There…there aren’t going to be that many people this time, are there? Or that furnace blasting in the middle of the room? At least, I think there was a furnace, considering how hot it was.
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