First things first. It really felt good returning to Elbo Room for he first time in two weeks. Everything seemed to be back to normal for me. Cassidy the energetic server already had my diet cola and my food order all set, and I had some pre-game chitchat time with members of the Get That Poison Out team and the Skidmarks.
Jeremy and Alexis arrived just as the game began, and Jeremy brought something special with him – see, a few weeks ago he planned on running his first half-marathon race, and in doing so he wanted to raise $1,500 and run as a member of Team ASPCA. He raised the $1,500; and in the race, he achieved a personal best of 1:58 and change, and receiving a medal for his efforts.
And from the start, we were hitting all cylinders. Alexis knew the narrator from How I Met Your Mother (Bob Saget), while J-Mac knew the decade when we first landed a spacecraft on Mars (1970’s), and I correctly identified the rock guitarist who died in a helicopter crash in 1990 (Stevie Ray Vaughan).
We were cruising like bank robbers heading for the state line.
And then we got tripped up by the troopers in the form of a quadruple bonus question.
“The largest tributary to the Arkansas River, the Canadian River travels through what four states?”
Crunch. We had absolutely no clue. The four states we did put down did not match any of the states that were the correct answer, and we fell from first place to fourth place in a heartbeat.
We persevered, though, and by the end of 19 questions we had 108 points and were only four points out of a two-way tie for first between Schooled and a new team, the Waffledingers.
The final question category was “Midseason Replacements.”
I’m thinking we have to bet it all. So we did.
“Matthew Perry’s new midseason show, ‘Mr. Sunshine,’ takes place in what city?”
J-Mac almost leaped over the table. “It’s Los Angeles. I know it’s Los Angeles.”
Who am I to argue with a medal-carrying long distance runner?
Up went the slip with Los Angeles written on it.
Well, I wish the story had a happy ending. Apparently “Mr. Sunshine” takes place in San Diego.
Not Los Angeles.
And that meant we finished with no points and no playoff points. But at least J-Mac got a medal for finishing the NYC half-marathon, and he’s put his name in the running for a full marathon later this fall.
Two teams did get it right – the Skidmarks and the Waffledingers, while Woo Hoo a Go Go had a safe bet and finished with a single playoff point for third place.
So here’s the standings after four weeks. The top eight teams are listed above the “CUT LINE”; if the tournament ended today, those would be the eight teams that can play in the championship round. Any team with a star in the box marked “Finals” has mathematically qualified for the money round, no matter how they do for the rest of the tournament.
| Trivia Team | Points | Totals | FINALS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Get That Poison Out | 9 | ||
| T-2 | The Waffledingers | 5 | 5 | |
| T-2 | Skidmarks | 3 | 5 | |
| T-2 | Schooled | 5 | ||
| T-2 | Stern Fans | 5 | ||
| 6 | Woo Hoo a Go Go | 1 | 4 | |
| 7 | Street Academy | 3 |
And only the top eight teams will make it into the final tournament round on May 26, 2011. Any team in ninth place or below will not make the cut. So teams now have to keep playing and avoid the dreaded cut line.
Four weeks down. Nine weeks to go.
Chuck The Writer 
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