And today… it’s Trivia Bowl VIII.

I missed the first one.

I was part of a combined team for the second one.

Won the third one.

Wiped out on the fourth one.

Broiled in the fifth one.

Reclaimed the sixth one.

And whiffed on the seventh one.

And today, at 1:00 p.m. at Wolf’s 1-11 on Wolf Road in Colonie, the eighth annual Trivia Bowl – the gathering of the best and greatest Capital District trivia teams – will take place.  The chalice of honor – yeah, it’s a wing sauce bowl that was once part of the kitchen at Hooters in Crossgates Mall – will spend the next twelve months at the home of the championship team, whomever they may be.

As those who read my blog know, I’ve won Trivia Bowl twice.  I’d like to win it a third time.  And there’s 30+ teams out there that are going to try and stop my teammates and me from doing so.

So let me say this, right now, before the game starts – let me say this to every team captain and team member who will be at Wolf’s 1-11 today.

I am glad that you are part of this.  You are among the best teams in this area.  You have earned your spot in this championship.  No matter how much trash-talking or bravado we throw at each other, no matter how much smack is flung on Facebook or tweeted on Twitter, you’ve earned your place and you’ve earned respect.

And after 20 questions, if your score is the winner, I want to be the first one to come over and congratulate each of you for winning.  I want to shake your hands and say to you, “On this day of days, you are the best, congratulations on winning the Trivia Bowl.”

Trust me.  I know how much this day means.  There are some readers who say, “Oh this is nothing, it’s just a trivia game.  Drink some beer, eat some wings, answer some questions, lather, rinse, repeat.”

That’s why THOSE people aren’t our teammates.

We’re the ones that have custom-printed T-shirts.  We’re the ones that have designated specific team captains to bring up the answer slips.  We’re the ones that have a special fist-bump with our teammates when we get the answer right (Lynch’s Mob, I’m talking to you), or who cheer for themselves whether they’re in first place or last place (Yes, Skidmarks, that’s to you).

Our teams are our best friends.  They’re our family members.  They’re our brothers and sisters and our co-workers and our hobbyists.  Our teams represent our favorite bars and taverns and restaurants, the place where for us the wings are always tasty, the beers are always thirst-quenching, and the waitstaff never get our orders wrong.

And today, we bring our talents to one restaurant, to see who is the best of the best.  And most of us will leave, saying “I wish I had that answer right,” or “I knew I had that answer right,” or “Ha, we finally beat Chuck Miller and Street Academy,” or “Damn, we almost beat Chuck Miller and Street Academy.”  Sort of like the day when I said, “Ha, we finally beat Pete Lynch and Lynch’s Mob.”

But the most important thing is that, on this day of days, we all have fun.  We all share in the spirit of good times and camaraderie and friendship and support.   Let’s put it this way.  I’ve played against teams that have booed me like I’m Snidely Whiplash tying Nell Fenwick to the railroad tracks – and a few days later, I’m helping one of their teammates purchase a camera so he can take pictures for his honeymoon.   We’re all having fun – but if someone needed our help, we would be there in a heartbeat.

And special consideration is reserved for our trivia hosts.  Kevin Baker has built this trivia company from a one-off radio promotion into a nightly phenomenon that has spread throughout the Capital District and beyond.  And we have our favorite local hosts – General James, Steve Murray, Ben Hovey, PJ, and the list goes on and on.  These guys ask us the questions, they put up with our griping about whether an alternate answer is technically right or not, and in the end, they give us our prizes and give us congratulations.  And if you’ve played at Murray’s game and it’s your birthday, he’ll even sing you “Happy Birthday” in your choice of vocal impersonations.  Yeah, you get either Aaron Neville or Sean Connery.  Take your pick.

Today is indeed a special day.  It’s our final round at Augusta National.  It’s the green flag at the Daytona 500.  Our Stanley Cup is on the podium.  One team will win it and take it home.  The team that wins will have deserved it and can call themselves Trivia Bowl champions for as long as they live.

If I don’t come over to your table before the game and wish you good luck, let me do it now in today’s blog post – just so I don’t miss giving you the courtesy.  I wish you good luck and all the success in today’s Trivia Bowl.  If you beat me, you beat me and my teammates at our best.

Just know this – the Street Academy trivia team didn’t come to Trivia Bowl to lose.

And I’m sure you didn’t come to Trivia Bowl to lose, either.

Good luck today.  And may the best trivia team win.