Challenge the Stupid Sportswriter, Week 3
It's not like I needed a pair of Nike sunglasses, glued together by some 4-year-olds in Pakistan during their break on the shoe line, but finishing in the Top 25 of Fred Roggin's weekly quiz show, "The Challenge" on KNBC-Channel 4 woulda got me some.
Wasn't gonna happen. I finished tied for 28th -- the lowest finish in three weeks -- with a measly 145 points.
Not impressive at all for someone who's paid to know this stuff. I had four completely wrong of the nine (even waiting until some answers were eliminated, I still had bad instincts on most). Again, the three I did immediately know, I didn't get the full 40 points.
The 145 points are just half of the 290 that Brian Gomez and Tommy Tedros had to share the title on Sunday night. They had it made in the shade. I was just not focused. I'd been at the Dodgers game earlier in the day -- the Nomar grandslam finish -- and just didn't have my gameface on when I got home last night.
Lesson 2,382 of "The Challenge": It pays to play sober. I needed a designated clicker.
For the season, I've dropped down into a tie for 36th with 485 total points. Sonia Desaegher -- c'mon, a chick is winning? -- is the overall leader with 745 points, with our early favorite, Patrick Alog, second with 730 points, now that he's taken our advice and doesn't do the quiz on a DirecTV feed anymore. I'm still in the Top 100 even with that dismal performance, and seem to be far enough ahead of Mrs. Roggin to not worry about getting any crank phone calls in the middle of the night.
Remember, that's at least a five-second delay on DirecTV over cable or other over-the-air service means. That doesn't help at all get the full amount of points per question and, in this case, it really didn't help me at all.
So, no glasses this week after I did have a tied-for-ninth finish last week and, by finishing in the Top 25, was supposed to get of tickets to the Sept. 30 UCLA-Stanford game. The rules say they were going to contact me within 48 hours to get me that prize.
I'm still waiting to be contacted.... Seriously.
Here are this week's questions and answers. Again, if you finished better than me, drop me an email at thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com and I'll guarantee a return email congratulating you on your achievement. As minor as it may be:
1) What year the the Anaheim Mighty Ducks come into existence?
a) 1991
b) 1993
c) 1992
d) 1990
2) What major league baseball team drafted John Elway?
a) Kansas City Royals
b) New York Mets
c) Seattle Mariners
d) New York Yankees
3) Which Irvine native has competed in 3 Olympics and has won 7 Olympic medals in swimming?
a) Janet Evans
b) Aaron Peirsol
c) Amanda Beard
d) Lenny Krayzelburg
4) Which former boxing champion is singing this song? (An audio of a song called "Ya'll Must've Forgot")
a) Floyd Mayweather
b) Roy Jones Jr.
c) Antonio Tarver
d) Oscar de la Hoya
5) Who was the last Southland baseball team to win the Little League World Series?
a) Long Beach
b) Northridge
c) Mission Viejo
d) Thousand Oaks
6) Who did the Lakers play in their first regular-season game at Staples Center?
a) Utah Jazz
b) Dallas Mavericks
c) Denver Nuggets
d) Vancouver Grizzles
7) Who is USC's all-time leading rusher in college football?
a) O.J. Simpson
b) Reggie Bush
c) Charles White
d) Marcus Allen
8) Which major league manager was skipper of the real Durham Bulls during the filming of "Bull Durham"?
a) Joe Torre
b) Mike Hargrove
c) Ron Gardenhire
d) Grady Little
9) Besides UCLA, which Division One school uses the nickname "Bruins"?
a) Belmont
b) Bucknell
c) Bradley
d) Bowling Green
The answers:
1) b, 1993. My first hunch was 1992 so I stuck with that until there were only two choices left, '92 and '93. I took '92. I was wrong. 0 points.
2) d, New York Yankees. Knew this right away. Got 35 points.
3) c, Amanda Beard. I'm kicking myself for missing this. Krayzelburg was my first instinct and I clicked onto to it way too early. When it came down to the last two choices -- Beard and Krayzelburg -- I thought I had it until I remembered, Lenny wasn't from Irvine, but from somewhere in L.A. 0 points again.
4) b. Roy Jones Jr. First instinct was to pick De La Hoya because of his CD that was nominated for a Latin Grammy, but the first lyrics of the song played, "When I won my gold medal in Seoul, Korea ..." I opted for Jones and got 35 points.
5) a. Long Beach, in '92 and '93. Fred gave the clue "Think carefully" before revealing the answers. My first thought was Long Beach, but his clue threw me into waiting. I knew Mission Viejo had been in the series final since Long Beach, so I stupidly went with them and got 0 points. A lesson: Don't listen to Fred.
6) d. Vancouver. I had no clue, so waited until three answers were eliminated and took the 10 points.
7) c. Charles White. I thought I knew it right away and got 30 points. I must have hesitated a few seconds and that cost me even more. Really stupid.
8) d. Grady Little. Knew it right away and got 35 points.
9) a. Belmont. Had a hunch it was Bradley for some stupid reason and stuck with it until one answer was eliminated and then took it because I felt pressured to get some points. I was wrong and got 0. Belmont was the team UCLA played in the first round of the recent NCAA basketball tournament, you idiot.
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