2008 Benky Championship/ Salernos, 27 December

written by Lazers
names edited by Hilts
addendum by Hilts

Salerno’s won the bidding to host the 2008 Trivia Championship, and the battle was to be much bigger than the typical 3-4 team skirmishes at TC Pub. No, the championship again was a Kentucky Derby-sized slobberknocker featuring ten teams. The festivities began with Benkowski presenting two lifetime achievement awards- the first posthumously to Doc Hidalgo, a long-time trivia player from Indiana who recently passed away. The other award was given to some other guy who is still around.



Championship rules for the evening: only two throws per team, plus one “Ladies Only” drink faster challenge.

J&B represented by: Moho, Chemical man, Hammer (nee Peppys), Stix, Nitenurse,Hilts, Dragon, Vaughn, and Lazers

The competition: Irish Car Bombs, Dirty Sock, Mulligan, Castle, Porch Associates, Chicago Sharks, Auntie Joanie, Mug & Monkey, and Cobblestone. While J&B was randomly drafted to hit the buffet in the middle of the pack, the team was placed 8th of the 10 teams for actual game play.

First Half: Name That Tune/Sports Celebrity Birth/Emmy Awards 1966-2006

As has been the case for past championship events, a live musician was in attendance for the “Name That Tune” category.

2003- Best Comedy?
1999- Best Drama?
2004- Best Comedy?
1979- Best Drama?
1966- Best Comedy?

It isn’t easy to accumulate points with that many teams in action, but J&B managed to snag a large portion of the first half points available to them. Scores at the half:

Sharks 650 Mulligan 630 Joanie 620 J&B 600 Sock 500 Porch 420 Cobblestone 330

Irish 200 Castle 100 Mug & Monkey 0

By having the lowest score, Mug & Monkey will start the second half. Stix: “Pick something you don’t suck at.”

Second Half: Name That Tune/Baseball/Oscars

2005 World Series- these 2 White Sox hit big extra-inning homers?
First 7 World Series- this team appeared in 4 of them?
Manager with the most career victories (3,731)?
All-time leader in doubles (792)?
Only team to win World Series twice in the 1980s?
2003 Best Actor- Sean Penn- what movie?
1979 Best Actor- Dustin Hoffman- what movie?
1971- Cloris Leachman wins Oscar for what movie?
1985 Best Actor- William Hurt- what movie?
1975 Best Supporting Actress- Lee Grant- what movie?



J&B was up to second place at the end of three quarters. During the fourth quarter, controversy rears its ugly head, as Stix thinks another team was given credit for an incorrect song title in the “Name That Tune” category. J&B does not bring the issue up to Benkowski, but Stix is concerned about the effect those 80 points could have on the contest.

Scores after two halves: Sharks 1250 Mulligan 1180 J&B 1170 Irish 850 Joanie 760 Sock 730 Porch 730 Cobblestone 490 Mug & Monkey 490 Castle 450

Looks like that 80-point swing could have a big effect!

For the final question, 4 of 5 wins the wager. All 5 correct will win bonus points. During game play, Benkowski informed the teams that the bonus would be determined by the spread between the largest and smallest scores after two halves, plus one. The bonus thus was 801.

Choice of final category: Chicago Streets & Locations, Non-English Speaking People of the World, National Enquirer Greatest Divorces, NFL Since 1960

After announcing that second category, a player somewhere in the crowd asked if it would include Ebonics. Benkowski points out that player ought to think twice about making such comments, and a large ComEd employee dining in the next room is brought in so that he could hear it. Benkowski references once having a brawl at one of his Indiana trivia nights- there was a precedent. Nonetheless, it all was lighthearted, and no brawl ensued.

J&B selects the NFL category. After many calculations, J&B wagers 531. That wager would be enough to beat the team right behind us by 1 if they doubled their score without bonus. Unintentionally, it also is noticed that this wager plus bonus would beat the top team by 2 if they double their score without bonus.

Chicago Streets & Locations:

Heading south on I-57, what is the next exit after US 30?
At Irving Park and Pine Grove- head south one block- what street crosses Pine Grove?
What type of business is on the southwest corner of 127th & Pulaski?
What High School is at 23rd & Christiana?
IL-134- northwest of Grayslake- this town starts with the letter “H”?

Enquirer Greatest Divorces:

Name the men involved in the following 5 major divorce settlements, plus at least two of the women. Do not need to match to the specific settlement:

2006 for $168 million
1995 for $150 million
1989 for $100 million
2004 for $85 million
1994 for $80 million


NFL Since 1960:

Prior to New England, the last team to win consecutive Super Bowls?
Longest NFL game of all-time (82:40) involved which two teams?
1978- this team rushed for 3,165 yards- an NFL team record?
Within 1- the average margin of victory in Super Bowl games?
Highest scoring NFL game of all-time (113 points)- name either the two teams involved, or the exact final score?

No teams selected the Non-English Speaking People category.

I guess this one’s for Nevin….

Part II

J&B guesses Denver Broncos, Kansas City vs Miami, LA Rams, 14-point margin, and San Francisco vs LA Rams. Confidence level isn’t particularly high.

First half answers:
Everybody Loves Raymond
The Practice
Arrested Development
Lou Grant
Dick Van Dyke Show

Second half answers:
Geoff Blum and Scott Podsednik
Chicago Cubs
Connie Mack
Tris Speaker
LA Dodgers
Mystic River
Kramer vs Kramer
The Last Picture Show
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Shampoo

Final Question:

Castle- 450- Locations- guesses Monee/Manhattan (no), Sheridan (correct), Gas Station (correct), Marshall (no), Huntley (no)- only two correct- wagered it all- thanks for playing.

Mug & Monkey- 490- NFL- guesses Denver Broncos (correct), San Diego vs Kansas City (no), Miami Dolphins (no), 7-point margin (no), Oakland vs NY Jets (no)- only one correct- wagered 1- down to 489. Will it be enough?

Cobblestone- 490- NFL- guesses Denver Broncos (correct), Kansas City vs Miami (correct), Pittsburgh Steelers (no), 13-point margin (no), Oakland vs Kansas City (no)- only two correct- wagered it all- thanks for playing.

Upon reaching Cobblestone’s point margin answer, Benkowski indicates it was too high. J&B thus far knows it has 2 of 3 correct.

Porch Associates- 730- Locations- guess Saulk Trail (correct), Grace (no), Speedway Gas Station (correct), Crane (no), Harvard (no)- only two correct- wagered more than they had- thanks for playing.

Dirty Sock- 730- Divorces- guesses Michael & Juanita Jordan (correct), Stephen Spielberg (correct), Donald & Ivana Trump (no), Billy Joel (no), Donald Trump and Marla Maples (no)- wagered 728- down to 2.

Auntie Joanie- 760- Divorces- guesses Paul McCartney & Heather Mills (no), Donald & Ivana Trump (no), Michael & Juanita Jordan (correct), Ted Turner & Jane Fonda (no), Mick & Bianca Jagger (no)- only one correct- wagered 491- down to 269.

Irish Car Bombs- 850- Locations- guess Saulk Trail (correct), Byron (no), Speedway Gas Station (correct), Westinghouse (no), Huntley (no)- only two correct- wagered 849- down to 1.

J&B- 1170- NFL- guesses Denver Broncos (correct), Kansas City vs Miami (correct), LA Rams (no), 14-point margin (no), San Francisco vs LA Rams (no)- only two correct- wagered 531- down to 639.

Mulligan- 1180- Divorces- guesses Paul McCartney & Heather Mills (no), Harrison Ford & Melissa (correct), Stephen Spielberg & Amy Irving (correct), Michael & Juanita Jordan (correct), Donald Trump & Marla Maples (no)- only three correct- wagered it all- thanks for playing.

Of the 9 teams revealed, J&B has the highest score remaining. Drumroll please…

Chicago Sharks- 1250- NFL- guesses Denver Broncos (correct), Kansas City vs Miami (correct), New England Patriots (correct), 15-point margin (no), and it all comes down to NY Giants vs Washington… (correct)- an impressive four correct- wagered 1111- up to 2361 and the 2008 Trivia Championship!

I guess the 80 point discrepancy didn’t make a difference after all.

Answers:
Locations:
Saulk Trail
Sheridan
Gas Station
Farragut
Haynesville

Divorces (in no particular order):
Michael & Juanita Jordan
Stephen Spielberg & Amy Irving
Harrison & Melissa Ford
Kevin & Cindy Costner
Neil & Marsha Diamond

NFL:
Denver Broncos
Kansas City vs Miami
New England Patriots
10 point margin
Washington 72 NY Giants 41

Researching the question that most interested J&B- who the hell attained 3,165 yards for the 1978 New England Patriots? Oddly, the team didn’t have a single 1,000-yard rusher. Team totals:
Sam Cunningham 768 yards
Andy Johnson 675 yards
Horace Ivory 693 yards
Steve Grogan 539 yards
Don Calhoun 391 yards
James McAlister 77 yards
Mosi Tatupu 6 yards
Stanley Morgan 11 yards
Harold Jackson 7 yards
Don Westbrook –2 yards
Several players with at least one attempt rushed for 0 yards

Another interesting element- the third highest team rushing total in NFL history also comes from the 1978 season, by the Kansas City Chiefs (led by a guy named Tony Reed).

As for J&B- once again the Benkowski Trivia bridesmaid. The team will get back on the horse to start the 2009 trivia season at TC Pub on Thursday, January 15th. I expect to be “in”.

addendum:

For fucks sake.. Seriously. Fuck. Again, i know that to most people, winning some trivia game @ the end of the year is no big deal, but I do want to be one hte winnin end of this one of these years. Although inthe misty days of J and B there was one such championship - so I am happy w/ that history. But I have now been in tis four times, and twice we were leading going into final question and twice we finished second after the question. It came down to them getting some great answeres this year - we were very deserving of second place, and the winners deserved it - but it still sucks. A long year we have to ait, and there is no guarentee.

Again - 1906 and 1917 are fine fine years, but was before I was born. 2005 is nicer, and I want that for J and B.

51 weeks to prepare........