Wednesday, May 7, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

[alietr]

FJ! was so easy (probably the easiest since Mandela). How was it a TS????\

I'm going to go ahead and say that when three contestants of that caliber don't get it, it's not an easy question. And I say that even though I got it.

[econgator]

groaned when Rosa Parks and the bus strike came up. Shoulda, woulda, coulda.

Still not a strike.

[Dr. J]

Considering that I'm co-writing a role-playing game on the Bus Boycott, that was as instagetty as it gets for me. Ran Movie Directors, too. So sorry to see the cannons go off for you, Danny Boy! We'll commiserate over bourbons and beer in a month.

[alietr]

I don't know about that pin, Stephanie ...

[Dr. J]

I don't know about that pin, Stephanie ...

It's clearly cursed. Dan should have passed it on to Brad

[opusthepenguin]

Pam's not out of the woods yet, but she dodged a bullet here.

Yes indeedy. This improves her situation considerably. She just needs 2 out of 4 non-winners to finish below $14,798. I hesitate to assign odds, but I'd at least say it's more likely than not. The heartbreak scenario is the last wildcard going to someone who finished above $14,798 but below $17,400.

[evanakm]

To the other Canadians on the board, how did you fare on this FJ? From the date, I got that it was some sort of protest relating to Rosa Parks, but I still would not have known the Montgomery Bus Boycott. My American significant other tells me that it's a fairly prominent event that they all learn about in school, so I'm wondering if it's a Canadian blindspot or a me blindspot.

[Johnblue]

I got FJ halfway through after considering those steel strikes but I think that was an executive order. I knew Rosa Parks took her seat in 1955 but not which month but it was my best guess.

Add me as another surprised by Lou Reed & Slim Whitman as TSs. This was a bit tougher than yesterday's board but not tough enough for Brad. I could see him winning the whole thing.

[Bamaman]

Granted, I had home field advantage, but I thought it was an extremely easy FJ and was shocked no one got it right. But it is hard for me to judge to be honest. And I was unaware it ended with a court decision. I thought the bus line just finally gave in.

Stopped rooting for Dan when he put New Orleans in Alabama.

Seriously, a decent showing by Dan and it might have turned out differently if he hits the DDs.

What is the record for a score in a tournament game?

I don't think I'd have taken anything but the Montgomery bus boycott. Just bus boycott isn't specific enough.

Years of watching WTBS as a youngster made Slim Whitman an instaget.

[periwinkle]

I got FJ halfway through after considering those steel strikes but I think that was an executive order. I knew Rosa Parks took her seat in 1955 but not which month but it was my best guess.

I got stuck on the steel strikes and didn't get past it - should have, because I know that was under Truman and he wasn't president any longer by 1956.

Picked up Lach Trash on Vauxhall Roadster, Looking For Mr. Goodbar, San Francisco, and a couple others.

Sorry to see Dan go! Glad he was wearing the pin, but the revolution did not prevail. Of course, this was the second wearing of the pin, and it doesn't usually win till the third book in the trilogy - who does the pin get passed to?

[Johnblue]

I got Vauxhall but not Roadster! And yes, HST stopped the steel strikes. So far I'm 3/3 on FJs this week.

[MarkBarrett]

I could not make out what Dan said to Brad at the end of the DJ! round either. It was short and sweet like, "(verb) it" , perhaps two words? Whatever it was Brad heard it and laughed.

This would seem to the book Mark got the plug in for when talking with Alex: http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-God-Mar ... B008KSN1BY

Brad's 10K wager on the Read"ing" DD was sending a message (not that he could receive the message on tape day while sequestered) to Ken Jennings who bet $8,800 on a Bookstore DD. I'll see your $8,800 and raise ya $1,200.

Dan and Mark received the message loud and clear that the winner was decided. It was only about the wildcard slots at that point.

I looked at the FJ! clue and the court case meant nothing to me. I subtracted the days and got to 1955. Rosa Parks was my first thought for the year. Okay, something about buses. In trying to figure out how to frame my response I felt I needed an Alabama city. Mobile was eliminated with the prior (New Orleans - Sorry Dan, LOL) Alabama clue. Montgomery seemed like the correct one over Birmingham

Feeling good that I had figured out where the clue was pointing I wrote "Montgomery Bus Strike" in never taking a second to consider that "Strike" was not the right word. These clues are hard enough for me this week (23/60) that I hate giving one away. Ugh!

At this point there are so many posts about it I won't add spoiler tags. Besides, anyone this week who is not watching the QF games in order is nuts and I don't buy any excuses. Yes, Pam's chances to make a wildcard got better with Dan heading south.

To those who think Pam is just about a lock in looking ahead to completely dismiss Rachael Schwartz and Tom Cubbage because they are facing Ken Jennings I get it, but it does not make it right. When exactly was the last time Tom Cubbage missed a clue in the FJ! round?

More comments about tomorrow's game, but in spoilers to make the post box shorter.

Spoiler

Tom Cubbage vs. Rachael Schwartz vs. Ken Jennings

Ken cannot have any complaints about his draw. He avoided the #1 and #2 from the 1980s and you got the #4 from the 1990s with Rachael - (You want to disagree with that Brian or Michael be my guest)

Like Brad tonight Ken should be able to rack up a more than sufficient score to make the FJ! round not matter. If the material is on the harder side we'll see how Ken does on the deeper clues. Mark L. picked up some tougher things tonight that we can guess Brad did not have. Ken does not know everything either. Can Rachael or Tom capitalize on the 10-12 clues that Ken won't know?

To answer my question above about Tom, I'm pretty sure I checked before his 1980s decade game (or the UTOC) and found he missed his first FJ! clue in his first college game and has not missed one since. That would be 3C + 4TOC +1SJ +1UTOC +1BOTD for ten in a row. Of course we can ask Larissa what happens after 10 in a row right.

Rachael in her M$M game had 10100 entering the FJ! round and got the clue right. Unfortunately, for her only adding 2301 kept her from the low wildcard of 17400. We'll see if she has learned any lessons. Rachael has won some games in tricky wagering situations before. I find it hard to believe any of that stuff will come into play against KJ.

[Leander]

The date in FJ zeroed me in on a civil rights action, and I was pretty sure it was a boycott, but I didn't come up with Montgomery bus in time.

[billy pilgrim]

New Orleans, Alabama? WTF?

[El Jefe]

New Orleans, Alabama? WTF?

Good thing you noticed or no one here would have! Honestly, isn't it clear he mentally blanked out the 'Alabama' part and knee-jerked the 'Mardi Gras' answer?

[OrangeSAM]

Trebark!

Lach Trash on Lou Reed, but not Slim Whitman. I wonder if there are many folks who had both, or if those populations don’t overlap.

More Lach Trash on Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Federal Poverty Level, Chinese mountains.

In the WoJ! category, they uncovered only one M and one Y in “Misery loves company”.

Missed San Francisco because I had honed in on the Asian Pacific Art Museum in Pasadena.

I got FJ! I knew that the boycott ended when the Supremes banned segregation on public transportation and the timing was right, but I couldn’t have told you the name of the case.

[Johnblue]

Well, Lou Reed was closer in age to Slim than he was to Rihanna.

[bengland]

Lach Trash on Lou Reed, but not Slim Whitman. I wonder if there are many folks who had both, or if those populations don’t overlap.

Got both, TYVM. Lou was the bigger surprise as a triple stumper, but both were instagets.

ETA: Wasn't it Slim's yodeling that made the Martian's heads explode?

[rschumac12]

New Orleans, Alabama? WTF?

Good thing you noticed or no one here would have! Honestly, isn't it clear he mentally blanked out the 'Alabama' part and knee-jerked the 'Mardi Gras' answer?

Dan and I will be starting a tour company to visit locations found "Only on Jeopardy!" including New Orleans, Alabama; Bogota, Venezuela; and Detroit, Wisconsin (from a few months ago). Get your tickets now!

[dhkendall]

Is it just me or was the whole board way harder than usual? I only Coryatted $10,400 today (about half my usual) - granted this was a BotD game, but that's low! (Maybe it's because I was eating my dinner at the same time I was watching it?)

I knew FJ! had something to do with Rosa Parks, but couldn't think of what it was called. I also got snagged on "strike" and refused to budge. When Alex said "It wasn't a strike", I had my "aha" moment and said "Oh, the Birmingham Bus Boycott." Close but no guitar.

Similar here. Figured out the date to be Rosa Parks related, but I got "Montgomery Riots" instead. Don't think you can really call what went down a "riot", sadly. Close, but no bazaar.

(Strange that the clue managed to stump three of the best players to ever grace the game, but a sizeable portion of boardies (I'd estimate the average number that usually get an FJ) got this.)

While Dan does have some mathematical fight in him still, I too don't have much hope. Shame I'll most likely not see him again, every time I see him he reminds me more and more of my friend Peter, a fellow trivia nerd (who I recently brought into the awesomeness that is Learned League), right down to his sense of humour and his voice.