Month: September 2011

$1 Corn Dogs, $2 Beers, $3 Fries, and Science

Thursday is absolutely a great night to play quizzo. First of all, the specials at both of our bars are absolutely ridiculous. At the Ugly American, they’ve got $1 corn dogs and $2 Lagers. The Bards has $2 Lager Lights. Both bars have started a Thursday night quizzo special of $3 French Fries. And keep in mind, I’ll be giving away free fries at both bars. And both places have great fries. In fact, Philly Weekly called Ugly American’s fries the best in the city.

Furthermore, if you are looking for a win, the UA is the place to go. 4 different winners in the past 4 weeks. Total parity, no clearly defined frontrunner. Action starts at 8 p.m. On to the Bards, where you can strike the power rankings with a bullet if you can knock off Steak Em Up. Instant immortality if you can crush those clowns. Action starts at 10:15. And another science round tonight.

Science, Picture Rounds at Quizzo Tonight

A very cool quiz this week. I’ve been seeing what the guys in Denver have been doing, taking their game to the next level, and it’s making me step my game up. I think this week’s quiz is a really, really good one. A difficult but very cool picture round, and a science round for all you science geeks out there.

We start at the Vous at 6:15 p.m., where we’ve currently got a two team lockdown on first. Can your team make a push for the prestigious JGT Top 10 with an upset tonight? On to the Black Sheep at 8 p.m., where the #2 team in the JGT Power rankings, Duane’s World, hold court. Gonna be a fun quiz, hope to see you tonight!

JGT Power Rankings Return

The Fall Invitational is right around the corner, at which time the numbers will speak for themselves. In the meantime, however, we’re gonna go BCS style and pick out our top teams heading into this week subjectively. Here goes:

1. Steak Em Up. After two wins last week, the most successful team in quizzo history* looks to head into the Autumn Invitational red hot. If anybody needs me, I’ll be rooting for them to lose this week.

2. Duane’s World. Two wins in the past 3 weeks put these perennial powerhouses in the #2 spot. And I’m sure they would have recorded perfect scores those two weeks if Mike Minion had played. If you don’t believe me, ask him.

3. The Jams. This is pretty much a toss up. In the last 6 weeks at the Vous, the Jams have won 3 times and Magnus has won 3 times.

4. Magnus ver Magnusson. The question about the top Rendezvous teams is, “Will they ever participate at an Invitational and prove their mettle against top competition?”

5. L. Ron Hubbard’s Diabetics. The loss of Bob to Thunderbird University and Marshall to the suburbs has hurt this squad, but they proved that they can still bring the pain with an impressive two player win at UA on Thursday.

6. Million Dollar Robot Baby. Over the years, this franchise (formerly known as Narcotyzing Dysfunktion) is the only team that has consistently rivaled the Steak. I don’t know how he does it, but Matt the Peter really knows how to whip this squad into shape.

7. Tug My McGraw. A win two weeks ago at CTH, followed by a 3rd Place finish last week. If this team got a sports fanatic on their squad, I think they could consistently compete with the Steak. Furthermore, team member Chet Bumsted is the only person in Philly with an aloha shirt collection as impressive as mine.

8. Team Popesack. Three wins in the last four quizzes at North Star Bar, they have established themselves as the team to beat at the newest JGT venture.

9. Why Can’t Us. A first, 2nd, and 3rd place finish in the past 3 weeks at Ugly American, this team is always in the mix at UA.

10. Taking it to the Max. A first place finish at O’Neals this past week in their first quiz launched these guys onto the national spotlight. If and when Savage Ear gets off their lazy asses and play quizzo again, it will be interesting to see if they have new rivals.

*which is as much of an insult as it is an honor. What nerds.

Big Money Tuesday

Big money on the line tonight at two quizzes without definitive front runners. We kick it off at O’Neals at 8 p.m. $3.50 margaritas and a $50 gift certificate for the winners. Been a little quiet the past couple of weeks. Could be a great shot for your team to make some noise.

On to the City Tap House at 10:15 p.m. Also been quiet the last couple of weeks, but that should change now that the kids are back in town. $100 gift certificate for the winning team. Oh, and this week’s wild card round will be science-related, at least on Tuesday/Wednesday.

Charles Darrow: Mount Airy’s Millionaire Monopoly Thief?

We had a question this week about the board game Monopoly. As I often do, while researching the question, I got sucked into reading more about the history of the game. It’s incredibly fascinating, and it’s got Philly all over it, so I thought you might dig it too. (If you’re a fan of local history, check out quizzo regular GroJlart over at Philaphilia or check us out at Phillysportshistory.com.)

The Great Depression hit Germantown (now Mt. Airy) resident Charles Darrow hard. He lost his job as a domestic heater salesman, and with a bunch of free time on his hands, started tinkering around on a piece of oilcloth with a new game that was formulating in his mind. He tinkered with rules, made little houses and hotels, and invited friends over to try his new game. They were enthralled. With little money of their own during the Great Depression, the idea of playing a game that gave them money and power was an instant hit. Darrow saw that he had created something special, and started selling the game out of his house. Orders came pouring in, so he went to Parker Brothers to see if they could manufacture it for him. They weren’t interested, so he sold it to Wannamaker’s himself. The game flew off the shelves in Philadelphia that holiday season. Parker Brothers reconsidered, bought the game from Darrow, and paid him royalties that within a year had made him a millionaire. See, a little elbow grease and originality, and the American Dream can come true for anyone!

At least that’s the official story that Parker Brothers told for 40 years after the game was invented. And parts of it are true. But like most stories, it was a hell of a lot more complicated than the “official” version. Darrow positively did not create the game. He was just the guy who hustled it and made the money off of it. The woman who invented it, Lizzie Magie, is like the dude who invented chicken nuggets according to DeAngelo in the Wire. A quick history of the game after the jump, according to About.com:

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