Bounty Bowl Tonight!

Things are getting flat out ridiculous at the Rendezvous, where the Jams have been on such a hot streak that the bounty is now up to $45 . Any team who can knock them off gets a $45 bonus gift certificate in addition to the $25 they get for winning. And needless to say, all of the glory that comes with knocking off the Jams. On to the Black Sheep at 8 p.m. If you want to play with the big boys, tonight is the night to do it.

This week’s quiz is quite interesting. Several people last night were quite excited about the wild card round, saying that, “I normally don’t contribute much, but tonight you hit my wheelhouse.” So it’s gonna be interesting to see how it goes down. We had an upset at O’Neals last night and on a quiet night at the City Tap House, the Diabetics won their 5th straight, meaning we’ll have another bounty next week.

In addition, Koob and Kristy will be hosting a pop culture quiz tonight at Artful Dodger. Action starts at 9 p.m. Plenty of questions on music and fashion this week.

Lebowski Quiz, Sci-Fi Quiz, and a Quiz on the Wire This Week

A big week for special quizzes, all of which promise to be fun. On Thursday, Koob and Kristy will be hosting a Lebowski Quiz at Drinker’s in Old City as part of a Benefit for The Dude Hates Cancer. $5 at the door with all proceeds going to the charity, and then settle in for what promises to be a Lebowski nerdfest. I’m hoping we can talk Koob to dress up as Walter. He’s done it before. The pic above is of Tom Sellick’s D*** Duster, who won their quiz last week at Drinkers on Tarantino films.

On Sunday, Mike Minion is hosting a Sci-fi quiz. Since I sometimes consider Mike himself a work of science fiction, this quiz should be right up his alley. If you like Isaac Asimov and weird movies about robots from space, I think this is the quiz you’re looking for.

Also on Sunday, I’ll be hosting another quiz for beer week at the POPE. But this time, the quiz won’t be about beer. It will be about the best show in TV history, The Wire. I am extremely excited about this quiz. If you know your burners, re-ups, and hoppers, this quiz will be for you. More details later this week. Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeit.

The Babe, the Foxx, and an Interview with an Author

If you’re a fan of local history, part 1 and part 2 of my interviews with Penn professor and author of a book about Shibe Park Bruce Kuklick are must reads.

Did you know that Babe Ruth played the last game of his career right here in Philly?

The first MLB player ever killed in war was a Phillies third baseman who was killed in WWI.

Last week, Wilson Valdez became the first position player on theto win a game pitching since 1945. So what legendary local slugger won that game in 1945? Find out here.

JGT Quizzo Power Rankings

They’re back! The power rankings have returned. Did your team make the Top 10? If not, it’s time to start recruiting nerds so you can make a run at the top spot.

1. The Jams. This team has been simply unstoppable for the past three months. There used to be parity at the Vous. Now the Jams have won the last 9 times they’ve played. One of the hottest streaks in JGT quizzo history. The bounty next week is up to $45.

2. Duane’s World. It’s a real toss up between Duane’s World and the Steak. I’m going to give Duane’s World the slight edge primarily to piss off Nate.

3. Steak Em Up. See #2.

4. L. Ron Hubbard’s Diabetics. Two huge blowout wins (by 22 and 39 points) this week has this team looking to make a run at the top.

5. Where’s John’s Rum? O’Neals is a toss up, with the Rum winning one week, the Savage Ear winning one week, and then the two teams combining forces to win this past week. Rum gets the slight edge, primarily to piss off Todd.

6. Savage Ear. See #5

7. Peenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This team changes their name every week, but now that they’ve started playing consistently, they’ve shown they can hang with the big boys. A 2nd place finish at O’Neals this week, and an upset over Duane’s World and Steak Em Up at Black Sheep last week.

8. Magnus ver Magnusson. A win at a Jam-less Rendeavous last week, followed by a 2nd place finish this week. Their propensity for late game collapses has some voters worried, but this team is the odds-on favorite to end the Jams streak.

9. Why Can’t Us. A win at Ugly American last week, but they were apparently scared off by my threats to rap at quizzo this week and didn’t make it.

10. Team D’Brickashaw. An unheralded team thus far, but they always seem to be in the mix at the Tap House. This is a team that’s about 2 nerds away from making a run up the rankings.

ALSO RECEIVING VOTES: 1022, Inglorious Barristers, Mysterious Mr. Mapother, Pleasure to Burn, RMC Speedwagon, Are We Allowed to Use Our Blackberries, The Mood Swingers

10 Most Intense Scenes from the Wire

If you haven’t watched The Wire yet, do yourself a favor and get on it. Best show ever. Anyways, I decided to list my top 10 most intense scenes in the show. Links will send you to the scenes on Youtube. By the way, none of these clips is safe for work. What scenes did I leave out? Lemme know.

  1. Bodie shoots Wallace. I never forgave Bodie for this, even though I liked him otherwise. I can never watch this scene again. Seriously. I linked to it but I can’t watch the link. It was the most upset I got during the whole five seasons.
  2. Omar faces off with Brother Mouzone. Definitely the most “Dirty Harry” moment of the show. A lot of fun.
  3. “You gonna look out for me? You gonna look out for me, Sergeant Carver?” Heart-wrenching to see a trusting kid learn not to trust anyone, not even a well meaning cop.
  4. Frank Sobotka goes to talk to the Greek while haunting music plays. Then the Greek gets that fateful phone call, and we know what’s coming next.
  5. Bodie’s last stand. Bodie goes out like a soldier, and it serves as a reminder that even the most loyal corner boy faces a violent and premature death.
  6. Marlo has Prop Joe killed after Cheese sells him out. I was always a big Slim Charles fan, even more so when he took out Cheese. And I must admit that the one person I was most glad to see get popped was Cheese. He was right up there with Marlo, Maury (the lawyer), Clay, and Scott the reporter as the people on the show with no principles, loyalty, or scruples.
  7. Kima’s sting goes bad. Man, this is wrenching. I never really cared for the Kima subplot with her girlfriend and baby and everything (it just never really went anywhere), but I liked her a lot. My heart was pounding the entire scene.
  8. D’angelo taken out at the prison library. I was pissed about this one too, because D’Angelo was one of my favorite characters, and certainly one of the most dignified characters in the show.
  9. String and Avon stand off, and String admits what went down with D’Angelo. I love the silence at the end of this scene when there is nothing else to say. This was really the beginning of the end of the Barksdale clan.
  10. Snoop and Michael take a ride. The whole time we’re ready for Michael to get popped, but he’s a quick learner and turns the tables. I loved Snoop and all, but I was glad it was her and not Mike. I just wish Mike had turned into something besides the next Omar.