Monday, March 30, 2020 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

[TenPoundHammer]

TPH, "adoration of" in relation to art is what leads to "Magi". Could possibly be "adoration of the shepherds" though.

Not ringing any bells.

Couldn't pull The Sound and the Fury fast enough to score the $40k game.

I would have needed a Sturgill Simpson name-drop to get that one.

[Golf]

I thought Monya looked familiar. Here's a very brief recap of her Millionaire appearance from a couple years ago if anyone's interested.

And here's the transcript.

http://www.wwtbambored.com/viewtopic.ph ... a766534062

[MarkBarrett]

I thought Monya looked familiar. Here's a very brief recap of her Millionaire appearance from a couple years ago if anyone's interested.

And here's the transcript.

http://www.wwtbambored.com/viewtopic.ph ... a766534062

Monya has a board connection: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4324&p=281433#p281442

[BrigadierSolo13]

Not sure I would have if not for my memory of baseball announcers calling Fred McGriff "the crime dog", border-line nonsensical as that nickname may have been.

As someone who used to watch the Marlins back in the 90s and early 2000s, that stuck with me as well during all those games against the Braves.

I did remember the actual character though.

[twelvefootboy]

Golf will like having a GOLF category and I enjoyed the sweep even though the valuations seemed a little scrambled.

I would have ordered them:

$200 Eagle
$400 Wedge
$600 St. Andrews
$800 U.S. and British
$1000 Croquet

Couple of personal comments, the wedge clue seemed to indicate that the pitching wedge is the highest lofted club in the bag. This is false, in my configuration, I have three other wedges with more loft than my pitching wedge. The pitching wedge is actually the lowest lofted wedge as the gap, sand, and lob wedges have more. This fact does not make the clue in error however, just a bit misleading.

I have played the Old Course at St. Andrews twice and neither time did I par the Road Hole. Both rounds hit the green with a 7-iron after perfect drives only to sadly 3-putt. It is by far the most difficult hole on the course, all it's notoriety is not overblown.

Did not think any of these five were complete gimmes, you had to have rudimentary knowledge of golf to answer any of them unlike some categories.

I think the Open venues was the toughest as it is mostly YEKIOYD. Croquet is guessable although I didn't know they actually hit the ball that way and have never seen the Snead footage. Why did they bother making that illegal, it looks hard as hell? Not a bad set of clues by the writers, good job.

Bloviation warning:

Spoiler

I've also played the Old Course twice, the first time in classic Scottish weather. Horizontal (20 mph constant, 30 mph gusts) misty rain that gradually gets you too wet to play then stops long enough so you are too dry to quit. Lost my grip in a pot bunker 10 feet deep and threw my club as well as got the ball out. My wife quit after 8 holes, but the walk back was just as long as finishing (The layout is 9 out and 9 back, instead of looping back to the clubhouse for #10 like every other normal course). My scorecard dissolved by the 12th hole or so and I dug into a trash can and found another one to finish. I was pleased to par the Road hole (perfect drive over the Hotel maintenance building !) with a nice 5. Got back and saw I had dredged up a Ladies score card and it is a par 4 for Ladies, par 5 for men. It is an experience of a lifetime, still vivid after 35 years .

I couldn't handle the Masters category or the TV Before and After.

Got McGruff but mostly because of the poorly deployed D.A.R.E. program. I kind of forgot about that era where we had latchkey kids, and safe houses. It seemed like a silly idea but it was silly times.

[talkingaway]

Credit to Monya for some creative clue selection at the end of DJ!. She was behind 15400-9400 when she lost the first DD to get 15400-3400. The clues left were a $2000 in the same category as the DD - so that's virtually impossible to be a DD - and a $400 and an $800 clue in another category. The DD is almost always behind the $800 clue. If she takes it, she gets to 6800 with a true daily double...and with "one minute to go", the round could have ended there, and at 15400-6800, she's locked out. But let's say "one minute" doesn't end there. She HAS to get at least two clues right to have a shot at winning the whole game - the $2000 and the DD. If she goes DD then $2000, she gets 15400-8800. Within reach, but not optimal.

Instead, she smartly goes for the $2000 clue. She either needs to buzz in to get that clue correct, OR have it be a TS, to have a shot at second place. But now her $2000 clue could be worth $4000 after a DD. If she gets $2000 and a TDD, she's at 15400-10800.

Unfortunately, she doesn't get the $2000 clue, so it wound up being irrelevant. But what is in normal circumstances a "bad play" is actually optimal.

I got the BMS for "clover" to "shamrock", but I'm still a little unclear as to why it mattered. "Four-leaf clover" is a clear neg because of "trifolate", but if she corrected herself in time to "clover", I didn't quite get the reason for the distinction. I guess all shamrocks are clovers, but not all clovers are shamrocks? Or vice versa?

Nobody rebounded JFK to RFK? Again, "Life in a Northern Town" reminds me that "In winter nineteen sixty-three, it felt like the world would freeze, with John F Kennedy...and the Beatles.", so 1968 has to be the older brother and MLK.

I would have no idea how to differentiate amongst a condor, a vulture, and a buzzard. Animal biology is my scientific Achilles Heel.

I froze on "Masters (of art)", and whispered "triptych", but I was too intimidated to buzz in on a high-value clue when I bombed the low ones. Sigh.

I almost ran the TV BEFORE/AFTER, except the NYPD Blue Bloods clue confused me. When I read "Generations of Big Apple cops", I immediately went to "Blue Bloods" because I know they're literally a family, and tried to figure out a show that began with "bloods". Oops. Read the WHOLE clue.

I was too focused on precalling cereal mascots to even consider McGruff. I didn't get to "dog", "McSomething", or "Take a bite out of crime". I wound up with Smokey the Bear, just to have something.

[Woof]

Why did they bother making that illegal, it looks hard as hell.

It’s actually quite a bit easier to properly line up your putt using the croquet stroke. Try it some time. USGA has stipulated that both feet must be on the same side of the putting stroke for as long as I’ve been playing (closing on on 50 years now), so that hasn’t been an option.

FJ definitely favored those of us who were watching TV in the ‘80s (and also those of us who listened to ESPN’s coverage of Fred McGriff in the ‘90s).

[This Is Kirk!]

I knew FJ right away, then had a doubt - is it an "advertising character" if there's no product to advertise? It's a PSA character, isn't it??

This was me except I never thought of McGruff because I was thinking of actual advertising characters and none seemed to fit.

[floridagator]

I completely don't understand contestants who don't know vice presidents and provinces of Canada cold. There aren't that many of either and they ask about them frequently.

Look at all the Tom's in that daily double:
1959
Khrushchev
Kitchen appliances

If you can't tell the Kennedy Brothers apart, then You Don't Know Jack.

[econgator]

I completely don't understand contestants who don't know vice presidents and provinces of Canada cold. There aren't that many of either and they ask about them frequently.

Don't think you can really compare learning 10 provinces with 48 VP's.

[TenPoundHammer]

If you can't tell the Kennedy Brothers apart, then You Don't Know Jack.

What I want to know is how the hell "Jack" is supposed to be a nickname for "John". That's like saying "Brent" is a nickname for "Bobby".

[davey]

I got the BMS for "clover" to "shamrock", but I'm still a little unclear as to why it mattered. "Four-leaf clover" is a clear neg because of "trifolate", but if she corrected herself in time to "clover", I didn't quite get the reason for the distinction. I guess all shamrocks are clovers, but not all clovers are shamrocks? Or vice versa?

I don't think she deserved a BMS for ignoring trifoliate.

[BigDaddyMatty]

Coryat: 42,200
50 R/4 W
DD: 3/3
FJ:
LT: Rijksmuseum, US Open & The Open Championship, cassowary, Orphan Black Mirror, Robert F. Kennedy, Walter Mondale, Richard Nixon (DD), Nelson Rockefeller

If only Monya had realized that she had a guaranteed DD that was, in both category and position, more favorable to her than the VP Quotes DD. At least she took a bite out of FJ!

I would have ordered them:

$200 Eagle
$400 Wedge
$600 St. Andrews
$800 U.S. and British
$1000 Croquet

I agree, except that I would put croquet at $600. That was guessable without any golf knowledge at all, just by watching the video and seeing what lawn game it looked like Snead was playing.

[Bamaman]

I would have put St. Andrews higher on the board. You don’t have to be a huge golf fan to have heard of it. A wedge requires some knowledge of the clubs. I had never seen or heard of that putting style but I got it. You could actually be the world’s biggest golf expert and not get it if you didn’t know anything about croquet.

[Golf]

I had never seen or heard of that putting style but I got it. You could actually be the world’s biggest golf expert and not get it if you didn’t know anything about croquet.

Anybody with decent golf historical knowledge knows of the putting issues Snead had throughout his career as , well as the different methods he tried. Therefore the clue could have easily been answered without the video. For a golf expert, it wouldn’t matter if you’ve heard of the sport of croquet or not.

[twelvefootboy]

I would have no idea how to differentiate amongst a condor, a vulture, and a buzzard. Animal biology is my scientific Achilles Heel.

I couldn't ID a raptor from a silhouette, but I do want to live in a country that has a buzzard of vulture on their flag! Of course Ben Franklin proposed the turkey for the U.S. instead of the bald eagle, so there's that .

Why did they bother making that illegal, it looks hard as hell.

It’s actually quite a bit easier to properly line up your putt using the croquet stroke. Try it some time. USGA has stipulated that both feet must be on the same side of the putting stroke for as long as I’ve been playing (closing on on 50 years now), so that hasn’t been an option.

I've probably tried it twice horsing around. Maybe with a straight upright center shaft putter it goes better? Why do they need to make it illegal? It's still just a stroke and you can't even make the weak argument they used to ban anchoring. They just changed the rule to pick on Sam. Did basketball outlaw the underhand free throw because Rick Barry was so good at the granny shot? It's a dumb rule, just like the one that requires a high jumper to jump off one foot. But, dumb rules define most British sports.

[John Boy]

Posting as requested. The game is archived: http://www.j-archive.com/showgame.php?game_id=6589

Though not proofread.

Thank you for adding this.

I was disappointed that the VP quotes didn’t include any nattering nabobs of negativism. But maybe we don’t need any negativity right now. The Masters themed tribute in the first round was a sad reminder it won’t be happening next week.

I was disappointed that they didn't use John Nance Garner's line that the vice presidency isn't worth a bucket of warm spit. But Agnew's would have been clue-worthy as well.

[John Boy]

Couple of personal comments, the wedge clue seemed to indicate that the pitching wedge is the highest lofted club in the bag. This is false, in my configuration, I have three other wedges with more loft than my pitching wedge. The pitching wedge is actually the lowest lofted wedge as the gap, sand, and lob wedges have more. This fact does not make the clue in error however, just a bit misleading.

You omitted my favorites, the hand wedge and the foot wedge.

[John Boy]

I completely don't understand contestants who don't know vice presidents and provinces of Canada cold. There aren't that many of either and they ask about them frequently.

Look at all the Tom's in that daily double:
1959
Khrushchev
Kitchen appliances

If you can't tell the Kennedy Brothers apart, then You Don't Know Jack.

Maybe, but I know the Canadian territories, and I know them cold.

[Golf]

You omitted my favorites, the hand wedge and the foot wedge.

Don't count that, I was interfered with!

It’s actually quite a bit easier to properly line up your putt using the croquet stroke. Try it some time. USGA has stipulated that both feet must be on the same side of the putting stroke for as long as I’ve been playing (closing on on 50 years now), so that hasn’t been an option.

I've probably tried it twice horsing around. Maybe with a straight upright center shaft putter it goes better? Why do they need to make it illegal? It's still just a stroke and you can't even make the weak argument they used to ban anchoring. They just changed the rule to pick on Sam. Did basketball outlaw the underhand free throw because Rick Barry was so good at the granny shot? It's a dumb rule, just like the one that requires a high jumper to jump off one foot. But, dumb rules define most British sports.

Agreed that alignment is infinitely easier while straddling the line. It's actually quite difficult to align consistently while standing to the side of the line. Way different than a pool stroke for example as the eyes are directly behind the intended path. By the way, a pool stroke is expressly forbidden in the Rules of Golf. If I were allowed to putt any way I wanted, I would putt just like a pool stroke. It's stupid easy.

Starting the ball on line is easy with croquet equipment, but this can't be done putting for at least two reasons. 1, as already mentioned, straddling the line is not allowed. Of course Snead went side saddle after the rule change. 2, a putter cannot be designed to be used with the shaft perfectly vertical while the putter head lies flush on the ground. The angle cannot be more than 79 degrees per the USGA equipment manual. This does not mean you cannot stroke a putt while the shaft is perfectly vertical, but this would mean the heel of the putterhead would be significantly raised at impact causing a whole different set of issues.

The reason for not being able to straddle the line and anchoring the putter is, according to the USGA/R&A is that it goes against the spirit of the game. A stroke in golf is supposed to be played with both hands on the grip while to the side of the line or similar flowery language. I'm fine with this, it's part of what makes golf way different than other sports. The onus of playing by the rules is on the players and they respond in kind. Not like other sports where players try to get away with anything and everything.

But the anchoring ban was handled poorly. Players at the highest level started experimenting with anchored putting 30 years ago. If the ruling bodies wanted to do something about it, that was the time. But then they made a reactionary decision to ban it after two players won majors in a very short time. Very similar to Jeopardy not allowing ties after a statistical anomaly resulted in quite a few ties in a short time. Funny thing is, those players weren't great putters. I'm not sure if any player using an anchored style on tour has been a great putter. So it wasn't a cure-all, it just helped a small percentage of top players. And then with the way the rule is currently worded makes it impossible to police properly and you've still got players using a stroke that goes against the spirit of the game.

So it's not a dumb rule, it's just difficult to put the cat back in the bag once it's escaped.