Spiff Returns!

Everyone was running late and Spiff was waiting for us again. Interest in the team had dwindled in recent weeks. From our peak of seven members a few weeks ago, illness, travel, and family had culled five members. Only myself and the Brain walked through the door the way people do when they're a few minutes late, out of breath and looking around the room. When our eyes found the table where the Host was supposed to be, we only found the pyramid that reserved the table for him. Spiff looked on from his familiar spot.

 The Host came in an unironed dress shirt. He was obviously flustered and the various comments from employees and regulars at the bar couldn't have helped. As he set up his equipment at the table, he rolled up one sleeve of his shirt. When I asked what had kept him, he told me he was speaking at a local college. I could only imagine who he was speaking to or about what, but I knew I'd try to find out in the coming weeks.

 Where our team flagged, Spiff's grew by the week. Once our local trivia loner, recently Spiff had added a second member. Their team, "Two Wild and Crazy Guys" had become a force, taking  home second place three weeks in a row. This week, something happened that I would have thought impossible weeks ago. Spiff's team added a third member. And she was a girl beside.

 One of the most important decisions you make when starting a night of trivia is what to name your team. Spiff in his various incarnations uses the same name in each case. When he is alone, he is always "Spiff" when they are two, they use the ironic "Two Wild and Crazy Guys". We only use the same name the week after we win. This time we tried "Bring Your Champions They're Our Meet". We have changed every week for a while.

 The three went by the new name "Three Wild and Crazy Guys" and, despite the unoriginal and the male pronoun, they were obviously formidable. At halftime they led the field with 32 points. We had 30. They had only missed 3 points total, and the questions had been pretty tough. They knew who Sara Lee was (the founder's daughter), they knew how many stars Puerto Rico's flag has (one), how many heisman trophies the Manning family has won (zero), and could complete the phrase "Remember the ____" from the Spanish American war (Maine). We may have been in second, but I didn't feel good about our position at all.

 I said in my first post on this blog that you are only as good as the team around you. Even though the Brain is our strongest player, there are certainly gaps she cannot fill. When the Host asked what Andrei Kirilenko's jersey number is (47), we had no idea his nickname was AK-47. When he asked what Arabian horses were missing a pair of (Ribs), we thought of the correct answer before answering teeth.

 Still, we felt pretty strong about our performance. We knew how tall the standard Barbie doll was (11.5 inches) and from what state 4 of the first 5 presidents hailed (VA). We knew where John Lennon airport was (Liverpool, England) and on what station Wide World of Sports aired (ABC). When the dust settled, we were tied in second with 60 points. Spiff was alone in the lead with 64.

 When we heard the final question, we knew we had to bet the maximum despite not knowing the answer. The question was: "In the 1980's, which cough syrup coined the phrase 'I'm not a doctor but I play one on TV'". We knew the answer had to be one of the main syrups; Robitussin and Vick's were the only two we could think of. So we guessed Robitussin and bet the max, and if that was the answer we would have won. Unfortunately the answer was Vic's, so we finished close to last.

 As we left through the front door, I spoke to Spiff for the first time I can remember. As I walked past him, I tried to think of something smart to say. But the moment was blurring past and hurriedly I told him "Nice work" as I walked away. I looked back at him looking back at me, agape.


Halftime Question:

Name these things that start with the letter B:
1. An elephant from children's literature.
2. The last names of James Joyce characters Molly and Leopold.
3. An Ivy League school.
4. A post renaissance musical period.