Trivia Q&A: March 16

We had 13 teams in for Trivia Night on Tuesday. Good crowd, not as big as last week. We had some strong scores for Current Events, some good ones for Irish Trivia and General Knowledge, but a little weak for True or False Trivia.

But I was really surprised at what transpired at IQ Trivia. It may have been the hardest round we've ever had, as seven of the teams did not get even one question correct. Only two teams got as many as two correct, and the one team that did better than that, Your Mother's a Whore, Wink Martindale, got four correct and jumped from third place and wound up winning by a whopping nine points. Congratulations to them, and I promise that next week the IQ Trivia round won't be as difficult!

Current Events
1. This entertainer filed a $100 million lawsuit against E-Trade over a Super Bowl commercial they did, that she felt it violated her privacy.
2. Eric Massa, a Democratic congressman from this state, recently resigned his House seat after allegations he groped a number of male staffers in his office.
3. Carlos Slim Helu of Mexico was bestowed with what title last week?
4. Merlin Olsen, an actor who previously had been a football player for 15 years with this team and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, died of cancer last week at the age of 69.
5. Mykola Azarov formally replaced Yulia Tymoshenko as the prime minister of this European country last week.
6. This classic rock band won a court battle with EMI in England, saying that their individual songs, including digital downloads, must not be sold without the band's permission.
7. The 2010 Winter Paralympics, a multi-sport event for athletes with physical and visual disabilities, opened in this North American city last weekend.

Answers: 1. Lindsay Lohan; 2. New York; 3. World's Richest Man; 4. Los Angeles Rams; 5. Ukraine; 6. Pink Floyd; 7. Vancouver.

Irish Trivia
1. What is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin?
2. What beloved 1952 film was shot in County, Mayo, Ireland and was directed by Oscar winner John Ford?
3. What Irish saint is said to have visited America 1,000 years before Columbus?
4. What movie set in Ireland won an Oscar in 1992 for Neil Jordan's screenplay?
5. What Irish rock band had hits in 1970s such as "Jailbreak" and "The Boys Are Back In Town?"
6. Until 2007, Lansdowne Road was the largest sports stadium in Dublin. Name 1of the 2 sports played there by Irish national teams.
7. During which major holiday did the 1916 uprising in Ireland against Britain take place?

Answers: 1. Cork; 2. "The Quiet Man;" 3. St. Brendan; 4. "The Crying Game;" 5. Thin Lizzy; 6. soccer and rugby; 7. Easter.

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. Elizabeth II succeeded George VI as Britain's monarch in 1952.
2. Daniel Defoe based the character of Robinson Crusoe on a real-life castaway who was rescued.
3. Cesar Romero played The Penguin character in the TV version of "Batman."
4. "Baby One More Time" was Britney Spears' debut album.
5. Rolling Stone magazine picked "Satisfaction" as the greatest rock song ever written.
6. Oprah Winfrey is a former beauty pageant winner.
7. Keanu Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon.
8. The Mont Blanc tunnel links France to Spain.
9. "Dr. No" was Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel.
10. Johann Sebastian Bach died after an unsuccessful eye operation.

Answers: 1. true; 2. true; 3. false, The Joker; 4. true; 5. false, "Like a Rolling Stone;" 6. true; 7. true; 8. false, it connects to Italy; 9. false, "Casino Royale;" 10. true.

General Knowledge
1. In what film did Warren Beatty star as a square-jawed comic book detective? ( 1 pt)
2. What immortal figure has been lying in state in Moscow for over eight decades and gets a change of clothes every three years? ( 1 pt)
3. What country's last Communist leader, Nicolae Ceausescu, was executed in 1989? ( 1 pt)
4. What MLB team is named for a law enforcement agency created in 1835? ( 2 pt)
5. Turkey forms the southern border of what sea? ( 2 pt)
6. What current movie star's real name is Thomas Mapother IV? ( 2 pt)
7. Deuterium and tritium are isotopes of what element? ( 3 pt)

Answers: 1. "Dick Tracy;" 2. V. I. Lenin; 3. Romania; 4. Texas Rangers; 5. Black Sea; 6. Tom Cruise; 7. hydrogen.

IQ Trivia
1. What Canadian province's largest lake is a saltwater lake called Bras d'Or? ( 5 points)
2. What is the only non-broadcast network TV series ever to win an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series? ( 3 points)
3. What is the name of today's longest-ruling royal family in Europe, in power for most of the last 700 years? ( 4 points)
4. What US president was nicknamed "Old Man Eloquent?" ( 4 points)
5. What famous Broadway play contained the character Horace Vandergelder? ( 4 points)

Answers: 1. Nova Scotia; 2. "Sex and the City;" 3. Grimaldi (Monaco); 4. John Quincy Adams; 5. "Hello, Dolly!"

Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame

The great New York pub Foley's ("The Bar That Banned 'Danny Boy'") announced yesterday the latest nominees for the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame. The Hall was created two years ago to honor those Irish and of Irish descent who have made contributions to the great American game.

And with St. Patrick's Day being tomorrow, what better time of the year to make the announcement. This year's nominees are:

Baseball Hall of Famers Big Ed Walsh and Mike "King" Kelly; "Mighty Casey," the legend of the Mudville Nine by Ernest Thayer; former Atlanta Braves great Dale Murphy; former utilityman Joe McEwing (who played for many teams including the Mets); Hall of Fame manager John McGraw and two-time World Series champion manager Tom Kelly; former Mets broadcasters Tim McCarver and Bob Murphy; baseball executives Brian Cashman and Bill James; and from the entertainment world, singer John Fogerty ("Centerfield"); actors Bill Murray, Rosie O'Donnell and John Cusack.

The winners this year will be announced in April, and their will be a ceremony for the inductees in August. Foley's created the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame with the blessing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

It's first class was in 2008, and was called "The Staring Nine." They included: former players Tug McGraw, John Flaherty, Mark McGwire and Sean Casey; legendary owner and manager Connie Mack; sportswriters Jeff Horrigan and Red Foley (remember "Ask Red?"); Mets groundskeeper Pete Flynn; and actor Kevin Costner.

Last year's inductees were: Walter O'Malley (my father won't be happy to hear that); former players Steve Garvey and Paul O'Neill; umpire Jim Joyce; legendary sportscaster Vin Scully and reporter Ed Lucas.

For more information on the Irish Baseball Hall of Fame, or about Foley's Pub, check out www.foleysny.com.

BTW, Foley's will always have a special place in my heart. Last year my friend Chris and I went to Tina Cervasio's sports auction at the bar. She's a sweetheart and does a great job with it every year. Who did we see at the auction? None other than CHB himself, Dan Shaughnessy. Chris and I consider it a badge of honor that we both gave him the cold shoulder when we had the opportunity to meet him. So there, CHB.

Get Your Irish Up On Tuesday

It's that time of year again, when we Americans of Irish descent get roaring drunk and puke all over the place in honor of our heritage. Well, most of us don't really do that. But on Trivia Night, we will celebrate St. Patrick's Day by having a round of "Irish Trivia," seven questions connected to the Emerald Isle and its people.

There will be no vomiting, I promise. Well, at least not from me.

The Q Train lightning round will be "True or False Trivia."

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
In what film did Warren Beatty star as a square-jawed comic book detective?

We will get going at 9 PM, the same time the "Lost" viewing party sits down in the Loft to watch the show. You're more than welcome to join us should the crowds upstairs get too intense.

RIP Captain Oveur

The great actor Peter Graves passed away tonight, just four days before his 84th birthday. He'll always be remembered for his roles in "Mission Impossible," the spy in "Stalag 17" and his hosting the "Biography" series on A&E for years.

But for me, when you say his name, I will always think of Captain Clarence Oveur in "Airplane!" It was sheer genius his being cast by the Zucker brothers in a such a great comedy film, along with such other "serious" actors as Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack and Lloyd Bridges. (Of course, Stephen Stucker stole the movie as "Johnny." But that's a discussion for another time.)

Thanks for the memories, Mr. Graves. I leave this scene here as a tribute to you:

England Loses Beckham; LT to Jets

Tough break for England and their World Cup chances as David Beckham, on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy and playing in Italy, suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in a match for AC Milan today against Chievo, and will miss the World Cup in South Africa this June. He simply reached down to feel his heel during a break in the match and collapsed. More from the Boston Herald.

Beckham will have surgery tomorrow and will probably miss close to six months, and at his age (he's 35 in May), an Achilles injury is tough to bounce back from. Good luck to him.

LaDanian Tomlinson also has made choice as to which team he'll play for in 2010, and it won't be the Minnesota Vikings. He will ink a two-year deal with the New York Jets. Yes, LT is back in New York. (No, not THAT LT...)

I thought the Vikings had a good shot at him, to take Chester Taylor's place in the backfield. But he will probably get more chances to handle the ball with the Jets than he would have with the Vikes.

Prayers For Ryan

Red Sox minor league prospect Ryan Westmoreland, the top position player in their system, left camp last week and Extra Bases reported that he has a cavernous malformation in his brain. He is currently on medical leave and will have surgery next week in Arizona. Ryan is only 19 years old.

The condition is potentially life-threatening if not treated properly. Not too much more is known about his condition or possible return. Our thoughts and prayers are with Ryan and his family that he makes a complete recovery.

4

It was four years ago today that Yours Truly woke up on a Sunday morning and decided, "It's time to start my own blog." And lo and behold, The Mighty Quinn Media Machine was born. The name just popped into my head when I was creating the blog that day.

A friend once called me a "one-man media machine" and that's where that part came from, and like just about everyone else in the United States named Quinn, the adjective "mighty" has been with me since I can remember. So a name was born. (I specifically didn't put the words "Red Sox" into it, as I knew I'd be writing about more than just baseball.)

I've had about 230,000 hits on my blog since I've started, and written 2,617 posts. It's really been a joy to write this blog, and I've seen people from all over the world stop by here, whether they are looking for trivia questions, the latest on the Red Sox, or through a Google search. (I still haven't seen anyone from North Korea stop by here, as it is the only major country I can think of that I haven't seen pop up on SiteMeter. I've seen Cuba, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Iraq, Iran, and the most obscure Pacific Islands there, but the North Koreans are the last holdout.)

Thanks to all of you for your good wishes and for taking the time to stop here every so often.

Hopefully, the best is yet to come!

The Site of the Greatest Comeback in Sports History Bites the Dust

So long, Bedpan.



With thanks to my friends Adam and Matt for the video.

Fenway Here I Come

Yours Truly will be attending his first Red Sox Opening Day at Fenway Park, as I got the word yesterday that I'll be attending the festivities when the Sox take on the Evil Empire on April 4th. I only wish it could have been a day game, but since MLB sold their souls to television, it will be the Sunday Night game. (And on Easter Sunday night no less.)

I'll be going up with The BLOHARDS, my favorite group of Red Sox fans in New York, and I'll be going up with them on their famous bus trip. Totally psyched!

John Lackey looked terrific today, as the Red Sox beat the Mets, 8-2 at Port St. Lucie. He pitched three shutout innings. Sad news about Jose Reyes and his thyroid condition, and he may have to sit for 2-8 weeks. I wish him well.

I watched the MLB Network's "30 Clubs In 30 Days" show today, and it was an hour-long breakdown on the Red Sox and their chances in 2010. Report was really upbeat, and all the reporters seemed to think the Red Sox had a great off-season and will go to the postseason. And I loved their Top 9 moments in Red Sox history. Here they are in reverse order:

9. Ted Williams bats .406 in 1941
8. Ted Williams homers in his final at-bat in 1960
7. Dave Henderson's 9th inning homer in the 1986 ALCS, Game 5
6. Red Sox win the 1967 pennant at home over the Twins
5. Carlton Fisk's game-winning home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series
4. David Ortiz' two game-ending hits in the 2004 ALCS
3. Curt Schilling wins Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS with "The Bloody Sock"
2. Johnny Damon's two blasts cap the greatest comeback in postseason history in 2004
1. Back to Foulke (and you know the rest)

The show will be repeated at 10 PM tonight, and it will be shown many times before the season starts. Check the MLB Network's web site for times. You'll enjoy it.

Nomar Retires, With the Red Sox

As expected, Nomar Garciaparra is finally calling it a career, and he is signing a one-day minor league contract with the Red Sox for today, and retiring at a press conference in Ft. Myers.

His next stop after this will be as an analyst for ESPN.

Nomar hit .323 for the Red Sox for his career with 178 home runs, 690 RBI and a .370 on-base percentage. He set the world on fire in 1997 with his amazing Rookie of the Year numbers, and set an MLB record for RBI by a leadoff man, with 98.

He won two batting titles, in 1999 and 2000. On May 10, 1999, Nomar hit three home runs, including two grand slams, driving in 10 runs in a 12-4 win over Seattle. He seemed to have the world at his feet, and looked like he was on the road to the Hall of Fame, and had the immortal Ted Williams as his biggest fan. But he suffered a wrist injury late in 1999 season (remember when he got plunked by Al Reyes?) and he needed surgery before the 2001 season and played in just 21 games that year.

But Nomar bounced back with a vengence, and had two tremendous seasons in 2002 and 2003. But injury concerns, as well as his possible walking away as a free agent overshadowed his 2004 season. And on July 1, 2004, he was seen to be "moping" on the Red Sox bench as they played an intense game with the Yankees in the Bronx, and it was perceived by many that his time in Boston was coming to a close. Many Red Sox fans seemed to turn on their star.

And on July 31, Theo Epstein became the loneliest man in New England, when he dealt Nomar to the Cubs in a three-way deal for Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz. That's the deal that solidified the Red Sox defense, and the Sox were on their way to making baseball history. It led to some hard feelings on the part of Nomar and the Sox management.

And Nomar's career seemed to fall off the rails.

He had one superb year with the Dodgers in 2006, even making the All-Star team. But injuries kept coming, and he could never get the magic back. He was given standing ovations, ones he richly deserved, on his Fenway Park return with Oakland in 2009. He was back in the good graces off Red Sox Nation.

So, now at the age of 36, Nomar Garciaparra calls it a career.

It was a really classy move on the Red Sox' part to bring him back for his retirement. I wish Nomar all the best as he enters his new life as a baseball analyst.

Thanks for the memories, Nomar. You were always "better."

Trivia Q&A: March 9

We had a huge crowd in for Trivia Night, as 21 teams took in the festivities. (I found out afterwards that we did get a few folks who could not get into the "Lost" viewing in the above Loft, so they decided to join us. Thanks for stopping by.)

We tried out the new "Q-Tip Trivia" round, and from the feedback I got after the night, it was given the thumbs-up by a good number of Trivia players. (We do plan to make it a monthly category.) I did my best to explain the category from the start and I may have confused a few folks, but they got the gist of how to do it, and the scores were generally pretty strong. (My apologies to everyone for goofing on the final question, when I said that Kansas City was east of the Mississippi River. Yikes, even the Trivia Maven falls off the rails once in a while.)

The General Knowledge numbers were on the lower side, as it was a tough round, and only one team got as many as three correct in IQ Trivia. But that team, Your Mother is a Whore, Bob Eubanks, Whoopee. jumped from a second place tie to grab the win by five points with that round's best score. My congratulations to them on yet another well-played night and another victory.

Current Events
1. Michael Jordan struck a deal last week to gain controlling interest in this NBA team, with the purchase price and details of Jordan's ownership still not yet known.
2. This museum says it will not acquire the beige suit worn by OJ Simpson at his acquittal for double murder charges in 1995, after a 13-year legal battle over the suit was resolved the day before.
3. President Obama appeared on this TV show last week to mark its milestone 1,000th episode.
4. Nicolas Chartier, producer of this Oscar-nomained film, was banned from the Oscar ceremony last Sunday after emailing voters to vote for his film over rival Avatar.
5. A team of 41 scientists in the magazine "Science"recently affirmed a widely-held belief that this type of event likely caused the mass extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years.
6. 100 people were reported killed in clashes between Christians and Muslims in this African country this past weekend.
7. This American city became the first city in the US to distribute female condoms free in an effort to cut the city's high HIV rate.

Answers: 1. Charlotte Bobcats; 2. Smithsonian; 3. "America's Most Wanted;" 4. "The Hurt Locker;" 5. asteroid impact (I also accepted "meteorite"); 6. Nigeria; 7. Washington D.C.

Q-Tip Trivia
1. Which of the following films won the Oscar for Best Picture? a. Saving Private Ryan; b. The Graduate; c. The French Connection; d. The Sting.
2. Which of these NBA teams has Shaquille O'Neal played for? a. LA Lakers; b. Orlando Magic; c. Cleveland Cavaliers; d. Miami Heat.
3. Which of the following albums were made by The Who? a. Beggars Banquet; b. Absolutely Live; c. In Through the Out Door; d. Venus and Mars.
4. Which of these presidents served in the 20th century? a. Benjamin Harrison; b. W.H. Taft; c. Calvin Coolidge; d. Millard Fillmore.
5. Which of the following novels were written by Herman Melville? a. Murders in the Rue Morgue; b. Billy Budd; c. The Green Mile; d. Moby Dick.
6. Which of these famous people were born in Brooklyn, NY? a. Joe Torre; b. John Travolta; c. Jerry Seinfeld; d. George Carlin.
7. Which of the following cities are east of the Mississippi River? a. Chicago; b. Kansas City; c. Wichita; d. Memphis.

Answers: 1. c, d; 2. all; 3. none; 4. b, c; 5. b, d; 6. a, c; 7. a, d.

1-10 Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. This was the number of vice-presidents who served under Franklin D. Roosevelt.
2. This is the least number of players on a baseball field at any one time.
3. In the Bible, it was on this number day that God rested.
4. The Yankees retired this number in honor of two Hall of Fame catchers.
5. In Astrology, Taurus is this number sign of the zodiac.
6. This is the number of points in a pentagram.
7. The number of US presidents assassinated in history.
8. This number has been worn by MLB players Roger Maris, Ted Williams and Joe Torre.
9. According to the band Three Dog Night, this is "the loneliest number you'll ever do."
10. The number of feet below ground level a coffin is traditionally buried.

Answers: 1. three; 2. ten; 3. seven; 4. eight; 5. two; 6. five; 7. four; 8. nine; 9. one; 10. six.

General Knowledge
1. How many days are there in a fortnight? ( 1 pt)
2. What is the world's best selling cookie? ( 1 pt)
3. What team won the most Super Bowls in the 2000s? ( 1 pt)
4. What is the highest valued hand in poker? ( 2 pt)
5. Who was the first US president ever defeated for re-election? ( 2 pt)
6. What year was cigarette advertising banned from TV and radio? ( 2 pt)
7. What US state is known as "The Land of Steady Habits?" (3 pt)

Answers: 1. fourteen; 2. Oreo; 3. New England Patriots; 4. royal flush; 5. John Adams; 6. 1971; 7. Connecticut.

IQ Trivia
1. In 2004, what comedy film was selected as the all-time favorite English film, according to a British poll conducted by Amazon.com and the Internet Movie Data Base? ( 4 points)
2. What Russian-born author's first book, "Pebble in the Sky" was published in 1950? ( 4 points)
3. Elizabeth Hoisington became the first woman to hold what top position in 1970? ( 5 points)
4. What fictional couple lived at 328 Chauncey Street in Brooklyn? ( 4 points)
5. In the Peanuts comic strip, what is Linus and Lucy's last name? ( 3 points)

Answers: 1. "Monty Python and the Holy Grail;" 2. Isaac Asimov; 3. General in the US Army; 4. Ralph and Alice Kramden; 5. Van Pelt.

A New Category Debuts Tuesday

On Tuesday night, we will be debuting a new category for Tuesday Night Trivia, and we are calling it "Q-Tip Trivia." No, it has nothing to do with those swabs you clean out your ears with. Actually, I have no idea why we are calling this category by this name, other than it has a "Q" in it and it sounds cool.

Q-Tip Trivia will be a recurring category, and it will go like this: I will ask you seven questions about general knowledge trivia and there will be four possible answers to it. Only with Q-Tip Trivia, any and all, or even none of the choices can be correct. You have to figure which ones are right. You will get a point for each correct answer you give. (If the answer is none and you get it right, you will get one point.) However, if you give a wrong answer (even with some right answers), you will get a total of no points for the question. Confusing? I hope it isn't, and I'll explain it in more detail tomorrow night.

The Q Train lightning round will be the return of "1-10 Trivia." I will give you 10 questions and each of the answers will be numbers from 1-10, with no repeats.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
How many days are there in a fortnight?

We will get going at our usual time of 9 PM. We've also been getting some big crowds for "Lost" in the Loft above the bar, so if you'd like to join us after the show concludes at 10 PM, you are certainly welcome to do so. See you all on Tuesday night.

The Ultimate Movie Trailer

On this day of the Academy Awards show, here's a cool clip from YouTube of the ultimate in movie trailers. It contains a great line:

"Inspiring final lines of a speech that douchebags will quote on their Facebook profiles!"

Naturally, I found this clip on Facebook, with thanks to my friend Ken for posting it.



Is it me or does the main character in this clip look like a grownup Eddie Munster?

Ex-Yankee Fans & Perceived Bigots Need Not Apply

Word has gotten out that Ronan Tynan, the Irish tenor who got into a mess of trouble last year when he utter a not-too-flattering remark about Jewish women, has left New York City and is currently moving to Boston.

Tynan insists that what he said was misunderstood, but the Yankees gave him the boot from singing his "extended versions" of "God Bless America" at Yankee Stadium, beginning with last year's playoffs. (And didn't they always seem to take forever?)

Now, he has found life in New York very difficult, according to the New York Times. Tynan says he's gotten a lot of hate mail and even death threats after his alleged remarks were made public. He's sold his apartment in New York and now plans to make Boston his home.

I hope the Red Sox don't get some kind of crazy ideas about letting him sing at Fenway Park. The Sox have had plenty of fine musicians at Fenway, like James Taylor and Dropkick Murphys, belting out the tunes. There are plenty of ways the Sox can stick it to the Yankees, but I hope they don't think that bringing in Tynan for "God Bless America" is a good idea. Is Tynan truly a bigot? I don't know for sure, but he's gotten too much bad publicity recently for this to be anything but a silly publicity stunt should he be invited to sing at Fenway.

A Tragic Waste

Can it really be 28 years ago today that John Belushi died?

He was an incredibly talented performer. One of my favorites from when Saturday Night Live was really a good show and must-see television.

Here's how Nightline told of Belushi's death that day.

Taking the College Kids to School

As expected, the Red Sox beat up on their spring training opening "rivals", Northeastern and Boston College, 15-0 in the opener and 6-1 in the second game.

Casey Kelly pitched a 1-2-3 first inning for the Red Sox against Northeastern, in a game that featured batting practice pitcher Ino Guerrero, wearing David Ortiz' jersey, going 0-for-2 for the Red Sox.

Today, they bring on the pros, as Josh Beckett gets the start against the Minnesota Twins at Ft. Myers.

OK, It's Classless. But It's Still Funny.

A new commercial airing for Red Sox Nation. With thanks to Fitzy for bringing it to my attention.

Trivia Q&A: March 2

We had a nice crowd in for Trivia on Tuesday night, and another large crowd above us in The Loft watching "Lost." (Nice to see one group of folks join us after the program concluded.) 15 teams took part, and it was nice to see my friend Matt back with us, after his recent illness.

The scores were pretty strong in Current Events, but in Oscar Trivia they were rather low. I didn't think they were that hard, but one team in particular got 11 points out of the category, and parlayed that into a big lead. (Only two other teams got as many as four points in the round.) They just missed the ten-point bonus in the final Oscar question, mixing up Spencer Tracy and Fredric March, but got all nine actors correct.

In Audio Movies Trivia, most folks got the first five right, but then the scores slid a bit. The team in the lead, Sexy Lindsay's Vonn-tourage, held on through the next two rounds, and had a terrific IQ Trivia round, getting four out of five right to win by seven points. Nice job fellas, and I was particularly impressed with Brian's knowledge of movie trivia!

Current Events
1. This tabloid newspaper was recently accepted by the Pulitzer Prize Board for their award for breaking the John Edwards scandal.
2. Andrew Koenig, a former child actor who starred in this sitcom, was found dead last Thursday in a park in Vancouver, and his father believes he committed suicide.
3. Orlando Zapata, who was a democracy activist in this country, died last week in prison after being on a hunger strike for over 80 days.
4. A man from Georgia downloaded this historic total numbered song from iTunes last Thursday, a song by Johnny Cash, and won a gift card worth $10,000.
5. This American female singer's Australian tour got off to a rough start last week when she had to stop her concert a number of times because of voice problems and many of her concertgoers were said to have walked out.
6. This radio personality recently confirmed that he won't be joining American Idol as the judge replacing Simon Cowell, who is leaving the show after this season.
7. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia warned this country to end whaling in the Pacific Ocean, threatening to sue the country and that "diplomacy comes to an end this year" on whaling.

Answers: 1. National Enquirer; 2. "Growing Pains;" 3. Cuba; 4. 10 billion; 5. Whitney Houston; 6. Howard Stern; 7. Japan.

Academy Awards Trivia
1. Who was the first actor/actress to win 3 Oscars? a. Katherine Hepburn; b. Walter Brennan; c. Meryl Streep; d. Jack Nicholson.
2. Which of the following films was nominated for 14 Oscars? a. All About Eve; b. The Godfather; c. Ben-Hur; d. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.
3. Who is the only actress to win four Best Actress Oscars? a. Meryl Streep; b. Bette Davis; c. Katherine Hepburn; d. Luise Rainer.
4. For which film did William Holden win the Oscar for Best Actor? a. The Bridge Over the River Kwai; b. Born Yesterday; c. Sabrina; d. Stalag 17.
5. Who is the oldest woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress? a. Jessica Tandy; b. Katherine Hepburn; c. Helen Mirren; d. Geraldine Page.
6. Which film did Mel Brooks win his only Oscar for Best Original Screenplay? a. Young Frankenstein; b. Blazing Saddles; c. The Producers; d. High Anxiety.
7. Nine actors have won two Best Actor Oscars. Name five of them.

Answers: 1. b; 2. a; 3. c; 4. d; 5. a; 6. c; 7. Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gary Cooper, Marlon Brando, Dustin Hoffman, Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Sean Penn.

Audio Movies Trivia
1. The Blues Brothers (I Can't Turn You Loose)
2. Pulp Fiction (Surf Rider)
3. The Departed (I'm Shipping Up to Boston)
4. Beverly Hills Cop (Axel F Theme)
5. Shaft (Theme From Shaft)
6. Reservoir Dogs (Stuck in the Middle With You)
7. Rocky III (Eye of the Tiger)
8. Saving Private Ryan (Omaha Beach)
9. Woodstock (The Star Spangled Banner)
10. Animal House (Faber College Theme)

General Knowledge
1. What did Al Gore represent in the US Senate? ( 1 pt)
2. What firm introduced the first commercial jet, the 707, in 1958? ( 1 pt)
3. What actress was married to members of the rock bands Bon Jovi and Motley Crue? ( 1 pt)
4. What year did Canada host its only Summer Olympic Games? ( 2 pt)
5. What man, born in Ukraine in 1894, became the USSR's leader in 1958? ( 2 pt)
6. What European country ruled over the African nation of Mali from 1895-1959, just before it became independent? ( 2 pt)
7. What man hosted one of PBS' highest rated programs, "Wall Street Week," for 32 years? ( 3 pt)

Answers: 1. Tennessee; 2. Boeing; 3. Heather Locklear; 4. 1976; 5. Nikita Khrushchev; 6. France; 7. Louis Rukeyser.

IQ Trivia
1. In 1971, what man was the first Negro League player elected to baseball's Hall of Fame? ( 4 points)
2. NASA dedicated its flight center in 1961 to what man on the 35th anniversary of his most famous accomplishment? ( 4 points)
3. Pizza Hut paid $1 million to deliver a pie in 2001 to Yuri Usachov, who was where at the time? ( 3 points)
4. What 19th century man is the only US president who was born in New Hampshire? ( 5 points)
5. What world capital city has a castle that was once the home of the kings of Bohemia? ( 4 points)

Answers: 1. Satchel Paige; 2. Robert Goddard; 3. International Space Station; 4. Franklin Pierce; 5. Prague.

What Could Have Been

Rocco Baldelli, who had a career that looked like it had a ton of promise in 2003 when he first came up and played for the Red Sox last season, has taken a position with the Tampa Bay Rays as a special assistant to the GM.

Here's more from NECN.

Playing center field, being of Italian descent and wearing number 5, Baldelli was compared by some to Joe DiMaggio. That may have been unfair, but he certainly looked like he was on his way to being an All-Star with the Rays with his combination of power, speed and a good glove.

While he hasn't officially retired, it looks like the end of the line for Baldelli. No one signed him this winter. Injuries and a condition known as mitochondrial myopathy totally ruined his career. A real shame.

We wish Rocco all the best in his new career.

Good Bye, Old Man Winter

The winter is now on the back nine, as the Mets take on the Braves today in Port St. Lucie. Yes, we get going with baseball for 2010. Thank goodness.

The game will be on the MLB Network, who will be showing 70 spring training games in March. Today's game will also be on SNY here in New York at 1 PM.

The Red Sox get rolling tomorrow with a twinbill against the college teams of Northeastern and Boston College (on NESN) at Ft. Myers. Courtesy of Joy of Sox, here are the lineups the Sox will put on the field on Wednesday:

Game 1 vs Northeastern:

Jacoby Ellsbury, LF
Bill Hall, 3B
Victor Martinez, C
David Ortiz, DH
Jed Lowrie, SS
Lars Anderson, 1B
Darnell McDonald, RF
Che-Hsuan Lin, CF
Gil Velazquez, 2B
Casey Kelly (P)
Game 2 vs Boston College:
Marco Scutaro, SS
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Adrian Beltre, 1B
Jason Varitek, C
Jeremy Hermida, LF
Tug Hulett, DH
Josh Reddick, RF
Ryan Kalish, CF
Boof Bonser (P)

Screw the snow. Let's play ball!

Oscar Trivia on Tuesday

On Tuesday night, we will be having as our Special Category, "Oscar Trivia." No, it won't be about my favorite sportswriter, Oscar Madison (pictured). It will actually be 7 questions about the Academy Awards, and they will be multiple choice. (We should have an "Odd Couple" trivia round one night.) The last question will be a multi-point question.

And in the spirit of the Oscars, the Q Train lightning round will be "Audio Movies Trivia." We will play snipets of ten songs, and you will tell us what movie they were featured in.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
What state did Al Gore represent in the US Senate?

We had a great turnout last week on the return of Trivia Night last Tuesday, and I hope to see many of you again this Tuesday. We get going at 9 PM, so I'll see you then.

I Hope the US Team Sees This Video Before the Gold Medal Game

A cool recreation of Herb Brooks' legendary speech to his troops before the USA-USSR Olympic hockey game in 1980, as done by a four-year-old boy named Rizzo. Enjoy.

Go get 'em USA! Rizzo demands it!!

Kelly Opens The Grapefruit Season

Casey Kelly (pictured) will begin the exhibition season on the mound for the Red Sox on Wednesday afternoon, as the Sox will take on Northeastern University in that traditional game at Ft. Myers. That is the first of a college twinbill that day, and the second game will have Boof Bonser starting against Boston College. (That is a 6:05 PM game, and will be on NESN.)

Terry Francona set his rotation for the following four games that week and they are:

Thursday vs. Minnesota: Josh Beckett
Friday at Minnesota: Jon Lester, to be followed by Tim Wakefield
Saturday vs. Minnesota: John Lackey
Sunday at Baltimore: Clay Buchholz ( 1 PM on NESN)

So nice to be writing about upcoming baseball, especially with a foot of snow on the ground.

17 Years Ago Today

It was 17 years ago today that the World Trade Center was struck by a terrorist bomb in the basement in one of the buildings, killing six people, and injuring hundreds.

Eight years later, the word "first" would be permanently put in front of "World Trade Center attacks" about this day.

Two years ago, I wrote this about the 15th anniversary of that horrible day.

Say a prayer for those affected by this terrible day, and may God bless those six victims of February 26, 1993, and those who were lost to us forever eight years later.

The Best Show on TV. I'm Proud to Be Part of It.

My job as a background actor led me to a shoot of the TV show "Damages" yesterday. This was the third time I've done the show this season. (And it is one hell of a great show. Check it out if you haven't. Trust me on this.)

I did the second shoot a couple of weeks ago. And it was in the same studio, and the same set I did the first one at in September. In fact, I was reprising my role as a "Ponzi scheme victim" and a representative of a group of victims who was taken in one of those things. And again, I was with Glenn Close and Tate Donovan.

It was another memorable day. As soon as I sat down at the very same conference table we filmed at five months earlier, Ms. Close looked at me and smiled and said, "You're the trivia guy." I smiled back and said that I was. I chatted with her and she asked me how the trivia was going. (I didn't mention anything about Professor Thom's temporary closing.)

I can't tell you how cool it was that she remembered me. I pulled out my new business card, one I had made last December, and gave it to her. Glenn was impressed by the words "Trivia Maven" on it. (She's a big trivia fan, and she told me she'd love to come out to my Trivia Night some time.)

In between takes, the crew had to move the cameras to a different position, so we all had to go off the set. Ms. Close came up to me and asked me, "Have you ever been on Jeopardy?" I told her I hadn't, but told her of my ill-fated appearance on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." She asked me how much money I won, and I told her I blew the fifth question and went home empty handed. "Was it a question you should have known?" she asked me. I had to be honest and I said yes, but I also told her about the enormous pressure of sitting in The Hot Seat. (I didn't volunteer what the question was and she didn't ask me.)

I was on and around the set for about six hours that day, filming a scene where all the Ponzi scheme victim reps have it out with Patty Hewes. (Watch the show to see what happens.) But it was another memorable day in my career as a background actor, and Glenn Close once again keeps the title of The Coolest Celebrity I've Ever Met.

Yesterday was a completely different thing. This time it was an exterior shoot, at a bar on West 108th Street in Manhattan. Glenn Close wasn't there, but Tate Donovan and Rose Byrne were. My role was just as one of those folks walking by the bar as the characters talk inside the place. I had to report early in the morning(at 8 AM), and I only did the one scene, which concluded at about 11:30. There was a steady drizzle to deal with, but it actually went rather smoothly.

But in the morning when I was reporting to the background PAs, I said my name was John Quinn. And to my surprise, a gentleman in his early 60s was standing next to me and said, "You're John Quinn?" I said I was, and he said "I'm John Quinn, too." We both couldn't help but laugh at that. He was a nice gentleman, also a background actor who I chatted with briefly.

Yep, I acted with another John Quinn yesterday.

John Quinns are everywhere. According to the web site HowManyofMe.com, there are 1401 people named John Quinn in the United States. Even Facebook has a group called People Named John Quinn, which has nearly 100 members, of which I am a proud member.

That was some coincidence yesterday. "Damages" never ceases to be a great experience for me.

Trivia Q&A: February 23

Trivia Night made a triumphant return on Tuesday night, and we had 17 teams take part. It was nice to see so many regulars who were back after that unfortunate three-week hiatus. The strains of "Welcome Back" by John Sebastian filled the air as I got Trivia Night underway.

The scores were rather low for the first two rounds, and for "All or Nothing Trivia" just six teams got all ten correct. It was a close night all around, and it was appropriate that one of the regular teams, Your Mother's a Whore, Woolery, wound up the winners. They had a terrific IQ round and came back from sixth place to pull out a one-point victory. Congratulations, guys.

I can't put into words how much it means to me to see such a nice turnout on Tuesday night, especially so many of the regulars who turned out on a rotten rainy night. You're the best.

Current Events
1. Laura Chinchilla of the National Liberation Party recently became the first female president of this Latin American country.
2. Charlie Wilson, a 12-time Democratic congressman from this state and who Tom Hanks portrayed in the film "Charlie Wilson's War," died recently at the age of 77.
3. The UK television company ITV were fined nearly $3000 after an incident occurred on the show "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" where two celebrities caught this type of animal, killed it and ate it on TV.
4. BMW Oracle Racing of the US recently won the America's Cup, the famous yacht race, over Alinghi, from this European country, in Valencia, Spain.
5. Walter Morrison passed away at the age of 90 recently. What famous toy invention of his made him world famous?
6. Last week, this film director was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight because he was deemed to be "too fat," and was put on another flight.
7. This country stopped issuing visas to citizens of 25 Europeans nations last week after Switzerland blacklisted 188 officials of that nation.

Answers: 1. Costa Rica; 2. Texas; 3. rat; 4. Switzerland; 5. frisbee; 6. Kevin Smith; 7. Libya.

Q Are You?
1. This man was born in Richmond, VA in 1937. He is an actor, director, producer and screenwriter and has been nominated for Best Actor a number of times, but won his only Oscar as Best Director in 1981.
2. This man was born in Long Branch, NJ in 1949. He has 20 Grammy Awards in his storied music career, but has also won two Golden Globe awards, and Emmy award and an Oscar.
3. This man was born in Pensacola, FL in 1969. He holds career NFL records in rushing, TDs, was an 8-time Pro Bowler and was the NFL MVP in 1993.
4. This woman was born in Arlington, VA in 1964. As of 2009, her films have grossed more than $3 billion worldwide, she's been nominated for the Golden Globes four times as Best Actress, winning once and has been nominated for the Best Actress Oscar once.
5. This man was born in New York City in 1952. He is a widely respected sportscaster, has announced all four major American sports and the Olympic Games, and has hosted series on NBC and HBO.
6. This woman was born in Ibadan, Nigeria in 1959. She is the most successful solo female artist in British history, selling over 50 million albums worldwide and recently released her sixth studio album in the last 25 years.
7. This man was born in Spring, TX in 1980. He was won the World Series MVP, LCS MVP, has been a 20-game winner as a pitcher, a two-time All-Star and won the World Series in both leagues.

Answers: 1. Warren Beatty; 2. Bruce Springsteen; 3. Emmitt Smith; 4. Sandra Bullock; 5. Bob Costas; 6. Sade; 7. Josh Beckett.

All or Nothing Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. This city was the first capital of the United States.
2. Harry Truman was vice-president under this president.
3. Springfield is the capital of this US state.
4. How many total members of the US Senate are there?
5. What is the first book of the Old Testament?
6. The Buffalo Bills have won this many Super Bowls.
7. What country is the Taj Mahal located in?
8. What is the largest continent by population?
9. What state is known as The Sunshine State?
10. What year was the American Bicentennial celebrated in?

Answers: 1. New York City; 2. FDR; 3. Illinois; 4. 100; 5. Genesis; 6. zero; 7. India; 8. Asia; 9. Florida; 10. 1976.

General Knowledge
1. What 1869 work by Leo Tolstoy is over 1400 pages? ( 1 pt)
2. What is the US postal abbreviation for Alaska? ( 1 pt)
3. Who succeeded Walter Alston as Los Angeles Dodgers manager in 1976 and managed the club for nearly 20 years? ( 1 pt)
4. WWW.DHS.GOV is what cabinet department's official web site? ( 2 pt)
5. Andy Warhol made an 8-hour film of one facade of what NYC landmark? ( 2 pt)
6. What word, derived from a woman's name, is Yiddish for a "gossip woman?" (2 pt)
7. In which state will you find the Will Rogers Memorial, where he is buried? ( 3 pt)

Answers: 1. "War and Peace;" 2. AK; 3. Tommy Lasorda; 4. Homeland Security; 5. Empire State Building; 6. yenta; 7. Oklahoma.

IQ Trivia
1. What popular standup comic of the 1980s was killed in a car accident in 1992? ( 3 points)
2. What Latin American country's national currency is named in honor of the colorful bird, the quetzel? ( 4 points)
3. What TV show theme song was "Thank You For Being a Friend?" ( 4 points)
4. What US state's motto is "United we stand, divided we fall?" ( 4 points)
5. What victorious 19th century US president was the first man to receive one million votes in his election? ( 5 points)

Answers: 1. Sam Kinison; 2. Guatemala; 3. "The Golden Girls;" 4. Kentucky; 5. William Henry Harrison.

"Baseball Songs: Sports Heroes 3"

I wanted to bring to your attention another terrific CD by a man named Joe Pickering, Jr. called "Baseball Songs: Sports Heroes 3."

This is Joe's fourth CD, and I've had the pleasure to have promoted the last two, "Baseball Songs: Sports Heroes 2" and "Sports Songs and Beyond."

The album includes 14 baseball songs, and 4 bonus tunes. The baseball songs include such subjects as the Red Sox, Mets, Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Braves, Gil Hodges, Frank Malzone, Rube Waddell and more. It was produced and arranged by Phil Coley and Danny Mack did the vocals.

As a matter of full disclosure, Joe gave me the honor of writing something for the liner notes and I was proud to do it. And it is for the song, "Red Sox Nation" which is proudly a part of my iPod:

"Joe Pickering has done it again, and once again has tapped into the essence of being a Red Sox fan. I was proud to have been an inspiration for a previous Red Sox song ("The Bravest Red Sox Fans") and now Joe has added to his growing repertoire with such songs as "The Green Monster" and "Red Sox Nation." Keep on Keeping the Faith, Joe!"

Joe's first three albums have all been accepted into the Baseball Hall of Fame's Sound Library, and his music has been used in films, TV and radio.

Joe has a web site you might like to check out, King of the Road Music. The CD is available there, as well as at CD Baby, and at Amazon.com. It is available for digital download at both sites.

I wish Joe all the best, and I might be biased, but he's done a nice job with the CD, and I am proud to support it!

Back in the Saddle Again

Well, everyone, it is my pleasure to say that Professor Thom's is back in business after a forced three-week hiatus today, and that means that Trivia Night will return after 23 days on Tuesday night. (Our last edition was the special Sunday night one we had on January 31.)

Nothing has changed since we went on "vacation." And tomorrow night, our Special Category will be the return of "Q Are You?" In that category, I will give you clues as to a current famous person and you have identify who I'm talking about.

The Q Train lightning round will be "All or Nothing Trivia." I will ask you 10 rather basic trivia questions, and you will need to get all 10 correct in order to win the five points. However, if you get one wrong, you get no points in total.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
What 1869 work by Leo Tolstoy is over 1400 pages?

We'll get rolling at 9 PM as is our usual time. I missed all of you over this forced exile, and I hope to see many of you at the New and Improved Professor Thom's on Tuesday night!

I Still Believe In Miracles

They had no chance. Or so the world believed. Russians professionals against American college kids.

It was 30 years ago today that the US Olympic Hockey Team pulled off the biggest upset in sports history by beating the Russians, 4-3, at Lake Placid. I can still remember watching the game on TV, and it still gives me chills all these years later. It is a moment that will live forever, as no other upset in sports will ever match this (especially since the Olympics brought in all pro hockey players a decade ago).

The U.S. beat Finland two days later to win the gold medal. BTW, Terry Francona played the Kurt Russell film "Miracle", the film based on these events, to the Red Sox prior to Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS. I think we know how that worked out.

So here is a five minute clip of the greatest moment in sports history. (The Red Sox 2004 comeback is a close second.)

Sox By The Numbers

Allan over at The Joy of Sox listed the numbers that the new Red Sox will be wearing this year in a recent post, so here they are:

16 - Marco Scutaro
22 - Bill Hall
23 - Mike Cameron
29- Adrian Beltre
30- Boof Bonser
32- Jeremy Hermida
40- John Lackey
46- Joe Nelson
55- Brian Shouse
70- Tug Hulett

Jacoby Ellsbury is changing his number from 46 to 2, Clay Buchholz is moving from 61 to 11, and coach Dave Magadan is going from 29 to 28 (to accomodate Beltre). New first base coach Ron Johnson will be wearing 50.

Once again it's interesting that no one on the Sox will be wearing number 21. For the longest time I believed they just weren't giving the number out in the hope they could bring Roger Clemens back (and thank God that didn't happen). But I read an interview that Jonathan Papelbon gave last year and mentioned that the Red Sox had offered him number 21, but he turned it down.

I think the players that have been offered his number have turned it down more out of respect for Clemens as opposed to any other reason. (Josh Beckett wore 21 in Florida because of Clemens, and I bet he turned down the chance to wear it in Boston.) I'd still love to see some young rookie wearing that number one day. We sure won't ever see it up on the retired numbers in right field any time soon.

A New and Improved BLOHARDS.com

My pals at The BLOHARDS have updated their fine site, and looks bigger and better.

As many of you know, I do five Red Sox trivia questions at the two BLOHARDS meetings every year, and I'm proud to be a part of it. The first BLOHARDS meeting of 2010 will be May 17th. (I'll have more info about that as the time gets closer.)

If you'd like to become a member of The BLOHARDS, just follow the above link and all the information is right there.

Bring on the 2010 season!

They Don't Look Like Vikings Fans

Saw this on Deadspin today. Apparently, two guys named Cuevas are big Brett Favre fans, and have put together a song about their hero called "The Ballad of Brett Favre: I Will If You Let Me."

It's a country tune (what else?) and the first 30 seconds of this clip are silent.

No mention of the Vikings in this song. Don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Enjoy.

Make a Difference In a Child's Life

Despite the cold weather outside, my friends at The Fresh Air Fund are currently looking for host families to give kids a great summer later this year.

Last year their program gave about 5,000 New York City boys and girls, ages six to 18, free summer experiences in the country and the suburbs. Volunteer host families shared their friendship and homes up to two weeks or more in 13 Northeastern states from Virginia to Maine and Canada.

If you'd like to make a difference in a child's life and host one this coming summer, please follow this link.

It's my pleasure to help my friends at The Fresh Air Fund spread the word. They do great work.

The Ring Thief's Back in L.A.

Or he will be if he makes the club. Eric Gagne signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers today.

Gagne will earn $500,000 if makes the team and could double that with incentives. He hasn't pitched in the majors since he took the Brewers for $10 million of their money in 2008.

Boy, I wonder what kind of reception he'll get if he's back with Los Angeles when they play the Red Sox at Fenway in June.

But it would probably be overshadowed by the return of that lovable goofball who used to play left field...

Spring Drama (?) & a Look Back at 2009

Pitchers and catchers have begun reporting to Ft. Myers and at MLB camps all over Florida and Arizona, and already we have our first act in the Red Sox soap opera: Daisuke Matsuzaka has a sore back.

Well, at least the Red Sox know about this early enough, and can take appropriate action. It doesn't sound like its anything to be worried about, and it was reported that Dice-K should be fine and will have a "normal spring training."

Before we get going on 2010, my buddy Gareth sent along this video from MLB.TV of what they consider the top 5 Red Sox wins of 2009. They were Youk's game-winning HR over the MFY, the Sunday night win over them two nights later, Big Papi's game-winning blast over the White Sox, Nick Green's ninth-inning shot to beat Atlanta, and the comeback win over the Angels in September.

BTW, where was the craziest win of 2009 on this video? Namely, the comeback win in Texas in August in the ninth?

Professor Thom's Reopens This Monday

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to announce that Professor Thom's will reopen for business this Monday, February 22nd after its unfortunate three-week layoff. And you know what that means.

Trivia Night will make its return on Tuesday night, February 23rd at 9 PM. We last did Trivia Night on January 31st and its seems like it was a year ago. In the interim, I have been busy writing lots of trivia questions, and I have the next four weeks all set and ready to go.

We hope that you will spread the word to as many Trivia folks as possible that we are finally good to go once again. I missed you guys terribly, and look forward to getting back behind the microphone at Thom's and hosting Trivia Night once again.

See you Tuesday night!

Red Sox Fans Are There When You Need Them

A couple of days ago, I received an email from my friend Jim Prime, who is an author of many fine books about the Red Sox, including, "Ted Williams: The Pursuit of Perfection." Jim told me a very inspiring story about the American and Canadian navies and their assisting the Haitian people after the disasterous earthquake of last month.

In this story, it turns out that officers from both navies were Red Sox fans, and they let the team know about how they helped. (With thanks to the Bluenose Bosox Brotherhood, who are a group of Red Sox fans in Nova Scotia.)

The Power of Sport

During the Vancouver Olympics we will no doubt be reminded ad nauseam about the power of sport to unite and inspire.

A few weeks ago, I was party to a real life example of that power. I received an email from Lieutenant Commander Jeff Hutt, a native of Lower Sackville, NS and Combat Officer aboard the HMCS Athabaskan, recently deployed to Haiti to assist with the humanitarian relief effort in that devastated country. Like countless other Maritimers, Jeff is a Boston Red Sox fan and is, in fact, a member of the Bluenose Bosox Brotherhood (BBB), a group of some 200 Nova Scotian supporters of the Boston franchise.

In the midst of the chaos and the overwhelming sadness that permeates this catastrophe, people look for bright spots. Admittedly this is a small one, but nonetheless a telling one and in some ways an important one.

The Athabaskan was assisted in their mission by the USS Fort McHenry (LSD-43), an amphibious ship with a tremendous capability in landing people ashore. Usually the men who are landed are US Marines, but this time they were Canadians there to help the people of Haiti. The USS Fort McHenry had just returned from a long deployment to the Arabian Sea and had to recall all the sailors and MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) from leave to respond to the crisis. Instead of well-earned rest and relaxation, the American officers and crew headed straight to Haiti to lend a helping hand.

In the midst of turmoil strangers always look for points of connection, something to bring them together. For Jeff Hutt and the officers of the USS Fort McHenry, that point was baseball. The scene was a forty minute ride to a beach landing off the coast of Haiti. Hutt quickly discovered that Commanding Officer Nate Moyer hailed from New Bedford, Massachusetts and was a “huge Red Sox fan.” So was Executive Officer Nathan York from the state of Maine. In the midst of rubble and the stench of death, images of green fields, cheering fans and baseball are an escape – if only a very fleeting one. “Red Sox Nation are truly everywhere,” concluded Hutt.

Lieutenant Commander Hutt was emailing me to ask a favour - not for himself, it should be duly noted, but for his new American colleagues. Since the two U.S. naval officers had gone above and beyond to assist the Canadian mission, he asked if I could use my Red Sox contacts to help recognize these men who had been so instrumental to the Canadians and, more importantly, the Haitian people.

As Lieutenant Commander Hutt put it, “This cooperation and generosity from the US Navy is significantly improving our ability to offer aid to Haiti. I was hoping (that) someone in the Red Sox organization may be willing to recognize this contribution through some means. They are class acts. I just don't want to understate our gratitude to them. The Canadian Navy and USN have a long history of excellent cooperation, but this is a much higher level than normal - they have gone to great lengths to include us in their very busy operations.”

Within 48 hours, the Red Sox organization came through in the form of the following email from Red Sox President and CEO Larry Lucchino.

Dear Commander Moyer and Commander York,

On behalf of John Henry, Tom Werner, and our entire ownership, I’d like to send our sincere gratitude and respect to you both for your efforts in Haiti. We heard about your participation, and that of the USS Fort McHenry, from our friends at the Bluenose BoSox Brotherhood, and we’re deeply appreciative of your call to service (especially taking time away from your leave, after a long deployment in the Arabian Sea). We’re proud to have you both as loyal members of Red Sox Nation from Massachusetts and Maine. You both are great representatives of the many distinguished, caring, and dedicated citizens that make the Red Sox fanbase the most loyal and passionate in all of baseball.

Good luck in Haiti. Your generosity and commitment will make a difference in the lives of the many affected and displaced from these earthquakes. We salute you and thank you.

Sincerely,

Larry Lucchino

As luck would have it, the timing of the emails was perfect. Landing craft from the USS Fort McHenry had just completed another massive transfer of almost 200 Canadian soldiers that had been picked up in Jamaica the previous day. As if that weren’t enough, Commander Moyer and Executive Officer York were scheduled to come to The Athabaskan for dinner that very night. Lieutenant Commander Hutt couldn’t wait. “I’m sure his first question will be ‘What is the Bluenose Bosox Brotherhood?’ he predicted. “This helps to solidify this important relationship. I’m sure I am now Nate Moyer’s new best friend and I will have no shortage of beach land capability.”

The impact on the two members of Red Sox Nation was beyond expectations. “They were floored by the gesture,” recalls Hutt. Following is an email from Commander Moyer to Mr. Lucchino:

Dear Mr. Lucchino,

Good evening. I received your fine e-mail thanking both Nate and myself for our service and I truly appreciate it. As you know, we are working with our friends from the Canadian Navy and other Navies of the world to provide relief to those in need. I truly believe that we are making a difference and I also truly appreciate your support and the support of the Red Sox organization in our global cause here.

When I was a boy, it was an infrequent occurrence for me to miss a Red Sox game either on Channel 38 or in person at Fenway pretending to be a junior Bleacher Creature. Since joining the military 17 years ago, I have only been back to our beloved ballpark a handful of times, but it doesn’t stop me from following our great team from afar. The Red Sox are in my blood and will always be.

Your e-mail has provided me with continued strength and motivation and whether we wear a Naval uniform or a Red Sox uniform, we are unified right now in this mission to help the injured, sick and displaced people of Haiti.

Thank you again for such a wonderful e-mail.

Very Respectfully and Sincerely,

Nate

Commander Nate Moyer

Commanding Officer

USS FORT MCHENRY (LSD 43)

When confronted with death and misery on foreign shores, human beings cope in various ways. Some do so by getting on with the business at hand while keeping treasured pieces of home in their hearts. For these officers, one of those things was baseball. In the overall scheme of things, it is perhaps a very small thing. But it is by no means an insignificant thing.

Jim Prime

Co-founder, Bluenose Bosox Brotherhood

Trivia Night Postponed Again This Week

Well everyone, Trivia Night is once again off this week, due to the closing of Professor Thom's. The bar is scheduled to reopen after this forced hiatus on February 22nd, so we should have our next Trivia Night on Tuesday night, February 23rd.

The bar is also undergoing some renovations while it is closed, with new floors being put in.

Once again, I offer my apologies that we won't be having Trivia Night for the second straight week.

I have not been idle since Thom's shut down. We have some new categories on the horizon after we return.

I hope you are all doing well and I look forward to seeing many of you back a week from this Tuesday night.

Might As Well Face It, I'm Addicted to Music

I've always enjoyed listening to music. In fact, I would call it more a passion, like the Red Sox, The Twilight Zone and Monty Python are to me. I can't remember the last day in my life when I didn't listen some kind of music.

My tastes are quite varied. Rock 'n' Roll is of course, at the top of my list, and the Beatles are on top of the rock list for me. (I've always laughed at that moniker people referred to the Rolling Stones as "The Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band in the World" or whatever it was. They only hijacked that title after the Beatles broke up in 1970. I like and respect the Stones very much, but the Beatles are still head and shoulders above them in my book.)

I enjoy most types of music. I worked at Tower Records for more than 6 years, and the subsequent jobs I had for nearly 13 years had me around music all the time. I can't say I've ever taken any kind of a liking to rap music, to be honest. I've never owned one rap song in my life, and I leave it that. Following rock, my other favorites are jazz, classical and vocals. I also have to admit I've loved pop music, but pop of a different era. Today's pop I have no use for at all. (I own few songs made during the 21st century. Call me an old fossil if you'd like. I don't mind it at all.)

I had a Walkman for many years because I wouldn't be without music if I traveled anywhere. I kept the Walkman for years after the iPod was first introduced in 2001, and I held out until 2008. I finally got an iPod, and now I can't imagine not having one. I got immediately hooked on it, and I got an IPod nano 8 GB as my first. It was terrific, and I filled it up with nearly 1800 songs. (I use the iPod strictly for music, and don't put in any videos.) But unfortunately, there were so many more songs I wanted to put in, and I'd have to remove many songs just to fit them in.

This past January I upgraded iPods, and got a 16 GB Red nano. It's even better, with many features the other didn't have, including listening to the radio if I so desired. So far, I have over 2500 songs in my new iPod, and I still have over 2 1/2 GB left. I have music from over 700 albums in it. (I figure I can still put another 500-600 songs in it before I run out of room.) I was able to put some deeper tracks from my albums, and even discovered a few CDs I missed from my first iPod.

Recently, I was thinking about the most popular artists I have on my iPod, and looked up on it to see who my Top 25 were. The Beatles are tops with 177 songs in my iPod, or about 7% of all songs. Dave Brubeck is a distant second, with 63. The four artists tied for 24th all have 18 songs. So, here it is, and it should give you a good idea of my musical tastes:

1. The Beatles
2. Dave Brubeck
3. Steely Dan
4. Elvis Presley
5. Bill Evans
6. Sade
7. Down to the Bone
8. Dire Straits
9. Bruce Springsteen
10. Rolling Stones
11. Billy Joel
12. The Doors
13. (tie) John Lennon
(tie) Pink Floyd
15. (tie) The Who
(tie) Vince Guaraldi
17. Creedence Clearwater Revival
18. Frank Sinatra
19. The Police
20. Led Zeppelin
21. Phil Collins
22. Steve Winwood
23. AC/DC
24. (tie) Booker T & The MGs
(tie) Talking Heads
(tie) James Brown
(tie) Paul McCartney

BTW, I haven't included "A Charlie Brown Christmas" album that Vince Guaraldi did. I currently have that out of the iPod, but when Christmas rolls around, he will jump to number 9.

Yep, I'm basically a classic rock guy. And quite proud of that, thank you.

And thanks also to the inventors of the iPod. One of man's greatest inventions, in my humble opinion.

A Happy and Blessed Truck Day To You All

There's a foot of melting snow on the ground. The temperatures are in the mid-30s. And my calendar says it's February 12th. You know what that means.

Lincoln's birthday? Well, yes. But it's a more important day than that. It's Truck Day, the day the tractor-trailer pulls in front of Fenway Park (above, from earlier today), loads up the gear and travels nearly 1500 miles south to Ft. Myers.

The first sure sign of spring.

And to honor this day back in 2007, the good folks from The Red Seat put together a stunning re-enactment of Truck Day in the following two minute video, with appropriate music. Enjoy.

And have a great Truck Day everyone.

Brettcha He Will Be Back

Saw on NESN.com that some Minnesota Vikings fans are hoping that Brett Favre to return to the Vikings for the 2010 season, so much so that they rented a billboard (above) in Favre's town of Hattiesburg, Mississippi pleading with number 4 to come back to the Vikings.

No word yet on whether Favre saw the billboard or whether he will indeed come back to the Vikings for another season.

If I were to guess right now, Favre will return for another season. He signed a two-year deal with the Vikings for $25 million before last season, and I can't see him possibily passing on that money, and I think he doesn't want his career to end on that interception in New Orleans.

Yep, I brettcha he won't announce any retirements in 2010. (Sorry about that.)

Anything For a Buck

Did you know that Truck Day, which is happening on Friday, now has a corporate sponsor?

Yep, it is officially known as The 2010 Spring Training Truck Day presented by JetBlue Airways.

Oh brother. Anybody else find it strange that a 1500-mile trip by truck is sponsored by an airline, a much faster way of making the journey?

Thanks to my friend and fellow Red Sox blogger Jere for pointing this out.

Trivia Is Officially Off This Week

I'm sad to report to all the Trivia Night regulars that due to the temporary closing of Professor Thom's, our Tuesday Night Trivia is officially canceled for this week.

The owners of Professor Thom's are working to get the bar back open as soon as possible, but it won't happen by this Tuesday night.

I have plenty of Trivia questions written and ready to go, and I was hoping that some way we get it in this week, but it simply won't happen. I hope you all understand. Our next scheduled Trivia Night is Tuesday, February 16th. I will keep you updated on the bar's progress in getting open, and we may possibly have Trivia that night.

The 30-day waiting period the bar is under will end officially on February 22, so we will definitely have Trivia Night back on Tuesday, February 23. Please come back here for more updates on next week.

Randle Yes, Carter No

Congratulations to former Vikings defensive tackle John Randle, as he was one of seven men elected to the Pro Football of Fame today.

Randle joins Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, Dick LeBeau, Rickey Jackson, Russ Grimm and Floyd Little as those who will be enshrined in Canton this coming August.

Randle had a stellar career with the Vikings, as he was a 7-time Pro Bowler and a 6-time All-Pro. He played with the Vikings from 1990-2000, and finished his career in Seattle. He also holds the all-time NFL record for sacks by a defensive tackle with 137.5.

I'll never forget him as the guy who always wore the purple eye black on his face during games, and for his chatting with the opposition and officials during games.

Welcome to Canton, #93. I'll be pulling out my John Randle jersey for tomorrow's game.

But curiously, Cris Carter was passed on for the third consecutive year. He certainly is worthy in my opinion, as he is third on the all-time list in receptions (1,101) and fourth all-time in receiving TDs (130). Hopefully next year will be Cris' time.

Invited to Ft. Myers

God knows I wish I was heading to the Sunshine State right now, as there's snow about to blitz the Northeast. Thankfully we in New York will possibly be spared the blasting Washington, Philadelphia and South Jersey are getting. (How I hate that white stuff!)

The Truck leaves Fenway a week from today, and the players begin reporting in 13 days.

That should make all of you in the East feel a bit better now, right?

The Red Sox announced on Friday that 20 players have been invited to Spring Training, and two of them are big time prospects Casey Kelly and Lars Anderson. Here is the complete list:

Pitchers: Randor Bierd, Fernando Cabrera, Kris Johnson, Casey Kelly, Adam Mills, Edwin Moreno, Joe Nelson, Brian Shouse, Jorge Sosa, Kyle Weiland

Catchers: Luis Exposito and Gustavo Molina

Infielders/Outfielders: Lars Anderson, Yamaico Navarro, Angel Sanchez, Gil Velazquez, Zach Daeges, Ryan Kalish, Che-Hsuan Lin, Darnell McDonald

MCU Park?

Count me in the group that hates this trend.

The Brooklyn Cyclones entered into a new partnership with Muncipal Credit Union and they bought the naming rights to their stadium in Coney Island. KeySpan Park will now be known as MCU Park.

I've always hated the idea of ballparks named after some corporation that ponies up the cash for the naming rights. The first time I remember this happening was when Candlestick Park was named 3Com Park, and when a poll was taken in San Francisco about it, something like 40% of the people hated the change. The other 60% REALLY hated the name change. (The irony in that is that the stadium is back to being known as Candlestick Park again.)

Granted the Cyclones park has never been known as a "classic" named park, and was always named after a corporation.

But I did like it when Artie Moreno changed the name of his ballpark in Anaheim to Angel Stadium right after he purchased the Angels, after it was known under various names for years. And I'll never call the Metrodome "Mall of America Field" or whatever the official name is now.

I know it's big money for sports teams to give up their arena's name for some giant corporation, and sometimes it can come back to haunt those involved. Remember when the Houston Astros canceled their agreement with Enron after the scandal hit a few years back?

I'm glad there are still parks that haven't bowed to the pressure and big payday of selling out their name, like Fenway, Wrigley, or Oriole Park. Let's hope those classic "holdouts" never do.

The Professor Thom's Situation

As some of you may know, Professor Thom's was closed on Monday, and will be for the foreseeable future.

The story is is that the City of New York changed the rules about the renewal of the liquor license without the owners knowing about it. It used to be that you just sent in a form and a check to renew. But shortly before the bar's owners got the new process going (it takes 30 days), the license officially expired on February 1st. They are working hard to get the bar back to its original status.

What this means for our Trivia Night right now is uncertain at this moment. Our next scheduled night is Tuesday night, February 9th at 9 PM. There is a possibility that we will have the Trivia Night next week but without any alcohol being served. I am writing next week's Trivia now with the idea that the night will happen, one way or the other.

I will let you all know about any changes as soon as I get them. Hang in there, everybody.

Clell Tickle Isn't Laughing

As many of you out there know, I have embarked on a new career as a background actor here in New York City. I have appeared in a few productions on TV, movies and commercials. So far it's been a lot of fun, and working in the background, it's really been fascinating watching them being made and having a small part in them.

And the person largely responsible for helping me break into that world is a gentleman by the name of Clell Tickle.

We have a mutual friend in Brooklyn named Ellie Crystal, and she recommended me to him. Last summer and he and I got together and Clell explained the world of background acting to me, and also took some terrific headshots of me. Clell is a really nice guy, and a Texas native now living in New York. He also recommended a fine casting agency to me, and by August they accepted me and I was good to go in this new world of show business. (Clell and I were both part of the recent "Damages" premiere as well, the only time we have both been part of the same production so far.)

Recently, I found out that Clell had launched a lawsuit against a comedy troupe called The Human Giant, and the reason he did was that they used his name unlawfully in their skits, as he had sent them his headshot and some biographical information for one of their casting calls. They didn't use Clell in it, but what they did next really appalled him.

They used a fictional character named "Clell Tickle: Indie Marketing Guru" and made him sound like a bigoted, insane racist, saying things in their bits like:"I'm gonna have Clell Tickle give you a Columbian necktie, you f**king Jew." So, to say that the real Clell was simply horrified by this is an understatement. Obviously, Clell has an unusual name and these people at The Human Giant took it and thought it would make for a funny recurring bit.

Clell was laughing so much he filed a lawsuit in Newark Federal Court for damages against Viacom for misappropriation, unfair competition and privacy violations for ruining his good name. The "brains" behind this operation is a comedian named Aziz Ansari, and there are many clips of his "Clell Tickle" character on YouTube. (But I won't dignify them by posting any of them here.) Unfortunately, if you google "Clell Tickle" that character dominates the posts that come up.

I makes me wonder. Did these guys really think that the real Clell would never find out about this? It's really unfortunate that these people have chosen to ruin the good name of a good man. I wish my friend all the best in his lawsuit.

Trivia Q&A: January 31

We had an expected small turnout for the special Sunday night edition of Trivia Night. 9 teams turned out, and I was pleased to see a few of the regulars adjusted their schedules and joined us.

The scores were generally pretty solid throughout the night, and I was pleased to see they were very good for Super Bowl True or False Trivia, as I thought that might be one some teams might struggle with.

One question during General Knowledge actually had multiple answers, and the question about the Parsees as it turns out, they actually descended from Iran, so I accepted that as an answer (three teams had it). Also, Delaware also recently passed a law legalizing casino table games, so I accepted that along with Pennsylvania in Current Events.

The scores were tight going into IQ Trivia, but just one team got more than two questions correct and that was FOL, Jed's Late, as they got four right. They jumped from sixth place to first to grab the win and by four points. It was the team's first ever win, and congratulations to them.

I want to acknowledge my friends Will and Sam, Trivia Night regulars, who are moving to London shortly and it was their final night with us. I thank them so much for their support and wish them all the best across the pond. Next time I'm in London I'll be looking them up!

Another reminder that we will be having our next Trivia Night on Tuesday night, February 9th at 9 PM.

Current Events
1. Oprah Winfrey finished first in the annual Harris poll on America's favorite TV personalities, and this conservative TV and radio talk show host finished second.
2. The father of this former Olympic athlete died last week after he got into an argument with his son and he was assaulted, and the son is now facing assault charges.
3. This European country's lawmakers are moving closer to barring Muslim women from wearing burkas in public in that nation.
4. A 21-year-old prospect, Grant Desme, the 2009 MVP of the Arizona Fall League, shocked his organization, the Oakland A's, by announcing he was leaving baseball to enter this profession.
5. This Eastern US state became the most recent state to legalize casino table games, and it will bring thousands of jobs to the state.
6. Greg Oden, an NBA player for this team, issued a public apology this week after pictures of his privates were leaked to the internet without his permission.
7. This man, through his foundation, has pledges to donate $10 billion over the next decade to research new vaccines and bring them to the world's poorest countries.

Answers: 1. Glenn Beck; 2. Nancy Kerrigan; 3. France; 4. priesthood; 5. Pennsylvania (also accepted Delaware); 6. Portland Trail Blazers; 7. Bill Gates.

Music Trivia
1. Who recorded the hit song "Sunshine Superman" in 1966?
2. What jazz figure gained fame from originally recording the song "Minnie the Moocher?"
3. What 1970s rock band broke up in 1980 and reunited 15 years later with a tour and album called "Hell Freezes Over?"
4. "August and Everything After" was the debut album from what band in 1994?
5. "Stuck in the Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel was famously used in a scene from what 1992 film?
6. Justin Timberlake was once a member of what 1990s pop group?
7. Who won the first Grammy Award for Rap in 1989?

Answers: 1. Donovan; 2. Cab Calloway; 3. The Eagles; 4. Counting Crows; 5. "Reservoir Dogs;" 6. 'N Sync; 7. The Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

Super Bowl True or False ("The Q Train")
1. The Green Bay Packers won the first Super Bowl.
2. O.J. Simpson never played in a Super Bowl.
3. The Dallas Cowboys have won the most Super Bowls.
4. The first Super Bowl in Los Angeles was not a sellout.
5. No team has ever won three straight Super Bowls.
6. Sun Life Stadium, where the Super Bowl is this year, has hosted the most Super Bowls.
7. Don Shula has taken the more teams to the Super Bowl than any other head coach.
8. The Super Bowl trophy is named in honor of former commissioner Pete Rozelle.
9. The state of Texas has been home to the most number of Super Bowl championships.
10. No team has ever been shutout in the Super Bowl.

Answers: 1. true; 2. true; 3. false, Pittsburgh Steelers (six); 4. true; 5. true; 6. false, New Orleans Superdome (six); 7. true; 8. false, Vince Lombardi; 9. false, California (eight); 10. true.

General Knowledge
1. Who sang the theme song to the TV show "Married With Children?" ( 1 pt)
2. "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" was a children's book written by what legendary British author? ( 1 pt)
3. What sport is Abner Doubleday credited with inventing in 1839? ( 1 pt)
4. Haiti and the Dominican Republic share what Caribbean island? ( 2 pt)
5. The type of hat favored by Shriners is called what? ( 2 pt)
6. Stephenie Meyer is the author of four novels in what series of books? ( 2 pt)
7. The Parsees are a religious community located in what Asian nation? ( 3 pt)

Answers: 1. Frank Sinatra; 2. Ian Fleming; 3. baseball; 4. Hispaniola; 5. fez; 6. "Twilight;" 7. India (also accepted Iran).

IQ Trivia
1. Queen Elizabeth I suffered from anthophobia, an abnormal fear of what? ( 5 points)
2. What MLB player is the only Rookie of the Year from the 1980s currently in baseball's Hall of Fame? ( 4 points)
3. In the film "Schindler's List," Oskar Schindler helped the Jewish people escape to what country? ( 4 points)
4. Besides "The Marriage of Figaro," what other opera features the character of Figaro? ( 4 points)
5. "Toast of the Town" was the original name of what legendary variety show? ( 3 points)

Answers: 1. roses; 2. Cal Ripken; 3. Czechoslovakia; 4. "The Barber of Seville;" 5. "The Ed Sullivan Show."