by Anthony Harrison
“We knew we were going to win. That’s all there was to it. We weren’t cocky. I wouldn’t call it confidence, either. We just knew. Like when you go to sleep, you know the sun is going to come up in the morning.”
Yankees pitcher George Pipgras once said that about the 1927 “Murderers’ Row” Yankees. However, I’ve recited the same quotation to describe how my trivia team operates at Jake’s Billiards in Greensboro.
We don’t win because the trivia at Jake’s is easy. It’s not easy at all, really. We win for two reasons: The categories and questions cover an array of topics, and the four of us possess a wide variety of useless knowledge — from technology and baseball to literature and chemistry.
If you’re thinking of showing up, compile a team of four who know a lot about everything. Because, instead of opting for stereotypical categories like “Current Events” or “Song Lyrics” or boring crap like that, emcee Kevin Purcell devises unique categories allowing for open-ended topics.
For example, one question in the category “Six-Syllable Words” was, “Pliny the Elder’s ‘Natural History’ was one of the first examples of what?”
I’ll wait. But we instantly had it down.
On top of interesting topics, a fun bit of gambling enters the equation. Each round, if you believe your team answered all seven questions correctly, you can choose to “double down” on your points; if you double down and get them all correct, you receive 14 points instead of seven. Doing so can make it anyone’s game all the way to the end of the fourth round.
Unless you’re going up against us, of course; for the most part, you’re fighting for third.
Speaking of which, generous prizes drive the competition. First place gets your team a $30 gift card, second place receives a $20 card and third place receives a $10 card. That’s at least another round even if you only place.
But, if you’re up against us, good luck even getting that extra beer.
Rain, snow, hail or shine, Jake’s Billiards trivia happens every Wednesday night, beginning at about 8:45 p.m. If you’d like to come and challenge my team, I’d recommend arriving early.
Honestly, we’ve been in something of a Steinbrenner slump lately, so now’s your chance to take down the Sheet Metal Cock.
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