Second-guessing
From my bittersweet 2015 appearance on Sports Jeopardy! to an unexpected radio station call-in triumph this week, game shows continually beckon.
On a stair-climber at the gym this week, I came across “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” to help offset the tedium. I never actually plan to watch a game show, but I usually can't resist tuning in for at least a little bit.
This time, with a celebrity version of the show, the hooks got deeper into me. I was amused by actor Omar J. Dorsey and comedian Sebastien Maniscalco as they agonized their way through several questions.
For their shot at the $125,000 level, they came to one that involved straight-up mathematics. After asking for two of the wrong answers to be removed, it boiled down to these two options:
Although it might seem to be a simple thing—there are far more seconds in a day—it wasn’t plain to these two. Part of the issue is they’re not particularly strong at math. But the other element is the pressure that comes from being in that spot—it’s easy to second-guess yourself and clear thinking can go haywire under the strain.
So, instead of scoffing at these guys, I could relate.
I flashed back to 2015, when I committed the second-guessing flub in the closing moments of a Sports Jeopardy! episode.
The category was Gymnastics and this was the answer: “One of the three individual events that are the same for both men and women in Olympic competition.”
Right away, “floor exercise” came to mind. As the trademark Jeopardy music played, I began to scrawl it on my screen. Then, for whatever reason, Doubt shimmied in, demanding my attention.
“What about rings, Matt?” Doubt whispered. “Go with rings!”
So, my empathy for Omar and Sebastien comes from surreally painful experience. You can read my entire sports-trivia game show saga here. It includes video clips from throughout the entire episode, including this final one featuring my final-round gaffe.
In the end, Omar and Sebastien got the math answer right, moving up to the $125,000 slot. Alas, they flamed out on the next one.
Watching those guys must’ve released something into the atmosphere.
Driving to work the next morning—a rarity—I tune in to 97.1 The Drive radio station—another rarity. After a few minutes, I hear the DJ invite callers to be the on-air contestant who can identify seven songs in 30 seconds to win a pair of John Fogerty concert tickets.
Instead of the usual busy signal in such moments, the phone rings and rings and rings. Over the last 40-plus years of calling radio stations, I’ve learned just to keep hanging on the line.
That’s one of the keys to my winning an official Chicago White Sox jersey in 2005, a bevy of prizes on a 2000 vacation in Hawaii and dozens of pizzas from Marshfield Famous Pizza over a four-year span in the 1980s.
This time, after about 90 seconds, a producer picks up and asks if I’d be the backup in case the contestant’s call signal drops. Sure thing—I’ve got plenty of miles to go before my destination.
The contestant doesn’t win. Although I don’t get on the air, I get the two Fogerty tickets—at least, that’s what the producer tells me after taking down my contact information.
Nearly 40 Years Ago
Here's one final, intentionally non-political note sparked by my watching far too much of the Republican National Convention this week:
Observing the vast gap in the ticket's ages, I wondered if GOP Presidential nominee Donald Trump showed up in any newspapers on August 2, 1984, his Vice-Presidential sidekick JD Vance's date of birth.
Lo and behold, here are two of numerous accounts that appeared in U.S. newspapers that day.
The building didn't take shape, of course. But Trump certainly continued building his name recognition.
Two things. I was one of two people in the country to be board certified in internal medicine, anesthesiology, critical acre medicine and cardiology. My point? I've taken a lot of tests ... probably more than most. And one thing I learned (actually confirmed by research) is that your first "guess" on a multiple choice test is usually the right guess ... so don't change your answer. Second. The rings involve incredible upper body strength such that I doubt there are any female gymnasts capable of proficiency on the rings. Ask yourself this: have you ever seen a woman perform an iron cross?
Well Matt, you were right. I was wrong. Biden is out. Never thought the senile old dude and his power hungry wife would admit reality. I owe you a lunch.