BostonBlog

After many long weeks of the Big Boston Quiz, we have our winners. That's right, I wrote winners! I have reviewed the submissions for the BBQ Gi-norm-ic Grand Finale (they are below) and, with Solomon-like wisdom, I have decided that Steve Smyth and Sue Pelletier should share the coveted title of BBQ Grand Champions!

Congratulations Steve and Sue!

Now I know that the purists out there will say that a "tie" is like kissing your sister. Well, this isn't a tie. (And besides, I think the NHL made a mistake doing away with ties, so there!) This is understanding that two very busy people stuck this out over a long time and they both deserve to be recognized for their efforts, and since I'm the BBQ Master, that's exactly what I have decided to do!

So check out Steve and Sue's final essays by clicking the "Continue" link, and post your congratulatory comments below! Steve and Sue, we will get together in Boston to make sure you get your "lovely" prizes! And thanks to everyone who participated in the BBQ!

Continue reading "We have a winner...well two actually!" »

Posted by Jeff De Cagna at 09:55 AM | Permalink

It's the moment everyone has been waiting for...the Gi-norm-ic (which is a combo word for gigantic and enormous!) Grand Finale of the Big Boston Quiz. It's been a fun summer of questions and answers and one week from today we are going to announce the BBQ Grand Champion!

As I posted last week, it is a tight race, with only 8 points separating the top two. And with 100 points on the line this week, it is anybody's guess who'll win. Here are the standings once again:

+Steve Smyth--58 points
+Sue Pelletier--50 points
+Amy Hilson--20 points
+Kimberly Mosely-10 points

This week, I'm going to change things up on you completely. NO questions, NO answers. Just your thoughts on a very important question. That's right, it is the dreaded Essay Final Exam-edition of BBQ! (Yes, don't you just love me...;.) All submissions received by this Friday, August 11, 2006 at 5 pm EDT will be considered. Please send them to bigbostonquiz@gmail.com. And don't forget that the top three finishers will receive a "lovely" prize, so there's no reason not to submit something. You never know where you might end up in the standings. (BTW, I've already been mocked about the lovely prizes, so why stop now!)

To find out the essay question and other instructions, click the "Continue" link.

Continue reading "BBQ Gi-norm-ic Grand Finale" »

Posted by Jeff De Cagna at 03:18 PM | Permalink

As I wrote earlier, we're going to take a break from the quiz this week to give everyone a breather (including me) but next week we will have the exciting Big Boston Quiz Gi-norm-ic Grand Finale. It will be worth 100 points, so anyone can win this thing!

In the meantime, here are the standings after five quizzes:

+Steve Smyth--58 points
+Sue Pelletier--50 points
+Amy Hilson--20 points
+Kimberly Mosely-10 points

Only 8 points separate the top two, and with 100 points on the line, it's wide open. We're coming down to the wire, so don't miss out on this final chance to squeak out a victory. The winner will be named on August 14!

As always, the answers to BBQ #5 can be found below by clicking on the "Continue" link.

Continue reading "BBQ #5 Answers and Update" »

Posted by Jeff De Cagna at 08:02 PM | Permalink

Okay, okay, I know. It's Wednesday and I have not posted BBQ results and questions. I'm sorry, it's been one of those weeks. But don't despair because I will get the latest standings and answers to last week's questions posted this evening.

We're going to take this week off from BBQ in preparation for next week's Big Boston Quiz Gi-norm-ic Grand Finale, which will be worth 100 points! It's still anyone's contest, so keep your eyes on the blog for updates!

Posted by Jeff De Cagna at 03:11 PM | Permalink

I'm going out of town tomorrow morning, so I wanted to put this up as early in the day as possible. It's the quiz you've been waiting for...Red Sox trivia! As I write this, the Sawx are leading the Evil Empire (that's the Yankees just in case you've been napping in recent years) by 2.5 games, and we can only hope they will hold it going into the last two months of the season.

As for the BBQ, the standings are as follows after last week's quiz:

+Steve Smyth--41 points (Perfect score Steve!)
+Sue Pelletier--27 points (You missed one of the questions and didn't get the bonus as a result. Sorry!)
+Kimberly Mosely-10 points (You didn't participate this week and I'm disappointed!)

Remember that responses to this week's quiz are due on Thursday, July 27 at 2 pm EDT. Please send them to bigbostonquiz@gmail.com as well as any questions you may have. The basic information you need to know about The Big Boston Quiz plus last week's questions and answers can be found by clicking the Continue link below this week's questions.

The subject of this week's quiz is the Boston Red Sox. We have 15 trivia questions, each worth one point. The bonus question will be scored on merit by yours truly and partial points may be allocated.

BIG BOSTON QUIZ #5 (quiz worth 15 points, plus a 10 point bonus question)

1. By what name are the partitioned-off bullpens in right field at Fenway known?

2. Which Red Sox player hit an 8th-inning pinch hit homerun in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series to tie the game against Cinncinnati?

3. In what year did the team change to the nickname Red Sox and from what nickname was it changed?

4. What is the message inscribed in Morse Code on the manual scoreboard in left field at Fenway?

5. How many times have the Red Sox won more than 100 games and lost more than 100 games?

6. On July 14, 1956, Mel Parnell accomplished something that no Red sox player had achieved in nearly 33 years. What was it?

7. How many different Red Sox players have won the American League Most Valuable Player award?

8. By what unusual margin did the Red Sox lose the American League East Division title in 1972 and to which team?

9. What important Fenway Park record is marked by a red seat in the stadium's right field bleachers?

10. Who wrote "Why Red Sox Fans Make for the Best Poets?"

11. What did Manny Ramirez accomplish in 2004 that no Red Sox player had ever done before?

12. In which season did the Red Sox first break the 2 million fan mark at home?

13. On September 2, 2001, the Red Sox narrowly avoided being on the losing end of a perfect game for the first time in team history. Who was the opposing pitcher and team, and which then-Red Sox player broke it up?

14. Who was the first person to hit a ball over the Green Monster?

15. Who is the only player in Major League history to pinch hit for Ted Williams, Carl Yastrezmski and Roger Maris?

BONUS QUESTION: In 50 words or less, provide your explanation of why the Red Sox couldn't win a World Series in the 86 years between 1918 and 2004? Please don't copy your response from Wikipedia or other Web resources. Please share your own thoughts. I will allocate points on the basis of brevity, content and style.

Continue reading "Big Boston Quiz #5" »

Posted by Jeff De Cagna at 10:50 AM | Permalink

Yes, I know, the Big Boston Quiz is significantly delayed this week. I'm sorry about that. You know how it goes sometimes. So, because of my lateness, this week's entries will be accepted until this Friday, July 21 at 5 pm EDT. This week's quiz is about Boston musical groups. Instructions are below.

Last week's quiz was much harder, at least according to those who played. It didn't stop them from doing very well, however. Here are the up-to-the-moment standings:

+Steve Smyth--26 points (Steve, I gave you only one point for your sentence because you actually wrote two.)
+Sue Pelletier--19 points (Sue, great job! You're closing the gap.)
+Kimberly Mosely-10 points (I gave you an additional point because I made a mistake that penalized you!)

There is still time to join in the quiz...bonus points have magical qualities! You never know when they will show up. Remember that responses to this week's quiz are due on Friday, July 21 at 5 pm EDT. Please send them to bigbostonquiz@gmail.com as well as any questions you may have. The basic information you need to know about The Big Boston Quiz plus last week's questions and answers can be found by clicking the Continue link below this week's questions.

Okay, as I wrote above, Boston musical groups are the subject of this week's quiz. Each of the groups in question has a connection to the city. These items are phrased in Jeopardy format, so please put your responses into the form of a question. Each response is worth two points. The "final Jeopardy" item, which is worth five all-or-nothing bonus points, is below:

BIG BOSTON QUIZ #4 (worth ten points, plus a five point bonus question)

1. Radio stations were advised not to play one of this group's 1976 songs in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks.
2. This group had a song famously used in the 1982 movie classic, Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
3. This Boston band had to wait for milk to sit perfectly still in a snare drum for a key shot in one of its music videos.
4. Popular ska band that made its recorded debut in 1985 with a contribution to the Mash It Up compilation album.
5. This band is a four-time Grammy Award winner, but none of its members are actually from Boston.

BONUS QUESTION: Name all of the songs referenced in one way or another in this quiz. (HINT: 8 songs in total and remember it is all or nothing!)

Continue reading "Big Boston Quiz #4" »

Posted by Jeff De Cagna at 05:01 PM | Permalink

Here's yet another installment of The Big Boston Quiz dear friends! This week we're going to explore the wicked cool world of the Boston accent and its slang. What we have below is a very special quiz. I have selected 10 common Boston slang terms (some in their "how they sound" spelling) and scrambled the letters. You need to unscramble the letters for each of the terms and provide its meaning. Each one is worth one point, and the bonus question is worth a maximum of two points.

In the meantime, the tally after two quiz weeks is as follows:

+Steve Smyth--15 points
+Sue Pelletier--9 points

There is still time to join in the quiz...bonus points are a wonderful equalizer! (Sorry Steve! I know you want to win, but we've got to get a little bit of competition going here!) Responses to this week's quiz are due this Thursday, July 13 at 2 pm EDT. Please send them to bigbostonquiz@gmail.com as well as any questions you may have. The basic information you need to know about The Big Boston Quiz plus last week's questions and answers can be found by clicking the Continue link below this week's questions.

Big Boston Quiz #3: Boston Accent (a maximum of 12 points available, including a total of two bonus points)

1. lsla
2. iusohte
3. aisps
4. wdhcaho
5. itnoc
6. ttiesa
7. wxsa
8. krchi hvacu
9. dlol nwehas
10. sb dnaoro

BONUS: For one bonus point, put at least SIX of these terms into one really long and funny sentence. Include ALL OF THEM in a single, reasonably intelligible (and long) sentence and receive both bonus points.

Continue reading "Big Boston Quiz #3" »

Posted by Jeff De Cagna at 06:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Alrighty inquiring minds, here is the second installment of The Big Boston Quiz. We're sticking with city history again this week, so break out those history books! By the way, you can begin participating in the quiz at anytime since there will always be bonus point opportunities that will give you a chance to catch up to others who started before you. (Of course, you have to get them right and they have to get them wrong...)

Anyway, last week, we had only one entry. Many thanks to the intrepid Steve Smyth of Tristar Marketing for playing along. Steve, you are in the lead right now with 5 of 6 possible points. (You received the bonus point for the exact date on Boston's founding but missed one of the other questions, as you will see when you click the Continue link below.) It's a pretty comfortable margin in a one-man competition, but others will join you soon, and you can just ask the 1978 Red Sox about big leads!

This week is July 4th, so we will accept entries through Friday, July 7 at 2 pm EDT. Please send them to bigbostonquiz@gmail.com as well as any questions you may have.

Here is this week's quiz. The basic information you need to know about The Big Boston Quiz plus last week's questions and answers can be found by clicking the Continue link below this week's questions. Everyone have a safe and happy holiday!

Big Boston Quiz #2: More Boston City History (a maximum of ten points available, including bonuses)

1. What famous Boston landmark burned down in 1761? (ONE BONUS POINT for the method used to finance the rebuilding project.)

2. Two U.S. presidents died on the same day 180 years ago this week. Which one was president first and which one died first? (ONE BONUS POINT for the name of a third president who died on the same day, but not the same year, as the other two.)

3. What famous writer made an appearance at Tremont Temple in 1867? (ONE BONUS POINT for the reason why.)

4. In what year was the Boston Marathon first held? (ONE BONUS POINT EACH for the name of the winner and the winning time.)

5. What happened in Boston on January 15, 1919?

Continue reading "The Big Boston Quiz #2" »

Posted by Jeff De Cagna at 07:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Okay, everybody...it's the moment you've all been waiting for...The Big Boston Quiz! Now, let me start by saying that I had every good intention to post this first quiz on Monday, but life got in my way. I know every way-too-busy association professional out there understands exactly what I mean. So, for this one week only, the quiz is going up late. In coming weeks, however, here's how the quiz will work:

1. Every Monday through Monday, August 14, we will be posting five Boston-related trivia questions here on the blog.

2. Submit your responses to bigbostonquiz@gmail.com by Thursday at 2 pm EDT each week. This week only, you can submit your responses by Friday, June 30 at 2 pm EDT. Correct answers to the previous week's quiz will be posted with each new quiz.

3. We will track your progress over the next 8 weeks and announce our Supreme Boston Trivia Guru on Tuesday, August 15. The winner, plus two runners-up, will receive lovely prizes.

4. ASAE & The Center staff and Boston Bloggers are not eligible to win prizes, although you're more than welcome to play for your own edification. More relevant details in the weeks ahead. For now, here are your first five questions:

Continue reading "The Big Boston Quiz #1" »

Posted by Jeff De Cagna at 11:03 AM | Permalink