March Madness has made me furious.
The local CBS affiliate airs Jeopardy on weeknight evenings
at 7:30. Last Thursday and Friday, CBS took leave of their senses. Upon tuning
in, expecting the familiar Jeopardy theme song, the sounds instead were the
thump, thump, squeak, squeak of college basketball. W-H-A-A-A-T?
“You gotta be kiddin’ me!” I yelled. “You pre-empted
Jeopardy for basketball?” I was very unhappy. I could not fuggedaboudit.
The ONLY time I was ever recruited into any sort of
basketball fandom was through a friend who was a Duke alum. She and her
husband, the Duke team physician, lived just off campus. Their large, finished,
high-ceilinged basement was the team’s gathering spot. It looked more like a
Duke basketball museum, everything sporting their Blue Devil motif. Anything
legal that young men could want in a game room lined the walls, while
comfortable sofas and chairs invited relaxation. The juke box, pinball
machines, stereo and televisions competed with darts, ping-pong, and air hockey
– all played with as much varsity fervor as the raiding of the well-stocked refrigerator.
Duke was a winning team then, easy for me to support after
seeing their human side up close and personal. When Doc retired, my few years
as a hoopster fan ended with fond memories of a Durham, North Carolina
basement. But my Jeopardy devotion has never faded.
It all began in the early 60s. Art Fleming hosted daytime
Jeopardy with its $10 and $20 questions. I caught the quiz show between flights
in airport crew lounges around the country. Eventually, I tuned it in on my
days off.
The show was filmed in New York City. Back then,
freebie tickets to all the game shows were passed out on the sidewalks near the
studios.
One day, I was handed tickets to Password, another
popular game show. They asked f I would like to try for a spot as a
contestant. The top prize was $500 – well over a month’s salary. My
enthusiastic answer was “When?” I was lucky. I got on, won the big bucks, and quickly
booked a Hawaiian hotel room. So, when I heard about applying for Jeopardy, I
was all in.
It began with a timed test of 100 questions. The exam
monitor said, “If you scored over a 93, you’ll hear from us.” I doubted I’d get
a call. When I finally did hear back, months later, I had married and moved
to San Diego. I used one of my airline passes to fly to New York for the
filming.
Many longtime readers may remember the next part of
this story.
I was playing against a professor and a 5-language linguist.
We were all answering pretty evenly when I knew the $10 question about MOUNTAINS.
A geography lover, I wasn’t surprised that I identified the next three
questions. All set to “sweep” the category, the last answer was a daily double.
I don’t remember how much money I had – maybe $120. Cockily, I bet it all.
Art Fleming read, “It’s the highest peak in the Adirondacks.”
I didn’t know it. I had never known it. And then the ultimate embarrassment. Are
said, with a quirky smile, “What is Mt. Marcy?” OMG. I was mortified. I’m sure
he noticed the blush crawling up my face.
Back at $0, I tried to rebuild. Scores were worth
one-tenth what they are today, so winning Jeopardy was worthwhile, but not a
road to riches. I wagered whatever monies I had left on the Final Jeopardy
category: WORLD CAPITALS. After placing our bets, there was a few minutes for
commercials. I remember standing there asking myself where is Karachi?
Katmandu? Montevideo? I was in way over my head.
When the answer was revealed, “Karl Marx is buried
here,”. Desperate, I wrote the second most obvious city after Moscow: “What is
St. Petersburg.? It was London. I hadn’t the foggiest. And I had just
honeymooned there. Karl’s tomb wasn’t on our romantic tour.
Eventually, Jeopardy became a night show, with Alex
Trebek steering the ship, I was hooked. It’s been an evening ritual since the
80s in our home. Richard and I usually eat dinner with the show. And all that
dedication has spawned two more generations of watchers, here and at home. When
the teenage grandchildren sprawl on the floor in our den, they throw out answers with the rest of us.
Boston and New York City air the syndicated show on
ABC. None of my family or NYC friends have this CBS/NCAA conflict. C’mon, Erie,
at least offer it at 2:00a.m. for recording. DO SOMETHING!
Don't you know how large your Jeopardy fan base is? You can’t subject us to more of your basketball-induced indifference. Next year, I envision
pickets parading in front of your studios.
This Madness has to stop!!