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Wednesday, April 16, 2008

HALL OF FAME RESEARCHER TO APPEAR ON ‘JEOPARDY!’

(In best Art Phlegming voice)...Yes, Jeeks Rajagopal…“Uhh, who is James Yasko?” BZZZZZZZT!...You, Frank Spangenberg…“Errr, who is Bruce Markusen?” BZZZZZZZT...Go, Mr. Chuck Forrest…“Who is Gabriel Schechter? DING! DING! DING!”

In the category of current events, the answer is: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Library researcher and Otsego County resident who will appear on the national broadcast of “Jeopardy!” this Friday night, April 18.
Question: “Who is Gabriel Schechter?”

Alex Trebek would declare this answer correct, as the broadcast featuring Schechter hits the airwaves Friday, two months after Schechter taped the show in Los Angeles on Feb. 6. On Time Warner Cable in Cooperstown, the show is scheduled to air at 7:30 p.m. ET on WKTV, the local NBC affiliate.

Schechter, who has been in employment with the Museum since 2002, can’t reveal any details of the actual taping until the show airs but had quite a story in getting to the actual taping, capping a process that started early in 2006.

Repoz Posted: April 16, 2008 at 10:25 PM | 36 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: hall of fame, history, television

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Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.

1. Rafael Bellylard: Built like a Molina Posted: April 17, 2008 at 12:03 AM (#2747056)

Congrats for getting on the show. I took the test about 10 years ago. 150 people took it that day and no one passed.

2. McCoy Posted: April 17, 2008 at 12:29 AM (#2747128)

I knew a guy on another site that was on jeopardy about 6 years ago, can't remember if he won or not.

3. AndrewJ Posted: April 17, 2008 at 12:57 AM (#2747224)

In the Art Fleming days my dad completed a Jeopardy! contestant test but wasn't brought in for an interview. Around the same time a family friend tried out for the show and was rejected because he scored TOO well on the tests -- the producers were afraid the audience would think he'd been helped out ahead of time a la Charles Van Doren. About eight years ago my aunt actually made it into the final pool of potential Jeopardy! contestants, but wasn't selected as an actual on-air contestant in the alloted time (six months, IIRC) which meant she had to reapply all over again.

I myself appeared on a FAR less-prestigious game show in college -- came nowhere near close to winning but got free airfare and accomodations in Florida the same week as a massive Northeast blizzard.

4. cheng Posted: April 17, 2008 at 12:59 AM (#2747230)

I was on last month. Had the lead going into Final Jeopardy but blew it and finished third.

Who is Guy Fawkes?

5. The importance of being Ernest Riles Posted: April 17, 2008 at 01:06 AM (#2747260)

When I was in college I passed the written exam to get on the show and made it to the stage test. I stage tested with two other people, one of whom was a charismatic redhead in a wheelchair. I didn't stand a chance!

6. rLr Is King Of The Romans And Above Grammar Posted: April 17, 2008 at 01:09 AM (#2747280)

Who is Guy Fawkes?

The guy you should have remembered, champ. That's who.

7. Gamingboy Posted: April 17, 2008 at 02:39 AM (#2747605)

He'll win if he can answer:

"Who is Deacon Mcguire?"

8. OsunaSakata Posted: April 17, 2008 at 11:00 AM (#2747778)

Fortunately, my Final Jeopardy was easy and you should be able to figure it out:

Category: MEDICINE

While many diseases bear doctors' names, a nerve disease is named for this victim who died in 1941.

9. kthejoker Posted: April 17, 2008 at 12:18 PM (#2747783)

A guy on this site won College Jeopardy in 2002.

</gloat>

10. Repoz

Posted: April 17, 2008 at 12:40 PM (#2747786)

One day while enjoying a cocktail flask uptick...I turned on Jep and the first contestant was Chub Feeney!

Now this wasn't a celeb Jeopardo (who the fruck knew who the Chubster was!) or one of those special "weeks" thingees like "Panelists That Helped Clean Horace Stoneham's Vomit Tracks While Heading Out West"...all this week on JEOPARDY!

Chubby did pretty well for himself and finished second I believe...and said his daughter pushed him to on the show.

Then he went back to drinking.

11. Joe Bivens, Idiot Posted: April 17, 2008 at 12:51 PM (#2747790)

What is Parkinson's!! For all the marbles.

12. Joe Bivens, Idiot Posted: April 17, 2008 at 12:52 PM (#2747791)

Guy Fawkes was that guy that the girls asked on a date, instead of the other way around.

13. CraigK Posted: April 17, 2008 at 01:18 PM (#2747801)

I tried out for College Jeopardy in '04.
On the quiz, I was told I got the highest score of the 200 that tried out, but since I have all the personality of a rotten squash, I didn't make it on the show.

14. Designated Sitter (GGC) Posted: April 17, 2008 at 01:27 PM (#2747810)

I passed the written test for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. But I didn't get past the interview. Either I'm not telegenic (a distinct possibility) or I was hoisted by the petard of my own cleverness. They had me fill out an application before going to the test. One question was "Can you tell us something interesting about yourself?" I wrote "I can eat 50 eggs." The kid who interviewed me had never seen Cool Hand Luke. Went right over his head.

15. Slinger Francisco Barrios (Dr. Memory) Posted: April 17, 2008 at 01:30 PM (#2747813)

since I have all the personality of a rotten squash, I didn't make it on the show

Just make up a life, they don't care.

16. CraigK Posted: April 17, 2008 at 01:43 PM (#2747819)

Tried out for Millionaire, too, but the damn pop-culture questions tripped me up.

17. Win one for Agrippa (haplo53) Posted: April 17, 2008 at 01:50 PM (#2747821)

I was on last month. Had the lead going into Final Jeopardy but blew it and finished third.

Who is Guy Fawkes?

I think I vaguely remember that Final Jeopardy... Guy Fawkes seems to be a fave of the Jeopardy writers (him and King Kamehameha).

Is Alex as cool as he seems on the show? My wife and I think he's hilarious.

18. Every Inge Counts Posted: April 17, 2008 at 01:54 PM (#2747822)

I tried out for College Jeopardy in 2004 I think as well and passed the written part of the test. There was a dude named Thor in my group. Alas TV does not love me, plus that write something interesting part always screws me up and when they asked what I would do with my winnings, I gave the most bland answer ever.

19. Craig Calcaterra Posted: April 17, 2008 at 01:55 PM (#2747823)

I passed the test in 1997 but was a bit too buzzer-happy during the audition portion (they're not locked out like on the show because the want to see if you're the fidgety type). The next year a guy I worked with was a 5-time champion (back when you could only be a five timer). He won $30K and a Chevy Tahoe. He did pretty well on the Tournament of Champions too (I think he came in third). He was a hardcore quiz bowler and used to grift NTN trivia at Damon's after work as well. After meeting him I knew I was a rank amateur.

20. David Nieporent (now, with children) Posted: April 17, 2008 at 01:55 PM (#2747825)

Is Alex as cool as he seems on the show?

Not really, no.

21. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: April 17, 2008 at 02:12 PM (#2747836)

Who are three people who have never been in my kitchen?

22. Slinger Francisco Barrios (Dr. Memory) Posted: April 17, 2008 at 02:20 PM (#2747843)

Not really, no.

Art Fleming will always be a game show host god to me.

23. Win one for Agrippa (haplo53) Posted: April 17, 2008 at 02:35 PM (#2747854)

Not really, no.

Ah, well. I'll still laugh whenever he says "It's yer basic _____" in a fake hillbilly voice.

24. Cooperstown Schtick Posted: April 17, 2008 at 07:26 PM (#2748226)

hoisted by the petard of my own cleverness

That is my new personal slogan. I'm getting that on a t-shirt. Or better yet, a truckers' cap.

25. phredbird

Posted: April 17, 2008 at 08:19 PM (#2748285)

he tried to blow up parliament. but i guess you'll just say i googled him.

26. phredbird

Posted: April 17, 2008 at 08:22 PM (#2748290)

guy fawkes, that is.

27. Teheran's Uranium Enriched Missiles Posted: April 17, 2008 at 08:42 PM (#2748329)

Wait, is this Guy Fawkes thing a joke?

Even if you haven't encountered him in history books, surely most people have seen V for Vendetta

28. cheng Posted: April 17, 2008 at 08:45 PM (#2748335)

Yeah, a lot of people told me that if I had just watched "V for Vendetta" I would have won that show, and I can't really dispute it. I've told my wife that had she allowed me to indulge my Natalie Portman obsession we'd be 20k richer.

Alex was nice enough to the contestants and to most of the audience. He was very gracious with a group of 4th graders who were there on a field trip, answering a lot of their questions with charm and humor. Then one of them had the temerity to start a sentence with "Like..." and he and his teacher were harshly admonished about his lack of grammatical skills. Seriously.

Also, the producers are very clear with you in pre-show prep time: don't call him Trebek. He apparently hates that.

29. Teheran's Uranium Enriched Missiles Posted: April 17, 2008 at 08:47 PM (#2748341)

Also, the producers are very clear with you in pre-show prep time: don't call him Trebek. He apparently hates that.

Are jokes about his mother allowed?

Oh it was a real question. Sorry, didn't mean to be condescending. Congrats on getting where you did !

30. cheng Posted: April 17, 2008 at 08:49 PM (#2748344)

Heh, it looks like I was responding directly to 27 even though it was posted while I was writing 28.

And in response, I don't think "most people" have seen a movie that grossed $25.6 million domestically. I'm guessing you mean "most people you've met". Would that we had met before I went on the show :)

31. cheng Posted: April 17, 2008 at 08:50 PM (#2748345)

Ludwig you did it again!

He says he loves Will Ferrell and Darrell Hammond, but he still hates being called Trebek.

32. Doris from Rego Park Posted: April 17, 2008 at 08:56 PM (#2748355)

I don't think "most people" have seen a movie that grossed $25.6 million domestically

The movie wasn't a monster domestic success by any means, but it made $25.6 million in its first weekend, not over the course of its entire run.

33. cheng Posted: April 17, 2008 at 09:10 PM (#2748364)

My mistake, I misread the google results. It made $70.5 million total.

I also went to the Tower of London two months after my appearance. Learned a lot about Guy Fawkes then as well. I've also been told that had I been a big Ron Paul fan I would have remembered his big fundraising push on Guy Fawkes day. Oh well, I had my chance.

34. phredbird

Posted: April 17, 2008 at 09:39 PM (#2748388)

what is nov. 5?

what do i win?

i know there's no way for me to prove this stuff, but i've always known about guy fawkes from reading british comic books when i was a kid living overseas. he's sort of like an antiestablishment antihero figure in england, from what i've read.

35. Cblau Posted: April 19, 2008 at 01:56 AM (#2750780)

When asked who does best on Jeopardy, Alex Trebek always says teachers and lawyers. After Gabe Schecter's performance tonight, and keeping in mind R.J. Lesch and Claudia Perry, I think he should add baseball researchers to that response.

36. Imperabo Posted: April 19, 2008 at 05:32 AM (#2750981)

If I were rich enough I would pay 20k to unwatch V for Vendetta.

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HALL OF FAME RESEARCHER TO APPEAR ON ‘JEOPARDY!’

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