COLUMN: Step up to the place, will ya?
Amazed. Maybe adjectives like astounded, bewildered, or stupefied might describe it best, but I have chosen ‘amazed’ as the word to explain how I felt about a couple of e-mails I received about my last column (“Will the Real Sports Fans Please Stand Up”).
Though I appreciated the opinions expressed, I couldn’t believe a few guys around campus actually wrote to blast me for writing the article. Each of them seemed to have this chip on their shoulder, accusing me of attacking them on a personal level.
One wrote, “I know more about sports now than you ever will in your entire life.”
OK pal, good for you.
If you (or anyone like him) want some sort of award or other form of recognition for the score you receive on the following Sports IQ Quiz, just go ahead and send me your score. Maybe I can make you a certificate.
And the best part is, nobody will even know if you cheat.
1. What Major League Baseball team is said to have been plagued by the “Curse of the Bambino?”
a. Montreal Expos
b. New York Yankees
c. Boston Red Sox
d. L.A. (Brooklyn) Dodgers
2. Which of these NFL greats never won the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s best college football player?
a. Walter Payton
b. Barry Sanders
c. Bo Jackson
d. Eddie George
3. What two teams played in the 2001 National League Championship Series?
a. Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees
b. Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves
c. St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves
d. New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics
4. Who will be the Utah State Aggies leading returning scorer this season?
a. Chad Evans
b. Tony Brown
c. Austin Byers
d. Brennan Ray
5. Which WNBA team won the first four League Championships from 1997 to 2000?
a. Los Angeles Sparks
b. New York Liberty
c. Houston Comets
d. Utah Starzz
6. Which of these players was NOT on the Original Olympic Dream Team?
a. Larry Bird
b. Magic Johnson
c. Christian Laettner
d. Isaiah Thomas
7. The Stanley Cup, given to the NHL Champion, has been won by this team more than any other?
a. Montreal Canadians
b. Boston Bruins
c. Pittsburgh Penguins
d. Toronto Maple Leafs
8. Who holds the NCAA Football Record for Career Touchdown Passes?
a. Ty Detmer
b. Doug Flutie
c. Peyton Manning
d. Joe Montana
9. Which NBA player won an amazing 11 NBA Championships in his 16-year career?
a. Michael Jordan
b. Larry Bird
c. Wilt Chamberlain
d. Bill Russell
10. Who is Major League Baseball’s career record holder in hits?
a. Rickey Henderson
b. Ty Cobb
c. Mickey Mantle
d. Pete Rose
8-10 Correct: You, my friend, are a sports fan.
6-7 Correct: Good try, there were some tricky questions.
4-5 Correct: Well, you learned some new sports trivia.
1-3 Correct: You get an ‘E’ for effort. At least you tried.
0 Correct: Hi Jake.
Austin Byers is a sophomore majoring in economics and finance. Commments can be sent to abyers@cc.usu.edu
Answers:1-c, 2-a, 3-b, 4-b, 5-c, 6-d, 7-a, 8-a, 9-d, 10-d