[youtalkfunny]

...I've only missed one sports question in my life.

Even that one I missed, long ago, I barely missed. They were looking for the name of the Romanian-born gymnastics coach who carried an injured Kerri Strug off the mat at the Olympics. I say that I barely missed it, because I could picture the guy's face, and could come up with his first name.

It's all moot now, after yesterday's Tournament of Champions show, where I missed not one, but TWO sports questions.

The first was looking for the golfer who shot a 59. "Azinger" immediately leaped to mind, but I had a feeling that wasn't right. But I couldn't get past "Azinger". But I knew it was somebody much, much older than Paul Azinger, someone who made the leap to the Senior PGA Tour a while ago.

My thoughts were interrupted by the contestant who answered, "Who is Sorenstam?"

Wait a sec...they were looking for a female golfer? I saw "This golfer" and "59" in the question, and ignored the rest.

Sorenstam was accepted. My near-perfect record has turned to dust. I'm devastated.

Now the last clue in "sports":

"This New York horse racetrack is the oldest operating track in the country."

I booked horse races in Las Vegas for many years. And I never miss a Jeopardy sports question. So I can't miss this one, right?

But I'm still tilting from the golf question. I desperately want to say the answer out loud before someone on the tv does, and they're already ringing in.

As well as I know my own name, I know that the three NY tracks are Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga. Aqueduct is not nearly the oldest. It's Belmont or Saratoga. In my haste, I let "New York based" point me towards New York CITY, and since they've run the Belmont Stakes (part of the Triple Crown) for at least 125 years (actually 140), I blurted, "Belmont!"

That's wrong of course. If I had two seconds to think about it, I would have certainly said Saratoga, which is famous for being old! Saratoga is almost 50 years older than Fenway or Wrigley.

I never tilt when I play poker. But I had more than money on the line yesterday. I had a big chunk of ego--hell, a big chunk of my IDENTITY on the line, and it led me to choke.

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The gymnastics coach was <font color="white">Bela Karolyi</font>, and Mr 59 was not Azinger, but <font color="white">Geiberger--Al Geiberger</font>. Finally, Aqueduct (1894) is not older than the Belmont Stakes (1867), but it IS older than Belmont Park (1905). Figure that one out.