By Brian Hoffman – Sports Editor
“Potpourri” is the word I use for my column when it contains several shorts from a variety of different events in the sports world or news in general.
The definition of the word is “a mixture of dried petals and spices placed in a bowl or small sack to perfume clothing or a room, OR, a mixture of things, especially a musical or literary medley.” Obviously my usage doesn’t pass the smell test, but it certainly is a “literary medley” of items in the column.
Why I bring this up is because I got it from the TV game show “Jeopardy.” On occasion one of the categories on the show is called “Potpourri,” and you never know what you might get. I guess they could have also called it a “Box of Chocolates,” but Potpourri does just fine.
Most of you know that long time Jeopardy host Alex Trebek died this week after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Trebek battled to the end, but succumbed to the disease on Sunday. He was the host of “Jeopardy” since 1984, covering 37 years, and the show originally debuted in 1964.
Trebek was a great host for what I consider the best TV game show of all time. Of all the different game shows over the years, this is the toughest one to win. You can’t win by solving a word puzzle, guessing the price of a can of beans or matching what your spouse or the audience said about a particular question. You have to be knowledgeable in many walks of life to even have a chance, and then be faster to the answer than others of comparable ability. You can’t dress up like a duck and pick a door to win a car on “Jeopardy.”
Alex Trebek was your consummate host for this format. He kept the show moving, had a dry wit about him and was very likeable on TV, as opposed to Stubby Kaye hosting the game show “Shenanigans.” Most of you won’t remember that show but a few of you will get the reference.
I marvel at the knowledge of the contestants on the show. I watch it often, and sometimes there will be several answers (questions) in a row that I have no idea about. And, if I did know the answer, I wouldn’t have been quick enough to buzz in on time.
Obviously, I know the sports categories better than some others. As a tribute to Trebek, a friend of mine sent me a link Monday to an old show where one of the categories was “football,” and none of the three contestants knew a single answer of the five. It was hilarious to see Trebek’s reaction to their obvious lack of knowledge about what would be easy answers for even the most casual football fan.
I’ve been a fan of the show since I was a kid. When I was at Roanoke College I joined the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and when I was archon (president), I incorporated the game into a night of our initiation week. Normally nothing about that week is supposed to be told to non-members but this was almost 50 years ago and I won’t reveal any of the fraternity “secrets.”
My idea was “Jeopardy Night,” and I served as brother Art Fleming, who was the host of the game before Trebek. We had a basement in the fraternity house that was wood paneled and we cleared all the furniture away from one wall. Then, on large sheets of paper, we wrote six “categories” with a black magic marker and taped them to the paneling, with six across like on the show. The categories were things like “Founders,” “Brothers’ Nicknames,” “It’s All Greek to Me,” and the like. And, of course, one of the categories was “Potpourri.”
Under each category were five answers, also taped to the wall and descending from easiest to hardest, just like on the show. Then, taped over top of each answer was another sheet of paper that had the price values from 100 to 500.
Three of the pledges (aspiring members) were chosen to play the game and took standing positions. In front of each, sitting on a chair, were three other pledges who served as “buzzers.” Each would make a different sound when tapped on the head, mimicking the buzzers on the show.
To begin the game, one of the pledges would pick a category and price value. When he did so, another chosen pledge would dash to the board, rip off the price value sheet and reveal the question. Then brother Art Fleming (me) would read the question and the first pledge to tap his buzzer on the head would get to answer. Of course, if the answer was incorrect there was a price to pay.
This was great fun, and if all you hear about fraternities is drinking and carousing then you haven’t been a member. I doubt if the Pi Kapps at Roanoke College still do “Jeopardy Night,” but when I was a student long ago it was lots of laughs and something I still remember fondly.
Rest in peace, Alex Trebek, and thank you for 37 years of expanding my knowledge in categories like Geography, American History, Literature, Science, and, of course, “Potpourri.”
So next time you see that as a head for my column, you’ll know where it came from.
