Are you smarter than Chris Paul?
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Collectivism didn't really work out for the USSR, but for the third time in three months, basket-blogs are cluster-posting the heck out of a topic. Back in March, Hardwood Paroxysm tipped off a 45+ post celebration for the Black Mamba; in April, 20 bloggers sang the praises of Underappreciated Famous NBA Athletes.
The latest con-blog-aration yesterday honored Chris Paul, who at 22...
...rolled up legendary point-guard numbers
...led the Hornets to their best season in franchise history
...has his team up 2-0 over the defending champs in the Western Conference semi-finals
(Truly, a phenomenal year; if Juan Dixon and Maceo Baston are worth a day, Paul deserves an entire week).
Still, it wasn't all gravy for CP3 on his own holiday--he finished just second in the NBA's MVP voting, despite convincingly winning basket-bloggers' own award last month.
Of course, there's one honor that Chris Paul can hold over Kobe--and every other NBA player: A win on "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me," a National Public Radio show that Paul appeared on back in September.
(ht: this guy).
We Rite Goode readers may prefer The Basketball Jones to NPR, so here's a primer on "Wait Wait": It's an hour-long news quiz that usually features a 10-minute segment with a celebrity guest, who's forced to answer extremely off-beat questions, usually with mixed success. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer whiffed on all three “Rock N’Roll Lifestyles” questions; meanwhile, muppet Elmo went 2-for-3 on a quiz called "Shut up! Shut up! I'm going to cut your mic!"
Chris Paul's own quiz was called “You want me to eat what?," which focused on the “least palatable” food products from the 1970s. Want to try your own luck? Here are the three questions that NPR asked Paul; feel free to play or listen along at home. Keep in mind, two of the products in each question are fake--only one is real and the right answer.
Question 1. Kids are a huge target for the processed food crowd, but you’ve got to appeal to the parents too. That was the idea behind one of these failed food products--which is the real product?
A) Liver Pops
Frozen liver treats for your kids
B) Vita-Yums
Chocolate-covered vitamins
C) I Hate Peas
Peas and other unpalatable foods are processed into fake french fries
Answer.
2. While most products are aimed at families, marketers tried to woo single shoppers with which product?
A) Baby Burger Bites
Packets of frozen hamburgers the size of marshmellows
B) Gerber’s singles
Baby food for adults
C) Peanut capsules
Little paper-wrapped packets, with the shells inside
Answer.
3. One smart marketing strategy: Play to customers' natural laziness. But ease-of-preparation couldn’t save which real product?
A) Seat-warmer Dinners
Wrapped dinners you put under your seat cushions and cook with your own body heat
B) Reddi-bacon
From the makers of Reddi-Whip, foil-wrapped bacon you pop in the toaster
C) Fish Jerky
Pre-cooked, freeze-dried perfect for picnics and eating on the go
Answer.
Perhaps the nickname stands for Completely Perfect in 3, as Paul aced the quiz. How did you do? Compare your score to noted luminaries below.
3 correct = Chris Paul, NBA All-Star
2 = Joey Harrington, NFL quarterback (link)
1 = Ken Jennings, “Jeopardy” champion (link)
0 =
Around the Web
Like seat-warmer dinners, a few things we've been sitting on for far too long...
* Bright Side of the Sun puts Mike D'Antoni's return to the acid test.
* The second issue of Sports Northwest Magazine, edited by Seth Kolloen of Enjoy the Enjoyment, is now out; Nathaniel Friedman--a.k.a. Bethlehem Shoals--has an interesting piece on David Stern's middle-America politics.
* One of the most active participants in the basket-blog rankings, the Dream Shake weighs in with their Defensive Player and Executive of the Year. Be warned: The Dream Shake likes the Rockets. A lot.
* Fellow basket-blog voter 20 Second Timeout explains his voting for MVP and other awards. TruthAboutIt.net and Hoops State of Mind also cast their MVP ballots.
* MC Bias sees nothing good emerging from last week's Bissinger/Leith/Costas dust-up.
* He was turning 30 and playing for a middling franchise, so he mocked the GM and demanded a trade all off-season. He was booed by fans and called "selfish" by teammates behind his back. But he sucked it up and carried his team to title contention and raised his game to an MVP-level. Yes, Hakeem Olajuwon went from malcontent to two-time champion--and back in November, we wondered if Kobe could pull off a similar transformation.
Labels: Chris Paul, Deadspin, Joey Harrington, Kobe Bryant, MVP, NPR
posted by Crucifictorious @ 01:32,
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