LearnedLeague 97 Match Day 25 Recap
Finishing off this regular, degular, schmegular season of LL.
I want to thank everyone again for reading these recaps every day this season. I hope you enjoyed them and even got some good use out of them! I’ll be taking some vacation and proctoring the LL championship this summer, so no ML/1DS recaps this offseason unfortunately. But I did contribute some questions to Just Images Sports 3, so I hope you enjoy participating in that!
Match Day 25
1. The Japanese word yama (山), which is sometimes seen within familiar names, is most commonly translated into English as what?
Pre-answer thoughts: I have never taken Japanese, but my hunch here is restaurant, just because I know of some sushi restaurants called Yama.
Correct answer: Mountain
Was I correct? No.
How much of LL got it right? 26%
Points assigned to opponent: 1
Was opponent correct? Yes.
Points assigned to me: 2
Current score: 0(0)-1(1)
Points assigned to Private Rundle opponent: 1
Was opponent correct? Yes.
Points assigned to me: 2
Current score: 0(0)-1(1)
Post-answer thoughts: A tough first question on the last day. The suffix -yama is found in many place names in Japan.
2. The 1947 novel by English author Mary Norton titled Bonfires and Broomsticks was reissued in 1970 (and adapted into a Disney film in 1971) with what slightly modified title?
Pre-answer thoughts: From what I remember, this is a trippy Disney movie that combines both live action and animation called Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
Correct answer: Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Was I correct? Yes.
How much of LL got it right? 64%
Points assigned to opponent: 0
Was opponent correct? Yes.
Points assigned to me: 2
Current score: 2(1)-1(2)
Points assigned to Private Rundle opponent: 2
Was opponent correct? No.
Points assigned to me: 2
Current score: 2(1)-1(1)
Post-answer thoughts: Angela Lansbury, who’d be better known for a later Disney role, starred in this movie. The first time I watched it I got very confused because of how similar it felt to Mary Poppins.
3. What is the common name (in English) for the covered bridge in Venice that connects the Doge's Palace with the New Prison (Prigioni Nuove), so named (in an indirect way) for the prisoners crossing it?
Pre-answer thoughts: Unlike the Millennium Bridge question from earlier in the season, I have no way in on this one, and I never have been to Venice. I’m just going to guess”Lawless Bridge,” but I don’t feel good about it.
Correct answer: Bridge of Sighs
Was I correct? No.
How much of LL got it right? 39%
Points assigned to opponent: 3
Was opponent correct? Yes.
Points assigned to me: 3
Current score: 2(1)-4(3)
Points assigned to Private Rundle opponent: 1
Was opponent correct? No.
Points assigned to me: 1
Current score: 2(1)-2(2)
Post-answer thoughts: In retrospect, I should’ve come up with this — I have heard of Bridge of Sighs before. The “indirect way” of referring to the prisoners was that they would have one final view of Venice before going to their prison cells, according to Lord Byron, who coined the term.
4. On April 23, 2023, American Nelly Korda became (once again) the world's official #1 ranked woman in what sport (in which she won a gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021)?
Pre-answer thoughts: This one I knew right away just from knowing the name — Nelly Korda is a top golfer. Her dad Petr was also a top tennis player back in the 1990s, so she comes from an athletic family.
Correct answer: Golf
Was I correct? Yes.
How much of LL got it right? 36%
Points assigned to opponent: 2
Was opponent correct? No.
Points assigned to me: 0
Current score: 2(2)-4(3)
Points assigned to Private Rundle opponent: 0
Was opponent correct? Yes.
Points assigned to me: 1
Current score: 3(2)-2(3)
Post-answer thoughts: This one is a little tough if you haven’t heard her name before, because golf only recently became an Olympic sport.
5. The 1962 Broadway musical I Can Get It for You Wholesale was not particularly successful, but it is notable today for the appearance of Elliott Gould in his first starring role and even more notable as a launching point for what star, who received the show's only Tony nomination?
Pre-answer thoughts: I considered many different actresses, but eventually settled on Barbra Streisand, because I knew she got her start in the 1960s, and I’m pretty sure she first gained fame due to theater performances before moving on to a movie and singing career.
Correct answer: Barbra Streisand
Was I correct? Yes.
How much of LL got it right? 39%
Points assigned to opponent: 2
Was opponent correct? Yes.
Points assigned to me: 1
Current score: 3(3)-6(4)
Points assigned to Private Rundle opponent: 3
Was opponent correct? No.
Points assigned to me: 3
Current score: 6(3)-2(3)
Post-answer thoughts: I’m glad my intuition proved correct here. Streisand and Elliot Gould got married shortly after this musical was released, which would’ve been another clue for this question.
6. What record-setting recording artist memorably (and many would say, inaccurately) described herself on the VH1 reality show Love & Hip Hop: New York as the "regular, degular, shmegular girl from the Bronx"?
Pre-answer thoughts: I can’t say I’ve watched Love & Hip Hop: New York so for rappers from the Bronx I would think this has to be either Nicki Minaj or Cardi B. I’ll guess Nicki Minaj here, as I think she’s had a longer career than Cardi B and thus more opportunities to be “record-setting.”
Correct answer: Cardi B
Was I correct? No.
How much of LL got it right? 31%
Points assigned to opponent: 1
Was opponent correct? Yes.
Points assigned to me: 1
Points assigned to Private Rundle opponent: 2
Was opponent correct? Yes.
Points assigned to me: 0
Post-answer thoughts: The most common wrong answer here was Jennifer Lopez, but I’m still disappointed I messed this one up. And Cardi B already has set quite a few records, such as being the only female rapper to have multiple #1 songs on the Hot 100.
Result: Lost to PearsonD, 3(3)-7(5)
Current Standings in Rundle A Byzantium: 7-14-4 (27th of 30)
Private Rundle Result: Win over SheehanC, 6(3)-4(4)
Current Standings in Private Rundle: 16-7-2 (3rd of 10)
Overall thoughts: As expected, I could not climb my way out of the hole and have once again been relegated after just one season in Rundle A. It’s somewhat disappointing though, since I thought I competed better than the last time I was in Rundle A, and my defense wasn’t half bad either. But alas, it wasn’t enough to keep me up, so it’s back to Rundle B next time.
Hope everyone has a great summer, and I’ll see you back here for LearnedLeague 98 recaps in late August!
Thanks again, Ben, for doing this series! I appreciate your insights, especially since we tend to run in the same high B/low A range.