Sports Quiz Edition

These things are fun every long once in awhile. Every long once in awhile has passed. Let the fun begin.

Short-Term Memory section, 2008 NFL division. 1. One of these teams won all their home games: Patriots, Steelers, Vikings, Panthers.

2. Regard these four kickers. Who won the 2008 NFL scoring title? Stephen Gostkowski/Patriots, Sebastian Janikowski/Raiders, John Kasay/Panthers, Olindo Mare/Seahawks.

3. Which NFL team had the biggest 2008 attendance? Baltimore, San Diego, Washington, or New York Giants? I’ll give you a hint. Here are their numbers: 708,835; 632,554; 570,152; 545,107.

Long-Term Memory section, High Up subdivision. There are 14 eight-thousand-meter (or 26,246 feet and change) mountains on the planet. Which one was climbed first?

I’ll give you this one. It was Annapurna, squeaking in at 8091 meters and successfully climbed on June 3, 1950. Mt. Everest was climbed three years later. The last of the 14 mountains, Shishapangma, coming in at 8027 meters, was climbed in 1964.

Follows are the 14 eight-thousand-meter mountains, all located in the Nepal/Tibet/ Pakistan/China corridor (hang in there, dear reader, there’s a point to this): Everest, K2, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, Broad Peak (Kangchenjunga), Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Shisha Pangma, and Annapurna.

Now, then, which mountain kills the most climbers?

The equation we need to know is death-to-summit ratio. How many climbers reached the summit versus how many died along the way either going up or coming down?

Take a minute.

Mt. Everest is a wuss, killing a paltry 9 percent of those who tried to mount her. Number three is K2, killing 27 percent of her mountaineers. Number two, by a hair, is Nanga Parbat, killing 28 percent. And now, the champ, in the blue corner, introducing Annapurna. That mountain kills 40 percent of her climbers. Blame it on frequent avalanches, deep snow, and insane derring-do.

Man and Animals section, Rodeo subdivision. 4. In men’s rough-stock events (bronc and bull riding), how many seconds must a rider stay on his rough stock? Pick one: 8, 6, 12, 10.

5. Consider calf roping. We have man, horse, calf, and rope. What is the rope in the roper’s mouth called? Rawhide, Piggin’ string, Mother’s helper, Honey pot.

Fishing section, Ice Fishing division, Staying Alive subdivision. 6. The ice should be this thick before you walk on it. 10 feet, 18 inches, 3 inches, 4 feet.

Prehistory section, Horse and Buggy subdivision. 7. Which teams played in the first World Series in 1903? San Diego Padres, Dayton Firefighters, Worcester Hilltoppers, New York Knickerbockers. Boston Pilgrims, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia A’s, Pittsburgh Pirates.

More baseball. Up to the Minute subdivision. 8. Name the ballpark that charges the most for one beer. Padres/PETCO Park, Baltimore Orioles/Camden Yards, New York Yankees/Yankee Stadium, Boston Red Sox/Fenway Park.

9. How much do they charge? $6, $3.50, $7.25, $8.

10. The Yankees have the highest average ticket price at $72.97. Which team has the lowest average ticket price? Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks.

11. How much is the lowest average ticket price? $29.43, $23.42, $32.29, $14.31.

Frozen Water section, Men with Skates subdivision. 12. When was the National Hockey League founded? 1851, 1897, 1917, 1932.

13. Today is Wednesday. How many franchises does the NFL have? 24, 30, 18, 26.

Going Fast section, Motor Racing subdivision. 14. What does NASCAR stand for? National American Stock Car Automobile Racing, Nextel Association of Stock Car Automobile Racing, National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing, National Annual Stock Car Automobile Racing.

15. There are only four cities (not counting metropolitan areas) that can claim teams from the four major sports (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) within their boundaries. Name them. Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Washington, D.C.

Answers: 1. Carolina Panthers. 2. Stephen Gostkowski/Patriots. 3. Washington Redskins. 4. Eight seconds. 5. Piggin’ string. 6. Three inches. 7. Boston Pilgrims and Pittsburgh Pirates. 8. New York Yankees. 9. $7.25. 10. Arizona Diamondbacks. 11. It’s $14.31, cheap. 12. 1917. 13. The number is 30. 14. National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing. 15. Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, and Philadelphia.