Fred, the owner of the Imperial, would love to host a second league team. So if any team is forced or inclined to move, keep the PUBlic Library in mind. Apply to Sam's Spades, the present home team, for references.
The Canadian Inquisition started 2007 with $743.52. The Winter/Spring season netted $134 after the catering bill of $550 had been paid. So we start the Summer season with $877.52.
While we need to save against the day when the League will be forced to replace its cassette fleet with MP3 players and speakers, it was agreed that we could afford modest increases to the prize budget as follows:
Team winning the Christmas Cup to get $150 (up from $125). See Rule F8.
The dollar amount of all other prizes to remain unchanged, but if there is a tie for any of the six prizes currently $25 (Canadiana, Stinker, Team-work, Torquemada Individual Champion, Jaworski Individual Champion, Audience Participation at Final) then prizes of $25 will go to each of the tied teams/tables/individuals.
Some concern was expressed about games that go on and on and what can be done about it. While banter and conviviality are part of the Monday fun, it was recognized that some players simply can't afford a late night. Teams have a right to insist on a start no later than eight o'clock and should try to keep breaks to ten minutes. Quiz-setters can do their part by not setting verbose questions.
Last season the quiz-setters were asked to keep the rotation of questions in the Final strictly according to the rules, but it turns out that there is an ambiguity in the rules (regarding the progression along each team in the second half). It was decided to amend rule F3 accordingly.
Mark Brader, the original drafter of our rules[1], has proposed the amendments in bold:
Although the clockwise rotation continues in the second half, the progression along each team reverses as it would in the regular season, so questions 1-3 now go to the players who were getting 13-15
Rather than read these passages at last night's meeting, we suggested circulating them in written form before they are "enshrined" in law. Anyone doubting that they describe what happened at the Final on April 9 is welcome to comment.
It was felt that the Game 10 formula that matches the Jaworski team in first place with the Torquemada team in fifth place, while Jaworski #2 gets to play Jaworski #4 penalizes success; i.e., Jaworski #2 gets an easier game than does #1. It was voted to have the two fifth place teams play each other in Game 10 as neither of these teams will be fighting for promotion or to avoid relegation.
Right here: excursion@sympatico.ca will be the quiz-setters' e-mail address for the season. We won't be using the gmail account that was active last season.
The panic cell phone number for game night is Tim's: 647.261.3740.
This is something we didn't discuss at the meeting, but the quiz-setters were asked afterwards. Until further notice, our current events will be based on newspapers appearing no later than the Saturday before the quiz. (By Saturday papers we mean ink on newsprint, not newspaper-owned web sites.)
Electronic version of the Summer 2007 schedule follows.
Enjoy the season!
Mel, Misplaced Modifiers
To clarify the credit or blame here: I did not draft the original version of the rules and I don't know who did. (If they're still around and reading this, I hope they'll stand up and take a bow.)
I did redraft and expand the rules for approval at the January 1998 Captains' Meeting, with the intent of codifying existing practices that had never been written down; rule F3, in its original form, was one of those additions, so I was responsible for the ambiguity. But large parts of the earlier rules are still in use and I get no credit for that.