QUIZ RECAP

A quiet Sunday amid the holiday weekend was no less monumental as tonight's trivia game marked the final play by Benjamin Quizraeli regular, James Fiske.

James has been playing at Barney's Beanery Santa Monica for the last seven years but has recently accepted a new job in Seattle where he'll go join his long distance girlfriend and create their own little team at a King Trivia location yet to be determined.

James and his friend, Nick, started Team Dipsomania many years ago and were still operating when I began hosting at Barney's Santa Monica four years ago. However, they added another team member (John) who had just watched his own team move away and the trio redubbed themselves Benjamin Quizraeli.

Benjamin Quizraeli did a hell of a job at trivia. They racked in a win almost every week which makes tonight's game even more significant as it may be one of the worst ever scoring rounds these gentlemen have ever put on the board. Doubling off the bat - twice - and being unsuccessful - twice - put them far behind tonight's other winners and James left his teammates empty handed for his final stand.

James will be missed - you could hear him from anywhere within a 50 foot radius and was a staple at the bar - but I have a sneaking suspicious we'll be seeing him again for the tournament. The fate of Benjamin Quizraeli remains in question as Nick will be moving to Scotland later this summer and John will most likely be shopping for a new team... but who will wind up with the winning bid? It remains to be seen...

In the meantime, best wishes to James as he moves on to another stage of his life but know that there will always be a pen and a quiz booklet for you here in Santa Monica.