‘Jeopardy!’ contestant stumped by Joba Chamberlain scar-based clue
Where have you gone … Tommy John?
A Daily Double caused a world of trouble for two-time champion Alex Gordon, a 26-year-old medical school graduate from Somers, N.Y., on Monday night’s edition of “Jeopardy!”
Gordon, who had pocketed $41,500 in his first two victories, had a small lead over challengers Dileri Johnston and James Tyler when he started knocking down clues in the medicine-based Stitch Incoming category, to which host and “Jeopardy!” legend Ken Jennings said, “Well done, Doctor.”
When Gordon landed on the Daily Double, Jennings asked, “How confident are you in a medical category, Alex?”
Gordon then wagered $12,000 of his $15,000 bankroll, causing Jennings to say, “Wow! OK, well, we know you graduated. Let’s see if it pays off.”
The clue read: “Joba Chamberlain used the scar tissue from the elbow surgery named for this fellow pitcher as part of a smiley face tattoo.”
The champ was clueless, his face expressionless, before he resignedly uttered, “Who is DiMaggio” in much the same way Ralph Kramden famously said, “Homina, homina, homina … Ed Norton?” on the “The $99,000 Answer” episode of “The Honeymooners.”
The correct response, as any baseball fan would know, is Tommy John, who in 1974 was the first athlete to undergo Ulnar Collateral Ligament reconstruction surgery from Dr. Frank Jobe.
Tyler, a cancer survivor from Pennsylvania, went on to win the game.
After the program aired, “Jeopardy!” fans chose up sides on whether Jennings affected the outcome.
“Normally I enjoy Ken’s interactions with contestants during gameplay. But that was wrong of him to goad Alex into an unnecessarily large wager on a Daily Double that was basically a sports clue,” wrote one viewer on Reddit, according to The Sun.
“The Doc will forever know Tommy John surgery. I CAN’T BELIEVE HE DIDN’T KNOW THAT DAILY DOUBLE,” countered another.
