SABR 52: Scott Kent, ‘Mookie’ and ‘Goats’ teams win Trivia Contest featuring Immaculate Feud
Scott Kent of Celina, Texas, became the first new individual trivia champion at SABR’s annual convention in a decade during a rousing Closing Ceremonies at SABR 52 on Saturday, August 10, 2024, in Minneapolis.
Kent impressed a large crowd at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis by completing a category sweep of Hall of Fame player career paths to defeat Andrew Milner of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, in the championship final.
In the team final, a veteran team called “Mookie” came out on top. The team included Rob Rafal of Douglaston, New York; Mark Kanter of Portsmouth, Rhode Island; David Fleitz of Troy, Michigan; and Rich Arpi of Maplewood, Minnesota. Kanter’s win was his 13th team title, the all-time leader in the SABR Trivia Contest. Rafal won a team title for the sixth time (eight overall wins), while Fleitz was part of a winning team for the fourth time (seven overall wins). Arpi was a first-time winner.
The other team finalist was “Morneau’s Heroes,” consisting of Alain Usereau, Chuck Hildebrandt, Michael Poplawski, and Philippe Cousineau.
The SABR 52 Trivia Contest included new themes, new rules, and a brand-new format: an “Immaculate Feud” competition based on the popular Immaculate Grid game produced by Baseball-Reference.com.
The Immaculate Feud competition was won by the “Goats”: Alan Cohen of West Hartford, Connecticut; Jerry Kahn of New York City; and Gregg Nelson of Maple Grove, Minnesota. Alan Holst of Beaverton, Oregon, and Steven Gregory of New York City also helped the team advance to the finals in Thursday’s preliminary round.
The other Immaculate Feud finalists were Dan Neumann, Chuck McGill, Derek Bain, and Brendan Bain.
The SABR Trivia Contest was moderated by five-time champion Dan Massey. Massey and T. Scott Brandon wrote and edited the questions. Assistance in evening sessions at SABR 52 was given by David Firstman, Tasha Rivera, Barb Mantegani, and Damian Begley. Massey assembled the game boards of the semifinal and final rounds.
To view a list of previous SABR Trivia Contest winners, click here.
For more coverage of SABR 52, visit SABR.org/convention.
Originally published: August 10, 2024. Last Updated: August 10, 2024.