Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
June 14, 2002, Washington Post

Get Your Grades

So, how did you do? No, not on your final exams in school. I mean on last month's sports quiz. Even if you weren't one of the lucky winners, you can still see how you did by checking your answers against the right answers below. I hope you got an A-plus.

1. This month (May) a Major League Baseball player tied the record for most home runs in a game -- four! Who is the player?

Answer: a. Mike Cameron. The Seattle center fielder blasted four homers May 2 -- and a fifth blast fell just a few feet short of the stands. Incredibly, Shawn Green of the Los Angeles Dodgers also hit four homers in a single game later in May.

2. Soccer star Mia Hamm has yet to score a goal for the Washington Freedom this season. Why?

Answer: a. She is injured. Marvelous Mia has been recovering from knee surgery. She returned to action on Wednesday and scored the winning goal against the Boston Breakers.

3. The Washington Redskins have a new head coach, Steve Spurrier. Before Coach Spurrier came to Washington, what college football team did he coach?

Answer: b. University of Florida. Some fans think Spurrier is trying to turn the Redskins into his old Florida Gators. Spurrier has signed two of his former college quarterbacks, Danny Wuerffel and Shane Matthews, as well as several former Gators wide receivers.

4. Halfpipe was introduced during the 1998 Olympics. What is it?

Answer: a. A snowboarding event. The halfpipe and all its aerodynamic tricks and twists brought new fun to the Winter Olympics and lots of medals to the United States. But, come on, is halfpipe really a sport?

5. The World Cup soccer matches are getting ready to be played in two Asian countries. What are the two countries?

Answer: d. Japan and South Korea. The World Cup games have been real exciting. The only problem is that because the games are literally halfway around the world, U.S. soccer fans have to give up sleep to see many of the games on TV live.

6. The last men's World Cup was played in 1998. Who won?

Answer: c. France. The French knocked off Brazil, 3-0, in the 1998 World Cup final. This year, Les Bleus (that's French for the Blues -- the color of the French team shirts) were eliminated in the first round. They didn't score a single goal in three games.

7. The National Basketball Association just named its Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2001-02 season. Who is it?

Answer: c. Tim Duncan. Lots of folks think that New Jersey Nets guard Jason Kidd should have won the award. And I agree. Kidd led the Nets to the best record in the East -- and to the NBA Finals -- just one year after the team won only 26 games. Duncan was pretty terrific too, averaging about 25 points and 12 rebounds per game.

8. The Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes are the Triple Crown in what sport?

Answer: a. Horse racing. This year, a horse almost won the Triple Crown for the first time since 1978. War Emblem won the Derby and the Preakness, but stumbled early and finished well behind in the Belmont Stakes.

9. A figure skating judge has been banned from judging at the 2006 Olympics in Italy because of something she did while judging at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. What was the problem?

Answer: c. She cheated. Now, skating officials are trying to figure out ways to judge skaters that are more fair. They better do something: The judging in figure skating is getting to be a bad joke.

10. The University of Maryland Terrapins won the men's NCAA basketball championship. But who did the Terrapins beat in the final game?

Answer: b. Indiana University. The Terps, led by marvelous shooting guard Juan Dixon, beat the Indiana Hoosiers 64-52. Maybe that's why I see so many kids wearing University of Maryland hats and T-shirts. Fear the turtle!

Fred Bowen writes KidsPost's Friday sports column and is the author of sports novels for kids. Write to him at KidsPost, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20071. Or e-mail (with "The Score" in the subject field): kidspost@washpost.com.

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