current club #581 news

The deadline for registering for the two day tournament in St. Louis (March 19-20) is Tuesday, March 8. In other words those of you that are thinking of attending but have not registered should call Andy Yates right away at 636-793-3681 (daytime) or 314-481-1904 (evenings).

Those of you who are considering going to St. Louis for that club's two day, 11 round tournament on March 19 and 20 should check with Mike. Saturday, March 19, is also Club 581's monthly library meeting date. If it looks like several of the regular Saturday players will be going to STL or have other commitments, then the club might want to think about returning the room reservation to the library so that some other group might be able to make use of it. However, we will not relinquish the room even if there are just a handful of players who plan on playing at the March 19 club meeting.

Andy Yates from the St. Louis club sent flyers this week to Club 581 announcing their two day eleven round tournament scheduled for March 19-20 at the Brentwood Recreation Complex in St. Louis. See Mike for a flyer. This will be the first tournament for this particular club.

Overall, we stayed within a reasonable amount of the tournament budget. One expense item that was not forgotten about but miscalculated was the NSA fee for tabulating and registering the results. The total amount paid to the NSA was $67.50 of which $56.25 had been set aside. The $11.25 difference will come out of the club treasury (the previous fee was $1.25 per player and the new fee amount the NSA now charges is $1.50 per player).

Right now, the Saturday, March 19 afternoon of games at the library is still on. However, within the next week to ten days, we'll try and get a tentative head count on how many players plan on participating. Several players from the Memphis club as well as the Jonesboro and Paragould clubs that normally attend the Saturday sessions at the library will be playing in the St. Louis tournament March 19-20. More information on this next week.

Mark your calendars for the Jonesboro tournament the weekend of April 9-10. Always a fun and enjoyable tournament. More details to follow within the next few weeks.

To Ray Vun Kannon who visited the club this evening and played some games. Ray has played with another club (in Florida) in the past. We're glad to have him and hope to see him at future club meetings.

The one day tourney at the library on Saturday came off smoothly with very few, if any, hitches. The final number of entries was 45 (with the 46th entrant having to drop out early that morning due to illness). Timing was a critical factor as we needed to get the games going and moving along (which they did). The lunch at noon was wonderful and many thanks to Tave and Al Heisterman who outdid themselves in putting it together as well as those of you who brought side dishes (including our pals from the Jonesboro and Paragould clubs). It was a feast to enjoy. Four games were played after the lunch break with the last game finishing up around 5:00pm. Prizes were awarded, players got their things together, the rooms were picked up (a special thanks to Al for singlehandedly getting all the extra food packed away), and we were out of the library about a quarter to six. Again, thanks to all of you for your help.

Division One (10 Players)

  1. Tracy Cobbs (Decatur, AL)
  2. Andy Yates (St. Louis, MO)
  3. Greg Edwards (St. Louis, MO)
Division Two (12 Players)
  1. Ryan Porter (Memphis, TN)
  2. Jordan Ross (Collierville, TN)
  3. Justine Zollinger (Memphis, TN)
  4. Chuckie Evans (Bartlett, TN)

Copies are available at tonight's club meeting. See Mike if there are any revisions that need to be made. Also, those of you who did not receive a copy of the roster with last week's newsletter, call or e-mail Mike and a copy will be sent to you.

The club roster for 2005 is ready and will be handed out next week. A rough draft is available for players to see at this week's club meeting. Check to make sure that your address, phone number(s) and e-mail are correct.

The club roster is being put together now but there is still time to make changes for those of you who have new addresses and/or phone numbers. See Mike if you have new information to include in the forthcoming revised roster.

Those of you who have changed addresses, phone numbers or acquired cell phones and would like that information listed on the club roster, please either call or e-mail Mike <memull@aol.com> or (901) 767-6137. The roster should be ready within the next few weeks.

To date there are 22 paid entries in the February 26 one day tournament and several other players have indicated their intent to participate. The last day to register is Monday, February 21. Again, those of you who have not checked with Tave about what to bring as a side dish for lunch need to do so right away so that final plans can be made.

Entries are beginning to arrive. Those of you that are planning on playing in the tournament: please get your entry form and entry fee in as soon as you can. There is always a lot of pre-tournament busy work and early entries help to keep everything from having to be done at the last minute. Thanks. Also, some of you may be called upon to assist in getting the room ready at the library. Since we are unable to go into the library early on tournament day to set up tables, the library events coordinator has indicated that if the rooms are not being used the day before, we can go in and start setting up Friday afternoon (Feb. 25). See Tave about what you can bring as a side dish for lunch.

The February 26 date of Club 581's one day tournament is fast approaching. Flyers are available at the weekly club meetings or you may get one from Mike. The format will be identical to the one day tourney that the club had in March of last year (seven games, three or four divisions depending on the number of entries). It would be helpful for those of you that plan on entering to please get your entry form and fee to Mike soon. As with the previous tournament, the club will furnish the main course for lunch and club members may bring a pot luck dish to go with it. Tave will be in charge of the lunch. See her about what to bring.

Club 581's one day NSA sanctioned tournament is scheduled for Saturday, February 26th, at the main library. This is being held on the day that we would normally have our last Saturday of the month club meeting. The tournament will have seven rounds beginning at 9:30 a.m. sharp. We have to be out of the library by 6:00 p.m. so there is a lot to do. Flyers for the tournament are ready and can be obtained from Mike or any Monday club meeting. We'll be calling upon some of you to assist in putting the lunch together. More about that later.

To Nancy Satterfield of Benoit, Mississippi, who is a friend of Jane Peacock's. Jane says she and Nancy have played Scrabble® with each other for years before she moved to Cordova.

To visiting player Bradley Harris of Eads, TN, who found out about the club on the Internet. We're glad to have you and hope to see you at future club meetings.

Although it is not official and there will probably be some revisions, the tentative lists of new words from four college dictionaries that will be included in the new edition of the OSPD and the OWL are available. See Mike if you want a copy of them. Or, you can check the lists out on the website devoted exclusively to the new words. (Hickman will be glad to know that one of the new words to be added to the OWL is 'urinator')! < posted: jan 17, 2005

Well, once again, the Arkansas players saw fit to come to Memphis and run roughshod over the downtrodden, helpless, and unloved members of Club 581 by whipping up on us in Saturday's games fiasco at the library. Overall winner was Patty Camp who posted a 4/0 (win/loss) game count with a +361 spread. Bully for her. Then along came sweet talking, arithmetic impaired Naomi Wallace who mopped up the floor with Chuckie by demolishing him 496 to 366 for high game. And Sue Cooper pulled a fast one on our innocent and naive Justine by playing the phony word 'outsway' for 101 points to achieve high bingo of the day. And the biggest blow of all came in the same 496/366 game between Naomi and Chuck when she put down 'jukes' and hooked it onto some other crappy words to come up with 103 points for the high bonus word of the day (letter J). Naomi strutted out of the library with $18.00 feeling awfully good about herself. The rest of us didn't feel so hot. Anyway, there it is: a complete and total routing of the Memphis players by the Arkansas gang. Most of the blame can be assigned to Chuckie who even tried to get away with playing a phony bingo against Naomi...'unassing'. Any guesses as to why anyone on earth would think that is a good word (other than Chuckie)?

The tournament down in Yazoo City (Jan. 15-16) was a big success with local players from the Memphis, Jonesboro and Paragould clubs finishing in the money. From Club 581, Justine Zollinger placed third in Division Two with 7 wins and a +488 spread. Mindy Portinga had high game for that division with a 477. From the Jonesboro club, our redheaded pal, Billie Garver, placed first in Division Two with 8.5 wins and a +248 spread. She said she plans on donating her winnings to those from Club 581 that are less fortunate. And Paragould Club co-director Patty Camp finished second in Division Two with 8 wins and a +451 spread. Likewise, Patty feels that donating her prize money to Club 581 will make her a better person. Over in Division One, the ever humble Jimmy Upton from Jonesboro placed second with 8 wins and a +444 spread. And in Division Three, the other Paragould co-director, Jack Howe, landed in second place with 9 wins and a +461 cumulative. Congratulations to all of them on a job well done. As Patty Camp would say...the rest of us paid our money, showed up, played Scrabble® (or at least pretended to play), and had a good time. Some of us (one in particular--okay, it was Roy) embarrassed Club 581 by playing so badly that the entire club may be excommunicated from the NSA. Hopefully Roy will do better in future tournaments and not be such a liability to the club.*

*NOTE: Maybe it was someone else and not Roy. Unable to recall exactly who it was. Short term memory loss due to curtailing of M&M's consumption for brain food.

Good luck to all of those heading to Yazoo City, Mississippi, this coming weekend (Jan. 15-16) for the Scrabble® tournament there. This is the first year for the tournament to be held in Yazoo City. Previous years it was in Jackson. Tournament director Juanita Washington says that she is expecting upwards of 50 contestants in the tournament.

Those of you planning to attend the tournament in Yazoo City, MS, January 15-16, 2005 should remember that the last day to register for the tourney is January 7. This is the first time the Mississippi club is having the tournament in Yazoo City instead of Jackson. See Mike if you need further information.

Those of you that did not get a copy and would like one, see Mike.

Is being handed out tonight. This covers all club financial matters from July 1 to December 31, 2004. See Mike or Dorothy if you have any questions.

Club 581's monthly club meeting at the library is this coming Saturday, January 22, in meeting room 'C'. The first official game will not start until 1:00 p.m. However, the room is reserved all day and those of you wanting to go in early and play some games are welcome to do so. Check with Tave about refreshments.

The Saturday club meeting at the library for January will be on Jan. 22 (and not on Jan. 29). This is one of the few months of the year when we will be meeting on a Saturday other than the last one of the month. Check with Tave about refreshments.

Club co-director/treasurer Dorothy Tatum and her family in your prayers. Dorothy's oldest son Dennis passed away last Monday night, December 20. He lived in Memphis.

The monthly library club meeting this past Saturday drew 18 players and several guests for the club's annual Christmas party and game day. The food was in abundance and the games were lively. There was actually no overall winner due to the disparity in the number of games played by different players. High game for the day went toe Roy Naylor who posted a 447 win. Roy also had the high bonus word for the day with the letter 'K' (SOCKETS--53 points). Chuckie Evans managed a 101 point high bingo for 'INQUIRER'--astonishing given his game count for the day. The club played Dirty Santa again this year with Judi DeFranco moderating. The highlight was Rea Spidel opening her package selection to find a pair of iridescent green boxer shorts. However, she was devastated to have those taken away from here by another Dirty Santa player later on. (Note: It was great to see Judi's mom, Doris Farrell, up and about. Doris used to play with the club a long time ago and we were glad to be able to visit with her again.)

Club 581 made a donation to the Memphis Library Foundation this month for their generosity and support of the club by allowing us to use the meeting rooms in the library free of charge for the last two years. This is something the club should begin doing on an annual basis. The donation amount of $100 does not begin to cover the cost of a similar room if the club had to rent one somewhere.

Our pal from the Jonesboro club, Billie Garver, was the subject of a feature article written about her and her love for Scrabble® in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette this past weekend. Check with Mike if you would like to read the article as there are copies of it available. It's a wonderful testimonial to Billie and her passion for the game which has been ongoing for the last half century.

Jonesboro Club Director Karan Upton is back home and doing very well after having had surgery in early December. Our best wishes to Karan for a speedy recovery.

Thanks to all the club members for the wonderful Christmas present of giant size mugs and coffee--they have already been put to good use. Very thoughtful of you and I appreciate it. And also thanks to Roy for doing a great job of directing while I was away. Amazingly, he didn't chase anybody off (like I do)!

Don't forget to make your plans to attend our annual Christmas party which will be held at the library on December 18th. The time will be from 10:00am until 5:00pm with lunch being served about 1:00pm. Remember that the club will provide the mat. Tave is coordinating the menu. Please offer your help to her. If you want to participate in gift giving please bring a gift with a value around $5.00 (give or take).

Mike had his trial and was temporarily sentenced to 8 hours community service in a soup kitchen. Mike didn't like that idea and turned his backside to the judged and mooned him! The judge then sentenced Mike to 200 hours changing bed pans and diapers in a local nursing home. Mike has admitted that the entire experience has humbled him. Mike also has promised never to call the old ladies--old ladies again. Welcome back Ole Chap!

Mike is currently in a London jail for causing a scene at a local pub. According to the police report Mike had one too many alcoholic beverages (approx. 5 pints of good Ole English Ale). Eyewitnesses reported that a crazy American proceeded to moon the locals and then things really got out of hand. Bail was set at 5,000 pounds (does anyone how much U.S. money that is?) Mike could soon be released into the custody of his embarrassed friends. A trial date will be set soon.

Well Mike has made his voyage to jolly Ole England. It should be a peaceful three weeks for Club #581 while Mike is visiting friends overseas. He has promised to bring back gifts for everyone. I hope mine costs a lot.

A big welcome back to fellow Scrabbler, Rea Spidel. Rea has been staying with her niece after undergoing surgery. Believe it or not we missed you across the board.

Saturday Scrabble® at the library was held on Saturday, November 27th. I hope everyone behaved for Dorothy. Saturday's newsletter will be completed for next Monday. This coming Saturday, November 27, is the monthly club meeting at the library. Once again, the room (C) is reserved all day but the first official game will not start until around 1:00 p.m. Club co-director Dorothy Tatum will be in charge. Feel free to contact her if you have any questions (901) 754-1846. Check with Tave about refreshments.

Just a reminder: Please get with Dorothy. She has a letter that the club received from the library asking that we consider making a donation. We think this would be a good idea for public relations but we would still like input from all of our members.

On behalf of Club #581, I hope that each one of you and your families had a wonderful Thanksgiving. See, I do have a heart during the holiday season!.

One correction to the list of library dates for 2005 handed out two weeks ago...the St. Louis Scrabble® Club is planning a tournament for the weekend of March 19-20, 2005, which is the same weekend Club 581 had tentatively planned a one day tournament. Since the St. Louis Club's tournament is two days instead of one, Club 581 will now have its one day tournament on February 26, 2005 (luckily the Memphis Central Library had rooms A and B available in addition to room C that was already reserved for us). This is the St. Louis Club's first tournament and they were very grateful that we were able to switch the date of our tournament in order for them to carry on with their plans. However, Club 581 will still meet on Saturday, March 19, for its regular monthly afternoon of games--it just won't be an NSA sanctioned tournament. A flyer for the February 26th tournament will be sent out shortly after the holidays. Additionally, the NSA approved Club 581's request for a second one day tournament on Saturday, June 25, 2005.

The events coordinating staff at the library should make an announcement on confirmed dates for Saturday Scrabble® Club meetings sometime this week. As soon as those become available, they will be listed in a forthcoming newsletter.

The monthly Saturday dates for 2005 were submitted to the library events coordinator last Wednesday. The requested dates for '05 will mostly be the last Saturday of each month. HOWEVER, THERE ARE AT LEAST FOUR MONTHLY EXCEPTIONS TO THIS DUE TO THE LAST SATURDAY INTERFERING WITH HOLIDAYS (EASTER AND CHRISTMAS) AS WELL AS THE PIGEON FORGE TOURNAMENT WHICH BEGINS ON SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2005. Additionally, the last Saturday in each January, is continually booked with the local genealogy club. As soon as the library confirms the dates with the club (shortly after November 1), a list will be included in a forthcoming newsletter. As always, the weekly newsletter will included a reminder of the Saturdays the club plays each month.

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Scrabble® Turkeys!

Twenty-two intrepid players gathered to play Scrabble® on Saturday at the library. Overall winner was Jimmy Upton who posted a 4/0 (win/loss) game account and +296 spread. High game went to Ola Lane from the Jonesboro club who scored 470 points in one game. The high bingo as well as the high bonus word (Z) was the same word: ZOSTERS. Is there any doubt who played it? Justine Zollinger scored a whopping 110 points for playing that crap. Congratulations to the winners. Our thanks to the folks from Arkansas who came over and joined us for the day as well as to Lorraine Sowell from down in Mississippi. Also, thanks to Tave for coordinating the snack bar and to Al the Saint Heisterman for all that he does for Club 581. See the Club Results page for complete results of Saturday's club meeting.

If you want to play in the Eureka Springs tournament and have not registered, there is still time to do so, although the first cutoff date has passed. Those wishing to enter now may do so before November 9 but will be assessed a $20 fee in addition to their regular entry fee. See Mike if you need any information.

If you plan on attending the tournament in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, November 12, 13, and 14, do Jack and Patty a big favor by going ahead and sending in your entry fee now rather than waiting until the last minute. Tournament planning requires a lot of time and effort on the part of the tournament directors and having entries in head of time instead of right at the deadline is helpful so that a lot of the paperwork can be taken care of. The entry deadline is November 9. However, entries postmarked after November 1 will require an additional $20 per entry fee. Also, it would be a good idea to go ahead and make your room reservations at the Inn of the Ozarks. See Mike if you need further information.

The first round of words selected for inclusion in the updated versions of the OWL and OSPD is now available to see. The word committee of the NSA uses four dictionaries to glean new words for the Scrabble® dictionaries. The committee has gone through each dictionary once and made a tentative list of new acceptable words for Scrabble®. However, these new words will not be acceptable in play until the dictionaries are revised and published sometime in early 2005. The four dictionary lists are only tentative and most likely there will be some additions as well as deletions between now and publication date. There is a copy of the four dictionary lists (two through seven letter words only) for you to see on the table with the newsletters. If you want a copy of the lists for yourself, go to the following website and print them off: http://www.cherryfritz.com:81/ospdupdate/.

Club 581 and guests will be meeting this coming Saturday (October 30) at the library for an afternoon of games. Hopefully everyone got their numerous messages or e-mails that were sent out over the last few weeks stating that we were meeting on the 30th and not the 23rd. By the way, this was NOT a change of date: the 30th was the original designated Saturday in October when room reservations were made late last year. Check with Tave about refreshments.

This month's Saturday club meeting at the library will be October 30 which is the fifth Saturday and not the usual fourth Saturday of the month that we normally meet. We have the room C reserved all day. However, we won't start the first official game until 1:00 p.m. Feel free to go in at any time during the morning and play some games. Additionally, the dates for 2005 Saturday club meetings will be submitted to the library this week for their approval. More details about that in coming weeks.

Kelly Smith dropped by the club last Monday and handed out a list of the different color combinations of protiles that she is able to make. There are literally several hundred color combinations available and Kelly left a chart showing each color. The order blanks and the color chart will be on the table with the newsletters each week. Remember, these are the tiles that are in the acrylic cases (like the ones that Kelly included with the custom board presented to the club). Also, the tiles can be personalized with your initials on the back of each tile (if you desire) or a special graphic can be inserted. Contact Kelly at 901-755-4974 or e-mail her at kelly@sparkyenterprises.com if you have any questions. The cost of a set of tiles is $25.00 and each set includes a cloth drawstring bag.

Local custom Scrabble® board maker Kelly Smith is now making the acrylic protiles (like the ones being used with the new board she gave to the club).

To visiting player DeDe Talley who is a friend of Rea's. We're glad to have you DeDe and hope to see you at future club meetings.

A favor, please, for Mike...contrary to what you might think, I am unable to read Sanskrit or whatever language some of you use to fill out your summary sheets. Please be cognizant of your writing and make it legible. There were three summary sheets this week that had such bad scribbling that I had to guess what some of the bingos were. Additionally, please make sure that you indicate if you have played a phony bingo. And once again, take time to check that you and your opponent write down the same scores for a game (and in the correct columns). The number of summary sheets that get turned in with different scores for the same game seems to grow. And the arithmetic...let's not even get started on that! Okay? Thanks!

To three visiting players this evening: Natalie Tebbetts, Michelle Robertson, and Michael Sillyman. Michelle is the mother of Michael Sillyman as well as Andrew Sillyman who also plays with the club on occasion. We're glad to have all of you here and hope to see you at future club meetings.

An e-mail from Patty Camp over in Paragould says that our pal, Dorothy Cole, is still recovering from her recent hip surgery, although a few setbacks have caused her to return to the hospital for treatment. Patty says that when she leaves the hospital, Dorothy will most likely go into one of the local nursing homes to continue her rehabilitation before returning home. Good luck from all of us in Club 581 Dorothy.

A complete accounting of the Brownsville Tournament expenses will be handed out either next week or the following week. Thus far it looks like we went over budged a grand total of $3.78. Thanks again to all of you who pitched in to make it another successful tournament sponsored by Club 581.

To Kelly Smith, Meg's mom and local custom Scrabble® board maker, who is generously giving Club 581 the beautiful custom board of the mountain scene that was on display for the raffle during the Brownsville Tournament. The winner of the raffle (Roy's dad, Harrell Naylor) has asked Kelly to design him a custom board depicting cotton bolls and banjos. The mountain scene board will be inscribed with Club 581's name on it and will be available for use at club meetings. Again, thanks to Kelly from all of us in Club 581. That is an incredibly nice gesture (and we didn't even have to let Meg win)!.

The Brownsville tournament this past weekend was an unqualified success yielding 28 players in four divisions. The 11 round schedule had four games played on Friday night and seven games played on Saturday with the last one being finished before 5:00 p.m. You can find the tournament results here.

Congratulations to Harrell Naylor (Roy's dad) of Bartlett, Illinois, whose winning number was drawn for the custom-made Scrabble® board by Kelly Smith. Thanks to all those who participated in the raffle.

A special thanks to lots of people for making the tournament the success that it was: to Roy Naylor for his expert directing; to Tave Heisterman for getting the fantastic lunch put together; to club members who brought assorted side dishes for the Saturday lunch; to Al the Saint Heisterman for all the work that he does in helping with tournaments as well as weekly and Saturday Scrabble®; to Nan Naylor for running interference and helping get things organized PLUS trying to make Roy behave (not an easy task); to the Brownsville Baptist Church for allowing us to use their Family Life Center for the tournament venue; and thanks to all those who came from far away places to participate in the tournament. It was a fun tournament and everyone seemed to have a good time (especially the winners). The rest of us paid our money, showed up, got beat up on unmercifully, but nevertheless had a good time!

To Jane Peacock who played with the club this evening (and did very well). Jane and her husband recently moved to Memphis from Cleveland, MS. We're glad to have you Jane and hope to see you at future club meetings.

The new board game, Super Scrabble®, is now available. For those who have not heard of this game, it is basically like regular Scrabble® but uses a larger board and 200 tiles instead of 100. The larger board has an expanded grid which includes premium tiles of quadruple letter and quadruple word scores. The rules are basically the same for Super Scrabble® as they are for regular Scrabble®. See Mike if you would like to borrow his game set. It's a rather fun diversion from regular Scrabble® but is not designed to take its place. Just for pure enjoyment (some incredibly high game scores can be made).

If you are not sure how to get to the tournament venue, check with Mike or Roy for directions. There are still several flyers available with maps and directions on the back.

Final plans are being made for the tournament this coming Friday and Saturday, September 10--11. The deadline for registering is September 7. Since the first game will be starting at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, please be sure that you arrive no later than 5:30 p.m., in order to get registered, set up boards and times, and pickup folders. The folders will contain scorecards with a list of your opponents for all eleven rounds. Remember, only four rounds will be played on Friday night and the remaining seven on Saturday (beginning at 9:00 a.m. sharp). Try and get to the Family Life Center of the Baptist Church early enough on Saturday to get settled and locate your opponent. NSA tournament rules will be enforced--timers will be started, if necessary, if players are too late for their games.

Status quo. Entries are still arriving. For those of you that have not sent in your registration fee, remember that the last day to get this done is September 7. The tournament is September 10 and 11. See Roy or Mike if you need a registration form or more information. Also, check with Tave about what you can bring as a side dish for the lunch on Saturday the 11th.

Those of you who are planning on participating in the September 10-11 tournament have until September 7 to sign up. Remember, this tournament is 11 rounds with four being played on Friday the 10th and seven rounds played on Saturday the 11th. The tournament should be finished by around 5:00-5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Entry fee: $50.00. See Roy or Mike for other information. Tave is in charge of coordinating the lunch being served on Saturday. Check with her about what to bring.

Status quo. Roy, Dorothy and Mike met over the weekend [Aug. 14-15] to get more details ironed out. The menu for the September 11 Saturday lunch is being planned. Tave will be in charge. Stay tuned.

Check with Roy or Mike if you have any questions regarding the tournament.

Even though the turnout was somewhat smaller than usual (13), the games at the library on Saturday afternoon were lively and fun. Five of our pals from the Jonesboro and Paragould, Arkansas, clubs joined eight of the members from Club 581 for the four game session. Overall winner was that stellar player from the Memphis club, Mike Muller, who posted a 4/0 game count (that's four wins and no losses folks) with a +340 spread. High game score of the day was by Justine Zollinger (465). High bingo was Mike with 96 points for 'relating.' For the second month in a row, Club 581 member Dorothy Tatum was the winner of the bonus pot with 'jurist' for 60 points ('J' being the bonus letter). It should be noted that members of the Arkansas clubs were shut out completely in the four top statistics. Members of Club 581 here in Memphis will be happy to provide the Arkansas players with some pointers on how to improve their game if they wish (free of charge).

Shirley Jodell was back playing with us at Saturday's club meeting. It was great to see her as we've all missed having her around to torment. We've missed her big mouth as well! Hurry up and get back with us on a weekly schedule!

Jack Howe brought to the Saturday game session a personalized auto license plate that he had made with three initials on it in the form of Scrabble® tiles. He is currently taking orders for them and will bring the finished plates to the Brownsville tournament (if the orders are placed by this week). A sample plate is on display at tonight's club meeting. Those of you who would like one may also wait until the Brownsville tournament and place the order then if you prefer. The price of $10.00 is a real bargain and the plates really look good.

Still on sale. You may purchase raffle tickets anytime between now and the day of the drawing (Saturday, Sept. 11 at the Brownsville Tournament). See the tote board for numbers that are still open. $5.00 per ticket.

Several tickets have already been sold for the custom Scrabble® board by local board designer Kelly Smith to be given away in the raffle during the Brownsville Tournament. Pictures of Kelly's board designs can be found on her website <http://www.sparkyenterprises.com>. Remember that the winner of the raffle will have the option of taking the board that will be on display, choosing one of the designs from Kelly's website or having a custom design of their own done. Tickets are $5.00 each. Check out the tote board at the club meeting. Dorothy will take your money.

Local custom Scrabble® board maker Kelly Smith has graciously offered to do a custom board for the club to raffle off during the tournament in Brownsville. Rather than wait until the weekend of the tournament to sell tickets, you may purchase tickets beginning this week and up through the last day of the tournament (also the day of the drawing). The board that Kelly is doing is one of a spectacular mountain scene at sunrise (see Mike for pictures of that board as well as her other designs). Kelly will customize it to the liking of whoever wins the raffle. Or, if the winner of the raffle prefers, they can choose a design from Kelly's website or she will customize a board of the winner's own design or idea. This is your chance to get a beautiful custom board for $5.00 a ticket. There is a tote board set up with the numbers. Simply assign your name to a number and give your $5.00 to Dorothy. Kelly's website (where you can see all of the boards she has done) is <http://www.sparkyenterprises.com>.

To the list of bingos from last week: The word 'incaged' played by Ryan Porter is spelled correctly and is not a phony word (as noted in some of the newsletters). The word adjudicator was apparently having a bad day.

This coming Saturday, August 28, is our fourth Saturday of the month club meeting at the library. Once again we are booked into room 'C' and have it reserved all day long. We will, however, begin the first official game at 1:00 p.m. Those of you wanting to go in early and set up and play some games are welcome to do so. The library opens at 9:00 a.m. Check with Tave about what to bring for refreshments. Though not mandator, if those planning to attend could let Mike know by sometime Friday, it would be appreciated.

The fourth Saturday of the month club meeting is August 28th. Same format as previous month. More details next week.

The Scrabble® documentary "Word Wars" was telecast last week on the Discovery Times Channel. The film follows four of the top ranked Scrabble® players in the U.S. through several tournaments, including the 2002 National Championship in San Diego. While it is not stellar entertainment for the masses, it is moderately interesting and gives the viewer and overall look into the world of competitive Scrabble® while showing how some players can become somewhat obsessed with the game (frightening). If you zip through the commercials, it is about 80 to 90 minutes long.

Please keep in mind that while we are a fairly laid back bunch of Scrabble® players, we are a sanctioned club by the National Scrabble® Association. As such, we are bound by the rules of play set forth by the NSA. While the more seasoned or "older" :) club members are glad to help the newer players any way they can, it is up to all players and members (new and old) to understand that these rules of club play are fair and that we should all abide by them. Leniency is fine but only to the point where it becomes unfair to your opponent. Two points in particular: remember that if you overdraw on tiles, you simply cannot thrown one back in the bag. There is a procedure to go through to correct the situation. Also, sure, it's okay to ask for help on occasion (we've all done it). But it's a privilege that should only be exercised rarely and only if your opponent has no objection. Again, these rules are not difficult or unfair. When everyone follows them, players can be assured of fairness in their games and that makes it enjoyable for all. If you are unclear on some of the rules of play, by all means, ask someone. We are all here to help each other so let's play fair and have a good time. After all, that's why we are here. See Mike if you would like to look at the rules book put out by the NSA.

An e-mail from Chris Shumway says that she will be back in Memphis the weekend of August 28-29 and plans to be at the club meeting on the 30th. Chris will be in town visiting and making the rounds of local radio stations for interviews in regard to the publication of her book Ayoka's Prophecy. More information can be found on her website: < http://www.geocities.com/ayokasprophecy>.

An e-mail received from our part time club member and full time pal Chris Shumway says that her book Ayoka's Prophecy will be published by the end of July or the first of August. Chris says that she will be signing copies of the book at various bookstores in the area. Club members who would like to get a signed copy from Chris can either tell Mike or e-mail Chris direct at chrisshumway@yahoo.com. The books are $13.50. Chris also said that she hopes to get back and play with the club the next time she is in town.

Did anyone notice that last week's newsletter was dated April 5, 2004 instead of July 19, 2004? The computer was having a bad day and the computer operator was apparently having a bad one as well. Sorry for that.

To visiting player Jessica Stone of Richland, Washington. Jessica is Hickman and Mary Ewing's daughter and we were glad to have her join us at last Monday's meeting.

As of 3:00 p.m. on August 2, there had been 12 rounds played at the National Championship. These are the standings of local players as of 3:00 p.m.: Division 5 (90 players): Justine: 7 wins, 5 losses with a -25 spread and ranked at #29; Billie Garver: 6/6 +106 and ranked #41; Rea: 5/7 +413 and ranked at #55; Chuck: 5/7 -144 and ranked at #62. Division 6 (76 players): Patty Camp: 6/6 +211 and ranked at #33; Dorothy Tatum: 6/6 +116 and ranked at #35. The stats for division seven where Doris Roll is playing were not posted yet. Keep in mind that these standings are for just 12 rounds and it is a 30 round tournament. A lot can happen in the next two days. The NSA is doing a wonderful job of keeping the tournament website current almost to the hour. Go to this website for all current information:

< http://www.scrabble-assoc.com/tourneys/2004/nsc/build/>.

The good news is that there has been no word from the New Orleans police on any members from Club 581 or their Arkansas cronies causing mayhem, havoc or disruption during the tournament (not even a negative report on Thelma and Louise--aka Justine and Billie). However, the week is still young.

Jason's Deli is awfully good about letting us come in and use their facility for our club meetings. Granted, we generally give them a lot of business so the arrangement works out well for everyone. We park ourselves in the restaurant starting around 5:00 p.m. and go about our merry way. But we need to remember that the restaurant closes at 10:00 p.m. The employees want to finish up their work so they can go home to their families. If we continue to play right up until the doors are locked, then we are forcing some of the employees to stay later in order to get the place straightened up before the next day. Is that fair to them? Let's be a bit more mindful of their situation and stop the last game no later than 9:45 p.m. If your final game starts by 9:00 p.m., that gives you and your opponent time to play a full game if you don't piddle around. If at 9:45 p.m. your game has not ended, make sure you and your opponent have an equal number of turns and simply stop the game. This is not difficult to do. Besides, it usually takes us more than a few minutes to get our stuff together and get out the door. Okay? See Mike if you have any questions or comments on this.

Are available on the newsletter table. If you are certain that you are going to be entering the tournament, do the tournament directors a favor and sign up early. It makes life somewhat easier not to have everyone sign up at the last minute. Also, for those of you that plan on spending the night in Brownsville, keep in mind that the rooms blocked at special Scrabble® rates will go fast. The sooner you book your reservation the better your chances are of getting the Scrabble® rate. See the back of the flyer for hotels in Brownsville. Flyers were sent out last weekend to 50 out of town players (excluding players from Jonesboro or Paragould) who have either played in past Memphis or Brownsville Tournaments. Jack Howe took several flyers with him last month for the Arkansas players during our fourth Saturday of the month club meeting. Additionally, the tournament announcement was put on the CGP and OSPD Yahoo! internet groups last week. Will Be available now through the cutoff registration date of September 7. Those of you who will be playing in your second NSA sanctioned tournament must remember that in order to participate in this and future tournaments, you are required to join the NSA. See Mike if you have any questions in regard on how to join. For those of you that have never played in a sanctioned tournament, the NSA allows you to play in your first one without joining the association.

Rea, Mindy and Mike took several Scrabble® games to the Baptist Rehab Center in Germantown last Saturday at the request of Mindy's daughter-in-law who is in charge of recreational activities. It was a great experience to be able to help out and bring some fun to those folks who are undergoing intense therapy for various reasons. They all seemed to enjoy playing and having club members guide them along.

There are approximately 204 words that have been expurgated from the OSPD3 but are included in the Official Word List. These words, some of them being very offensive and downright dirty, are acceptable in club and tournament play. Over the last week or two there has been a lot of chit chat back and forth on the CGP in regard to some of these words. For a complete list, see Mike (who was given the list by someone from the club who shall remain nameless ). One wonders why some were deemed unacceptable for OSPD3: abo, gringo, haole, jew, goy, redneck, redskin...just to name a few.

Is being handed out today. This includes all club income and expenditures over the first six months of 2004. See Mike or Dorothy if you have any questions. The treasury report for the first six months of 2004 is all but ready. However, it will be handed out next week instead of this week in order to include the dues collected for tonight (June 28).

Although definite plans have not been made, more than likely we will use the same system as in the 2003 tournament in regard to lunch...the club will provide the main course and drinks and ask club members to bring a dish of some sort to go with it. This worked out very well last year and we received many compliments about lunch.

Just a reminder...if you plan on staying in one of the hotels in Brownsville, it would be a good idea to go ahead and make your reservation as soon as possible. There are four hotels with rates listed on the back of the tournament flyer. The $40 rate at the Holiday Inn Express is an incredibly good bargain and rooms at that rate won't last long.

Two new players visiting the club this week. Irma Roaten who says she has been playing Scrabble® for many years, and Mark ?? (apologies to Mark for failing to get his last name). We're glad to have the two of you join us and hope to see you at many future club meetings.

Rather than pairing players for each game based on scores from previous games, we'll try random pairings for a while and see how that works out. If it turns out to be unsatisfactory, then we'll go back to the old system. One advantage to the random pairings, however, is that players of all levels will have the opportunity to play each other.

A big welcome to two visitors to Scrabble® Club 581 this week: Barbara Marshall from Eads, TN, and Edward Pillow from St. Louis who is visiting club member Rea Spidel. We're glad to have both of you and hope to see you back playing with the club often.

There have been two changes to the club roster that was handed out at last week's club meeting. New copies are available for those who would like one. For those that prefer to make the changes on their present roster, they are: Chuck Evans' e-mail should read ; Mindy Portinga's e-mail should read . The errors were all the computer's fault and had nothing to do with the person doing the typing not having his reading glasses on.

A list of general guidelines for new players as well as visitors to club 581 is being handed out tonight. This list is for all present club members to check over and become familiar. Comments, additions, deletions or revisions are encouraged and invited. You may view a copy of the guidelines here.

The Jonesboro Scrabble® Tournament this past weekend proved to be their best one yet. Fifty players participated in the two day, four division event. A big thanks to Billie Garver, Jack Howe, Patty Camp, Karan Upton, Sue Cooper and all the others from the Jonesboro and Paragould clubs who made the tournament a big success. As always, the food was made up of several different cakes, pies, cookies, and brownies. We all made the astute observation that none of it was low in calories as we gobbled down one pastry after another.

Club 581 member Mindy Portinga managed to shame the rest of us by placing second in division three and bringing home some prize money (which she has graciously offered to share with other club members the day hell freezes over).

Returns next week. Meanwhile, a few words which were played in the tournament by various people. Which ones are good and which ones are phonies? MAXED, GUILDE, DRAP, POORI, VILLAN, LOOBY, SHILY, SHERDO, ORYX.

The letter 'Z'. As always participating in this is optional. Since this is the new year, a quick review of the bonus pot rules might be in order: (1) The bonus letter must be played from your rack and not already be on the board for it to count toward the bonus pot winnings. (2) The word containing the bonus letter cannot be a phony word. (3) A blank cannot be used for the bonus letter. (5) Put your $.50 in Shirley's specimen cup BEFORE the games begin and not after you score a big amount of points with a word that has the bonus letter in it. The only exception is that a player may still put their $.50 in Shirley's cup if they arrive late.

For those of you that didn't hear about it or see it, the article about club 581 was in last Thursday's Commercial Appeal. However, it appeared only in the editions of the paper for Germantown, Cordova and Collierville (the Appeal section). There are two pictures with the article...one of Shirley and Anne playing and one of David and Chuck playing. Two good pictures with four goofy grins! See Mike if you haven't' read it. Also, it was posted online at the Commercial Appeal website. See Chuck for the web address information.

To Jill Moffitt who visited the club for the first time this evening. Jill's sister-in-law saw us playing at Jason's last Monday evening and told Jill about the club. We hope to see her at many other club meetings.

Word has it that our Arkansas bud, Billie Garver, is home now and doing better after having undergone surgery earlier last week. Patty Camp spoke with Billie on Sunday and said that she seems to be progressing toward recovery. Justine added that Billie was feeling well enough to mop up the floor with her on the ISC this past weekend. Billie, club 581 sends you our best wishes!

Two stems this week--ROUTES and LISTEN. ROUTES is considered important in that it contains the letter 'U'. There are 38 bingos that can be made by adding one letter to ROUTES and 35 bingos can be made by adding a letter to the stem LISTEN. Six more stems to go in this series and those lists will be handed out over the next three weeks.

  • February 28: The fourth Saturday of the month club meeting at the library.
  • March 20-23: Four day tournament in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
  • March 27: One day tournament in Memphis

Club 581 co-director and treasurer Dorothy Tatum is currently in Phoenix playing in the 20th annual Phoenix Scrabble® tournament. There are pictures of the tournament at http://homepage.mac.com/larryrand1.

The following is an excerpt from an article last week written for the Newhouse News Service (see Mike for a complete copy of the article):

Scrabble® for 'DUH'mmies. Well, duh. That three-letter word is being added tot eh official words that are legal to play in Scrabble® games. Duh is one of about 8,500 words to be added to the Official Scrabble® Players Dictionary and tournament word list within the year, says Jim Pate, an Alabama Scrabble® nut who is chairman of the committee revising the dictionary. Other words to make the list for the first time include tons of computer tech terms, but also 'upsadaisy', 'qi' and 'za'.

Two stems again today--TONIES and TONERS. TONIES shows up on a lot of lists of important stems; TONERS not as often even though more bingos can be made by adding one letter to that stem than with TONIES. There are 24 bingos to be made with TONIES and 29 with TONERS. Remaining in this series of stems are about six to eight more which will be handed out over the next several weeks.

To Travis Foster of Memphis who joined us for a round of games during the club meeting. Travis says he's been playing Scrabble® for a long time but this is his first exposure to playing with a club. Hopefully we won't scare him off.

Congratulations to Jordan Ross and his teammate Josh Hale who came in first place this past Saturday at the Tennessee Scrabble School® Championship held at the Evangelical Christian School here in Memphis. Jordan, who has been playing with us at our fourth Saturday of the month library club meetings, and Josh are students of ECS. They will be attending the National School Scrabble® Championship in Boston in April. *NOTE: About 180 fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders were at the tournament. Ryan Porter, ECS Scrabble® coach, asked your club director to help out with the tournament. The aftermath: the director started therapy sessions the next day followed by shock treatments, heavy doses of drugs and for the remainder of the weekend. A contract with a hit man has been put out on Porter's life.

Today's word list consists of two stems IRONES and AIDERS. By adding one letter to IRONES, there are 35 bingos that can be made. Adding a letter to AIDERS can make 44 bingos. Again, depending on whose list of stems is viewed, AIDERS comes in at number nine in order of appearance; IRONES at 15.

To Pat Boling who moved into the Memphis area a short while back. Pat says she has been playing Scrabble® for many years but this is her first experience in club play. We're glad to have you Pat.

Your club webmaster and club director got together last week and did some redesigning on the score sheet. The only difference that is noticeable is the change of font of the letters used in tracking. The Scrabble® font was downloaded from the Internet and used. While the size of font is a bit smaller than what was used on the old score sheet, the letters are spread out a bit more and not as crowded together. For a while the score sheets will be printed on tan and light yellow color paper due to a surfeit of those colors on hand. Those of you who would rather use the old score sheet are more than welcome to do so.

Today's handout is a list of bingos that can be made by adding one letter to the six letter stem INSERT considered to be number eight on the list of important stems. There are 47 bingos that can be made from this stem. See Mike if you would like a copy of the definitions to all the words.

Today's handout is a list of bingos that can be made by adding one letter to the six letter stem SANTER given the fourth spot on the top ten stem list (seventh on another list). All total there are 54 bingos that can be made from this stem by adding just one lousy letter. Take a few minutes and familiarize yourself with some of them. They could come in handy. See Mike if you want the list of definitions that go with each bingo (with thanks to Jack over in the Paragould club).

Take a look at Kelly Smith's (Meg's Mom) new website where she has posted some new designs for her hand-painted custom boards. Or e-mail Kelly if you are thinking about a board and have a design of your own in mind. The new website is http://www.sparkyenterprises.com.

A few entry fees have come in. There were several out of town e-mail inquiries last week from people who had seen the listing on the NSA tournament website. Details regarding lunch that day will be forthcoming.

Inquiries are coming in about the one day March 27 Scrabble® tournament at the library. The tournament roster on the NSA website lists the tournament as six games instead of seven. Hopefully that will be changed soon.

After some initial planning which turned into a disaster, club 581 will be sponsoring a one day, NSA sanctioned, seven round Scrabble® tournament on March 27, 2004 at the library. This will be the first one day sanctioned tournament that we will put on and hopefully it will lead to others. The one day tournaments have become very popular among clubs across the country. The only drawback to doing seven rounds at the library is the time constraint. There is enough time to play seven rounds but we will have to get in there, get settled and start playing right away. In other words, we will have no time to waste. The library is adamant in its new rules stating that we cannot enter the library until 9:00 a.m. and must be out of the library by 6:00 p.m. and leave the meeting rooms in tip-top shape. WE CAN DO THIS WITH EVERYBODY'S COOPERATION AND WILLINGNESS TO HELP OUT. More details will be forthcoming in the next several weeks.

The one day tournament is still over two months away (March 27) and there is plenty of time to plan. However, there are some things we can do ahead of time that will keep us from being swamped at the last minute. We will be serving lunch to the players. Planning that menu soon would be something to go ahead and get nailed down.

Welcome to Mike and Reta Kidd who visited the club this week and played several games. Mike says he and Reta play almost daily at home. We hope to have them returning as often as they can make it.

Club members should exercise some restraint when playing visitors who are new at the game or have not played competitive Scrabble® in a while. Help them along, make suggestions, advise them and in general be a teacher. Pulverizing them into the ground with an astronomical score while they struggle along is not going to be an incentive for visitors to return. If, as a club member, you sacrifice getting a high score for your game due to spending time helping a visitor with his game, then that in itself should be something you can be a lot more proud of than being able to pad your average that particular night just because you are able to do it. Having a high game average by taking advantage of a new or visiting player's inexperience is certainly nothing to boast about. If this is still unclear to you, see Mike who will explain it to you in detail and draw you a picture if necessary.

Today's handout is a list of bingos that can be made by adding one letter to the six letter stem EASTER considered number 6 or number 10 on the most important stem list (again, depending on whose list it is). There are 50 bingos that can be made from this stem by just adding one letter. Players should try and at least learn a few of them. This is a common stem that every player will find on their rack often. There is a list of definitions that go with the 50 bingos if club members would like a copy (see Mike). Again, the list is courtesy of Jack Howe from the Paragould Club.

The NSA will be notified this week of the new starting time of 6:00 p.m. for club 581. If you are unable to get to Jason's by 6:00 p.m., that is not a problem. We do not want to keep anyone from coming if they can't be there by 6:00. Those coming after 6:00 when the first game is in progress will be included in the next game. Eat dinner while waiting, read a book, set up your board, whatever...just sit down and be quiet and don't bug anybody while they are playing. That can be very distracting.

NSA Club 581 would like to thank those folks from out of town who came today as well as to all of our fourth Saturday of the month Scrabble® game days in 2003. We look forward to seeing you in 2004.

Those who need a schedule of the Saturday game days in 2004, let Mike know and he will get one to you. Remember, Saturday, January 24, is the next game day and we will be starting the first game at 1:00 p.m. sharp in meeting room C. As stated in the newsletter from December 22 attached to this stat sheet, those wishing to go in earlier and play some games are welcome to do so. The room is reserved from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and we should make use of the library's generosity.

Check with Mike if you have any questions or need more information.

Saturday, December 27, was the club's fourth Saturday of the month afternoon of games at the library. Although it was only two days after Christmas, a surprising number of players participated (16). In addition to the club 581 members as well as our buds from the Paragould and Jonesboro, Arkansas clubs, two young people from the ECS School Scrabble® Club joined us. Meg Smith, whom we all know from ECS and who has been playing with the club for several months, brought Jordan Ross with her, a seventh grader at ECS, who promptly showed some of the senior members of the club just how to play the game (just ask Justine and Mindy). The young man's ability and enthusiasm will help him go far in Scrabble® if he desires.

We started the first game Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and played four games, finishing around 5:00 p.m. This worked out very well for us as we were not so rushed and were able to relax a bit between games and visit. Also, we were out of the meeting room (after having left it spotless) well before 5:30 p.m. Since we have the meeting room virtually all day for our Saturday Scrabble® meetings in 2004, we can set the time to our liking. FOR THE TIME BEING LET'S CONTINUE TO START AT 1:00 P.M. AND PLAY FOUR GAMES. Those of you who desire to play more games are welcome to do so. You may go in as early as you wish to (doors open at 9:00 a.m.) and play all you want. As with our Monday night club meetings, we will have an official starting time--1:00 p.m. Be sure you are through with your game(s) well before 1:00 p.m. so that pairings for the four afternoon games can be done. In fact, you are encouraged to go in early and play. There is no point in letting the room remain empty. The library has been very generous in letting us have the room all day so we should make use of it. See Mike for more information about this arrangement.

Today's handout is a list of bingos that can be made by adding one letter to the six letter stem word RETINA. Depending on whose list one checks, this stem is ranked third, sixth or seventh in importance of all stems. Any one of those positions would make it an important stem to know. There are 53 bingos that can be made by adding one letter. For those of you who would like the definitions to the bingos, see Mike for a copy. Jack from the Paragould club has sent the definitions to the bingos made from the top ten stems for those who find it easier to remember a word by knowing what it means.

Okay, here is a list of Saturday dates that Club 581 has a meeting room at the library reserved in 2004. Most are the fourth Saturday of the month (nine); two are the third Saturday, and one is the fifth Saturday:

January 24 (4th Sat.) Room C

July 24 (4th Sat.) Room C

February 28 (4th Sat.) Room C

August 28 (4th Sat.) Room C

March 27 (4th Sat.) Room C (tourney)

September 25 (4th Sat.) Room C

April 17 (3rd Sat.) Room A

October 30 (5th Sat.) Room C

May 22 (4th Sat.) Room C

November 27 (4th Sat.) Room C

June 26 (4th Sat.) Room C

December 18 (3rd Sat.) Room A

Since we were able to lengthen the time we have the meeting rooms reserved, we will be able to begin a bit earlier and not be as rushed to finish the fourth game by closing time. We will begin the first game at 12:30 p.m. instead of 1:30 p.m. Any of those players who are unable to get to the library by 12:30, see Mike and we'll try and work something out. We have the luxury of being flexible on time so any comments or suggestions are welcome.

This week's word list consists of a list of bingos that can be made by adding one letter to the six letter stem ARSINE. As with the two previous stem word lists, ARSINE is considered important due to the large number of bingos that can be made by adding one letter. Try and familiarize yourself with some of them. It could make a big difference in your game. Also, see Mike if you would like a copy of the definitions to the bingos that can be made from this stem--courtesy of Jack Howe from the Paragould Club. Next week: RETINA.

This week's word list is a list of bingos that can be made by adding one letter to the six letter stem SATINE (different from last week's SATIRE). Again, this is one of the more common stems in Scrabble® and players should note that they will find these stem letters on their racks in the majority of games that they play. It is well worth remembering some of the bingos that can be made from this stem.