From: "The Meads" <mead@mdc.net>
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 1997 13:42:06 -0500
Subject: JM's osw flaws
Message-id: <199712061833.NAA06017@netway1.mdc.net>

I have put my 21 WSC games through Maven, and below are the OSW-only words that Maven thought I should have played at various times in those games. Of these, I only 'knew' three or four. (Hyphens indicate hooks I needed to know.)

4-letter words: MAL-I PEBA ROKE CEAS ESNE ALOD YODE
5-letter words: COHAB NAPOO GIUST HIVE-R LEFT-E POMBE FOYNE A-LEFT OBIIT RORTY BURK-A
6-letter words: EUOUAE(doh) TOLZEY ZELOSO DEEPIE ZABETA PIEMEN STOOPE ELFINS FAINE-S FARCI-N DOMETT ISABEL EFFEIR EOTHEN MOUTER
7-letter words: LETHEES ISLEMEN FORNENT DELICES TEMSING EMPAIRE SALSAED ASLAKED
8-letter words: CONGREET EMPIERCE TIDIVATE PRYTANEA ENWALLOW MALEFICE CALEFIED/-FIES

Then again, knowing LONICERA saved my butt against Suresh.

In addition, opponents played these words that I did not know:

CLOW TIRR OWRIE DUROY FAINE SQUIER MEDALET TALANTS QUANNET URINANT

At the end of the last game, there were two tiles in the bag; I drew an A to AORSU?, and left the other blank in the bag. If I had pulled it, I would have had to find OUtbARS, making RENt, WEb and DODOS to win the game, a winning record, and (most important) the tiles. Given the way I was playing, if I had found anything at all, it would have been "OUtmARS" instead.

It wasn't the unknown words that put me at 10-11. The tiles ran a skosh against me, as I played 2.5 more tiles per game than opponents, but had 100 power tiles to their 110. I outbingoed my foes 41-27, but relied altogether too much on bingos and not enough on scoring. Must be my Fenway Park upbringing--go for the home run, never mind moving the runners along (offshore readers forgive the New England parochialism). My chief failings were that I could not sustain my focus, game after game, and that I made some losing choices late in some winnable games--Dallas 96 all over again. Biggest OSPD misses were MYSTIcLY (bet GYJoel knows that one) and ENDEXINE for 117--but had I seen that, then Jaygee wouldn't have had his nice PITCHED story.

There were moments for me of elation, regret, gratification and numbness; most of all I came away with renewed respect for the knowledge, judgment, and composure displayed by the players, and with pride to be associated with so many fine friends, now world-wide.

--Jere Mead (who is pointing beyond 1999 to 2