Articles about Words With Friends
Big Boi and Fabolous Talk Words With Friends
Get some insight into the two rappers’ strategy in this funny, curse-filled interview at GQ.com. A taste:
Fabolous: One thing they gotta fix is that if someone be taking days to make they move, you should be able to resign motherf—ers. Like, they be taking days to make a move.
Big Boi: Yeah.
Fabolous: And the other thing is that the kid in the studio, when we was playing in the board game, like, you can’t just be trying s—. Like, just plugging in words and letters. I think you should get like three, four tries and that’s it.
I agree 100 percent, by the way. I’ve wanted to be able to resign motherf—ers forever.
Newy Scruggs and Terrell Owens Are In a Fight
And a Twitter fight, no less, which is like when people had fights with graffiti in bathroom stalls in days of yore, in case you are not on the Twitters and have never seen a Twitter fight in action.
The Dallas Morning News (because Twitter fights are awesome and so why wouldn’t Dallas’ paper of record cover them) has the rundown here. But basically, here’s how it went:
Former Bengal/something else/Cowboy Terrell Owens (from his couch, since he’s kind of unemployed at the moment) makes fun of Terence Newman, sort of, for tackling Brandon Marshall and failing to bring him down during last week’s game, likening Newman to a “superman cape” hanging around Marshall’s neck as he ran in the TD. But he totally added “LOL” at the end of that, which should’ve made it cool in the Twitterverse.
Local NBC sports anchor Newy Scruggs then points out that Owens is unemployed, and says that his mocking of Newman was “petty.” Â Then it gets interesting, because OMG – Owens straight up called Scruggs fat. To be accurate, he called him “fat-so.” He then insisted that he wasn’t slamming Scruggs, but instead gave him some weight loss tips, like “u’re FAT & need 2 hit the treadmill ASAP!!”
Scruggs then reiterated that while he might be rubber, TO is glue, and whatever he says, bounces off of him, and sticks to Owens. Or maybe he just said something to the effect of, “I have a job and you do not, kind sir!” And then maybe it went back and forth for a little bit longer, with Scruggs telling Owens to pay his child support and quit claiming poverty.
But Owens got the last word, which was “fatmeat.”
Why isn’t there a market for Twitter war play-by-play?
A Make-Up Gift For Our Lack of Posts Today
Sorry for the lack of posts today. We’re finishing up our September issue (Best Breast Augmentation Doctor Joke Makers!) and Tim won’t stop talking about himself. So we’re swamped. To make up for that, here is a clip of Marc Anthony covering the Eagles’ “Hotel California.” The audio has been disabled, because of a copyright violation I think, so there is no sound. But there are subtitles, in Spanish. I love you all.
Dwaine Caraway, Arthur, and Archie
I know Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway made his statement yesterday, admitted he lied to the DMN about why cops were called to his house, and said, “That’s the end of all of this with me. That’s my statement. There’s not going to be anything else. No more questions, no more nothing.” But I have a question. How do you diagram the following sentence, which came from his statement?
“Those of you in this audience that are married, those of you that are listening that are married, if you’ve not always wanted eggs and bacon and some of you may have wanted something else, but you didn’t get it and that’s just what marriage is all about.”
That’s the way marriage go?
Newtoy Bigwig Responds to Bitchy Words With Friends Players
An alert FrontBurnervian pointed me to the current comments that folks are making about Words With Friends. Sample: “This app totally blows chunks!!! It’s worse that Obama!!” Folks are getting interminably long spinny wheels, along with the frustrating “rebuilding” message. Please know that I feel for everyone who has experienced these hiccups. Me, personally, since I became good, close, tight, almost brother-like friends with the Newtoy guys after we put them on the cover in June, I get my games routed through a special VIP-only server reserved for special VIPs such as Rhett Miller, Justin Bieber, and all of Chelsea Clinton’s bridesmaids. We never experience delays when we play Words With Friends. We also get non-random tile draws. Those all-vowel racks became a thing of the past the day I was promoted to the special VIP status. Thanks, Newtoy!
Anyway, I asked my best friend David Bettner, co-founder of Newtoy, what is going on with the servers for the hoi polloi. Here’s what he had to say:
We’re working as fast as we can to increase server performance to help alleviate these issues. We’ve had some bugs cause decreased server performance which is why people are experiencing long ‘updating…’ times during peak hours. Version 3.10 should help resolve these issues over the next few days as more people update.
The reality is that we’re constantly trying to stay ahead of the growth curve and this is one of those points where we’ve fallen behind a bit. We’re releasing another update (3.11) to Apple in the next few days which should help more with performance and give us a little more breathing room.
Thanks again for sending this over. Have you personally been experiencing any issues?
That last question from him was rich. It made me laugh. David! You slay me!
Final Recap of Chris Cree’s D Magazine Words With Friends Tournament Victory Over Trennis Jones, Rich Goff, and Rhett Miller
To the left there is the final board of the final match of the D Magazine Words With Friends Tournament. Chris Cree defeated Trennis Jones by a score of 423 to 283 to take the title.
My favorite moment of the evening came after all the action was over and the crowd had thinned out. A small group continued to gather around Cree and his wife Carla (who, I’m told, was intensely watching the video streams we had projected on screens as both the semifinals and finals were played). Â A group of Newtoy Inc. employees peppered Cree to get his thoughts about Words With Friends. He said it was an intriguing variation of the game that he knows so well. Bingos, worth fewer points than they are in Scrabble, aren’t as important. And the different point values and configuration of the bonus squares are “a real equalizer,” he said, meaning that coming up with those seven- or eight-letter words isn’t as important. Â I love hearing an expert –an expert in nearly any field– expound upon his area of expertise. The excitement and joy in his eyes as he recounts key points in a particular match is infectious.
I asked Cree for some final thoughts about the contest. Here’s what he had to say, followed by the final boards from each of our two semifinals.
Carla and I truly enjoyed the experience. What better way to spend an anniversary! We capped off the evening with a celebratory chicken fried steak and onion rings at D Magazine’s #1 choice – Ozona’s.
As far as game notes – Against Rich I pretty well drew the bag. I was able to bingo twice with the blanks – AEERRR? – REARERs and AENOPR? – PERsONA. I had four other “non-goes” in that game (bingos that did not play). TIDINGS, DENGUES, CINEAST/ACETINS and HIGHEST.
Scrabble Champ Chris Cree Claims D Magazine Words With Friends Tournament Title
That was a lot of fun. Last night a crowd of enthusiastic Words With Friends fanatics – mostly players who participated in our tournament, along with some of their friends and family – packed the kitchen/lobby of our offices to watch live as Chris Cree, Trennis Jones, Rich Goff, and Rhett Miller fought for the title of WWF champion.
As you can see from the one-of-a-kind mockup of a D Magazine cover that we presented to him framed as his trophy, Chris Cree came out on top. While this was hardly a surprise to those of us who watched him tear through the tournament with unmatched high scores (the only player to break 500 points, he did it three times), what was a surprise was just what an entertaining fellow he is and how amazingly gracious he was in victory, careful to compliment the skills of his opponents. It was a pleasure for us to have him in our tournament and to crown him the winner.
We also want to thank the others in our Finally Four. Sports agent Trennis Jones put up an impressive run to finish second before struggling with a bad rack for much of the championship match against Cree. Musician Rhett Miller of the Old 97s has even more fans after last night, when he showed just what a great sport he is by driving up to Dallas from Austin specifically to participate in our festivities. And promotions manager Rich Goff, despite his unfortunate tendency to root for the St. Louis Cardinals, was a lot of fun even as Cree whipped him soundly in their semifinal pairing. While all the players were sequestered in a (slightly) quieter conference room away from the party, Goff sent a text message to his friend asking him to bring him a beer for comfort. His friend soon obliged.
I’ll have a few more game notes, and the final boards, in one last post to come. But first I again want to thank the 400 applicants who had hoped to be part of our tournament field, the 64 who played, the city of McKinney for sponsoring the tournament, and the 1,400 people who checked in on our live video stream at various points last night. It was a great event, and a lot of people made it happen.
And if you’re dying for more detail immediately, you’re welcome to sort through my attempt at live blogging through difficult circumstances.
LIVE D Magazine Words With Friends Championship Match — Watch it Here
UPDATE: It’s over. Chris Cree has been crowned our champion. More tomorrow.
It’s all come down to this: the championship of the D Magazine Words With Friends Tournament will be decided in a match between Chris Cree and Trennis Jones tonight at our company offices.
Watch the live video stream of the finals below. Or take a look at what happened in the semifinals. And follow our live-blogging of all of the evening’s activities here.
LIVE BLOG The D Magazine Words With Friends Tournament Final Four Showdown
SPOILER ALERT: Chris Cree won it all. More tomorrow.
It’s been a short, fun ride from 64 competitors who started in our tournament on June 1 to narrowing the field to only four remaining contestants on June 9. Follow along during our live Final Four Showdown from the D Magazine offices tonight. Â Watch a video stream here, and read our live blogging below. (Keep the video stream open in one browser tab, and this post in another, to get the complete picture.) Games get under way at about 7 p.m., maybe a little earlier.
Just keep refreshing this page to see our updates.
7:10 p.m. Â Games are about to start. We have all players in the room.
7:14 p.m. A few technical difficulties because we’re using special iPads for this game.
Watch the D Magazine Words With Friends Tournament Championship LIVE Tonight
Don’t know if you’ve heard, but we’re hosting a little Words With Friends Tournament. Tonight the semifinals and finals will be played at the D Magazine offices. All of the original 64 combatants from our tournament were invited to attend. The Finally Four – Rhett Miller, Rich Goff, Chris Cree, and Trennis Jones – will be sitting across a table from one another to duke it out. Game play starts at about 7 p.m.
We’ll be throwing up a FrontBurner post shortly before the appointed time that will provide live video streams of what’s happening on the game boards. We’ll also have a frequently updated post with commentary of what’s going on this evening, from inside the room where all the action takes place.
So come back in a little while and watch as we valiantly attempt to turn Words With Friends into a spectator sport. (Alcohol may be applied liberally.)
Chris Cree vs. Rich Goff: D Magazine Words With Friends Semifinal Preview #2
This is the second of our semifinal previews, ahead of tonight’s D Magazine Words With Friends Tournament championship. We’ve already broken down Rhett Miller vs. Trennis Jones. Now, eliminated opponents look at Chris Cree vs. Rich Goff.
David Higbee, who came closer than any other player in the tournament to beating Scrabble master Cree, identifies the keys to his success and pinpoints how he might be beat. Â D Magazine senior editor Zac Crain, evaluates the prospects for Goff–who defeated both Zac and D Magazine‘s Tim Rogers in the course of the tournament.
Crain on Goff:
Keys to His Success
- Easy draw. I refer specifically to facing off against Tim Rogers, who gets his wheels shot off by any word he thinks 1) is not real and/or 2) that his opponent guessed at. Based on my match against Rich, I’m quite sure this was part of Tim’s undoing.
- Fortitude. He never seemed worried when I was up by more than 100 points early on in our game. He kept consistently scoring, even with bad racks, and the tortoise beat the hare.
- OOZIER. That’s what he beat me with. WATCH OUT FOR THIS WORD.
Rhett Miller vs. Trennis Jones: Words With Friends Tournament Semifinal Preview #1
Today’s the day for our D Magazine Words With Friends Tournament championship. Four players remain out of the original field of 64. The semifinals kick off at 7 p.m. this evening, and you’ll be able to watch live right here through FrontBurner (more on that later). No word yet on the odds out of Vegas.
In anticipation of the first of our semifinals, between Rhett Miller and Trennis Jones, we asked a couple of their vanquished opponents to provide some expert analysis on how they think this match could play out. Â Cristen Hixson, whom Miller called an “absolute beast” at WWF, shares her insights into the keys to Miller’s success, and how he could be beat. Lauren Lapeyre, who faced Jones in the round of eight, breaks down Jones’ prospects.
Jump for the commentary.
WFAA’s Rich Goff, a Misguided St. Louis Cardinals Fan, Ready for D Magazine Words With Friends
(This is the last of four mini-profiles of the semifinalists of the D Magazine Words With Friends Tournament. Chris Cree will face Rich Goff in one of our two semifinals on June 9. Read to the jump to see this member of our Finally Four answer the same questions as our 10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas nominees.)
Rich Goff
42, Promotions Manager
Lives in: Lake Highlands area of Dallas
Originally from Joplin, Missouri, Rich Goff has been marketing news, weather, sports and online products for television station WFAA since 1999. He’s passionate about three things: the music of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, University of Missouri athletics, and the St. Louis Cardinals.
He got hooked on Scrabble because of semiannual games against his wife’s grandmother. They play for hours every Christmas and Thanksgiving. Usually Goff wins, but not always. He’s been playing WWF since he first discovered it, in March. He calls it “a gift from the iPhone gods.”
Chris Cree to Celebrate Wedding Anniversary With D Magazine Words With Friends Tournament
(This is the third of four mini-profiles of the semifinalists of the D Magazine Words With Friends Tournament. Chris Cree will face Rich Goff in one of our two semifinals on June 9. Read to the jump to see this member of our Finally Four answer the same questions as our 10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas nominees.)
Chris Cree
55, owns a wholesale forklift business and is co-president of the National Scrabble Players Association
Lives in: University Park
How committed is Chris Cree to finishing off the competition in our tournament? June 9 – the day of our live semifinal and final matches – also happens to be Cree’s wedding anniversary. Not only will he be here to play, but his wife Carla will attend as well.
It’s a fitting enough celebration for them, considering that they met thanks to Cree’s hobby of competing in Scrabble tournaments all over the country. (more…)
Sports Agent Trennis Jones Doesn’t Want to Let Down Mom in Words With Friends Tournament
(This is the second of four mini-profiles of the semifinalists of the D Magazine Words With Friends Tournament. Trennis Jones will face Rhett Miller in one of our two semifinals on June 9. Read to the jump to see this member of our Finally Four answer the same questions as our 10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas nominees.)
Trennis Jones
28, sports agent
Lives in: Uptown Dallas
Trennis Jones has worked for sports agency Octagon, in the basketball division, for 5 ½ years. The agency represents clients like Chris Paul, Rudy Gay, Stephen Curry, and Kirk Hinrich. His largest personal signing this year was Tweety Carter from Baylor University. He’s working hard to make sure Tweety’s name is called June 24 during the NBA Draft.
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