So, yes, I was a judge at Mop & Bucket’s improv comedy show, Theatresports, on Sunday at Proctors. If you read my Saturday column (click here), then you probably understand that I have some trepidation about improv comedy, and doing anything that involves being in front of an audience. But it was actually a pretty fun event, and I have to credit Michael Burns, Mop & Bucket’s artistic director, with putting everyone at ease. I always worry that improv is going to involve a lot of the things I hate, like mandatory audience participation, but Burns made it pretty clear that nobody would be forced to do anything they didn’t want to do, which allowed me to relax and not fear being called on and asked to do something weird.

Anyway, there were three judges — me, Ann Parillo from the Schenectady Today Show and Kristi Gustafson from the Times Union — and we each had cards with numbers on them, from 1 to 5, that we were supposed to hold up after each skit. So if a skit was really bad, painfully unfunny, you would hold up a 1; if it was OK, some funny moments but a few dead spots, you might hold up a 3. Burns told us that very few skits merit a 5 — that if a skit receives a 5, it basically means the actors can die happy. He also gave us a bicycle horn to honk if a skit dragged on too long. “I’ll never use that thing,” I thought. But Ann told us she loved honking the horn, and eventually I could see why. I only did it once, but it’s the sort of thing that can make you feel drunk with power. After all, I ENDED THE SKIT. And I think the audience appreciated it.

As judge, I tried not to be too harsh. I wouldn’t be caught dead doing improv comedy, so I had to give these people credit for guts and fearlessness. My criteria was pretty loose, and I often gave people an extra point if a joke that entertained me on a personal level. For instance, I loved the song about bananas, because it reminded me of all the bananas I ate while reading “Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World,” and so I gave that skit a 4. As did Ann and Kristi. It was a real show-stopper — a sing-a-long that the audience loved. I gave another skit a 3, rather than a 2, because one of the actors claimed he had “built up a resistance to arsenic, and iocane powder” — a clear reference to one of my favorite movies, “The Princess Bride.”

After the show, the actors thanked us for our work. I learned that they actually appreciate the use of the bicycle horn, provided it’s used judiciously. After all, they can tell when a skit isn’t going well, and the horn helps put them out of their misery. All in all, it was a lot of fun, and I really liked the small upstairs theater where the show was held. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I would be willing to judge again. Even more shocking, I think improv comedy is actually growing on me.

SUNDAY FOOTBALL

I had a number of strange obligations on Sunday, and so I didn’t watch a single football game. Nor did I fare particularly well in Pigskin Pick’em, where I remain locked in a two-way tie for third place.

I was really hoping Green Bay would win and put a damper on the Vikings-Favre enthusiasm, but alas, it did not happen. I finally picked the right time to bet against Denver, as they finally lost, to the Ravens. And I have to reevaluate my faith in all three of New York’s football teams, as the Jets, Giants and Bills all lost. The Bills are terrible, of course, but for some reason I bought into the logic that the Bills were coming off a victory, and could capitalize on it, and that Houston would fare poorly in blustery, windy conditions, being from the nice, warm south and all. As for the Jets and the Giants, perhaps both teams have come down to earth after promising starts, and are now demonstrating how overrated and mediocre they were all along. Also, I’m wondering: Will anyone ever beat the Colts?

I’m really mad at Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels. I knew very little about him until I started going to physical therapy. All of the magazines are between six and eight months old, and so on one of my first visits I read this really long profile of Hamels in Sports Illustrated, and learned all about how awesome he was in last year’s World Series, and about all his endorsement opportunities and his good looks and his reality TV star wife.

Of course, Hamels has been a little less awesome in this year’s World Series. He’s sporting an ugly post-season ERA of 7.71, and even gave up a costly base hit to Andy Pettite. Then, in a post-game interview, he said, he couldn’t wait for his inconsistent 2009 season to end. “It’s been mentally draining,” he said. “It’s one of those things, a year in, you just can’t wait for a fresh start.”

This is the sort of thing you just shouldn't admit during the World Series. If I were a Phillies fan, I’d be calling for his head. As it is, I’m just mad at him because the Yankees are about to win the World Series, and he’s been absolutely pathetic.

SEA OF TREES

I finally caught Albany band Sea of Trees at Valentine’s this weekend, and they were quite good. They have a swirling melancholy pop art-rock sound that reminds me a little bit of Modest Mouse, although they’re a little mellower than that, with a style that my friend Philip Schwartz, former Gazette music critic, described as “pastoral neo-psychedelia.” Definitely see them if you get the chance. (You can learn more about them at their website; just click here) They have a show at Caffe Lena on Nov. 18 that should be pretty good.

Got a comment? E-mail me at sfoss@dailygazette.net.