What's next, plaques?

If you read this blog at all, you know I like game shows' raffish, unpretentious charm. It's a cheap, down-and-dirty kind of programming, with none of the snooty yearnings after Art that TV dramas and even sitcoms can sometimes affect.

So I had mixed feelings about Jeopardy creating a Hall of Fame for itself. Okay, the hall sounds pretty simple, and even Alex Trebek says: "We don't take ourselves too seriously."

But I'm still uncomfortable with a mini-Cooperstown for a little old game show. Even if it's a terrific show, as Jeopardy undoubtedly is. Will they start inducting top contestants and giving them plaques?

I guess Ken Jennings would have to go in first. Who would vote on the inductions, anyway? Game show bloggers? Yikes!

At least we could have Hall of Fame controversies just like baseball. Does Watson deserve a plaque? Or do we give a special award to the machine's human programmers? And what about all those five-game winners back in the term-limited days? Do we have to speculate on what they would have done without the limit? I mean, we just can't put them all in the Hall.

Yes, I'm taking the parody too far. The Jeopardy Hall of Fame is a harmless bit of fun for the show's fans. It even has comic strips about the show.