If that’s the ‘famous for being sick’ rule, then yes. She was a Division III college basketball player, and with only the rarest exceptions, Div III women’s hoops players aren’t celebrities beyond their own campuses, and often not even there*.
There was a bit of discussion about the legitimacy of picking her, starting around post 419 and ending around post 445, unless I’ve missed something outside that interval. But Baker’s decision was to disallow her.
*ETA: I attended a Division III college an eon or so ago, and only those people who paid attention to the teams knew who our ‘star’ men’s football and basketball players were. They were not BMOCs at all.
I didn’t fight for the pick, but I did point out that Captain Lance Murdoch was credited with a similar pick a few years ago. A hockey player who was only notable because he was injured on the ice and died shortly after the year began.
IMO, a Division III college basketball is just as famous as a hockey player for the Whitly Dunlops.
Following the links back, I’d have questioned a number of Murdoch’s 2009 picks. But I didn’t start paying attention to the Death Pool until 2013.
Being a relative newbie in the Death Pool thing, I’m curious about what would happen if someone challenged an obscure pick that was only posted at the last minute (as Murdoch’s was in 2009 - with 25 minutes to go). Can one challenge after the new year has begun? What if (as happened in that instance also) the person in question dies right away, and the points being debated aren’t just prospective anymore? Has this come up?
I’ve certainly got nothing against stealing picks. Hell, I’ve got one on my list that I swiped from you a year ago - Bill Gallagher, formerly of the Montana PSC. I thought he was edging towards the borderline, perhaps, but I’d want to feel someone was IMHO clearly the wrong side of it before I challenged, so the thought really didn’t cross my mind in his case.
If I challenged, but wanted in on the pick if the Death Mistress ruled in favor of it, I’d add it to my list and keep an alternate too - cover all the bases, y’know?
Ray Charles died on Monday. How’d we miss that? And who knew he was 96 years old?
I know what you’re going to say: “Rufus, Ray Charles has been dead for years already, and even if he were alive, he wouldn’t be 96.”
Nah, this is the other musically famous Ray Charles. This is the one who wouldn’t settle for just Georgia on his mind - he wrote “Fifty Nifty United States,” among other compositions.
But it seemed particularly appropriate to mention his death right after that of Raul (not Fidel’s brother) Castro.
I’ve had problems with the level of celebrity of many picks over the years. But I also don’t check other people’s lists as they post so. It’s usually too late. And unlike most DPs no one likes getting into judging other lists. So I put on my list only people I would have heard of even without researching for the game. Others can do what they wish.
But Lauren Hill was definitely outside of the rules.
