That does not seem to be correct. The way I read it, if there is any possibility that you could score actual points, you can play that person. They might cough up the one point for you before they turn 0. You cannot play anyone whose 100[sup]th[/sup] birthday is on or before Jan 1[sup]st[/sup] of 2017.
The Right Stuff
With John Glenn’s recent death, all of the Mercury 7 astronauts are gone, but here are the actors who played them.
Ed Harris, b. 1950, John Glenn
Scott Glenn, b. 1941, Alan Shephard
Fred Ward, b. 1942, Gus Grissom
Dennis Quaid, b. 1954, Gordon Cooper
Lance Henrikson, b. 1940, Wally Schirra
Scott Paulin, b. 1950, Deke Slayton
Charles Frank, b. 1947, Scott Carpenter
And because 7 is not enough, from the Apollo 13 movie, we have:
Jim Lovell, b. 1928
Tom Hanks, b. 1956, Jim Lovell
Fred Haise, b. 1933
Bill Paxton, b. 1955, Fred Haise
Ken Mattingly, b. 1936
Gary Sinese, b. 1955, Ken Mattingly
Chris Ellis, b. 1956, Deke Slayton
Kevin Bacon, b. 1958, Jack Swigert
Ed Harris
Scott Glenn
Fred Ward
Dennis Quaid
Lance Henrikson
Scott Paulin
Charles Frank
Jim Lovell
Tom Hanks
Fred Haise
Bill Paxton
Ken Mattingly
Gary Sinese
Alternates:
Chris Ellis
Kevin Bacon
I had an astronaut/cosmonaut list a few years back. I started with all the guys still alive who walked on the moon, then went on to other firsts, such as first EVA, first person in space, first woman in space, and so on. Those folks are tough, I didn’t get a single point that year.
I really don’t care whether or not the line between valid and invalid is at the pick’s 100th birthday, his/her 101st. or doesn’t exist at all. The problem I had was his saying it one way, then saying it another, then saying it a third way, and then claiming he’d only said one thing the whole time. (Dude, we can roll tape. Just say, “look, I goofed, sorry about that, here’s what I meant to say.” People are more likely to nod and move on. And yes, this is RTFirefly of all people giving you a suggestion about being diplomatic. That’s gotta be a first around here, and probably a sign of the End Times to boot. :D)
On the ranking thing, I’m happy with his compromise of just listing the players from most to least points, without any numerical rankings at all. Though
kind of amuses me. If I shave off my beard one of these years, I’ll just tell my wife, “It’s not a change, dear, that’s how my facial hair originally was.”
My theme:
Wrestlemania (specially XXIII) concentrating on health issues, steroid use and Jerkiness:
Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka
Big Van Vader
Rob Van Dam
The Great Khali
Randy Orton
Ken Anderson
Jeff Hardy
Edge
Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Gregory Helms
Vincent Kennedy “Vince” McMahon
Donald Trump
The Undertaker
That last one is obligatory 
Preliminary list just in case I forget to post by the deadline. As usual I expect to change it a lot by December 31.
It must be a new Death Pool thread. All the rules lawyers are out.
Gord Downie
James Earl Jones
Tom Brokaw
Don King
Neil Young
Shannen Doherty
Willie Nelson
Peter Mahew
David McCallum
Buzz Aldrin
Pat Robertson
Abdulla Yameen
Malcolm Young
Alternates:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
James Patterson
Betty White
My list this year is called People Who Won the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.
Alison Lurie (9/3/1926) - won in 1985 for Foreign Affairs
William Joseph Kennedy (1/16/1928) - won in 1984 for Ironweed
Shirley Ann Grau (7/28/1929) - won in 1965 for The Keepers of the House
Toni Morrison (2/18/1931) - won in 1988 for Beloved
Philip Roth (3/19/1933) - won in 1998 for American Pastoral
Cormac McCarthy (7/20/1933) - won in 2007 for The Road
Navarre Scott Momaday (2/27/1934) - won in 1969 for House Made of Dawn
Edna Ann Proulx aka E. Annie Proulx (8/22/1935) - won in 1994 for The shipping News
Larry McMurtry (6/3/1936) - won in 1986 for Lonesome Dove
Anne Tyler (10/25/1941) - won in 1989 for Breathing Lessons
Steven Millhauser (8/3/1943) - won in 1997 for* Martin Dressler*
Marilynne Robinson (11/26/1943) - won in 2005 for Gilead
Richard Ford (2/16/1944) - won in 1996 for Independence Day
Alternates
Alice Walker (2/9/1944) - won in 1983 for The Color Purple
Michael Chabon (5/24/1963) - won in 2001 for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Long shot, but that book made me want to punch people.)
Clean List
Alison Lurie
William Joseph Kennedy
Shirley Ann Grau
Toni Morrison
Philip Roth
Cormac McCarthy
N. Scott Momaday
Annie Proulx
Larry McMurtry
Anne Tyler
Steven Millhauser
Marilynne Robinson
Richard Ford
Alternates
Alice Walker
Michael Chabon
Kirk Douglas turned 100 today so can we replace him with Bill Clinton please?
ReL catamount
Can we do a both a regular list and a themed list?
I saw a notice that A A Gill has died, and three players have that name for 2017. That’s what alternates are for!
I was considering this, actually…but I hadn’t come up with a good way of how it would work before the time came to make this thread.
Ooh! I’d like to make a revision, if I could. Drop Yoko Ono, and add Leon “Big Van Vader” White.
That would make my clean list thus:
Jimmy Carter
Jerry Lewis
Billy Graham
Burt Reynolds
Mamie Van Doren
Don Rickles
Donald Trump
Bill Clinton
Stephen Hawking
Courtney Love
Leon “Big Van Vader” White
Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka
Adam West
I am working on an updated scorekeeper, and was considering separate rankings for “themed” and “regular” lists…
Will keep you posted as the process unfolds.
It’s the sixth annual “All-Star” Sports Edition of the Death Pool:
William “Refrigerator” Perry
Stan Mikita
Chris Mortensen
Michael Schumacher
Richard Simmons
Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka
Craig Sager
Dave Strader
Rod Carew
Dwight Gooden
Pele
Dick Enberg
Vin Scully
Alternates:
Johnny Manziel
Lamar Odom
And Groucho fans 
Yeah, the one I expected. 
Alternatively, “If you think this country’s bad off now, just wait 'til I get through with it,” which of course has wider application these days.
NAME Birthdate Known for
Ken Watanabe 21 October 1959 Actor - He's like an Asian "That Guy"
Gord Downie 6 February 1964 Canadian band Tragically Hip
Aretha Franklin 25 March 1942 Teaching us how to spell Respect
Val Kilmer 31 December 1959 The best Batman *EVER*
Stephen Hawking 8 January 1942 "The Hawk" - One of The Elders of the Internet
Tommy Chong 24 May 1938 Dave's not here, man.
Jimmy Carter 1 October 1924 Ex-President
Dick Cheney 30 January 1941 Darth Vader
George H. W. Bush 12 June 1924 Ex-President
Johnathan Szeles 9 September 1958 AKA The Amazing Johnathan
Michael Schumacher 3 January 1969 Formula-1 Driver Terrible skier
Mary Tyler Moore 29 December 1936 The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Pope Emeritus Benedict 16 April 1927 Snazzy Red Shoes
Alt
Prince Phillip 10 June 1921 He married well
Clean list
Ken Watanabe
Gord Downie
Aretha Franklin
Val Kilmer
Stephen Hawking
Tommy Chong
Jimmy Carter
Dick Cheney
George H. W. Bush
Johnathan Szeles
Michael Schumacher
Mary Tyler Moore
Pope Emeritus Benedict
Alt
Prince Phillip
List:
Mel Brooks - Legendary director
Betty White - Legendary actress
James Randi - Legendary skeptic
David Attenborough - Legendary wildlife presenter
John Williams - Legendary composer
Buzz Aldrin - Legendary conspiracy-theorist-puncher
Sean Connery - Legendary sexy man
Ken Watanabe - Legendary Asian actor
Val Kilmer - Legendary swordsman
Stephen Hawking - Legendary cyborg
Tom Sizemore - Legendary meth addict
Donald Sutherland - Legendary Canadian actor
Valerie Harper - Legendary Rhoda star?
Alternates:
Richard Simmons - Legendary sparkly-unitard-wearer
Paul Gascoigne - Legendary alcoholic
Vikram Chatwal - Legendary burnout hotel heir
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Plain Text
Mel Brooks
Betty White
James Randi
David Attenborough
John Williams
Buzz Aldrin
Sean Connery
Donald Sutherland
Ken Watanabe
Val Kilmer
Stephen Hawking
Tom Sizemore
Valerie Harper
Alternates:
Richard Simmons
Paul Gascoigne
Vikram Chatwal
I like this one! Whenever I feel frustrated I can go to YouTube and watch Bart Sibrel get what’s coming to him!