It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Death Pool Submission Month!
(in no particular order)
Nancy Reagan
John Madden
Amy Winehouse
Jalal Talabani
Terrell Owens
Muhammad Ali
Arnold Palmer
R. Lee Ermey
Ricky Skaggs
Michael Hebranko
Stephen Hawking
Roy Clark
Bill Murray
Alt:
Loretta Lynn
Richard Dreyfuss
Details:
Nancy Reagan - 81, b. 7/6/21: Former first lady, close personal friend of Gary Coleman
John Madden - 72, b. 4/10/36: Football commentator, Voodoo doctor, and regional food aficionado.
Amy Winehouse - 25, b. 9/14/83: Singer, suffering from “emphysema” and crack addiction.
Jalal Talabani - 75, b. 4/7/33: President of Iraq. I’d rather have my “political assassination” pick not go to Obama.
Terrell Owens - 35, b. 12/7/73: Professional d-bag, end zone celebrator, wide receiver (roughly in that order).
Muhammad Ali - 66, b. 1/17/42: Former heavyweight champ. I get choked up every time I see this clip.
Arnold Palmer - 79, b. 9/10/29: One third of golf’s greatest rivalry, and “inventor” of the perfect post-round drink.
R. Lee Ermey - 64, b. 3/24/44: Marine, actor, badass.
Ricky Skaggs - 54, b. 7/18/54: Bluegrass and country musician.
Michael Hebranko - 55, b. 5/14/53: Guinness Record holder for “most weight lost,” after dropping 709 pounds in 19 months between 1987 and 1989. 458 pounds as of April 2007.
Stephen Hawking - 66, b. 1/8/42: Physicist, author, genius, rapper.
Roy Clark, 75, b. 4/15/33: Country musician and host of Hee Haw.
Bill Murray - 58, b. 9/21/50: Actor, professional amateur celebrity golfer.
Alternates:
Loretta Lynn - 74, b. 4/14/34: Once a Coal Miner’s Daughter, now the Van Lear Rose.
Richard Dreyfuss - 61, b. 10/29/47: Actor, Amateur historian and pundit.
You can’t even count in the centenarians though. My family is about to celebrate the 104th birthday of my maternal grandmother. Each year we think, “this will be the last time” and so far she just keeps plugging along.
Okay, I’m in again. Considering I’m sitting on a big, fat goose egg for this year, I can’t possibly do any worse.
Main list:
Bob Barker
Fidel Castro
Dick Clark
Walter Cronkite
Richard Dawson
John Goodman
Billy Graham
Ozzy Osbourne
Nancy Reagan
Keith Richards
Andy Rooney
O.J. Simpson
Abe Vigoda
For once I’ve actually remembered to get my list up in time. Not many unique people and many of the stock standards and holdouts from previous competitions:
Claude Lévi Strauss
Fidel Castro
Osama Bin Laden
Amy Winehouse
Jack Kevorkian
Gough Whitlam
JD Salinger
Margaret Thatcher
Tom Lehrer
George H W Bush
Billy Graham
William Mark Felt
Brittany Spears
Bob Newhart
Tom Bosley
Jean Stapleton
Hank Aaron
Florence Henderson
Ann B. Davis
Nancy Reagan
Lori Drew
Neil Armstrong
Patrick Swayze
O.J. Simpson
Magic Johnson
Bob Dole
Amy Winehouse
Chuck Berry
Patrick Swayze
Fidel Castro
Zha Zha Gabor
Jerry Lee Lewis
B.B. King
Ted Kennedy
Paul Harvey
Elizabeth Taylor
Nancy Reagan
Dick Clark
Peter O’Toole
Alternates:
Clint Eastwood
James Earl Jones
Muhammed Ali
James Earl Jones is in his 70’s and had a bout with pneumonia earlier this year.
Jerry Lee Lewis is the last surviving member of the famous “million dollar quarter” from Sun records in the 50’s.
Amy Winehouse
Patrick Swayze
Dick Cheney
Ted Kennedy
Barack Obama
Seve Ballesteros
Fidel Castro
Roger Ebert
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Dick Clark
Don Rumsfeld
Ralph Nader
Hugh Hefner
I haven’t played in several years, but several of them are repeated from when I last played.
Stephen Hawking
Debbie Reynolds
Queen Elizabeth ll
Elizabeth Taylor
Christina Crawford
Nancy Regan
Paul McCartney
Ted Kennedy
Billy Graham
Ernest Borgnine
Grace Lee Whitney
Barbara Bush
Sid Caesar
I’m going with an old person list this year. I figure Father Time will do for me what Father Terminal Illness wouldn’t last year.
Lilian Jackson Braun - b. 1913 Perennial top o’ the list
Kirk Douglas - b. 1916 Don’t you want to meet the real Spartacus, Kirk?
Olivia de Haviland - b. 1916
Joan Fontaine - b. 1917 It’ll be interesting to see which one kicks off first.
Zsa Zsa Gabor - b. 1917 Had a stroke two years ago, seems age is catching up to her.
Billy Graham - b. 1918 Ruth’s waiting for you.
Ricardo Montalban - b. 1920 When he goes, the cry of “KHAAAAAAAAN” will echo 'round the world.
John Glenn - b. 1921 The former astronaut/Senator
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - b. 1921 I’m sure he’d find a way to stick his foot in his mouth even in the grave.
Bob Barker - b. 1923 Is there spaying and neutering in the afterlife?
Lee Iacocca - b. 1924 Will he die with Chrysler?
Ariel Sharon - b. 1928 Dude, aren’t you tired of being in a coma yet?
Patrick Swayze - b. 1954 Will this be the last Swayze Christmas?
Plain format:
Lilian Jackson Braun
Kirk Douglas
Olivia de Haviland
Joan Fontaine
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Billy Graham
Ricardo Montalban
John Glenn
Prince Philip
Bob Barker
Lee Iacocca
Ariel Sharon
Patrick Swayze
I was thinking on revising my list since Bettie Page has already died, but I’m gonna go for a Hail Mary pass with my first alternate, Michael Jackson. I may regreet not moving Dick Cheney up, but if he dies we’re ALL winners.
Since inclusion on my list usually means that those listed will ***NOT ***join the choir invisible, and changing it from last year’s would bring instant death - gaze upon my list & dispair!
Dom DeLuise
Mary Kate Olsen (switching off each year between sisters)
John Updike
Ben “Cooter from the Dukes of Hazzard” Jones
Dick Tufeld (voice of the robot in “Lost in Space”)
Lois Chiles (actress, Bond Girl in Moonraker)
Mohammad Ali
Jim Nabors
Martin Landau
Stephen Hawking
Ariel Sharon
Nick Nolte
Kim Jong Il
Alternates will be Tom Bosley, then Henry Kissenger
Dom DeLuise
Mary Kate Olsen
John Updike
Ben Jones
Dick Tufeld
Lois Chiles
Mohammad Ali
Jim Nabors
Martin Landau
Stephen Hawking
Ariel Sharon
Nick Nolte
Kim Jong Il
I had three hits the first year I played, then two last year, but nothing this year. So here goes for 2009:
Patrick Swayze
Nancy Reagan
Cloris Leachman
Peter Falk
Kelsey Grammer
Kim Jong-il
Amy Winehouse
Ariel Sharon
James Earl Jones
Stephen Hawking
Roger Ebert
Farrah Fawcett
Prince Philip of Edinburgh
Substitution: Scratch George Soros, that old commie bastard, and replace him with a man among men and hero, Rudy Boesch.
New list:
Tom Clancy
Kim Jong-Il
Susan Atkins
Michael J. Fox
Wendy Richard
Louis Farrakhan
Maggie Smith
Rudy Boesch
Farah Fawcett
Mary Tyler Moore
Muhammed Ali
Elizabeth Edwards
Pete Domenici
