THE O.B.E. MAIL BAG
This portion of the O.B.E is dedicated to those of you who
are among the living. During the course of the year, feel free to e-mail
the O.B.E. with thoughts, opinions, and general fun stuff.
This page reads from the top down. Wanna go directly to
the most recent postings? Just press this thingy
CHRISSY:
Al Lewis age is wrong. It is not 83... It is 95.. He was born April 30, 1910.
THE GUYS:
Better check your facts out.
CHRISSY:
That is not a nice way to say that. The persons who have his info on the should the facts
out before putting stuff on there.
THE GUYS:
Easy there girly. We're just kidding around. Fact is, there is a debate about the issue
but his son said the 83 age is correct.
CHRISSY:
The debates is still going. I went to the dead or alive web site. And now bring up when
his parent got married. On the TV they saide 1910 when they had the two hours Munsters show.
It was in the news Paper that we was born 1923.
THE GUYS:
Yes, but it's wrong.
CHRISSY:
Yes, I know. I have noticed a lot stuff wrong. They even get stuff on the tv too.
PHIL:
From Al Lewis to Curt Gowdy, you've got them dying in "2005."
THE GUYS:
Man, we have got to stop drinking.
MARVIN:
(Regarding Curt Gowdy) Hello....duh, the Jets won Superbowl III, 16-9...pigskin.
THE GUYS:
You really need to read the Obits more critically. Your comment has no relevance to the Obit.
THE BABY CRUSHERS:
That comment about Suzie Gibson (3rd Oldest person in the world) being buried in a BRONZE
casket was just hysterical. I got a real good kick out of that.
THE GUYS:
Thank You.
LARRY:
The rules stated the “donation” was $ 5.00 – why am I on the list with those who didn’t pay?
Do I need to send another penny to be listed with the others? Why not a list of those who
paid $ 5 or more, and omit the others? People can figure it out !
THE GUYS:
You aren't. You are on the list of those who sent $5 or less. There is no shame in that at
all and we are sincerely grateful that you sent anything at all.
DR. EVIL:
You should have just said that Don Knotts is now truly the 'Incredible Mr. Limpet'.
THE GUYS:
Or the incredible Mr. Limp.
MIKE:
I hope I'm not coming across like a hemorrhoid (ie. pain in the ass) but you guys have not
updated in a while and my pick of Richard Fleischer (Mr. Soylent Green) as well as someone
else's pick of Lyn Nofziger have yet to be posted about 2 weeks after the fact.
THE GUYS:
Yeah. You're right. Just been busy at our other lives. Hopefully this weekend, including
the mail bag.
A DIFFERENT MIKE:
I have checked your site for about three years now, every time that I hear of someone of
notoriety passing. And I always go down the list to see who I've missed. Almost every time
I have an "oh wow, he/she DIED!" experience. Today was the first time, that I know of, that
you missed one and, to be fair, I have not seen it reported anywhere else except for one web
site which is dedicated to aviation: AERO-NEWS.NET. Scott Crossfield, Test Pilot, famous for
flying the X-15 in the early 1960's, died on Thursday of last week, April 20th, in a plane
crash. He was 84 years old.
I thought that enough people have heard of the X-15, if not Crossfield himself, to warrant
a mention on your site. So, I wanted to let you know.
THE GUYS:
The very fact that you tell us that you haven't seen it anywhere else should indicate
something about the "celebrity" status of Mr. Crossfield. Plus, let's face it, if he went
in a plane crash he couldn't have been that good a test pilot. Ya know?
A DIFFERENT MIKE:
Very true, and very funny (I am laughing out loud)! It's that "dead" to the point logic
that makes your site so great. Thanks for clearing that up.
DAVE AND THERESA:
John Kenneth Galbraith dies! We finally have one!
THE GUYS:
Well tell Dave to use it quick before he has to take another one of those pills.
LARRY:
Are you aware that Louis Rukeyser (Wall Street Week on PBS for over 30 years) passed away
Tuesday? Rukeyser always began his show "welcome back", and truly slipping into his weekly
slot was like slipping into a very comfortable pair of slippers ... (do your research you
can complete this)
I would appreciate a well researched, insightful obit from you guys on Louis.
THE GUYS:
No, we're not aware. We live in a friggin' cave and only pick up a weak internet signal on
nights when there's a full moon. As for appreciation, we'd appreciate a case of Stroh's,
a bag of chips, and a little less condescension in the friggin' mail bag. Sheesh.
LARRY:
Saw your obituary for Louis Rukeyser - nice effort.
By the way - what do you guys do for a living?
THE GUYS:
You're kidding, right? A living? If we were making a living, how could we sit around all
day, swill beer, eat pork rinds and fart? Huh? Come on, use your noggin for more than a
tea tray brother.
Oh, and in response to your question, one of us is a Rockette, the other leads a cult.
LARRY:
Come on guys...
Did you miss Dan Curtis on your obituary page?
Remember him? The story goes - he had a dream one night of Alexandra Moltke riding a
train by herself - the next thing he's pitching his ideas to TV network execs for his
DARK SHADOWS soap opera - and the rest is history.
That Dan Curtis died late March of this year.
THE GUYS:
Yeah, yeah we suck. Tell us something we don't know.
LARRY:
Well lookee here - Dan, Cap, and Lynn all departed on March 27...you know
what they say - The truly great depart in groups of three. Two up front
members of the Reagan adminitration teamed up with one of the most
successful TV horror producers of the TV era. What was the grim reaper
thinking?
Wouldn't you like to have been in on the conversation those three guys had
out in the hall that day? Maybe not.
Oh, about Dan's obit...better late than never, I guess...a bit dry though.
I was disappointed that you didn't at least making a passing reference to
Alexandra...
THE GUYS:
First off: Who the hell are "THEY." Everyone's always going on about what "THEY" say and
what "THEY'LL" think. Sometimes we even hear "THEM" whispering to us at night, "kill, kill,
kill," but we generally ignore "THEM." Generally.
Second: Maybe the Grim Reaper was thinking, "Gee, I sure hope Larry sends out a Looney
fun email about all this." But, we kinda doubt it. And even if he was, he have been pretty
disappointed.
Third: We're SO SO sorry to have disappointed you. Really! Man, we feel just terrible.
Puh-friggin'-lease.
Can someone get more beer?
LARRY:
Forget "THEY"
Forget "The Grim Reaper"
It is an interesting fact that some top celebs do from time to time check
out in groups of three.
Most recently: Don Knotts, Darrin McGavin, and Dennis Weaver (all on the
same day? - at least the same weekend.)
One of the most famous examples of this phenomenon surrounded the
assasination of President Kennedy - within hours if not minutes of Kennedy's
death, Aldous Huxley and C.S. Lewis were also dead. In fact, these three
cotemporaneous deaths inspired one writer to speculate about what those
three men (one politician, one atheist, and one popular theologian) might
have said to one another "out in the hall" as they awaited their final
destination. It was an interesting book.
You guys made the decision to deal in death on your website - just thought
you might find these facts fascinating.
If you guys want to rant on - be my guest - its your website.
THE GUYS:
Someone actually wrote a whole book about a conversation that likely went like this:
Huxley: "You did Marylin?"
Kennedy: "Yup"
Huxley: "Wish I did that."
Lewis: "Me too."
LARRY:
The name of the book was BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL. Written by Peter Kreeft
(then professor of philosophy at Boston College), Intervarsity Press, 1982,
114 pages. No mention of Kennedy's marital infidelity - but you might still
find it an interesting read.
AARON:
Wtf? Are we talking punk rock or political history here? Jello Biafra, Johnny Rotten or LBJ?
Are you guys trying to tell me that John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) of Sex Pistols fame was
boffing Lady Bird Johnson at some point? The ex first Lady Bird of our country, widow to
LYNDON Baines Johnson, also shacked up with a Prince of punk? That is NEWS gentlemen, that
is news!!!!
THE GUYS:
Well, we're not certain of the context of your message. That having been said, at least one
of us likes Jello Biafra and the other likes his politics. As for John Lydon doing Lady Bird
Johnson. Good for him! Now that, ma'man is progressive!
THE GUYS:
You're not one of them bookworms, are you?
Hey - a good book is one of the pleasures of life - just like those pork
rinds. (In my opinion, "fat back bacon" done right is a poor man's caviar.
Just do it in moderation - don't want to have to follow up with one of those
roto-rooter jobs on the arteries, you know.)
Ecclesiastes 7: 2,4 - "It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to
go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men...the heart of
the wise is in the house of mourning..."
THE GUYS:
Ya know Larry, you're an odd fellow. We like that.
TIME TO GO:
Well, I see you guys finally have the mailbag back up at http://www.flymetothetomb.com/
As the two-time runner up and defending champion, it's looking like I'm having an off-year..
only 1 death so far. Who would have thought?
But, it's not over yet. Of my 12 surviving picks, 9 of them are 101 or older. So tell "Dr.
Evil" it 'ain't over yet'.
THE GUYS:
Well, as a two time losers (okay, maybe three), we just have to say, tell Dr. Evil yourself.
MARVIN:
Ummmm....let's see...leave wrestling alone...it beats that one arm
salute the Germans are known for...hands down.
Oh, by the way...two other insignificant things...Soccer and Rutgers
Football.
THE GUYS:
Okay, okay, finish up that last vodka and head off to bed.
....you forgot to mention one other....certain emails.
ROGER:
Hey some things are funny and some are not. What you said about rosa parks. was not.
for your info i'm white. not as stupid as a so\uthen red neck trash as yoourself. that's
all . Elvis must be searching for his hound dog in hell.
THE GUYS:
We really can't dignify this ridiculous email with anything more than a hearty, "piss off."
DT:
Got one for the comic (Jan Murray)?
THE GUYS:
Apparently some one did.
STU:
Ken Lay- now will Skilling get “layed”? Seems he screwed people for a living!
THE GUYS:
Nah, Jeff Skilling was just an innocent victim of the system. Come on, everybody knows that
executives in corporations really don't know where the money is coming from. Really, how
can you expect a guy to keep up with all that stuff?
LARRY:
Hey, you...you guys...enjoying your little vacation?
The dead keep dropping like flies ...and not a word from you.
Ken Lay committs the ultimate bail jump...what you think about that?
THE GUYS:
Look here Larry, we're entitled to a little vacation. Man, a week or two in Disney World and
the players bitch and moan, bitch and moan. As for Ken Lay, we think, well, we think he's dead.
LARRY:
Speaking of players - not one of them put Ken Lay on their death watch lists
for 2006, did they? (Or did they? Since one doesn't yet have the option of
sorting current year picks alphabetically on your site, maybe my old eyes
just missed his name as I scrolled down the list.)
THE GUYS:
Uh Larry...Ever hear of a command called "Find". Look it up champ. It's so easy even you
can do it.
LARRY:
Hey, thanks for that helpful bit of advice...I will remember it.
THE GUYS:
Man, we hope so.
LARRY:
Could it be...has the grim reaper gone on break..no deaths of significance since Red Buttons?
THE GUYS:
What we presume you meant to say is "no deaths of significance to me," you arrogant pud-knock.
LARRY:
Let me apologize for the lack of clarity in my last email.
What I meant was "no deaths of significance to you."
May I illustrate by a hypothetical situation...
Let's say that on July 17, Dick Cheney had died instead of Mickey
Spillane...would you have waited until August 16 to post the obit?
Maybe...maybe not.
But maybe my expectations are a bit too high ...it's just that I do look
forward to your often witty and insightful summation of a life that has just
passed.
Sometimes, however, I do have honest differences with you over some of your
conclusions...for example you wrote, "Syd [Barrett]died a pretty rich
fella." In one sense, that is very definitely true...However, in another
sense, I would say, "Call no man rich who finds it necessary to lock
'himself [away] for the remainder of his life." Just a thought.
THE GUYS:
Ok Larry, now you're starting to freak us a little. What's with the crystal wearing dime
store spiritualism? Trust us when we tell ya that having a few quid in the old trousers beats
crap outta being some happy ass flake job with no dough. Put that one on your T-shirt and wear
it to the next meditation seminar Dr. Chopra.
CHEFDEVERGUE:
I saw this morning an obit for Naguib Mahfouz. Wouldn't you know it Mahfouz is on mah list.
THE GUYS:
Yeah, well we saw this morning that that twenty first beer may not have been such a good idea.
So it goes.
TIME TO GO:
Well, we had the 'bronze casket' in February. Time now for the 'gold casket:'
World's Oldest Person, Maria Esther De Capovilla, Dies at Age 116
HELEN:
Bad week for Aussies icons guys,
Steve Irwin the crocodile hunter got killed by a stingray and Peter Brock the motor racing legend killed in a car crash.
I look forward to your fitting tributes.
ANDY:
Hey Dudes, Howdy GRosskoloss(sp?) died back in July.
He was the oldest baseballer.
MARVIN:
Howdy Groskloss: Definitely a man who knew how to get around the bases and score.
STU:
Dick Clark. Didn’t you see him at the Emmys? He is dead. He is now a Disney Animatronic
GONE BAD!!!! GIMME A POINT! (well give me a 7., I mean, you can dance to it……)
TIME TO GO:
Dorothy Stratton died. Yeah, she was 107. But....I think being the director of the Girl
Scouts and/or being the first director of the women's Coast Guard Reserve makes her more
important than just a one-book author (Tad Szulc).
And for the Maria Capovilla (116) comment:
SORRY, THIS IS THE FIRST 'WORLDS' OLDEST PERSON' TO DIE THIS YEAR (how many actors have died
so far this year?). Remember, Susie was 3rd-oldest, not oldest. IN FACT, THE FIRST SINCE
AUG 30 2006 (NEARLY A YEAR EARLIER). AND SINCE MARIA WAS ACTUALLY OLDER THAN AUNT HENNIE,
THE FIRST, REALLY, SINCE MAY 29 2004. So if the family had applied earlier, you could have
skipped 2005. Oh well, they didn't apply until late 2005. Hey, I just joined this group
because in 1998 you published a message about Chris Mortensen, 115. I think these stories
are 'trap-door educational' (i.e. sneaking in education under the guise of 'fun').
If people hear something enough they'll get the message: the human life span is between 114
and 122 years old. Get it?
THE GUYS:
Man it's taken us a long time to respond to this. Don't take our commentary to heart.
We're glad you participate in our page and actually find your input interesting. Furthermore,
we were very interested that you are a Guinness World Record person. Neat. But please keep
in mind, this pool is meant as a form of entertainment. As such, our off the cuff comments
and nastiness is a tool used to keep it entertaining. The World's Oldest rant is historically
one of the ways players vent. We capitalize on that. Just like the whole Tad Szulc affair.
Again, thanks for participating. All the best.
TIME TO GO:
I originally joined as a back door to education, sorry! That comment about Majory Stoneman
Douglas being a polluter (in 1998) got me hooked! (108-year-old environmentalist had her
ashes scattered over the Everglades!). The good news: by including the verified "world's
oldest" people (generally aged 114-116), sooner or later some people may get the idea that,
hey, those claims to 125 or 130 might just be like the UFO reports. Bunk.
Ok, I understand the Tad Tzulc rant, but as I mentioned with Lizzie Bolden and the Axe,
you passed on a once-in-a lifetime joke on that one!
By the way, I'll be sending in my entry today, in a couple of hours.
LARRY:
Freddy Fender dead?
I thought he died six months to a year ago.
What other male Latino country singer have I confused Freddy with?
Help.
THE GUYS:
Don Knotts?
BF:
I've never entered the O.B.E competition but I enjoy reading your clever, yet respectful,
observations on these unfortunate folks who have passed on. I enjoy the tact and maturity
you show as you deal with this most sensitive and serious topic . . . keep it up! I noticed
that Shelley hasn't been awarded the DEAD badge in the Statistics list, though she most
surely is, as noted on the Dead Folks page, dead, oui? Bill
THE GUYS:
Wee! Wee! Wee! screwed up.
ERIC:
You can improve your rules as follows.
Document: THE 2007 OLD BLUE EYES
MEMORIAL CELEBRITY DEATH WATCH
RULES AND REGULATIONS
The following are suggestions, not demands or orders.
First, pull the document into a word processor that has a Search tool.
Better yet, use the Replace tool carefully.
Do each of the following searches AFTER saving the search's corrections AND
then moving the cursor back to the top of the document.
A. Search for 2007. Every time you see this number in context, ask
yourselves whether you mean 2007, the period in which celebrities might die,
or 2008, when you might be waiting for late AP news, and might arrogate who
win(s) and might award prizes. At least 3 corrections.
Interlude: read the Spellchecker Poem
here
B. Search for calender (farm machinery) and change each instance to calendar
(list of dates).
C. Search for seperate and replace each instance with separate.
D. Use the header and footer feature of your word processor. Insert a date
in the footer, as in "Last updated " [date], so that The Guys and others can
refer to the correct version of the document. Test your work by making sure
that the date in the footer doesn't change each day without your changing
the web page first.
THE GUYS:
So what ar you sying? That we faled to proff reed our wirk and that oui can't spel? Man,
no gratatude.
BF:
I've never entered the O.B.E competition but I enjoy reading your clever, yet respectful,
observations on these unfortunate folks who have passed on. I enjoy the tact and maturity
you show as you deal with this most sensitive and serious topic . . . keep it up! I noticed
that Shelley hasn't been awarded the DEAD badge in the Statistics list, though she most
surely is, as noted on the Dead Folks page, dead, oui? Bill
THE GUYS:
Wee! Wee! Wee! screwed up.
MARK:
Hey Guys, I noticed that you missed a few.
Casey Coleman
Moses Hardy
Johnny Sain
Joe Jagger
Sadly, none from my list. dammit.
Happy holidays!
THE GUYS:
Not missed. Just very late in posting. Getting harder and harder to keep up with this.
MARK:
Hey I'm down. If you need some volunteer help drop me
a line.
THE GUYS:
Be careful what you volunteer for.
THE NEW YORK POST:
Hope all is well. My name is Joe Concha and I'm
writing a story on Dead Pools for the New York Post.
I was hoping to ask you some questions about the pool
and to get your comments on their popularity. When you
get a moment, please let me know if you would be
interested in arranging an interview.
Look forward to hearing from you.
THE GUYS:
We'd love to speak to you regarding the O.B.E. You can make your first contact with me
to set up a conference call for any interview.
Much thanks in your interest in our little piece of the web.
THE NEW YORK POST:
Got sidetracked with another story, but I'm finishing
up the Dead Pool story today. In an effort to expedite
matters, I'm sending you a list of questions for you
to answer via email. They are attached below.
What do you say to people who say your pool is
immoral or even evil?
Which celebrity is the most commonly chosen who
refuses to die?
Who is the most common young celebrity chosen?
Who are the favorites for 2007?
How does your point system work? Are more points
awarded for choosing a younger celebrity?
How many people are currently in your pool?
What does it cost (if anything) to join to the
pool?
Are there message boards on your website for
participants to speculate about celebrities on the
verge of death or to celebrate those who have died?
What is the grand prize?
Is there a prize for last place?
Look forward to reading your responses!
THE GUYS:
We only got this email this morning as we were out doing holiday visiting etc.
Hope we didn't miss your dead line. Here goes....
What do you say to people who say your pool is
immoral or even evil?
That's quite a question. We've been called sick as well as a variety of expletives but
not immoral or evil. If trying to guess what will happen in the future is evil or immoral
we'd best stop playing the lottery too. Our game came into being around our common
admiration (dare we say adoration) of Frank Sinatra coupled with the inevitability that
he would die soon. Then the question became, "When?" That, of course, turned into a wager.
The rest is O.B.E. History. So, we guess the answer is that if being two immature guys
having a bit of fun is evil or immoral than those dudes from Jackass are screwed.
We could spend days about this question. Think about how the press, your peers, handle a
celebrity death. Is that evil? Immoral? We see very little difference. Hey, toss that
one around the water cooler at work. You're sure to make some friends. Trust us.
Which celebrity is the most commonly chosen who refuses to die?
That changes from year to year as Gerald Ford just showed us. I'd hand the mantle over to
Lady Bird Johnson at this point in time. Good for her!
Who is the most common young celebrity chosen?
This also varies greatly. For awhile it was Robert Downey. 2006 saw a few folks with
Courtney Love and we'd expect a few Lindsay Lohans in 2007.
Who are the favorites for 2007?
We haven't even gotten all the entries yet so that's a tough one. We'd guess Lady Bird and
perhaps Castro.
How does your point system work? Are more points awarded for choosing a younger celebrity?
For 2006 it's like this: Each death counts as a "hit" The most "hits" win the game.
Second most second. Third most third. In addition, each hit that only appears on one
list scores certain points. On two lists scores less points. On three or more lists
scores even less points. The point system is used to break ties. Points awarded were
5, 4, and 3 respectively.
For 2007 we're keeping 5 points for a solo hit (we call these Tad Szulcs) and 4 points for
a double hit (we call these double whammies) but we're changing the 3 pointer to hits on
3 OR 4 lists (we call these mortage a trois). Finally, we're giving 1 point to hits on
five or more lists.
How many people are currently in your pool?
There were 129 in 2006. Who knows about 2007 as entries are still arriving.
What does it cost (if anything) to join to the pool?
That's the best part! It's free! Yup, we give away free cash! However, we beg like hobos
for $5 donations. Thus far our players have been very generous and we've been able to
have the pool player supported and have the prizes increase each year. However, even if no one
sent dough, we'd cough up the cash (at least once).
Are there message boards on your website for participants to speculate about celebrities
on the verge of death or to celebrate those who have died?
There is an email bag. Message boards are way too 21st century. We're 8-bit guys in a
Play Station 3 world.
What is the grand prize?
Well, all the prizes are really quite grand, but the first place for 2006 is $200.
Second is $70. For 2007 It'll be 1st $250, 2nd will be $70 and 3rd (a new placer for us)
will be $30.
Is there a prize for last place?
Yup, we let everyone else laugh at you.
Thanks so much for your time and interest.
TIME TO GO:
Dudes,
In regards to this death:
ELIZABETH BOLDEN (12/10/06) - Oldest Person in the World. Age 116. We've said it before and
we'll say it again: It just seems like every time one of these oldest people in the
world dies, another one crops up. Go figure.
First, she died Dec. 11, not Dec. 10.
Second, instead of sulking you could have made a funny little jingle:
Lizzie Bolden took an axe,
Gave her mother 40 whacks...
Oh wait she was only 2 when that murder happened...
(The Lizzie Borden axe murder happened Aug 1892...)
THE GUYS:
You made us laugh with that one. Really laugh.
ROBERT:
I would ask that you correct Mr. Gigante's appellation. He was not
known as "The Chin," but rather simply, "Chin." Mr. Gigante did not get
his nickname from a facial feature. His mother usually addressed him as
"Cincenzo," a diminutive of Vincenzo, the Italian version of Vincent, and
his boyhood friends shortened that into his lifelong nickname, "Chin."
THE GUYS:
We have seen Mr. Gigante described both ways in the media. However, we appreciate your
comments and all of the kindness and good will Mr. Gigante and his associates bring
to the world. Did we mention how very nice we find him and his associates to be.
We really admire them. To be clear, there is ABSOLUTELY no ill will towards any of them.
Yours in self preservation,
The Guys
THE AP:
Don't know if you remember, but we spoke quite some time ago -- in March
2005, I believe -- for a story I was pursuing on death pools for The
Associated Press.
It never panned out, because I couldn't find a good person to lead the
story with who lived in the Kansas City area.
In any case, I was thinking about the story again, because it's that
time of year to think about death pools, and I realized you live in
Miami. I transferred to the AP's bureau here in July.
If you're still into the death pool scene, I'd love to chat for a few
minutes this week.
ANITA:
I appreciate your honesty about how things are going for you. So often, it becomes easy to
"throw in the towel" when stress and frustration come into play. Families and jobs tend to
have their needs and often make some of the fun things in life not so fun anymore. That is
why I haven't picked up my flute in the last 10 years. I used to play all the time for
charity and for my own amusement, but since I have been declared disabled and on medication,
coupled with living from paycheck to paycheck, my flute has not been a priority. I sound BAD!
I wasn't with you guys from the very beginning, but I found you shortly thereafter.
I lurked for years, if only to get a fix for my morbid obsession with celebrity deaths.
It was comforting to know that there were others, like me, who kept up with celebrity deaths.
For some unknown reason, I don't care what the celebrities do when they are alive, and
I don't get caught up in the gossip. But when they die, I want to know that they are no more.
My husband and I played the game for the first time in 2006. So far, we have only gotten 2.
Oh well. We hope to get a list together for 2007 and try again.
Thank you for not giving up. However, if you should want to give it up in the future,
I will understand. I won't be thrilled, but I will understand. Have you considered having
some of your more talented subscribers write some obits for you? Someone who shares your
brand of sense of humor? Maybe you could spread out some of your responsibilities by
asking for volunteers for things you can let go of. Food for thought.
Merry Christmas, Guys at the O.B.E.!
ALI:
I just wanted to let you know that in the process of checking out your site to sign up for
your quite excellent game, I noticed in your “Picks” that you listed as #2 Joe Barbera...
he died 12/18/06...
I’m sure the holidays have you pretty busy, but I wouldn’t want any kind of technicalities causing you any problems!!! J
Have a great New Year and wish me luck on my picks!
THE GUYS:
We just haven't gotten to poor Joe yet. Christmas and all.
NYJOBS:
You have Red Skelton listed, but he's long gone
(July 18, 1913 – September 17, 1997)
THE GUYS:
Wow! And that sat there all year. That means we have to change the Stats page too. Damn!
Why didn't you email us in February.
ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE:
For the last several weeks I (One Foot in the Grave) was in first place.
Now, just the calendar flipped to 2007, I am in second?
I’m not sure how this could happen?
GoatSucker has not had anyone die recently.
The last FOUR people that died on his roster had already been posted not long after they died.
(I all four of these people on my roster as well)
Are you telling me that in the last few days - he just got credit for Spencer, Brewer, or Brown ?
Elizabeth Bolden – Dec 11
Casey Coleman – Nov 27
Oriana Fallaci - Sep 15
Maria Esther de Capovilla – Aug 27
-------------------------------------------------
John Spencer – July 11
Ken Brewer – Mar 16
Phil Brown - Feb 11
Lou Rawls – Jan 6
THE GUYS:
We sent out an email to the email list regarding this. Check out the OBE News Page of the
site. As it indicates, we review all lists at the end of the year to make certain we didn't
miss any deaths. Thing is, we missed quite a few in 2007 (five to be exact). Two of them
happened to be on Goat's list (Spencer & Brewer). We verified that these guys got AP obits
(they did) and had to credit Goat the points. The other three misses didn't affect the main
(top end) standings. Our bad for not tracking it better but the picks died and had AP obits
regardless. We gotta give the hits.
We really regret not posting these sooner. The problem is, we often miss some of these less
notable deaths. Typically, however, we catch them before the end of the year and usually
they don't have such an impact on the placement of the top players. We guess the upside of
all this is that you are still positioned to win some dough. Just not the first prize.
Obviously we're a little embarrassed and we feel badly for you as we know it's a bit of a
let down. We're sorry for that.
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