1972 Play-by-Play
January 1st dawned with good news for Dr. Death, as he scored a two-point solo on Maurice Chevalier and took sole possession of the lead on Day One, a record for earliest Opening Day that would be tied but never broken... Jan. 27th, J. Basal chimed in with a four-pointer on singer Mahalia Jackson. Unfortunately for the burly basso profundo, the hit was a duet, and the other warbler was Dr. Death, moving to six points and retaining the lead.
February 5th, Schmelzer scored a two-point solo on poet Marianne Moore... Feb. 15th, Game legend e. mcgrath made her Game debut with a tasteful four-point solo on China authority Edgar Snow... Feb. 20th, four gamesters donned fedoras to broadcast the news of their hit on Walter Winchell. G. Conway, Binky Brown and J. Smoke tallied three each, but Dr. Death called in with five points for his Wild Card, to lift his leading score to 11.
March 16th, Dr. Death continued his dominance with a solo on Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop Pie Traynor for three, moving to 14.
April 4th, J. DeGeorge and J. Smoke leapt into action with four points on Rep. & Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, but they were joined by Dr. Death scoring his fifth hit, taking the Silver Bobcat and moving to 18 points... Apr. 7th, J. Smoke scored the Game's first Mafia hit with a six-pointer on "Crazy Joey" Gallo, blown away during his birthday dinner in NYC. The points moved Smoke to 13 points as he challenged Dr. Death... He was, however, to be cruelly rebuffed. Apr. 10th, Dr. Death predicted the Game's first National Disaster, Earthquake/Iran, with 5,035 deaths, just 35 more than needed for the 10-point award. His score now stood at 28 points... Apr. 27th, J. DeGeorge soloed on Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah for four points.
May 2nd, the skies over America were blown clear by the collective sigh of relief as eight gamesters led by J. Smoke scored three on the F.B.I.'s Most Wanted: J. Edgar Hoover... May 28th, J. DeGeorge and J.C. Hoffmeier knotted their ties the fat way to honor the Duke of Windsor who honored them in turn with three points.
August 14th, after a long summer vacation, the Game stirred anew as J. Basal soloed on pianist and wit Oscar Levant for three points.
September 12th, Dr. Death spurred his score to 31 with a galloping hit on William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd. Joining the posse, J.C. Hoffmeier, checking his mount's teeth, and W. Krug sporting a black cowboy suit with spangly silver detailing.
October 16th, G. Conway soloed for two on actor Leo G. Carroll, gentle bumbler who graced two of our favorite films, North by Northwest and The Parent Trap... Oct. 24th, two gamesters scored on baseball great Jackie Robinson, but not really. The Game's scary cherub, G. Murphy, had submitted two lists and this hit was on the second, and hence was not allowed. Ghostwriter had Robinson, but no one noticed until 1977, at which time he received career credit.
November 1st, e. mcgrath was back with another tasteful solo, this for two points on poet Ezra Pound.
December 26th, the year's scoring concluded as 11 scored on Harry S Truman. Scoring Wild Cards on the former President were J. C. Hoffmeier and J. Smoke, while the remaining gamesters scored two points. Moving to 33 and finishing on top, where he began the year, was Dr. Death, the wire-to-wire winner, the only gamester ever to hold the lead for 365 days.
Let's look at the Top Ten for 1972.
Take me on to 1973.
Take me back to Play-by-Play.