1987 Play-by-Play

Note: 1987 opened under the management of Dupont Fluvius who became distracted during the summer and ceased publication of the Game Gazette, yet declined to release the lists, fending off inquiries with an "I'll get to it" and "No one seems to care anyway," while ignoring increasingly concerned correspondence from many who did care. It wasn't until early 1988 that a New York City-based "Ad Hoc Committee to Save the Game," which included the heroic Amy Moorebid, Dr. Doornail and Sal Monella, actually gained possession of the '87 and '88 lists, and the all-important mailing list, and began to pull things together again. What follows is a reconstruction of 1987, as if none of this nightmare had happened. You will also note the liberal tendencies of the era's judges, allowing a Lt. Governor, local newsmen, medical marvels, etc. -- hits which would not qualify under current standards.

January 1987

January 14th, eight gamesters scored five on former S.F. 49er All-Pro linebacker Matt Hazeltine... Jan. 15th, eight completely different gamesters scored two on actor/dancer Ray Bolger... Jan. 16th, T. & J. James soloed for three on Earl Wilson, dean of gossip columnists... Jan. 28th, El Chileno soloed for two on former OAS president Galo Plaza... Jan. 29th, The Sick Puppies soloed for two on former NYC mayor Vincent Impellitteri and took the lead at 7 & 2.

February '87

February 1st, seven gamesters scored four on Rep. Sala Burton. Perry Mason and Razor took the lead at 9 & 2... Feb. 4th, The National Health soloed for three on famed announcer Wynford Vaughn-Thomas... Same day, Minerva and The Register scored two on psychologist Carl Rogers... Same day, 13 gamesters tallied four on pianist and showman Liberace. Bespangled and cheerful, Aces & Eights joined the leaders at 9 & 2... Feb. 15th, a team named Deep Six were awarded seven points for Curt Davis, the cabaret critic of the New York Post and took the lead at 11 & 2... Feb. 21st, six gamesters tallied five on artist Andy Warhol... Feb. 25th, four gamesters led by Toujours la Morte tallied five on actor James Coco; this was hit #3 for Toujours and lifted them to the lead at 14 & 3... Some time in February, Razor and L. Smith scored five each on bluesman Mississippi Johnny Waters, who lived in Oakland. Razor thus tied Toujours la Morte for the lead at 14 & 3.

March '87

March 2nd, four gamesters scored two on actor Randolph Scott... Mar. 3rd, eight gamesters scored three on actor Danny Kaye... Mar. 4th, Deep Six was awarded four points for David Bird, a reporter for the Metropolitan staff of the New York Times. The hit lifted them to 15 points and the lead... Mar. 5th, the Ithaca Psychics soloed for seven on Michael Shirman, a leukemia patient whose potentially life-saving operation was delayed by the Soviet Union's refusal to let his sister emigrate to Israel... Mar. 12th, 22 gamesters tackled Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes at the sideline and scored three points... Mar. 19th, the Ithaca Psychics, The Register, the Moorebids and the Sick Puppies scored four on the Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota, Ruth Meiers... Mar. 30th, nine gamesters cross-body blocked Clint Murchison, Jr., founder of the Dallas Cowboys. The hit lifted the Sick Puppies into a tie for the lead at 15.

April '87

April 2nd, Bambi, Mortis the Cat and Necrophiac scored four drummer Buddy Rich... Same day, former S.F. 49er Tommy Davis, who kicked an NFL record 234 consecutive extra points, kicked five for 10 gamesters, including Deep Six and the Sick Puppies who rose to 20... Apr. 11th, writer Erskine Caldwell moved to God's Little Acre and Perry Mason and L. Smith collected two points... Apr. 19th, Minerva and OPEC tallied three each on ballet choreographer Antony Tudor... Apr. 23rd, the Sick Puppies soloed for two on Marvin Rosenberg, president of Cameo Curtains and fund raiser for Democratic candidates. The deuce gave the Pups sole possession of the lead at 22... Apr. 28th, 11 gamesters took the pass from Baltimore Bullet's star Gus Johnson and made the six-point play. The Sick Puppies rose to 28.

May '87

May 6th, 53 gamesters led by the Sick Puppies, moving to 31, scored three or more on William Casey, ex-OSS spook, CIA Director and Reagan campaign manager. Five gamesters went Wild... May 11th, the National Health, in a rare lapse of style, soloed for four on the world's longest surviving heart transplant patient, Emmanuel Vitria... May 14th, 34 gamesters tallied four on actress Rita Hayworth... May 24th, 10 gamesters led by the Sick Puppies, moving to 33, scored two on marvelous actress Hermione Gingold.

June '87

June 1st, Bambi soloed for three on jazz trombone great Turk Murphy... June 2nd, eight gamesters scored one on guitar legend Andres Segovia... June 13th, Aces & Eights, Doom & Gloom and Danse Macabre scored three on actress Geraldine Page... June 17th, 41 gamesters tallied five on baseball's Dick Howser. The Sick Puppies rose to 38 and Danse Macabre scored his first ever Wild Card... June 22nd, 31 gamesters picked up two on dancer/actor/singer Fred Astaire... June 23rd, Jack the Ripper was credited with a seven point solo on Bravve Rimma. (Note: I don't know, and I'm not even going to look.)... June 24th, 22 gamesters tallied three on actor/musician Jackie Gleason, "The Great One"... Same day, the Morbo Chucks and D. Perriman Sr. tallied one each on Joseph Meyer, composer of "If You Knew Susie"... June 26th, Dorian Gray and e. mcgrath tallied two on Arthur Burns, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board... June 27th, Deus ex Machina soloed for seven on Althea Flynt, the power behind the throne of Larry Flynt, publisher of Hustler magazine.

July '87

July 2nd, the Sick Puppies led five on Broadway's Michael Bennett, creator of "A Chorus Line," and used the six points to rise to 44... July 3rd, Sal Monella, then playing as Cryptonight, scored a four-point solo on Karl Linnas... July 11th, Razor and the Sick Puppies each scored six on Gay Olympics founder Thomas Waddell; the Pups rose to 50... July 12th, the Toe Taggers soloed for four on Nathan Perlmutter, director of the Anti-Defamation League... July 18th, the Sick Puppies soloed for four and rose to 54 on Anthony Cassamento, wounded 14 times at Guadalcanal and one of only 440 soldiers to receive the Medal of Honor during WWII... July 22nd, Miss Rona Predicts soloed for three on the original Today Show announcer Jack Lescoulie.

August '87

August 1st, six gamesters scored two on silent screen star Pola Negri... Aug. 4th, Jesse Unruh, California Democratic leader, lost his last floor battle. In the gallery, six gamesters each scored four points. Near the top was Razor, moving into a tie with L. Smith at 41 in second place, although both trailed the Pups by 13... Aug. 6th, Ghostwriter scored a big five-point solo on country singer Kenny Price, the Round Mound of Sound. Apparently no one else followed Kenny's RV show on TNN and saw him slowly climb up into a Winnebago on his way to a plate of fried dough... Aug. 10th, seven chorused "Where's the Points?!" as actress Clara Peller (famed for her "Where's the Beef?!" TV commercial) peeked under her last bun for two... Aug. 14th, Captain Cadaver, Deathwatch and Razor tallied four on producer Edgar Rosenberg, husband of Joan Rivers. The hit moved Razor into second place at 45 to challenge the Pups... Aug. 17th was the last day in the slam for Rudolf Hess, a former deputy of Adolf Hitler, who was Spandau Prison's only guest for 20 long years. Forty-one gamesters waited at the gates in Berlin to collect one point, the guards all went home and Legion of Doom tallied their Wild Card... Actor/director John Huston drew an even larger crowd, 46 gamesters for two points on August 28th. The Sick Puppies rose to 56 and Morpheus went Wild... Aug. 29th, Bambi and Son of Necrophilia scored four points on actor and unwilling palimony pioneer Lee Marvin.

September '87

September 11th, Necrophiac and Scorpio tallied actor Lorne Greene for three each... Sept. 13th, Cassandra Bob, D. Perriman Sr. and the Portland Sisters trioed for two on actor/director Mervyn Leroy... Sept. 23rd, that's all there was for director/choreographer Bob Fosse. Ten gamesters passed the audition for four points. Same day, Ida the Goose, T. & J. James, Pontius and G. Reaper sang the blues with composer/performer O.B. McClinton for six... Sept. 24th, Mary Astor took the fall just as Bogie promised in The Maltese Falcon. Waiting to take her away were OPEC and The Portland Sisters for two points each... Sept. 29th, W. Dockum and Skul took turns driving as Henry Ford gave them a spin for three.

October '87

October 9th, 12 tallied two on writer/editor/congresswoman/ambassador Clare Booth Luce... Oct. 12th, Alf Landon finally got his Landon Slide as 23 gamesters aced the former presidential candidate. Whooping it up at Campaign HQ were Wild Carders Taste of Death, Vega Ring and e. mcgrath... Oct. 15th, Burkina Faso's president Thomas Sankara set out for his morning exercise and jogged right into a coup. Left holding seven points were Ghostwriter and The National Health... Oct. 19th, The National Health returned for a six-point, mournful solo with cellist Jacqueline du Pre... Oct. 29th, Ida the Goose fronted Herman's Herd with a solo on bandleader Woody Herman for three.

November '87

November 26th, Dorian Gray, Minerva and Montressor scored a sudden four on Chicago Mayor Harold Washington... Nov. 30th, author James Baldwin hosted a four-point reading for Binky Brown, Deus ex Machina, In Extremis and the Moorebids.

December '87

December 10th, violinist Jascha Heifetz played a two-point improvisation for Aces & Eights, the Mortucrats, D. Perriman Sr. and the Toe Taggers... Dec. 12th, the pace quickened with a spirited Louisiana accordian piece as Cassandra Bob and L. Smith tallied Clifton Chenier for four... Closing out the year, the Sick Puppies were awarded six points, to rise to 62 points, for their solo on Paul Du Brul, who led a campaign to end the use of lead-based paint in New York City.

And so it ended, with The Sick Puppies winning the Gran Prix for the third year in a row (62 points) and the Perriman Pennant (15 hits), Deep Six and Razor the Reaper Ribbon for High QPA (4.50), Fire Ants Clete's Cup (1.50), Khmer Rouge Rookie of the Year. Doc's Diploma for Class List was not awarded.

Let's look at the Top Ten for 1987.

Take me on to 1988.

Take me back to Play-by-Play.