1993 Play-by-Play
January
January 3rd, Johnny Most called the opening day action as 12 gamesters in black high-tops scored four on the gravel-voiced Celtics announcer... Jan. 6th, 66 gamesters scored five on ballet's Rudolf Nureyev, 16 scored scored three on jazz great Dizzy Gillespie, and 10 put them together for a Daily Double. Tied for the lead at 12 & 3 were Moss and the Sick Puppies... Jan. 15th, Ms. O'Ree led a group of five in scoring three on Oscar-winning lyricist Sammy Cahn. Same day, Tim Ormortis swished a solo two on basketball coaching great Hank Iba... Jan. 20th, the Sick Puppies led 69 in scoring four on actress Audrey Hepburn and took sole possession of the lead at 16 & 4... Jan. 24th, the gavel fell for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and 65 gamesters (but no Pups) donned black robes, including Yule Iggy scoring his Wild Card, and six more gamesters rising to four hits, on the brink of winning the Silver Bobcat... Jan. 27th, eight gamesters scored six on wrestler André the Giant. Joining the Pups in the lead at 16 were Yule Iggy and Rig R. Mortis... Jan. 30th, Fade to Black soloed for two on the richest man in the world, Taikichiro Mori, who made his bundle in Tokyo real estate.
February '93
February 6th, 78 gamesters scored six on Arthur Ashe, tennis great, humanitarian, and now the Game's Top Pop Pick, ending the 13-year reign of the Shah of Iran and sacking Lyle Alzado's point total. Leading the way were the Sick Puppies and Yule Iggy at 22 points. Seven shared the Silver Bobcat: the Sick Puppies, Frozen Stiff, Dr. Tom(b), the Morbo Chucks, OPEC, Uncle Milton and rookie phenom Death's Doorstep who already had a Daily Double and the Bobcat to show for her five-week career... Feb. 8th, Frozen Stiff showed the tactical power of the solo, all alone for two on economist and author Eliot Janeway, moving to 23 and sole possession of the lead... Feb. 20th, Sweeney Todd lowered his goggles and hit the gas, passing 27 startled gamesters with a horn-blowing solo, three toots, on Ferruccio Lamborghini... Feb. 21st, the Mellow Gnomas moved the earth with a WILD CARD SOLO on Inge Lehman, 105, Danish seismologist who established the Lehmann Discontinuity dividing the earth's solid core into inner and outer parts... Feb. 25th, Cassandra Bob donned his trenchcoat and lit a Galois to score a solo trey on L.A.-born cabaret singer and tough guy Eddie Constantine, who played Lemmy Caution in 1950's Euro flicks such as "Hot Lips - Cold Steel" and "In Blonde Satan's Spell"... Feb. 27th, OPEC led 31 gamesters in scoring one on actress Lilian Gish. Going Wild for five were the Great Beyond, Winterkill, and D. Beach, who used the five to move to 22, just one point behind Frozen Stiff and the lead. Next day, history. Leading a group of six in scoring two on dancer Ruby Keeler was D. Beach at 24 points, taking the lead for the first time in his 18-year career!
March '93
March 3rd, the Sick Puppies soloed for two on New Orleans kingfish Carlos Marcelo, who was either the Mafia connection in the assassination of John F. Kennedy or a tomato salesman. The deuce lifted the Pups into a tie for first at 24 with D. Beach... Next day, six scored two on polio researcher Albert Sabin. At the front of the line, paper cups aloft, stood the Morbo Chucks moving to 23 and a tie for second place with Frozen Stiff. Same day, Mullen's Revenge strummed a solo on guitarist Carlos Montoya for two points... Mar. 8th, singer Billy Eckstine drew a late-hours audience of four for three points... Mar. 17th, D. Beach re-took sole possession of the lead at 25 points by leading 38 in scoring one on actress Helen Hayes... Mar. 30th, SLY soloed for three on painter Robert Diebenkorn... Mar. 31st, Gomez soloed for one on Mitchell Parish who wrote the lyrics for more than 600 songs including "Star Dust" and "Volare."
April '93
April 2nd, D. Perriman Sr. soloed for one on actress Eugenie Leontovich, the 17th solo of the Old Master's career... Apr. 3rd, Body Parts and Dr. Doux scored two points each on TV icon Pinky Lee whose on-the-air heart attack was a major childhood memory for many gamesters... Next day, another stylish duet, this one by Pontius and Vega Ring on Scrabble inventor Alfred Butts for one point... Apr. 8th, nine paid tribute to diva Marian Anderson for one point... Apr. 13th, three literate gamesters scored two on author Wallace Stegner in a car crash. Taking a bow for their sudden style were Frank Merriwell, the Gamesters of Triskelion and Tim Ormortis... Apr. 17th, Lincoln's Brain soloed for four on Turkish president Turgut Ozal... Apr. 20th, El Chileno and Syd Lexic honored Mexico's great comic actor Cantinflas... Apr. 22nd, the Morbo Chucks stepped up to the plate and cracked a sizzling grounder past shortstop Mark Koenig, last survivor of the 1927 Yankees. The Chucks went Wild for five and sprinted around the basepaths into first place at 28 points! Was it a Wild Card Solo? NO. Perry Mason sweenied the Chucks picking up two points for himself... Apr. 24th, Blunt Instrument, M. Hamilton and the National Health tabbed former ANC leader Oliver Tambo for three... Apr. 28th, the Plug Pullers soloed for two on Syracuse U. football coach Ben Schwartzwalder. Same day, 52 put a hit in from six-point land on basketball coach and commentator Jim Valvano. The top seven all made the call, with the Morbo Chucks now leading at 34... Apr. 30th, L. Smith jacked in, turned it up and soloed for six on guitarist/producer Mick Ronson.
May '93
May 2nd, KABOOM, the National Health soloed for four on Sri Lanka's President Premadasa, victim of a suicide bomber. It was career solo #28 for the Health. Same day, seven scored two on Julio Gallo driving his Jeep off an embankment. Leading the way was Frozen Stiff moving into a second place tie with D. Beach at 31 points... May 10th, the Gamesters of Triskelion soloed for three on sci-fi author Lester del Rey... May 13th, 40 Whacks soloed for one on Dean Lesher, newspaper publisher and Forbes 400 standout. Next day, the presses rolled again as five scored two on William Randolph Hearst Jr. ... May 22nd, Demented Debutante, Rig R. Mortis and the Gamesters of Triskelion all scored one on pianist Mieczyslaw Horszowski who made his debut in Warsaw in 1901 and gave concerts until 1992... May 27th, the National Health tied Pontius' career solo record of 29 by digging deep for three on British miners' union leader Joe (Lord) Gormley... May 30th, seven scored three on jazz legend Sun Ra who claimed to be 5000 years old but whose points were calculated in the more traditional manner.
June '93
June 2nd, Mr. Goodvibes stroked a two-run solo on Hall of Famer Johnny Mize... Same day, Alibi, Perry Mason and Mr. Dit hung two points on art collector Norton Simon... June 10th, W. Krug zipped up his flying leathers and soloed for three on actor Richard Webb who portrayed TV's Captain Midnight... June 11th, Razor led 26 in scoring six on actor Ray Sharkey and rode the points into the lead at 36!... June 13th, rookie Rosebud soloed for four on astronaut Deke Slayton... June 15th, Better Late Than Never and rookie Surgin' General scored three on Gov. John Connally... June 19th, Blunt Instrument soloed for two on trail-blazer James B. Parsons, the first black judge on the Federal District bench. Same day, Body Parts and Yule Iggy joined for a two-point duet on author William Golding... June 22nd, 41 led by L. Smith scored two on former First Lady Pat Nixon... June 26th, 15 scored three on Dodger catcher Roy Campanella. Leader Razor moved to 39 followed by L. Smith at 38. Same day, P. & E. Hepner and G. Reaper scored four on bluesman James "Son" Thomas, and the Hepners put together a Daily Double!... June 28th, Skul soloed for an OD seven on Kevin "G. G." Allin of the Murder Junkies... June 30th, five little rascals scored four on child star George "Spanky" McFarland.
July '93
July 2nd, Coffin Counter and Soothsayer scored four each on actor Fred Gwynne... July 3rd, the last surviving Stooge, Joe DeRita, was honored for two points by Fade to Black, the Great Beyond and Penguin... July 26th, four scored one on Gen. Matthew Ridgeway... July 31st, Razor led four in scoring five on Rep. Paul Henry and moved the lead to 44 points. Same day, Dr. Doux soloed for four on King Baudouin of Belgium.
August '93
August 1st, Teen Angel soloed for three on Ewing Kauffman, owner of the Kansas City Royals... Aug. 16th, the Great Beyond donned a white pirate shirt and swung in to solo for two-ché on actor Stewart Granger. Same day, Sweeney Todd donned his trademark white scarf to solo on René Dreyfus, winner of the 1930 Gran Prix de Monaco... Next day, a fast lathering Razor, plus Ms. O'Ree and 40 Whacks, rolled the presses for five each on Robert Maynard, the first black editor and owner of a major U.S. daily. The five points moved the well-stropped leader to 49 & 10... Aug. 29th, the Sick Puppies soloed for three on writer Chandler Brossard.
September '93
September 4th, Loves Company, D. Perriman Jr. and Skul scored five with the suicide of actor Herve Villechaize who played Tattoo on "Fantasy Island"... Sept. 12th, Perry Mason let the hit of the year flutter through his fingers when he failed to list actor Raymond Burr. Instead, it was Wilde & Shaw leading 19 gamesters with three points each... Sept. 27th, 19 saluted WWII hero Gen. Jimmy Doolittle; 15 tabbed one and four scored their Wild Card for five... Sept. 30th, E. C. Spiritu and Skulls Away scored 10 each on Earthquake/India.
October '93
October 7th, Wilde & Shaw led the way for 11 with a two-step on dance visionary Agnes DeMille that lifted them into second place at 38 & 12. Same day, the Gamesters of Triskelion scored their second solo, a deuce on Irish actor Cyril Cusack... Oct. 25th, 34 gamesters got chills with the passing of Vincent Price, master of the macabre. Clad in black, D. Beach and G. Reaper moved to 38 and ruffled the drapes behind Razor as they joined Wilde & Shaw and L. Smith in second place... Oct. 31st, Braindead and Surgin' General scored three on director Federico Fellini but their tasteful duet was overshadowed by the thundering eight-point solo on actor River Phoenix, a rocket shot off the bat of Plug Pullers which shot the Plugs past 42 startled gamesters and into contention for Rookie of the Year, Class List and a 5.0 QPA. Ba-boom!
November '93
November 1st, P. & E. Hepner caught up with the sage of running, Dr. George Sheehan, for a three-point solo... Nov. 3rd, Helena Handbasket soloed for one on Leon Theremin, inventor of the Theremin... Nov. 11th, Sweeney Todd took a solo on trumpeter and composer Erskine Hawkins for three points... Nov. 13th, Ghostwriter broke 13 years of ice in his Wild Card spot with Sanzo Nosaka, centenarian founder of the Japanese Communist party. He was, however, sweenied by the Dada Sisters who had Nosaka for one... Nov. 18th, the Gamesters of Triskelion, D. Perriman Sr. and Harris Tweed scored three on actor Fritz Feld. Same day, word arrived that Sweeney Todd had hit his fourth solo of 1993 with a four-pointer on Innes Ireland, driver turned writer... Nov. 19th, Tim Ormortis soloed for one on philosopher Kenneth Burke... Nov. 20th, 12 gamesters cast aside all pretence of going for Class List with an eight-point hit on golfer Heather Farr. At the top, Razor moved to 57... Nov. 21st, 70 scored five on actor Bill Bixby. Razor moved to 62... Nov. 25th, Cala Vera and die toten knochen wound up the clockwork orange with three on author Anthony Burgess... Nov. 28th, OPEC soloed for three on TV host Garry Moore.
December '93
December 2nd, Ghostwriter led 11 in scoring six on drug lord Pablo Escobar, shot by police as he ran barefoot across a rooftop. Ghostie suddenly found himself in second place at 51 and positively giddy from the altitude... Dec. 3rd, Tim Ormortis soloed for two on Lewis Thomas, the poet-philosopher of biology... Dec. 4th, 72 gamesters, including six who'd just scored on Escobar, cranked up a five-point cresendo on composer and performer Frank Zappa. Razor led the way, moving to 67 points with Ghostwriter following at 56... Dec. 6th, 22 scored two on actor Don Ameche... Dec. 7th, four really good spellers scored two on Ivory Coast president Félix Houphouët-Boigny, except for El Chileno who scored five with his Wild Card... Dec. 10th, the Merry Little Breezes soloed for one on arts patron Alice Tully... Dec. 14th, 16 led by Ms. O'Ree bade a two-point farewell to actress Myrna Loy, the perfect Nora to William Powell's Nick Charles... Dec. 16th, two hits were reported. The National Health mailed in an obit from Zimbabwe for British comic Les Dawson, a five-point solo and #30 in their career. Pontius sent in verification on Jones Morgan, 110, the last of the Buffalo Soldiers, Ponty's career solo #30 (!) and his fifth WILD CARD SOLO setting a new world's record. Same day, Dr. Doornail and the Morbo Chucks scored three each on former Japanese Premier Kakuei Tanaka, which sent the Chucks into second place at 58, bumping Ghostwriter to third... Dec. 20th, Frozen Stiff, Penguin and Uncle Morte scored one on W. Edwards Deming, business expert... Dec. 24th, 11 positive gamesters scored one on the Rev. Norman Vincent Peale, except for Mullen's Revenge who went Wild for five... Dec. 26th, Demento Morte soloed for one on labor head Dave Beck... Dec. 28th, Binky Brown and Sophicles scored two each on historian William L. Shirer... Dec. 30th, Morituri te Salutamus and C. Stanley scored two on Hollywood agent Irwin "Swifty" Lazar.
And so it ended, with Razor winning the Gran Prix (67 points), Frozen Stiff, the Morbo Chucks, Rig R. Mortis and Wilde & Shaw the Perriman Pennant (14 hits each), Ghostwriter the Reaper Ribbon for High QPA (5.60), D. Perriman Sr. Clete's Cup (1.25), Plug Pullers Rookie of the Year, and Sweeney Todd Doc's Diploma for Class List. Of Corpse tallied their second consecutive Buffalo Cup.
One scoring question was unresolved at the end of 1993. Zviad Gamsakhurkia, leader of the Republic of Georgia, was ousted in 1992. He died while in exile, some time around New Year's Eve 1993. It wasn't until March of 1994 that the New York Times reported him dead "in late December." Five points in career credit went to D. Beach, Dr. Doornail, George & Marion Kirby and Roadkill.
Let's look at the Top Ten for 1993.
Take me on to 1994.
Take me back to Play-by-Play.