1999 Play-by-Play
January
January 2nd, Dead Ernest opened and took the lead with a solo deuce on Swiss composer and conductor Rolf Liebermann... Jan. 3rd, boxer Jerry Quarry mercifully went down for the long count. Scoring five and sharing the lead were 14 ring fans, including Pine Boxer, Game co-founder Binky Brown and Boneyard Dog... Jan. 4th, Iron Eyes Cody shed two tears for Legion of Doom, rookie Manolete (scoring in just his fourth day in the Game), Motel Styx and Toe Tag... Jan. 9th, Lincoln's Brain soloed for two on former congressman Carl Elliot... Jan. 10th, Iron Maiden soloed for two on Page Keeton, law school dean and national expert on torts... Jan. 11th, Truck Savage soloed for one on the doyenne of Scottish literature, Naomi Mitchison... Jan. 12th, Sweeney Todd soloed for two points on actress Betty Lou Gerson, the voice of Cruella de Vil in "101 Dalmatians." It was career solo #15 for the magnificent Sweenster. Same day, a pick-up hockey team of six gamesters skated out onto the black ice and scored seven on Doug Wickenheiser. Taking sole possession of the lead was Boneyard Dog at 12 & 2, while five gamesters jumped into the second place penalty box at seven points... Jan. 19th, rookie starlet Memento Mori soloed for two on philosopher Roderick Chisholm, who slipped under the radar of the popular press in spite of his leadership in epistemology... Jan. 20th, Frozen Stiff stepped up with a solo two on newspaper publisher Eugene Pulliam, a champion of the First Amendment (which makes all this possible). The deuce moved Mr. Frostie into a six-way tie for second at seven... Jan. 21st, next day, Frozen Stiff soloed again! Back to back singletons, this time a trey on blues pianist Charles Brown, slated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, composer of "Merry Christmas Baby." The Cold One was now just two points out of first place at 10 & 3, ideally positioned for the Silver Bobcat race with those back-to-back solos... Same day, T. & J. James soloed for four on actress Susan Strasberg... Jan. 25th, Iron Maiden was back with another solo (!), her second of the month, another deuce, this one on chorus leader Robert Shaw... Same day, 15 scored on author Sadie Delany, including Humorbid and Mr. Brink going Wild for five, and Pontius moving up into sole possession of third... Jan. 29th, Motel Styx thrilled a rapt audience of gamesters with her spectacular two-point solo on legendary stripper Lili St. Cyr... Jan. 30th, the ACME Undertakers, Clean Underwear and C. Stanley scored three each on Huntz Hall who made more than 100 films with the Bowery Boys and Dead End Kids. The hit lifted the ACME lads into a tie for third with Pontius at 8 & 2... Same day, Dr. Doux soloed for two on radio and TV announcer Ed Herlihy, the man who narrated WWII newsreels and introduced Cheez Whiz to a hungry nation.
February '99
February 1st, the ACME Undertakers scored hit #3 and joined Frozen Stiff in the hunt for the Silver Bobcat, as well as taking sole possession of third place at 9 & 3. Joining ACME U. for one point on philanthropist Paul Mellon were rookie Memento Mori and Of Corpse... Feb. 5th, a royal entourage of 82 gamesters scored four on Jordan's King Hussein, all except for Death Wish Two who went regal for five points, sewing up that Wild Card early in 1999. Holding the lead was Boneyard Dog rising to 16 & 3, followed closely by Frozen Stiff at 14 & 4, just one hit away from the Silver Bobcat... Feb. 5th, Nobel laureate Wassily Leontief bequeathed one point to Tim Ormortis, the 15th solo of his career... Feb. 7th, Rolland Craps and Toe Tag tallied two each on Bobby Troup, composer of "Route 66" and "The Girl Can't Help It" as well as an actor in film and TV, best loved at Game Central for his cameo in the movie "M*A*S*H." ... Feb. 8th, Tim Ormortis was part of a small reading circle led by Frozen Stiff with three points on author Iris Murdoch. The hit gave Frozen Stiff the lead at 17 and sole possession of the 1999 Silver Bobcat with his hit #5; those two early solos made all the difference. Close behind, the Sick Puppies moved to 14 & 3... Feb. 12th, Death Wish Two scored a one-point solo on Japan's oldest person, Yasu Akino... Feb. 14th, Hexters and Passing Fancy scored three on Watergate personality John Ehrlichman... Feb. 20th, 14 film fans led by Frozen Stiff scored five and paid tribute to film critic Gene Siskel. The score gave Mr. Frostie a six-point lead and created an amazing 15-way tie for sixth place... Feb. 21, Body Parts, Silver Tapps and Terminally Inconvenienced tallied four each on Wilmer "Vinegar Bend" Mizell, pitcher and congressman. The hit lifted Body Parts and Silver Tapps into the Top Ten. Same day, Bury Pranksters, Cassandra Bob and Isadora scored two on researcher and Nobel Prize for Medicine winner Gertrude B. Elion... Feb. 22nd, Schrodinger's Cat soloed for five on U.S. Marine sniper Carlos Hathcock II, a legend in the Corps and subject of a number of books and films... Feb. 24th, the ACME Undertakers and the Virtual Sexton scored four on British comic actor Derek Nimmo. The hit lifted the lads of ACME into fourth place at 13 & 4, one point behind the Sick Puppies... Feb. 26th, six scored two on Glenn Seaborg who led the team that discovered plutonium. Leading this crack team was Bambi, rising to 11 & 3.
March '99
March 2nd, 19 gamesters put "Stay Awhile" on the turntable and paid tribute to singer Dusty Springfield. The Sick Puppies used the five to rise to within three of the leader, Frozen Stiff, and the Top Ten shrank as the price of admission rose to 13 points... Mar. 3rd, Deadnecks soloed for one on Gerhard Herzberg, winner of the 1971 Nobel Prize for Chemistry... Mar. 4th, 25 led by Chapter E threw themselves on the mercy of the court and came up with one point on Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun. For many, it was a pardon from the confines of Club Nula, and for Chapter E, it spelled sole possession of fifth place at 15 & 4... Same day, Motel Styx soloed for one on Eddie Dean, one of the last of the singing cowboys and the composer of "I Dreamed of Hillbilly Heaven." It was solo #2 for Motel Styx in 1999... Next day, Humorbid and Yo! Rick! crossed the Atlantic for Lord Denning, the People's Judge, completing the two-day Black Robe Special and scoring one point, each rising to 10 & 3... Mar. 7th, Pappy's Angels soloed for three on legendary film director Stanley Kubrick. Same day, the King of Pain soloed for three on L.A. bluesman Lowell Fulson, showing unusual fire early in the season... Mar. 8th, 140 gamesters, 47 going Wild, scored on baseball great Joe DiMaggio. Frozen Stiff led the way with two points, rising to 24 & 7. For Lincoln's Brain, Moorebids, Mortis the Cat and Yo! Rick! it was their fifth Wild Card in five years, tying SLY's record which has stood since 1982... Same day, El Chileno soloed for two on Argentine novelist Adolfo Bioy Casares and landed himself an oh Bioy/DiMaggio Daily Double. Same day, the King of Pain led six in scoring three on actress Peggy Cass, much loved for her portrayal of Agnes Gooch in "Auntie Mame." It was a Cass/DiMaggio Daily Double for the King and propelled him into the Top Ten at 16 & 4! Also scoring the Double were Isadora and Ms. O'Ree. Scoring on Cass alone were Dante Inferno, with her 'C' list, Manolete and Preserveit... Mar. 12th, Memento Mori, Mullen's Revenge and Sweeney Todd scored two on violinist Yehudi Menuhin... Mar. 13th, The Great Beyond, Ms. Em Balm and Willie's Will scored two on author, playwright, director, writer Garson Kanin... Mar. 14th, Doom Patrol and Manolete scored two on actor Kirk Alyn, first to play Superman in the movies (1948)... Mar. 15th, Second Line soloed for two on photographer Harry Callahan, the first solo of his career... Mar. 17th, Ms. O'Ree soloed for four on basket king David Longaberger and entered the Top Ten at 16 & 4... Mar. 19th, Our American Cousin scored the first solo of their career (!) with a three-point South Seas score on Tofilau Eti Alesana, former Prime Minister of Somoa... Mar. 25th, 29 led by Boneyard Dog circled the bases for four on Orioles' coach Cal Ripken Sr. Motel Styx slid safely into fourth place at 20 & 7, tying Frozen Stiff for the Perriman Pennant lead. Same day, three gamesters nipped the corner of the bag with Kathryn Schoonover who sent a scare across the nation last year when she mailed out scores of cyanide packets marked as dietary supplements. Letting someone else open their mail were Club Dead, Death Wish Two and D. Beach, all scoring five. For Club Dead, it meant a sudden jump to the lead, tied with Frozen Stiff at 24!
April '99
April 1st, Truck Savage hit his second solo of 1999 with an ace on composer, arranger, performer Jesse Stone, architect of the Rhythm & Blues sound and writer of "Shake, Rattle and Roll."... Apr. 4th, Boneyard Dog slashed a scorching solo triple off pitcher Early Wynn, Cleveland Indians Hall of Famer and 300-game winner. It was only the Big Dog's second career solo, but it propelled him back into the lead at 25 & 6!. Same day, SLY hit career solo #14, an ace on Lucille Lortel, a pioneer in innovative theater... Apr. 6th, Aimée Thanatogenos and Sir Stiff scored one each on Red Norvo, who introduced the xylophone to jazz... Apr. 9th, El Chileno soloed for one on Cardinal Raul Silva Henriquez, champion of human rights during the bloody dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Same day, Uncle Milton soloed for six on President Ibrahim Baré Mainassara of Niger, shot down at the airport by his own presidential guard... Apr. 12th, 30 gamesters led by leader Boneyard Dog, rising to 29 & 7, climbed aboard the Boxcar Willie express and rode four points up the line, rearranging the rail yard in the Top Ten... Apr. 13th, next day, Sir Stiff followed his hit on Boxcar Willie with a solo for two on former East German Premier Willi Stoph... Apr. 14th, Boneyard Dog got a cookie from Grandma Walton as he led 12 in scoring two on actress Ellen Corby, rising to 31 points, 8 hits, and taking the lead in both the Gran Prix and Perriman Pennant races. Also shaking up things in the kitchen was Johnny B. Dead, rising to 21 and knocking three gamesters at 19 points out of the Top Ten. And shaboom, Sir Stiff tallied two, entered the Top Ten at 20 points, and became only the fourth gamester in 30 years to score three hits in three consecutive days!... Apr. 20th, the Sick Puppies led 25 in scoring on ventriloquist Señor Wences. The Pups rose into second place at 30 points, just one point off Boneyard Dog, as they went Wild for five points, as did six others, including rookie wonder AbraCadavers!!, living legend C. Stanley scoring his career WC #8, and Winterkill bounding into fourth place at 25. Using the one-point score to move into a tie with Boneyard Dog for the Perriman Pennant lead at eight hits were Deadnecks and the red hot Sir Stiff. Same day, Chapter E and We Killed McKinley stepped up to the 2-Point window and collected a deuce on famed trainer Charlie Whittingham. The score moved Chapter E to 19 points, just one away from the Top Ten... Apr. 21st, the Sick Puppies led 17 in scoring five on Harper's Bazaar editor Liz Tilberis and took the lead at 35 & 8. Motel Styx, ever stylish, also carried the hit to move into fourth place, and Deadnecks vamped into the Top Ten and took the lead in the Perriman Pennant race at nine hits. Same day, eight fans of "Wings" led by Willie's Will, moving to 19 & 8, scored one on leading man Buddy Rogers, former hubby of Mary Pickford... Apr. 25th, Lives in Jeopardy soloed for one on Sen. Roman Hruska, moving to 13 & 6... Apr. 27th, Winterkill led a Dixieland quartet on trumpet great Al Hirt for three points and marched into a third place tie with Club Dead at 28 points. Also hitting the high notes were Burke & Hare, Mullen's Revenge and Rig R. Mortis... April 28th, Dante Inferno, The Great Beyond and The Vicar tallied three each on actor Rory Calhoun. Same day, the National Health soloed for three on Sir Alf Ramsey, who guided England to the greatest day in their soccer history when they won the 1966 World Cup. It was career solo #43 for the Health, the new World's Record.
May '99
May 2nd, Passing Fancy soloed beautifully for four on actor Oliver Reed, dying of a heart attack while drinking at a pub on Malta. The hit brought Passing Fancy to the edge of the Top Ten at 22 points... May 3rd, Binky Brown soloed for three on baseball's Joe Adcock who once hit four homers in one game. It was career solo #12 for the Game's co-founder... May 6th, the National Health logged career solo #44 and two points on TV storyteller Johnny Morris... May 7th, six gamesters went deep and gathered in Leon Hess, oil baron and owner of the New York Jets. Leading the way with the deuce was Chapter E, rising to within flirting distance of the Top Ten at 21 & 7 and going Wild for the first time in his extraordinary career was Col. Mustard, with a high-five in the luxury box... May 8th, four fans of the silver screen tallied three each on actor Dirk Bogarde. Enjoying their popcorn in the dark of the showhouse were Cassandra Bob, Dead On, Frank Merriwell and M. Hamilton. Same day, Clean Underwear and Doom Patrol scored seven on Dana Plato, star of "Diff'rent Strokes," dead of a drug overdose... May 13th, Motel Styx soloed for four on Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Meg Greenfield of the Washington Post and Newsweek. This was Motel Styx's third solo of 1999, her 9th hit, and a power move into third place at 29 & 9. Same day, 17 scored a hole-in-one on golf great Gene Sarazen. Deadnecks led the way with hit #10 and the lead in the Perriman Pennant race, and Isadora and Skul went Wild for five each... May 15th, rookies Burke and Hare soloed for one on Judge John Minor Wisdom, the last survivor of the federal appeals court that forced the Deep South to give up segregation... May 17th, We Killed McKinley soloed for two on character actor Henry Jones who, among other roles, played the coroner in "Vertigo." It was the first solo of their career... May 26th, Sir Stiff led an elastic quartet in scoring one on Waldo Semon, developer of vinyl and synthetic rubber. Also snapping to attention: Cassandra Bob, O. Bit and Sweeney Todd. The hit moved Stiffie into a tie with Deadnecks for the Perriman Pennant lead at 10 hits, and into the Top Ten at 23 points.
June '99
June 5th, the leading Sick Puppies rose to 38 points as they led 45 gamesters in scoring three on singer Mel Torme. Motel Styx moved into second place at 32 & 10 and Sir Stiff roared into sole possession of the Perriman Pennant lead with 11 hits... June 6th, the Morbo Chucks soloed for two on Eddie "The Brat" Stanky, fiery second baseman who helped three teams win NL pennants... June 11th, Freddy's Fallen Heroes led 15 in scoring three on actor DeForrest Kelley who played "Bones" on Star Trek. The hit beamed Freddy up into the Top Ten at 26 & 7... June 20th, Humorbid and D. Perriman Jr. scored one each on Clifton Fadiman, long-time editor of the Book of the Month Club and host of radio's "Information Please."... June 24th, D. Beach and Dinner with Jack Klugman mushed forward two points on Joe Redington, father of the Iditarod dog sled race... June 27th, Breathless soloed for two on George Papadopoulos, ringleader of Greece's 1967-74 military dictatorship.
July '99
July 1st, The National Health soloed for two on Joshua Nkomo, guiding light of Zimbabwe's black nationalist movement. This was the Health's third solo of 1999 and the 45th of his career. Same day, 10 led by The Great Beyond tallied two on actress Sylvia Sidney. The hit moved the Great One into the Top Ten at 26 & 9, and bumped Chapter E down to the #11 spot. Among the 10 on Sidney, C. Stanley and SLY. Same day, boom, five reached into the bag and came up with one point in a candy-coated shell on billionaire M&M inventor Forrest Mars. Scoring a Sidney/Mars Daily Double were the Great Beyond and C. Stanley. The hit moved the Great One up to 27 & 10, within one hit of Sir Stiff in the Perriman Pennant lead. Also munching happily: Hanuman, Of Corpse and the Penguin... July 2nd, SLY just missed a Daily Double and C. Stanley just missed a Triple as they scored three on Godfather author Mario Puzo. Also scoring on Puzo: the Gashlycrumb Tinies and Terminally Inconvenienced. It was the third hit in two days for C. Stanley!... July 6th, J. Eby went Wild for five on Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo. It was the fourth Wild Card of Eby's stellar career. Scoring one were Dead Ernest, Manolete and Truck Savage... July 9th, six gamesters led by Frozen Stiff, returning to the Top Ten, scored three on James Farmer, who fought to end segregation in the 1960's... July 14th, Frozen Stiff led the way again, this time on Stanley Durwood, creator of the multi-screen "multiplex" cinema. Mr. Frostie used the three points to advance from sixth place at 27 & 8 into sixth place at 30 & 9. Also putting up three points on a the big screen: Demented Debutante and Rolland Craps... July 15th, Frank Merriwell and L. Smith scored five on Steve Heaston, who coached California's men's water polo team to three straight NCAA titles...
And then, greatness. Only one gamester has called three plane crashes and only one has soloed twice on members of the Kennedy family: the incredible Montressor. On July 16th, he soloed for seven on John F. Kennedy Jr. and was summarily inducted into the Game Hall of Fame.
July 20th, Sweeney Todd soloed for two on Emil Andres, Indy 500 driver who raced nine times and attended every race since 1928. It was career solo #16 for the Game's foremost motorsports maven... July 21st, Cereal Killer, Preserveit and the Gamesters of Triskelion scored two on advertising great David Ogilvy... July 23rd, Harris Tweed soloed for three on Morocco's King Hassan.
August '99
August 4th, Ima Stiff, Preserveit and U 2 Brutus scored two on actor Victor Mature... Aug. 9th, Ghostwriter tabbed the 14th solo of his career, a six-pointer on BBC sports presenter Helen Rollason... Aug. 10th, Winterkill cooked up a three-point solo on Jennifer Paterson, star of the TV cooking show "Two Fat Ladies," and sprang into second place, just four points behind the Sick Puppies! The solo, tactically brilliant, was all the more amazing for being the first in Winterkill's nine-year career... Aug. 11th, the National Health hit their fourth straight solo of 1999, a three-pointer on BBC sports announcer Don "The Alderman" Mosey, a member of the Test Match Special team. This completed the Health's solo sweep of the legendary John Arlott, Brian Johnston, Don Mosey cricket broadcasting triumvirate... Aug. 14th, baseball great Pee Wee Reese slid into Home and 20 doffed their Brooklyn Dodger caps. Stretching their lead to six points were the Sick Puppies, now at 40; stretching his Perriman Pennant lead to two hits was Sir Stiff, now at 12; rising in the Top Ten were Johnny B. Dead and Sir Stiff in a tie for 7th... Aug. 25th, Sweeney Todd went Wild for five on jazz legend Spiegle Willcox. Was this to be yet another Wild Card Solo for the style great? NO, because Willie's Will was there for one point, and Sweeney Todd was robbed of the WCS and Sweenied for the second time in his career. Yee-ouch! While playing the spoiler, Willie's Will was also lodging hit #10 in 1999, emerging as a contender for the Perriman Pennant... Aug. 30th, six scored eight on Northwestern U. fullback Matt Hartl. Challenging the Sick Puppies (40) for the lead were Boneyard Dog at 39 and Frozen Stiff at 38. Also entering the Top Ten were Ghostwriter at 31 (with a 6.2 QPA and a sudden lead in the Reaper Ribbon race) and Dinner with Jack Klugman at 30.
September '99
September 6th, 36 led by the Sick Puppies scored two on TV's "Candid Camera" legend Allen Funt. The Pups rose to 42 and opened up some breathing room and Sir Stiff stretched out to 13 hits, holding his two-hit lead in the Perriman Pennant race... Sept. 9th, 33 scored five on pitching great Jim "Catfish" Hunter. Leading the way, Club Dead at 38, with Johnny B. Dead and Dinner with Jack Klugman close behind at 35. Also entering the Top Ten, Terminally Inconvenienced and the Moorebids, raising the ante for admission to 32 points. And Johnny B. Dead (12) drew within one hit of Sir Stiff (13) in the Perriman Pennant race... Sept. 12th, Perry Mason scored a solo eight on Charles Hayward, the top basketball recruit ever at UNC Charlotte, and rose into the Top Ten at 32 points. Amazingly, it was the first solo ever in Perry Mason's 14-year career... September 13th, El Chileno soloed for two on Benjamin S. Bloom, an education professor whose research led to an upsurge in interest in early childhood education, including the creation of the Head Start program. It was El Chileno's tenth career solo and his third in 1999... Sept. 22nd, Club Dead led 17 in scoring three on actor George C. Scott and pulled to within one point of the leading Sick Puppies... Sept. 24th, a one-two-threesome of the Sick Puppies, Club Dead and Frozen Stiff led 38 in scoring four on Judith Exner, who counted a Mafia chieftain and U.S. President among her eclectic conquests. Returning to the Top Ten: the Moorebids. Watching his Perriman Pennant lead evaporate to one slim hit: Sir Stiff at 13... Sept. 25th, Helena Handbasket soloed for four on Marion Zimmer Bradley, author of "The Mists of Avalon" and the 21-volume Darkover novels. It was career solo #6 for the Game's own Gwynyfar... Sept. 26th, five paid tribute to Oseola McCarty, who lived simply and donated her life savings, $150,000, to the University of Southern Mississippi so that others might gain the education she could not afford. Cap in hand, Sir Stiff led the way with his 14th hit, re-opening his Perriman Pennant lead to 2 hits. Also scoring one point, Alibi, Bury Pranksters, Mr. Brink and Women with Spurs... Sept. 29th, El Chileno scored a WILD CARD SOLO on Gen. Gustavo Leigh, key figure in the 1973 Chilean coup led by Augusto Pinochet. It was El Chileno's fourth solo of 1999 (tying him with the National Health in the solo race), career solo #11, Wild Card #4 and Wild Card Solo #2.
October '99
October 3rd, 25 led by C. Stanley and Freddy's Fallen Heroes scored three on Akio Morita, creator of the Walkman and the world's #1 brand, SONY... Oct. 6th, the leading Sick Puppies, the bad-boy tag team of Gamedom, body-slammed their rivals with a punishing four-point solo on pro wrestling legend Gorilla Monsoon. It was career solo #31 for the Pups, and gave them a commanding five-point lead... Oct.7th, Dr. Doornail soloed for three on The Rev. Bruce Ritter who founded Covenant House, a shelter for runaways in New York City, and saw the program spread to 15 cities, before allegations of financial and sexual improprieties brought his tenure to a halt. It was career solo #12 for Dr. Doornail... Oct.8th, Tim Ormortis put up two points on basketball Hall of Famer John McLendon, the first college coach to win three consecutive national titles, and the last living student of John Naismith, the inventor of the game. It was career solo #16 for Tim Ormortis... Oct. 9th, the Virtual Sexton soloed for three on vibraphone with Milt Jackson, member of the Modern Jazz Quartet and a premier improviser. It was the third solo of the Sexton's career... Oct. 11th, the Merry Little Breezes soloed for two on artist, designer and children's book author Leo Lionni. It was career solo #9 for the quickening Breezes... Oct. 12, Dante Inferno, with her "C" list, and Mouldering Playmate made a huge move to the hoop with four points on Wilt Chamberlain. Wow!... Oct. 13, the Sick Puppies led more seven hardwood warriors in scoring three on Marvin Wood, the coach whose 1954 Indiana state champs inspired the movie "Hoosiers." The Pups extended their lead to eight points, and three others moved up in the Top Ten: Frozen Stiff, Johnny B. Dead and Dinner with Jack Klugman... Oct. 16th, Blunt Instrument paid tribute to radio storyteller and author Jean Shepherd with a three-point solo. It was career solo #4 and a stylish hit on a much loved voice here at Game Central... Oct. 19th, Deadnecks soloed for one on French fiction writer Nathalie Sarraute... Oct . 21st, Razor soloed for three on former Tonight Show director Bobby Quinn... Oct. 23rd, Breathless and Humorbid scored one each on Jessie Foveaux, who gained fame at age 98 with her autobiography, "Any Given Day"... Oct. 26th, another wonderful voice stilled, another great pick made: Teen Angel soloed on singer, songwriter, actor Hoyt Axton for four points. Same day, Dead Ernest soloed for two on Abraham Polonsky, acclaimed post-war writer and director ("Body and Soul" "Force of Evil") whose career was curtailed by the Hollywood blacklist... Oct. 27th, Manolete scored the first solo of his soon-to-be-fabulous career with a deuce on composer Frank DeVol, who numbered the theme music for "The Brady Bunch" and "My Three Sons" among his musical triumphs... Oct. 27th, Humorbid hit career solo #10 and 1999 solo #1 on Charlotte Perriand, who in the 1920's designed furniture with Le Corbusier... Oct.28th, El Chileno scored his FIFTH solo of 1999 with an ace on renowned poet Rafael Alberti, the last survivor of Spain's Generation of '27 artistic group. Suddenly, he was just one solo away from the World's Record of six, set by the National Health... Oct. 30th, Freddy's Fallen Heroes led three in scoring three on the Clown Prince of Baseball, Max Patkin. Freddy moved up to seventh place in the Top Ten, while El Duce's Revenge and Mr. Bastard also scored three.
November '99
November 1st, Silver Tapps hit a WILD CARD SOLO on Theodore Alvin Hall, at 18 the youngest scientist on the Manhattan Project, later a pioneer in biological research, revealed in his final years to have been a spy who gave the Soviets atomic secrets. It was Silver Tapps' fifth career solo, fifth career Wild Card, and third Wild Card Solo!... Nov. 8th, Freddy's Fallen Heroes led seven limber gamesters in scoring on six-time Olympic medalist, Slovenian gymnast Leon Stukelj, inventor of the Stukelj maneuver, dying just four days before his 101st birthday. The ace lifted Freddy's Fallen Heroes into a tie for sixth at 38 points. Just a bit farther back, the ACME Undertakers went Wild for five points and rose to 32... Nov. 9th, Freddy's Fallen Heroes led seven in scoring four on actress Mabel King. Also scoring, Harris Tweed with her "royalty only" list and Bambi inching to within two points of the Top Ten. The hit lifted Freddy to fourth place, just three points out of second! Same day, Boneyard Dog soloed for one point on W.J. "Billy" Nicks, one of the winningest coaches in college football history, posting five national championships, five undefeated seasons and was inducted into seven Halls of Fame. For Boneyard Dog, it was solo #2 in 1999... Nov. 12th, Chapter E hit career solo #3 on Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, racing fixture and owner of great thoroughbreds. Same day, Sir Stiff led four in scoring one on pianist Gaby Casadesus. The hit returned him to sole possession of the Perriman Pennant lead at 15 hits, and installed Gomez, with his fifth hit, as the new leader in the Clete's Cup race with a 1.20. Also tickling the ivories were Breathless and the Gamesters of Triskelion... Nov. 13th, the 7th Street Irregulars and Toe Tag each scored two on Donald Mills, the last of the melodious Mills Brothers... Nov. 18th, five literary lights including Deus ex Machina scored two on Paul Bowles, American expatriot author of "The Sheltering Sky." Same day, Cassandra Bob and Second Line scored one on photographer Horst P. Horst, who absolutely ruled over shadow and light... Nov. 19th, Gashlycrumb Tinies soloed for the first time in their career, a deuce on Alexander Liberman, a legend at Conde Nast who was considered the creative force behind its top magazines... Nov. 21st, Cedar Coffins led nine in scoring one on writer, performer, actor and self-described "Stately Homo of England," Quentin Crisp, who was the basis of Sting's "An Englishman in New York"... November 29th, four gamesters -- Dr. Doux, Ms. O'Ree, Manolete and OPEC -- scored two on actor and amiable TV host Gene Rayburn, who with Dee Finch on WNEW pioneered the morning radio drive-time formula, and served as host of TV's "Match Game" in the 60's, 70's & 80's... Nov. 30th, Aimée Thanatogenos hit the first solo of her career with a deuce on knitting guru Elizabeth Zimmerman.
December '99
December 2nd, Black Rose, Nanny's Dream Team and Our American Cousin scored two on comic and columnist Joey Adams... Dec. 10th, Razor, Death Warmed Over and Canada Dry Bones each scored five on Rick Danko, a founding member of The Band. For Canada Dry Bones, it was a pass from Club Nula. It doubled the score of Death Warmed Over, and for Razor, it meant a rise into a tie for 5th place at 40 points. Same day, the Sick Puppies led 21 gamesters in scoring three points on Croatian strongman Franjo Tudjman. The Pups inflated their lead to a commanding 11 points (and re-tied Sir Stiff in the Perriman Pennant race at 15 hits), but Razor scored a Danko-Tudjman Daily Double and moved into fourth place just 13 points back. And Cedar Coffins entered the Top Ten at 36 & 10, bumping C. Stanley down to 11th which he shared with the hard-charging ACME Undertakers, one point away from a 1999 Top Ten finish. Same day, Tim Ormortis soloed for three on Edward Dorn, poet and writer of the Old West; it was Tim's third solo on 1999... Dec. 12th, Humorbid and Willie's Will shared a one-point hit on artist Paul Cadmus... Dec. 17th, Deadnecks and Second Line scored one point each on historian C. Vann Woodward. For the stealthy Deadnecks, this was hit #14 as they stalked the Perriman Pennant leaders -- the Sick Puppies and Sir Stiff tied at 15 hits... Dec. 18th, J. Eby soloed for three points when Rex Allen, the last of the singing cowboys, ended up under a Cadillac driven by a friend in his own driveway. It was the second solo of J. Eby's career... Dec. 19th, ten gamesters scored two on actor Desmond Llewelyn who played 'Q' in the James Bond films, dying in a head-on car crash. Frozen Stiff led the way and took sole possession of second place at 47 points, shrinking the Pup's lead to nine as we close in on the finishing line... Dec. 20th, Motel Styx surged back into the Top Ten at 36 points when she joined Canada Dry Bones in scoring two on country great Hank Snow. Same day, Truck Savage soloed for one on filmmaker Irving Rapper, director of many Bette Davis films including "Now Voyager." It was solo #3 for Truck Savage in 1999... Dec. 22nd, Dead Ernest soloed for the third time in 1999, with a deuce on leading French composer and conductor Marcel Landowski... Dec. 26th, 10 gamesters scored five on music great Curtis Mayfield. Johnny B. Dead led the way, moving from 8th to 4th place at 43 points. The Deadnecks tallied hit #15 tying them in the Perriman Pennant race with the Sick Puppies and Sir Stiff (and used the five points to enter the Top Ten at 36). Also rising, Motel Styx going from 10th into 7th at 41... Dec. 27th, Of Corpse soloed for one on ABC founder Leonard Goldenson, their third ace of 1999 and fourth career solo... Dec. 28th, Toe Tag led 13 gamesters in scoring two on actor Clayton Moore, who portrayed The Lone Ranger on TV... Dec. 30th, 11 scored on Sarah Knauss, the world's oldest person. Leading the way was Freddy's Fallen Heroes moving into a three-way tie for 4th place with Johnny B. Dead and Razor. Three went Wild: Lives in Jeopardy, Necropolis Keepers (with their first WC) and Persephone scoring her Wild Card for the third consecutive year on the World's Oldest Person... Dec. 31st, Passing Fancy and Terminally Inconvenienced leapt into the Top Ten at 36 & 10 on the Game's last day, making it the Top 14 with five lists in the #10 spot. They did it with three points on former Attorney General Elliot Richardson; also scoring at the wire were the Bury Pranksters and Lincoln's Brain.
And so it ended, with the Sick Puppies triumphant yet again, and 14 gamesters in the Top Ten.
Let's look at the Top Ten for 1999.
Take me on to 2000.
Take me back to Play-by-Play.