2007 Play-by-Play January 1, The 37th annual Game began on the opening day of competition when the Cedar Coffins and Tim Ormortis were the first to escape from Club Nula thanks to a one-point pass from feminist author Tillie Olsen, perhaps best remembered for her short story "I Stand Here Ironing." While each were disappointed to be denied a solo, both agreed the view from the top of the scoreboard was grand. January 2, seasoned veterans Gang Green, Greyfriars Bobby and Sweeney Todd made it a five-way tie for first place as each collected an ace from Teddy Kollek, who played a large role in transforming Jerusalem into its present form as mayor for nearly 30 years. A riot nearly broke out in Club Nula as the lounge temporarily ran out of imported beer. The Necrophiliac Pimp, Alibi and Gratefully Dead were charged with disorderly conduct. Same day, eight more Gamesters checked out of Club Nula and took over the lead with a hefty six-point hit on Earthlink CEO Garry Betty. The massive hit created an 8 way tie for the lead with Breathless, Bury Pranksters, Eckspired, Lily Delivery, Terminally Inconvenienced, Mme. Morte, Pontius and Skul. That tie didn’t last long as, yet again on the same day, Maryland's Lily Delivery took sole possession of the lead and enjoyed a giant bowl of sushi with a one-point solo on the star attraction at the Atlanta Aquarium, Gaspar, a beluga whale. The hit lifted the Game's official florist to 7 & 2 and it was also a Betty/Gaspar Daily-Double. A tip of the hat is surely due. January 6, Indiana's Frozen Stiff exited Club Nula with a stylish three-point solo on former light-heavyweight boxer Yvon Durelle, aka the "Fighting Irishman," whose December 10, 1958, bout with Archie Moore is considered one of the greatest professional fights of all time. Now in his 16th season of play, Mr. Frosty boasts 29 career solos. Same day, Atlanta's Terminally Inconvenienced burst into the Game lead with a brilliant three-point solo on "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow, who was best known for his steel guitar work in country-rock (Flying Burrito Brothers) but he was equally talented as a motion picture special effects artist. This is Terminally Inc's 13th season of playand his 9 & 2 start may be his best start ever. Kleinow is his 9th career solo. This one is so good, it deserves respectful applause. Same day (yet again), two Gamesters donned their silks as they went to the thoroughbred industry to collect four points each on breeder John Silvertand whose most famous product was Afleet Alex who won the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes in 2005. This was the liberation day from Club Nula for the Deadbolts. and Dinner With Jack Klugman. January 8, Club Nula has one more open room as the second-year Gamester-team of Farms For Sale scored a judicious one-point solo on Jane Bolin, the first black female graduate of the Yale Law School and the first black woman in the nation to become a judge. That's classic style from this determined team that hails from Connecticut. It was their first solo ever. Same day, the strkingly beautiful actress Yvonne DeCarlo liberated six Gamesters from Club Nula as early January action continues at a furious pace. DeCarlo is of course best remembered for her role of Lily on the television series "The Munsters," but her career was much more than that. January 10, seventeen Gamesters went to the cinema to collect an ace from Carlo Ponti, who produced films for many great directors including Fredrico Fellini, David McLean and Michaelangelo Antonioni. He was also the husband of Sophia Loren for more than forty years. Eleven Gamesters vacated Club Nula, including rookie Dead Giveaway. Veteran Gamesters Greyfriars Bobby, Mme. Morte and the Necromancers scored their second hits of the year. The game leader scored his fourth hit. Same day, Maine's Gomez used the scientific approach to find his way out of Club Nula as he came up with a one-point solo on Bradford Washington, museum builder, moutain climber, map maker and much more. Now in his 18th season of Game play, Gomez has 14 career solos. Washburn is a most stylish pick. January 11, GAME HISTORY MADE: since 1996, the record for the fastest Silver Bobcat was held by Dr. Doux, when a January 27 hit on Sen. Ralph Yarborough gave him the Bobcat. The record has been shattered by Pontius, as he led four others in scoring a nifty solo on philosopher and futurist Robert Anton Wilson. Also scoring were High Plains Drifter, Dr. Tomb, Pocketful of Posies and Anna Rexic. We pause to ask if this record is indeed “unbreakable.” If it took 11 years to lower Dr. Doux’s mark, how long will it be before someone surpasses this one? January 12, the season opening parade of hits continued as eight Gamesters went to Kansas City to receive five-points from Larry Stewart, who last Thanksgiving, earned international fame when he revealed he was the Secret Santa, who over the years had given away over 1.3 million dollars to the very needy, especially during the Christmas season and including going to NYC right after 9/11. Pontius continued his hot streak and improved to 24 & 6. The Bury Pranksters and Omega Travel moved into a two-way tie for 2nd-place with 11 & 2 marks. The cheroot chewing High Plains Drifter sauntered up to 6th-place with his second hit in two days. The unpredictable Demento Morte improved to 7 & 2 and found herself in 8th-place. Anna Rexic scored her second hit of the year. Rookies Casper and Chalkline made impressive first ever hits. January 13, fourteen Gamesters collected five-points each from Grammy Award-winning jazz saxophonist Michael Brecker. Leading the way was Pontius as he continued his thaumaturgical pace during the opening weeks of the 37th Annual Game with his 7th hit of the year. Three-time Gran Prix winner Frozen Stiff claimed the 2nd-place spot with a 14 & 3 mark. The Cedar Coffins and Lily Delivery moved into a tie for 3rd-place with 12 & 3 marks. Iowa's Breathless and Nebraska's Eckspired joined a three-way tie for the 5th-place spot while KC's Anna Rexic moved into 9th-place. William Randolph Hearse improved to 6 & 2. Scoring their first hits of the year were a six-pack of veterans: the Beverlys, Sir Stiff, Humorbid, Schrodinger's Cat, NYC's Moorebids and the defending champion Sick Puppies. January 15, two Gamesters showed off their grasp of post-WWII China by collecting an ace each from Bo Yibo, the former Finance Minister under Premier Deng and who was the last surviving member of the "Eight Immortals" of the post Mao Era. I guess they don't make immortals like they used to. Twelve-year veteran Humorbid, who collects hits at an average of 16+ per year, improved to 6 & 2. Sophmore entry Farms For Sale crept up to 2 & 2, and look to greatly improve on their rookie season. January 16, just 16 days into the 37th Game and 18 picks have dropped. Today 19 Gamesters scored four-points each as they made the call on Benny Parsons, a former NASCAR champion who moved into the announcers booth for ESPN and NBC to add color to race broadcasts. Benny was the best and will be sorely missed. Parsons rearranged the Top Ten and liberated 7 Gamesters from Club Nula. Pontius and Mr. Frosty used the points to hold onto 1st and 2nd. The Cedar Coffins and Lily Delivery both scored and remain tied for 3rd-place. Omega Travel moved up to 5th-place while Terminally Inconvenienced rose to 6th. Same day, the ACME Undertakers are back for a 12th season and they got on the scoreboard with style with a three-point solo from Doo Wop legend Pookie Hudson, lead singer and songwriter for The Spaniels whose 1954 song "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" was later featured on the soundtrack of the film "American Graffitti." Last year the ACME Undertakers ended the year with a milestone when they reached 350 career points. You might recall that they hold the world record for hits in one year - an amazing 27 - in 1998. Style points awarded for Pookie. January 17, the first big mega-hit of the year as 46 Gamesters cashed in on the longest farewell tour in journalistic history came to an end when 1982 Pulitzer Prize winning writer Art Buchwald gave up the ghost. Many, many stories here on the two-pointer - we'll start with the Top 10. Current leader Pontius improved to 35 & 9. Hitting wunderkind Omega Travel rose to 3rd-place. The dangerous Bury Pranksters forced a tie for 6th-place at 13 & 3. Homeland Security was useless as the 7th Streer Irregulars appropriated 8th-place. The defending champion Sick Puppies made everyone nervous as they settled down for the night in 11th-place. NYC's Moorebids made a wise tactical move and Went Wild which lifted them to 13th. Twenty-four Gamesters checked out of Club Nula, led by Lincoln's Brain and Dark Carnival (back from a one-year sabatical) who both also Went Wild. Please welcome rookie Nil Nisi Bonum, who made his debut on the scoreboard. January 18, Ontario's Silk Shroud, back for her 8th season of play, burst out of Club Nula with a nice three-point solo on actress Darlene Conley who has appeared on the large and the small screen in many roles but is now best remembered for her portrayal of Sally Spectra on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Conley was first seen on camera in Hitchcock's The Birds. Same day, eight Gamesters scored a one-point hit on Julie W. Bertrand, 115, the official oldest woman in the world. Omega Travel improved to 18 & 5, and became the second Gamester to reach a QPA this season. Another "dedicated hitter," Humorbid rose to 9 & 4. Gang Green achieved 6 & 3. Death Wish Two is showing early muscle as they reached 5 & 2. The Deadnecks are now at 3 & 2 while Gomez and M. Hamilton sport 2 & 2 status. J. Eby checked out of Club Nula. January 20, Club Nula had another escapee as Washington DC's Dust To Dust took advantage of his vast knowledge of his home town history to pick up an ace from former Senator George Smathers (D-FL). Game leader Pontius took advantage of his knowledge of his home state history to do the same. Now in his 7th season of play, Dust To Dust is closing in on the 100 point career mark and has a list chock full of politicians that some of us will be happy to say good-bye to. Same day, two Gamesters left the dugout and headed to the mound to collect five-points from former major league baseball pitcher and later pitching coach, Vern Ruhe, who pitched from 1974 to 1986. We're going to have Atlanta's Terminally Inconvenienced tested for steroids as he rose to a tie for 2nd-place with Frozen Stiff with an impressive 18 & 4 mark. Terminally Inc. has almost reached his total score for 2006 and there are 48 weeks to go. Frisco's Frank Merriwell (who finished 12th in 2006) also collected the five-spot as he checked out of Club Nula. January 22, North Carolina resident Schrodinger's Cat boxed up a three-point solo on newspaper columnist Louis Malcolm Boyd (aka Mike Mailway), whose advice/trivia column was, at one point, syndicated to over 400 newspapers. Schrodinger's Cat used the trey to move into 19th place at 10 & 3. It appears the S Cat is starting off right where he left off last season, when he finished 10th with a 44 & 14 mark. Now in his 11th season play, Schrodinger's Cat can boast 17 career solos. January 24, spook, mediocre burglar and novelist. E. Howard Hunt was all three, and more, but checked out as a deuce for seven Gamesters, some old, some new. Anna Rexic used the former CIA agent to rise to 8th-place at 13 & 4. Chalkline burst into the Rookie-lead with the help of the former Watergate conspirator at 7 & 2. Another rookie, Nil Nisi Bonum, notched his second hit on the Bay of Pigs operative. Dante Inferno and Willie's Will each improved to 3 & 2 with the deuce from the spy-novelist. Cerberus and Die Uretic made their exits from Club Nula. January 24, seventeen Gamesters scored, including 8 going wild, on the slowest moving human target in the world. Eight went wild for five. Emiliano Mercado del Torro - born on August 21, 1891. 115 years old. January 27, three Gamesters went to Hollywood to collect five-points from actress/producer Marcheline Bertrand, who is equally as famous for being the mother of actress Angelina Jolie. Leading the way was the sizzling hot Lily Delivery of Maryland, who improved to 26 & 6 and captured the number two spot on the scoreboard. The Bury Pranksters have made the beginning of their 12th season a good one as they rose to 18 & 4 and into a three-way tie for fourth-place. Clankums, who had a respectable 17 & 5 debut last season, escaped from Club Nula. Same day, Tige Andrews, best remembered as Capt. Adam Greer on the the 1960s series "Mod Squad," liberated Manolete from Club Nula with two-points. Andrews started on off-Broadway, where John Ford discovered him ("Mr. Roberts), and he appeared in films and on television for three decades. He was the second Klingon ever seen on "Star Trek," made appearances on "Gunsmoke," "Kojak," "Murder She Wrote," and many many more. Manolete, in his ninth season of play, deserves a tip of the hat for continuing to entertain us. January 28, a backdoor "Oldest Person In The World" pick. Above, you will have noted that on January 18, Omega Travel joined seven others in the hit on Julie W. Bertrand, the world's oldest woman. Then, on the 24th he was in on the hit on Emiliano Mercado Del Toro, the world's oldest person. Now he has a one-point solo on Emma Tillman, who became the oldest person after the death of Del Torro, four days earlier. It was a gambling strategy that paid off - if only for three total points. January 29, anyone who watched the 2006 Kentucky Derby would agree that winner Barbaro looked like a special horse. On May 20, 2006, many horse racing fans were glued to the television to see if he could work his magic again at the Preakness Stakes. Shortly after the horses left the gate, that anticipation turned to horror as Barbaro pulled up lame with an obviously serious hind leg injury. Here at Game Central we can't even tell you who won that race - in our eyes the race was over. Top of the line veterinarians saved him and horse racing fans kept up with the story for months as the odds for survival went up and down and up again. Snarletta (2 & 2) and Pontius (37 & 11) saw the writing (and proverbial shotgun) on the stable stall wall. January 30, five Gamesters added two-points to their scores with their pick of the talented Sidney Sheldon, who won awards as a playwright, a screenwriter and a novelist. Last year's Rookie of the Year, Eckspired, is out to prove it wasn't a fluke as she moved into 9th-place with a 13 & 3 mark. Gomez, our entry from Maine, continued his January streak with his 4th-hit of the month. Cerberus, Die Uretic and rookie Dead Giveaway all scored their second hits of the young. January 31, ending a wild opening month, Molly Ivins, a great political writer from the great state of Texas, and who was a thorn in the side of American conservative Republicans everywhere, produced thirteen hits and the scoreboard is still smoking and sparking. Pontius continued his eye-popping pace as he rose to 41 & 12. Mega-hitter Omega Travel kept pace and held onto his spot at third-place behind Lily Delivery but gained ground as he improved to 24 & 8. Frozen Stiff iced the fourth-place slot at 22 & 5. The Cedar Coffins moved into fifth-place at 20 & 5. New threat Anna Rexic moved into eight-place and the enigmatic Schrodinger's Cat occupy ninth-place. In the sceond ten, Dinner With Jack Klugman continued their 2006 year end streak as they improved to 13th-place and Boneyard Dog is now in 19th-place. Iron Maiden, Johnny B. Dead and SLY all found themselves at 6 & 2 while Afterword and the KIng of Pain created two new vacancies at Club Nula. Scoring his first ever hit was rookie Petit Mort.
February 1, round two of this twelve round brawl got underway at the sound of the bell as eleven Gamesters absolutely stunned the scorekeeper by going to the opera for a hit on composer Gian Carlo Menotti, age 95.. Opera people dropped like flies last year and our group were rarely there to collect. Gang Green broke out in an aria as he led ten Gamesters up the scoreboard and got his QPA early, reaching 12 & 5 and 14th-place. Pocketful of Posies and Greyfriars Bobby reached 4 hits each. Iron Maiden, Willie's Will and J Eby can claim 3 hits. Helena Handbasket, Habeas Corpse, and Alibi all scored for a second time. The Dada Sisters created another vacancy at Club Nula. Sleeps With Fishes went wild. February 2, the multi-talented Skul, now in his 33rd season of play, scored a very stylish three-point solo on Eric von Schmidt, a major influence on the folk music scene in Cambridge, MA, in the 1960s. Von Schmidt, who taught Bob Dylan and Joan Baez a thing or two, is best remembered for his rendition of "Wasn't That A Mighty Storm." With the hit Skul rose to 11 & 3 and into a tie for 16th-place with the Sick Puppies. Same day, a dozen Gamesters found an ace on their lists from golden-voiced singer Frankie Laine, who had a number but hits, but is best remembered for singing the theme song for the TV series "Rawhide." Leading the way up the scoreboard were the unpredictable and dangerous 7th Street Irregulars who climbed into a tie for 10th-place at 14 & 5. Gomez got his QPA as well. William Randolph Hearse scored his fourth hit of the young season. Unplugged and Bone Voyage moved out of Club Nula. February 6, Breathless, who you'll always find somewhere near the top of the scoreboard, is off to a good start this season and now he's pegged a classic two-point solo on Lew Burdette, a masterful major league baseball pitcher best remembered for leading the Milwaukee Braves to a world championship by beating the NY Yankees three times in the 1957 World Series. The hit lifted Breathless, who last month reached career milestone (400+ points and 150+ hits), to 13th-place with a 13 & 3 mark. Same day, Another vacancy became available at Club Nula as Bethesda's Shovellin' Off rode the shoulders of French philosopher Jean Baudrillard (pronounced jon bo-dri-jar), out the door on their way to their 11th season of pay. Their three-point solo means that 24 of you have yet to score. Baudrillard was an important thinker - hats off to Shovellin' Off. February 8, three Gamesters checked out of Club Nula today at precisely the same time that Anna Nicole Smith checked out of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Three Gamesters went to the Scoreboard - Anna went to the morgue. Scoring seven big points on this front page hit were the Necro Wafers, the only mother/son team in the Game...Back in 2005, the Necro Wafers soloed on Peter Jennings and almost won the hit of the year...Third year Gamester Spurtofblood, our only known US Army entry, and rookie Dios de los Muertos (What a first hit!) rounded out the scoring. February 9, the Flatliners are knocking on the door of the Top 20 (tied for 23rd) after scoring a classy two-point solo on Hank Bauer, who roamed the outfield and swung a steady bat for the New York Yankees from 1948 to 1959, during which time the Yankees won seven World Championships. The Flatliners, associated with the notorious Arkansas Gang, are in their 16th season and now own 7 career solos and recently scored their 350th career point. Same day, solo artist Tim Ormortis went to Ireland to collect a two-point solo on Benedict Kiely, an esteemed author and broadcaster whose most celebrated work was his 1945 novel "Land Without Stars." The hit lifted Tim Ormortis, who is an Arkansas Gang member, to 3 & 2. More importantly, it was his 48th career solo - second only to the 54 career solos of the National Health Service. A tip of the Tam O'Shantern is due. Yet again on the same day, Diedammit have been waiting for years to cash in on Eddie Feigner and their patience has finally paid of with a very stylish two-point solo. Eddie Feigner was "The King" of the softball barnstorming team known far and wide as "The King & His Court." With a fastball once clocked at 104 mph, Feigner threw 930 no-hitters, 238 perfect games and struck out 141,517 batters while playing more than 10,000 games. He was inducted into the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame in 2000. Diedammit, now in their 32nd season play and ranked 5th for Most Career Points, rose to 5 & 3. With Frankie Laine and Feigner, they've scored two hits in three days. February 11, three Gamesters went to the pharmacy to find a cure and all three found it in a one-point hit from Charles Walgreen Jr., who started as a delivery boy at his father's drugstore and by the time he retired had grown the business into a national chain with over 600 stores. Gomez collected his sixth hit of the year and Farms For Sale scored their fourth. Canadian Fade To Black was liberated from Club Nula. February 13, Rep. Charles Norwood Jr. (R-GA) gave Frozen Stiff a four-point solo and boosted Frozen Stiff into a tie for 2nd-place with Lily Delivery with a 26 & 6 mark. It is Mr. Frosty's Game-leading second solo of the young season. And go figure...we have 4 Gamesters in the Atlanta area and four Gamesters in the North Florida area (Which for all practical purposes might as well be in Georgia.) and we all struck out in our own backyard. Mr. Frosty is the pride of Indianapolis - nowhere near Georgia. Okay, the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning are the pride of Indianapolis, but Mr. Frosty is certainly one of their cultural icons. Valentine's Day, New Haven's SLY has been sending in a list for 23-years now, always with an emphasis on artistic personalities. She is still at it, as evidenced by her stylish four-point Valentine's Day solo on animator Ryan Larkin, who gained fame with his psychedelic 1969 Oscar-nominated short film "Walking." The hit lifted SLY to 10 & 3 and into a four-way tie for 20th place. It was her 22nd-career solo. A tip of the hat is due. February 15, Robert Adler and Eugene Polley never acted in, directed or produced, nor in any way did they have a part in a television broadcast, but in 1997 they were awarded an Emmy. Their contribution was a scientific one - they co-invented the wireless remote control which later spawned the couch potato. Robert Adler is credited with 180 patents during his lifetime and his final contribution to improving the world came in the form of one-point hits for veteran Gamesters Penguin and Sir Stiff. The ace lifted Sir Stiff to 7 & 3 and the Penguin to 3 & 2. Same day, four Gamesters remembered songwriter Ray Evans who (with Jay Livingston) gave us a slew of classics including "Buttons & Bows," "Que Sera Sera" and the Christmas standard "Silver Bells. They even wrote the theme song for the TV series "Mr. Ed." Leading the way was NJ's Iron Maiden who improved to 8 & 4. Picking up their third hits of the young season were Dead Wait ( 7 & 3 ), Manolete ( 4 & 3 ) and the Fire Ants ( 3 & 3 ). February 22 (But not allowed until 03/05) As mentioned in an earlier post, the Bury Pranksters and Dr. Tomb were denied points on Tom Rundstrom, a musician of the cow-punk/bluegrass genre, and the leader of the group Split Lip Rayfield. The "Fame Committee" really struggled with this one but ultimately a deal was reached in which we agreed points would be allowed if Rundstrom's obit appeared in Rolling Stone, Spin or Billboard. Luckily for them, a Gamester, Johnny B. Dead, found the obit in an issue of Billboard. So... now the Bury Pranksters and Dr. Tomb find themselves seven-points richer. For the Bury Pranksters it translates to a 25 & 5 score, 4th-place and a sparkling Game-leading 5.00 QPA. Dr. Tomb vaulted to 11th-place with a gaudy 14 & 2 mark. February 28 Nine Gamesters added a deuce to their scores courtesy of Pulitzer Prize winning historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, perhaps best remembered for his tome "A Thousand Days" based on his notes from working with the John F. Kennedy administration. The Flatliners of Arkansas rose to a tie for 12th-place while SLY took over the 16th-place slot. Both earned their QPA with the hit. Gomez scored his fourth hit of the month, just like he did in January. Veteran Die Uretic and rookie Dead Giveaway notched their third hits of the season. Of Corpse and Women With Spurs were grateful for second hits while Mullen's Revenge and W. Dockum celebrated liberation from Club Nula.
March 3, Rhode Island's Sir Stiff launched our own form of "March Madness" with a very stylish two-point solo on former Brooklyn Dodger pitching great, Clem Labine, who figured prominently in Roger Kahn's book, The Boys of Summer. The hit lifted Sir Stiff into 25th-place with a 10 & 5 mark. Now in his 12th season of play, Sir Stiff reached a career milestone with Labine as he reached 250 career points. A tip of the hat is most certainly due. March 06, Put together 19 Gamesters and a winemaker and you'll get more stories than a sober person can possibly keep up with...so let's skip the sobriety and get right to the bottom of the bottle(s). Joe Friday used to say "Just give me the facts." Well, here they are. Ernest Gallo is the winemaker and he has ceased to be just under two weeks before his 98th birthday - one point awarded to all hitters - not one Wild Card was to be found. Humorbid, now at 16 & 7, lead the way and owns the 10th-place spot. He is trying to catch, or better yet, pass Greyfriars Bobby for Most Hits Per Year...'Tis a good thing Humorbid invested in Gallo because...? Greyfriars Bobby, whose psychic DNA resembles that of the legendary Mr. Clete (ret.), improved to 6 & 6. Flatliners rose to 15 & 6 - the season isn't 10 weeks old - and currently own the 11th-place slot. Arkansas might not be big enough for Wal Mart and the Flatliners, one of them might have to move. Both of our Rhode Island Gamesters proved they know something about Gallo wine. Gang Green claimed 15th-place with a 14 & 7 resume while his mentor, Sir Stiff, drank the same formula to reach 11 & 6. Editor's Note: Game Central wonders what the Gallo brothers thought about this:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FI1aCrVuQRc. QPAs were earned thanks to Ernest Gallo: Pocketful of Posies, Farms For Sale and William Randolph Hearse. Mr. Hearse also celebrated scoring his 150th career point. Speaking of milestones, Habeas Corpse scored his 100th career point and Gashlycrumb Tinies scored his 100th career hit. March 12, Pontius and Women With Spurs, both of whom call Florida home, collected two-ponts each from vivacious actress, singer, dancer Betty Hutton, who is best remembered for her title role in the film "Annie Get Your Gun," but who in the long run will be best remembered for her part in the film "Miracle on Morgan Creek." The deuce lifted the Game-leading Pontius to 43 & 13, while the Spur Girls passed 21 disappointed Gamesters as they improved to a 6 & 3 mark. Editor's Note: Your Editor considers Hutton to be a Homecoming gift as he returned to Game Central today after a four day stay at the local Memorial Hospital where he underwent surgery on Friday. He'll be home for at least three weeks so he would appreciate a word or two from some of you to help relieve what is surely going to become a bit of a boring existence compared to the exciting working day world. March 12, It was the notorious Pol Pot and the Khemr Rouge who banned Buddism from Cambodia during their reign of terror from 1975 to 1970. It was the Buddist monk Maha Ghosananda who was chiefly responsible for bringing it back to life there. Ghosananda was nominated more than once for the Noble Peace Prize for his efforts, but it was a prize that eluded him. Only the Game's Black Rose, (sibling of Game co-founder Binky Brown Conway) had the sense to list him. Now in her 10th season of play, the Black Rose can celebrate the exhilaration of that elusive first solo. Tips of the hat and Hoo-rahs are in order. We have awarded her tthree-points as every refence we could find gives a birth year of 1929. One Boston paper says he was 84. Editor's Note: Former Game Gazette editor, Ghostwriter, contacted us expressing his deep admiration for the recently deceased Betty Hutton. This link is for him and anyone else who feels the same...it is pure Betty Hutton: http://youtube.com/watch?v=zZYYqQInrDg. March 15, Schrodinger's Cat, who resides in North Carolina, rose to 16 & 5 and into 10th-place with a classy two-point solo on Bowie Kuhn, who for fifteen-years was commissioner of Major League Baseball. Bowie Kuhn is Schrodinger's Cat 's second solo of the year and he shares the lead for Most Solos for the year with Mr. Frosty. This year marks the S Cat's 11th-season of play and Bowie Kuhn was his 18th career solo. Impressive numbers. Moreover, the S Cat is becoming a familiar face in the Top Ten as he has finished there in four of the past six seasons, including a second-place finish in 2003. March 15 (Unreported in the press until 03/26), After three seasons of play and averaging over 22-points and 12-hits per season, with 3 Wild Cards as well, one might suspect that Wisconsin's Cerberus has the potential to be a future power to be reckoned with. Her resume has now been enhanced a bit more with a unique three-point solo on Monte Zucker, considered to be the dean, the Ansel Adams, so to speak, of modern wedding photography. Take a well deserved bow Cerberus, the scorekeeper is in awe. March 17, It is not everyday that Game Central awards points on an unofficial team mascot. This is one of those days. Wilford "Crazy Ray" Jones shined shoes for a living when the Dallas Texans were awarded an franchise in the upstart American Football League. And the rest, as they say is history. When the AFL and the NFL merged, the Dallas Texans became the Dallas Cowboys and Crazy Ray Jones became the unofficial mascot of the Cowboys, a position he held for decades. At one point, when CBS was broadcasting NFL games, if it was a Cowboy game in Dallas, you could see him in the CBS Eye as the program began. Now Crazy Ray owns a spot in the fan wing of the Professional Hall of Fame. But we get ahead of ourselves...we'll let the obit tell the story. For our purposes two Gamesters added a three-point hit to their scores. Boneyard Dog moved into a tie for 17th-place (w/ DWJK) as he improved to 13 & 4. Chapter E used the trey to pass 26 Gamesters on the scoreboard by climbing to 5 & 2. Check out the obit...this hit is all about style. Same day, According to the Career Statistics, Gamesters archy and mehitabel played the Game for nine years and then retired from play after the 1996 season. But retirement did not translate into disinterest and they kept up with the Game through the Game Gazettes and since then through the current electronic format. By the time the 2007 Game rolled around they could not resist leaving their lounge chairs and jumping back into the pool. It has taken ten weeks but archy and mehitabel have finally escaped Club Nula and taken a spot on the scoreboard with a very stylish two-point solo on John Backus who invented the Fortran computer language which created a giant leap forward in how computers work. March 19, Four night owlish Gamsters added a touch of style to their seasons by successfully listing Calvert DeForest, who is best defined as being an irregular regular on David Letterman's popular late night television shows. Mr. DeForest was known to viewers as Larry "Bud" Melman when the Letterman Show was on NBC prior to the program moving to CBS. Naturally it was the 7th Street Irregulars, wearing ill-fitting black suits, who lead the way and took over the 11th-place slot on the scoreboard with a 16 & 6 mark. Both Gashlycrumb Tinies and the Iron Maiden made spots for themselves in the Top Thirty with Iron Maiden attaining her QPA. Clean Underwear scored his 75th career hit on his way out of Club Nula. March 21, This year's Game just might turn into a barnburner after all. When January scoring came to an end, Pontius looked to be a lock for the Championship as he closed out the first month of scoring with a 4-point hit on Molly Ivins that gave him a seemingly insurmountable lead with a 41 & 12 mark. But he went zero for February and has only a two-point hit for March to date while the other contenders in the Top Ten have slowly but surely been chipping away at the lead. Lo and behold! Now the Bury Pranksters have made a major move with a six-point solo on Catherine Seipp, a freelance writer and media critic, best known for writing the weekly "From the Left Coast" column for National Review Online and a monthly column for the Independent Women's Forum, (Source: Wikepedia) to name a few. The six-point blast propelled the Bury Pranksters into 2nd-place with a lofty 31 & 6 mark - a mere 12 points behind Pontius. The Pranksters also can boast the Game leading 5.16 QPA. The solo was their career 15th in this their 13th season of play. March 27, Game legend Ghostwriter was released from Club Nula by means of a four-point solo on the Iraqi Sunni insurgent leader of the "1920 Revolutionary Brigade," who was assassinated by yet another insurgent group "Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia." It was Ghostie's 22nd career solo. Editor's Note # 1: This hit should serve as a reminder to all Gamesters who have combatants in the Iraqi Civil War on their lists to keep their eyes and ears open sharp. I keep track of the war as closely as I can but it is a chaotic situation. Depend on yourself, not the Editor to make sure you get credit when credit is due. March 30, Back on January 31st, Game leader Pontius had a little extra swagger in his steps as he stormed through the opening month with a record setting 41 & 12 mark and also shattered the record for the SilverBobcat (First to reach five hits) by reaching that mark on the 11th. February proved to be a slow month for hits for all of us, but everyone in the Top Twenty chipped away at the leader as he spent the month hitless. Pontius' swagger turned into a limp. Midway through Pontius shared a two-pointer with the Spur Girls on Betty Hutton. Suddenly, the Bury Pranksters, in a nine-day burst of unanswered power, picked up a six-point solo on writer Catherine Seipp which has now been followed by a four-point solo on Jamaican musician Stanley Beckford, who broke the normal mode in Jamaica by switching from Reggae to Merth on his way to becoming a Merth legend, That insurmountable Pontius lead has now been whittled to eight points:April 1, Green County, Wisconsin's Necropolis Keepers opened April scoring with a nice two-point solo on Herb Carneal, who manned the announcers booth at Minnesota Twins baseball games for over 40 years and who is honored at Cooperstown in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Necropolis Keepers, begins the second quarter of his 10th season at 3 & 2 with the added enjoyment of the second solo of his career. Hats off to Necropolis Keepers, any baseball team announcer who could keep that job with the same team for over 40 years must have had a melodious voice and a terrific grasp of the national pastime. The Twins paid tribute as they won their season opener over the Orioles. April 3, Sixteen talented Gamesters displayed their knowledge of college footfall, especially Deep South college football as they each picked up two-points and one-hit from one of the winningest college football coaches in history, Grambling State's Eddie Robinson. Current Game leader Pontius scored the deuce and improved to 45 & 14, In other Top Ten action, rising star Anna Rexic could do no better than maintain pace with the leader as she rose to 7th-place with a score of 20 & 7, while the 7th Street Irregulars took control of 9th-place as they improved to 18 & 7. Last season's second-half scoring machine Dinner With Jack Klugman used the two-pointer (and a cloud of dust) to reach 15 & 5 and 13th-place. Meanwhile, last season's Class List winner, Skul, with a 13 & 4 mark, moved into a tie for 18th-place and deliberated the 400th point of his career. In other notable news on the Robinson hit, the Deadnecks rose to 301 career points...Demento Morte will find herself with, or in excess of 400 career points...the Necropolis Keepers scored thier second hit in three days...Mr. Brink, god bless her, finally checked out of Club Nula. April 8, Arkansas Gangster Alibi kept a slot open on his list so he could flaunt his appreciationof the finer arts as he put up a successful solo bid on artist Sol DeWITT, a sculpter and painter explored the limits on Conceptualism and Minimalism during thr post World War 2 period. The hit lifted Alibi 8 & 6 and it was his eight career solo. April 11, Twenty Gamesters gave us a glimpse into their reading habits and tastes by listing author Kurt Vonnegut. a national treasure if there ever was one. Dark Carnival sent me the following quote that sums Vonnegut up quite well... ".I've been listening to XMPR, the "Public Radio" station on XM satellite ratio throughout today, and virtually every program made mention of his passing. But one of the best comments I heard was from Tom Ashbrook, the host of "On Point," who claimed that Vonnegut always challenged authority and his readers." With 20 Gamsters making the call, I cannot mention them all, but these facts regarding the scoreboard deserve mentioning...the 'troop surge" in Iraq may be going swell, but domestically the nation appears to be in peril as the 7th Street Irregulars are running amok as they rode the shoulders of Vonnegut to an impressive 20 & 8 score and the 8th-place slot. William Randolph Hearse silently collects funerals and has risen to 21st-place with a 12 & 6 score. Keep an eye out for Johnnie B. Dead as Jonnie B, On The Move with a rising 10 & 4 score is on the move. April 14, scoring resumed with two-ponits being awarded to three Gamesters, as June Callwood, Canadian journalist, activist and author, re-arranged the Top 20. Leading the way was the Game's very own enigma, Schrodinger's Cat, who used the deuce to take-over 10th-place with an 18 & 6 mark. Keeping up the pace and moving into 11th-place were the legendary Dinner With Jack Klugman. Ontario's Silk Shroud, now in her eighth season, improved to 5 & 2. April 14, who knew a Hawaiians musician who hung his hat on song called "Tiny Bubbles" would cause such a fuss on the scoreboard? Nevertheless, Don Ho was a solid three-pointer for 32 Gamesters while Illinois' Danse Macabre made his exit from Club Nula a little bit sweeter as he Went Wild for a full five-points. The landscape of the Top 20 saw movement by eight Gamesters who are off to solid starts and at three other end of the spectrum, three more Gamesters were liberated from Club Nula with Danse Macabre. Omega Travel led the way among the swaying palms as he rose to 3rd-place with his 27 & 9 mark. Other Top Ten movers included...the Cedar Coffins (6th), the 7th Street Irregulars (7th), Terminally Inconvenienced (8th). and Iowa's legendary Breathless (10th). Showing signs of rejuvenation were the Flatliners (12th), Dr. Tomb (13th) and NYC's Moorebids (18th). Scoring first hits were the Decomposers, Motel Styx and Myra Mains. April 17, thirty-seven Gamesters asked "What's My Line?" for an ace on Kitty Carlisle. April 19, Toronto's Fade To Black took a two-point solo from Helen Walton, widow of Wal Mart founder John Walton, and once deemed one of the wealthiest woman on earth with a net worth of $16.4 billion. Now in his18th-season of play, Fade To Black hopes the hit signals a reversal of his fortunes as his current 3 & 2 mark is way below his standards. April 20, Sir Stiff found a three-point solo on the keyboards of American jazz pianist and composer Andrew Hill, whose style is said to range from post be-bop to avant garde. Sir Stiff improved to 15 & 8 - good enough for 25th-place. It was the second solo of this season for him...he now has 11 career solos with most of his 12th season of play left. Sir Stiff certainly wins style points and Hill was given major obits worldwide. April 26, ten-year veteran Isadora, who calls San Francisco home, used Jack Valenti, confidant of LBJ and who created the motion picture rating code (G, PG, R and X), as her ticket out of Club Nula. Valenti gave her a two-point solo. Isadora (Izzy to her friends) has always played with style and her, now, 15 career solos is testimony to that. Same day, five Gamesters went to the former Soviet Union to collect 2-poiints each from cultural dissident, acclaimed conductor, and concert cellist Mastlav Rostropovich. The red-hot Schrodinger's Cat led the way as he rose to a three-way tie for the 11th-place position. Iron Maiden continued to dazzle with her awesome power as she scored her 7th-hit. Leroy Estmort, Our American Cousin and Game Grand Dame M. Hamilton all earned their QPAs. It's a nice pick with style. April 28, here at Game Central we always love the hit that lead's one to say, "So. That's who that was!" This hit fits that niche. Style points given: Dabbs Greer, a character actor on the large and small screens, awarded an ace to three Gamesters. Alibi, in his 17th season scored his 8th hit of the year while Women With Spurs, in their 16th season, scored their 6th hit. Third-year Gamester Pale Rider hopes this signals more hits ahead as she scored her 2nd-hit of the season. For Women With Spurs, Greer was their 99th career hit. April 30, our Gamester across the pond, the National Health Service, who has joined us in play for almost thirty-one seasons now, left Club Nula courtesy of English cricket bowler, Tom Cartwright, who was a household name in the UK in the 60s-70s. Cartwright was a three-point solo. The NHS has thus increased his world record for career solos to fifty-five. By comparison, Tim O'mortis, who like most of us lives on this side of the pond, has the second-most solos with forty-eight.
May 2, Arkansas Gang member Afterword (third season of play) scored a stylish two-point solo on astronaut Walter Schirra to improve to 13 & 5. Style points always given for Mercury astronauts. With lightening speed, Schrodinger's Cat flew into 7th-place with a 6-point solo on New Zealand filmmaker and scriptwriter Brad McGann, best known for his 2004 international award winning film, "In My Father's Den." It was Schrodinger's Cat's Game leading 3rd solo of the season and the 19th career solo of his 11-season career. How that got under everyone else's radar will forever be a mystery. May 07, The Game spotlight light moved halfway around the globe to Polynesia, where Dr. Tomb and the beady-eyed High Plains Drifter spoiled each others shot at a solo as both collected two-points from Tomasi Kulimoetoke, the king of the tiny French island of Wallis (and Futuna.). Veteran Dr. Tomb solidified his hold on the 14th-place slot on the scoreboard and gained his QPA as he improved to 19 & 5. The High Plains Drifter, a relative newcomer to the Game, rose to 12 & 4, below his standards, but hopefully this may be a sign his list is warming up. May 8, The Top 20 was reshuffled once again as three Gamesters went to Miami to collect three-point hits from notorious black supremacist Yahweh ben Yahweh who built a black cult that grew into a multi-million dollar empire that collapsed when Yahweh and others were indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit multiple murders of innocent white victims. Former champion Frozen Stiff was in on the action and re-claimed 3rd-place as his score improved to a lofty 29 & 7. Dr. Tomb, who had scored the day previous, also made the call and rose to a tie for 10th-place with a 22 & 6 mark. Rounding out the scoring was Divinely Supine, who claimed 15th-place with her tally of 18 & 7. As it turns out, the Cedar Coffins had played it "cute" and had listed Yahweh by his real given name, Hulon Mitchell. Therefor CC retains 3rd-place with a 30 & 9 score and Mr. Frosty drops to 4th. May 11, Sarwan Qala, Afghanistan - American Special Forces, dropped from helicopters, began an assualt on a home and a horrendous firefight ensued. When the firing stopped and the smoke had cleared, over twenty Taliban insurgents were found dead. Among the dead was Mullah Dadullah Akhund, one of the most brutal and lethal leaders of the Taliban was found. Back here in the States, Tomb Essence said, "Give me six," and made a spectactular and stylish exit from Club Nula. Tomb Essence now has eight solos on display in his trophy case. May 15, Eight Gamesters crowded into the administrative offices of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, to collect three-points from televangelist and former Moral Majority leader Rev. Jerry Falwell, as he went to meet his Maker (Who for years kept telling Falwell stupid things to say to us.) Nebraska's Eckspired led the group as she took control of the 13th-place spot with a score of 20 & 6. The cheroot chewing High Plains Drifter (15 & 5) and Connecticut's Preserveit (11& 5) earned their QPAs while the Necro Wafers (mother/son team) and W. Dockum scored their fourth hits of the year. Also making moves up the scoreboard were Tomb Essence, Florida's Yo! Rick! and the very sweet T. & J. James, who sent a thoughtful get-well card to your editor-thanks. May 16, Kansas City's Anna Rexic and Alabama's Dirt Nap denied each other a solo as they went to San Francisco to collect four-points from author Terry Ryan, best known for her 2001 memoir "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less." Anna Rexic, who surprised everyone with a 21st-place finish in 2006, continues to flex muscle as she improved to 24 & 8 and secured the 9th-place slot in the Top Ten. Dirt Nap, while not yet threatening to crack into the Top 20, used the four-pointer to leap-frog past 35 Gamesters in the standings. A tip of the hat is due to both Gamesters as Terry Ryan was a stylish hit much admired here at Game Central. May 17, Six-year veteran Gang Green picked up a stylish four-point solo in Minneapolis from Hard Bop bassist Herbie Lewis who played and recorded with many prominent jazz musicians, Gang Green, who hails from Rhode Island, has been hitting steadily all season and now occupies 17th-place on the scoreboard with a nice 18 & 8 record. May 25, A week long lull in Game action came to a merciful end as seven Gamesters went to Los Angeles for three-point compensations from actor and television personality Charles Nelson Reilly who is best known for being a fixture on the game show "Match Game and not so well known for winning a Tony on Broadway. Viciously storming her way into the Top 20 was the Garden State's fearsome Iron Maiden who climbed into 18th-place with a score of 18 & 9. Improving to 14 & 4 (And who have a combined 55 years of Game participation between them) were D. Beach and the Sick Puppies. West Florida's Women With Spurs (13 & 7) scored their 100th career hit. Rounding out the scoring were three more veteran Gamesters: T & J James, Danse Macabre and Hanuman. May 28, Three Gamesters took the red-eye flight to Europe to collect four stylish points from flamboyant German artist Jorg Immendorff. Dinner With Jack Klugman finally made their way into the Top Ten as they improved to 24 & 8 - good enough for the 9th-place slot. The steely-eyed High Plains Drifter dusted off his chaps as he garnered the 16th-place slot with a 19 & 6 score. Rounding out the scoring were the legendary Sick Puppies, who rose to 17th-place as they reached 18 & 5. It was the Pups second hit in three days.
June 2, Chinese Vice-Premier Huang Ju went down while Frozen Stiff went four-points up and bumped the Cedar Coffins out of third-place as the Frosty One improved to 33 & 8. The solo was Frozen Stiff's third of the year which ties him with Schrodinger's Cat for first-place in that category. It was the 31st solo of his illustrious Game career, only four Gamesters have more. June 4, Nine politically connected Gamesters went to Bethesda, Md., to collect a three point earmark from Wyoming Republican Senator Craig Thomas. Sen. Thomas was the darling of the NRA and small farmer and business groups but the pariah of environmentalists. In Top 20 action, Johnny B. Dead made his first appearance of the season with his 19 & 7 mark - good enough for 18th-place. Pocketfull of Posies scored their 7th hit while Habeas Corpse and Diedammit earned thier 6th hits of the season. The very amusing Death Wish Two gained QPA status. West Coast rookie Dios de los Muertos enhanced his Rookie of the Year chances as he improved to 16 & 4. Atlanta's Gratefully Dead scored his 4th hit while both Tomb Essence and Danse Macabre scored their 3rd. Same day, a half dozen gear-head Gamesters celebrated National Black Race Car Driver Month with a timely three point hit on Bill France, Jr., the former president (and dictator) of NASCAR. Enjoying one of their best seasons ever, the 7th Street Irregulars motored into 8th-place as they improved to 26 10. The deadly Gang Green rose to 16th-place on the scoring tower as he reached 21 & 9. Frank Merriwell and Manolete both qualified for QPA status. Motel Styx scored her third hit of the year while Mac finally found the right combination as he drove out of the Club Nula parking garage. Career Milestones: Bill France, Jr. was career hit number 100 for both Mac and Motel Styx. June 9, New York City's Greyfriars Bobby went to Ann Arbor, MI, to collect his latest ace (and solo) --- author, art and film theorist and perceptual psychologist Rudolf Arnheim. Now in his 6th season of play, Greyfriars Bobby improved to 7 & 7, which gives him a two hit lead over the Fire Ants in the quest for Clete's Cup. It was his first solo of the season and the 12th of his career. June 10, Long Island's Humorbid flew out to Denver to take possession of his one-point solo on Cole Kugel, the oldest licensed pilot in the United States. The hit lifted Humorbid to 17 & 8 and placed him all alone in 23rd-place. Humorbid always enters a list that has lots of style - this was his 25th solo in 12-years of play. That says a lot. June 12, The spotlight was on Schrodinger's Cat as he traveled to Monterey, CA, where he procured a two-point solo from Colin Fletcher, considered to be the "father of modern backpacking." Fletcher's "The Complete Walker" (1968) has never been out of print and is currently in it's fourth edition. With the hit, Schrodinger's Cat replaced Omega Travel in the fifth-place slot and claimed the lead for Most Solos with his fourth of the year. It's a stylish pick and a tip of the hat is due for this Wilmington, NC, resident who now has 20 solos in 11 years of play. Same day, seven Gamesters took all of us Baby-boomer Gamesters on a trip down Memory Lane as the seven collected two experimental points each from Don Herbert, better known as Mr. Wizard. Don Herbert was the star of his "Watch Mr. Wizard" television program on NBC, in which he performed scientific experiments that the viewers back home could try out. The show premiered on March 03, 1951, and ran until it was canceled in 1965 (547 live episodes). Thirty-two year Game veteran team Diedammit lead the way as they improved to 16 & 7, just two points away from the Top Twenty. J Eby was next in line as he rose to 13 & 7. The Necropolis Keepers qualified for his QPA as he reached 10 & 5 while Helena Handbasket reached 10 & 4. Twenty-two year Game veteran Penguin also qualified for his QPA as he attained 9 & 4. Archy & Mehitabel, who rejoined the Game this year after a multi-year haitus, scored their 101st career points. Mr. Wizard's last experiment was a success as he sprung Me & My Shadows from the nearly empty Club Nula. June 14, Clankums and Dirt Nap forded the French Broad River to reach Montreat, NC, and their prize - two-points from Ruth Bell Graham, author, philanthropist and wife of Billy. Clankums left over a dozen in their wake as they rose up the scoreboard to 10 & 3 while Dirt Nap earned their QPA with a 9 & 5 mark. Same day, Five Gamesters went to Vienna but it wasn't to take in the Boy's Choir. Hell no. There was more serious business at hand - this group of Gamesters traveled to Austria to collect two-points from Kurt Waldheim, former Secretary General of the United Nations (1972 - 1982) AND accused Nazi war criminal. What a guy! Look at this - the determined Anna Rexic continues to prove she is a force to be reckoned with as she rose to 8th-place with a 26 & 9 score. A couple of Gamesters to keep an eye on are Pocketfull of Posies who used Waldheim to score a second June hit as we approach halftime, and the Penguin, who scored his second hit in two days and who we all should remember from every drug store front door (1950-60s) inviting us to enter - "Come in, it's Kool inside." The Big Easy's Second Line qualified for his QPA as he reach 11 & 5. Finally Waldheim spelled liberation for the Crimson King who dusted himself off after his extended stay in Club Nula. June 18, The Game spot light has moved across the pond to the Big Island with the jagged coastline where the National Health Service scored his world-leading 56th career solo - a three pointer on controversial stand-up comedian Bernard Manning. N.H.S. has 97 career hits so you can see he usually works alone. Nice pick - Manning was in good health until two-weeks ago. June 19, Sixteen-year Game veteran Frank Merriwell found a five-point solo in them there hills of Bloomington in the form of Indiana University head football coach Terry Hoeppner, who led the Hoosiers to a less than stellar record in his first two seasons - 9 wins - 14 losses. The five-pointer vaulted Frank Merriwell all the way to 15th-place on the scoreboard. It was his first solo of the season - the tenth of his career. June 20, Second Line and Tim Ormortis went to Henryetta, OK, where each wrangled a stylish three-point hit on Jim Shoulders, one of the greatest, if not the greatest, rodeo cowboy of all time. Shoulders later had a second career pitching Miller Lite beer with the NY Yankee's Billy Martin. Second Line, in his 12th season of play, improved to 14 & 6 - a score slightly better than his career average and the 37th Annual Game still has more than six months left before the final buzzer!! Tim Ormortis, the top solo artist on this side of the Atlantic, just missed getting his second solo of the year but we feel confident Tiger Woods has been in touch with him to share the blues as Woods saw a golden opportunity slip away just this past week. June 26,DC's YuGoGirl, in a tight-fitting pair of Lucky Brand jeans, took the commuter train up to Manhattan to collect a sweet three-point solo from fashion designer Liz Claiborne, who in the later stages of her life made to a nice contribution to the ecology of the Homeland Planet. Now in her fourth season, YuGoGirl used that solo to pass twenty-three other Gamesters in the standings. It was her second career solo. She gained entry into the Game with a sponsorship from the irrepressible Teen Angel. June 27, Two Gamesters somehow made it through airport security and caught a red-eye flight to Zagreb, where they landed in time to collect one-point hits from Croatian poet Dragutin Tadijanovic, best known for his widely popular poem "Ballad of Slaughtered Sheep." Fourteen-year veteran Gratefully Dead (Atlanta, GA area) improved to 10 & 5 while second-year Gamester Farms For Sale (New Haven, CT area) lowered her QPA even more by reaching 7 & 6. We give a tip of the hat to both as Croatian poets have always been a favorite here at Game Central. June 29, The Top 20 was re-arranged a wee bit as Schrodinger's Cat used the three-point hit on writer Fred Saberhagen to climb up to fourth-place while the High Plains Drifter rose to fourteenth-place.
Six veteran Gamesters found New York City the place to be for the collection of four-points from film critic Joel Siegal, a long time fixture on ABC television's "Good Morning America." Dinner With Jack Klugman, making a strong case for a second straight Top Ten finish, moved into a tie with Schrodinger's Cat for fifth-place. The Moorebids, suffering through a miserable first-half by their standards, are hoping the Siegal hit foreshadows a second-half comeback, rose to twenty-third place. Tallahassee's T & J James, who will enter their 30th list next season, improved to 13 & 4 while Toronto's Fade To Black wound up at 10 & 4. The tragic Teen Angel, who moved to New Mexico this year, scored her third hit of the season. Meanwhile, at the bottom of the scoreboard, a desperate Passing Fancy started a diversionary fire near the security gate of Club Nula, hot-wired the chef's Mustang, and drove through the chain link gates to freedom. Asked by the Game Editor why she took such radical action, Passing Fancy stated, "I'm sorry about the damage to the chef's car but I average over 20 points a year and I simply couldn't wait any longer." July 2, The "Sultan of Solos," Tim Ormortis, an Arkansas Gang member, who is known to dress in a black robe at times, scored a stylish two-point solo on New England poet Philip Booth. The Booth solo is his second solo of the season which brings his career total to 49. That's tops on this side of the Atlantic. Old England's National Health Service currently hold's the world record for career solos with 56. Same day, New Jersey's Iron Maiden, Connecticut's Necro Wafers and DC's YuGoGirl found the Game spotlight in Manhattan, where they collected three points each from opera superstar Beverly Sills. All three have something to sing about this season. Consider: Iron Maiden has been sending in a list for 14 years now and averaged 13 points and 6 hits over her first 13 years of play. After the Sills hit, Iron Maiden is in 17th place with a 21 & 10 score and there are six months still to go before the finish line. The Necro Wafers (A mother/son team.) averaged around 6 points and 2 hits per year over their first ten seasons. Their current 16 & 5 score at the midway point deserves polite applause from everyone. YuGoGirl, who scored a nice solo on Liz Claiborne just a week ago, certainly has a "hot list" as we enter the second half of play for the 37th Annual Game. Now in her 4th season, be advised that her Game name reflects her cultural heritage - not an automobile. July 3, Harris Tweed, who hails from Wyoming (not the Hebrides Islands), scored a very stylish "Nashville Sound" two-point solo on saxophonist Boots Randolph who will forever be first remembered for his tune "Yakety Sax." Randolph was the eighth career solo for Harris Tweed, who entered her first list some twenty years ago under the sponsorship of the King of Pain. July 5, Both Johnny B. Dead and Pocketful of Posies went to London where they found two-points from jazz singer, art critic and raconteur George Melly. Style points awarded. Johnny B. Dead used the deuce to improve to 17th-place as he reached 21 & 8. Pocketful of Posies scored their ninth hit of the year. A tip of the hat for both of them. July 9, Twenty-four Gamesters hurried to Santa Monica to pay their respects to and collect an ace from character actor Charles Lane who appeared in hundreds of movies and numerous television shows in a career that spanned 60 years. Maryland's Lily Delivery led the way as he improved to 27 & 7, which puts in him 7th-place on the scoreboard. In other Top Twenty action Gang Green took over the 16th-place slot. Greyfriars Bobby maintained his two-hit lead over the Fire Ants in the battle for the Clete's Cup. July 11, Game action moved to Ontario as the gentle Silk Shroud scored a one-point solo on Ed Mirvish, a Canadian businessman, philanthropist and theatrical impresario who is best remembered for bringing the musical Lion King to Toronto. Silk Shroud didn't have to go far to collect her ace either as she resides in a village about 120 miles east of Toronto proper. The hit was her second solo of the season and it gave earned her QPA status as well. Same day, only sixty-one Gamesters went to Austin, Texas, to secure a hit from former First Lady and environmentalist Lady Bird Johnson. Fifty-seven of them secured an ace while four Gamesters Went Wild for five-points. In Top Ten action the Cedar Coffins, Lily Delivery and the 7th Street Irregulars made the pick. In the Second Ten the scorers were Breathless, Iron Maiden and Eckspired. Going Wild were the Necrophilliac Pimp, Harris Tweed and a couple of rookies, Chalkline and Petit Mort - both of whom reached 15 & 4 which means Dios de los Muertes (who scored an ace) now has some serious competition for Rookie of the Year honors. A tip of the hat goes to Canadian Silk Shroud who garnered an Ed Mirvish/Lady Bird Johnson Daily-Double. July 12, Frozen Stiff led three other Gamesters to Sydney, Australia, where they found four points from Stan Zemanek, radio shock jock and co-host of the popular television program "Beauty and the Beast." It was an especially sweet hit for Frozen Stiff as the four points lifted him past the stalled Bury Pranksters for 2nd-place and within nine points of the leader, Pontius, who appears to have four flat tires. The Beverlys used the four points to reach 19 & 7 which means they are sitting pretty in 21st-place. Worm Feast (16 & 4) and Gashlycrumb Tinies (15 & 6) joined in the festivities. It had been rumored for weeks but the BBC has confirmed that the ACME Undertakers are the proud owners of a new four point solo courtesy of Nigel Dempster, a noted British journalist. The hit boosted the ACME Undertakers to 26 & 10 which means they will have to make their way past Iron Maiden to reach the Top Twenty. You may recall that ACME Undertakers hold the world's record for Most Hits in one season - 27. Mr. Dempster was their 10th career solo. It also drips with style. July 14, Two Gamesters from the Midwest went to the ice and checked each other off from a four point solo on John Ferguson Sr., who skated for the Montreal Canadians of the NHL during a period when they won five Stanley Cups. Iowa corn beef fed Omega Travel (36 & 12) was allowed out of the penalty box long enough to move up to fourth-place on the scoreboard while Nebraska's Eckspired continues to inspire as she improved to 29 & 9 and into a tie with the High Plains Drifter for eleventh-place. July 20, A horde of seventy mascara streaked Gamesters descended upon Kansas City, Mo., to collect four points from former television televangelist Tammy Faye (Bakker) Messner. Two others, Die Uretic and Second Line, decided to add one more point to their hits as they opted to Go Wild and secure their Wild Cards. Everyone in the Top Twenty scored except for three Gamesters and it cost them dearly. Schrodinger's Cat fell from fourth to eight place. The Flatliners and Iron Maiden dropped from the Top Twenty while the Sick Puppies and Divinely Supine took their place. July 21, An aggravating lull in the action came to a merciful end as Maryland's High Plains Drifter found a nice three point solo in Madrid, courtesy of Jesus de Polanco, the bilionaire Spanish media mogul who owned Spain's most widely read newspaper El Pais. The hit boosted the High Plains Drifter up to 11th place as he reached 25 & 8. This is HPD's third season of play and he has already established himself as a force to be reckoned with - finishing in 7th place in 2006. You might have noticed that Iron Maiden is having a pretty decent season. It just got a little bit better as she has landed a two point solo on Houston television investigative reporter Marvin Zindler, whose expose of a brothel frequented by local high mucky-whups ended up inspiring the musical and later film, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. With the deuce Iron Maiden moved into a tie with Humorbid for 18th-place and reached 201 career points. It was her 14th solo in 14 seasons of play. July 22, Eight Gamesters trekked to St. Louis to take part in an old Game tradition - collecting points from the oldest living former Major League Baseball player. This time around it was Rolland "Leapin' Lena" Stiles, who pitched three years for the St. Louis Browns. Stiles was 100 years old. Dinner With Jack Klugman used the ace to slip by Lily Delivery for the 5th-place slot as they improved to 33 & 11. Gang Green oozed into 14th-place with a 27 & 12 mark while Humorbid rose to 19th-place by virtue of their 23 & 11 score. Sleeps With Fishes, Death Wish Two, Dirt Nap and Harris Tweed all scored their third hits of the month while Farms For Sale scored their fourth. July 23, Nine Gamesters paid tribute to the former King of Afghanistan, Zahir Shah, and were awarded one point each but warned to get the hell out of there - the Taliban are making a comeback and don't like Gamesters! Omega Travel led these brave Gamesters to Kabul and the one-point hit solidified his hold for the 7th-place slot on the scoreboard. Pocketful of Posies jumped up seven places on the scoreboard as they reached a mark of 21 & 12. Alibi reached double digits in hits. Both Black Rose and Madame Morte scored their seventh hits of the year. Farms For Sale continued their remarkable July run as they scored their fifth hit of the month. Styx & Stones, W. Dockum and Gratefully Dead all notched their sixth hits of the year. July 24, The Beverlys deserve a long and loud round of applause for scoring a seven point solo on Abdullah Mehsud, a one-legged terrorist who failed to change his ways after his sojourn to Guantanamo Bay courtesy of the US Army. The seven points thrust the Beverlys to a three-way tie for 6th-place with the Cedar Coffins and the High Plains Drifter. This hit will get serious consideration for Hit of the Year. Seven Gamesters, all carrying a worn paperback copy of "How To Live With a Neurotic" in their back pocket, made their way to East 65th Street in Manhattan, where an ace awaited them, the developer of cognitive behavioral therapy, Albert Ellis. Climbing into 8th-place were the 7th Street Irregulars who are having one of their best seasons ever. Heavy hitter Humorbid rose to 18th-place with his fourth hit of the month. SLY inched closer to the Top Twenty as she reached 22 & 9. Both Unplugged and Game Grand Dame M. Hamilton scored their seventh hits of the year while Pale Rider may be making a move for the Clete's Cup as she improved to 4 & 4. Florida's Yo! Rick! earned their QPA. July 29, Ten "night owl" Gamesters never had to get off the couch to collect three points from Tom Snyder, best remembered for his late night "Tomorrow Show," which was broadcast on NBC from 1972 to 1982. This has been quite a season for the 7th Street Irregulars. Through their first eleven seasons they have averaged 22 points and 9 hits per year, which is nothing to be ashamed of, but their 2007 list may be their best ever. After the Snyder hit they now find themselves in 6th-place with a 35 & 14 mark and there are still five months to go. The High Plains Drifter is feeling a bit better too as he improved to 32 & 10 - good enough for 9th-place. The seductive Divinely Supine who moved into a tie for 17th-place (with Johnnie Be Dead). Twenty-four year veteran team the Moorebids, who are now in 19th-place and reached 799 career points. Boneyard Dog who now rests in 20th-place. Pocketful of Posies, who at 24 & 13 are just outside of the Top Twenty. The Penguin, who scored his 200th career hit. Mme. Morte who reached 18 & 8. Stonesdoug who earned his QPA. And finally, Isadora, struggling at 5 & 2. July 30, A whopping thirty-one Gamesters shook their S. F. 49er football helmets over their heads as they celebrated three points from coaching legend Bill Walsh. Eleven Gamesters made moves in the Top Twenty, including leader Pontius and second-place Frozen Stiff. Check out the rest of the contenders who scored: Lily Delivery (5th-place), High Plains Drifter (6th), Terminally Inconvenienced (10th), Breathless (13th), Gang Green (15th), Dr. Tomb (16th), Johnnie B. Dead and the Beverlys (17th) and heavy-hitter Humorbid (19th). Sixteen Gamesters gathered under the klieg lights to collect two points from Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman whose films were the first brush with art films for a lot of Gamesters. Nebraska's Eckspired, who has enjoyed a point filled month of July, lead the way as she improved to 31 & 10 and moved into a tie for the 10th-place spot. Iron Maiden, who soloed for 2 a day earlier, made it up to 17th-place. The Beverlys also deserve special mention as they rose to 20th-place. Eleven Gamesters listed the respected and artistic film director Michelangelo Antonioni for one-point. He was another of those directors that taught us that the cinema could be fine art. "Red Desert" happens to be one of my favorites. Breathless used the ace to pull into a three-way tie for 11th-place with Eckspired (his natural rival) and Schrodinger's Cat (whose ranking is sinking like the Titantic). The explosive Iron Maiden scored her third hit in two days. Greyfriars Bobby (9 & 9) and the Fire Ants (7 & 7) continued their pursuits of the Clete's Cup. Pocketful of Posies scored their second hit in two days. Boneyard Dog (21st) and SLY (23rd) moved to the doorstep of the Top Twenty. The revered Game Grand Dame, M. Hamilton, scored her second hit of the week. West Coast rookie Slayer may be making a move as he finally got his third hit and the Dada Sisters (2 & 2) woke up after a long slumber. The pride of West Hartford, Alibi, scored his 11th hit, two hits above his career average with 5 months to go!!
August 1, A half dozen Gamesters went to New Hampshire to collect three points on Irish folk singer Tommy Makem. The hit rearranged the Top Ten and continued one Game team's amazing streak.. Leading the way were the Bury Pranksters, who gained a bit of insurance on their third-place spot as they improved to 42 & 9 while still having the season's highest QPA (4.66). One step behind them were Lily Delivery who moved up to 4th-place. The Beverlys continued their hot streak and rose to 5th. Anna Rexic climbed into a tie with Dinner With Jack Klugman for 10th, while Dr. Tomb continued to impress as he clambered into 12th. Worm Feast rounded out the scoring with a very respectable 23 & 6 mark. But how about those Beverlys ? They have one of the hottest scoring streaks in Game history. The first half of their season started out well enough, going 7 & 2 in January, but after that it was like watching a car wreck in slow motion as they entered July at 13 & 4. Then on July 9th they scored an ace on character actor Charles Lane and now the Beverlys are 38 & 12, meaning they have gone 25 & 8 in less than a month! August 4, Three Gamesters showed off their knowledge of cowboy psychedelic music and so much more as they each scored a stylish three pointer on songwriter, singer and record producer Lee Hazlewood, who is however best known for penning the lyrics to that sadomasochistic female revenge ditty "These Boots Are Made For Walking," which was a big hit for Nancy Sinatra. Hazlewood's last album, Cake or Death, was released in 2006, after he learned his time was running out. Eating cake were the High Plains Drifter, who moved up to a tie for fifth-place (with the Beverlys), the very dangerous Sick Puppies, who now lurk just outside of the Top Twenty, and the mysterious Dark Carnival, who rose past 16 Gamesters on the scoreboard with the hit. August 5, Second-year Gamesters Farms For Sale improved to 16 & 12 after scoring a solo ace on Oliver Hill, who was an influential civil rights lawyer heavily involved in the desegregation of public schools in the United States. It was the first solo ever for Farms For Sale. Their list is smo-smo-smoking as it was their sixth hit in thirty days. August 12, Six Gamesters went to Los Angeles to collect a two point hit on Merv Griffin, a television impresario, big band singer and hotel/gambling tycoon. Griffin is best known to the world as the creator of the television game shows "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune," but Griffin's first game show creation was a program that ran from 1958 to 1962 called "Play Your Hunch." You play your own version of that game every December, otherwise you would not be reading this. Johnny B. Dead led the way to L.A. and inched up to 17th-place with the deuce. Other veteran Gamesters to cash in were the Decomposers, Helena Handbasket and Passing Fancy. Rookies Dead Giveaway and Nil Nisi Bonum also earned credit. August 13, Oh how they waited. Waited and waited. Motel Styx, who Wild Carded, has been listing Astor since 1988. Probably some have waited even longer. The wait is over for 56 Gamesters. A clever 22 of them Went Wild so the scoreboard is radically changed. Astor for the other 34 was an ace. Those sizzling Beverlys lead the way with a WC and burst into third-place. Dr. Tomb used his WC as well and it boosted him into seventh. Omega Travel went with the ace and held onto eighth. Then you have the surprising Eckspired using a WC to muscle into ninth and the Cedar Coffins aced to stay in the Top Ten. The rest of the Top Twenty saw three aces while the ACME Undertakers and, lookout, the Sick Puppies used their WC's to gain entry. Jeez, with 56 hitters there are too many to single everyone out so look for another post to follow this one with the complete revised scoreboard. We regret we couldn't give everyone credit here. Seventeen-year veteran Gomez, who hails from Maine, pulled off a successful gamble as he scored a one point solo on Yone Minagawa, who did not become the world's oldest woman until mid-January. Gomez improved to 15 & 13 and the hit gives him an Astor/Minagawa Daily-Double!!! Gomez now has 14 solos in his trophy case. Same day, "Sanctus Bovis!!" Twenty-seven Gamesters went to Yankee Stadium to collect a deuce from Phil Rizzuto, the oldest living member of the baseball Hall of Fame and long time radio announcer for the Yankees. Fourteen Gamesters enjoyed an Astor/Rizutto Daily Double. In Top Twenty action the Cedar Coffins and the 7th Street Irregulars moved into ninth and tenth places while the ACME Undertakers (15th), Johnny B. Dead (16th) and, the Sick Puppies (17th) moved upwards on the scoreboard. Spurtofblood, having his best season ever moved into twenty-first. Dust To Dust scored his second Daily Double of the season and Hare Today and Harris Tweed both qualified for a QPA. The Fire Ants, who had been battling for the Clete's Cup, probably dropped out of the struggle as Rizutto died 34 days too soon to be an ace. Her reaction? "It's my first Daily Double!" August 20, Leona Helmsley, the Hotel Queen of NYC aka the Queen of Mean stunned the medical profession today as she died of heart failure. It was widely assumed she lacked that organ. Michigan's Die-Uretic led this delighted foursome up the scoreboard as he reached 19 & 10 (and his 98th career point). Second-year Gamesters Pagan Babies proved again there is no Game "sophomore slump" as they have almost tripled their rookie score, as they rose to 14 & 6. The sweet and angelic Snarletta, the spousal unit of the Stenchman, used the deuce to reach 13 & 7, while Manhattan's Crimson King is hoping to get his QPA soon as he attained a score of 7 & 4. August 21, Three Gamesters took center stage at the Metropolitan Opera in NYC where they belted out one point arias in honor of opera singer Rose Bampton, who made her Metropolitan Opera debut way back in 1932. The Flatliners, one of those notorious Arkansas Gangsters, lead the way as they reached 23 & 10 and scored their 146th career hit (16th season). Connecticut's Farms For Sale continued their impressive season as they scored their 14th hit. All the more impressive since the housing bubble broke. If its an ace you can almost always count Greyfriars Bobby to be in on the action. He improved to 11 & 11. August 22, Connecticut's Of Corpse has enchanted us with their style for sixteen seasons and their two point solo on short story writer and poet Grace Paley is the latest example of their scholarship. It was the first solo of the year for Of Corpse. August 28, It is not everyday that a Gamester from Garland, Texas (near Dallas, on Duck Creek), goes to the Bowery, in NYC to collect a solo on a man who opened a bar there to promote country, bluegrass and the blues but ended up having a bar that was an incubator of punk and other rock and roll music by performers like the Ramones, Talking Heads and the Patti Smith group, but hey, Boneyard Dog is not your average Gamester and Hilly Kristal was not your average bar owner. And CBGB wasn't your average bar. The battle for a Top Twenty spot is fierce this year and Boneyard Dog's three point solo on Hilly Kristal shows just how close the fight is. The three point solo lifted Boneyard Dog from 22nd-place into a tie for 13th-place with Dinner With Jack Klugman at 33 & 11. Same day, missing a Wild Card Solo by the pick of one other gamester may be the most frustrating event in the Game. Sweeney Todd, burnt in 1991, generously offered his name for the term, and then got Sweenied again in 1999. Ouch! (From the Game webpage Glossary of Terms.) But Sweeney Todd is a Game Legend for more than that. He has four Wild Card Solos in his resume despite some bad luck. Only one other Gamester has more. Sweeney Todd has also given us some great solo picks throughout the years. One of my personal favorites was his solo pick in 2003 on Douglas Herrick, a taxidermist who created the Jackalope. Today, Sweeney Todd, now in his 20th season of play, scored a two-point solo on Paul B. MacCready who invented the first successful human-powered airplane. Oooooh, this hit just drips with style. It was a long ways to go, but Manolete felt it was well worth it, as he went from the "Hollow" of Penfield, NY, to Licking, Missouri to say "Sayonara" to Japanese actress and singer Miyoshi Umeki, who rewarded him with a very elegant three point solo. Miyoshi Umeki was the first Asian actress to win an Oscar (Best Supporting Actress) - which she won for her role as Katsumi in the 1957 film Sayonara. Manolete rose past a dozen other Gamesters on the scoreboard as he reached 19 & 8. It was his second solo of 2007 and the ninth of his career. August 30, Ghostwriter, now in his 37th season of play, continues to amaze. His latest solo (this gives him career solo # 23) is a four-pointer from Michael Jackson, the world's foremost authority on beer and ale. You might have seen Mr. Jackson on the Discovery channel where he was the host and star of "The Beer Hunter." In case you are wondering, Mr. Jackson preferred Belgian ales. Game Central suggests that during this holiday weekend, you open a bottle of your favorite brew and lift a toast to Mr. Jackson and to Ghostie.
September 2, African-American folk artist Jimmy Lee Sudduth painted with just about anything he could get his hands on, including mud, axle-grease, poke berries and jimson weed, to name just a few of his materials. His finished products were unique and things of beauty. Two Gamesters thought he would make a stylish pick and Game Central agrees. Alibi and Shovellin' Off each earned just one point for the hit but more style points than we can count. September 3, Four Gamesters went to the British Isles to pick up six big points from Jane Tomlinson, an award-winning, tireless charity fund-raiser and super athlete who inspired the entire Kingdom. Leading the way were the Bury Pranksters who used the six points to vault past Mr. Frosty as they claimed the second-place spot, reaching 48 & 10, and improved their Game leading QPA to 4.80. Breathless, continuing his second-half surge, muscled his way into fifth-place as he reached 42 & 12. The Deadbolts made a valiant move toward the Top Twenty as they rose to 27 & 9 (26th-place). A little further down the scoreboard, rookie Casper made some noise herself as she passed a slew of Gamesters in the standings, rising to 16 & 4. September 6, Only Forty-nine of us went to the opera to toss roses at and collect three points from the world's most famous tenor, Luciano Pavarotti. Once the scoreboard was revised we found only eight remained in the Top Twenty who had not made the pick. Black Rose made her debut in the Top Twenty. The hit on writer Madeleine L'Engle, 88, best known for her children's book "A Wrinkle in Time," was bittersweet for both Iron Maiden and Schrodinger's Cat. Neither had listed Pavarotti, meaning each missed out on a Daily-Double - Doubly frustrating for Iron Maiden who had de-listed the tenor after carrying him for several years. Schrodinger's Cat just missed out on earning his fifth solo for the 37th Annual Game. Instead, he played spoiler as he "sweenied" Iron Maiden, who Went Wild for five-points instead of the deuce. September 10, Twenty-two Gamesters went to Palm Springs, CA, to mark the expiration date of actress Jane Wyman, who is best remembered for her Oscar-winning performance in the film "Johnny Belinda." Others will remember her more for her performance as Angela Channing on the TV soap opera "Falcon Crest." KC's Anna Rexic lead the way as she used the ace to knock the 7th Street Irregulars out of the 10th-place slot. Pocketful of Posies notched an impressive 16th hit, while Farms For Sale got hit number 15. The King of Pain, Myra Mains and Passing Fancy all earned their QPAs. Fire Ants was in on the hit. September 16, Three Gamesters went to Charleston, SC, to collect an impressive five points from author Robert Jordan who is mostly remembered for a series of fantasy novels known as the "Wheel of Time." Jordan also wrote three historical books and some of the Conan the Barbarian novels to name a few of his other works. Further enhancing his best season ever, Maryland's Lily Delivery drove into 6th-place as he improved to a score of 43 & 12. New Hampshire's Gashlycrumb Tinies used the five points to climb into 16th-place as he reached 34 & 12, almost double his career average for points per year. Also joining in on the fun was Arkansas Gangster Afterword, who blew past 27 Gamesters in the standings as he rose to 18 & 6. September 21. California's Penguin went all the way to Lantana, FL (Former home of the National Enquirer.) to collect a nice two point solo on preacher and pioneering televangelist Rex Humbard, who spread the gospel nationwide and worldwide on Sunday mornings for almost fifty years, and who preached at the funeral of Elvis Presley. The deuce lifted the Penguin to a score of 24 & 12. Penguin is also in the Top 35 for career points scored. We give a tip of the hat to Pengy for soloing on a nationally known preacher who not only was never involved in a sex scandal, but made it a point to not mix politics with religion. Alice Ghostley appeared on four lists this year and each earned two points as Ms. Ghostley, as the saying goes, "gave up the ghost." Moving up into 13th-place and just one point from inclusion in the Top Ten were the dreaded Sick Puppies of NYC who improved to 37 & 11. A bit further down the scoreboard, Our American Cousin scored his tenth hit of the season while the kinky Women With Spurs scored their ninth. Rounding out the scoring, the Crimson King finally earned his QPA status as he improved to 9 & 5. September 22, Four Gamesters were struck speechless as they went to France to collect two points each from the master of mime, Marcel Marceau. Leading the way on this stylish hit was the tres talentueux Mme. Morte, who improved to 22 & 11. Hanuman used the deuce to climb to 20 & 8 while the Necromancers, rising to a respectable 17 & 8, scored their 100th career hit. Second year Gamester Lou Cypher upped his score to 11 & 4. Style-points for all of them! September 27, The National Health Service reached into the world of English cricket once again and came away with his third solo of the season - this time he grabbed a two pointer, on Hampshire County bowler Derek Shackleton. For those unfamiliar with cricket, it appears that County cricket is the English equivalent of American major league baseball, while Test cricket is an international affair. September 28, The 7th Street Irregulars would have loved to have had a one-point solo on Wally Parks, who took drag racing from the streets to the national sanctioning body National Hot Rod Association, but if he couldn't solo he was honored to have been denied by the legendary Sweeney Todd. The ace lifted the 7th Street Irregulars into tenth-place at 39 & 17. The 17 hits is second only to Pontius who has 19. Sweeney Todd improved to 7 & 6 and just missed out on career solo number 26. September 29, Lois Maxwell, who played M's flirty secretary, Miss Moneypenny in every James Bond film from 1962's "Dr. No" to 1985's "A View to a Kill," gave Diedammit their second solo of the year and lifted them to 24 & 11. Diedammit, who entered their 32nd list this year, are closing in on 800 career points. A tip of the hat for an interesting solo.
October 1, The final quarter of action is upon us and 14-year veteran Cedar Coffins was the first to score - and it was a beauty. A three point solo on four time Olympic discus champion Al Oerter propelled Cedar Coffins up two rungs to 6th-place in the standings with a 44 & 15 mark. Only ten points separates 2nd-place from 8th-place. Cedar Coffins, who calls Millburn Township, NJ home, now have six career solos. Muted applause is encouraged as the Oerter obit appeared on the opening page of the New York Times web site…October 2, Maine's Gomez improved to 17 & 15 and scored his third solo of the season with a one point hit on Dan Keating, the oldest surviving member of the Irish Republican Army, who fought in the 1919-1921 Irish War of Independence. Mr. Keating went to his grave still defying the current Irish government. For Gomez, it was another nice notch in his belt and career solo number sixteen…Michigan's Mac found himself alone under the spotlights with a nice one point solo on J. Edward Lundy, one of the Ford Motor Company "Whiz Kids" hired by Henry Ford II after the end of World War II. Lundy, the longtime CFO, created financial forecasting. It was Mac's first solo of the year but the 18th of his career…October 8, Atlanta's Terminally Inconvenienced's 13th season has been anything but unlucky and it just got a little bit sweeter with an elegant one-point solo on thoroughbred racing legend, gelding John Henry, who won 30 stakes races and won over 6.5 million dollars in a brilliant career. John Henry was 32 years old in human years but 110 in equine years. Wearing his orange and blue silks, Terminally Inconvenienced improved to an impressive 35 & 10, which solidified his hold on 15th place. It was his second solo of the year and the tenth of his career…October 11, A pair of veteran Gamesters went to the rarified air of Kurdish literature where they were handsomely rewarded with five point hits from Mehmed Uzun, best remembered for his novel "In the Shadow of a Lost Love." Gashlycrumb Tinies spun his umbrella in celebration as he elbowed his way into 10th-place as he rose to a score of 39 & 13. Just a whisper behind, Johnny B. Dead muscled into a tie for 12th-place (With Anna Rexic.) as he reached a score of 38 & 14…The hills are not quite as alive as they were yesterday as the von Trapp family has lost a tenor. Werner von Trapp was a member of the singing family made internationally famous by the 1965 Academy Award winning (Best Picture) film The Sound of Music. Dirt Nap, who hail from the hills of Alabama, took note and added the musical one-point solo to their score. They moved two spots up the scoreboard as they improved to 23 & 11. Werner von Trapp is the second solo and the fifty-first hit of their career…October 13, Over the past several seasons, the Bury Pranksters have been a rising star with big point totals and solos aplenty. They're a genuine star now and they just got back from Paris with a three point solo on illustrious mercenary Bob Denard, who made Africa his playground. With the hit the Pranksters, solidly in third-place, improved to 54 & 12, just six-points behind the leading Pontius and four points behind Mr. Frosty. Moreover, it was their third solo of the season and the seventeenth of their Game career…October 16, Survivors of the April 15, 1912 sinking of the Titanic ocean liner have been a popular category for Gamesters throughout the years. The last surviving American from that fateful voyage was a hit in the Game last year. The next to last remaining survivor, Barbara Dainton nee West, who was 10 months and 22 days old when she was put into Lifeboat 10, is now a one point hit for Death Wish Two and Sir Stiff. The hit lifted Death Wish Two to 28 & 12, within striking distance of the Top Twenty. For Sir Stiff the hit meant moving up 5 spots on the scoreboard as he reached a score of 17 & 10. Sir Stiff also has the very last survivor on his list…Deborah Kerr was nominated for five Academy Awards but had to settle for one for Lifetime Achievement. The Great Film Maker in the Sky decided that now was the right time to leave her on the editing room floor and five Gamesters were there to pick up the pieces - worth two points apiece…Leading the way was the Stenchman, who improved to 24 & 8 and who reached career hit # 100. Following close behind were Dark Carnival ( 24 & 11 ) and the Deadnecks ( 24 & 12 ). Next in line was Tampa Bay's Yo! Rick!, who climbed to 19 & 9. Bringing up the rear was Game Elder Statesman W. Dockum, who attained a score of 18 & 9…October 17, Twenty-nine Gamesters went to Newport Beach, CA, to have the last laugh on comedian Joey Bishop, the last surviving member of Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack." The prize was two points. Leading this throng of hitters were the ACME Undertakers, who rose to 18th-place. There were other notable achievements as well. Both W. Dockum and Yo! Rick! just missed a Kerr/Bishop daily-double by a few hours. Die Uretic scored his 100th career point while Gratefully Dead scored his 100th career hit. The Necrophilliac Pimp and Pale Rider qualified for their QPAs…October 20, Legendary Green Bay Packer receiver Max McGee, who was a hero in the first Super Bowl, fell off his roof while blowing leaves and Terminally Inconvenienced was there to miss the catch. Based in the Greater Atlanta area, Terminally Inconvenienced walked away from the mishap with a stunning three point solo, his third solo of the season. The hit improved his score to 38 & 11 and elevated him to 12th-place. Let's all lift our helmets towards the sky in honor of this very stylish pick…San Francisco's Helena Handbasket threw her apron to the wind as she scored a scrumptious two point solo on writer Peg Bracken, who gained a wide audience with books that included "The I Hate to Cook Book" and "On Getting Old for the First Time." The hit was Helena Handbasket's first solo of the year and the 13th of her 17 years of Game play...October 21, The moon is in the seventh house, Jupiter is aligned with Mars, and SLY has another artistic solo - this time on renowned art dealer Ileana Sonnabend, who had galleries in both New York City and Paris. The hit, SLY's second solo of the season, lifted her to 25th place with a 31 & 13 score. Sonnabend was also the 23rd solo of SLY's career, which qualifies her as the undisputed "Queen of Solos"..October 22, A threesome of veteran Gamesters went to Manhattan to add a one point hit on author, journalist and humanitarian Eve Curie Labouisse, whose "Madame Curie," a biography about her Nobel Prize-winning mother, became a best seller and was made into a terrific film starring Greer Garson. The Flatliners, part of the fearsome Arkansas Gang, lead the way as they improved to 27 & 12. J. Eby, of Hollywood, CA, was also in on the action and rose to 26 & 13. Please note that Labouisse was J. Eby's 200th career hit. Rounding out the scoring was the Big Apple's Our American Cousin (21 & 12), who scored their second hit in six days…October 28, A pair of Gamesters from Arkansas each made the pick on Garnd Old Opry singer Porter Wagoner, who, over a period of forty years, placed 81 songs on the country-music chart, 19 of those duets with Dolly Parton, who joined his show in 1967. Leroy Estmort, of Ft. Smith, lead the way, rising to 18 & 8. A bit farther to the north, in Siloam Springs, Styx & Stones improved to 14 & 7. and reached 399 career points…October 29, Sam Dana, the oldest surviving former player in the National Football League, who also played football alongside Lou Gerigh at Columbia University, heard the final whistle as a one point pick for three Gamesters. Gathered in the end zone, and wearing leather helmets, were Dinner With Jack Klugman, the Deadbolts and Dirt Nap. DWJK (34 & 12) improved to 18th place while the Deadbolts (33 & 12) rose to the 22nd spot on the scoreboard. Dirt Nap (24 & 12) scored their second hit of the month…October 30, Popular baritone singer Robert Goulet left in autumn and two Gamesters had a hunch he'd leave sometime this year - their lists prove it. Eleven year Gamester Shovellin' Off (Bethesda, Maryland) lead the way as the three points boosted his score to 18 & 9. Third year Gamester Myra Mains (Lincoln, Nebraska) was also in on the action and improved to 15 & 6.
November 1, Seven Gamesters opened their history books and found a one point hit on Gen. Paul W. Tibbets, who piloted the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. J. Eby lead the way and scored his second hit in eleven days as he improved to 31 & 14 - good enough for the 27th-place slot. Habeas Corpse (27 & 14) and Dirt Nap (25 & 13 - who scored their second hit in four days) were next in line. Women With Spurs and the Necrophilliac Pimp, an odd couple, each reached 17 points. Cerberus, from Wisconsin, inched up to 15 & 9. Also scoring on Tibbets was Greyfriars Bobby, who found his way to a perfect 12 & 12. Greyfriars Bobby now is 124 & 124 in six years of play. November 2, Little Lilian Ellison had twelve older brothers and no sisters. Maybe that helps explain how she became the greatest woman professional wrestler of all time. Plying her trade as The Fabulous Moolah she was the WWE woman champion for years on end and was the first woman inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Did I mention she was 5' 6" and weighted 138 pounds? Two veteran Gamesters made the pick on this female dynamo and used the two points to bully their way upward in the standings. D. Beach used a head butt and a flying forearm smash to pass 13 dazed fellow Gamesters as he improved to 20 & 7. Clean Underwear, who has been struggling all year to gain traction, used a double mule kick to pass three other Gamesters as he rose to 7 & 3. November 3, Russian choreographer Igor Moiseyev saved the last dance for a threesome of Gamesters who again and again have displayed their appreciation of the finer arts. Moiseyev was famous for bringing folk dances to the stage and brought the first major Soviet dance troupe to the United States in 1958. Humorbid leapt into 25th-place with the ace as he improved to 32 & 16. The nimble and graceful Penguin used the hit to pirouette to a score of 27 & 14. Rounding out the performance was Gomez, who managed to trip, stumble and fall to a QPA of 1.12 with a tally of 18 & 16. November 10, The "oldest living" category has provided a spate of hits this year and Humorbid (Who resides in the Massapequa, NY area.) has found a one point solo from Augustus Hawkins, the oldest living former congressman, who represented the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles from 1963 to 1991. It was Humorbid's second solo of the year and his 26th career solo (12th season of play). The hit lifted him to a lofty 33 & 17 and into 23rd-place. Gamesters Sir Stiff and Alibi spoiled each others solo bid, but they can take pleasure in having scored a sublime two point hit on actress Laraine Day, who was always just under the radar of greatness and who also, through her marriage to Leo Durocher, became the "First Lady" of baseball. The hit lifted Sir Stiff to a score of 19 & 11 while Alibi reached a score of 19 & 15. Sixteen Gamesters successfully predicted controversial author Norman Mailer would find his way to the morgue this year. They were each awarded a deuce. The ACME Undertakers were all alone in the Top Twenty with the pick - they moved up one spot to 18th-place as they reached 36 & 14. Teen Angel, Of Corpse and Mullen's Revenge all earned their QPAs. November 15, Joe Nuxhall, former pitcher, and later a radio announcer for the Cincinnati Reds baseball club, had a trademark signoff phrase: "This is the Ol' Lefthander, rounding third and heading for home." The Ol' Lefthander has come home for good, and a half dozen Gamesters are three points richer for it. We should also mention that Joe Nuxhall was only 15 years, 10 months and 11 days old when he made his major league debut, the youngest age for any major league baseball player ever to play the game. The ACME Undertakers, scoring their second hit in five days, are red hot at just the right time. They rose to 11th-place with the hit as they improved to 39 & 15. The Deadbolts, looking to lock up a Top Twenty finish, used the trey to reach 19th-place with a 36 & 13 mark. Frank Merriwell moved up nine spots on the scoreboard as he climbed to 27 & 8. D. Beach, scoring his second hit in two weeks, also moved up nine spots. Both Chapter E and the legendary King of Pain used the Nuxhall hit to move up eleven spots. November 19, Milo Radulovich, like most of us, would have probably gone through life without any claim to fame, but one day his government turned against him and he got mad. And he did something about it. The Detroit Free Press heard about his predicament and wrote a story. Edward R. Murrow, the famous CBS journalist, read that story acted on it. Radulovich was guilty of having family members who appeared to be communist sympathizers. It cost him his commission in the Air Force Reserve after WWII. Edward R. Murrow told of his plight on his television show, "See It Now," in October of 1953. That broadcast is widely credited with being the first step in the downfall of Sen. Joe McCarthy, the godfather of the "Red Scare." The Penguin, of Sherman Oaks, CA, was the only one of us to list Radulovich, and earned his second solo of the season. The two point hit lifted the Penguin to 29 & 15, which moved him seven slots up the scoreboard and only five points out of the Top Twenty. Nice call, Pengy! Dick Wilson had a career in entertainment that spanned nearly 70 years that included roles in radio, television, film and the stage. Mr. Wilson, however, will forever be remembered by several generations of television viewers as Mr. Whipple, the bathroom tissue pitchman who, in over 500 commercials that ran from 1964 through 1985, implored, "Please, don't squeeze the Charmin." Only three Gamesters collected the ace on this classic pick. The surprising Pocketful of Posies led the way. After eight seasons of play they had a career average of 14.75 points per year with 7.38 hits per year. Season number nine has been a very different story. The Wilson hit lifted Pocketful of Posies to 30 & 18. Those 18 hits are just one hit behind the Game leader who has 19. Manolete and the Necromancers were also in on the action and deserve equal admiration. The hit nudged the flashy Manolete to a score of 20 & 9 which puts them just three shy of 100 career hits. The Rockville, Connecticut based Necromancers reached 20 & 10 with the pick - they passed a milestone this season as they now have 102 career hits. November 20, Some would say that Ian Smith, the former Prime Minister of Rhodesia, was a racist. Some would argue he was not. In a December 1967 interview, Barry Goldwater, the U.S. Senator from Arizona said, " We need more men like Ian Smith, I think, in the world today. We have too few leaders and I'd like to see him multiplied a little bit, and spread around." Maryland's High Plains Drifter just says, " I call him a two point solo!!" The Smith deuce lifted Mr. Drifter to a score of 43 & 14, but it didn't move him up in the standings as he's still in 8th-place, which isn't too shabby. But only three points separates 4th-place from 8th-place, so he can surely look forward to an excellent finish. It was also his second solo of the year. While we have the High Plains Drifter in the spotlight, please let me take a moment to point out what a force in the Game he has become. In 2005, his rookie season, he finished 22 & 8 and was runner-up for Rookie of the Year. Last season he finished in 7th-place with a score of 45 & 15, and now he is at 43 & 14. This give him 110 career points That gives him a career average of 36.6 points per year. That is 5th best by last year's standards. November 24, Canadian Silk Shroud found a three point solo on the maple leaf bench as she alone listed Antonio Lamer, the former Chief Justice of the Canadian Supreme Court. Justice Lamer, from all accounts, was a talented jurist, but was labeled an "activist judge" by conservatives. There was nothing conservative about how the three points helped Silk Shroud - the hit boosted her up 26 slots in the standings as she reached a score of 21 & 9. It was her third solo of 2007 and the fourth solo of her eight-year Game career. November 28, Seventeen-year Game veteran Alibi scored a terrifically obscure two point solo on actress Jeanne Bates, who Game Central best remembers for being Bela Lugosi's first victim in Return of the Vampire (1943). She was also Mrs. X in "Eraserhead," and appeared in a number of television shows including "Ben Casey" and "Gunsmoke." The deuce was very important to Alibi as it boosted him past eighteen Gamesters in the standings as he reached 21 & 16. It was Alibi's second solo of the year and the ninth of his Game career. November 29, Gamester Mac scored a two point solo on Roger B. Smith, who was the chairman of General Motors from 1981 to 1990, and who was the unfortunate target of the Michael Moore film "Roger & Me." Mr. Smith was the second solo of the season for Mac, and his first (J. Edward Lundy), was also a former auto executive (at Ford). Overall, Mac now has 19 career solos in 14 seasons of play which puts him on the cusp of being with the career leaders in that category. Henry John Hyde represented the district of the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, that also includes O'Hare International Airport, in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 2007. The President of the United States presented him with the Medal Freedom earlier this month. Today Rep. Hyde presented the Beverlys a two point solo. The deuce lifted the Beverlys to an impressive 48 & 15 mark which solidified their hold on the fourth-place spot in the standings. This follows two straight seasons where they finished in fourteenth-place. Rep. Hyde was also their second solo of 2007. November 30, Two dozen Gamesters were singing Van Halen's "Jump! Go Ahead and Jump!" as they made nice headway upwards in the Standings thanks to a solid four point kick start from daredevil Evel Knievel. The stony faced High Plains Drifter, cooly appraising his new position, now occupies the 5th-place slot with a score of 47 & 15. Atlanta's Terminally Inconvenienced made it back into the rarified air of the Top Ten again, at 9th-place, as did Syracuse's Dr. Tom(b), who reached 10th-place. Rising star Omega Travel, hailing from Cedar Falls, Iowa, rode with Knievel to 11th-place, and established star SLY, from New Haven, CT, found artistic merit in Knievel as she claimed 20th-place with an overall score of 35 & 14. Other scorers of note were: Gang Green, who climbed to 21st-place, Pocketful of Posies, who scored their 19th hit, which puts them into a tie with Pontius for Most Hits, newcomer Petit Mort took over the lead for Rookie of the Year with a score of 30 & 9, Mr. Goodvibes, who at long last reached his QPA, Divinely Supine scored her 10th hit. We also wish to note that Titus Andronicus brought up the rear of the pack as he finally scored his second hit of the year. Third-year Gamester Pale Rider, from the Pittsburgh, PA, area, scored a stylish two point solo on Seymour Benzer, a biologist who was the first scientist to prove a link between genes and behavior. (I think I could prove a link between wearing jeans and human behavior.) The hit lifted Pale Rider to 8 & 6, which follows her first two years of play in which she scored a very respectable 10 hits in each. Her remaining picks will need to start dropping fast if she is to continue at the same pace. But it is a stylish pick nonetheless and she can boast of three solos in three years.
December 2, The final month of play has opened with a hit that oozes with style and class. Credit Gomez with a one point solo on writer, critic and co-founder of The New York Review of Books, Elizabeth Hardwick. The hit lifts Gomez to a remarkable score of 19 & 17, which means he has a QPA of 1.11. Can't get much lower than that! It was also the 4th solo of the year from our only Gamester from Maine. Gomez, who submitted his 18th list this year, now has 17 career solos. December 3, With twenty-eight days to go before the final bell rings, veteran Gamester Sweeney Todd found a bit of excitement as he scored a two point solo on Art Arfons, a three time world land-speed record holder, whose vehicle, the Green Monster is a legend in motor sports lore. It was the second solo of the year for Sweeney Todd, who has built his reputation during twenty-years of Game play by scoring solos - and spoiling Wild Card solos for the rest of us. Mr. Arfons is Mr. Todd's 26th career solo. December 12, Rhode Island's Sir Stiff went to the Vatican City, snuck past the Swiss Guards, made his way into the College of Cardinals and came away with a one point solo from 97-year old Cardinal Alfons Maria Stickler, who, as the former Archivist of the Vatican Secret Archives, was in charge of hiding the DaVinci Code. Okay, I made that up about the DaVinci Code, but Stickler was surely well versed on a lot of Catholic secret stuff. At the time of his departure, Stickler was the oldest living Cardinal. The hit lifted Sir Stiff to a score of 20 & 12, which is right at his career averages after twelve years of play. Impressively, it was his third solo of the campaign and the 12th solo of his career. Five veteran Gamesters went to the San Diego area to add a three point hit to their scores thanks to the generosity of rock and roll legend Ike Turner, who was most famous for helping create one of the first rock and roll songs (Delta 88), abusing his former wife Tina, and for being the only person ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame while in prison. He was famous for a lot of other stuff, mostly some very good music, but here at Game Central we consider those the highlights. Pittsburgh's Motel Styx lead this veteran group upwards in the standings as she reached 29 & 9. Just one guitar lick behind her was Perriman family member D. Beach, who rose to 26 & 9 and passed a dozen disappointed Gamesters with the hit. Atlanta's Necrophilliac Pimp (20 & 7) ascended 17 spots on the scoreboard, leaving his rival, the Gratefully Dead (17 & 8), in the dust of Lake Lanier and responsible for the next round of beers. Former master list compiler, the King of Pain, also passed a dozen Gamesters in the standings with his seventh hit of the year. Mr. Brink, also from the bone dry Atlanta region, was in on the action and is on the brink of a QPA with 19 days left in the 37th Annual Game. December 13, Two Gamesters shared a special three point hit on Floyd Red Crow Westerman, a Dakota Sioux who was an American Indian Movement activist, country folk singer and actor. Perhaps his most memorable role on the silver screen was as Chief Ten Bears in the Kevin Costner film "Dances With Wolves." On the small screen Game Central will best remember him as the One Who Waits in the series "Northern Exposure." Nebraska's Myra Mains led the way. Now in his third season of play, and therefor granted permanent inclusion in the Career Statistics, Myra Mains improved to 18 & 7, his best performance so far. Just a heartbeat behind was Passing Fancy, who rose to 17 & 6. Westerman was Passing Fan