The Game has seen deaths and near deaths that didn't count as hits, but they did show a lot of style.

July 30, 1975 - Jimmy Hoffa - B. "Whip" Lasch, D. McCarthy

Just two gamesters have been burnt by the disappearance rule: B. Lasch and D. McCarthy. They still haven't collected their points on former Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa, whose plans apparently did not jive with those of organized crime. Perhaps their last shot at solving the mystery passed in 2001, when Anthony "Tony Jack" Giacolone died in Detroit. Hoffa -- the former Teamsters leader hoping to make a comeback -- was scheduled to meet with Giacalone when he vanished in 1975 from the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox Restaurant in Bloomfield Township. Instead of going to the restaurant, Giacalone was instead seen uncharacteristically glad-handing his way around the Southfield Athletic Club. When a mutual friend called Giacalone with concerns about the missing Hoffa, Giacalone shrugged it off, saying, "Maybe he took a little trip."

November 6, 1984 - Abu Nidal - The Artful Dodger

The Artful Dodger collected points when Abu Nidal, Palestinian leader of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, suffered a heart attack and was buried amidst a frenzy of mourning. But early the following year, it was discovered that the mourners were faking it, as was Abu, who merely needed a vacation, and the five points were removed from the career records.

June 1993 - Ursula Andress - W. Krug

Living in Rome, actress Ursula Andress had just appeared on a television talk show hosted by Maurizio Costanza, an avowed anti-Mafia activist. She accepted his offer of a ride home, but on her way to his car stopped to sign an autograph. As she wrote, Costanza's auto was blown to bits by a car bomb, and the actress, a solo pick on the list of W. "The Caller" Krug, escaped unscathed. In the light of the blast, it is easy to see why Krug is recognized as one of the Game's greatest inspirational players.

June 17, 1994 - O.J. Simpson - Rosebud

Only one gamester was carrying O.J. as he held a gun to his head in the back of the white Bronco. Unfortunately for Rosebud, O.J. could never kill the one he truly loved. Asked why he listed the elusive Simpson, Rosebud noted, "I had detected a change in his voice the last few years -- ascribing it to a smog-induced throat cancer. It didn't occur to me he was hoarse from shouting at his wife."

September 17, 1996 - Marion "Suge" Knight - Clean Underwear

Sixteen gamesters were carrying rapper Tupac Shakur when his car was hosed with lead on the streets of Las Vegas. But only one gamester had Tupac and the driver, Marion "Suge" (as in 'Sugar Bear') Knight, the president of Death Row Records. Knight survived, but Clean Underwear made his point. This sudden Daily Double would have been worth 15 points, a Game record, and would have been the first time two picks had ever died together.

June 19, 1999 - Stephen King - Harris Tweed

A Dodge Caravan struck Stephen King, 51, as the author of "Misery," "Carrie," and "The Shining" walked along a country road bordering a ballfield he had donated to the town of North Lovell, Maine, where he had a summer home. The impact sent King flying 14 feet into a ditch, with a collapsed lung and multiple fractures. No charges were filed against the driver, who told officers he was distracted by a dog in his vehicle. Oh, okay.

King came close to joining more than 5,000 U.S. pedestrians killed by motor vehicles every year -- 16 people hit and killed each day. But instead, he was grouped with the the 110,000 people walking or standing near a roadway who suffer serious injuries each year. Harris Tweed, who soloed on Princess Diana's auto fatality, garnered more style points for this call.

On to the final page, The Crème de la Crème.

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