2008 Death Pool Candidates

[Walter_Sobchak]

OK, so my buddies and I are doing our first death pool for the new year. Standard scoring system, where you get 100- (age) of the deathee as points. Therefore, you don't want to pick all 90 year olds on the verge of croaking.

Obviously, there are some sure things. Ariel Sharon comes to mind. **** Clark and Fidel Castro also seem to be solid picks. I may also throw in a few wrestlers like Superstar Billy Graham.

I need some younger ideas, however. Amy Winehouse is probably a good pick, but I'm guessing everyone's gonna have her.

So I ask my SportsJournalists.com brethren, who is a good candidate for my pool?

(Oh, and a disclaimer: Yes, I am an asshole for doing a death pool. I will be the first to admit that. But this thread is not about the morality of such bets. Please stick to the topic at hand.)

 

[slappy4428]

Ay-mee Wine-house (clap, clap, clap clap clap)

 

[friend of a friend]

Tom Brady

 

[Orange Hat Bobcat]

Check the Mitchell Report. Or the world of professional bodybuilding. Or the circle of matadors in Mexico in Spain.

Seriously, crass or not, it's never a bad idea to pick someone who works at a high-risk job.

 

[DanOregon]

When I won a DP three years in a row, I tried to find celebs that had been or were battling a long illness rather than go for the young out of control celeb.
But if you just submit the list of players for Celebrity Rehab you should do okay. Liz Taylor might not be a bad choice. Another good thing to scout for is celebrities that are frail and get that courtesy applause type of thing just for still hanging in there.

Can you still put down Steve Fossett?

 

[Bad Guy Zero]

Dickey V.
Michael Vick [worth of a lot of points if he gets shivved in the shower]
Britney Spears [I can see her getting in a bad car wreck that disfigures her face after which she pulls a Savannah]

 

[ifilus]

 

[DanOregon]

And if you feel creepy about a Dead Pool, do a Celebrity Justice pool with a point for an arrest, an extra point if its a felony and another point if they do time in jail.

 

[ArnoldBabar]

Check the Mitchell Report. Or the world of professional bodybuilding. Or the circle of matadors in Mexico in Spain.

Seriously, crass or not, it's never a bad idea to pick someone who works at a high-risk job.

How famous does the person have to be? Do you have parameters for that? Because I could go down to the local nursing home and give you a bunch of 20-point sure things.

 

[Rex Harrison]

Andy Griffith

 

[Bad Guy Zero]

Isn't it about time for another Kennedy to take a dirt nap?

 

[User 1019]

OMG. Is that Mickey Rourke?

Oh, snap!

 

[dooley_womack1]

John Daly and Robert Downey Jr. are always worth taking a flyer on.

 

[User 1019]

Hefner?

 

[Chef]

**** Clark will be on everyone's list.

I'll take Courtney Love to block, Wink.


Edit: Old Winston Conrad (Otherwise known as Wink Martindale) turns 74 this year.

Does this qualify him?

 

[Bad Guy Zero]

OMG. Is that Mickey Rourke?

Oh, snap!

Did somebody stomp on the side of his face with track cleats?

 

[EStreetJoe]

- Queen Elizabeth II (she's 81)
- Osama Bin Laden (you know Bush will want to end his presidency in a big way)
- Jesse Timondequas (was in the news recently as being NJ's most infamous death row inmate to be spared with the repeal of the law. The general prison population will have a field day with him)
- Earl Lauer Butz (98) Noted For: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under Nixon and Ford (1971-76). Resigned after a racist remark he made during a private conversation was made public. Pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion and served 30 days in prison (1981).
- Robert McNamara (91) Secretary of Defense for Kennedy and Johnson
- George Schultz (87) Secretary of Labor and Secretary of the Treasury under Secretary of State under Reagan
- Marvin Miller (90)
- all the people Walter mentioned in his initial post


A few I'll be evil for saying, with age in parenthesis:
- Betty Garrett (88) - she was in All in the Family
- Abe Vigoda (86)
- James Noble (85)
- John Forsythe (89, will turn 90 in January)
- Russell ("The Professor") Johnson (83)
- Frank Cady (from Green Acres) (92)
- Al Molinaro (88)
- Baseball Hall of Famers Bob Feller and Bobby Doerr are both 89, Stan Musial is 87,


The Web site http://www.whosaliveandwhosdead.com/ is a great resource for this. Just look through the lists and see if there's any very old celebs you've forgotten about.

 

[Football_Bat]

Thanks to Chef's sig ... I call dibs on Lohan.

 

[Captain_Kirk]

Britney would seem to be the best value choice on the board.

Two not to pick:

Ringo Starr. Destined to be the last Beatle standing. Until Sir McCartney is gone, Mr. Starkey is safe.

Keith Richards. Indestructible.

 

[ondeadline]

Not a pro-wrestling fan, but just pick one of the stars and you've got a good chance of being right.