Dr_T

Well no-one has ever accused me of having a fascinating story before. If you want a fascinating story I'll tell you about my trip to Rotorua in 2004 (just make sure the kiddies are in bed first). In truth, my team should have been called "Let's Not Re-Invent the Wheel" because mostly I looked through the top half a dozen teams from last year to see who was worth recycling and then added a few of my own. Those few of my own are doing remarkably well for the most part-with only Falkholt and Goodwin having scored apart from the obvious John McCain. I would never have heard of the likes of Cryne, Nevin, Miller etc but for their previous involvement in the other's teams. I guess there was some luck or skill involved in making the scoring selections, but no great originality. In terms of my chances of winning, I think it depends almost solely on Ricketts (assuming Vervoort survives). Anne Hamilton-Byrne is obviously a show (may not QO though) as she could drop off any time with no surprise. I think we would have heard more bad news about Lima should he be checking out. Willesee is a wild card. I had given up on him after seeing some positive news. The was a recent report that he had to be air-lifted out from Torres Strait after a fall (August 8), but I thought that the fact he was prepared to go to Torres Strait was an indication that he was ok. However, as others have pointed out, the lack of an appearance in the wake of Quentin Kenihan's death could be a sign that he has deteriorated. With 2.5 months left in the year it is hard to see a winner outside of the top 3 because of the number of shared picks. Bucket of Blood is 4th, but 11 points behind the lead and while it is a mathematical possibility that they win it seems most unlikely. Grim Up North in 5th/6th is 17 behind and has more or less conceded in this forum that they are very little hope of figuring in the finish. If the win does come from outside the current top 3 it would be a win for the ages.

I think this is the best headline pun for a death for a long time, and in French as well, tres bien. I think the best blurb was for Robin Gibb in 2012 (see below). Robin Gibb has ended the "will he, won't he" speculation by passing away from cancer aged 62. The co-founder of the Bee Gees becomes the third of the Gibb brothers to die, giving DeathList 2012 its fourth success of the year and the second inside of a one day. His passing has been described as a "Tragedy" and leaves the one remaining Gibb brother being asked by reporters "How Deep is your Bruv?". Gibb was the number 2 selection on this year's list, making his first appearance, and, in a rare event, sees the top three DeathList candidates all passing. On a day when a man who caused much pain and suffering for people throughout the world is taken from us by cancer, it's a little sad to see him steal the headlines of the death of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi.

Pardon me....I was trying to remember the name of the singer he punched and went off and looked mid-comment and forgot to put in his name. It is Australian sports journalist, Ron Casey.

Australian sports journalist and Normie Rowe puncher has died aged 89. https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/controversial-tv-presenter-and-talk-back-radio-host-ron-casey-dead-aged-89-20181002-p50780.html I'll be interested to see whether he gets a QO for DDP purposes, cause it'll help me see where that line is.

I guess this is the general football thread (I would call it soccer but that might get me a warning point hereabouts). Here is a gruesome little story about an apparently famous footballer. https://www.news.com.au/sport/sports-life/tottenham-legend-gary-mabbutt-has-foot-eaten-by-rat/news-story/2477caf08c2793a12b75ade87b70bcfb Enjoy.

I know there was some discussion about this earlier in the year but has there been any decision about a competitor putting in teams with only 1-2 names difference? I notice that Gun Away and Gun Fishing are coming equal 5th with the same hits and only 1 different runner. Isn't the point to make decisions and settle on 20 names? Putting in all but identical teams seems against the spirit of the competition. My apologies if this has been resolved and I have missed it.

McCain's demise has done nothing to the top of the leader board. Although only 6th on the Drop Forty, the highest ranked team to not select McCain is 20 Hits No Problem who is running 28th. I think it is McCain who is the champion of the Drop Forty Bonus. I think this has been the best invention I have seen in the few years I have been interested in the DDP.

The beauty of having Anne Hamilton-Byrne as a runner is that she is the kind of person you can wish to die without feeling like a bad person. 97ish years old, barely aware of her existence, and an evil hag in life.....not much to miss. I said a few months ago that she was a bad pick because she's worth so few points. It would be ironic if her death resulted in Pity Da Foolz becoming the 2018 DDP Champion. So good luck to all competitors and also runners (except Anne H-B!).

I actually got a bit of a shock this morning when I saw that SKS had died. While this is good news for Pity da Foolz's chances of winning DDP it seemed like SKS was a man with a lot of good to do whose time was cut short. So now my chances in DDP look to be resting mainly on Marieke Vervoort retaining her will to live and one of my non-Bracknell/McCain types not seeing New Year's. I still think Anne Hamilton-Byrne is a good chance, Simon Ricketts is odds on and Nobby Stiles still a chance. Nolan and Willesee are long shots. A couple of much belated obits would be gratefully accepted...but won't be holding my breath. Good luck to all.

Here's a particularly tragic story. Nothing to do with DDP except for the fact that I wish she was my joker. https://www.news.com.au/sport/sports-life/upandcoming-snowboarder-dies-on-her-18th-birthday/news-story/89770f0ddf32d5e936850180db5c7a48 Let's tot it up. Assuming that this is not a natural death...... 12 points for being 18 3 points for being unique 3 points for unnatural causes 5 points for the party pooper bonus. Multiplied by 2 for being the joker. 46 big DDP points. Might be handy hereabouts.

Not sure whether this is the right thread to discuss the imminent death of a tv show....but it is Australian. They have made an Australian version of Pointless which debuted last night. I love the English version, saw it by accident when I was in England in 2013 and then found a few episodes on YouTube. They have played a season or two of the English show on the ABC as well. Anyway, the Australian version is utter shite. They have truncated it to fit a 30 minute spot on one of the commercial channels. They start with three pairs and hence have more or less done away with the first round. They barely have time to talk to the contestants or each other, but in a way that is a godsend as the main host (playing Alexander's role) is charmless and shouty. They even managed to fit in a commercial break in between the first and second questions of the head to head round. The only improvement on the English version is that the presenter knows when to use "fewer" instead of "less" which escapes poor old Alexander despite his fancy-schmancy education at Durham School. I give it 3 weeks tops before Channel Ten pulls the pin and starts showing reruns of Family Feud instead.

It's not looking good for Simon Ricketts-this is copied from his Tumblr page. I watched England beat Colombia while I was in hospital. Again. I was back in because I was very weak. Badly anaemic. They pumped some units of blood into me and that helped. I also had a nasty, unhealing wound where the chest drain used to be. Underneath that wound was a lump. Probably infection. We tested it. It wasn’t infection. It’s the cancer again. Back. Aggressively. Quickly. It’s inoperable. We’ll try radiotherapy to slow it down. I’m sorry to say it looks like I have both feet on the down escalator now. I’m sorry for everyone who loves me. I’m sorry to cause them pain. Hurt. Again. I do, as ever, plan to ‘make the most’ of the time I have left. But I am very weak. I doubt I’ll be going on sunshine tours or pub crawls. At home, with a cup of tea, my cat and my girlfriend. This may be all of it. I feel okay right now. A sense of quietly plodding in the mist. The pain is okay right now. It will get worse. Love makes it bearable.

Would an all-gay male Supremes tribute band call themselves "The Meatlovers"? (I hope the pizza names translate from Australian otherwise it might be a bit cryptic).

Is anyone up for a Party Pooper bonus? Unlikely but possible.

Starting to get a little worried about the QO for Colin Butts. Can't say I have a great handle on what makes someone QOworthy but he seems to have a lot more cred than some who have cleared the bar. Can anyone give me hope?

I love the comment about Neymar above-he is a joke but while they have started to do something about staging it hasn't gone far enough. Still seems that the two things you need to make it at soccer are a very high centre of gravity and a very low pain threshold. Not to mention a very fertile imagination.

Here is FB video with Mike Willesee discussing his current condition. The picture shows that he has obviously lost a lot of weight-as my wife would say "he has the look of a man who is tangoing with the Spanish Dancer", but it seems that the treatment has largely worked and he is upbeat about his prognosis. Immunotherapy continues to be the nemesis of the deathlister. Doesn't help my DDP team, but good luck to him.

Come on Y-Dub, find me that QO for Colin Butts. I need that 9 points.

And in tribute to another recently departed Australian. An elderly man and an elderly woman would meet in the park every day. They did this for a few months and then the old guy says, "We've been meeting here every day for a while now and no-one pays us much attention. How about while we sit here, you hold my penis?" The old girl thinks about it for a while and agrees, so after that they would meet in the park every day and while they sat there watching the world go by, she would hold his penis. And every day for a couple of years they did this. One day, the old man wasn't sitting on their bench and the old girl panicked thinking the worst. She raced (as best she could) around the park and eventually found him sitting on another bench with another old lady and she was holding his penis. She was livid. "How dare you come here to our park and sit on the bench with this woman with her holding your penis. What's she got that I haven't got?" The old bloke smiled and looked her in the eye and said, "Parkinson's disease."

In tribute to the late Dr William McBride. Three women were waiting at the obstretician's office and they were all knitting. The first puts down her knitting and takes a tablet and the other two ask, "What's that?" "It's a calcium supplement so my baby has strong teeth and bones." The second lady puts down her knitting and takes a tablet and the others ask, "What's that?" "Its a folate supplement so my baby won't get spina bifida." The third lady puts down her knitting and takes a tablet. "What's that?" ask the other two. "Thalidomide, I can't knit sleeves."

A very interesting character in Australian medical science, William McBride has died. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-28/william-mcbride-dies-aged-91/9919530 He was one of the key figures in proving the mutagenic effects of thalidomide.

If it's disgusting you want then there is this little limerick my brother-in-law told me. There once was a young man named Keith, Who'd circumcise men with his teeth. It wasn't for leisure Or for sexual pleasure, It was to get to the cheese underneath. OR if you prefer.... There once was a young girl named Mandy, Who's husband was incredibly randy. But through a fault in his plumbing, He'd piss before cumming, Producing an odd tasting shandy.

An Englishman goes on his honeymoon with his wife in France. On the first night they were there the concierge notices the man leave the hotel late in the evening with all his fishing gear. He thinks to himself, "this is very strange behaviour for a man on his honeymoon." The next night the man leaves the hotel at the same time and again the concierge notices this and thinks it is very strange. The next night it happens again so the concierge decides to go and talk to the man. "Excusez-moi monsieur, but you are on your honeymoon with your new wife ne c'est pas?" "Yes, that's right" "Well, monsieur, it izz far from me to tell you how to live your life, ahh but it is customary for a man on his honeymoon to spend ze evening making love to his wife" "I'm afraid that is impossible because she suffers from terrible herpes." "Oh monsieur. monsieur I am so sorry to hear this. But monsieur, you have heard of such a thing as oral sex?" "I'm afraid that is out of the question as well as she suffers from terrible gingivitis." "Oh monsieur, monsieur, monsieur, this is terrible," says the concierge. But he thinks, in for a penny in for a pound. "Well have you ever tried ze anal sex?" "Can't she has haemmorrhoids." "Oh monsieur, monsieur, monsieur, monsieur. I am so sorry to hear of all zis. But if you permit me one question. Why would a man such as yourself marry a woman, so .......afflicted?" "Well, she has worms as well and it is the best damn bait I've ever used!"

News breaking in Australia on the death of legendary Australian golfer, Peter Thomson. https://www.news.com.au/sport/golf/aussie-golf-legend-peter-thomson-dead/news-story/f4d222b9b75ad9f735728ee9e1535da4 DDP points for 3 teams.

Elvis's drummer D.J. Fontana has died. https://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/elvis-longtime-drummer-dj-fontana-dies/news-story/ca2ba3fbc79cb1a3c2c32052e7554b9d A DDP unique hit for Prophet's Prophecy