Death Impends

New theme team: Poor Little Ghoul - consisting of US Billboard chart toppers, named in reference to Ricky Nelson's "Poor Little Fool" as it were the first Billboard No 1 hit and I couldn't think of any better name ideas. As the main reason for creation is wholly admittedly because these people would be fun for me to write the obits for, I limited myself to names that fit the theme that WEREN'T picked on the DDP in 2021 - no reason to go for people like ONJ, Ronstadt, or Valli when they're sure to be picked anyway. C. W. McCall (JOKER) Abdul "Duke" Fakir April Stevens Barry McGuire Dave "Baby" Cortez Dean Torrence Gary Troxel Gary U.S. Bonds Jay Siegel Johnny Farina Johnny Rivers Mark Lindsay Maurice Williams Nino Tempo Ruby Nash Garnett Sandy Nelson Santo Farina Shirley Owens Tommy Roe Vito Picone Pretty surprised no one picked Abdul "Duke" Fakir in 2021! Newcomers to my space team are Joe Engle, Jake Garn, Margaret Hamilton, and Maarten Schmidt.

Well that's that. The Inverse Dead Pool has closed its curtains for another year and it was a classic season with @BabyBlue Artie Shaw/Sadhana-ing their way to the top in the last week of the year. Not bad at all for a team that was joint 38th in early February when Susan Bayh died! But what seemed like a costly mistake then (Bayh was worth 15 points) ultimately survived the "marathon not a sprint" aspect of most dead pools, with BabyBlue only further scoring two further hits - Yoo Sang-chul in June, and Betty White on New Year's Eve. They gradually climbed up the leaderboard thanks to avoiding landmines like Murray Walker, Sarah Harding, and Greg Gilbert, but it was the dramatic last-week death of Desmond Tutu that allowed them to take the lead, in a tiebreaker with machotrouts, which soon became a solitary lead as macho placed Betty White higher than BabyBlue. And said machotrouts is a name who you'll be getting very familiar with in the sphere of the Inverse Dead Pool. He won in 2018, considerably outpaced his mum with a podium place in 2021, and starting this year will be the Inverse Dead Pool's new host. Yep, after four years of keeping everyone's favorite live pool ticking, my new co-hosting of the DDP meant sacrifices had to be made, and thus it was time to pass the Inverse baton. As the man himself admits, macho continues the time-honored tradition of our pool being hosted by someone who is alive, so we're undoubtedly in good hands. Play us out, BabyBlue...

In the past, yes, but you were asking if the email changed since this thread was created and the email we've been using for all of this year remains in use.

The email didn't change. It's still ddp@derbydeadpool.co.uk Office tools aren't necessary to contact the DDP email so not sure what the problem currently is?

I don't believe in superstitions. "Never 11 without the 12th" I believe in one superstition. As sad as Betty White not making 100 (or 2022) after all is, fortunately at least isn't too migraine inducing around the Hartlepool, having only been selected by two teams this year. CalebH was the only one to have her as a main team pick, receiving 33 points (15 base, plus bonus points for unique and Squares). Torva Messor hits her first sub for 25 points. Masterful timing for both as neither were picking White again next year!

Cheers. @Hell @John Key and @The Old Crem all also picked her and will need to adjust their teams accordingly. I'll award the consolation points of 0.99 in due time but give me time to finish tidying up the masterlist posts so they can still be all ready tomorrow...

And one more last-minute twist. But it only reinforces the Tutu-induced narrative. Everyone's expectations Betty White would see 100 were quashed by mere weeks, but newly-minted leader BabyBlue tempered their expectations enough to attain a solitary lead. 1. BabyBlue 25 2. machotrouts 28 3. YorkshireBanker 30 =4. drol 34 =4. Spade_Cooley 34 6. Sir Creep 36 =7. Pedro67 37 =7. Charles De Gaulle 37 =7. JoeMoneypenny 37 =7. Perhaps 37 =11. Toast 39 =11. Book 39 =11. BuffaloPhil 39 14. Grim Up North 40 15. Sideik 41 =16. The Quim Reaper 42 =16. Banana 42 =18. deadsox 44 =18. An Fear Beag 44 =20. The Old Crem 48 =20. Bibliogryphon 48 =22. Great Uncle Bulgaria 51 =22. En Passant 51 24. CaptainChorizo 55 25. Annami 56 26. gcreptile 59 27. YoungWillz 61 =28. Funeralopolis 63 =28. msc 63 =28. Joey Russ 63 31. Death Impends 65 32. ThereWillBeDeaths7 66 =33. Newjack 68 =33. maryportfuncity 68 =35. theoldlady 78 =35. Salmon Mousse 78 37. LizLemon 88 38. machotrouts' mum 91 39. GuyFromFuture 96 40. chilean way 108 41. The Unknown Man 111

About 8 and a half hours to go. Midnight GMT

All teams submitted up to now are in the system. @Exu you can still place two subs on your team which can also score points.

I had a strange DDP dream. Someone (I want to say DDT?) was in the lead since the early December death of one of the ABBA members (I want to say Benny, who had been on about 7 teams?). But then, Rodger Bumpass, the voice of Squidward on SpongeBob, died in the final couple of days in the year, and The Unknown Man took the lead and won the DDP.

Amazed that I'm seemingly poised for a top 12 DDP finish despite the deliberate scuppering of my team. Though TBF it was a weird dynamic this year, I basically jokered Rush because he was a cunt, whereas if I was more coldly logical, it might've been one of the Toms. And I also saw Sarah Harding as a "good, not great" pick who seemed like an effective way to make the team a little weaker (but subtly, rather than a "pick Ryan Buell" style). B- maybe? CBA for the rest of the pools.

Alright we now we have the first fraction of a point of the 2022 game. Harry Reid long represented the Silver State but it's the rest of us who have to settle for silver for the time being as theoldlady is the first on the board with 0.82 points.

Lata Mangeshkar needs her watch her step for the next couple days

Strange how things work sometimes. Tutu, Madden, and Reid were all on my shadow list this year and I would've dropped them next year had they lived!

Harry Reid was picked by @theoldlady here who I have now asked to institute a new name, and I will award her consolation points after taking care of today's submitted teams.

As stands I don't know who picked any names subject to committee rulings, just who the picks are. Not gonna say who, or even what the ruling was, but I was part of a 2-1 verdict on a name a week or so back and it was one of those cool little "oh eck, I really am a co-host now" moments!

Among the tidbits msc told me once I was officially selected as his successor was that a pick by you (Ward) was one of the most difficult fame decisions for the committee! Never would've guessed you'd be the root of that in 100 years!

FWIW I would be OK with Gates Sr as a DDP pick, he is on that "high pedigree" of fringe picks (the Wiki page point is a salient one). The reason he is such a lightning rod name is moreso his past presence on the DL which most of us agree shouldn't have any fringey names even if they're the type that's still OK for the DDP. The same sense in which it was completely fine to risk it on someone unlikely to obit (but still notable for doing something beyond having cancer) in the DDP with Fergie Frederiksen but he was rightly mocked as a DL pick!

Growing up I remember these career-related posters which cited Bill Gates as an inspirational case as despite dropping out of college, he was so motivated that he still achieved great success in life and became one of the richest men in the world. What they neglected to mention was Bill Gates had a dad who was already very rich to give him a head start!

Yep she's famous for two reasons Her boobs and dating Henry Kissinger!

And there's the Thiebaud QO

2021 survivors added, recent deaths from DDPs past brushed off. Four past years are now down to one survivor and Tiffany Youngs/JLT probably mean more clean sweeps are coming soonish. 2013: Bashar al-Assad, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Superstar Billy Graham, Scott Thorson (4/20) 2014: Wilko Johnson, Ritchii Kara, Michael Schumacher (2/20) 2015: Gino Odjick (1/20) 2016: Yoshiro Nakamatsu (1/20) 2017: (0/20) 2018: Tiffany Youngs (0/20) 2019: Jean-Louis Trintignant (0/20) 2020: Jimmy Carter, Gavin Robertson, Gianluca Vialli (3/20) 2021: Ady Barkan, Tim Bilton, Jimmy Carter, Linda Nolan, Tom Parker, Gavin Robertson, Art Rupe, Tom Smith, Shintaro Tsuji, James Whale (7/20)

Given I'm non-competing and have no reason to hold my cards close to my chest anymore, here's my four drops as well. Note that the combined forces of Bayh, Hogh, and Zoll continue my msc-esque curse of at least one name dying the year I drop them, so one of the four below is now guaranteed to die next year, probably the 104 year old... Ady Barkan - Can't be arsed to invest myself in the ALS picks anymore Tim Bilton - Stable and bland Art Rupe, Shintaro Tsuji - The goal was moreso to have them on the DDP to begin with, rather than specifically hits for me, if that makes sense. Certainly hope to see them remain on the DDP via other teams, especially as I'd be writing their obits if they go!

Can be something to consider for 2023 though like Ulitzer said not sure how much a difference it would make. Either way I don't want to do any changes to the QOs for next year after we've already opened up shop.

Do not doubt the word of DDT. Even if it meant we were going to lose a great man, albeit after a long, well-lived life. As we remember Desmond Tutu as a beacon of light against apartheid and a general force for good until the end, DDT gets a second hit in his first year with hits at all since the loss of his Sister Wendy, with Tutu delivering 35 points (25 basic, 10 unique). Weirdly Tutu died on the third anniversary of her death!