Jump to content

Bert Trautmann

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    231

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    3

Posts posted by Bert Trautmann

  1. Posted

    I don't know if it's safe to make a victory speech yet but I would like to take this opportunity to make my retirement speech.

     

    It's been an interesting, strange and sometimes morally questionable few years for myself. I've enjoyed finding out about random personalities and their stories I would have otherwise been ignorant of.

     

    However having, I think, claimed the title this year or at least given it my best shot I'm going to hang up my boots. There's only so many Christmases I can spend googling 'terminally ill with' before needing to step back.

     

    I considered entering a more 'proper' celebrity based team but I want to be able to compete and this is my best opportunity to go out on top. I'm especially pleased to have beaten the legendary DQSP this year, with it being the last chance to do so for the foreseeable future as he takes over the reins. 

     

    I had a fair bit of luck this year with so many risky picks going my way so it feels right to at least take a break from it. At times in the past I've allowed myself to put far too many hours into researching the dying so I'm going to be focusing my energies elsewhere. There's more to life than death.

     

    I'll still be around the forums occasionally and may return to chase top spot again. Good luck to everyone competing next year and to the new host Mr DQSP. And big thanks to the Man in Black for all his efforts.

     

    Arrivederci, bon voyage and fare thee well.

    • Like 12

  3. Posted

    In hindsight I should have picked Meads over someone like Ricketts. But at the time the internal debate I was having was Meads vs Forsyth. I went against logic and chose Forsyth but what a pointless use of time.

     

    9 points each within 24 hours of each other. The race tightens. 

  4. Posted

    1 hour ago, Joey Russ said:

    I think if Golden Slumbers get both King Michael and Patrick Cryne, that'll pretty much seal the win for him even if all three of Meads, Elias, and Stefansson dies...

     

    I was thinking about this exact scenario as it would put me just one point above DQSP. 

     

    I still don't have much room for error even after nabbing Golmard and Forsyth. 

  5. Posted

    It's getting harder to play down my chances...

     

    But with no Meads, no Stefan Karl and no Rayya Elias I could still be overhauled. 

     

    If I don't win it this year with Golmard and Forsyth going my way, I probably never will. An intriguing run-in ahead...

  6. Posted

    Well, that is a surprise...

     

    I'm still far from wrapping this one up but that does keep me in the hunt as I looked like fading away.

     

    Golmard was probably my least logical pick, pretty much based off one unsourced tweet in French saying he had deteriorated. I wanted to have a unique in my team as well, but one other team picked him.

     

    Forsyth and Cryne are necessities from here. I still think ultimately I'm going to fall slightly short. 

    • Like 5

  9. Posted

    I think the Jay Clark obituary is going to prove to be this season's turning point. Without it I was beginning to see a realistic path to victory, but with it I'm going to be relying on a huge amount of luck to finish ahead of DQSP. 

     

    Every year I take at least one needless punt based on a gut feeling and this year it's Golmard. This one was also motivated by wanting to crowbar a unique pick in but I didn't even manage that. If he goes I think he'll obit but I also think I've used up my ALS luck on Joost. Has anyone ever won before with two ALS picks? I think I'm going to need Golmard and a huge slice of luck to been with a realistic shot.

     

    Forsyth was another gut pick when the more coldly logical 9 pointer would have been Meads. It's quite an amateurish pick but one I couldn't resist. Having said that things don't look great for him. Another important differential I'd put at an optimistic 50/50.

     

    PC is actually one I may have had a little extra info on, but still by no means a gimme.

     

    Simon Ricketts is another one I'll probably need but he's responding well to treatment and I think he'll see 2018 with relative ease. Again if I'd been more coldly logical in picking my team, I shouldn't have ignored his 1-2 years to live assessment from November. I think this one will prove costly to me and TJS.

     

    King Michael and PvZ are not nailed on either but I think they'll probably go before the year's end.

     

    Bracknell and Downie are irrelevant as all the contenders have them. Christie would actually hurt my chances as he's TJS joker.

     

    Nevin and Magill sure goners.

     

    On top of all this I've got a sizeably lower ceiling of points so I'm going to need at least one more death than DQSP and TJS which is hard to envisage.

     

    This is really just a long winded way of saying I need a lot of luck.

     

    I need Karl and Bradley to stay well. I could do with at least one of Gilbert, Elias and Meads defying the odds. And I could probably do with Bagrag Singh failing to get an obituary but I think that's very unlikely.

     

    Still it's great to be in the mix, and we all like an underdog story don't we....

    • Like 1

  11. Posted

    So someone like Rowena Kincaid would definitely still qualify in your books. People like Ben Suisala would probably still qualify as well. But someone like Mark Sims or Lisa Magill would definitely not qualify.

    I don't think Suisala is as famous as you think he is. Anyone can be a rugby 'hopeful'.

     

    For me he definitely falls into the Sims category (if that).

    • Like 2

  12. Posted

    Didn't expect an obituary so quick. When I saw the top teams who hadn't picked him, I had a familiar sinking feeling given my dodgy history of calling QOs.

     

    Hey ho, 6 down with 70 on the board is my best start by miles...

    • Like 4

  13. Posted

    It's been a good start; Joost and McGiffin in particular I didn't expect to go so soon.

     

    DQSP and TJS still have the strongest teams in my opinion and will eventually pull clear.

     

    Even though I've had 5 hits, I think the DDP has reached a point where even an actual hit may turn out to be a bad pick. I think that will turn out to be the case with 5 point Mario Soares. I would probably swap him out for Stefan Karl in hindsight, someone I didn't think would make the Drop 40.

     

    For me to have a real shot I think most if not all of Golmard (annual traditional punt), Forsyth, Cryne, King Michael, Ricketts and Magill will need to pop off.

     

    Ultimately i think deciding against Stefan Karl, Gilbert and Meads + failing to spot Briggs and Elias will see me falling back into the pack.

     

    But hopefully I'll be able to enjoy the view for a little while...

  16. Posted

     

    Think that puts me temporarily top if nothing else happens by the next update. That'd be a first for me and a long time coming...

     

    Nice to see you, Bert! Your visits are too infrequent these days.

     

     

    Cheers Toast! I'm usually lurking in the shadows somewhere....maybe I'll chip in more often and help in the fight against the growing number of 'shitposters' :shoot:

    • Like 4

  19. Posted

    Those DDP heavyweights Captain Hemlocks Twenty and Dead Last? Dead Right! atop the league table as usual!

     

    Meanwhile Spade, DI and, err, me are outside the top 100. Reminds me of Crazycarl's top 3 placing for a bit last year... well, then he got all his points deducted, of course.

    Why did he get all his points deducted?

  20. Posted

     

    Right, some news.

     

    This morning I received a couple of emails, the upshot of which 4 teams will be added to the roster, meaning we will have 541 teams.

     

    This has had a knock-on effect on the Drop 40, so that's being re-jigged. Watch this space...

    When is that expected to happen?

     

    Give it a rest.

    • Like 1

  21. Posted

    1. Queen Elizabeth II

    2. Donald Trump

    3. Val Kilmer

    4. Angela Lansbury

    5. Paul Gascoigne

    6. Doris Day

    7. Vera Lynn

    8. Dick van Dyke

    9. Prunella Scales

    10. Chuck Berry

    11. Shannen Doherty

    12. Glen Campbell

    13. Stan Lee

    14. Jerry Lewis

    15. Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi

    16. Prince Philip

    17. Valerie Harper

    18. Hugh Hefner

    19. Stephen Hawking

    20. George H W Bush

    21. Jimmy Carter

    22. Gordon Banks

    23. Denis Norden

    24. Jake Lamotta

    25. Pope Benedict

  23. Posted

    There's always at least one obvious pick who completely evades me every year; it's Rayya Elias this time.

     

    Mark Sims (j)

    Joost

    Jerome Golmard

    Steve Sumner

    Steve Hewlett

    Simon Ricketts

    Tracy McGiffin

    Lisa Magill

    Bruce Forsyth

    Mario Soares

    King Michael

    Catherine Nevin

    Leah Bracknell

    Errol Christie

    Paul van zandvliet

    Gord downie

    Sara coward

    Patrick cryne

    John wetton

    Peter skellern

     

    Not my best effort by any means but I said that last year so here's hoping...

     

    Ditched Meads at the last minute but might come to regret that, the miracle water stuff is certain bollocks

     

    And well done Spade and yet another win!

  24. Posted

    I was having a wee trawl of the List of the Lost, to see if I could find anything. While I couldn't, I thought this was very unlucky for Bert: the Daily Mail implying but not stating that the Majestik magician chap is dead. I mean, the album is about loss, and it's dedicated to four dead people, but the word "dead" is never used.

     

    First time I've seen that article. Ouch.

  25. Posted

    Yes, yes picking Majestik Magnificent was an unfamothably stupid decision motivated by a blind desire to shoe-horn one 'inspired' unique pick into my team of everyman picks.

     

    Normally I'd put quite a lot of research into my team but a very busy December left me scrambling to put a team together. With that in mind I'm shocked by my current position and I'm not sure what to take from it...maybe as Homer says 'the lesson is never try'.

     

    I'm also kicking myself over the other daft pick I made in Tom Libous who is seemingly fine, especially because I swapped him for Hassan Asif.

     

    On balance, looking at the remaining picks, I have next to no chance of winning from here but for now it's nice to be up there.

     

    What mighta been...

    • Like 2
×

Important Information

Your use of this forum is subject to our Terms of Use

  I accept