gcreptile 10,241 Posted October 7, 2017 The death of Alvin DeGuzman prompted me to arm up for next year's competitions. A first B-Team draft is ready now and it promises to be even more unique-heavy than the last two years (6 and 7 uniques, 2 and 3 of them hits, so far). I'm unhappy with a couple of placeholders like Jacques Chirac and Christy Dignam. But I think I have a pool of about 50 people I can do something with. Recovery from surgery will slightly impair me in the next two weeks. Hopefully, I can get some first Deathrace/Hare's Deadpool/HPDP/Death by numbers drafts ready in that time. I still don't know how to approach next year's competitions "conceptually". I mean, I want to prove that you can get to 20 hits with some low-hanging fruit, but which team shall it be? The main team or the B-team? I also want to win, and I also want to get unique hits. I think I can't get it all done. Also, now I hope some of the people on my main team draft die, so there is more room for unique talent. I mean, everyone is going to pick Gord Downie and Leah Bracknell again, if they survive... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
msc 17,763 Posted October 7, 2017 I'm quite confident that the first 20 names on my Pan Breed shortlist will be dead by the end of 2018. Of course, this is because I am fairly confident half of them will be dead by November... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joey Russ 7,119 Posted October 7, 2017 At the moment, I have more than 20 great names to potentially make my team. I’m hoping some of them will die before the start of the year to make the selection process slightly easier, but it’s not going to be that way in the end because new names are still going to show up in these last three months especially. And we have yet to see that major new wave artist that will announce their terminal illness that I keep having a feeling about (no, Olivia Newton John doesn’t count)... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joey Russ 7,119 Posted October 15, 2017 Ngl, I just found a person that really feels like a person that kind of feels like a me pick. However, I'm probably not gonna pick them because I don't know what cancer or what stage of cancer they have and I'm unsure about whether they would obit or not. Makes me kind of sad... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gcreptile 10,241 Posted October 15, 2017 I''m going through my list at the moment (hence why I found the deaths of Jake Andrews and Jason Busby), and there was one person that I thought would be a "Joey Russ" joker.... The initials are J.H. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joey Russ 7,119 Posted October 15, 2017 7 minutes ago, gcreptile said: I''m going through my list at the moment (hence why I found the deaths of Jake Andrews and Jason Busby), and there was one person that I thought would be a "Joey Russ" joker.... The initials are J.H. Not Johnny Hallyday, right? Either way, not planning on jokering him or the person I think you're talking about... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gcreptile 10,241 Posted October 15, 2017 1 minute ago, Joey Russ said: Not Johnny Hallyday, right? Either way, not planning on jokering him or the person I think you're talking about... Nah, Johnny Hallyday wouldn't be special enough to be your joker. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RadGuy 1,605 Posted October 16, 2017 Using my day off to do a fair amount of independent research. So far I've been dissatisfied with what I've found - mostly cancer mums. Hopefully I'll have more luck today. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
msc 17,763 Posted October 16, 2017 On 10/15/2017 at 21:13, Joey Russ said: Ngl, I just found a person that really feels like a person that kind of feels like a me pick. However, I'm probably not gonna pick them because I don't know what cancer or what stage of cancer they have and I'm unsure about whether they would obit or not. Makes me kind of sad... All this talk of "me picks". Honestly, I find "me picks" all the time. "Wont die, wont obit.." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joey Russ 7,119 Posted October 29, 2017 There seems to be a recent clearing of people on potential short list material recently, especially Matt Callander, Simon Fitzmaurice, and Matt Bencke (who was considered shortlist material for me due to a Financial Times mention, which is a QO source, as well as being a founder of an interesting program altogether, but it looks like I dodged a bullet with him...), and as a result, it’s making me less satisfied with the names I currently have on my shortlist, especially since I’m making a gamble of only including two cancer mums or bloggers this year. Of course, it’s only October, and there probably will be more names eventually on my shortlist to make me have a more satisfying team... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gcreptile 10,241 Posted October 30, 2017 It happens. Those you lose now are at least still replaceable. December deaths are much harder. I could imagine 4-5 obvious people still going until then. I mean, Matt Callandar's death opened a slot for Rayya Elias on my shortlist. I didn't have her on, because I kind of thought it wasn't worth it. For me, it helps having a second roster for my reserve team. So I always have possible replacements. But then you might end up separating them falsely. The day Simon Fitzmaurice died I found an interesting replacement. Most likely unique. Definitely obitable. But maybe not terminally ill. Would be worth 11 points compared to his 10 (8+3). I'm also still going through my longlist, which I originally wanted to do in December. Then I started in my 2 weeks off this month and still haven't finished. It helped me elevate three more people into my teams, one for the main team (a generally known name), one as a sub (cult pick mentioned on here), one for the Theme Team (likely unique, Daily Mail or bust). But now I'm going through the low-priority names (age-based). They are only worth picking if they are unique. And even then, they really have to be close to death. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spade_Cooley 9,024 Posted October 30, 2017 Not gonna lie, really enjoying not having to put the research time in this year. Haven't created a single bookmark folder. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Death Impends 7,373 Posted October 30, 2017 I still only have three "locks" on my team, all of which are very obvious names. I hadn't even locked Callander, even though I knew he would've been on TJS had he made the new year - an obvious choice on age, prognosis, and obitability. At the moment I'm focusing on whittling down the longlist... which at the moment, means getting rid of these types of names: obscure people who died within weeks of me adding them to the list and I've only just noticed with rechecking them! the names who reveal they have a tumor, reveal it's benign a week later, but you don't notice the mention of it being benign until that late year checkup! people whose illnesses aren't quite benign, but still really don't seem anywhere near fatal people who seem fecked but minimally obitable; they get moved to the Deathrace sheet... Well over 100 trimmed now, with heftier cuts yet to come. Not 100% sure if I've found my Suzanne Wright/Wayne Barrett, or Julia Perez, yet, but I do have some names who may well fulfill that role. And given I didn't know about Barrett until the last week of the year, there's still time... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Toast 14,850 Posted October 30, 2017 4 hours ago, Spade_Cooley said: Not gonna lie, really enjoying not having to put the research time in this year. Haven't created a single bookmark folder. Aw Spade, are you not even going to do a theme team? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spade_Cooley 9,024 Posted October 30, 2017 I might bring The Rookie Draft back, depends on who was born in 1999. Did find out there's an already cast-to-the-scrapheap 18-year-old former American Idol contestant with the unfortunate name Diamond White. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
msc 17,763 Posted October 30, 2017 Well, you know, I went to remove the following people from the shortlist with the use of a few searches... 6 hours ago, Death Impends said: obscure people who died within weeks of me adding them to the list and I've only just noticed with rechecking them! the names who reveal they have a tumor, reveal it's benign a week later, but you don't notice the mention of it being benign until that late year checkup! people whose illnesses aren't quite benign, but still really don't seem anywhere near fatal people who seem fecked but minimally obitable; they get moved to the Deathrace sheet... and somehow the end result is a shortlist with a dozen more names overall on it than when I started out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gcreptile 10,241 Posted October 30, 2017 Something I still wanted to say RE: Joey's post, I currently don't have any cancer mum in my rosters. I have a feeling that this year doesn't yield quite as much in that department. Now Anna Irwin is gone as well (was on the B-Team sub bench for 2018). I have a couple of fringe people though. Mothers of, wife of, and a husband of (Bobby Zarin, of course). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Death Impends 7,373 Posted October 30, 2017 If Bobby Zarin sees 2018 I'm committing to the "Bobby Zarin's Mack the Knifed" B team. Ted Mack living isn't even 100% necessary - surely in the worst case scenario I can find some old obitworthy guy with "Mack" in the name? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joey Russ 7,119 Posted October 30, 2017 I think I may have a B Team this year as well, mainly because there are a couple of people on my shortlist that are interesting and ill enough but they’re too old and they don’t stand a chance in the drop 40, but I still want to play them this year... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joey Russ 7,119 Posted October 31, 2017 Well, I found at least one new person for the shortlist now. I doubt they’d be unique, but they seem to be the type of cult pick top dead poolers would have on their team, so there’s definitely more potential picks for next year as 2017 starts to finish off... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FixedBusiness 407 Posted October 31, 2017 18 hours ago, Death Impends said: surely in the worst case scenario I can find some old obitworthy guy with "Mack" in the name? Hell I guess you could include a guy named Mackenzie too, correct? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gcreptile 10,241 Posted October 31, 2017 3 minutes ago, FixedBusiness said: Hell I guess you could include a guy named Mackenzie too, correct? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackenzie_(given_name) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Death Impends 7,373 Posted October 31, 2017 A Phillips relapse gamble is of course the most obvious Mackenzie pick. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
msc 17,763 Posted November 3, 2017 On 10/31/2017 at 16:54, Joey Russ said: Well, I found at least one new person for the shortlist now. I doubt they’d be unique, but they seem to be the type of cult pick top dead poolers would have on their team, so there’s definitely more potential picks for next year as 2017 starts to finish off... Funny enough, there's been a name on my shortlist for a while (who is 99.9% going to be on TJS 2018, their kind of pick, but I'm pretending otherwise just in case) and ever since March or so, each time Gcreptile posts in that specific thread, I think "oh, he's posted X". Not yet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gcreptile 10,241 Posted November 3, 2017 45 minutes ago, msc said: Funny enough, there's been a name on my shortlist for a while (who is 99.9% going to be on TJS 2018, their kind of pick, but I'm pretending otherwise just in case) and ever since March or so, each time Gcreptile posts in that specific thread, I think "oh, he's posted X". Not yet. Ha, well I decided to reduce the amount of telling for next year. I mean, I was the biggest "culprit"/greatest sharer in the past 2 years, still managed plenty of unique hits anyway. But I think I gave too much away and it looks like getting unique hits will be harder next time. By the way, if I haven't posted it when the news comes out, I won't. I wonder now what the typical TJS pick is. Either a USA-special, or a semi-obscure indie musician - I don't have certain people in mind. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
