World's Greatest Draft (1 Viewer)

[Yankee23Fan]

Let me know when larry times out and I will post Mario's picks.

 

[AcerFC]

This seems to happen to me every time. I have practice in 10 minutes and will probably be gone til 5 or 5:30. If need be, skip me and I will make it up later

 

[Yankee23Fan]

What I really wanted to talk about though was Agatha Christie. I'm so torn. She really doesn't belong in this draft, not a chance, but I LOVE Agatha Christie. Her top 5:

How do you figure? In all of world history that we've been able to record she has sold more written works then any other person. Her combined sales rival the bible. Her plays are great and her best is still running, what, 29 years later? Not to mention that she basically created a genre.

 

[Orange Crush]

What I really wanted to talk about though was Agatha Christie. I'm so torn. She really doesn't belong in this draft, not a chance, but I LOVE Agatha Christie. Her top 5:

How do you figure? In all of world history that we've been able to record she has sold more written works then any other person. Her combined sales rival the bible. Her plays are great and her best is still running, what, 29 years later? Not to mention that she basically created a genre.

Once again, the Madonna argument.

 

[larry_boy_44]

Athlete category is an abomination. I have two top 5 guys still on the big board.edit: Bradman went in round 15. That leaves just 1 top 5 guy.

I still have to do a write-up on Phelps, whom I personally consider in the top 5-10 based on his time records, medal accomplishments, and pure dominance on the international scene. He's the Babe Ruth or Gretzky of his sport, and he's doing it against the entire globe. Plus he pulls a mean binger.I've been incredibly busy though, and have little time. Maybe tonight I'll get to it. I will say I was shocked to see him slip down this far when Athletes have been drafted steadily for awhile now.

honestly, what Phelps did really doesn't impress me that much... not that its un-impressive, just compared to guys like Pele, Gretzky, Ruth, & Jordan, it just doesn't measure up and i don't see any way he could do something that would measure up...

 

[Yankee23Fan]

What I really wanted to talk about though was Agatha Christie. I'm so torn. She really doesn't belong in this draft, not a chance, but I LOVE Agatha Christie. Her top 5:

How do you figure? In all of world history that we've been able to record she has sold more written works then any other person. Her combined sales rival the bible. Her plays are great and her best is still running, what, 29 years later? Not to mention that she basically created a genre.

Once again, the Madonna argument.

Well, one of the knocks on Madonna was that she didn't have a ton of natural talent and didn't exactly create anything new. Agatha did. In spades. And her talents don't just lie in her novels.

 

[Orange Crush]

Athlete category is an abomination. I have two top 5 guys still on the big board.edit: Bradman went in round 15. That leaves just 1 top 5 guy.

I still have to do a write-up on Phelps, whom I personally consider in the top 5-10 based on his time records, medal accomplishments, and pure dominance on the international scene. He's the Babe Ruth or Gretzky of his sport, and he's doing it against the entire globe. Plus he pulls a mean binger.I've been incredibly busy though, and have little time. Maybe tonight I'll get to it. I will say I was shocked to see him slip down this far when Athletes have been drafted steadily for awhile now.

honestly, what Phelps did really doesn't impress me that much... not that its un-impressive, just compared to guys like Pele, Gretzky, Ruth, & Jordan, it just doesn't measure up and i don't see any way he could do something that would measure up...

It doesn't measure up in what way Larry? What is the commonality of the four guys you listed that Phelps doesn't have?

 

[Yankee23Fan]

Who can do a PM? I wont be around until 3:00 and no idea when larry with show up.

Sent one to Arsenal of Doom and will send one to Yankee and Tim just for good measure.

Larry times out at 2:29 FYI...

Going by this I am going to post Mario's picks now...........

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

In terms of celebrity, imo, Jackie O <> Princess Diana. Different times but Jackie O was the precursor, the example, the trend setter that Princess Diana emulated.

And of course Evita is better than both of them.

We're gonna need 3 tape measures over here

Then I must be John Holmes Princess Diana viewing figures from the Guiness Book of Records

Largest TV audience - live broadcast

The worldwide TV audience for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997) on 6 September 1997 at Westminster Abbey, London, UK, was estimated at 2.5 billion.

Largest TV audience - space event

The largest TV audience for a space event was the first moonwalk by the Apollo 11 astronauts in July 1969, which was watched on TV by an estimated 600 million people, a fifth of the world's population at the time.

Largest TV audience - wedding

The largest TV audience for a wedding occurred on 29 July 1981, during the marriage of HRH Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer (both UK), which was seen by an estimated 750 million people in 74 countries.

 

[Yankee23Fan]

For MarioKart:

Herehere are my next two.

18.20 - Edwin Hubble - Wild Card

19.01 - Lucille Ball - Celebrity

This is my updated roster, as I have been updating it with every couple of picks I have made.

Mario Kart

Leaders - Franklin Delano Roosevelt (post #5479) (16.20)

Military - Sun Tzu (post #45) (1.01)

Scientist - Dmitri Mendeleev (post #4660) (13.01)

Inventor - Guglielmo Marconi (post #5479) (17.01)

Discoverer/Explorer - Giovanni da Pian del Carpine (post #1281) (2.20)

Humanitarian/Saint/Martyr - Henry Dunant (post #5205) (15.01)

Novelist/Short stories - J. R. R. Tolkien (post #3003)(6.20)

Playwrights/Poets - Geoffrey Chaucer (post #1295) (3.01)

Villain - Ho Chi Minh (post #3916) (10.20)

Athlete -

Composer - Antonio Vivaldi (post #3403) (9.01)

Musicians/Performers -

Painter - Claude Monet (post #2236) (4.20)

Artist/Non-Painter - Auguste Rodin (post #2248) (5.01)

Philosopher - Jean Piaget (post #4660) (12.20)

Religious Figure - Pope Gregory XIII (post #3371) (8.20)

Celebrity -

Intellectual - John Maynard Keynes (post #3003) (7.01)

Rebel - Guy Fawkes (post #5205) (14.20)

Wildcards - Gavrilo Princip (post #3916) (11.01)

Wildcards -

Wildcards -

 

[Orange Crush]

What I really wanted to talk about though was Agatha Christie. I'm so torn. She really doesn't belong in this draft, not a chance, but I LOVE Agatha Christie. Her top 5:

How do you figure? In all of world history that we've been able to record she has sold more written works then any other person. Her combined sales rival the bible. Her plays are great and her best is still running, what, 29 years later? Not to mention that she basically created a genre.

Once again, the Madonna argument.

Well, one of the knocks on Madonna was that she didn't have a ton of natural talent and didn't exactly create anything new. Agatha did. In spades. And her talents don't just lie in her novels.

Better. You were just falling into the sales = talent argument. And once again we can talk about popularity being an indicator of greatness. And I'm sure you could even do a better job making that argument (e.g. "the wisdom of crowds") but you need to do a better job talking about your picks' talents / skills / influence on the medium.

 

[Yankee23Fan]

Mario has a very interesting team.......

 

[dparker713]

What I really wanted to talk about though was Agatha Christie. I'm so torn. She really doesn't belong in this draft, not a chance, but I LOVE Agatha Christie. Her top 5:

How do you figure? In all of world history that we've been able to record she has sold more written works then any other person. Her combined sales rival the bible. Her plays are great and her best is still running, what, 29 years later? Not to mention that she basically created a genre.

It'll be for the same reason that tim says Tolkein cant even be considered for top 20 alltime, she's a genre writer.

 

[Abrantes]

Well, since I still haven't made up my mind about the remaining categories, I'll just make some quick adjustments and take a wildcard right now.

18.01 Avicenna Wildcard

A fascinating, oft overlooked figure responsible for the development and systematic organization of medicine, as well as contributions in a number of different fields. His Canon of Medicine is a synthesis of the writings and teachings of a number of different schools, and although it was published in 1025, it was still used and taught throughout the 18th century. The thoroughness and variety of his writings is incredible.

Abū ‘Alī al-Ḥusayn ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn Sīnā Balkhi', known as Abu Ali Sina Balkhi, or Ibn Sina and commonly known in English by his Latinized name Avicenna (born c. 980 near Bukhara, contemporary Uzbekistan, died 1037 in Hamedan in modern Iran), was a Persian polymath and the foremost physician and philosopher of his time. He was also an astronomer, chemist, geologist, logician, paleontologist, mathematician, physicist, poet, psychologist, scientist, and teacher.

Ibn Sīnā wrote almost 450 treatises on a wide range of subjects, of which around 240 have survived. In particular, 150 of his surviving treatises concentrate on philosophy and 40 of them concentrate on medicine. His most famous works are The Book of Healing, a vast philosophical and scientific encyclopaedia, and The Canon of Medicine, which was a standard medical text at many medieval universities. The Canon of Medicine was used as a text-book in the universities of Montpellier and Louvain as late as 1650. Ibn Sīnā developed a medical system that combined his own personal experience with that of Islamic medicine, the medical system of the Greek physician xxxx, Aristotelian metaphysics (Avicenna was one of the main interpreters of Aristotle), and ancient Persian, Mesopotamian and Indian medicine. He was also the founder of Avicennian logic and the philosophical school of Avicennism, which were influential among both Muslim and Scholastic thinkers.

Ibn Sīnā is regarded as a father of modern medicine, and clinical pharmacology particularly for his introduction of systematic experimentation and quantification into the study of physiology, his discovery of the contagious nature of infectious diseases, the introduction of quarantine to limit the spread of contagious diseases, the introduction of experimental medicine, evidence-based medicine, clinical trials, randomized controlled trials, efficacy tests, clinical pharmacology, neuropsychiatry, risk factor analysis, the idea of the syndrome, and the importance of dietetics and the influence of climate and environment on health. He is also considered the father of the fundamental concept of momentum in physics, and regarded as a pioneer of aromatherapy for his invention of steam distillation and extraction of essential oils. He also developed the concept of uniformitarianism and law of superposition in geology.

XXXXXXXXXXX, an author of the history of science, wrote in the Introduction to the History of Science:

"One of the most famous exponents of Muslim universalism and an eminent figure in Islamic learning was Ibn Sina, known in the West as Avicenna (981-1037). For a thousand years he has retained his original renown as one of the greatest thinkers and medical scholars in history. His most important medical works are the Qanun (Canon) and a treatise on Cardiac drugs. The 'Qanun fi-l-Tibb' is an immense encyclopedia of medicine. It contains some of the most illuminating thoughts pertaining to distinction of mediastinitis from pleurisy; contagious nature of phthisis; distribution of diseases by water and soil; careful description of skin troubles; of sexual diseases and perversions; of nervous ailments."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX, the father of the history of science, described Ibn Sīnā as "one of the greatest thinkers and medical scholars in history"[21] and called him "the most famous scientist of Islam and one of the most famous of all races, places, and times." He was one of the Islamic world's leading writers in the field of medicine. He was influenced by the approach of Hippocrates and xxxxxx, as well as xxxxxx and xxxx. Along with xxxxxxx, xxxxxxxx, xxxxx, and xxxxxx, Ibn Sīnā is considered an important compiler of early Muslim medicine. He is remembered in Western history of medicine as a major historical figure who made important contributions to medicine and the European Renaissance. Ibn Sīnā is also considered the father of the fundamental concept of momentum in physics.[30]

In Iran, he is considered a national icon, and is often regarded as one of the greatest Persians to have ever lived. Many portraits and statues remain in Iran today. An impressive monument to the life and works of the man who is known as the 'doctor of doctors' still stands outside the Bukhara museum and his portrait hangs in the Hall of the Avicenna Faculty of Medicine in the University of Paris. There is also a crater on the Moon named Avicenna. Bu-Ali Sina University in Hamedan (Iran), the ibn Sīnā Tajik State Medical University in Dushanbe (The capital of the Republic of Tajikistan), Avicenna School in Karachi, Pakistan and Ibne Sina Balkh Medical School in his native province of Balkh in Afghanistan are all named in his honour.

 

[Yankee23Fan]

What I really wanted to talk about though was Agatha Christie. I'm so torn. She really doesn't belong in this draft, not a chance, but I LOVE Agatha Christie. Her top 5:

How do you figure? In all of world history that we've been able to record she has sold more written works then any other person. Her combined sales rival the bible. Her plays are great and her best is still running, what, 29 years later? Not to mention that she basically created a genre.

Once again, the Madonna argument.

Well, one of the knocks on Madonna was that she didn't have a ton of natural talent and didn't exactly create anything new. Agatha did. In spades. And her talents don't just lie in her novels.

Better. You were just falling into the sales = talent argument. And once again we can talk about popularity being an indicator of greatness. And I'm sure you could even do a better job making that argument (e.g. "the wisdom of crowds") but you need to do a better job talking about your picks' talents / skills / influence on the medium.

She basically invented the crime genre for novels. Her work was the most important development in the medium. And let's be honest, in America, crime drama is pretty high up there on the entertainment tower. She is the most important innovator of a genre that not only spawned her works, but many many others right down to the current line of Law & Order, CSI, and the like. She was revered as a master of suspense, plotting and characterization by most of her contemporaries and, even today, her stories have received glowing reviews in most literary circles.Her most famous character, Detective Poirot is the only fictional character to have been given an obituary in The New York Times. This isn't a run of the mill romance novelist that sells 100 page books to lonely houswives by the hundreds and therefore has a success rate that rivals the greats. This is a great who mastered a genre, made it her own, and captivated millions for almost her entire life, right down to having her creation eulogiized in the New York Times.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Athlete category is an abomination. I have two top 5 guys still on the big board.edit: Bradman went in round 15. That leaves just 1 top 5 guy.

 

[Mjolnirs]

18:08 - Pythagoras - Wild Card

Love his theorem.

 

[Thorn]

Skipped/owed picks:

18.12 Doug B - autoskip

18.17 FUBAR - requested skip

18.19 Larry Boy - timed out

19.02 Larry Boy - timed out

19.03 Arsenal of Doom OTC until 3:32 pm Eastern

19.04 FUBAR - autoskip

19.05 Acer FC - requested skip for this pick

19.06 Yankee23fan - on deck

19.07 Thorn - in the hole

19.08 DC Thunder/Misfit Blondes

19.09 Doug B - autoskip

19.10 Mad Sweeney

19.11 Big Rocks

19.12 higgins

19.13 John Madden's Lunchbox

19.14 Usual21

19.15 thatguy

 

[Doug B]

Getting a quick pick in now to make up the skip. Haven't read through recent pages ... let me know if I have to re-pick:

18.12 - Leif Ericsson, Discover/Explorer

 

[krista4]

She basically invented the crime genre for novels. Her work was the most important development in the medium. And let\'s be honest, in America, crime drama is pretty high up there on the entertainment tower. She is the most important innovator of a genre that not only spawned her works, but many many others right down to the current line of Law & Order, CSI, and the like. She was revered as a master of suspense, plotting and characterization by most of her contemporaries and, even today, her stories have received glowing reviews in most literary circles.

Her most famous character, Detective Poirot is the only fictional character to have been given an obituary in The New York Times. This isn\'t a run of the mill romance novelist that sells 100 page books to lonely houswives by the hundreds and therefore has a success rate that rivals the greats. This is a great who mastered a genre, made it her own, and captivated millions for almost her entire life, right down to having her creation eulogiized in the New York Times.

I like your arguments (which will get you much further than "she's sold so many books", as I mentioned in my judging criteria), but this statement is simply untrue. Without spotlighting, some pretty important crime/detective novels came out beginning in the 1880s, a good 30 years before Christie arrived on the scene.I\'ll echo Tim, though, that I love Agatha Christie. I think I read every damn one of her works, multiple times, when I was a kid.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Getting a quick pick in now to make up the skip. Haven't read through recent pages ... let me know if I have to re-pick:

18.12 - Leiff Ericcson, Discover/Explorer

I'm getting desperate in this category and you've just taken a dump in my face.

 

[Yankee23Fan]

So, should I go humanitarian or ahtlete here?

 

[Arsenal of Doom]

No time for a write-up.

Ernest Shackleton - Explorer

 

[FUBAR]

good timing, I'm here and I'm up

pick coming sooon...

 

[Thorn]

So, should I go humanitarian or ahtlete here?

I already have both, so My pick is locked and loaded...

 

[AcerFC]

Since arsenal just picked looks like I checked just in time

Pablo Naruda-poet

On phone can't PM Yankee

Hope he wasn't picked yet

 

[Thorn]

good timing, I'm here and I'm up pick coming sooon...

Actually you can make both your 18th and 19th rounders.

 

[Yankee23Fan]

She basically invented the crime genre for novels. Her work was the most important development in the medium. And let\'s be honest, in America, crime drama is pretty high up there on the entertainment tower. She is the most important innovator of a genre that not only spawned her works, but many many others right down to the current line of Law & Order, CSI, and the like. She was revered as a master of suspense, plotting and characterization by most of her contemporaries and, even today, her stories have received glowing reviews in most literary circles.

Her most famous character, Detective Poirot is the only fictional character to have been given an obituary in The New York Times. This isn\'t a run of the mill romance novelist that sells 100 page books to lonely houswives by the hundreds and therefore has a success rate that rivals the greats. This is a great who mastered a genre, made it her own, and captivated millions for almost her entire life, right down to having her creation eulogiized in the New York Times.

I like your arguments (which will get you much further than "she's sold so many books", as I mentioned in my judging criteria), but this statement is simply untrue. Without spotlighting, some pretty important crime/detective novels came out beginning in the 1880s, a good 30 years before Christie arrived on the scene.I\'ll echo Tim, though, that I love Agatha Christie. I think I read every damn one of her works, multiple times, when I was a kid.

I know who you are thinking of. But I think a good argument can be made that the "popular formula" for lack of a better term of what the genre has become was influenced a great deal and steered by her direction. Again, even in literary circles today she is admired. This isn't a housewife who wrote a smut book that sold a lot like so many of those Fabio covered romance novels. This was an innovator and creator who is every bit the titan in novels that the others drafted here are.

 

[Thorn]

Since arsenal just picked looks like I checked just in timePablo Naruda-poetOn phone can't PM YankeeHope he wasn't picked yet

Apparently this is the 'hurry up' portion of our 'hurry up and wait' style...

 

[timschochet]

Yankee, here's the best analogy I can think of to make my point about Christie and other genre writers. Let's say we were drafting the greatest restaurants ever. Most of the people select the finest dining experiences, the best French, Italian, and steakhouses the world has to offer, and you draft McDonald's. Your argument is that this is the most popular restaurant in the world. You also argue that it created it's own genre, the fast food restaurant. Furthermore, you can even argue that it's got good food. I like McDonald's hamburgers and fries from time to time; most people do. But how do we compare it to the fine dining? We can't. And that's the problem.

 

[Yankee23Fan]

Since arsenal just picked looks like I checked just in timePablo Naruda-poetOn phone can't PM YankeeHope he wasn't picked yet

I thought Arsenal was up? I don't care in that I'm not being sniped by this pick anyway - but for order sake, where the hell are we?

 

[rodg12]

Since arsenal just picked looks like I checked just in timePablo Naruda-poetOn phone can't PM YankeeHope he wasn't picked yet

I thought Arsenal was up? I don't care in that I'm not being sniped by this pick anyway - but for order sake, where the hell are we?

Arsenal picked Ernest Shackleton. Meaning, you're up. I think.

 

[krista4]

She basically invented the crime genre for novels. Her work was the most important development in the medium. And let\'s be honest, in America, crime drama is pretty high up there on the entertainment tower. She is the most important innovator of a genre that not only spawned her works, but many many others right down to the current line of Law & Order, CSI, and the like. She was revered as a master of suspense, plotting and characterization by most of her contemporaries and, even today, her stories have received glowing reviews in most literary circles.

Her most famous character, Detective Poirot is the only fictional character to have been given an obituary in The New York Times. This isn\'t a run of the mill romance novelist that sells 100 page books to lonely houswives by the hundreds and therefore has a success rate that rivals the greats. This is a great who mastered a genre, made it her own, and captivated millions for almost her entire life, right down to having her creation eulogiized in the New York Times.

I like your arguments (which will get you much further than "she's sold so many books", as I mentioned in my judging criteria), but this statement is simply untrue. Without spotlighting, some pretty important crime/detective novels came out beginning in the 1880s, a good 30 years before Christie arrived on the scene.I\'ll echo Tim, though, that I love Agatha Christie. I think I read every damn one of her works, multiple times, when I was a kid.

I know who you are thinking of. But I think a good argument can be made that the "popular formula" for lack of a better term of what the genre has become was influenced a great deal and steered by her direction. Again, even in literary circles today she is admired. This isn't a housewife who wrote a smut book that sold a lot like so many of those Fabio covered romance novels. This was an innovator and creator who is every bit the titan in novels that the others drafted here are.

You probably do know whom I'm talking about, and that was just the first name that popped into my head. There are, however, many others, going back to about 1850. I won't dispute that she was innovative, though, if that's your argument. It's only the statement that she "invented the crime genre for novels" that is absolutely untrue.

 

[krista4]

Since arsenal just picked looks like I checked just in timePablo Naruda-poetOn phone can't PM YankeeHope he wasn't picked yet

Love the pick; hate the spelling.

 

[FUBAR]

18th Round: Carl Von Clauswitz Intellectual. Move Ben Franklin to Wildcard

 

[Thorn]

Since arsenal just picked looks like I checked just in timePablo Naruda-poetOn phone can't PM YankeeHope he wasn't picked yet

I thought Arsenal was up? I don't care in that I'm not being sniped by this pick anyway - but for order sake, where the hell are we?

See my post above. Both Acer and FUBAR had asked to be skipped, then showed up. So it's kind of muddy. Probably best to let FUBAR post his 18th and 19th, then you can go. I think.

 

[Doug B]

These are all the pending skips?

18.5 - Andy Dufresne: SKIP,

18.17 - FUBAR: SKIP,

18.19 - Larry Boy 44: SKIP,

19.2 - Larry Boy: SKIP,

19.4 - FUBAR: SKIP,

 

[Andy Dufresne]

No time for a write-up.

Ernest Shackleton - Explorer

I like this one. His story is incredible.Was I skipped? Can I pick?

 

[rodg12]

No time for a write-up.

Ernest Shackleton - Explorer

I like this one. His story is incredible.Was I skipped? Can I pick?

and

 

[Ozymandias]

Yankee, here's the best analogy I can think of to make my point about Christie and other genre writers. Let's say we were drafting the greatest restaurants ever. Most of the people select the finest dining experiences, the best French, Italian, and steakhouses the world has to offer, and you draft McDonald's. Your argument is that this is the most popular restaurant in the world. You also argue that it created it's own genre, the fast food restaurant. Furthermore, you can even argue that it's got good food. I like McDonald's hamburgers and fries from time to time; most people do. But how do we compare it to the fine dining? We can't. And that's the problem.

Except that you really can't dismiss someone as "just a genre writer" when the person has probably been read by more people than any other fiction. The writer has transcended the genre. Are the characters well drawn? Do they offer a view of manners, of customs, of conversation? Do they have a moral philosophy, a sense of right and wrong? Are some of the families happy, and others each unhappy in their own way (to coin a phrase)? Is there drama? Is there vengeance? Are there some tragic heroes? Do they deal with a fall from grace? Do they deal with universal themes? Good vs Evil? In all of those, Agatha Christie scores high. One might as well dismiss Hamlet and King Lear as internal family quarrels, Don Quijote as an adventure story, Crime and Punishment as just another detective story, and Heart of Darkness as Africa Exploration.

 

[thatguy]

Tim, I'll say one last thing about Nostradamus in comparison to the likes of Monroe, Crockett, and Revere, all of whom were well received by you in the GAD. It's almost as if you're arguing that iconography and the legend of a person are important only in America. This is absurd - the rest of the world cares about these things, too. Well, I've already explained how the legend of Nostradamus if far bigger than those of the others I mentioned - not only is he known and read the world over, but we're still talking about his predictions over 400 years after his death. You seriously are not giving him his just due.

 

[larry_boy_44]

Athlete category is an abomination. I have two top 5 guys still on the big board.edit: Bradman went in round 15. That leaves just 1 top 5 guy.

I still have to do a write-up on Phelps, whom I personally consider in the top 5-10 based on his time records, medal accomplishments, and pure dominance on the international scene. He's the Babe Ruth or Gretzky of his sport, and he's doing it against the entire globe. Plus he pulls a mean binger.I've been incredibly busy though, and have little time. Maybe tonight I'll get to it. I will say I was shocked to see him slip down this far when Athletes have been drafted steadily for awhile now.

honestly, what Phelps did really doesn't impress me that much... not that its un-impressive, just compared to guys like Pele, Gretzky, Ruth, & Jordan, it just doesn't measure up and i don't see any way he could do something that would measure up...

It doesn't measure up in what way Larry? What is the commonality of the four guys you listed that Phelps doesn't have?

I don't consider swimming on level with the other sports... I just don't...I also don't think we'd think Phelps were as impressive if there weren't 25 medals in swimming so that swimmers could get 8 medals in one Olympics...There are athletes who won a smaller number of medals in Olympic events that i am much more impressed by than Michael Phelps...

 

[Thorn]

These are all the pending skips?

18.5 - Andy Dufresne: SKIP,

18.17 - FUBAR: SKIP,

18.19 - Larry Boy 44: SKIP,

19.2 - Larry Boy: SKIP,

19.4 - FUBAR: SKIP,

I think so, though FUBAR, Larry and Andy are present now.

 

[Yankee23Fan]

Yankee, here's the best analogy I can think of to make my point about Christie and other genre writers. Let's say we were drafting the greatest restaurants ever. Most of the people select the finest dining experiences, the best French, Italian, and steakhouses the world has to offer, and you draft McDonald's. Your argument is that this is the most popular restaurant in the world. You also argue that it created it's own genre, the fast food restaurant. Furthermore, you can even argue that it's got good food. I like McDonald's hamburgers and fries from time to time; most people do. But how do we compare it to the fine dining? We can't. And that's the problem.

I've seen this point and without making this mean, it's a point that is comedic and worthless. Your opinion about genre is childish - with all due respect.Again, Agatha Christie is not Susan Evanovich who writes the same 120 page "romance" "crime story" stories over and over again and has huge sales numbers because women eat that crap up. That is McDonalds. There is substance to Christie. So much so that she is still a titan in the industry today. Her stories have stood the test of time and have been made into movies, plays, television shows, and on and on and on. They are so respected that they have been remade over and over. Right down to the fact that the New York Times mourned the death of Poirot. It may genre (god forbid) but it stands well above the level you put it on.Popularity goes a long way with a lot of these "entertainment" categories. And it should. You guys that want to attack it with this McDonalds argument are making a case I will never understand. Joe Smith guitar player in Alabama might be the greatest jazz guitar player to ever grace this planet - God Himself may have cast the guys hands from the lake of musical genius to create the talent. But if not a single person ever heard the guy play then he won't be drafted here. If only 10 people heard him play, he isn't getting drafted here. At some point popularity must make it's ugly head known. Sorry. It's just the fact of the matter. And when you have people that obliterate others on the popularity chart, notice should be taken. It's the same in all the categories. Great Leaders are made great by what they do which naturally leads to a form of popular recognition. Same with Scientists. Same with every category here. The worst person on the planet - truly the most evil incarnation of humanity ever to curse this planet - may be tim's gardener. He isn't going to be drafted here. A necessary level of fame and recognition matters in every category, yet when we get to the "lifestyle" categories where you can be a snob and look down at others' opinions all of the sudden popularity has no place. Please.The only writing that surpases her is the bible. The freakin bible. The snobbery needed to justify your post is amazing in that respect. But I don't even need to go there given her stubstance, her greatness in plays and other formats - she wrote the most successful play in history - it's still running - decades after it opened - it's still relevent. And not for nothing, but for all the talk about the great fancy restaurant that gets 5 stars in Zagat's and has a waiting list 5 years long with a chef that can't be bothered using any bread not hand made by a virgin in Sicily - I'd rather enjoy myself then have to deal with the misplaced useless arrogance. You can keep the $500 a plate place where you have to act better then everyone else or you don't get to eat. I'll be fine with Tennessee bourbon and a thick steak for a tenth of the price.Ok, I'm done with Christie. Time to move on......

 

[Thorn]

Athlete category is an abomination. I have two top 5 guys still on the big board.edit: Bradman went in round 15. That leaves just 1 top 5 guy.

I still have to do a write-up on Phelps, whom I personally consider in the top 5-10 based on his time records, medal accomplishments, and pure dominance on the international scene. He's the Babe Ruth or Gretzky of his sport, and he's doing it against the entire globe. Plus he pulls a mean binger.I've been incredibly busy though, and have little time. Maybe tonight I'll get to it. I will say I was shocked to see him slip down this far when Athletes have been drafted steadily for awhile now.

honestly, what Phelps did really doesn't impress me that much... not that its un-impressive, just compared to guys like Pele, Gretzky, Ruth, & Jordan, it just doesn't measure up and i don't see any way he could do something that would measure up...

It doesn't measure up in what way Larry? What is the commonality of the four guys you listed that Phelps doesn't have?

I don't consider swimming on level with the other sports... I just don't...I also don't think we'd think Phelps were as impressive if there weren't 25 medals in swimming so that swimmers could get 8 medals in one Olympics...There are athletes who won a smaller number of medals in Olympic events that i am much more impressed by than Michael Phelps...

Sorry, you cannot partake in any discussion until you make up two picks. Against the rules.

 

[rodg12]

Yankee, here's the best analogy I can think of to make my point about Christie and other genre writers. Let's say we were drafting the greatest restaurants ever. Most of the people select the finest dining experiences, the best French, Italian, and steakhouses the world has to offer, and you draft McDonald's. Your argument is that this is the most popular restaurant in the world. You also argue that it created it's own genre, the fast food restaurant. Furthermore, you can even argue that it's got good food. I like McDonald's hamburgers and fries from time to time; most people do. But how do we compare it to the fine dining? We can't. And that's the problem.

Except that you really can't dismiss someone as "just a genre writer" when the person has probably been read by more people than any other fiction. The writer has transcended the genre. Are the characters well drawn? Do they offer a view of manners, of customs, of conversation? Do they have a moral philosophy, a sense of right and wrong? Are some of the families happy, and others each unhappy in their own way (to coin a phrase)? Is there drama? Is there vengeance? Are there some tragic heroes? Do they deal with a fall from grace? Do they deal with universal themes? Good vs Evil? In all of those, Agatha Christie scores high. One might as well dismiss Hamlet and King Lear as internal family quarrels, Don Quijote as an adventure story, Crime and Punishment as just another detective story, and Heart of Darkness as Africa Exploration.

 

[larry_boy_44]

Getting a quick pick in now to make up the skip. Haven't read through recent pages ... let me know if I have to re-pick:

18.12 - Leif Ericsson, Discover/Explorer

the true #1 for all those who claim Columbus is #1...

 

[Doug B]

Larry -- don't you owe two picks?

 

[FUBAR]

I know nothing about painters, so I'll just take a guy whose work I like:

Albert Bierstadt

Landers Peak

storm-in-the-rocky-mountains

Looking_Down_Yosemite-Valley

I expect to be last but I'd actually own his stuff

 

[Thorn]

Getting a quick pick in now to make up the skip. Haven't read through recent pages ... let me know if I have to re-pick:

18.12 - Leif Ericsson, Discover/Explorer

the true #1 for all those who claim Columbus is #1...

Pick or die.