Norm McDonald -- SNL aum. Dead at 61.

That's a shame. Sometimes, you get in a mood where you just have to watch odd Norm MacDonald videos (usually of him on Letterman or Conan telling an incredibly long, unfunny joke in a hysterical way). But this is my all-time video clip of him on a late night show. It's a long video - and the first half is kind boring. But the second half is a classic

No matter what, I'll always appreciate Norm MacDonald for his unrelenting attack on O.J. Simpson, before and during the trial. You can find a compilation on YouTube.

Reuben Klamer (June 20, 1922 – September 14, 2021) was an American inventor, best known for creating and designing the classic Milton Bradley (now Hasbro) board game The Game of Life.

Quote:In June 1959, Klamer pitched an art center concept to Milton Bradley that featured their crayons and finger paints. The company declined, but Milton Bradley president James Shea, Sr. asked Klamer to develop a game in celebration of the hundredth anniversary of Milton Bradley Company. After months of development, Klamer unveiled The Game of Life at the 1960 American International Toy Fair in the Milton Bradley showroom. Spurred by the endorsement of TV personality Art Linkletter, the game went on to sell more than fifty million copies. Klamer was inducted into the Hasbro's Inventors Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Toy Industry Hall of Fame in 2005. He received the TAGIE Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. Star Trek producer Gene Roddenberry enlisted Klamer to design "a really big gun." He built the phaser rifle used in the episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before."

Reuben Klamer, Toy Industry Icon and Inventor of the The Game of Life, has Reluctantly Left this World at 99

Reuben Klamer, Creator of The Game of Life, Dies at 99

Quote:Klamer's most lasting contribution was the modern version of The Game of Life, which he made to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Milton Bradley. The game was inspired by a game designed and published by Milton Bradley (the person, not the company) called The Checkered Game of Life, which involved collecting points in order to secure a "happy life." Klamer and Bill Markham collaborated on the modern version of the game, adding the classic board elements like the wheel on the board and the automobiles with spaces for family members. Later versions of the game introduced Life Tiles and pets to the game.

The Game of Life has sold more than 70 million copies and is considered the second most popular board game in the world behind only Monopoly. The game was inducted into the permanent Archives of Family Life of the Smithsonian Institution in 1981 and is also a National Toy Hall of Fame inductee.

Other toys designed by Klamer include the original Fisher-Price Preschool Trainer Skates, the Art Linkletter Hoop, Gaylord the Walking Dog, Moon Rocks, Dolly Darlings, Erector-Constructor Sets, and Busy Blocks and Zoo-It-Yourself. Klamer also developed special effects and toys for The Man From Uncle and innovated an entire line of tie-in products for the Pink Panther cartoon show. Klamer also invented the first "no glue" snap-together hobby kits, an innovation that is still used today.

Professor Emeritus Ronald Probstein, world-renowned expert in fluid mechanics, dies at 93

Probstein’s research had diverse applications in fields including aeronautics, energy, desalination, and soil decontamination.

Quote:Many of Probstein’s research contributions had impact in the field of aeronautics. His work in fluid dynamics informed early spacecraft design and deepened the understanding of the physics behind ballistic missile reentry. Alongside Wallace Hayes, Probstein co-authored the book "Hypersonic Inviscid Flow," which is recognized as a highly influential work in the field of hypersonic flight. His interest in aerodynamics extended beyond the manufactured to celestial objects. He proposed a theory on the behavior and shape of the tails of dust that trail behind comets.

Probstein also developed solutions for problems related to the health of the planet. He conducted research in the development of synthetic fuels as well as advanced desalination and water purification technology. In the 1990s, he patented a method for the removal of toxic contaminants in soil — a process known as electrokinetic soil remediation.

Nashville A-Team Musician Bob Moore Dies at 88


Pictured: Bob Moore on bass during a Brenda Lee recording session at Bradley’s Film and Recording Studio. Photograph by: Elmer Williams, courtesy of CMHOF

Quote:Nashville A-Team bassist, Bob Moore, has died. He was 88.

Throughout his more than 60-year career, Moore was one of the lead musicians to utilize the bass guitar as a country music instrument and was the first-call bassist on Music Row’s A-Team of session musicians from the 1950s through the 1970s. Along the way, he provided rhythmic support and ideas for an array of classic country hits, including Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces,” Brenda Lee’s “I’m Sorry,” Loretta Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” Roger Miller’s “King of the Road,” Elvis Presley’s “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” Marty Robbins’s “El Paso,” Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler,” and Conway Twitty’s “Hello Darlin’,” among countless others...

In the 1950s, Moore began playing on Nashville recordings that represented what would become known as rockabilly, including for Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Brenda Lee, Bobby Helms, Wanda Jackson, and Johnny Burnette and the Rock & Roll Trio.

In 1961, Moore also enjoyed a major pop hit of his own with his instrumental recording “Mexico.” The song went No. 1 in Germany and reached No. 7 on the U.S. pop charts.

Moore was honored as part of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museums’ Nashville Cats: A Celebration of Music City Session Players program, and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2007, along with other members of the Nashville A-Team.

“Bob Moore’s contributions to American music are incalculable,” shares Kyle Young, CEO, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “Raised in East Nashville, he was a musical master and the most-recorded bass player in country music history. As a key member of the much-vaunted ‘A-Team’ of Nashville session players, he was both an inspiration and an innovator. He was the heartbeat behind classics including Patsy Cline’s ‘Crazy,’ Sammi Smith’s ‘Help Me Make It Through the Night,’ Kenny Rogers’s ‘The Gambler,’ and hundreds of other recordings that changed the course of country music. He played with Johnny Cash, Tom T. Hall, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and so many others, and he helped establish Monument Records, where he was a player, a producer, an arranger and a hit artist. He once said, ‘Anyone who has heard me play the bass knows my soul.’ We’re fortunate that he shared his soul with us for so many years.”

Sue Thompson, singer, 96. "Sad Movies (Always Make Me Cry)" and "Norman".

oh, man, this guy was f***in' great...soooo sorry to see him gone...





Pat Fish, who performed as The Jazz Butcher for nearly 40 years, has died. He was 64. Word came via his frequent collaborator and lead guitarist Max Eider, who wrote, "Very sad to announce that my old friend Pat Fish died suddenly but peacefully on Tuesday evening. Pat rocked my world in every way and his death leaves a big hole in my life and in my memory, much of which was only stored in his outsized brain. Goodbye mate and thanks for everything. I’m going to miss you."

Born Patrick Huntrods in 1957, Pat Fish put out records under variations of The Jazz Butcher name since the mid-’80s, making droll, often heartfelt VU-inspired guitar pop with a rotating cast of friends, including Bauhaus/Love & Rockets bassist David J, members of The Woodentops, Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom, and Eider. In North America, records like Bloody Nonsense and Distressed Gentlefolk were college radio staples, and following those he released a series of terrific albums for Creation Records from 1988 though 1995.

While much of The Jazz Butcher's catalog was out of print in the late '90s and '00s, Fire Records began a reissue campaign a few years ago. If you don't know who he was, you'd be doing yourself a favor to check out some of his work.

Artist: The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy
Album: Distressed Gentlefolk
Song: "Angels"
1986 Glass Records



you gotta get along now, Pat...d@mn....

Artist: The Jazz Butcher
Album: A Scandal In Bohemia
Song: "Southern Mark Smith"
1984 Glass Records

R.I.P. Mike Harris

(11-10-2021 01:20 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  R.I.P. Mike Harris

While unfortunate, i flipped out as i thought it was "our" Michael Harris-my all time favorite Rice BSKB player.....

Patrick (Packy) Saunders passed away last Thursday. Rice alum, artist, and BBQ aficionado. Apparently found dead in his car between Austin and Dallas.

Tom Franklin, former radio voice of the Owls, lost his mother.

Graeme Edge, 80, drummer for the Moody Blues, and co-founder of the original group (with Denny Laine as the lead singer "Go Now"). The last time I saw them in person was just a couple of years ago in Las Vegas - tremendous concert, even though Ray Thomas had just passed away. Edge was, by then, just a figurehead for easy drumming, as a younger drummer handled most of the songs. Now just Justin Hayward and John Lodge remain (Mike Pinder - the "voice" on the poems and an outstanding songwriter - left the group in the 1970s and is still alive).

Bill Virdon, 90, dies. He was a pretty solid manager for the Astros back in the late 1970's/early 1980's, and then came back two decades later to serve as a bench coach.

(11-23-2021 02:10 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Bill Virdon, 90, dies. He was a pretty solid manager for the Astros back in the late 1970's/early 1980's, and then came back two decades later to serve as a bench coach.

And a member of the 1960 Pirates World Champions. Always thought he was the Astros all time best manager, except for perhaps AJ Hinch. His firing was part of John McMullen's awfulness including the firing of Tal Smith.

(11-23-2021 02:37 PM)texowl2 Wrote:  

(11-23-2021 02:10 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Bill Virdon, 90, dies. He was a pretty solid manager for the Astros back in the late 1970's/early 1980's, and then came back two decades later to serve as a bench coach.

And a member of the 1960 Pirates World Champions. Always thought he was the Astros all time best manager, except for perhaps AJ Hinch. His firing was part of John McMullen's awfulness including the firing of Tal Smith.

The list of awfulness was long with McMullen. No. 1 on that list was letting Nolan Ryan walk and go to the Rangers because he didn’t want to sign Ryan for, oh the horrors, $1M!

He must be rolling in his grave with the thought of Correa getting well north of $300M.

(11-23-2021 03:47 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(11-23-2021 02:37 PM)texowl2 Wrote:  

(11-23-2021 02:10 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Bill Virdon, 90, dies. He was a pretty solid manager for the Astros back in the late 1970's/early 1980's, and then came back two decades later to serve as a bench coach.

And a member of the 1960 Pirates World Champions. Always thought he was the Astros all time best manager, except for perhaps AJ Hinch. His firing was part of John McMullen's awfulness including the firing of Tal Smith.

The list of awfulness was long with McMullen. No. 1 on that list was letting Nolan Ryan walk and go to the Rangers because he didn’t want to sign Ryan for, oh the horrors, $1M!

He must be rolling in his grave with the thought of Correa getting well north of $300M.

Personally think that Nolan is a bit overrated, particularly compared to a number of his competitors-Carlton, Palmer, Seaver and the like. How many losses did he have? 2800 walks, in front by 900 or so. While amazing when he was on, he could be just awful at times. And still not sure if I ever got over 1980 NLCS game 5. Nevertheless that was idiotic and I won a bet with a colleague who thought his replacement (Jim Clancy) would be just fine-um no.

(11-23-2021 04:11 PM)texowl2 Wrote:  

(11-23-2021 03:47 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(11-23-2021 02:37 PM)texowl2 Wrote:  

(11-23-2021 02:10 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Bill Virdon, 90, dies. He was a pretty solid manager for the Astros back in the late 1970's/early 1980's, and then came back two decades later to serve as a bench coach.

And a member of the 1960 Pirates World Champions. Always thought he was the Astros all time best manager, except for perhaps AJ Hinch. His firing was part of John McMullen's awfulness including the firing of Tal Smith.

The list of awfulness was long with McMullen. No. 1 on that list was letting Nolan Ryan walk and go to the Rangers because he didn’t want to sign Ryan for, oh the horrors, $1M!

He must be rolling in his grave with the thought of Correa getting well north of $300M.

Personally think that Nolan is a bit overrated, particularly compared to a number of his competitors-Carlton, Palmer, Seaver and the like. How many losses did he have? 2800 walks, in front by 900 or so. While amazing when he was on, he could be just awful at times. And still not sure if I ever got over 1980 NLCS game 5. Nevertheless that was idiotic and I won a bet with a colleague who thought his replacement (Jim Clancy) would be just fine-um no.

Ryan was 324-292 for his career with a 3.19 ERA, 5714 Ks and 7 no hitters, the last two of which came in a Rangers uni after McMullins refused to pay him. Not too shabby.

If anything, I think Nolan tried to pitch too fine, to nibble at the corners, when with his stuff, he could just start everything down the middle and let it go where it wanted to go, and nobody could have hit it.

Now we are talking about a living guy in the notable deaths thread.

Who says Rice posters can't stay on topic?