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Out of the van. Comic Chris Farley followed his idol John Belushi into the halls of drug-induced, post-fast-living, over-the-top comic heaven on December 18th. Keith and the team of Deb & Mike each score 150 points, and our Angel of Life is sent to spend the rest of the game in a van, down by the river.

The mountain finally caught him. Just a week later on Christmas day (guess the Angel of life was napping), actor Denver "Uncle Jesse Duke-of-Hazzard (County)" Pyle went to the great welded-shut General Lee in the sky. This puts PDM in the lead with a full 300 points. Apparently he was correct when he submitted the name with the comment, "Looked like they got him up off his death bed for the [1997] reunion."

Looks like he picked the wrong day to stop breathing. On March 10 actor Lloyd Bridges passed on. This was the second correct prediction for PDM, whose lead increases to a solid 450 points over the second-place contenders.

Most illogical. Oft confused with a Vulcan, renowned child psychologist Dr. Benjamin Spock died just five days later on March 15. Keith earns the full 300 points, moving up into second place but still another 300 points behind PDM.

Pot sticker. Pol Pot, much-unbeloved leader of the Khmer Rouge genocidal guerillas, somewhat conveniently died April 15th amid media suspicion just days after US commitment to capture him and bring him to justice. World concensus is that this is a much more permanent condition than his death from malaria in June of 1996, so Mark, Holly and Ruth get on the board with 100 points apiece.

Dream-slayer or fall-guy? Only a week later on April 23, James Earl Ray's doctors pulled the plug and he passed away. The world may never know the truth about Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination, but that won't stop Oliver Stone. Marsha assumes a comfy 150-point tie with Keith Sontag, while Deb & Mike move up to a second-place tie with Keith M. at 300.

Doesn't take a genius. PDM presses his lead by another 300 points by masterfully anticipating the passing of 115-year-old Danish-American Christian Mortensen, who smoked his last cigar April 25th. Though he was the oldest man in the world (on record), the title of world's oldest person had passed earlier in April from Canadian Marie Louise Meilleur to fellow 117-year-old Sarah Clark Knauss of Allentown, Pennsylvania. There's no official Game rule against submitting these folks as predictions, but it may at least get you made fun of in this space.

Not such a good year. Frank Sinatra, on the list since the Game's inception in 1995, went his way on May 14. Ten players score just thirty points apiece, including the first scores for Jodi as well as Kari & Andy. (Not such a good year for the Angel of Life, either, since he's let eight go in seven months!)

Turned to lead. Pioneer conservative and 1964 Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater registered permanent absentee status May 29th. Deb-n-Mike move up into second place, splitting the points with Marsha who now ties Keith M. for third.

Yaquitti Yaq. In June news came out that Carlos Cataneda, prolific expounder of Yaqui mysticism and sorcery, died back on April 27 and had been cremated. On the other hand, according to his literary agent Castaneda "evanesced" into mist and the announcement of his death was a formality to allow his will to be executed. Either way, 300 tensegritous points are awarded to Jodi who joins the third-place tie.

Get stuffed. That tie is broken July 6 when Roy Rogers crooned his last solo and sold his last Double-R-bar burger. With the full 300 points, Marsha leapfrogs over Deb-n-Mike into second place.

Father knows rest. Marsha presses even further two weeks later, when respiratory failure makes it certain that Robert Young won't be making any more Marcus Welby TV specials. The 300 points challenge PDM's first-place lead, for which Marsha is now tied.

Fiddler in the sky? And the next week, Sharks, Jets, Lost Boys, Fiddlers, and the King of Siam all paused in their steps when Jerome Robbins shuffled off to his final off-off-off-Broadway choreography gig. Larry gets on the board with 300 points.

Angel flown the coop? The second week in September, two of Mark K.'s predictions come in and he moves up into fourth place. Marsha shares the points--and steps past PDM into the lead--with Akira Kurasawa's final take, then Mark and Rob share points when George Wallace found out whether heaven is segregated.

Out of the saddle for good. On October 2, last of the cowboys Gene Autry meandered after his perpetual colleague Roy Rogers into the singers' sunset. Mark K. earns yet another 100 points passing Deb-n-Mike and moving into third place, while Keith M. breaks his fifth-place tie with Jodi. The other 100 points go to PDM, who is now just 50 points behind Marsha as the end of the game approaches.

And down to the wire! Marsha holds her lead for the rest of the month and emerges the 1998 WINNER! (With the Angel of Life's protection expired, Batman creator Bob Kane leaves Gotham behind just three days later, which would have been another score for Mark K. and put him in striking distance of the win.) Marsha triumphantly joins the winner's circle as the 1998 Game is closed, and the 1999 Game commences..