RIP

[y66]

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/05/07/sports/y-seve/y-seve-articleLarge.jpg

Photo: AP

 

From today's NYT

 

Seve Ballesteros, the charismatic Spanish golfer who won the Masters twice and the British Open three times and helped propel Europe’s rise in the Ryder Cup competition with the United States, died early Saturday at his home in northern Spain, where his struggle with brain cancer had gained wide attention in the sports world. He was 54.

 

Ballesteros was only 19 and virtually unknown when he was thrust into the golf spotlight in July 1976. He was on the final hole of the British Open at Royal Birkdale, on England’s western coast, when he hit a brilliant chip shot between two bunkers that landed four feet from the cup. He then sank his putt to tie Jack Nicklaus for second place behind Johnny Miller after having led for three rounds.

 

That daring chip, and the shots before it that rescued him after wild drives into dunes and bushes, caught the golf world’s attention and defined the kind of game that made Ballesteros one of the finest players of his era.

 

With a passion for perfection, an uncommon intensity and a brilliant short game, Ballesteros won five major championships in a 10-year span. At Augusta National in 1980, he became the first European and, at 23, the youngest player to win the Masters. (Tiger Woods became the youngest in 1997 when he won the Masters at 21.) Ballesteros won the Masters again in 1983, captured the British Open in 1979, 1984 and 1988, and won the World Match Play Championship five times.

[paulg]

My abiding memory of Seve is his birdie at the final hole of the 1984 Open ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30comFnFZOs&feature=share

 

 

 

Edit: updated link

[Fluffy]

My abiding memory of Seve is his birdie at the final hole of the 1984 Open ... http://youtu.be/30comFnFZOs.

youtu.be doesn't work for me.

 

Quoting my brother: Now we have have Nadal, Xavi, Iniesta, Alonso, Gasol etc, but back on that day when we were childs we had only one, and that was Seve. Will miss you.

[y66]

I followed Ballesteros and Olazábal vs Azinger and Beck on day 1 of the 1991 Ryder Cup and vs Floyd and Couples on day 2. It was something to see the most competitive golfers of that era -- Floyd, Ballesteros and Azinger -- playing against each other and to feel the energy coming from those matches. That energy is the coolest thing in golf and nobody produced more of it than Ballesteros.

[Cyberyeti]

Bill Haast http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/8587795/Bill-Haast.html

 

Snakes have always fascinated me, and I remember seeing him on documentaries many times.

 

And to add a bridge one, Michelle Brunner http://www.ebu.co.uk/general/biographies/obituaries/michellebrunner.htm

[gordontd]

Yes, indeed Michelle Brunner's death is a sad loss. She battled on for so long, still playing top class bridge when it was a struggle just to get there.

[paulg]

Yes, indeed Michelle Brunner's death is a sad loss. She battled on for so long, still playing top class bridge when it was a struggle just to get there.

She played at least one Camrose match where she was almost unable to leave the playing area and spent the break in the organisers room chatting to all of us rather than battle her way downstairs. Amazing that she could still maintain concentration and performance in these circumstances and I think it was an indication of how highly she was regarded that her NPCs were happy to play her despite the obvious discomfort that she was in.

 

Sad to see such a competitor leave us too soon.

 

 

[luke warm]

marshal dillon and columbo, rip

[Cyberyeti]

Würzel

http://www.metro.co.uk/music/869184-motorheads-wurzel-dies-of-heart-attack-while-pouring-pint-of-guinness

[y66]

Igniting a Revolution, Starting with ‘Hound Dog’ -- by Stephen Holden

 

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/08/24/arts/leiber/leiber-articleLarge.jpg

Photo: Reuters

 

Jerry Leiber, left at the piano, with Mike Stoller, along with, standing from left, Lester Sill, Jerry Wexler, members of the Coasters and, far right, Ahmet Ertegun, in 1959. Mr. Leiber and Mr. Stoller wrote hits like “Jailhouse Rock” and “Stand By Me.”

[kenberg]

Thanks.

 

You ain't nothin but a houndog

and

Is that all there is

 

I would not have expected these to come from the same source

[Cascade]

Steve Jobs

[Lobowolf]

On the extremely short list of the most influential people during my lifetime. An absolute giant of the tech era.

[PassedOut]

A sad day.

[hrothgar]

On the extremely short list of the most influential people during my lifetime. An absolute giant of the tech era.

 

Agreed. Jobs was (arguably) the greatest CEO of the modern business era.

[diana_eva]

Steve Jobs

 

[Gerben42]

I'm iSad...

 

Sent from my iPhone

[y66]

http://www.newyorker.com/images/covers/2011/2011_10_17_p154.jpg

 

Was not a fan. But I love the way the guy came back. Looking forward to the bio.

[PassedOut]

Dennis Ritchie

[akhare]

Dennis Ritchie

Very sad indeed. Probably responsible for making "foobar" main()-stream as well?

[TylerE]

Perhaps. As I assume you know, that derives from the miltary acronym fubar, which dates to WWII, if not earlier.

[barmar]

http://catb.org/jargon/html/F/foobar.html

[Lobowolf]

Andy Rooney &

 

Smokin' Joe Frazier. If Frazier had been born 20 years earlier and Marciano 20 years later, it would have been Joe who was the undefeated heavyweight champ.

[luke warm]

i don't believe there's any doubt about that

[kenberg]

Ilya Zhitomirskiy

 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/technology/ilya-zhitomirskiy-co-founder-of-social-network-dies-at-22.html