Monday, December 18, 2006

Greatest people with 3-letter first names

About a week ago I decided to post about the Greatest Carls Ever. Well, I thought that was fun, so I'm doing another one. This one is my list of the 5 greatest people with 3-letter first names. Here are my guidelines: They have to be known primarily by this name, and it can't be an obvious shortening for a longer version of that name. Take Bob Dylan for instance. "Bob" is obviously short for Robert, and although he went primarily by "Bob", this doesn't count. That's pretty much it, so here's my list.

#5 - Moe Szyslak













Moe is the always depressed Owner/Operator of "Moe's Tavern" on The Simpsons. His disgruntled demeanor, lenient bar tab policy, and pickled eggs draw in a regular crowd of Homer, Barney, Lenny, and Carl. Moe often gets prank calls from Bart, who asks for "Seymour Butts", "Homer Sexual", "Al Coholic", and so on. Moe's Christmas tradition is to commit suicide, which he attempts almost every Christmas episode, yet inevitably he fails and is left more depressed than ever.

#4 - Red Auerbach













Red was one of the most successful NBA coaches to ever live. He was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame as a coach in 1969 after winning nine NBA Championships with the Boston Celtics from 1950-1966, including eight straight from 1959 to 1966. That is the longest consecutive string of championships in the history of North American professional sports. Red passed away this past October. He was 89 when he died, and the basketball community will sorely miss him.

#3 - Leo Tolstoy













Leo, or Lev in Russian, is considered by many to be one of the greatest novelists ever. His two most notable novels are War and Peace and Anna Karenina, both of which are realistic fiction, a style he was so accomplished in that many believed if the world could write itself, it would write like Tolstoy. He was also a Christian Anarchist, a pacifist, and a moral thinker that influenced Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr., among others.

#2 - Lex Luther













Lex is a supervillain of DC Comics and arch nemesis of Superman. He has been Superman's main foe for almost all of his existence, and is a mirror image of the Man of Steel, devoid of morals and relying on intellect rather than strength; consistently seizing power for his own benefit, rather than harnessing his genius for good. Lex has been described as both a mad scientist and a Machiavellian industrialist, he has been President of the United States, and is a known terrorist. Lex always has Kryptonite at hand for protection; he has a ring of the element that renders him untouchable to Superman, thus keeping his power alive.

#1 - Doc Holliday













Doc Holliday was an American gunfighter back in the late 1800's. He is well known for traveling with Wyatt Earp and participating in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral. He died of tuberculosis, and it is said that on his deathbed, Doc asked for a drink of whiskey, and his last words were "This is funny." The Doc Holliday I am honoring is the one specifically portrayed by Val Kilmer (who also happens to have a 3-letter first name) in the movie Tombstone. This was, and still is, Val Kilmer's best performance ever, but he also gets honorable mention for playing "Iceman" in Top Gun, Jim Morrison in The Doors, and the Sherpa in one episode of Entourage.

So there's my list of the top 5 greatest people with 3-letter first names. Hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to add your own or tell me where I went wrong.

4 comments:

Zach Francis said...

Red Auerbach, like Sam Addams, always a good decision.

Kevin said...

Yeah, it's too bad Sam is a clear shortening for Samuel, or he would be #1. Sam Adams - Brewer/Patriot.

Anonymous said...

You mention Lex, but no Zod. Why?

Kevin said...

Uh, because he's not one of the 5 greatest? Lex is a way more central and important character and a bigger icon.

Google