Starship Asterisk*

Ron-Astro Pharmacist wrote:
Saturn's north pole seems to be a favorite (for good reason) but the south pole is fun too.
Especially this time of year. Looks like a swirling American football.

http://articles.dailypress.com/2002-06-14/sports/0206140143_1_birth-defect-fingers-greatest-redskins wrote:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Kilmer wrote:
<<William Orland Kilmer, Jr. (born September 5, 1939) was an American football quarterback in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers, the New Orleans Saints and the Washington Redskins. As the first trade during the George Allen era in Washington, Kilmer was destined for a reserve role behind future Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen.>>

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Kilmer, Unlikely Standout, Makes Elite List
June 14, 2002|By WARNER HESSLER Daily Press

<<ASHBURN — After watching Billy Kilmer throw a few passes in his first practice with the Washington Redskins in 1971, starter Sonny Jurgensen decided to give the newly acquired quarterback a few pointers. Jurgensen, who threw one of pro football's prettiest passes during his Hall of Fame career, watched in amazement as Kilmer threw one wobbly pass after another. "You throw and control the ball with your fingers," he said, "and the key is to spread your fingers. I noticed that Billy gripped the ball with his four fingers tightly together. I told Billy he had to spread his fingers, and he put out his right hand and told me to go ahead and spread them," Jurgensen said. "I couldn't pry them apart, which made me understand why he couldn't throw spirals. It's remarkable he could throw the ball at all.'' Even when fans and writers joked about his "wounded duck" passes, Kilmer never talked about his birth defect. "That was the reason I throw wobbly passes," Kilmer said. "I had to control the ball with my thumb, and sometimes on the longer passes I put too much pressure on the ball with my thumb, but I never talked about it. When people said I couldn't throw the ball, I just fed off that. I would tell them to look at the record.">>