A tragic story that won't likely change a thing

Another athlete lies perilously close to death today after a snowmoblile crash at a made-for-TV competition where young men and women push themsevles to untold limits in seach of, well, in search of a lot of things.

The young man’s name is Caleb Moore, many of you have likely never heard of him (I hadn’t until yesterday), and enough of his story is here for you to catch up on.

It seems far too often that we’re reading this sort of thing but it’s probably got to do with evolution of our games, the youthful exuberance of some athletes and the lust of some TV viewers and spectators for drama.

One thing we have learned over the years is that people will push themselves and many wll always; most will marvel at every extra revolution, every added spin or somersault or move of gravity-defying trickery.

The old “games” are not good enough for some, they do not provide the rush, they are too mainstream, they are seen as boring.

So what do we get?

Twenty-somethings and even teenagers trying to find fame and notoriety and fortune, to do something no one’s ever done or do something that’s been done better than it’s ever been.

They know the dangers, they know the risks to life and limb, and they willingly accept them.

I don’t get it but I’m not supposed to understand it and neither are you; I get the sense these youngsters are simply wired differently than many, either the old fogies who basically ignore what they do or the kids who live vicariously through their exploits.

And we can shake our heads sadly at stories like Moore’s and wonder why but the why is the basic attempt to reach levels never reached before.

I don’t think there is blame to ascribe in this story or any of the others we read, seemingly annually.

ESPN, which basically invented the X Games becuase it was going to be that network’s Olympics, has made what seems like a good business decision by marketing it.

The fans who watch, watch with genuine interest to see exploits they’ve never seen before; it’s trite to suggest they are interested only for the off-chance they’ll see some crash, just as it’s trite and simplistic to say people only watch car racing to see wrecks. The fans understand what they’re seeing and appreciate it for what it is.

The athletes? They are fully aware of the dangers, of the consequences of their actions but that’s what makes them special, isn’t it? Isn’t their willingness to take those risks what makes them stand out from others?

No, there is no blame and no responsibility to be doled out in accidents like the one which befell Moore.

It is a sad story and a tragedy that a 25-year-old should be clinging to live simply because he was plying his craft.

We may very well mourn his passing, just as we’ve mourned the other young lives snuffed out in the name of athletic competition.

And people will continue to watch.

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Delta!!!!

And the intonation, which you can't get from the written word, is this:

Anyway, I knew there was a reason I had blocked that airline out of my mind. It's the one that made me sit through about a SEVEN FREAKING HOUR DELAY IN SACRAMENTO EARLIER THIS YEAR!

And how do I remember this?

Because the same disembodied robo-voice that kept calling me that day in Sacramento to tell me I was screwed called a few times yesterday as I sat out an hour delay -- for no clearly stated reason, of course -- in my flight to Atlanta.

And if you have to spend a second longer than is absolutely necessary in the Seventh Circle of Hell, er, I mean the US departure side of Terminal 3 at Pearson, the day gets progressively worse.

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I have no idea how my mind works the way it works, I honestly don’t.

But a comment the other day about the variety of things we do here in the music vein got me thinking.

And this is where it ended up.

Go figure. But this is really nice.

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Airport rules that go into effect the second I Am Put In Charge Of

Everything (and that day is coming)

Anyone wanting to watch video on their phones who don't use headphones shall be banished. I don't care where they are banished to but I think some tiny Arctic island inhabited entirely by like-minded people would be suitable.

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The Raptors did not trade for Rudy Gay yesterday.

That would be the extent of any "update" because even a suggestion that, perhaps, maybe, possibly some third or fourth team might perhaps be involved is another of those due diligence issues that happen.

All I know is that the trade deadline is three weeks from tomrorow and it really can’t come soon enough, either for something significant to happen or for it to come and go accompanied by yawns.

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Things I don't recall ever hearing In a lobby bar that's showing Wisconsin-Ohio State basketball game on it's only TV and a couple of us are paying marginal attention since it's college basketball with a 4-minute shotclock and marginal talent:

New guy to bartender:

Can you change the channel?

Bartender to us:

You mind?

Us to both of 'em

Nah, what else is on?

New guy

I'd like to watch a soccer game. It's US-Canada in an international friendly

Me to anyone who'd listen

Another Stella, please

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Okay, I see what the Tall Foreheads have been up to: inventing a new look for our website.

What do you think?

And one part of it is trying to reconfigure the mail system for here, we’re getting an askdoug@thestar.ca thing going but I can’t access it yet so I have no clue if you’ve been sending stuff there.

But I will get it so keep trying and we’ll have the usual probing questions and your deep, dark secret thoughts here on the weekend.

Good luck. And let us know about the new look, will you?

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Comments

[sb]

I like the new layout, but everyone else has a sexy new picture...where's yours Doug??????

[Ken B]

Doug: I don't like the new format. Why fix what ain't broke? Rudy-yes! Ross,Davis-no!

[DMcG]

Hey Lorie, nice to see you spreading the word on Tegan and Sara! My daughter went through high school with them, and still very tight friends. Aside from talented, very good character, those girls!! Going to see them in Calgary Feb 28th.