This being Thursday, it's time for another edition of "Thursday Movie Picks", the blogathon run by Wandering Through the Shelves. We're in October, which of course ends with Halloween, so the subjects this month are all technically Halloween-related. This is the last Thursday in the month, so it's time for another TV edition. This one is a bit harder for me, so I picked a couple of horrifying events that occurred on live TV:
Shuzo Matsuoka (August 28, 1995). Shuzo Matsuoka was a journeyman tennis player. Playing in the first round of the 1995 US Open, he suffered severe cramping a collapsed to the court surface. Due to the rules in effect at the time, if anybody so much as touched him to try to provide assistance, he would be defaulted from the match, and even his opponent stood there horrified feeling unable to offer help. The rules were amended after this incident, and the rule that allows players to get medical assistance became known as the "Shuzo Matsuoka rule", although it's been tightened back toward the old rule quite a bit in the intervening years.
Joe Theismann (November 18, 1985). Theismann was a Super Bowl-winning quarterback for the Washington Redskins. His playing career ended suddenly duing a Monday Night Football game in 1985 thanks to a tackle by Lawrence Taylor. He was, however, able to become an analyst and an advertising spokesman.
Budd Dwyer (January 22, 1987). Dwyer was the Treasurer of the US State of Pennsylvania who was caught up in a bribery scandal in the 1980s over the awarding of a contract that saw him convicted in a controversial case in which Dwyer felt his defense was hamstrung. The sentencing was scheduled for January 23, 1987 and, under Pennsylvania law, Dwyer couldn't be removed from office until after sentencing. Dwyer held one final press conference as Treasurer, the day before the sentencing, with a dramatic ending:
Tony Spear
1 hour ago
2 comments:
I remember watching the Theismann game live. They replayed that thing way too often. Even after all these years, it's no less frightening. At least Theismann got a funny story out of it. According to him, Lawrence Taylor came to visit him in the hospital the next day. Joe asked "Why'd you have to break both the bones in my leg." LT's response was "You know I never do anything half-assed."
Wow you didn’t a very unique take on this theme this week and a good one even though the last one is so very, very sad. I just think of his family that he left behind. It does show how horrifying real life can be
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