into the wind

So remember back in June when I watched that OJ Simpson special? Well, as I mentioned then, it was part of a series on TSN looking back at major sports events over the last 30 years. On Sunday the episode about Terry Fox aired (titled "Into the Wind"). And remember when I said that I have a serious weak spot for Terry Fox? Well guess what? I cried. A lot. I don't think I've participated in a Terry Fox Run since high school ... not really sure why. Probably because I would have a hard time crossing the start line due to the ridiculous amount of tears that I would shed. At any rate, the special was great. It never ceases to amaze me that one guy, barely out of his teens, could inspire a nation (and the world) to raise over $500 million dollars to fight cancer. And kudos to Mr. Steve Nash (on a side note, BB showed me some of the Vitamin Water commercials he has done ... hilarious). The picture above is from Terry's appearance at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto on July 11th 1980, in the midst of his run across Canada. Darryl Sittler presented him with an all-star jersey. Darryl Sittler was my brother's favourite hockey player.

inmate #1027820

Today is the 20th, not the 17th, but I watched a fascinating show today - "June 17,1994." Part of Espn's 30 for 30 it is a series of documentary films detailing the issues, trends, athletes, teams, rivalries, games and events that transformed the sports landscape from 1979 to 2009. I've caught a few of them - the one about the South African Rugby Champions was much better than the film Invictus (which I did enjoy). But today's episode was about the events of June 17th, 1994 which was not only the day OJ fled in the white Bronco, it was also the day of the Rangers' victory parade for winning the Stanley Cup, Arnold Palmer's last round of US Open, the opening day of the 1994 FIFA World Cup in Chicago and Game 5 of the NBA finals. A lot was happening that day - who knew?

The whole documentary was essentially made up of news coverage, as in many ways it was the beginning of the CNN 24-hr news cycle and reality TV. The commentary of the NBA announcers was particularly interesting as they watched the game but tried to update the viewers on the fact that an American sports hero was being pursued by police while he held a gun to his own head and threatened to kill himself. Apparently 93 million people watched OJ run ... and I was one of them. I remember I was in grade 12 and my friend MH was having a party. People would go outside for a smoke and yell back inside at everyone watching, "has he killed himself yet?" or "are they ever going to run him off the road?" or "how to you spell Kato Kaelin?" Debating his guilt was a hot topic too. Flash forward 16 months, I'm in my first year of university, living in res and we are all gathered around the TV waiting for the verdict. The story has such a weird ending, as he is now in jail for armed robbery and kidnapping.

According to the 30 for 30 website, Steve Nash has done a film on Terry Fox. This will be a must see for me as I have such a soft spot for Fox ... and by soft spot I mean whenever there is a story about him I break down in inconsolable sobs. Not pretty.