For those who have not followed the sports news, Dan Wheldon, a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, died in a 15-car accident at Las Vegas International Speedway on lap 11 of a scheduled 200. The race was red flagged (stopped) for approximately 75 minutes before it was ended.
I was not watching the ABC feed at the time, but managed to jump on to see the driver's tribune: a five-lap trip at slow speeds around the race track. Going into that, Marty Reid (calling the race) said something along the lines of "if you don't mind, we're going to be quiet as well." Coming out, Reid delivered one of the most stunning endings I've ever heard in sports broadcasting. I am hoping like hell that it will appear on YouTube, and if it does, I'll post it here. Reid talked about how the race ended in a way that nobody could've imagined or feared. A champion had been crowned, but no one was celebrating; a fixture was moving on, but no one was happy. The truck ran video of Wheldon drinking the traditional victor's milk after one of his Indy 500 victories. Over that, Reid said this: "People always ask why I sign off with 'Until we meet again'. It's because goodbye is so final. [pause] Goodbye Dan Weldon." Fade to the proverbial death slide (headshot, name, years of birth and death). Slow fade to black. It is outrageously easy to find opportunities to mock/insult/shame all of the various sports outlets. I don't think ABC/ESPN couldn't handled that in any better manner. -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
