The Buck Stops Here: Plane crash triggers reminders of reality
Lorentz sat behind me on the
"Someday," Lorentz would say, "we're going to wake up one day and the
It gets you thinking. Add up all the flights, all the miles, all the mechanical problems while factoring in human error and bad luck, and a tragedy was bound to happen.
Former Sabre Alexander Mogilny had a fear of flying that took years to overcome. Early in his career, he drove to several away games and missed others after refusing to board the plane. Former
Aviophobia, or fear of flying, afflicts 6.5 percent of all Americans, according to the
The odds of dying in a plane crash are about 1 in 11 million while the odds of dying in a car accident are about 1 in 47,000, according to the
Still, it does little to ease tension among frequent fliers. According to the Mental Health institute, about 25 percent suffer from some form of anxiety that comes with air travel. It's not discussed much in sports circles, but you can safely assume that 25 percent also includes players and coaches.
Flying never bothered me, but there is no disputing this fact: Your chances of dying in a plane crash increase every time you board a plane.
Five years ago, the
Ten years after two members of
In between, there have been numerous travel-related tragedies involving other sports teams -- the 1980 U.S. boxing team, the Alianza Lima soccer team in 1987 and the
For all the tragedies teams suffered over the years, when all the teams and all the flights are added up, it actually surprises me that there haven't been more. Simple math suggests the chance of another tragedy is minuscule. Every now and again, however, evidence reminds us that it's possible.
Thanking their lucky star
The
Dallas' top passers included
What's more is that the
Say what?
The
Cousins and Wall, who were teammates at Kentucky, acknowledged they had spoken about someday joining forces. Cousins even went so far as to say he and Wall want the other to leave their current teams. Both have two seasons left on their contracts and claimed they were happy.
"He loves where he's at and I love where I'm at, so whatever we feel like gives us the best opportunity to win," Wall told the
It's one thing to think about the future. It's another to talk about the possibility during the season. But talking about teaming up with former teammates, with the idea someone is headed elsewhere, is classless.
Hail to
The
Tortora, a 5-foot-7 forward, led the national team in scoring with 11 goals and 20 points through 25 games. He reminds some in
Farrance is a 5-foot-11, 187-pound puck-moving defenseman who will play for
Both are expected to get selected in the 2017 draft. Not bad for a community of 14,000.
Love 'em or hate 'em, in a universe in which gray area shrinks daily on all matters, the
Sports Illustrated columnist
1. Dallas-
2. Dallas-
3.
4.
5. Dallas-
Quotable
"I'm just blessed to be in his presence." --
54 -- Percent of
61 -- Seconds in which the
.14 -- Percent of
It sounds like
It's still hard to fathom the
___
(c)2016 The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Visit The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.) at www.buffalonews.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News