Not sports-related, but this news item is too cool to pass up–and it could save your life.

DVD in firefighter’s coat blocks bullet

Tue Feb 19, 11:05 PM ET

Associated Press


WALTERBORO, S.C. – A South Carolina man is thankful for a DVD that ended up taking a bullet for him. Colleton County Fire and Rescue Director Barry McRoy says he was leaving a Waffle House restaurant in Walterboro on Saturday morning when two men ran in fighting over a gun. Police say a bullet hit one of the struggling men, shattered a window and then hit McRoy.

The bullet hit a DVD McRoy was carrying in his pocket. He suffered a bruise but didn’t realize he had been shot. As he told a police officer what happened he noticed a bullet hole in his jacket, the shattered DVD case and a piece of the bullet.

“I was saved by a DVD,” McRoy says. “How lucky can you get?”

One man was arrested on assault and battery and gun charges.

The DVD was nicked. It was a gift from an employee who had recorded a TV show about fire extinguishers.

Source: Yahoo news.

Not only do calculators and padded wallets have life-saving properties (from bullets that clearly aren’t designed to blast through all matter and cause heads to explode), but DVDs too. The guys at Mythbusters should do a show, eh? It could be called “Items You Need On Your Person at All Times In Case You Get Shot Or Become the Unwitting Victim to Bullet Ricochet.”  There wouldn’t be a myth to bust, but there could be a fact to clarify.  Using pig carcasses or gelatin dummies, the show’s hosts would address/test types of guns, bullets, distance between shooter and victim.  They’d explain whether or not a ricocheted bullet is likely to break your skin.  I wonder if an Ipod or cell phone–and which brands–would be an effective shield.

Are you wondering what I’m wondering? Was it a DVD-R, RW, +, – or +-?

Speaking of DVDs, in case you hadn’t already heard, Netflix is going with Blu-Ray. Wal-Mart is too. Best Buy has been as well. Toshiba is halting the presses on HD.

And in some NFL news, a few Atlanta Falcons players are getting some practical, real-world education from Harvard Business school. Read all about it here.