Clutch

Clutch:
1. a hand, a claw in the act of grasping
2. tense critical situation
3. tending to be successful in critical situations.

The modern times require us to perform at our best in a specific time period that will shape our future for a long while. We are reminded about the importance of performance at a given time everyday, everywhere: at work or even in our relaxed time. The saying: "timing is everything" has never been truer than now. Here are a few examples:
1) 1min30s /a week for aspiring American Idol to prove that they can sing.
2) 30 min of photo shoot and a 10 sec walk /week for "America's next top model" to nail the perfect pose ( I am watching this show to ensure harmony in the household: it's all about compromise. Nah, I actually enjoy watching it :) )
3) 0.9 s left for Anthony Johnson , perennial back-up point guard for Indiana Pacers ( NBA) to make free-throws to win the game for his team.
4) 1min left in the game for Jens Lehman, goalkeeper for Arsenal to stop a penalty shot that sends his team to its 1st Champion league's final ever.
5) 0s left: for every shot taken by Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller or Robert Horry ( or it seems so)
6) the 1st 2 min you share with someone having a heart attack.
7) 10 min per presentation to convince someone that you are the person for a job.
8) 2 min to get a phone number during speed dating.

Interestingly, one movie coming out soon will display evidence of both the best and worst timings I witnessed in a long while. The movie is United 93 which as you all know was the flight on 9-11 that was directed towards Washington DC and crashed in Pennsylvania because the passengers, aware of the attacks on WTC, fought back the terrorists.
Imagine a situation where your flight has been hijacked, you learn that other planes have been used as weapons and you are under the direct threat of armed fanatics at high altitude: coming up with the right course of action under such duress is the definition of clutch.
What is NOT clutch in my opinion is the decision to make a movie 5 years removed from such tragedy. I understand the producers asked and obtained the blessings from each families of the victims. However, it's been 5 years. I did not know anyone on the plane but I feel sad and bothered by an endeavor which ultimate goal is to make money out of such events and this early in time. It is just a gut feeling on my part and the family of the victims probably knew best. I will probably watch the movie to see for myself the information the producers have gotten to make the movie but I will always second guess myself for supporting such an early depiction of this event.

Tags: united 93, Lehman, Horry, Reggie Miller, timing, Anthony Johnson, Michael Jordan, next top model speed dating