There are two kinds of people in the world: the Homer Simpsons and the Frank Grimeses.
Much like bowling with the bumper rails, the Homers sail comfortably through life, encountering little adversity. Every ball knocks a pin over, and their strike average is through the roof. It's as if they have dirt on the universe that they're threatening to leak if it doesn't comply.
The Grimeses, though... They don't get that luxury. Every ball goes straight to the gutter, and when they do hit a pin, their toes are over the line. We're not sure what they did to the universe to deserve this, but it must've been pretty bad.
Here are some close calls that the Homer Simpsons will appreciate and the Frank Grimeses will envy.