Who doesn't have the sense to just break when the blue shell comes so that it hits the person in second place too?
Edit: The items that various places get are balanced in regards to what's more useful to them. Why would you need a speed item if you're in second place? If anything that would make the game more unbalanced. If you're in the lead you want to keep it, so getting bananas/bombs and stuff to attack the people behind you makes sense. You don't need to attack people if you're in the back of the pack, you have to catch up! The items people in the lead get are less fun to use so people think that they're not as useful when they are.
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"Ahem! There is *sand* on my *boot*!"--Kefka
Black Turtle beat me, Yesmar in the Fall 2010 Guru Contest!