August 2008 Archives
Duck season!
Wabbit season!
Football season!!!
It's here, gang. Yes, there were a few games the last two days (and the ESPN crew in Houston has a mancrush on Rice's James Casey, by the way) but today is the first full Saturday of college football season. Bei-who? Exactly.
Rather bizarre that Mother Nature has insinuated herself into the calendar, though. Because of Hurricane Gustav, the Appalachian State-LSU game has been moved up to 11 a.m. Meaning that, for us Saturday purists, the season kicks off with a match between last year's FCS champion at last year's FBS champion.
Here's a prayer for the welfare of the good people of the Gulf Coast. Let's hope that everyone remains safe. And let's also hope that, should Steve Levy (brilliant as himself in The Ringer, by the way) be on duty tonight in Bristol and find himself doing the App. State-LSU highlights that he refrain from using his signature "Get outta town!" call.
Okay, so maybe there are a few things left to say about the Beijing Games, both in general and from the perspective who was extremely fortunate enough to view it from the inside.
Let us begin with a vignette. I cannot share with you who told me the story, or the names of the people involved. But that shouldn't detract from the tale itself. A more experience employee was telling me about the time he sat in the office of a network executive (non-NBC) and the person who oversaw that network, one of the most powerful media moguls in the world, kept phoning and interrupting their meeting. What the person sharing this tale with me was amused and astounded by was the nature of the phone calls. This mogul, extremely wealthy and accomplished, was calling to check on the details of production of various shows, stuff that you'd assume was not worthy of his concern. You'd think he'd have someone else sweat the small stuff.
At last my friend, exasperated, asked the executive the question. "He has wealth. He has power. He has just about everything you could want. Why is he phoning to check on these little details?"
The network executive looked at my friend. "Because he wants what we all want."
Back from Beijing...Interesting flight from Beijing to JFK in that during the 12-hour journey you fly over four countries, which just happen to be the four largest nations on the planet, in terms of area: China, Russia, Canada and then the U.S.A.
Totally fired up to be back in the States (blues skies!) and now it's time to transition from Michael Phelps to Michael Floyd.
Don't know if I'll have much time to do a favorite memories/Beijing recap piece, but I'll throw you this benediction of sorts that I wrote for Jim Lampley on the final day. Since it aired some time between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., depending where you live, last Sunday morning, I thought we could reproduce it here.
After a loss to the Cardinals on July 2, the Mets were 41-43 and 4.5 games behind the Phillies. Since then, they've gone 31-14 and enter today with a 2.5 game lead in the NL East. July 2 happened to be the last game that Luis Castillo played before going on the DL. Coincidence?
The stats show that his replacements -- Damion Easley (.252/.301/.323, 3 HR) and Argenis Reyes (.264/.297/.299 since July 2) -- are an offensive downgrade from Castillo (.293/.368/.357). The fielding numbers are quite similar as well - Castillo (6 errors) has a range factor of 4.45 compared to 4.48 for Easley (5 errors at 2B) and 4.20 for Reyes (0 errors).
So why am I among the many Mets fans dreading his return to the lineup this evening? Sure, he's a below-average offensive player with bad knees whose best years are behind him and has a tendancy to loaf on the bases and fails to get to grounders in the hole and and was rumored to be a terrible unfluence on Jose Reyes and inexplicably was signed to a four-year deal in the offseason. But is he that bad? Can a single guy disrupt this intangible people like to call team chemistry? And does team chemistry a) matter, and b) exist?
Castillo's injury wasn't the reason the Mets started playing better baseball. Their starting pitching has been nasty, and they've hit more, with Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, and David Wright leading the way. Could they all start slumping now and see the Phillies fly past again? Absolutely. And if that happens, we'll be livid and unreasonable and looking for someone to blame -- and Castillo is gonna be that guy.
UPDATE: The Mets just announced they're gonna wait a few days before activating Castillo. This makes me happy. Hopefully "a few" means "the rest of the season."
When she is not moonlighting as the benevolent distaff despot of our Research Room, Liz Robbins writes trenchant sports pieces for The New York Times. I know Liz really works for them because any time she references me for the second time in the same conversation she refers to me as Mr. Walters. Anyway, she's also something of a marathon nerd, having just written a book entitled "A Race Like No Other" about the New York City Marathon (to be released in October...the book, that is. I have no idea when Liz will be released from the IBC). Anyway, she was kind enough to provide a preview for the blog for tomorrow's men's marathon. Here it is:
Ryan Hall used to play the Olympic theme song over and over as a teenager, and then downloaded it onto his Ipod. The American flag hangs near the Olympic torch lamp in his bedroom back in Big Bear Lake, California, a mountain community infused with fever for their favorite son. Sunday, Hall runs in track and field’s grand finale – the Olympic men’s marathon – a grueling race that turns from a parade of dreams to a path of pain and intrigue. Hall, a shaggy-blond 25-year-old undaunted by his superstar Kenyan competitors, is the United States best hope to win an Olympic gold medal since Frank Shorter last did it in 1972. Hall is on a short list of favorites.
On Tuesday afternoon my Olympic sidekick, Andrew Silver, and I, took a shuttle bus over to the wrestling venue to watch Henry Cejudo's gold-medal match. It occurs to me as I write this that the Lone Ranger had a trusty companion named Silver and that this Lone Stranger does as well (though carrying the analogy any further is both inaccurate and ruinous).
Although it bears noting that while the masked Old West lawman cried out, "Hi Ho, Silver!", I have been known in Beijing to rally him with a "Houhai, Silver!"
FOXBORO - So when I talked to the office earlier, we had a deal. If Tom Brady played in the Patriots third preseason game, I'd do a little blow-by-blow on how the man looked. If not, I'd just gather some knowledge and then talk to Bill Belichick after the game for some preview stuff I'm working on.
Well, given that the Patriots are getting their helmets handed to them with their heads still in them, my guess is Billy Beli is going to be less than chatty.
It's currently 27-3 late in the third quarter. In the first half, the Eagles had 242 net yards. The Patriots had 56. The Eagles had 14 first downs. New England had three. The Eagles have 199 return yards and two return touchdowns - a kickoff return by Quintin Demps and a punt return by rookie DeSean Jackson.
This goes way beyond the absence of Brady who hasn't played a snap in this preseason. The Patriots offensive line is neither protecting the quarterback nor opening holes for the running game (0 rushing yards in the first half if you take away QB Matt Cassel's lead-footed 22-yard scramble).
The defense got dissected by Donovan McNabb (13 for 17 for 180 yards and a touchdown pass in the first half) and the overall emotion level is....tepid.
With one preseason game remaining - and that being the "mail-it-in" fourth contest - the Patriots haven't even showed a flicker of prowess since...well, since the AFC Championship game? Earlier?
On the flip side, the Eagles look terrific.
I don't know about you, but judging from what we've witnessed at the Bird's Nest this week, I wouldn't bet against the Jamaican Bobsled Team two years from now in Vancouver. If Michael Phelps was the overwhelming star of Week 1 here, then Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is undoubtedly his Beijing heir. Lost in the gleam of Bolt's resounding performances here--world records in both the 100 and 200 qualify him as "The World's Fastest Man...Ever!"-- is the overall success of Jamaica in the sprints.
Consider this: In the six main sprint events-- 100, 200 and 400, men's and women's-- Jamaica has won eight medals and the United States has won eight medals. Eighteen total medals, and these two nations won 16 of them (let's hear it for Trinidad, which won a silver in the men's 100 and Great Britain, which took gold in the women's 400).
So, sure, the rest of the world is sniffing the USA's and Jamaica's fumes, but the real story is that Jamaica is neck-and-neck with its neighbor to the north. After all, Jamaica is an island barely the size of Connecticut (and with far better beaches... no offense, Westport). Jamaica's population is approximately 3 million, or about 1/100th that of the United States.
Why didn't Jan Zelezny ever get a shot at playing quarterback in the NFL? I mean, the guy holds the world javelin record.
And when you think about it, if you can throw a javelin far, you would presumably be able to throw a football far as well, right (if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball!). And what more is there to playing quarterback than throwing far?
Javier Sotamayor. The man high jumped 8 feet. No NBA tryout? What else is there to basketball, after all?
I raise the topic because there's blossoming curiosity about whether or not Usain Bolt could play wide receiver in the NFL.
COULD he? Yes. Would he be any good? No. He'd be a freakin' embarrassment.
The ability to run in a straight line faster than anybody else is nice. But it's as relevant as a nice smile in a wet t-shirt contest. Bill Belichick - a master at boiling things down to their essence - has often said that receivers have two jobs: 1) Get open and 2) catch.
Speed can HELP a player get open but if he can't catch what good does it do. Meanwhile, it would be interesting to see how well Bolt can break off a route when he's the hot read on a blitz while going 27 miles an hour.
It's a fun conversation starter, no denying that. And I can't blame Jeffrey Mann for starting it. Mann even does a little due diligence by pointing out that spriinter Justin Gatlin worked out for the Bucs, Texans and Titans after the Athens Games.
And what did those three teams have in common? Their wide receivers sucked. And their front office's interest in a sprinter helps explain why.
You've got to get yourself together,
You got stuck in a moment,
And now you can't get out of it,
--U2, "Stuck in a Moment"
Matt Emmons had waited four years to return to this very moment.
Redemption, vindication and victory were just the slightest touch away. Emmons was just one shot away from a feeling of satisfaction, of (I normally loathe this term) closure that few could imagine.
This was Saturday, the final shot of the three-position rifle event here in Beijing.
In three-position rifle, each competitor gets 10 shots from a standing position in the final round. The target is a 10-ring bull's eye. Shoot it in the center ring, about the width of an aspirin, and you can receive anywhere from 10.0 to 10.9 points.
Heading into his final shot, Emmons, originally from New Jersey but now residing in Colorado Springs, was well ahead of the field. How big was his lead?
His worst shot to that point had been a 9.7. Emmons needed only to fire a 9.3 to set an Olympic record in the event. He needed just a 6.7 (like asking Usain Bolt to break 12.0 seconds in the 100 meters) to earn gold. And how sweet would that be? If you don't already know his story, you have no idea.
Oh man, this would be a HUGE loss for The Office. Kelly is like Memo Paris in The Natural. Bad things happen to whoever she dates. First, Ryan gets arrested for fraud. Now Darryl has gotten himself into some serious you know what. Someone get him a good lawyer. Do it for the show.
I turned on my computer this morning at 1:30 a.m. and then hopped in the shower. When I returned the first headline I saw made my heart plummet.
First, back during a time when I had a life, say around May (?) we had an Olympic training seminar for the on-air talent. It was designed to introduce the new and old, address the goals for the games, serve up some kool-aid and open our eyes to the major stories of the summer.
Michael Phelps was one.
Liu Xiang was the other. His name (pronounced Loo Shawn) was used in sentences like:
"1.3 billion people are counting on him."
"He has the weight of an enitre country on his shoulders."
"To these people, he's bigger then Yao Ming."
"It will be the moment of the Olympics."
Now, I'm not sure about you but I can't relate to any of that. As the oldest of four, I remember feeling responsible for my two sisters and brother if I was babysitting and that was pressure. But this?! Unfathomable.
However, and it happens so often, the athlete forced to take on the pressure normally succeeds. See: Michael Phelps. We expect it and they deliver. So what happened with 25-year-old Liu?
When Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt first, um, bolted onto the scene a few years ago, track aficionados expressed mild surprise. After all, Bolt stands 6-feet-5 and has a lean, albeit muscular, physique. Kind of like Terrell Owens before he began working out with bar bells in his driveway.
The World's Fastest Man is supposed to be, if not short, then at least compact and muscular. Ben Johnson. Maurice Greene. Barry Sanders. Now along comes Bolt, who on April 11, 2004, became the first and still only teenager to crack the 20-second barrier in the 200 meters. And people wondered how.
On NBC's Sunday evening prime-time show, U.S. female sprinter Lauryn Williams was featured in a taped segment. Williams, of Miami, has a classic sprinter's build and she even said (and I paraphrase), "I have short legs so I have a higher stride-per-second rate. That allows me to go faster."
The logic, according to Williams, is that because she requires less time between strides, she will be faster than someone taller who takes more times between strides.
But that is only half of the equation.
The United States of America has won 17 gold medals, 18 silvers and 22 bronzes since the opening day of competition of the Beijing Games on August 9th. The USA has won more overall medals--57-- than any other nation.
But, at least through nine days, they've won something more than that. Our respect.
Redeem Team? You bet, and that moniker fits this entire contingent of 595 athletes.
The overriding theme of the first week of the Olympics, at least from an American perspective, has been class.
Gone are the hubristic images of a gold-medal 4 x 100-meter relay team clowning around on the track. Nowhere to be seen is the Aesop-like vignette of a downhill racer "showboarding" and in the process squandering a gold medal: a literal enactment of the maxim "Pride goeth before a fall." Absent has been the athlete who failed to meet expectations (be it his or ours) and rationalized it by saying that he "got to party and socialize at an Olympic level."
SEATTLE - Well, neither Bears quarterback got a leg up in the ugly contest to decide which guy will be the opening day starter at Indy on September 7.
Rex Grossman went 9 for 15 for 74 yards with a pick. He didn't produce any points and got chased all over creation during his five series.
Kyle Orton had two series and went 5 for 9 for 73 yards. He got the Bears a field goal just before the half. The protection Orton enjoyed was far better than what Grossman got. So maybe the linemen are casting their votes in passive-aggressive fashion.
Which could be painful...ahem.... What I actually mean is Bears quarterback Kyle Orton just hit wideout Brandon Llyod with a pair of darts on the left sideline in the Bears two-minute offense. The drive stalled with 21 seconds left at the Seahawks 17 when a pass into the end zone was broken up nicely. But the drive came against the Seahawks first-defense so it's worth noting that Orton and Grossman are now pretty much even for the night. Orton's gotten much better protection than Grossman did.
Kyle Orton is into the game for the Bears with 7:35 left in the half. Grossman went 9 for 15 for 74 yards. He had a pick and got sacked twice (the stats say once but it was twice). He wasn't horrible.
Orton started off 0 for 2. Neither pass was very handsome. But at least he had a moment to scan the field. Advantage: Grossman.
So far, Wrecks is getting obliterated. Oooh, and as I began the entry, he got front-sided by defensive end Darryl Tapp (turnstiling right tackle John Tait). The ball popped loose, got picked by Leroy Hill and was returned to the 10.
Grossman's 4-for-10 for 31 yards and has been sacked twice and pressured into a pick and a blind heave incompletion.
They can't block anybody. At all.
FIRST DRIVE (1&10 @-20)
5-yard completion
Drop by Earl Bennett
Jailbreak sack by Leroy Hill...
Three-and-out
SECOND DRIVE
14-yard dart on second-and-long picking up a first down to Devin Hester.
Uh-oh...he just came back to Desmond Clark on first down and Clark's down with what appears to be a left knee issue...he walked off...very very slowly. ...
1. I'm at Kwest...Quest...Qwest Field in the heart of downtown Seattle. On the advice of the kid at the pizza place next to the SpringHill Suites I'm staying in, I walked to the stadium. It took 45 minutes, which wasn't bad. But it would have been 41 if it weren't for these "Western" people stopping at every corner whether there was traffic or not and waiting for the "walk" signal. It's beautiful. These people can pierce and ink up every inch of their bodies in every inconceivable fashion but when it comes to crossing a street with no traffic in sight they are strictly by the book. Their parents would be proud. If they still talked to them.
2. The aim tonight here at Kwest....Quest...Qwest is to handicap the Bears quarterback competition. My man Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times calls the competition the Quarterback Qlown Qar. Either way, I'm here to point and snicker.
3. A whole passel of Seahawks aren't going to be out there: corner Jordan Babineaux, WR Deion Branch, WR Bobby Engram, DT Larry Triplett and DE Patrick Kerney are down. For the Bears, RB Kevin Jones, T Chris WIlliams and DT Tommie Harris are down.
Tonight, Brett Favre makes his debut for the Jets - undoubtedly the most anticipated preseason game of all-time. Which means that after about 20 minutes, it'll revert back to every other meaningless preseason game ever played. But since exciting moments for the Jets are few and far between, we're here to bring you live commentary...
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8:00 - Well Favre is out, and my buddy TW, who's giving me updates from Giants Stadium, says that nothing is going on. Not even a good J-E-T-S chant. Plus, Clemens just tripped over his lineman's feet. Pedro's on the hill and Michael Phelps is about to do all sorts of naughtiness in Beijing. Time to wrap it up. Later people. See you when the Jets are in the Super Bowl.
7:57 - A graphic of Vernon Gholston says that his favroite meal is Meat. That's a little like Joey Tribbiani saying his favorite food is sandwiches.
7:53 - Pretty tough spot for Clemens here. No one in the stadium, other than the coaches, want to see him in there. Not a soul, unless his parents are there or something. Thankfully for those people, they didn't have to see him for very long. Three passes, all incomplete.
7:49 - Well, that didn't take long. Kellen Clemens is walking on the field and Favre is done. Now I don't really blame those fans who didn't show up and deal with the disaster of the parking situation at the Meadowlands. Favre's final line (unless the other three quarterbacks blow ACLs): 5/6, 48 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 1 sack. Who said Madden Jinx?
7:48 - Promo just ran, trying to get Jets fans pumped up for the new stadium that will open in 2010. And not to sound like Phil Mushnick or anything, but I'm shocked there wasn't any mention of the PSLs they'll be charging everyone.
7:46 - Skins get on the board with a field goal to make it 7-3.
7:44 - End of the first quarter, Jets 7, Redskins 0.
7:41 - Hopefully you haven't had your fantasy draft and took Ladell Betts to hancuff Clinton Portis, because he's writhing on the ground in pain right now, holding his knee. Redskins fans start fearing an injury to Portis and the birth of the Rock Cartwright era.
7:38 - Confusing idea from color commentator Greg Buttle: "If you don't have two running backs, you better have a guy who can play every play, like Brett Favre." That's actually the most coherent thought that Buttle has put together so far this evening.
7:36 - Campbell avoids a potential sack by Bryan Thomas. Seems like as good a time as any to point out the Jets drafted Thomas with Ed Reed still on the board. Kill me.
7:35 - Jets fans feel like they've heard this way too much over the past few years: "Pass interference ... defense .. number 36 .. automatic first down."
7:33 - Ladell Betts rips through the Jets D for a long gain. Have the Jets ever been able to stop the run?
7:32 - Eagle relays a quote from Jets DT Kris Jenkins, who says that Eric Mangini's training camp is so tough, he's having trouble sleeping. But wouldn't a tough camp make it easier to fall asleep, assuming you were tired? Regardless, Jenkins redeems himself in a profile roll-in: "My favorite meal? Food."
7:25 - TOUCHDOWN! Favre hits rookie TE Dustin Keller from 4 yards out. Ian Eagle sufficiently blows the moment out of proportion, saying, "He came back ... for moments like that." 7-0, J-E-T-S.
7:23 - Jets with the ball again. Beautifully thrown pass to Cotchery on 3rd down to move the chains. Fantasy owners are about to draft Cotchery about 3 rounds too early.
7:17 - Jason Campbell throws one high over the middle. We only say "high" because the intended receiver is Santana Moss, who alligator-arms it, much like he did many times during his brief stay here.
7:13 - Again, Favre throws a 3 yard pass on 3rd down, this one falling incomplete. So after a couple of first downs, the Jets punt.
7:12 - After a run by Thomas Jones, all Jets fans throw up simultaneously as Favre is sacked by four Redskins at once. So much for a revamped offensive line.
7:11 - Okay, so maybe this is a new Jets team. Because I can't tell you the last time they converted a 4th and short situation.
7:10 - 3rd and 5, Favre completes a pass to Washington for four yards, short of the marker. Wait, I thought the Chad Pennington era was over?
7:09 - After Leon Washington runs backwards for five yards, Favre completes a curl over the middle to Chris Baker.
7:07 - Favre jogs out to a nice ovation. On the first play, he completes a slant to Jerricho Cotchery. Jets are gonna go to the Super Bowl!!! My producer DS calls me to say the same thing. See? It's gonna happen.
7:06 - Kind of surprised at all of the empty seats in the Meadowlands, even if it is only a preseason game.
7:00 - You're not gonna believe this, but WCBS opened the telecast with a tease about Brett Favre, and then with a shot of Favre walking in from the parking lot. But when they go to a shot of Favre running out of the tunnel, play-by-play man Ian Eagle is talking over the crowd noise. Bad job.
It was exactly a quarter-century ago that noted pop chameleon David Bowie became the first person to weigh in on the biggest controversy of the opening week of the 2008 Beijing Games: the age of female Chinese gymnasts.
My little China girl,
You shouldn't mess with me,
I'll ruin everything you are
As fate had it, neither Ziggy Stardust nor Bela Karolyi, nor his wife Marta, nor the Associated Press nor The New York Times were able to ruin China's golden moment at the National Indoor Stadium earlier this week. China took gold in the women's team competition, the host nation's first-ever gold in that event. This despite much harrumphing ("harrumph harrumph harrumph") about three of China's six female gymnasts: Yang Yilin, Jiang Yuyuan and He Kexin.
Kind of a sad day in NY today. It might seem silly and a bit shallow to get upset that a sports radio talk show is ending, but that's pretty much the universal reaction around these parts now that the Mike & The Mad Dog Show is done.
Sports is a wonderful distraction from all the BS most of us put up with every day, and as fans, we love to talk and argue about it. What Mike Francesa and Chris Russo managed to pull off for almost 20 years was to let us listen and take part in those conversations while we were working, supposed to be working, driving, or whatever. It was a release for people, and it was appealing because Mike & The Dog seemed like fans who were doing exactly what we did at home, the bar, the office, wherever - talking and complaining and bitching and hoping and cheering about sports. They created the model that everyone else in the media has tried - but not succeeded (except for maybe PTI) - to duplicate.
Sure, they may have made you nuts with something they said, and you may have disagreed with 90% of their opinions. But it always was an intriguing listen, and when something big happened in sports, especially in this area, the Mike & The Mad Dog Show was the first place you turned. It sounds a bit weird, but even if you had no one around to talk with, you could act out that conversation or argument through their show in your head. Love them, Mushnick them, or somewhere in between, they were a reliable companion every day. And it's too bad that's gone now. Sounds like a cliche, but it really is the end of an era.
A few personal favorite moments:
You figure that Jimmy Rollins had some sort of deal with the devil going on last year. The fearless prediction, countless big hits, the miraculous comeback to overtake the Mets, an MVP.
But so far in 2008, he's spent time on the DL and his numbers have dipped significantly. Now, he's picked a curious time to go after the fans:
"I might catch some flak for saying this, but, you know, they're front-runners. When you're doing good, they're on your side. When you're doing bad, they're completely against you...For exmple, Ryan [Howard] is from St. Louis and St. Louis, it seems like they support their team, they're out there encouraging. In Philly, can't be no punk."
What Rollins is saying isn't wrong. I don't live in Philly and have never been to a game in Philly, but it wouldn't surprise me if that statement is accurate. After all, I root for another east coast team with temperamental fans - the Mets - home to some of the biggest front-running, unreasonable, paranoid fans around. And if the fans of the two teams are in any way similar (they are - they're both miserable and cranky from years of losing), it won't be pleasant for Rollins the next time he comes to bat at Citizens Bank Park.
But in terms of his play on the field and the Phillies chances of repeating in the NL East, will it hurt them? Probably not. He'll hear the boos at first, but after a couple of hits they'll be cheering again. Which, ironically, will prove Rollins' point.
Of course, Jimmy, if you wanna bat about .150 the rest of the way and make a few errors when the Mets are in town, that'd be fine, too.
Did you hear about the ruckus at the medal ceremony in men's 84kg (that would be 185.2 pounds) Greco-Roman wrestling? Turns out that Swede bronze medalist Ara Abrahamian (I know!) removed his bronze medal on the podium and threw it down on the mat before stomping out of the arena with a fist raised in the air.
Abrahamian was the silver medalist in Athens and a gold-medal fave here. After he lost his semi-final match by decision to Italy's unheralded Andrea Minguzzi, the two-time world champion Swede had to be restrained from going after matside officials. How do you restrain someone who is arguably the world's greatest wrestler? And if you do, as they did, can he really lay claim to being so?
"I don't care about this medal," Abrahamian said. "I wanted gold. This will be my last match. I wanted to take gold, so I consider this Olympics a failure."
And if that weren't vitriolic enough, Honest Abrahamian added, "They (the judges) are a bunch of fatsos."
You have to feel for anyone who believes they were robbed of a medal that they've worked so hard to earn. But "fatsos"? Who says "fatsos" anymore?
His coach, Leo Myllar, was equally upset. "It is all politics," said Myllar, "and it is all corrupt."
Welcome to Olympic judging, Leo.
If I'd have told you a year ago that an American named Armstrong would win gold in a cycling event in Beijing, I mean, what are the odds you'd have assumed (and I would have, too) that the cyclist's first name would be Lance?
But (to quote John Belushi), Nooooooooooooo!
The cyclist was not Lance Armstrong (who won a bronze in Sydney in the Road Time Trial), but Kristin Armstrong, who two days after her 35th birthday won the Individual Time Trial to become the first American named Armstrong to win a gold medal in cycling. Armstrong, who shares the same name as Lance's ex-wife, covered the 23.8 kilometer course in 34:51.72, more than 24 seconds ahead of silver medalist of Emma Pooley of Great Britain.
And, adding to the freakiness, on the same day an Armstrong won a gold medal in cycling, an American diagnosed with testicular cancer competed in an event. That was U.S. swimmer Eric Shanteau, who swam in the prelims of the 200 meter breaststroke but failed to make the semis. All our best wishes to Shanteau as he returns to the States to undergo treatment. Hopefully he'll be back in the pool as soon as possible.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - Arizona Cardinals camp. Northern Arizona University. Rugged and rocky in some spots. Pastoral in others. Clean air. High expectations. Thursday morning's workout was called off for movie day. This afternoon it's team meetings, then a night practice at 7 p.m. in Lumberjack Stadium. I like the Cardinals' logo and colors more than any team in the NFL. Clean. How's my stark style feeling? Good? Good.
1. I spoke this morning with Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson, quarterback Matt Leinart and head coach Ken Whisenhunt. I sat down at small marble tables with Wilson and Whisenhunt. With Leinart, I stood on a balcony. I've seen Leinart look disinterested with the media before, but this was my first 1-on-1 with him and he was very good. I try not to go on too long with these guys because when we get them it's their down-time and they are either going to eat or, having just eaten, going to nap. I appreciate the sacredness of a good nap.
2. Whisenhunt on movie day: "Getcha popcorn ready. The options were Dark Knight, Stepbrothers, X-Files was one, but i think they were trying to get that changed to Tropic Thunder. I saw Stepbrothers. Entertaining movie. There were a few of (players) complaining about being sore and stiff so I think it was good timing. I think it's a good change of pace. We kept it a secret fairly well. A few of them suspected but I don't think anyone knew for sure. All these things are part of what you do as a team and I think that's good."
3. Rookie Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has an ankle sprain and participated in a walk-through before movie time. There's no official word on the signing of ex-Niners linebacker Brandon Moore but the feeling is it's imminent. Antrel Rolle has swelling and pain in his ankle and Whisenhunt doesn't believe he'll play against the Chiefs this week.
4. Leinart, receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner are using Segway scooters to get around training camp. Leinart swears there have been no scooter races.
5. Fitzgerald's Dad, Larry Fitzgerald, Sr., is at camp. The elder Fitzgerald is sports editor for the Minnesota Spokesman Record.
Feb. 12, 1980 marked the opening of the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. It also marked Day 100 of the Iran Hostage Crisis. Three weeks earlier President Jimmy Carter, in his State of the Union address, had sent a dire warning to the Soviet Union. If the Soviets did not make an immediate withdrawal of their troops from Afghanistan by February 20, the United States would not support sending an Olympic team to Moscow for the 1980 Summer Games and would call for worldwide support in boycotting them.
Ultimately, the USA did boycott those Summer Games, an event ... or non-event ... that identical twin brothers Tom and Jerry Caraccioli have chronicled in their latest book, BOYCOTT: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games (New Chapter Press). Tom and Jerry, two of the more recognizable faces in sports public relations (actually, if you've seen them, it's one face), exchanged emails with me earlier this week about the book. It's interesting to note that as we spoke, Russia was once again invading a country and that United States military forces are currently in Afghanistan.
And I think you do, too. And I think he'll pose shirtless on the cover, adorned with eight identical items of bling. The headline: "GRR-EIGHT IN '08"
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Finally made it to an actual venue last night. Attended the swimming events at The Water Cube, the men's heats in the 100 meter freestyle. When you go in person you realize just how many athletes compete in these Games. For example, NBC has time to show you the semifinals in this event, which includes 16 swimmers. But there were 64 swimmers in a total of 10 heats. The first heat, featuring the slowest swimmers, had three men, one of whom was from an African nation and swam the 100 in 57 seconds. The world record is 47 seconds and change. Still, if you're that guy, that's the thrill of a lifetime. As it should be.
Seated not far from me was seven-time Olympic medalist/team mom Amanda Bared. She's got some blonde (or would you call it gold?) streaks in her hair. I admire that she and a fellow female teammate I didn't recognize were the first members of the USA contingent to arrive to cheer on Americans Jacob Lezak and Garrett Weber-Gale, and that Amanda brought a bag-full of USA flag bandanas and tiny flags to wear. I wouldn't be surprised if she brought orange slices and Wet-Naps as well.
Dara Torres also showed up, too, but a little later.
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Meanwhile, at the (C)CP Table Tennis Venue ...
I had a spirited opening round table tennis match with NBC Sports executive producer/bon vivant/genius emeritus Michael Weisman. We split our two games, though as Weisman reminded me as we said goodnight, he won on overall point differential. What a character. During our first game, I pulled within one point and he "called timeout", walked over to a female Chinese staffer who was watching us, and had her massage the top of his back.
He won that game, 21-16, but in the latter game I overcame a 20-18 deficit to win 22-20. Thank God. I'd have never heard the end of it if he'd beaten me two straight.
Oh baby, if this is true...
About the only thing that could ruin the Super Bowl now is the Patriots winning. Or if Bruce and Silvio accidentally make out, which has been an unfortunate possibility at every Springsteen concert ever.
We'll begin the speculation. Figure he plays three songs, and these are probably a lock:
1. Radio Nowhere (new album)
2. Born To Run (defining song)
But what'll the third song be? Right now, the guess is Badlands.
Your thoughts?
Football. How I almost forgot about you! If there's one thing the Olympics brought to the sports world this past weekend, it is a relief from the 24-7 stalking of Brett Favre. Just as I write this, I turn on ESPN First Take and what are they discussing? A phone interview with yet another Brett update. Well, so much for that. And for that matter, I'm glad to hear Aaron Rodgers wasn't dreadful against the Cincy Bengals and did it without Ryan Grant and Greg Jennings!
We shot a bunch of college football previews late last week and hopefully will have them up soon. As a girl who grew up in the south (kind of) I love the college game. Georgia. As I read more and more about this team I can only think to myself: "What could have been..." Mark Richt left FSU and took our offense with him. In turn it is the Bulldogs surrounded by talk of a potential run at a National Championship this year. But, like last year, it's going to be a crazy scramble for anyone to come out on top in January.
In the NFL, here's a video from Lake Tahoe with the question: "Who are you taking, Peyton or Brady?" Which QB do QB's and players from the league take?
And in Super Bowl news, The NY Post's Page Six is starting rumors. Please, fingers crossed, I wish I wish, let this come true... Could the Boss be performing?
I'm sittiing in my office at 5:30 p.m. local time, watching the world feed of the Spain-China basketball game. It is halftime. There is entertainment. From what I can glimpse (the stationary camera is locted in the far corner, top, of the arena) it looks as if it's a group of young men leaping off a trampoline to dunk the ball. Chinese acrobats. I love it.
If you've been to at least half a dozen NBA or WNBA games in the past five years, you've probably seen that Asian woman who spins all the plates while riding a unicycle. Where is she?
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There's pandemonium in Punjab.
Yesterday Abhinav Bindra became the first individual gold medalist in the history of India, and the first gold medalist of any kind since 1980. India was a field hockey potentate from World War II until 1980, but this year they did not even qualify to send a squad to Beijing.
Then along came Bindra, a steady-nerved shooter known to his friends as "Constant Comatose", to take gold in the 10-meter air rifle. Ever so slowly India, which is second only to China in population count, is creeping up on their neighbors to the north in the medal count. The Asian Age newspaper proclaimed Bindra "ONE IN A BILLION" in its front-page headline. Very nice.
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Spring Time!
I'm like a grandma. I wake up early, eat at 5 p.m. and get all tucked into bed as Bob Costas' voice sings me good night.
These hours I'm telling ya! So basically I sleep while all the good stuff happens. (Not that I'm complaining. For most of my co-workers sleep is now in the category of: Things I Used To Do.) I'm awake for everything sabre, water polo and badminton. Nothing a few highlights can't fix and after watching those, I'm all set to go. It's as if I saw it live anyways. No one at my house is up so the results aren't given away. Try as I may (I even set the alarm last night for 10 p.m. so I would wake up to watch Michael Phelps go for three.) but apparently three texts and two missed calls later, I still missed all of it.
1:16 (in the a.m.) and my alarm goes off. About 20 minutes later, grandma finally crawls out of bed. It's a habit by now to automatically turn on the TV and the computer at the same time, then hop in the shower. Afterall, I want to see what everyone else got to watch last night!
At this point I honestly don't know if I dreamt it or if someone told me right as it happened, but Phelps is now 3-3. Sweet. Awesome but no surprise, right? Kid hasn't lost that event in some like 400 years. But what threw me for a loop this morning was the title: GYMNASTICS: U.S. Men's win bronze. What?! Seriously? Yes, they were hoping for a bronze. They also had everything from their fingers to their toes crossed in hopes of anything being put on their neck. Of course, that wasn't the only thing to happen. BUT... that was a huge win for the boys. HUGE.
Well done Team USA.
How many parents allowed their children to stay up to watch the Men's 4 x 100 Freestyle Relay final on Sunday evening back in the States? How many little boys -- and girls -- watched that race and were forever transformed? How many future Olympic -- and professional -- athletes did those 3 minutes, 8 seconds and 24/100ths of a second spawn? How many lessons in never giving up will be taught using Jason Lezak's final 50 meters (not to mention his previous eight years) as an example?
It is amazing how swiftly -- a speed that can be measured in the same increments that it takes to delineate between gold and silver in the Water Cube -- the Olympics can move from political agitprop to sports spectacular. We've gone from rants (by NBCSports.com's own -- or is that "disown"? -- Chris Russo) about how the Olympics are no longer relevant to, and I quote NBC spokesman Adam Freifeld here, "the most watched first Sunday in Summer Olympics history."
The Olympics, once they are finally allowed a chance to breathe (only in the Olympics does the addition of fire add oxygen, as opposed to sucking it out), are one of the great ideas of modern times. Of any time. How can interaction with people whose culture and background and language is different than one's own, in an endeavor having nothing to do with military operations, have anything but salubrious effects? How wonderful was it, for example, when Natalia Paderina of Russia took silver and Nino Salukvadze of Georgia won bronze in the women's 10-meter air pistol on Sunday and afterward the two embraced?
One of the two gold medals won thus far by the United States was claimed in the women's sabre by Notre Dame junior Mariel Zagunis. NBC brought in Zagunis as well as teammates Becca Ward (bronze) and Sada Jacobson (silver) to our main studio for an interview with Bob Costas yesterday morning (night where you are).
Bob (I call him Bob ... he's a funny guy) noted that both of Zagunis' parents were Olympians, rowers at the 1976 Montreal Games, which led to this exchange:
Law students refer to their essential tome as Black's.
Med students refer to theirs as Gray's.
Wordsmiths? Roget's.
And Olympic media? Wallechinsky.
David Wallechinsky was introduced to the Olympics in 1960 when his father, novelist Irving Wallace, took him to Rome to see the Games in person. Since the mid-Eighties his book, The Complete Book of the Olympics, has been the essential source of information for anyone who wants to learn about the Summer or Winter Games. Not only does Wallechinsky provide the top eight finishers in every event ever staged (for those that have had eight competitors place), but there is no shortage of fascinating anecdotes. It's one of those books that you can open up to any page (the latest edition has 1,181 of them) and fully immerse yourself. Then just flip around.
The SNL Studio has been destroyed! Where's the Grand Central clock? The set? A band? It should all be here somewhere?
Nope, at least not for the month of August. You'd have to look long and hard to recognize what you and I are used to seeing on TV every Saturday night. It's all been pushed aside and shoved into the back of a closet somewhere at 30 Rock. With the transformation complete, the Olympics have moved in.
I just got back to my apartment (only to kill a few hours before heading back- which side note, there is nothing on TV at 4 am except guess what? Olympics!) before heading back to NYC's Olympic HQ. 600 plus employees are scurrying around the hallways drinking coffee and for the most part still functioning. After all, this whole thing just started.
In a weird twist, most of the sports are actually being called from back here in the states. Mini grey sound booths have been set up, placed in line one after another, across the traditional SNL stage and seating area. When the event is about to start, announcers enter through a door, shut themselves away from the rest of the world, strap on a headset and watch on a TV. Just like you and me. Off to the side, rows of computers are set up where (from what I've heard) interns (?) are devouring tons of footage and processing it over to the web. Back down the hallway, MSNBC and USA Network have their sets up and running, both of which are really beautiful.
"Are you a morning person?" That was the title of the email I received telling me my hours for the next two plus weeks would begin at 3 am. And that's nothing, some of the guys I was hanging out with this morning have already passed the 24 mark.
Obviously the big stuff, Track and Field, Swimming and (my fav) Gymnastics are going to be airing primetime on NBC. But evvvveeerrrryyyyyttthhiinnnggg else (and there's a lot) will be available across the rest of NBC's channels (MSNBC, CNBC, USA) and on the internet.
Hilton, as in the Hotel not Paris (which I guess are one in the same but for intensive purposes-the hotel) is sponsoring the show I am hosting. Called "While You Were Sleeping" (Partying, Studying, Spending a late night on Facebook), the show is basically a highlight package getting you caught up on what you missed. Short enough to not take over your day but meaty enough to give you the heads up on what happened. "While You Were Sleeping" will be up and running every morning on NBCOlympics.com
Also, look out for Matty Blake's own version of an Olympics show. I watched it yesterday and it's hilarious. Guys, trust me, Matty has your best interest at heart when it comes to his special correspondents.
Li Ning lit the torch (and did a mad impression of Mary Poppins) last night at the Opening Ceremony. He was a fitting choice, as he represented both China's ascendance in the Olympics and in capitalism. Actually, over here I think they practice capitunism.
In 1984 China returned to the Olympic Games for the first time since 1952, claiming that their invitations had been lost in the mail in the intervening years (oh, and there was also that entire snit over Taiwan and the Cultural Revolution, which was actually a Cultural Deevolution, but who's counting?).
Anyway, 1984. Los Angeles. And Li Ning, a gymnast, winds up winning more medals (6) than any participant in those Games. More than Carl Lewis. More even than Dara Torres who, admittedly, did not even participate in those Games (there was actually a time when Dara was too young) but whose inclusion in this paragraph is an attempt to appease certain friends clamoring for more torrid Torres photos. Talk about forty-one-derful.
