If anyone cares, here are some of my Olympic thoughts after the 2008 Games.
The games were exciting, although I must admit, I watched a lot less after the swimming -- and Michael Phelps - was completed.
Speaking of Phelps - wow. Eight gold medals, six world records. Despite those who understandably feel that there was too much coverage of Phelps, what the 23-year-old did was something we may never see again.
Some people who consider themselves experts believe the man that has won three gold medals this Olympics could be a force in the NFL.
He obviously has incredible speed and is only 21-years-old. If he can learn how to catch a football, he could be a serious weapon for an NFL team, especially one that has a QB with a strong arm.
This isn't the first time a star sprinter has been considered for a spot in the NFL. Bob Hayes has had the most success transitioning to football, winning a Super Bowl and earning multiple Pro Bowl selections. Jim Hines was drafted a round higher than Hayes, but didn't work out nearly as well.
So does Bolt have the goods to make it in the NFL?
Feeling bummed about all of the struggles the United States has had in track and field this Olympics? Just watch this video above featuring highlights of John Belushi making this country proud with his efforts in the decathlon more than three decades ago.
In actual Olympic news, American Bryan Clay lived up to the legacy set by Belushi and took gold in the 2008 decathlon. It must be the donuts.
Watching another medal chance slip through their fingers
I heard rumors of what happened to the U.S. track team at Beijing's Bird's Nest Wednesday, but I had to see for myself Thursday night.
It was like watching back-to-back high-speed trainwrecks.
This just in from Associated Press:
Olympic superstar Michael Phelps will write a book telling the story behind his historic eight gold medal swims just in time for the holiday season, Free Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, announced today.
Chinese gymnast He Kexin, center, is seen with teammates at a news conference at the Samsung Pavilion at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in Beijing, Friday, Aug. 22, 2008. Coach Lu Shanzhen told The Associated Press they gave the FIG new documents on Thursday to try to remove any doubts about He Kexin's age, including an old passport, residency card and her current ID card. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)
The International Olympics Committee requested that the International Federation of Gymnastics look into the ages of the Chinese gymnasts who are alleged to be too young to compete.
The IOC, however, refused to call this a full investigation, but said it is merely seeking "clarification."
He's an international superstar still basking in the glow of the spotlight several days after wrapping up his historic run to eight gold medals in a single Olympics.
But will Michael Phelps have the staying power to remain an American darling for the forseeable future?
Not even the most ardent sports fan pays much attention to swimming outside of the Olympics, but Phelps has been remarkable enough for people to remember his accomplishments. He has the chance to score lucrative endorsement deals and generate more interest in swimming across the country. It will only happen if the public continues to embrace him.
The Best Week Ever blog compiled some photos that make Phelps seem a little less than appealing. There are shades of Kevin Federline. A bit of a Ryan Seacrest vibe going on.
Some believe Tommy Kono became the United States' best lifter in the 1950s.
York Barbell weightlifter Tommy Kono won two Olympic golds and one silver.
Some experts believe he's the best American lifter ever.
Who was Tommy Kono?
See:York Town Square post - Tommy Kono: 'He's the greatest weightlifter -- and I'm talking worldwide'
These pictures pretty much sum it up.
If you missed it, or just want to re-live it, NBC's got the highlights here.
Dwight Schrute thinks the decathlon is for wimps.
The fictional character in the brilliant comedy The Office is known for his intensity and lack of traditional social skills. In this NBC promo he campaigns for the inclusion of the centathlon (100 events) in the next Olympic games. Some of Dwight's suggested events include back jump, animal mimicry, boat repair, cabinet making and haircutting.
As awesome as Dwight's centathlon might actually be, it's probably not feasible within the two-week period the Olympics are held. But what about 25 events? That might actually be interesting -- especially if they go beyond track and field. If the biathlon in the Winter Games features both rifle shooting and cross country skiing, why can't we combine swimming, weightlifting and boxing with running, jumping and throwing?
Either way, I'm hoping murder checkers is added to the Olympics as a medal sport on its own merits.
I've been coming into work this week with bags under my eyes thanks to the fact that all the exciting Olympic action happens after 10 p.m.
Tuesday night's broadcast of the women's gymnastics balance beam finals wasn't even live, but I still sacrificed beauty sleep to watch it after the men's diving and women's track events.
Shawn Johnson finally got her gold medal. She stuck her routine and was awareded with the highest score on the apparatus seen during the 2008 Olympics -- a 16.225. Her smile could have lit up the arena by itself.
Her teammate Nastia Liukin also performed beautifully and earned a silver medal, her fifth of the Beijing games. Overall, it was a nice ending after all the the gymnastics drama that went down recently.
I guess I can just catch up on my sleep next week.
There are really no words for this.
Usain Bolt broke his second world record by winning Wednesday's 200 final.
Jamaica's Usain Bolt continued his gold-medal romp Wednesday morning with yet another world record - this time in the 200 meters.
He becomes the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to sweep the 100 and 200 events.
Bolt's 19.30 eclipsed the old record of 19.32 seconds set by Michael Johnson in Atlanta in 1996.
Bob Hoffman, second from right in this photo from York Barbell, and his company spawned numerous Olympic wrestlers.
Bob Hoffman had died and York Barbell was no longer producing Olympic-caliber lifters.
But the company made a contribution to the international scene in the early 1990s. See 20 questions and answers to prove your York County smarts for the answer.
South Dakota native Becky Hammon (above) will take the court along with several others talented American basketball players on Thursday when the U.S. plays Russia in the semifinals. The difference about Hammon is she will be wearing a Russian uniform.
Despite finishing second in the WNBA MVP voting last season, Hammon was not invited to try out for the U.S. national team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She responded by signing a lucrative contract with a Russian professional team that included the possibility of playing in the Olympic games.
United States coach Anne Donovan responded by extending a belated invitation for Hammon to try out for the American team. Still stinging from the initial snub, Hammon elected to play for a Russian team that had more interest in her. Donovan then called Hammon "not a patriotic person" in an interview with ESPN.
The situation received some attention in the national media in late June, but was forgotten soon enough. Now that Hammon will actually be playing against America with gold medal hopes on the line, it's worth revisiting the question: Did Hammon do anything wrong by electing to play for Russia?
It feels like every time I watched gymnastics so far the announcers have been questioning the judging and scoring systems.
I understand that comes with the territory in subjective sports, but gymnastics went through the whole process of changing its scoring system to help avoid those problems.
Gymnastics judges better watch their backs.
Last night, the women's gymnastics event finals got ugly. After a nearly flawless uneven bar routine, American Nastia Liukin scored a 16.725. Chinese gymnast He Kexin also performed a great routine and scored a 16.725. Confusion ensued.
This panel, part of the Murals of York series, features two York-based Olympic weightlifters, Tommy Kono, center, and John Grimek, right. That's York Barbell's Bob Hoffman, four-time Olympic coach, at left.
York Barbell and Bob Hoffman turned out many Olympic weightlifters.
One of Hoffman's favorites was 1936 Olympian and two-time Mr. America John Grimek.
Read more about Grimek at John Grimek lifted up musclemen of York, Pa..
Look mom, only one hand. Legendary bodybuilder John Grimek lifts a York Barbell in this photo, courtesy York County Heritage Trust. Grimek finished ninth in the heavyweight division in the 1936 Olympics.
York's Bob Hoffman coached several Olympic weightlifting teams to medal level. He was assistant coach in 1948 and 1952 and head coach in 1956 and 1960.
In a book published a few years ago, John Fair provided an honest look Hoffman's story, as reviewed in the York Town Square blog post: Author muscles way into York's weightlifting, bodybuilding world .
Those arms were made for swimming.
Golden boy Michael Phelps' 6-foot 7-inch wingspan might be a little hard to visualize. To help out, the Baltimore Sun created a hilarious site to put Phelps' arm length into perspective. Check it out here.
York Barbell's Bob Hoffman was one of the Olympians to make York/Adams top top-athletes-of-the-century list.
Several years ago, the York Sunday News rated Bob Hoffman, founder of York Barbell, and Scott Strausbaugh, of canoe fame, among its top York and Adams counties sports figures in the 20th century. Special Olympian Loretta Claiborne was named to the list, too.
For details on their achievements, plus others on the list, see: Who were most prominent 20th-century sports heroes in York and Adams counties?
While you were watching Michael Phelps, this woman was winning gold, too.
While the United States entered Sunday's action with the most overall medals (54), the host Chinese had struck much more gold than anyone -- 27 at that point for the home team (11 more than the U.S.).
And while we pretty much know where most of that American gold came from (ahem ... Michael Phelps), the Chinese have been quietly hauling their share of top prizes as well.
So where have those 27 golds come from? Many were earned in events we haven't seen much of in primetime on NBC. Here's the Chinese gold breakdown so far:
-- 8 in weightlifting
-- 4 in shooting
-- 4 in diving
-- 3 in gymnastics
-- 3 in judo
-- 2 in badminton
-- 1 in swimming
-- 1 in archery
-- 1 in fencing
As for the Americans, they entered Sunday with 16 gold medals.
-- 11 in swimming
-- 2 in shooting
-- 1 in gymnastics
-- 1 in fencing
-- 1 in cycling
Jamaica's Usain Bolt started hot-dogging well before the finish line of the 100-meter dash final Saturday, but he still blew away the field to win gold and set a world record in the event with a stunning time of 9.69 seconds.
Bolt slipped out of the starting blocks but had such a lead by mid-track that The Associated Press reported he soon "held his arms out wide, turned his palms up, pounded his chest and started celebrating a good 10 strides before he reached the finish line."
Imagine what his time would have been had he kept surging.
While American Tyson Gay failed to qualify for the final, his U.S. teammate Walter Dix grabbed the bronze medal.
Here's The AP account:
In the photo above, the fingers of Milorad Cavic (bottom lane) can be seen just inches from the wall, and yet it was Michael Phelps (top lane) who won this race.
For anyone that saw it, Michael Phelps was second in the 100 meter butterfly.
Until the finish that is.
Somehow, the greatest swimmer in Olympic history managed to touch out - or in this case out-touch - Milorad Cavic of Serbia.
How did he do it?
None of us watching at the Daily Record/Sunday News office know. He was trailing throughout the race. Cavic's fingers were two inches from the wall. Phelps' hands were behind his shoulders.
We all figured, he came in second.
We figured wrong.
So, the saga continues and there is no way anyone should bet against Phelps breaking Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in one Olympic games when he takes the pool during Saturday night's 400 meter relay.
This is the most amazing thing I have seen in years..
Those five blades are dangerous in more ways than you might think.
As mentioned by Robert Mackey over at the New York Times Olympics blog, Roger Federer has become the latest superstar athlete to falter after appearing in the add for the Gillette Fusion razor above. Mackey elaborates:
"Henry came down with a career-damaging case of sciatica and now plays, infrequently, with just flashes of his former brilliance; Woods blew out his knee, came back from surgery on it too quickly and, while winning the U.S. Open, damaged it so badly that he is now out for the year; Federer's invincibility cloak has gone missing and now he's having trouble beating Rafa Nadal not just on clay, but also on grass, and he's lost in straight sets to James Blake on a hard court in the run-up to the U.S. Open."
Mackey neglects to mention that the curse has now extended to the newest superstar athlete to join the ad campaign and it may have led to an unfortunate turn of events for the United States baseball team in Beijing.
This Associated Press photograph shows Dover's Scott Strausbaugh, front, and Joe Jacobi of Bethesda, Md., in their successful quest for a gold medal in men's canoeing whitewater doubles in 1992 Olympic competition in Seu d'Urbell Spain.
Dover-area's Scott Strausbaugh was the last York countian to bring home a Olympic medal.
Those in his home area saw his athletic prowess from an early age. To revisit community reaction after he won his medal, see Olympic gold medalist Scott Strausbaugh another Dover product.
Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson took the gold and silver medal last night, but in the opposite order most of the analysts expected.
Chad Johnson said he could swim faster than Michael Phelps in this video. He may be right.
"The problem with Michael Phelps is there's no competition where he is," Johnson said while on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption. "If he came where I'm from, int he inner-city, I was a three-time Charles Hadley pool champ. Don't laugh, it's not funny. Some of the best people in the world are the people who are not able to make it to that level. Where I'm from, Liberty City, I know a couple people who could beat Michael Phelps right now. Seriously, I'm telling you, and I'm one of them."
The absurdity of the suggestion that Johnson could just jump in a pool tomorrow and outperform the man who has already won five gold medals this year is self-evident. And clearly, Johnson was having a little bit of fun with his challenge. But whether he realizes it or not, he makes sense with a greater point.
The elite athletes around the world end up competing in sports other than swimming. In most countries, they spend their time playing soccer. In the United States, if only to help gain themselves a free college education, most kids turn to football, basketball and, to a lesser extent, baseball. If a top athlete like Chad Johnson had committed himself to swimming since his pre-teen years, I think he would have had a decent chance at swimming at Phelps' level.
No, this isn't a scene from a hip-hop video, it's our commander in chief having a little fun with U.S. beach volleyball phenoms Misty May-Treanor (backing that thang up on the left) and Kerri Walsh (with wedgie on right).
The clip of George W. Bush's back-handed back-pat has been shown over and over on NBC. It turns out that, after Bush worked out with the pair in the Beijing sand, May-Treanor offered the president a chance to smack her booty.
"Mr. President," she reportedly asked him, "want to?"
Who needs to see to win gold? Not Michael Phelps.
Two more golds for Michael Phelps. Five total.
Five world records.
Three more events to go.
Just how good is he? In the 200 fly, his goggles apparently weren't working right. They kept filling with water, and he couldn't see. Yet he still smoked the competition for another world record. (Side note: Had he lost, what would've happened to his goggle handler?)
A woman poses with a newspaper showing a photo of Spain's Olympic basketball team making slant-eyed gestures while posing for an Olympics publicity photo, in Madrid. The photo was originally part of a publicity campaign for team sponsor Seur and is being used solely in Spain. The headline translates as 'return to racism'.
So players on Spain's Olympic basketball teams - men and women - created an uproar with ads that show them making slant-eyed gestures, in an apparent attempt to make them look more Chinese. The team, which includes NBA superstar Pau Gasol, can't seem to understand what the problem is.
At the risk of being labeled a crazy conspiracy theorist...
I can't help but wonder if the pool in the water cube is a little short. There have been, what, 12 world records so far? It seems like every time someone jumps in the water we have a new world record.
Maybe it's the new high-tech swimsuits. Or maybe the athletes are really just much better now (and Michael Phelps certainly is amazing).
Or maybe the Chinese, who seem to want to stage manage everything, right down to lip-synching in the opening extravaganza, made the pool a wee bit short to make this THE MOST EXCITING OLYMPICS EVER!
Loretta Claiborne participates in Special Olympics in 2007.
Loretta Claiborne's accomplishments are so plentiful that her name appears on the side of a modern office building in York.
And a different kind of Olympics - Special Olympics - launched her career. Read more at York Town Square blog.
So much for a surprising berth in the quarterfinals.
The United States' strong start in group play was nullified by a red card issued to Michael Orozco in the early minutes of this morning's game against Nigeria. (There is some serious questioning by the stats people whether the card was issued in the third or fourth minute.)
But either way, the United States had to play with 10 men for the bulk of the game.
Despite an exciting four minutes in stoppage time where the United States had some chances to tie the game, Nigeria wins 2-1 and advances to the quarterfinals.
The Netherlands beat Japan in the other game in Group B, so this ends the United States road in the Olympics.
Check back later for a final wrap up and thoughts about Team USA's showing in the Olympics.
Nigeria's goalie comes out of the net, fouls Maurice Edu in the box and earns a yellow card.
Sacha Kljestan scores the ensuing penalty kick.
Score 2-1 Nigeria.
Nigeria nets its second goal in 80th minute. That puts the United States down two goals with not much time left.
You can see the fatigue in the faces of the U.S. men.
Things look rather bleak now. Scoring two goals in 10 minutes will be tough, but if Japan can manage to tie the game with the Netherlands, the United States could still advance.
It's just been announced that the Netherlands scored its first goal against Japan. This means the United States need to score if the team hopes to advance to the quarterfinals.
Danny Szetela earned a yellow card for arguing with the referee over a no call in the 6oth minute.
The score still remains 1-0 in Nigeria's favor.
The United States was lucky to escape a late goal chance in stoppage time. Another save by goalie Brad Guzan kept the team in the game.
During halftime the United States will most likely have to make some changes to help close some of the gaps in the defense.
Nigeria takes a 1-0 lead in the 40th minute after relentlessly attacking the weakened U.S. defense.
Nigeria had looks through out the half and finally just wore down the defenders slipping a ball into the net off a cross from the right side.
Team USA needs to lock down here for the remaining five minutes of the half. They can't afford to give up another goal before the half.
Bad news for Team USA. Michael Orozco just drew a red card in the fourth minute for throwing an elbow.
They will now play the reminder of the 90 minutes a man down.
That's not what the United States was looking to do if the team wants any hope of advancing to the finals.
Good morning York, we're here with another insanely early U.S. men's soccer game.
It's about to get under way.
If you've been following along, you know how important this game against Nigeria is.
Check back often for updates.
This is the second night in a row that the China/U.S. gymnastics rivalry sucked me in. But tonight, I am so disappointed, I walked away from the TV. With the Chinese competing on floor exercise they are pretty much guaranteed the gold unless they fall on their butts like American Alicia Sacramone or step out of bounds like Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin. All I hear is cheering and it doesn't sound good.
Even Ivan, my cat, is disappointed after seeing the falls.
At least the swimmers are making us smile.
In this photo distributed by the Chinese news agency, Xinhua, giant pandas Le Le, left, and Ying Ying enjoy an ice birthday cake at the Ocean Park in Hong Kong today. It was their third birthday celebration.
This story from the Associated Press caught my eye because I had wondered the same thing. I remember Nadia Comaneci, the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic event. Anyway, I thought the explanation was worth sharing.
Q. How are Olympic gymnasts scoring in the 15s? Isn't 10 a perfect score?
A. The International Gymnastics Federation changed the scoring system to differentiate the difficulty of gymnasts' routines, says Byron Knox, a former national team athlete and coach.
Some of my favorite Olympic viewing experiences are when they give background on the Olympians. We tend to view them as elite stars and forget that they are people, too.
A perfect 16ish?
Gymnastics are a must-watch for me during the summer Olympics, but the time difference is killing me. I was able to catch part of men's team finals Monday night, but had to hit the hay before the competition was over.
And, just like that, there's another scandal (if you wish to call it that) regarding that dazzling opening ceremony last Friday.
According to telegraph.co.uk: "At the last moment a member of the Chinese politburo who was watching a rehearsal pronounced that ... Yang Peiyi might have a perfect voice but was unsuited to the lead role because of her buck teeth. So, on the night, while a pre-recording of Yang Peiyi singing was played, Lin Miaoke, who has already featured in television advertisements, was seen but not heard."
More on this story here.
James Hibberd of The Live Feed delves into some of the questionable aspects of NBC's coverage thus far and separates the fact from fiction.
Writes Hibberd: Mixing real and CGI fireworks during an Olympic event is visually misleading, though NBC did try to address the issue. The question is, during a spectacular-looking shot, do the phrases "cinematic device" and "almost animation" really convey that the image wasn't real? It seems more to hint that something about it wasn't quite literal, while coming shy of saying -- in far more clear and simple terms -- "this is a digitally manufactured shot to represent what's happening right now outside the stadium."
Apparently, there's controversy surrounding the bodysuits some Olympic swimmers are racing in.
I didn't pay attention during the 2004 Athens games, so this weekend I was surprised to see the athletes wearing long-legged, torso-covering suits as they turned laps in the pool.
What gives? What happened to those itty-bitty Speedos and the guys who shaved their legs to reduce drag in the water?
From a quick search, I learned that more than 40 world records have come from swimmers wearing a particular high-tech Speedo suit, the LZR Racer (pictured).
That's pretty much what the guys on the U.S. soccer team tell us in this video.
There's no embed link so you've got to go straight to the site to watch it. It's called "Mo checks in from China."
If you want another great U.S. soccer video check out the guys modeling the outfits Team USA wore in the opening ceremonies. Video called "MNT at the Opening Ceremonies."
While their respective countrymen are killing each other half a world away, Russia's Natalia Paderina, left, and Georgia's Nino Salukvadze hug and wave during the medal ceremony after the women's 10-meter air pistol final at the Beijing Olympics on Sunday. Paderina won the silver medal and Salukvadze won bronze.
Meanwhile, Russia's full-scale ground invasion of Georgia continues.
Olympian-turned-attorney Whitney Metzler in 2008.
Whitney Metzler is York County's most recent Olympian finishing eighth 400-meter IM in 1996.
Today, she has an entirely different career, as outlined in Olympic medalist/lawyer Whitney Metzler comes home to York County.
The U.S. gymnastics team kicks off its two-month 2008 Tour of Gymnastics Superstars at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park.
Gymnasts Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin, who are currently competing in the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing, are a few of the stars showcased on the tour.
Tickets are on sale now and cost $49.50, $39.50 and $29.50. They're available at 814-865-5555 or online at www.bjc.psu.edu.
Watch the women's team finals at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday and women's individual all-around finals at 11:15 p.m. Thursday on NBC.
Apologies for the delayed recap from yesterday's men's soccer game. I was away this weekend and didn't have access to a computer anywhere near the TV where I was watching the game.
If you didn't catch the action live you missed a great, but disappointing game.
Team USA led 2-1 with about 20 seconds remaining in stoppage time when the Netherlands earned a free kick off a Stuart Holden yellow card right outside the box and pushed the ball under the wall past diving goalie Brad Guzan to tie the game.
The men's 4 X 100 relay swim has to go down as the greatest Summer Olympic event I have ever seen.
While nothing will ever touch the 1980 Miracle on Ice hockey team that stunned the world, watching live as Jason Lezak come from a near-body length behind to beat a French team that gallantly (and foolishly) said it would "smash the Americans" will stick with me until my cluttered mind can hold no more.
The world record breaking swim also gave Michael Phelps a shot to surpass Mark Spitz's seven gold medals in one year, set in 1972.
I was 10-years-old when during those famed Munich Games, which showed me at an early age triumph and tragedy, but I can't remember the last time I yelled at my television during the Olympics.
This was simply incredible.
Becky Goodling, a West Manchester Township native and 2005 West York Area High School graduate, is in Beijing through Aug. 26 as an intern with NBC Sports during the Olympics. She is a student at Ithaca College in New York who expects to graduate in May 2009.
She answered questions via e-mail from York Daily Record/Sunday News correspondent Greg Gross.
Q: You've been in China a few days now. Was it a culture shock when you got there? If so, what surprised you most about the country and its people?
A: When we arrived at the airport in Beijing, they had the entire terminal shut down, and a welcome committee, complete with waving mascots, video cameras, and people snapping pictures waiting to greet us as we exited the tarmac.
The first thing I noticed was the overwhelming hospitality of the Chinese, almost excessive at times. They are incredibly polite, patient and always smiling, and ready to help you in any way they can.
At the hotels, there is a person whose job it is to wait outside the elevator, just to push the button for you as you climb in, and at the gym where I'm staying, it's someone's job just to open and close the door for me.
At the 24-hour Starbucks at the NBC commissary, someone will take the sugar container out of your hand and pour it for you.
The Chinese are also very proud of their country, and proud of the Olympics. Everyone is sporting Olympic T-shirts and excited to see our credentials and ask us if we're working for the Olympics -- much different from the U.S. where the residents of the host city are excited, but in a much more passive way.
Here's an interesting photo crop of the backside of Chico, the horse of Chinese rider Alex Hua Tian. The pair competed during the dressage test portion of the Eventing competition in Hong Kong on Saturday.
Because of one lesser-known sport, the U.S. went from zero to three medals.
United States gold-medal winner Mariel Zagunis is flanked by silver medal winner Sada Jacobson, left, and bronze medal winner Becca Ward, right, on the podium after the women's individual saber at the Fencing Hall of the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing today.
Zagunis took the gold with a 15-8 victory over Jacobson in the finals.
Regardless of the sport, three red, white and blue flags being raised should always be an inspiring sight, espcially for those yet to compete.
Sportswriter Frank Bodani wrote this column in December 2006, and it seems appropriate to share it again here....
This is the perfect day to talk about an Olympic long-distance runner.
Christmas is for giving, for celebrating, for believing in others.
So it's the perfect time to talk about Billy Mills -- one of the world's special people you probably don't know enough about.
This is the perfect gift to my wife.
Mills is a hero to her, an inspiration and a role model and even a class project of sorts when she was a teacher.
You might have heard of him, maybe even watched the 1980s movie about him. But there's a good chance you don't know much -- that's what happens to 10,000-meter gold-medal winners from 40 years ago.
Time fades such things.
And that's unfortunate, because few stories are like his.
Blogger James Hibberd writes that: NBC's "coverage of the Games got off to a roaring start Friday with an opening ceremony that's trending as the highest-rated non-U.S. summer opener ever. The four-hour Beijing ceremony received a 21.5 (37 share) overnight household rating from metered markets."
What did you think of NBC's tape-delay broadcast of the opening cermeony? E-mail us and we'll post your comments.
This was China's chance to show what it could do with the world watching. What the world saw was a lavishly excessive display that brings up questions as to whether the $40 billion (by conservative estimates) invested in the Opening Ceremonies was put to good use.
The Washington Post's Thomas Boswell rightly scolds the Chinese government for investing so much money in the spectacle, asserting: "No democracy can or should invest the money and manpower that went into this city-wide fireworks-spewing deification of national pride, athletic aspiration and Communist Party self-congratulation. Public money could never be justified for such an insanely exhilarating night. Only a People's Republic could squander so lavishly."
Boswell goes on to talk about how the ceremonies also served as a propaganda tool for the Chinese government -- a chance to fool the Chinese people into thinking their suffering and oppression is all part of the plan.
"All this, of course, celebrated the Olympics. But it was just as much spectacle to convince 1.3 billion people that they were living out a glorious collective destiny, a march into a perfectible future that justified any current hardship or lack of basic liberties."
It remains a shame that China was even given the opportunity to host these Games -- we really shouldn't have expected any more or less from that government.
Denverpost.com blogger John Meyer writes: "I gather a lot of what you are reading, hearing and seeing about Beijing relates to the appalling air quality. And there's no doubt it's disgusting to look at. I've been here five days now, and every day it's the same, a thick haze that turns buildings a quarter of a mile away into ghostly shapes. I went to Tianenmen Square today, and buildings only 100 meters away seemed to have a milky film over them. But is it unhealthy? Maybe not. ..."
Read the rest of what Meyer has to say here.
And check out the Post's extensive Olympics coverage here.
Here's a report on the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, which was held this morning. You can watch the tape-delay broadcast of the spectacle beginning at 7:30 tonight on NBC.
The Olympic spirit officially swept through the York Daily Record/Sunday News newsroom at about 8:45 a.m. today.
As the Games' opening ceremonies were proceding half a world away in Beijing, a much smaller ceremony took place just off of Loucks Road.
Led by YDR flag-bearer and librarian Pam White (pictured), and joined by librarian Nancy Duncan and features copy editor Gloria Fogal, the York Daily Record delegation marched its way through the building.
White held an American flag aloft as her compatriots marched proudly behind. They carried a small radio that played music from the Olympic march.
Some applauded as the trio marched past, while others appeared puzzled.
By about 8:47, the ceremonies were over, but Duncan could later be seen competing (alone) in some sort of jump rope competition in the newsroom library.
Will Ferrell goes for the gold in "Old School."
Entertainment Weekly awarded gold, silver and bronze medals to the best sports movies in 17 categories. For example, in the boxing category, "Rocky" won gold, "Raging Bull" won silver and "Million Dollar Baby" won bronze.
In between watching your favorite Olympians compete in Beijing, pop in one of the medal-winning movies to keep your adrenaline going.
Welcome to the O-zone, the only home for news from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing with a York County perspective.
We want to know what you think about the Olympics, York, and what you're watching. So comment early, comment often, and let us know what you want to read more about.
I predict that Michael Phelps and his Fu Manchu will break Mark Spitz's record in Beijing.
I'm anxiously awaiting the swimming portion of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I'm a big fan of Michael Phelps, even with his goofy facial hair. (Side note: Most swimmers tend to shave every last bit of hair. I wonder what kind of drag those handlebars have.)
What are your sharpest Olympic memories? Most of my clearest memories begin with the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. And who will ever forget Mary Decker, Zola Budd and the bump & stumble in the women's 3,000-meter race.
Send me your Olympic memories, great or garish, and we'll share them here.
A list of previous Olympic athletes who were born in York County or who moved here and made York County their home:
Whitney Metzler (pictured above): Finished eighth in the 400-meter IM at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta
Robert Sohl: Won the bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London
Hans Gerhard Boetzelen: Competing for Germany, paired with Herbert Buhtz to win the silver medal in the double sculls (rowing) at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles
Scott Strausbaugh: Teamed with Joe Jacobi to win the gold medal in the two-man slalom (canoe event) at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
Linda Myers: Competing in individual archery, finished fifth at the 1972 Summer OIympics in Munich and seventh at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
(There are also numerous Olympic weightlifters with ties to York County. More on them in an upcoming entry.)
This is an opportunity too good for any Olympic athlete to pass up. Not when so much is at stake.
The Chinese government has helped "fuel" the genocide in Darfur, where almost 300,000 Sudanese have been slaughtered and more than 2,000,000 have been displaced. The regime is also the world leader in state executions and has no regard for free speech, detaining and punishing those that dare to criticize the government. There's also the repression in Tibet, detention of prisoners without trial and widespread censorship of international media.
With the spotlight on them, Americans and freedom-loving athletes from around the world have a chance to condemn the host nation one or all of these issues (although I would go out on a limb and say the mass genocide should probably take top billing in the condemnation department).
So why are so many high-profile athletes remaining silent? They claim it's because they don't want to get involved in "politics." The thing is, we're not talking about politics here. We're talking about genocide and human rights.
This is without a doubt the coolest video EVER put together for an Olympic event that most people don't even know about.
Sadly, the U.S. is not expected to contend for a trampoline medal this year. China is heavily favored in the men's event, led by Dong Dong and former diver Ye Shuai, while the Russian women figure to dominate.
Fierce Olympic fashion
Olympic fever is popping up everywhere, including Bravo's reality fashion design competition "Project Runway." (Not surprising since Bravo is affiliated with Olympic station NBC.) Wednesday night, skating star Apolo Ohno was the guest judge. The challenge: Design a Team USA outfit for the opening ceremonies.
It may not have been the cleanest game ever played, but Team USA was able to pull out a 1-0 victory over Japan its first game in group play.
The lone goal came in the 47th minute off Stuart Holden's foot.
Fina Score: USA - 1 Japan - 0
The United States earned three important points in Group B play, which will be important as they look to take on the Netherlands and Nigeria.
Check back later this morning for a look at what the United States did well and where they could still improve as they move forward.
Goalie Brad Guzan takes a yellow card in the 89th minute for wasting time.
There's about four minutes of stoppage time left and the United States is holding on to a 1-0 lead.
With about 15 minutes left in the second half we're seeing some substitutions and more cards being issued.
The United States subbed Jozy Altidore for Brian McBride in the 74th minute and Benny Feilhaber for Stuart Holden in the 82nd. In the 87th minute, It was Danny Szetela for Robbie Rogers.
Japan's first sub came in the 64th minute Tadanari Lee for Yohei Kajiyama. In the 73rd minute, Yohei Toyoda for Takayuki Morimoto and in the 84th it was Shinji Okazaki for Shinji Kagawa.
Japan was also issued two yellow cards tying the number the United States earned.
The second half continues to show a lot of back and forth action between the two teams.
Japan's corner in the 61st minute is headed out high over the net.
USA is granted a free kick just outside the box in the 63rd minute but it is knocked away by the goalie.
Michael Bradley is issued a yellow card on a very questionable call in the 65th. That makes two yellow cards for the United States and none for Japan.
Only a few seconds later, Japan has a a shot to tie the game. The ball is knocked away by Maurice Edu at the last minute.
Freddy Adu earns the first card of the game in the 52nd minute. He was issued a yellow for taking down a Japanese player.
Stuart Holden scores the game's first goal for the United States in the 47th minute. The ball deflected off a Japanese defender and found Holden's foot.
A diving Japanese goalie slowed the ball down, but it dribbled over the line into the net.
Score USA 1, Japan 0
The United States is lucky to escape the first half with the game still tied 0-0.
Japan attacked the goal relentlessly, and if the finishing touches hadn't been just wide of the net, Japan would have an easy 2-0 lead.
Japan will take the first corner kick of the game in the 20th minute.
A short kick is played in, but there's a whistle before the kick to stop some of the pushing and shoving in the goal.
The second time around, Japan sticks with its plan to take a short kick, which is serviced in across the wide open U.S. net, but Japan can't get the touch it needs to put the first points on the board.
Score still 0-0 in the 27th minute.
Japan came out attacking strong with a few decent looks in the attacking third.
The United States is still trying to find its footing. In the 12th minute, the team strung together a solid attack, but was unable to finish on the opportunity.
In the 14th minute, Michael Bradley ripped a shot at the goal. Saved by Japan's goalie.
It's still tied 0-0 in the 15th minute, but we're starting to see the United States settle and put together stronger attacks.
Thud.
That was how the Olympics started for the United States when the women's soccer team fell behind 2-0 only four minutes into their contest against Norway and eventually lost by the same margin.
Four minutes and losing big! Something tells me the Chinese were thrilled.
Let's hope it wasn't an omen for what the next two weeks has in store for the Red, White and Blue.
Robbie Rogers handles the ball during a game last week in the ING Cup, a warm up for the Olympic Games.
Group play for the U.S. men's soccer team starts tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. local time when they take on Japan at the Tianjin Olympic Sport Stadium in Tianjin, China. (If you're crazy like me and want to watch live, it's on MSNBC.)
The United States is in Group B along with Japan, Nigeria and the Netherlands.
That would be Norway celebrating, not the U.S.
Where's Abby Wambach , Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain when we need them?
I still have Phelps fever and Jess is frenzied over futbol, but now I have to give a big, fat FAIL to U.S. women's soccer goalie Hope Solo.
The Americans kicked off the Olympics by getting shutout, 2-0, by Norway, who looked the part of medal-contenders. Solo gave up both the goals in the first four minutes.
Now Solo, if you recall, was the one pulled from the 2007 Women's World Cup semifinal in favor of Briana Scurry. So she, in the name of sportsmanship, took the high road (not!) and threw Scurry under the bus with her public hissy-fit.
Jeremy Wariner ran the world's fastest time this year in Paris.
Track and field.
Men's 400.
Jeremy Wariner vs. LaShawn Merritt.
Wariner ran the two fastest times this year, a 43.86 set in Paris in July and 43.98 a month earlier in Oslo. Merritt has beaten him twice in a row, including the Olympic trials.
I had a hazy memory of being a 13-year-old and watching the closing ceremony of the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. And I sort of remembered that there was a "UFO." But as the years passed, I didn't trust my memory as much.
Fortunately, there's YouTube to refresh everyone's memory. Yep. There was a UFO.
How very Spielbergian of them.
Left to right: Robbie Rogers, Maurice Edu and Chris Seitz.
Lyzz has Phelps fever, and I'm in a futbol frenzy.
Could be because three of the players on this year's roster, Chris Seitz, Robbie Rogers and Maurice Edu, are all former Maryland Terrapins like me.
This Web site has an interesting list and rundown on discontinued Olympic events.
Some things we won't be seeing in Beijing this month are golf, rugby, croquet, cricket, tug of war, motor boating, underwater swimming and -- of course -- duelling pistol shooting.
According to www.topendsports.com, duelling pistol shooting required competitors to shoot at mannequins dressed in frock coats. The bull's-eye was on -- gulp -- the mannequin's throat.
If you do, then bookmark this page and check out the Olympics headlines and videos at right. They'll be updated as soon as news happens!
And, for a more complete news story archive, go here.
