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Usain Bolt to NFL?

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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?

Reliving the golden days

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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.

Horrible track record

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Watching another medal chance slip through their fingers
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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.

Gymnasts' ages under investigation

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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."

Is Phelps likable enough?

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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.

Tommy Kono, York Barbell shared Olympic fame

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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'

May-Treanor and Walsh win repeat gold

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These pictures pretty much sum it up.

If you missed it, or just want to re-live it, NBC's got the highlights here.

Centathlon dreams

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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.

Golden girl

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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.

Video: The World According to Lochte

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There are really no words for this.

Usain Bolt: Best sprinter of all-time?

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bolt1.jpegUsain 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.

York Barbell responds to international moment

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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.

Hammon's basketball patriotism

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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?

Change in gymnastics scoring doesn't fix problems

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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.


Heartbreaking gymnastics tiebreaker

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Gymnastics judges better watch their backs.
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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.

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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..

York strongman Bob Hoffman coached four Olympic teams

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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 .

What a wingspan

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Those arms were made for swimming.
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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.

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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?

Where'd they get those golds?

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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



Medals count


Olympic Medal winners at NBC Olympics.com!

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