The U.S. Open of tennis started this week in New York. And sadly this could be the last hurrah for one of the greats of women's tennis, Lindsay Davenport.
If you aren't an avid tennis fan you may not know Lindsay to be a great player. She has been up and down the tennis rankings several times. She has ended and started years at number 1 while suffering injuries and other set backs that drop her ranking during the year. That's not something a lot of players can do. If their ranking slips they usually can't get back up for another season or two.
One of the big reasons for Lindsay's success is that she listens to her body. While at times playing through pain she wouldn't start tournaments hoping to play through that pain. If it was just something minor sure she played. However, if it was something that lingered or wasn't getting better while playing she would take time off. It didn't matter to her that she might slip in the rankings her health and being able to show up for the fans mattered to her. Tennis mattered to her.
Until this year Lindsay had never withdrawn during a match. And in fact I'm not sure she actually withdrew during a match this season either. She had to withdraw during a tournament but, that was between matches. Lindsay is the consummate professional and she was there to play and knew people paid to see her play. I've seen her call for the trainer to have things taped or looked at but, she sucked it up and finished the match. She knew it would probably mean losing and that was okay as long as she went out and gave it everything she could. That is something that means a lot to the fans. When you can gut it out it shows them something. They appreciate it and they support you more.
No one expected Lindsay to comeback after having a baby. In fact she herself had said she would be done when she started a family. However, she did comeback after having her son. Her primary reason was to make the Olympic team again. And she did that. It has not been easy, she has again developed problems with her knee but, she fought through it as much as possible and even won a couple tournaments. Overall she has 92 titles. That is an impressive number.
I think all tennis fans have looked to the U.S. Open as Lindsay's last stand. Especially once the knee acted up. Would we like to see her go on longer? Yes, we would because she is a great athlete and person. She is very unassuming and it is never about her it is always about the game. That will be one of her greatest legacies.
She is currently into the third round of the Open and hopefully she'll go a couple rounds deeper. If things fall right she could go very deep into the draw. No matter how deep she goes it will be a great run and should this be it for her she will be greatly missed.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Lets Try Some Hockey
On draft day my current favorite player, Alex Tanguay, was traded from Calgary to Montreal. This was both a good thing and a bad thing. It's good because he's a native of Quebec and playing for the Canadians is probably a dream come true. Not to mention they are just a great franchise. And they are my favorite eastern coference team.
It was a bad thing because he's now in the eastern conference which means I won't have very many chances to see him play. Playing for Calgary he played my hometown team the Colorado Avalanche several times a year.
However, I am extremely happy that he is no longer with Calgary now that they have signed Todd Bertuzzi. I guess they decided to thug it up this season. As an Avs fan there is a clear reason for my dislike of Bertuzzi. I didn't think much of him before that incident either. I doubt it would have been the most pleasant feeling in the locker room had they been on the same team.
I'll take not getting to see Alex play as much over him ever having to possibly play on a line with Bertuzzi.
It was a bad thing because he's now in the eastern conference which means I won't have very many chances to see him play. Playing for Calgary he played my hometown team the Colorado Avalanche several times a year.
However, I am extremely happy that he is no longer with Calgary now that they have signed Todd Bertuzzi. I guess they decided to thug it up this season. As an Avs fan there is a clear reason for my dislike of Bertuzzi. I didn't think much of him before that incident either. I doubt it would have been the most pleasant feeling in the locker room had they been on the same team.
I'll take not getting to see Alex play as much over him ever having to possibly play on a line with Bertuzzi.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Kyle Orton and the Bears
So the Chicago Bears have decided to go with Kyle Orton as their starting quarterback. I don't really know how I feel about that. Sure he's a decent QB and he did a his job when Rex got hurt a few years ago. He won them enough games to get to the playoffs. But, I don't know if he can do it again.
Right now they are having some troubles on defense and that will put extra pressure on him. If they can get the defense together and play tough nose Bears D then he'll probably be fine. I guess only waiting a couple preseason games to decide on the starting QB gives them time to tailor things to his strengths. Unfortunately one of his weaknesses is not being able to go deep down the field. He's great if you can manage the clock and score enough points. But, if you don't score time management doesn't matter for much.
However, the Bears coaching staff better watch out. I saw the end of the game against San Francisco. Caleb Hanie going deep for a TD at the last second that is going to stay in the minds of Bears fans. If Kyle falters they will be wanting to know when Hanie gets his chance (should he stay on the team). They will probably just skip right over the idea of Rex starting again. (I still believe in Rex.)
I've never wavered in my love of the Bears and I will cheer for them no matter who the QB is. I hope Kyle does get the job done. I think they have all the pieces they need. They just need to stay healthy and put the pieces together properly.
Right now they are having some troubles on defense and that will put extra pressure on him. If they can get the defense together and play tough nose Bears D then he'll probably be fine. I guess only waiting a couple preseason games to decide on the starting QB gives them time to tailor things to his strengths. Unfortunately one of his weaknesses is not being able to go deep down the field. He's great if you can manage the clock and score enough points. But, if you don't score time management doesn't matter for much.
However, the Bears coaching staff better watch out. I saw the end of the game against San Francisco. Caleb Hanie going deep for a TD at the last second that is going to stay in the minds of Bears fans. If Kyle falters they will be wanting to know when Hanie gets his chance (should he stay on the team). They will probably just skip right over the idea of Rex starting again. (I still believe in Rex.)
I've never wavered in my love of the Bears and I will cheer for them no matter who the QB is. I hope Kyle does get the job done. I think they have all the pieces they need. They just need to stay healthy and put the pieces together properly.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Try Again
After some serious issues with the scoring in gymnastics it is obvious that the International Gymnastics Federation needs to go back to the drawing board. There is a big problem when a sport that used to be about doing difficult things near perfectly is now about doing difficult things moderately well. I think my biggest issue is that you just shouldn't get a medal in event finals if you fall.
One thing I think they need to do is look at using a system like in figure skating where there are more judges on each apparatus than will be used for scoring. Then the computer randomly selects 6 scores, they throw out the high and low, and then average the remaining 4. This would allow judges from any country to judge and apparatus because you don't have to worry that they will taint the scores because they aren't certain their score will count. You could also use a system where if there is a judge from a participating country they don't score their athlete. And they need to go to a more transparent system. Like in figure skating and diving they need to post the scores from each judge.
And the IOC needs to get it together. It is total crap that they won't allow there to be a tie in gymnastics. Sure the entire world knows that Nastia deserved the gold just as much as the other girl and when people down the road look at the scores they will assume she has a gold medal but, she doesn't. And that is wrong.
One thing I think they need to do is look at using a system like in figure skating where there are more judges on each apparatus than will be used for scoring. Then the computer randomly selects 6 scores, they throw out the high and low, and then average the remaining 4. This would allow judges from any country to judge and apparatus because you don't have to worry that they will taint the scores because they aren't certain their score will count. You could also use a system where if there is a judge from a participating country they don't score their athlete. And they need to go to a more transparent system. Like in figure skating and diving they need to post the scores from each judge.
And the IOC needs to get it together. It is total crap that they won't allow there to be a tie in gymnastics. Sure the entire world knows that Nastia deserved the gold just as much as the other girl and when people down the road look at the scores they will assume she has a gold medal but, she doesn't. And that is wrong.
Monday, August 18, 2008
There Are Women In The Pool
Amid all the hype and celebration of Micheal Phelps you might have missed the fact that there were actually women swimmers too. And among those women there were a couple of rather impressive performances and stories.
The one that was actually followed some was that of Dara Torres. At 41 she made her fifth Olympic team and was setting new records. What makes her story more impressive is the fact that she twice took an Olympics off and then came back to make another team. And this time not only did she skip the Athens Olympics, she had a baby. Two years ago she had a daughter and now she's swimming personal best times, that's pretty incredible.
During these games she helped the U.S. win silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay and the 4x100m medley relay. She also won a silver in the 50m freestyle. In that race she missed gold by a hundredth of a second. In the race she also set a new American record. A record she had already reset at the Olympic trials. At 41 winning three silver medals is amazing and setting new records is almost unbelievable. Oh and she's now tied with Jenny Thompson for most medals by a U.S. woman swimmer with 12.
The other overlooked woman was Natalie Coughlin who should she compete in London in 2012 will likely pass Dara and Jenny. At these games Natalie had some impressive firsts of her own. She became the first person to win the 100m backstroke in consecutive Olympics. (Sure Aaron Piersol equaled it later but, she was first.) Natalie also was on those silver medal relay teams and won bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay. On top of those medals she got bronze in the 200m IM and the 100m freestyle. That brings her total for this games to six.
No female swimmer has ever won six medals in a single Olympics. Those six medals bring her total to 11. Two Olympic games and 11 Olympics medals. They may not be all be gold but, it's still impressive. She's participated in 11 Olympic evens, made 11 Olympic finals, and won 11 Olympic medals. That's right folks she is perfect win it comes to medaling at the Olympics.
Congratulations to both these women for their great performances.
The one that was actually followed some was that of Dara Torres. At 41 she made her fifth Olympic team and was setting new records. What makes her story more impressive is the fact that she twice took an Olympics off and then came back to make another team. And this time not only did she skip the Athens Olympics, she had a baby. Two years ago she had a daughter and now she's swimming personal best times, that's pretty incredible.
During these games she helped the U.S. win silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay and the 4x100m medley relay. She also won a silver in the 50m freestyle. In that race she missed gold by a hundredth of a second. In the race she also set a new American record. A record she had already reset at the Olympic trials. At 41 winning three silver medals is amazing and setting new records is almost unbelievable. Oh and she's now tied with Jenny Thompson for most medals by a U.S. woman swimmer with 12.
The other overlooked woman was Natalie Coughlin who should she compete in London in 2012 will likely pass Dara and Jenny. At these games Natalie had some impressive firsts of her own. She became the first person to win the 100m backstroke in consecutive Olympics. (Sure Aaron Piersol equaled it later but, she was first.) Natalie also was on those silver medal relay teams and won bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay. On top of those medals she got bronze in the 200m IM and the 100m freestyle. That brings her total for this games to six.
No female swimmer has ever won six medals in a single Olympics. Those six medals bring her total to 11. Two Olympic games and 11 Olympics medals. They may not be all be gold but, it's still impressive. She's participated in 11 Olympic evens, made 11 Olympic finals, and won 11 Olympic medals. That's right folks she is perfect win it comes to medaling at the Olympics.
Congratulations to both these women for their great performances.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Why I Support The Olympics
This year has brought a lot of protest in regards to the Olympics. A lot of people might wonder why I support the Olympics. Normally I wouldn't try to justify something like this. However, in this case I feel there is something greater here and with all the negative stuff I've read about the games I want to put something else out there.
I do understand why people are opposed to the Olympics being in Beijing. I also know that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) believed they could affect change in China with the games. They sought certain promises from China in awarding them the games. The mistake the IOC made was thinking a country that showed no interest in changing previously would do so now.
However, no matter how stupid the IOC was in awarding the games to China that is no reason to try and punish the athletes. All those people who were calling for boycotts crossed a line in my opinion. Unfortunately, there are some sports in the Olympics that are just a show case for millionaire professionals. But, there are more sports that the participants may only win a couple thousand dollars a year. For some they might get an endorsement deal and others their biggest financial payoff will be that they get their college education paid for.
For those who don't get the millions a year the pinnacle of their athletic career is the Olympics. They may not have a real chance at a medal but, it is sports and anything is possible. You do not take away someones dream because of political issues they have no control over. It was wrong when Carter did it in 1980 and it wasn't right when Russia returned the favor and boycotted the games in 1984.
There is so much more to the Olympics than winning or losing. It is about competition. It is about living a dream. It is about being part of something that is a bigger than any one person or nation. It is about stories of athletes over coming unbelievable challenges for a single moment of personal glory. Some come to achieve a personal best. Others come to prove it can be done no matter where you come from. And in those stores others find inspiration.
And despite what people think, there is an Olympic movement. The Olympics have brought new sports to countries and allowed people to be greater than they ever thought possible. Allows them to participate in something they never thought possible because of where they were from. Take the Jamaican bobsled team. Do you really think that would have ever happened without the Olympics? How can you not have some respect for the power of the games with stories like that?
The Olympic movement has been a powerful tool in promoting women in sports. There are countries where women wouldn't have sports available to them if not for the Olympics. As a woman this is one of the greatest things about the Olympics.
The main point is the games are more than just a sporting event. They bring hopes, and dreams, and yes even change to people. That is why I support the Olympic games.
I do understand why people are opposed to the Olympics being in Beijing. I also know that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) believed they could affect change in China with the games. They sought certain promises from China in awarding them the games. The mistake the IOC made was thinking a country that showed no interest in changing previously would do so now.
However, no matter how stupid the IOC was in awarding the games to China that is no reason to try and punish the athletes. All those people who were calling for boycotts crossed a line in my opinion. Unfortunately, there are some sports in the Olympics that are just a show case for millionaire professionals. But, there are more sports that the participants may only win a couple thousand dollars a year. For some they might get an endorsement deal and others their biggest financial payoff will be that they get their college education paid for.
For those who don't get the millions a year the pinnacle of their athletic career is the Olympics. They may not have a real chance at a medal but, it is sports and anything is possible. You do not take away someones dream because of political issues they have no control over. It was wrong when Carter did it in 1980 and it wasn't right when Russia returned the favor and boycotted the games in 1984.
There is so much more to the Olympics than winning or losing. It is about competition. It is about living a dream. It is about being part of something that is a bigger than any one person or nation. It is about stories of athletes over coming unbelievable challenges for a single moment of personal glory. Some come to achieve a personal best. Others come to prove it can be done no matter where you come from. And in those stores others find inspiration.
And despite what people think, there is an Olympic movement. The Olympics have brought new sports to countries and allowed people to be greater than they ever thought possible. Allows them to participate in something they never thought possible because of where they were from. Take the Jamaican bobsled team. Do you really think that would have ever happened without the Olympics? How can you not have some respect for the power of the games with stories like that?
The Olympic movement has been a powerful tool in promoting women in sports. There are countries where women wouldn't have sports available to them if not for the Olympics. As a woman this is one of the greatest things about the Olympics.
The main point is the games are more than just a sporting event. They bring hopes, and dreams, and yes even change to people. That is why I support the Olympic games.
Women's All-Around
What a night for the U.S. in the all-around. I was pulling for Nastia and she pulled it off. In the end I think everyone knows it came down to landings. Nastia just did a better job with them.
I am not the biggest Shawn Johnson fan but, I do think they need to acknowledge her body type and realize that she is more of a power gymnast rather than a style gymnast. She has the leg build to do harder elements, they just need to focus on that.
Unfortunately while she did win the world all-around title she doesn't have the body type that international judges like. Some people might think that's bad of me to say but, it's the truth. International judges like long lean lines more than short built gymnasts. To over come that you have to compensate with difficulty.
I've been watching this sport pretty closely since the games in Barcelona in 1992. That year America had two stellar gymnasts in the all-around. One was power gymnast Kim Zmeskal the other was the more traditional long lean looking gymnast Shannon Miller. Some ill time mistakes hurt Kim while Shannon hit and won silver. The only reason Kim really had a chance at that title was her power. That power enabled harder routines and great vaults. Without that she would have been another face in the crowd.
It is possible to be a power gymnast with some style. Kim always had great floor routines that were difficult and had a lot of flair and style. Shawn has boring floor routines (which is true of a lot of American's) but, she can fix that with better music and dance and she can use that power to up the difficulty. Truth is Nastia could up her floor difficulty too. And I don't want to hear anything about size or anything like that because even our long lean gymnasts of the pass had harder routines. All it takes is an extra twist or flip.
In the end the all-around was a good night of competition. I just wish some of the routines weren't so boring. And that applies to most of the gymnasts on most apparatus. It seems everyone is going for having one high difficulty routine and hoping that will give them an edge. Another downside of the new system.
I am not the biggest Shawn Johnson fan but, I do think they need to acknowledge her body type and realize that she is more of a power gymnast rather than a style gymnast. She has the leg build to do harder elements, they just need to focus on that.
Unfortunately while she did win the world all-around title she doesn't have the body type that international judges like. Some people might think that's bad of me to say but, it's the truth. International judges like long lean lines more than short built gymnasts. To over come that you have to compensate with difficulty.
I've been watching this sport pretty closely since the games in Barcelona in 1992. That year America had two stellar gymnasts in the all-around. One was power gymnast Kim Zmeskal the other was the more traditional long lean looking gymnast Shannon Miller. Some ill time mistakes hurt Kim while Shannon hit and won silver. The only reason Kim really had a chance at that title was her power. That power enabled harder routines and great vaults. Without that she would have been another face in the crowd.
It is possible to be a power gymnast with some style. Kim always had great floor routines that were difficult and had a lot of flair and style. Shawn has boring floor routines (which is true of a lot of American's) but, she can fix that with better music and dance and she can use that power to up the difficulty. Truth is Nastia could up her floor difficulty too. And I don't want to hear anything about size or anything like that because even our long lean gymnasts of the pass had harder routines. All it takes is an extra twist or flip.
In the end the all-around was a good night of competition. I just wish some of the routines weren't so boring. And that applies to most of the gymnasts on most apparatus. It seems everyone is going for having one high difficulty routine and hoping that will give them an edge. Another downside of the new system.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
And Now For The Ladies
Can you say choke? Because that is pretty much what happened out there tonight. I'm not really sure what happened to Alicia. I certainly did not expect to see her faulter. Clearly going in as World Champions and having all those expectations did not work in our favor.
There are something our gymnasts really need to work on. One being the difficulty level, especially on bars. Our girls should be able to score higher on that event. For whatever reason we will just never be strong on vault. That's just a given. Our beam routines seem pretty strong but, there is probably a little room for improvement there too. The floor routines really need some work. We have to step it up. A lot of those passes are just boring and don't seem USA caliber. Quite honestly watching the lower level of the bar and floor routines I am trying to figure out how we managed to win Worlds.
Sometimes things just don't go your way. However, since the Chinese team had a 2 point advantage in degree of difficulty and that is basically how much they one by it is glaringly obvious we must step up the difficulty. Those mistakes may not have mattered with a little more difficulty.
There is no shame in a silver medal. They do have a lot to be proud of.
And for the record I am in the group that believes a couple of the Chinese gymnasts are not old enough for Olympic competition. In the end though old enough or not they had harder routines and performed them better.
There are something our gymnasts really need to work on. One being the difficulty level, especially on bars. Our girls should be able to score higher on that event. For whatever reason we will just never be strong on vault. That's just a given. Our beam routines seem pretty strong but, there is probably a little room for improvement there too. The floor routines really need some work. We have to step it up. A lot of those passes are just boring and don't seem USA caliber. Quite honestly watching the lower level of the bar and floor routines I am trying to figure out how we managed to win Worlds.
Sometimes things just don't go your way. However, since the Chinese team had a 2 point advantage in degree of difficulty and that is basically how much they one by it is glaringly obvious we must step up the difficulty. Those mistakes may not have mattered with a little more difficulty.
There is no shame in a silver medal. They do have a lot to be proud of.
And for the record I am in the group that believes a couple of the Chinese gymnasts are not old enough for Olympic competition. In the end though old enough or not they had harder routines and performed them better.
Men's Team Final
What an impressive night for a group of guys who were suppose to pretty much fall on their faces. They fought hard and did everything they could. And what a night for Jonathan Horton. I have not followed men's gymnastics since Athens so I don't know if he's been leading this team but, he certainly became the leader last night. We all know a few weeks ago he wasn't to be the leader of the team. That's the thing about sports things come at you in the blink of an eye. And he took the opportunity and ran with it.
Unfortunately I think they looked at the scoreboard at the wrong moment and got a little caught up in the thought of silver. They definitely tightened up on floor and then that lead to more pressure on their worst event. They still held on for the bronze and how great it was watching them celebrate the a bronze as if it was gold. That is something you don't see enough of from American athletes.
I did have a few issues with some scoring. Not really in the execution scores but, with some of the difficulty scores. I'm still trying to figure out how highbar routines with two release moves can score higher than routines with three release moves. And I don't want to hear about more difficult dismounts because I watched people do the same dismounts. In all my years of gymnastics one of the hard rules is letting go of the bar with both hands is more difficult than letting go with one there by there really shouldn't be any circumstance where two release moves score higher than three. And in routines that do have three releases doing three different release moves should score higher than doing the same release twice.
Despite the things I didn't like with the scoring it was a great night of competition for the men.
Unfortunately I think they looked at the scoreboard at the wrong moment and got a little caught up in the thought of silver. They definitely tightened up on floor and then that lead to more pressure on their worst event. They still held on for the bronze and how great it was watching them celebrate the a bronze as if it was gold. That is something you don't see enough of from American athletes.
I did have a few issues with some scoring. Not really in the execution scores but, with some of the difficulty scores. I'm still trying to figure out how highbar routines with two release moves can score higher than routines with three release moves. And I don't want to hear about more difficult dismounts because I watched people do the same dismounts. In all my years of gymnastics one of the hard rules is letting go of the bar with both hands is more difficult than letting go with one there by there really shouldn't be any circumstance where two release moves score higher than three. And in routines that do have three releases doing three different release moves should score higher than doing the same release twice.
Despite the things I didn't like with the scoring it was a great night of competition for the men.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Gymnastics scoring
While I now understand the new scoring system I am still not in favor of it. I still don't think it needed changed. The problems in Athens all had in competition solutions. The all-around paralel bars score could have been contested and it wasn't. That is no ones fault but, the team that didn't take advantage of the option available to them. The scoring problem in the mens high bar also had an available fix but, the overseeing judge didn't do his job. What needed to be done was some retraining of judges and reminding teams of the options available to them.
The scoring system was not as as confusing as people want to make it out to be. The truth is if you watched gymnastics more than once every 4 years you most likely had a pretty good understanding of the system.
The biggest problem now is that people aren't having their difficulty scores altered in competition as much. Meaning if they change an element it doesn't really matter anymore where as before it would have automatically lowered your score. The other problem is that with the execution score the routines have actually become rather boring. A lot of people are putting more emphasis on flawless execution of easier moves rather than doing higher scoring elements. I really give credit to Nastia Liukin for having such a difficulte routine on bars. A 7.7 difficulty score is pretty much unheard of these days.
See what people don't get is that you used to do every difficult move you could along with interesting combinations to get your start value to 10 and then you had to do every element you said you were going to do and do it perfectly to get that 10. Not the case anymore and that's sad.
The execution score needs some serious work. The thing is that people are not being treated as harshly on execution now as they were when it was all one score. You used to lose all kinds of points for small form breaks or not getting all the way vertical on a handstand. Now though it's like they only watch to see if you execute the elements and as long as the element is there you get credit. Doesn't matter if you did it perfectly straight or not. And seriously no way should someone land flat on their back on vault and still get an execution score above 8. That is a major flaw in the system. They really need to re-evaluate that.
The scoring system was not as as confusing as people want to make it out to be. The truth is if you watched gymnastics more than once every 4 years you most likely had a pretty good understanding of the system.
The biggest problem now is that people aren't having their difficulty scores altered in competition as much. Meaning if they change an element it doesn't really matter anymore where as before it would have automatically lowered your score. The other problem is that with the execution score the routines have actually become rather boring. A lot of people are putting more emphasis on flawless execution of easier moves rather than doing higher scoring elements. I really give credit to Nastia Liukin for having such a difficulte routine on bars. A 7.7 difficulty score is pretty much unheard of these days.
See what people don't get is that you used to do every difficult move you could along with interesting combinations to get your start value to 10 and then you had to do every element you said you were going to do and do it perfectly to get that 10. Not the case anymore and that's sad.
The execution score needs some serious work. The thing is that people are not being treated as harshly on execution now as they were when it was all one score. You used to lose all kinds of points for small form breaks or not getting all the way vertical on a handstand. Now though it's like they only watch to see if you execute the elements and as long as the element is there you get credit. Doesn't matter if you did it perfectly straight or not. And seriously no way should someone land flat on their back on vault and still get an execution score above 8. That is a major flaw in the system. They really need to re-evaluate that.
Swimming
The swimming hasn't been terribly exciting until last night. Things were pretty much going as expected and the races weren't all that close. However, the final when Katie Hoff missed gold by like 8 hundreths of a second was great. I didn't think she was going to come that close and while I felt bad for her missing it by that little bit. All those close calls though are going to make her first gold all the more sweeter, should she actually get it.
The mens 4x100m relay was crazy. I hope Jason Lezak continues to get attention for that final leg and people aren't just heaping all the attention on Phelps. Phelps swam a rather pittiful first leg and he deserves very little of the credit for that win.
It was disappointing that Dara Torres couldn't close the gap in the women's 4x100m realy but, the fact that she came so close is proof of how great a swimmer she is at 41. I'm still trying to figure out what happened to Natalie Coughlin in that lead off leg she wasn't quite herself.
As for Natalie she's going to have to swim the race of her life tonight if she's to repeat as the gold medalist in the 100 backstroke. That is going to be one hell of a race. And she is right on track to play the role of spoiler in the 200m idividual medley.
The mens 4x100m relay was crazy. I hope Jason Lezak continues to get attention for that final leg and people aren't just heaping all the attention on Phelps. Phelps swam a rather pittiful first leg and he deserves very little of the credit for that win.
It was disappointing that Dara Torres couldn't close the gap in the women's 4x100m realy but, the fact that she came so close is proof of how great a swimmer she is at 41. I'm still trying to figure out what happened to Natalie Coughlin in that lead off leg she wasn't quite herself.
As for Natalie she's going to have to swim the race of her life tonight if she's to repeat as the gold medalist in the 100 backstroke. That is going to be one hell of a race. And she is right on track to play the role of spoiler in the 200m idividual medley.
Gymnastics
Prelims of both the mens and womens team competition are done. I was very disappointed with the coverage of the mens competition.
The men did the best they could and they got into the final. It's a fresh start and I really have no idea what is going to happen. This 3 up all scores count format is going to make it very interesting. I don't really like the idea of that format but, I'm not in charge so it doesn't matter much. I think it's going to be a challeng for the men to get a medal but, the bronze is pretty much up for grabs and you never know what will happen. Any body could choke and any medal could be available. What the men really need to do is just focus on themselves. Try to keep their eyes off the overall scoreboard as much as possible. They don't need to be doing the math and focusing on a certain score. They need to focus on hitting and then it's out of their hands.
As for the women...They need to get it together. I've never seen them so shakey. I know they lost another teammate to injury for 3 of the 4 apparatus but, that's not an excuse. They need to be more composed. I've seen all those girls perform under pressure there was no reason for them to faulter so badly on floor. And the fact that there was no throw away score except for on bars is not an excuse in the pressure catergory. There's no throw away score in finals so they better get it together.
As for that ill timed injury I have trouble believing she couldn't perform. She was barely limping and sometimes she wasn't limping at all. Get your butt out there and do what you were chosen to do.
The men did the best they could and they got into the final. It's a fresh start and I really have no idea what is going to happen. This 3 up all scores count format is going to make it very interesting. I don't really like the idea of that format but, I'm not in charge so it doesn't matter much. I think it's going to be a challeng for the men to get a medal but, the bronze is pretty much up for grabs and you never know what will happen. Any body could choke and any medal could be available. What the men really need to do is just focus on themselves. Try to keep their eyes off the overall scoreboard as much as possible. They don't need to be doing the math and focusing on a certain score. They need to focus on hitting and then it's out of their hands.
As for the women...They need to get it together. I've never seen them so shakey. I know they lost another teammate to injury for 3 of the 4 apparatus but, that's not an excuse. They need to be more composed. I've seen all those girls perform under pressure there was no reason for them to faulter so badly on floor. And the fact that there was no throw away score except for on bars is not an excuse in the pressure catergory. There's no throw away score in finals so they better get it together.
As for that ill timed injury I have trouble believing she couldn't perform. She was barely limping and sometimes she wasn't limping at all. Get your butt out there and do what you were chosen to do.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Welcome All
I've been thinking about doing a sports blog to compliment the entertainmnet blog for awhile and I figured with the 2008 Summer Olympics kicking of today now was as good a time as any.
Hopefully I won't be so overwhelmed with all the coverage that I forget to come blog about them. There's a lot of great stories already. As a big swimming fan I am very much anticipating Dara Torres taking to the pool in this first week of competition. Also looking forward to the gymnastics competition both mens and womens. Although the mens competition has taken on a whole new dynamic in the last week with both Paul and Morgan Hamm withdrawing because of injuries. While disappointing it is good to see them both do what was best for the team. They are competitors and have probably competed with some level of pain their entire careers. And they probably could have been selfish and stayed in the competition knowing they wouldn't be at their best. However, they chose to hand the torch (no pun intended) down to others allowing them to live their Olympic dream.
I follow several different sports and hope to be able to keep up with the ones that are Olympic sports as well as those that aren't over the next two weeks and into the future. Some of those sports are tennis, football, hockey, indy car racing, baseball (depending on my mood), and other random things.
Hopefully I won't be so overwhelmed with all the coverage that I forget to come blog about them. There's a lot of great stories already. As a big swimming fan I am very much anticipating Dara Torres taking to the pool in this first week of competition. Also looking forward to the gymnastics competition both mens and womens. Although the mens competition has taken on a whole new dynamic in the last week with both Paul and Morgan Hamm withdrawing because of injuries. While disappointing it is good to see them both do what was best for the team. They are competitors and have probably competed with some level of pain their entire careers. And they probably could have been selfish and stayed in the competition knowing they wouldn't be at their best. However, they chose to hand the torch (no pun intended) down to others allowing them to live their Olympic dream.
I follow several different sports and hope to be able to keep up with the ones that are Olympic sports as well as those that aren't over the next two weeks and into the future. Some of those sports are tennis, football, hockey, indy car racing, baseball (depending on my mood), and other random things.
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