Beijing Surprise

The US Olympic team may not have fared quite as well as they would have liked these Olympic games. Of course we have all heard about the track woes, the baseball team failed to win gold in our own sport and the US failed to win a single diving medal, a sport that was dominated by the Americans up until the 1980s. However despite the lows there were also some pleasant surprises from the Americans in Beijing.

We watched as 21 yr old Henry Cejduo, son of illgeal immigrant parents, took home the gold for the Americans in freestyle wrestling. Cejudo had only been wrestling at the international level for a very short time and shocked everyone by bringing home the gold.

We also got to see 19 year old swimmer Rebecca Soni become one of the best female swimmers in the World before our eyes. Athens breaststroke hero Amanda Beard faltered, failing to reach the finals, but the 19 yr old Soni took the opportunity to show that the women's swim team was pretty good too, winning a gold and two silvers for her country.

American hurdles sprinter Dawn Harper also very unexpectedly took home the gold in the womens 100 meter hurdles. Heavy favorite Lolo Jones, stumbled on the 2nd to last hurdle, but Harper made sure it was still an American Victory.

And of course there is the Men's gymnastics team. Considered a long shot to win any medals at all after Athens all-around champion Paul Hamm decided he was not healthy enough to compete. The Americans dazzled in the team competition, taking home a bronze medal and only just missing out on a silver. Team leader Jonothan Horton followed that up with a silver medal in the high bar event.


So, while the US team may not have been perfect during these games, they still have plenty to smile about. After all they are still highly likely to finish atop the medal table once again, with well over 100 medals. We are looking forward to an even better team in London, 4 years from now.

NBC, no more tape delays... Please!

It's become a nightly thing since the start of the Olympic Games. There has not been a single night that I haven't received a text message, instant message, email or phone call with premature Olympics results.

Even tonight while at the grocery store I couldn't avoid it. While at the checkout lane I bump into a buddy who was banging away on his Blackberry and looked up with a big smile and said, "Phelps just won his 7th Gold, man". Of course NBC wouldn't air this event in my time zone for another 2 hours. Look, I understand that when the Olympics take place on the other side of the world, it's not going to make for the best TV viewing times. But China and the IOC have bent over backwards to try and schedule key events at often strange times locally so they can be seen live in more TV markets. Almost every single big swimming final took place before lunch time in Beijing so that we Americans could watch live during our normal prime time window. The only problem with this? You only get to see it live on the east coast. Even though most of these swimming finals are happening between 6 and 8PM in the Western and Pacific times zones, those folks aren't getting to see them live. So if you have friends who live east of you or happen to check Olympic results on the computer you are bound to see news you didn't even know had happened yet.

I can hear the responses already. "You can't make everyone happy, it's not possible to show it to everything live". And for the most part, I agree. But was it really necessary to air a volleyball match that was hours old to viewers out west as Phelps was winning his record tying 7th Gold in controversial fashion, live everywhere else in the world?

We live in a world of instant gratification. Between cell phones, PDA's and wireless web access, people have almost continuous access to information. The world is an ever evolving and increasingly global environment. With DVR's and online web streams becoming more and more prevalent, people can tap into media events no matter where they happen to be. It's time to bring TV into the new age. There is more out there than the 7-10 prime time window, folks. Let us see our heroes live, even if it's not in a traditional time slot.

The internet already stands poised to steal our attention and our time away from TV if not replace it entirely in the years to come. Why give people more motivation to switch by insisting on airing things when it's convenient and more profitable for the network as opposed to letting us decide for ourselves?

Air it live, please.. If we aren't home when it happens, there is always TiVo.

Welcome Back...

Most of the hype about the U.S. Swimming Team in Beijing has centered around Michael Phelps. Some would say this is deservedly the case as he has already taken Gold in World Record fashion in all 3 events he has competed in thus far. Unfortunately the fan fare surrounding Phelps has taken some of the spotlight away from his talented teammates. Most of you probably know that Phelps won his 3rd Gold medal on Monday night(early Tuesday morning Beijing time), but you may have missed his 4 talented teammates.

Aaron Piersol and Natalie Coughlin were both Olympic Champions in the 100M backstroke in Athens. Neither had looked dominant prior to Tuesday. Coughlin won her semifinal heat on Monday but struggled to swim in a direct line, even brushing against the lane barrier at times. Piersol finished just 3rd in his semifinal and looked to be laboring at times to even keep up with his top rivals. All that changed on Tuesday morning.

Coughlin came out strong in the Women's Final and led almost from start to finish. she seemed to run out of gas in the final 15 meters but her lead was so great that no one was able to run her down. She touched in 58.96 seconds to beat out Kirsty Conventry of Zimbabwe. Her teammate Margaret Hoelzer finished 3rd to take the Bronze. On the Men's side, Piersol was even more dominant as he raced to his 2nd consecutive Gold in World Record fashion. He touched in 52.54 seconds, over half a second ahead of his closest rival, teammate Matt Grevers, who took the Silver.

It was a dominating performance all-around for the back-strokers. 2 events, 2 Gold medals, 1 Silver medal, 1 Bronze medal and 1 World Record set in the process.

Welcome back... Welcome back indeed.

Memorable Olympic Highlight of the Day. Day 4

At the Opening Ceremonies of the 1996 Games in Atlanta, one of the best kept secrets leading up to the ceremonies was the identity of the individual who would light the Olympic Cauldron that would burn throughout the Games. This is often one of the highlights of the Opening Ceremonies and each host city tries to trump it's predecessors in thinking of new and creative ways to make it happen.

As the torch entered the stadium in Atlanta, it was popular Olympic swimmer, Janet Evans. Evans was a highly successful swimmer, winning 4 golds and 1 silver between the 1988 and 1992 Games and she was also extremely popular in the United States. As she emerged from the tunnel and headed up the ramp to the cauldron, she seemed like a logical candidate to light the torch. But as she arrived at the top of the ramp, a man emerged from the shadows. It was legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali. Before his stored professional career Ali had won the Gold in the light heavyweight division of boxing at the 1960 Games in Rome.

Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 1984 and was visibly trembling as he walked over to the wick that would take the flame up into the cauldron that waited above. He took slow steps and looked up in awe as the flame ignited and the cheers from the amazed crowd rained down upon him. It was a breathtaking moment and one that I will never forget.

The Summer Olympics.... where great athletes and hot bods.... come out to play

Everyone loves the Olympics right? Every 4 years great athletes from countries all over the globe join together to compete, but for us guys..... we also get a chance to check out some new hot bods. Good looking girls seem to be abundant in Olympic competition. If you are like us and want to check out some eye candy while watching the games look for these girls.

Natalie Coughlin, Swimming

Natalie was a double Gold medalist in 2004 at the Athens games. Pictures of this cutie with her gold medal were all over the news. She will be back in Beijing looking to add to her collection.

Alicia Sacramone, Gymnastics
Alicia will be making her Olympic debut in Beijing. The 20 year old gymnast is not only a hottie, she is also an Ivy league student at Brown University.

Amanda Beard, Swimming
Probably no one made more money off their success at the Athens games than Amanda Beard. The gorgeous gold medal winning swimmer, went on to pose for playboy and numerous other publications. She will be back not only to defend her gold but also her status as top hottie in American Olympic sports.

Jennie Finch, SoftballWe have all seen Jennie before, she has been featured nearly everywhere as one of the most beautiful athletes in American sports, but who wouldn't want a chance to get another look? The ace softball hurler is back for her second Olympics, and you want want to miss her.

Anyway, we hope you enjoy these 2008 games, the competition will be intense and the ladies will be lookin' hot. Who knows what new hot bod will emerge as a new sex symbol. We know one thing though, we'll be watching girls....

Beijing 2008: 6 names you'll know two weeks from now...

We all know about Michael Phelps, Kobe Bryant and Jennie Finch. They have proven their talent before in front of the world, but who are the future American stars? Who are the athletes that will shine during these 2008 Olympics? Who will etch their names next to the likes of Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis and Jesse Owens? Here is a list of 6 American athletes competing in the Olmypics this year that you may not know, however in a couple weeks, we think you will.

#6 Ben Askren, Freestyle Wrestling
Askren (pictured right) is a talented wrestler, winning two NCAA titles for Missouri in the 174 lb division in 2006 and 2007. Askren will be competing in the 164 lb weight division here at Beijing. He has never competed in a big international event before, but he oozes talent and has the confidence to go alogn with it. "I'm going to win a gold medal" he told the AP.


#5 Thomas Finchum, Platform Diving Finchum was named the 2007 American Diver of the year after racking up numerous medals at international events, including a bronze at the 2007 world championships. Finchum is only 18 years old and is looking like Americas best hope for a gold medal in Men's diving.


#4 Kate Zeigler, Swimming
Zeigler (pictured left) is the American Swimming newcomer to watch. The 20 year old from Virginia will be swimming in the 400 and 800 meter freestyle events. She is a nedal favorite in both, especially the 800. She holds the world record in the 1500 free, however it is not an Olympic event.


#3 Lolo Jones, Track and Field
Jones is the next great American sprinter, following in a long line of US medal success. Jones is a 3 time NCAA champion in the 100 meter hurdles and will be making her Olympic debut in Beijing. She is considered a favorite to win the Gold medal.


#2 Shawn Johnson, Gymnastics
Gymnasitcs, America's favorite Olmypic sport...... every 4 years a new hero is made, just ask Keri Strug, Paul Hamm and Shannon Miller. So this year, who will be America's sweetheart? Our guess is Shawn Johnson (pictured right), the talented young gymnast is considered a heavy favorite for the womens all-around gold medal.


#1 Tyson Gay, Track and Field
Who will be the fastest man in the world? That may depend on the health of Tyson Gay. The world-class American sprinter is battling a leg injury. however the sprinter says that won't keep him out of his first Olympics. The defending world champ will be the favorite in the 100 meters if he can get healthy on time.