U.S. Basketball Redeems Itself

The U.S. men's basketball team has finally done it. They beat Spain in a surprisingly exciting game. Dwayne Wade was the leading scorer for the Americans, collecting 27 points off the bench. Kobe Byrant also scored 20 points for Team USA.

No, I didn't stay up 'till 2:30am to watch the game. I watched the replay this morning, and I was surprised by how close the game was. The final score was 118-107, but the game was closer than that.

Spain was within two as late as the fourth quarter, but the United States just overpowered them in the end. I bet the whole U.S. men's basketball team is relived that the could capture the gold in Beijing, after getting the bronze in Athens.

This team has really surprised me. No, I wasn't surprised that they won the gold. I was surprised by the amount of teamwork they exhibited. This wasn't the typical U.S. basketball team. Each player had a role and each player focused on fulfilling that role. The typical U.S. basketball is full of star players trying to be the hero.

It was almost like a home game for the Americans. the Chinese were supporting the U.S. team, mostly because they were amazed by the NBA stars. Another reason might have been the controversial picture that was taken of the Spanish basketball team. All the players posed for a picture, in which they stretched out their eyes, trying to make fun of Asians.

Remembering Why We Love the Olympics

As the Beijing Olympics roll on, I think it would be appropriate to remember why everyone is so interested. It's not about Micheal Phelps (or his gold medals) or the Redeem Team. One of the reasons is because it brings the world together. But that's not the only reason.

Why are people watching the Olympics? Most people think there is a easy answer to this questions. Simply, because it's the Olympics. Well that's not a good enough answer. Nobody watches Micheal Phelps in the World Championships. And even after these Olympics, nobody will watch him in any competition until London. Track and field does get better ratings than swimming outside the Olympics, but the ratings go through the roof for the Olympics.

So why do people watch these events that would mean nothing to them three out of every four years. Not many people care about gymnastics or swimming or track and field or team handball. I think people feel that they can relate to it. Anybody can run. You can live in the farthest reaches of the world and still have the dream of being a sprinter.

I could walk down to the public pool right now and swim. It seems so easy (when in reality, swimming that fast is hard). The rules are so simple. First one to touch the wall wins or first one to cross the line first. It makes baseball seem complicated.

That makes me think of the extreme pressure put on these athletes, especially if they're from the host nation. You have the weight of your country on you. And if you make one error (how many times have you heard on NBC, "that little hop on the landing will bring a three-tenths point deduction") you have failed. You train you whole life for one race or one floor exercise. And if you have one bad showing, you are viewed as a disappointment. Even if you win gold, nobody will care about you until the next Olympiad (if you good enough to qualify.)

So think about that when you watch the Olympics tonight.................

The Greatest?

Micheal Phelps has finally done it. Late last night Micheal Phelps (right, from left to right: Ryan Lochte, Micheal Phelps, Laszlo Cseh) and the rest of the U.S. men's relay team captured the gold medal. Although not the most exciting race, it must have been exciting for Phelps.

That gold medal was Phelps' historic eighth gold in these Olympics. That is now the record for the most gold medals in one Olympiad, passing Mark Spitz, who had seven in 1972.

So much had to go right for Phelps in Beijing this week. But somehow he got it done. In the relays, his teammates did not let him down. He could have gotten off to a bad start. He could have suffered from fatigue (I'm sure he did). One of his relay teammates could have had a bad race. But none of those things happened. The stars aligned for Micheal Phelps inn Beijing.

So is Micheal Phelps the best athlete ever. It is a very hot topic and could be discussed for ever. So let's make it easier. Let's eliminate all athletes involved in team sports. So Micheal Jordan or Wayne Gretsky or Joe Montana can't be compared to Phelps. I do think Micheal Phelps is the greatest Olympian ever. He simply dominated most of his events and even in the close races, he came up big in the clutch. I think people underestimate the ability to be "clutch." Phelps had to race in so many races and the other racers were more rested than him, but he STILL came up big.

Phelps made breaking world records look ad easy as a walk in the park. It was like a daily activity for Phelps. Just in case you picked up this illusion: world records aren't supposed to be broken that easily or that often.

Phelps had to swim the last leg of a race virtually blindfolded. His goggles filled up with water, and he couldn't see. And he STILL broke a world record. Think about that for a minute folks.

In some of the races, he made the rest of the field look like amateurs. That is a mark of a true champion. If you can perform so well that even the best in the world look boys. And that's what it was in some of these races: man vs. boys.

Although you have to realize that this could only happen in swimming. Only in the pool could a man compete in this many events. In track and field, nobody could ever compete (and be even mildly successful) in eight events. A sprinter couldn't compete in high jump or throw a javelin.

Even saying that I still think Phelps is the greatest. One of the other things you have to remember is that he is not done yet. Phelps is only 23. By the time the London Olympics (in 2012) roll around he'll only be 27. Still in his prime. And this may be a stretch, but by the time the 2016 Summer Olympics enter the picture, he'll only be 31. That's one year younger than Jason Lezak was this year.

Miracle Man

SIMPLY AMAZING. If you didn't watch Micheal Phelps last race (it was about 10:10pm ET), you missed one for the ages. Phelps out touched Serbian Milorad Cavic for his seventh gold medal of these Olympic Games. Heading into the final 50 meters, Cavic was in front of Phelps, but Phelps caught up. They were right next to each other at the wall and it looked like Cavic won. But then the name "Phelps" showed up across the screen next to the number one.

Cavic went underwater and reached out to touch the wall, while Phelps kept on swimming. Cavic slowed himself down by reaching, and Phelps swam right into the wall without losing speed. Phelps beat Cavic by the slimmest of margins. A minuscule 0.01.

Micheal Phelps has raced in two of the most exciting sporting events I have EVER witnessed. And that's just this week. The relay earlier in the week, where Jason Lezak chased down France, was an instant classic. And this recent race was REMARKABLE. Micheal Phelps now has seven gold medals (with his win in the 100-meter butterfly) and he will race for number eight on Saturday.

Phelps will pass Mark Spitz for the most gold medals in one Olympiad if he wins one final relay tomorrow. If Phelps can win that event, there is no doubt in my mind that he is the greatest Olympian (and maybe athlete?) EVER.

Chinese Gymnasts Questioned?

If you watched the team all-around women's gymnastics competition, you had to notice the Chinese gymnasts. It was not how good they performed that caught you attention, however. It was how young the gymnasts looked. The minimum age to compete in gymnastics in the Olympics is 16.

Clearly those girls are not 16. They look like they couldn't reach the pedal of a car or see above the steering wheel. They couldn't ride most rides in any amusement park. Their is a report that one of the questioned Chinese gymnasts just lost a tooth. 16-year olds don't still lose teeth.

It may seem that younger age may be a disadvantage for the Chinese gymnastics team. But you have to remember that the government takes this children away from their parents at age 3 and trains them like slaves to become an Olympians. So they already are as experienced as the American athletes by 13 or 14. Also, the smaller you are the more flexible you are in most cases. So the small size also give the Chinese an unfair advantage.

Some credible online documents listed three Chinese gymnasts between the ages of thirteen to fifteen. Too young to compete in the Beijing Olympics. In fact, a May 23 piece in the Chinese Daily newspaper listed one of the gymnasts (He Kexin) as 14-years old.

If the Olympians are found to be under aged, a big shadow would be cast upon these Olympic games. The host country didn't even have enough decency to follow the rules in doing something so simple. But it's all about winning and apparently respectability doesn't matter anymore, at least in China. Cheating to win is the same as winning in China.

This isn't the only controversy in these Beijing games, but it is definitely the most serious.

Note: Micheal Phelps swims for GOLD tonight at 10:10 pm ET

Phelps Captures Second Gold Medal in Stunners

Micheal Phelps increased his gold medal count to two late last night, but only by the slimmest of margins. Phelps is now two for two in medal races. Those two races were considered the toughest and Phelps is in good shape now that he won the 400-meter freestyle relay 400-meter individual medley.

Last night's race was completely stunning. Phelps raced first and put the U.S. in good position. Coming down the stretch, Jason Lezak (the anchor for the U.S. team) caught France's Alain Bernard, who was ahead by a body length. Lezak touched the wall just before Bernard.

Bernard said that the French team (who were the favorites) would "smash" the Americans. It turns out the jokes on him.

Let's get back to the race. It was the most exciting swimming race that I have ever seen. In horse racing you win by a nose; in swimming, you win by a touch, and that's exactly what Jason Lezak did. It was easily the most exciting event in the Olympics so far.

Micheal Phelps will try for his third gold medal tonight at 10:15 pm Eastern Time. I think he will win all eight events. He has already won the toughest events for him. You should have seen him cheering on Lezak.

U.S. Basketball Team Beats China

The U.S. men's basketball team beat China today in their first game. The host country stayed in the game until halftime, but the Americans pulled away in the third quarter. The final score was 101-70. Yao Ming (left) played well for China (even though he wasn't 100%), scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He looked better than most people thought in his first game back from a foot injury. The top scorer for the United States was Dwayne Wade, who came off the bench. LeBron James also contributed 18 points.

The U.S. team showed it was ready to win in these games. While China is not one of the best teams, they are no pushovers. This was one of the first times I have seen real teamwork from the U.S. in the Olympics. Four players (Wade, James, Dwight Howard, and Kobe Bryant) scored in double-digits, but none more than twenty.

The defense really stepped up in this game. It seemed like every other possession resulted in a turnover for the Chinese. The U.S. team recorded 14 steals. Like I said before, the U.S. men's basketball team will win gold.

Olympic Preview

The 2008 Olympic games are set to start in Beijing this Friday with the opening ceremonies. Here are some of the major stories surrounding the games:

Micheal Phelps Chasing History: Swimmer Micheal Phelps has a chance to win eight gold medals. If he does, he will break Mark Spitz (another great swimmer) record for most gold medals in one Olympics (7).

I watched Phelps in Athens and I think he is the greatest swimmer ever. I think he will win the eight events. It seems like he breaks a world record every time he swims (and it's usually his record he breaks) It's not going to be easy, but he is definitely capable of doing it.

U.S. Men's Basketball Team Determined to Win: Our men's basketball team will be on the spot in these games. This team was dubbed the Redeem Team, and for good reason. The U.S. didn't win the gold in Athens and has struggled in international competition.

This team, stacked with NBA Stars like LeBron James (right), Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Chris Paul, and Dwight Howard, is clearly the most talented. But they're always the most talented, so let's see if they can translate that into wins.

The problem with the U.S. basketball team in the past has been lack of teamwork. The U.S. basketball program thinks it can just put together the best players and start playing in the competition. Too bad basketball is a team sport, and the players have to work together. Whoa! That's a surprise.

Coach K is urging the media that his team is ready to win gold in Beijing. I think they'll win too.

Air Quality: Everybody is talking about how badly polluted the air is in Beijing. This is a major concern among the athletes. Chinese officials are trying (but not succeeding) to reduce the pollution.

41-Year Old Dara Torres: U.S. swimmer Dara Torres says she feels better than ever at age 41. That's seems tremendously unlikely, because swimmers usually reach their peak in the early-to-mid twenties. The same question enters everybody's head: Is she doping? I remember another athlete who "peaked" when he was older (Barry Bonds, otherwise known as the King of Steroids)

Steroids Cast Shadow Over Games: Steroids are threatening to ruin track and field. Track and field used to be the top dog in the Olympics. But now many of its premier athletes have been uncovered to doping. This issue is driving fans away from the sport (including me). But let's not talk about the bad things until after the gold medals are awarded and the syringes thrown away.

Some Odd Olympic Events: Table tennis and badminton seem odd here, but they are very big events in China. Handball. When I saw handball on the list of Olympic events, I had to laugh. Something you and I played as a kid is now a profession. Imagine a guy applying for a job and for past professions, he writes pro handballer.

Note: I will not be able to post this weekend because I'll be away.