The Thread of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad

[BB61]

Did anyone else find it a little awesome that NBC spent five minutes on a fluff piece about the French swimmer who went through that sordid relationship with the Italian swimmer (Hello n00d photos) who is now dating another Italian swimmer who happened to be in the same race (and the world / olympic record holder coming in) -- and they both finished well out of the medals (including a dead-last spanking for the French girl)?

[Cujo]

Beating the French? Check.

Setting world record in the process? Check.

Embarrass the Frenchman who made the trash talk on the last leg? Check.

Did the French learn a lesson? Check.

I doubt the French will never learn.

[DEAD!]

Beating the French? Check.

Setting world record in the process? Check.

Embarrass the Frenchman who made the trash talk on the last leg? Check.

Did the French learn a lesson? Check.

I doubt the French will never learn.

You might want to re-word that

[Cujo]

Beating the French? Check.

Setting world record in the process? Check.

Embarrass the Frenchman who made the trash talk on the last leg? Check.

Did the French learn a lesson? Check.

I doubt the French will never learn.

You might want to re-word that

Aww damn. I just got shown up like those swimming Frenchmen.

[Drew22]

USA! USA! USA!

AMERICA YEAH!

[Joshawaggie]

Just watched some Women's Handball, Hungary vs Brazil, and it was actually really fun to watch. Hungary made a pretty sweet goal at the last second to salvage a tie, 28-28.

[Sport]

Boohoo, you're out west and you don't get to watch games live. For two weeks every four years you're affected. Living in the west coast the rest of the time is a dream for a sports fan. You get to watch prime time athletics in the middle of the afternoon. When monday night football ends you're just starting to think about getting ready for bed. I think you'll be fine.

You're right. Being a West Coast sports fan is pretty awesome. I had forgotten how great NFL at 10:15 in the morning is.

But I still don't see why NBC can't give the same feed throughout the whole country. The way it's set up now is bizarre.

Agreed. They're trying to make the Olympics into a primetime reality show instead of a live sporting event.

Also, with all the sporting events that people back east complain about because they go so late... they only go that late so they can get primetime ratings on the east coast, not because they're catering to us out here.

And, to those who think we're spoiled out here, try sitting though a few earthquakes, then get back to me. Also try dealing with the media circus of these celebrities taking over every single news broadcast and tell me that it doesn't get old after a while. Additionally, tell me how blessed we are to deal with higher gas prices due to pointless environmental additives and how our beautiful weather creates that lovely drought that we always deal with.

All I know is that I was able to watch game 7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup finals at 4 in the afternoon while visiting my cousins in Phoenix. When it was over we went out to dinner and a movie. I didn't have to plan my night around a sporting event and it was so awesome that I'm considering moving out there.

I still envy you even with desert droughts and unforeseen earthquakes.

[LMU]

Boohoo, you're out west and you don't get to watch games live. For two weeks every four years you're affected. Living in the west coast the rest of the time is a dream for a sports fan. You get to watch prime time athletics in the middle of the afternoon. When monday night football ends you're just starting to think about getting ready for bed. I think you'll be fine.

You're right. Being a West Coast sports fan is pretty awesome. I had forgotten how great NFL at 10:15 in the morning is.

But I still don't see why NBC can't give the same feed throughout the whole country. The way it's set up now is bizarre.

Agreed. They're trying to make the Olympics into a primetime reality show instead of a live sporting event.

Also, with all the sporting events that people back east complain about because they go so late... they only go that late so they can get primetime ratings on the east coast, not because they're catering to us out here.

And, to those who think we're spoiled out here, try sitting though a few earthquakes, then get back to me. Also try dealing with the media circus of these celebrities taking over every single news broadcast and tell me that it doesn't get old after a while. Additionally, tell me how blessed we are to deal with higher gas prices due to pointless environmental additives and how our beautiful weather creates that lovely drought that we always deal with.

All I know is that I was able to watch game 7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup finals at 4 in the afternoon while visiting my cousins in Phoenix. When it was over we went out to dinner and a movie. I didn't have to plan my night around a sporting event and it was so awesome that I'm considering moving out there.

I still envy you even with desert droughts and unforeseen earthquakes.

Tell you the truth, I'm actually a cold weather person, and get tired of the 70 degree weather. Go figure.

[ShinyHubCaps]

I hate the listing of medals on the ESPN ticker. It looks something like this:

Synchronized Diving - Men's 10m Platform -- GOLD- Yue Lin/Liang Huo (CHN) ... SILVER- Patrick Hausding/Sascha Klein (GER) ... BRONZE- Gleb Galperin/Dmitriy Dobroskok (RUS) ... 5. David Boudia/Thomas Finchum (USA)

1.) What happened to #4?

2.) Only finishes 1-3 count.

3.) Nobody cares about synchronized diving... if you're going to extend the list to include all U.S. finalists, you shouldn't have to do it for every event. Only ones people care about. Obviously they're catering to the U.S. audience, but if they don't medal, don't celebrate them. Also, nobody knows these people. It's not like they're the notable names that ESPN sometimes addresses, like Phil Mickelson when he's well out of the top 10.

[jkrdevil]

I hate the listing of medals on the ESPN ticker. It looks something like this:

Synchronized Diving - Men's 10m Platform -- GOLD- Yue Lin/Liang Huo (CHN) ... SILVER- Patrick Hausding/Sascha Klein (GER) ... BRONZE- Gleb Galperin/Dmitriy Dobroskok (RUS) ... 5. David Boudia/Thomas Finchum (USA)

1.) What happened to #4?

2.) Only finishes 1-3 count.

3.) Nobody cares about synchronized diving... if you're going to extend the list to include all U.S. finalists, you shouldn't have to do it for every event. Only ones people care about. Obviously they're catering to the U.S. audience, but if they don't medal, don't celebrate them. Also, nobody knows these people. It's not like they're the notable names that ESPN sometimes addresses, like Phil Mickelson when he's well out of the top 10.

Because some people want to know how the top American in the event did. If they finished out of the top 3 then they do what they did.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I still envy you even with desert droughts and unforeseen earthquakes.

Tell you the truth, I'm actually a cold weather person, and get tired of the 70 degree weather. Go figure.

Let the record show that Seattle has rain, but less per year than New York City. And it only has earthquakes once in a while.

And while I won't join in the French-bashing (which I've never, ever understood), I do take exception to the notion that George Bush is all of a sudden America's biggest fan. The most powerful man in the world has time to slap hands (and asses) with Olympic athletes, but can only do a flyover of Katrina damage? My ass.

The only reason Bush is in Beijing and not doing something worthwhile is because only five people like him anymore and Beijing is one of the few places he won't be booed. The man has a right to spread some goodwill, but it doesn't make him some kind of hero. That ship sailed a long time ago.

[rams80]

I still envy you even with desert droughts and unforeseen earthquakes.

Tell you the truth, I'm actually a cold weather person, and get tired of the 70 degree weather. Go figure.

Let the record show that Seattle has rain, but less per year than New York City. And it only has earthquakes once in a while.

And while I won't join in the French-bashing (which I've never, ever understood), I do take exception to the notion that George Bush is all of a sudden America's biggest fan. The most powerful man in the world has time to slap hands (and asses) with Olympic athletes, but can only do a flyover of Katrina damage? My ass.

The only reason Bush is in Beijing and not doing something worthwhile is because only five people like him anymore and Beijing is one of the few places he won't be booed. The man has a right to spread some goodwill, but it doesn't make him some kind of hero. That ship sailed a long time ago.

Well, that, and he doesn't want to contemplate/talk about how his entire Central Asia/Caucaus region foreign policy is getting blown to smithereens by a massive Soviet Russian tank/jet blitzkrieg.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

The only reason Bush is in Beijing and not doing something worthwhile is because only five people like him anymore and Beijing is one of the few places he won't be booed. The man has a right to spread some goodwill, but it doesn't make him some kind of hero. That ship sailed a long time ago.

Well, that, and he doesn't want to contemplate/talk about how his entire Central Asia/Caucaus region foreign policy is getting blown to smithereens by a massive Soviet Russian tank/jet blitzkrieg.

Right. Any way he looks, it's bad news for Bush. If I were him, I'd be hiding out at sports contests too.

On topic, I read in the paper that one billion people watched the US/China basketball game. One sixth of the world's population watching one thing! Incredible.

[Viper]

Well, another day, another gold medal and another world record for Michael Phelps, this time in the 200m freestyle. Three down, five to go.

Good thing these Games are in Beijing and not Detroit; otherwise Red Wing fans would have the pool crawling with octopi (one leg for each of Phelps's eight potential medals) by now. Maybe even live ones.

[NJTank]

And another WR he is amazing. I dont know much about swimming but he has to be the best swimmer ever he just stes these records like t hey are nothing.

[HedleyLamarr]

The most powerful man in the world has time to slap hands (and asses) with Olympic athletes, but can only do a flyover of Katrina damage? My ass.

When will you lose the notion that the President is not primarily responsible for the welfare of victims of natural disasters? Why weren't the citizens of Florida sitting around waiting for federal help when they had four hurricanes hit their state that same year? Why weren't the citizens of Iowa sitting around waiting for federal assistance when they had the floods earlier this summer?

Local and state governments are solely responsible for the welfare of their constituents well before the federal government is. Surely someone that claims to think they're the know-all of everything goverment as yourself would know this.

That said, don't mix sports with politics here. Save that for the "What Grinds Your Gears" thread....

[maz]

Phelps is a machine

[TFoA]

These gymnasts are amazing. It's wild what those guys can do on bars and in the air.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

EDIT: No one cares. The one salient point I will make is that it's gauche to scold someone for doing something you're doing yourself.

On topic, men's synchronized swimming is just as incredible as women's. And 14 years old? At that level? Incredible.

[Sport]

so, the US men's gymnastics is having no trouble without the Hamms. Every member just killed their high bar routine.