Farewell Beijing

First appeared on August 27th, 2008
in The Lebanon Reporter

The games of the 29th Olympiad came to an end Sunday with a truly remarkable closing ceremony. Before the Olympics even began we were of the opinion that China was not a worthwhile host given their disgusting record in the arena of human rights. While our opinion of the Chinese government remains unchanged, we were captivated by everything the Beijing games brought us.
Simply put these games were spectacular. In every phase and fashion Beijing left us wanting more. Between transportation, security and event scheduling the Olympics are no doubt a logistical nightmare for host nations and yet the Chinese pulled everything off so marvelously.
It is estimated China shelled out 40 billion dollars to put on the summer games. And from the opening and closing ceremonies to competitions amongst athletes inside state of the art facilities, it appears to be money well spent. In fact Beijing’s version of the Olympics may do more to resurrect the stature of the games than anything we have seen in the last 20 years.
With the exception of a few protests and one journalist being detained, the summer games were not marred by the ugliness of any international incidents- though the potential for it was obviously great. This is either a credit to the effectiveness of the authoritarian regime that rules China or perhaps we are beginning to see glimpses of a new era of tolerance from the Communist party.
China has long been a mystery for those in the west given how painstakingly choreographed and limited the flow of information to the outside world is. The media control is so tight at times that if a guy was writing this in Beijing chances are some government goons would have already kicked down his door and tossed his laptop in front of a speeding rickshaw by now. What these games have revealed however is that the Chinese are actually part of a vibrant society living inside an exciting and beautiful country.
Early on Michael Phelps looked to be the only story in town but by Friday night it was clear these games had produced so many dramatic moments that they would live on in history forever. Jamaica’s Usain Bolt dominated the sprints, winning one race by more than a car length. And by “car” here we mean stretch limo or 11 Smart cars for our environmentally friendly readers. Despite running up against the best China’s pre-school gymnastics program had to offer, Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin both managed to win gold medals as well.
And, outside of Al Gore’s claim he invented the Olympics, perhaps the high point of the games for Americans came when the USA Men’s basketball team, millionaires who are larger than life to some, all hung their medals around the neck of head coach Mike Krzyzewski in a show of solidarity. Seeing those superstars caped with U.S. flags and jumping around like giddy schoolboys is enough to make even the crustiest and cynical of Americans well up. Rumor has it Michael Moore even asked to borrow Sean Penn’s hankie when he saw it.
While there were the expected controversies, the drama did not begin to approach the spectacular level of competition and overall showmanship of Beijing’s Olympic effort.
Now the world is curious to see where China goes from here. Though they are the most populous nation on Earth and home to one of the fastest growing economies, we still view these games as their coming out party. For so long now many have overlooked the sleeping giant and future superpower that is China. If you doubted the Chinese before, don’t make the same mistake twice.

Phelps is great, but so was Spitz

First appeared on August 20th, 2008
in The Lebanon Reporter

Simply put-Michael Phelps can’t be human. We’ve decided it’s more likely he is half man, half horse and half fish; if it’s even possible to have that many halves. The majority of his races haven’t even been close. There have been stretches where he has looked more like a pace car than an actual competitor. He has been the top story of these Olympics since the opening night and rumor has it when the games are over Michael Phelps is going to swim home.
The world slid to the edge of their seats Saturday night as he zeroed in on one of those few remaining records so many believed would never be broken; seven gold medals in a single Olympics. In 1972 Mark Spitz won seven gold medals at the Munich summer games swimming for team USA. Now, in breaking the record, Phelps has somehow made achieving the impossible appear ordinary. He is a 12,000 calorie a day water rocket (we don’t know what that is, but it sounds fast) that has taken Beijing by storm. Yet as he shattered that which so many believed indestructible there was one notable figure missing from the stands of Beijing’s water cube.
Inexplicably Mark Spitz was not invited to attend the Olympics in Beijing. One might think that, given it was so widely predicted Phelps would break Spitz’s record, the U.S. Olympic Committee might have extended the guy a personal invitation to witness history.
It seems only fitting that there be some sort of controversy surrounding Mark Spitz. It has shadowed him for most of his life. His first widely publicized taste came in the 1968 games in Mexico City where he brashly predicted he would win 6 gold medals only to leave with 2. From 1968-72 he trained at Indiana University where he earned both a bachelors degree and the nickname “Mark the Shark” after amassing 8 NCAA titles. But all this came at the expense of some who dismissed him as aloof.
In 1972 Spitz dominated the Munich summer games amidst a whirlwind of controversy. For starters he spit in the eye of conventionality by swimming with a mustache that would have made even Magnum P.I. jealous. After winning 6 gold medals and setting 6 world records, Spitz also drew the ire of some when he contemplated sitting out his last race for fear of jeopardizing his perfect record. At the last moment he raced and won; setting yet another world record.
Spitz’s participation in the German backed games was also controversial because of his Jewish faith. Beyond the lingering animosity of the anti-Semitic Hitler regime, the hostage standoff involving members of Israel’s Olympic team only complicated matters. As a Jewish athlete who had dominated the games, the West Germans feared for his safety and didn’t allow him to hang around for the closing ceremonies; he was assigned a special security detail and hustled back to the states.
After his Olympic days were over, many involved with USA swimming hoped Spitz would become an ambassador for the sport. Instead he answered the call of Hollywood, cashing in on lucrative endorsements and cameo parts. He was Peyton Manning before Peyton Manning was Peyton Manning.
The man who held 26 world records, was named one of the five greatest athletes of the century by the International Olympic Committee and was also the only swimmer to crack ESPN”s list of the 50 greatest athletes of all time was not present to see his own record being broken. Say what you want about the guy, Mark Spitz should have been there.

Rest in peace Brett Favre story

First appeared on August 13th, 2008
in The Lebanon Reporter

We are gathered here to say, “Rest in peace annoying Brett Favre story that seemed as if it would never go away. May you find greener pastures and plenty of open receivers in the Meadowlands. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, the Packers owners surely hope Aaron Rogers won’t be a bust.” The story that captivated the sports world has finally ended with the legendary quarterback’s trade from Green Bay to New York.
The Packers powers that be have seemingly put all their eggs in the basket of a young, yet to be proven back up quarterback named Aaron Rogers. The man who has thrown the most touchdown passes in NFL history will, fittingly, be replaced by a man who has tossed only one.
Although the media from Kenosha to Kathmandu have already talked the story to death this is the greatest train wreck in professional sports history and, try as we may, we can’t resist the temptation to pile on. Our frustration can be summarized in five words: What was Green Bay thinking? Why would they not want one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and the man who resurrected their franchise back?
ESPN reported recently that during the height of the standoff, Packers GM Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy were greeted with a standing ovation during a Packers shareholders meeting. Now far be it from me to question the intelligence of a fan base who wear wheels of cheese on their heads and hunter orange sweatshirts to cheer their team on, but-what were Green Bay fans thinking?
Brett Favre had you one play away from the Super Bowl and finished second in league MVP voting; how could you not demand management bring him back? At the very least, how do you not let him come back to compete for the starting job? If he isn’t good enough he’ll get the message when you hand him a clipboard and ask him to keep stats for Aaron Rogers.
When it became painfully clear to everyone but Brett Favre and his agent that the Packers didn’t want him back, we found ourselves imagining how an interview with a prospective coach might go when the gun slinging hall of famer suddenly found himself tossed to the curb as if he were a nothing but an assistant equipment manager who had died all the road jerseys pink.
Prospective head coach: “So Mr. Favvv-ree…do you have any experience playing quarterback?”
Favre: “Well I have completed over 5,000 passes for 61,000 yards and 442 touchdowns, all of which are NFL records. I’m also the only 3 time MVP in NFL history too- so yeah, I’d like to think I know what I’m doing.”
So now as Favre rides gingerly into the fading sunset of consequentiality that is the Meadowlands and the Jets organization, we are all left to ponder if there isn’t another story to be found somewhere in all this. Surely there is something we don’t know buried underneath this fiasco. There must be a reason it was bungled so badly by the Packers talking heads. Someday the real story will come out, until then- we wish Aaron Rogers the best, whether he is celebrating his teams Super Bowl championship this time next year or bagging groceries at the Pick N’ Save in Sheboygan. Still we just can’t help but wonder- what was Green Bay thinking?

Gold not certain for USA

First appeared on August 6th, 2008
in The Lebanon Reporter

Some will remember days when there were three constants in life: death, taxes and the U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Team winning gold. While death and taxes look to be unfortunate facts of life for the foreseeable future, the U.S. winning gold is not. When a rule change in 1989 allowed professional athletes to participate in the Olympics, the U.S. began a run of total basketball domination. And we mean unquestionable domination, not unlike a 40 year old playing dodgeball against second graders.
Domination isn’t a strong enough term for the original Dream Team of 1992. Those guys obliterated everyone, imagine 40 year olds playing dodgeball against second graders in wheelchairs. With a roster that included Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, Team USA posted an average margin of victory of over 40 points. Perhaps even more ridiculous, head coach Chuck Daly never used a time out during his team’s entire gold medal run. The world stood absolutely no chance back then. Look in your rearview mirror America, the world has caught up. See bronze medal in the 2004 Athens games for proof.
Let us be the first to say, there truly are no guarantees in life (does mission accomplished ring a bell?). While many experts are predicting total U.S. domination on the hardwood in Beijing this summer, we believe the U.S. winning gold is not a lock. It is highly probable, but not a guarantee.
It’s not a lock because this team will have to play defense, which many on the roster are accustomed to doing little of; or none at all unless it’s the fourth quarter of a playoff game. Team USA’s defense has already proven vulnerable in the past when facing the European teams that move so well without the ball.
Secondly superstars like Kobe and LeBron will not get bailed out every time they go to the hole by the bogus NBA calls they have made their fortunes on. These games will be officiated by international referees and, unfortunately for us, they are men Tim Donaghy doesn’t have on speed dial. The lack of bail out calls will ultimately translate into players settling for 15-20 foot jump shots. And, like playing defense effectively, making these shots is something we are not convinced anyone on Team USA will be able to do with regularity either.
The largest difference between the Dream Team of 1992 and those we have seen since is experience. Every player on the original Dream Team had substantial college experience and, consequently, a high skill set and knowledge.
Fast forward 16 years and we see a roster full of fantastic athletes with less than fantastic skills. We are of the opinion that ESPN has helped usher in an era of highlight reel players that are exciting to watch, but whose lack of experience (skipping college) and skills are ultimately ruining the NBA product.
As a general rule, foreign born players learn the nuances of the team game and work hard at honing their individual skills. This enables them to compete with the upscale Americans. If you look at the rosters of those NBA teams that have experienced the most success over the last 5-10 years you will find numerous foreign born players.
From NBC’s perspective we understand that a Team USA on the ropes makes better drama than the Dream Team pounding Angola to a lifeless 116-48 pulp, but we still long for the days of Charles Barkley stiff arming a 95 pound Chinese power forward to the ground. The quest for gold starts when Team U.S.A. begins pool play on August 10th against the host country China.