THE OLYMPICS: Official Thread of All-Things Games! (Sportsmanship Required)- Page 23

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 11:17pm

YAY for Dara!!!! Over 40 and a mom...and beating out the 16-year-old!!!!

(And thank gawd that protest went nowhere. I can breathe again!)

[clever name]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 11:21pm

In case anyone else was wondering....

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/The-mystery-of-Michael-Phelps-iPod-playlist?urn=oly,101129

[EugLoven]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 11:49pm

Okay, so we've got Phelps and Spitz talking live to each other. It's a humbling and nice conversation, sure. But did anyone just hear Spitz compliment himself? That was sly. And this is awesome nevertheless. Passing the torch.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 11:59pm

What an incredible interview...two Olympic greats. Too bad Spitz wasn't there live for the interview. He seems like such a gracious man...and has aged SO WELL!


...and I guess Spitz complimented himself when he said to Michael, "I'm sure you had me as a role model growing up..." or something like that, but it was probably true! I didn't really take it as complimenting himself...but all great swimmers are compared to Spitz and likely looked up to him/thought of him while they were training for the sport.
Updated On: 8/16/08 at 11:59 PM

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 12:10am

Chris Chase, who wrote the Phelps iPod article apparently is the guy who stole my iPod. Dylan live at the Supper Club and NPR podcasts, that is 100% incontrovertible evidence, no one else listens to either of those things.

Another really great Olympic evening, but now the "Athletics" events will get all the attention, so I guess it is time for me to tune out. (After tomorrow.)

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 12:16am

spitz was a great swimmer, a great olympian and is a real sh*t.

i idolized him growing up as a swimmer. until i met him at an event. he was incredibly knowledgeable and more condescending than bammy at a bowling alley. i watched him dismissively tell a parent who said her son wanted to win 7 gold medals just like him that the boy should set his sights a little more realistically. he oozed superiority and sure, he'd been a better swimmer than anybody there, but he wanted to be sure you knew that. and they were paying him to be there! it was the last time i let myself idolize anyone. so i guess i owe him thanks.
the real spitz

[gettinhep]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 12:21am

Spitz had a whine to Aussie media a few days ago saying that he hadn't been invited to the Games.

[DBillyP]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 9:45am

One of the commentators this week mentioned that the difference between Phelps and Spitz is that Phelps is well liked by his teammates ...

[EugLoven]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 10:41am

WOW! Not only was he stripped of his bronze and kicked out of the Beijing games,
but other stories report that he has been banned for life!

While I do not condone his bad sportsmanship and disrespect of the game,
I do sympathize with his now-apparent loss of a sport career.

NEWS ITEM:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/newscenter/news/newsid=222447.html

A Swedish wrestler was disqualified and stripped of his bronze medal Saturday
for dropping the prize in protest after a disputed loss at the Beijing Olympics.
Ara Abrahamian was punished by the International Olympic Committee
for violating the spirit of fair play during the medal ceremony.





Updated On: 8/16/08 at 10:41 AM

[LaurenB]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 12:01pm

I missed the beginning of today's USA-Spain basketball game. Did anyone see it, and was there any kind of reaction to the Spanish team from the crowd or the commentators (regarding the photo)?

[CyCoSpAz2]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 3:44pm

The United States is certainly lagging behind on Trampoline skills

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 3:51pm

As we used to say when we were 10-years old: Sore loser! Sore loser! Sore loser!

[Yawper]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 5:19pm

Sports Illustrated has posted frame by frame images of the finish
Phelps frame-by-frame

[DBillyP]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 5:48pm

Wow. Just wow.

[EugLoven]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 6:05pm

AUGUST 16/17 PRIMETIME AND LATE-NIGHT SCHEDULE
7:30p - 10:00p
Deena Kastor won bronze in the 2004 women's Olympic marathon. Now she tries for a U.S. medal in Beijing (LIVE ET/CT). Also, the men's 100m final yields the "World's Fastest Man."

10:00p - 12:00a (8/17)
In the men's 4x100m medley relay Michael Phelps swims for his eighth and final Beijing gold medal. If victorious, he surpasses the single-Games record set by fellow American Mark Spitz in 1972. Also, the women's team medley, the grueling men's 1500m free, and 41-year-old Dara Torres tries for her 11th career medal, in the women's 50m free (LIVE ET/CT).

12:30a - 2:00a (8/17)
Beach volleyball featuring U.S. women's quarterfinal action. Also, track and field coverage.

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 8:05pm

Any new sports you wanna see? I wanna see:
Bowling
Kickball
Iron Chef
Four Square
Scrabble
Celebrity Impersonations
Extreme Jacks

[NYadgal]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 8:06pm

Am just catching the coverage - but one of the medal contenders in the women's marathon just had to drop out...

Heartbreaking!

[NYadgal]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 8:07pm

Oh, and GO DARA!

Class act last night letting the race officials know that a fellow swimmer was delayed.

Heart wins. Every time!

[NYadgal]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 8:09pm

Yawper - thank you for posting that photo! That's the first picture I've seen that has made it clearly evident that Phelps touched first. As others have said: Wow! Just wow!

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 8:34pm

And doesn't that photo make it look like Michael got there "effortlessly" while Cavic appears to be "straining" and "tense"?

Fabulous photo. I'm going to print it out and hang it up. It's a testament to "Ya never know!"

[Yawper]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 8:38pm

It's a classic example of why coaches teach to race all the way through the finish instead of letting up at the end.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 8:43pm

Looking at the frame-by-frame shots on the Sports Illustrated site is more breathtaking than watching the actual race!

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 10:13pm

***POSSIBLE SPOILER***





Dara silvers! She's amazing!!!

[EugLoven]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 10:17pm

******SPOILER ALERT*****

Romania wins the Women's marathon.
Silver to Kenya and bronze to China
I can't even IMAGINE what it must be like to run 26 effin' miles!!!




Dana Torres (USA) gets the Silver in the Womens 50m Free.... but 1/100th of a second!!!

I guess it was a karmic-trade. If Phelps can WIN by 1/100th then I guess Torres has to pay the price?

Phenomenally fast and close race from a wonderful and beautiful and polished Olympian!

******SPOILER ENDS****
Updated On: 8/16/08 at 10:17 PM

[clever name]

Posted: 8/16/08 at 10:18pm

Dara Torres is amazing!