The Blogs Of The XXIX Olympiad, #3

Getting up at 2:00 a.m. to come to work can be a little bit difficult some days, but it has been okay during the Olympics, because the 14 hour time change allowed me to follow the events that happened in prime time in Beijing. I missed some of the swimming and gymnastics that were on in the evenings here because I was in bed, but it was a decent trade-off. Until, of course, we were watching that evening's events, and I'd say "Yep, I know what happens here" prompting Stacie to tell me to stay away from nbcolympics.com and espn.com during the day (Yeah, sure!)

Today was no exception...and as I got ready for work, I was able to catch the fourth quarter of the US men's basketball game as they battled Spain for the gold. First, let me say that I really dislike the Spanish team. They're Euros, which means that they generally look to be in need of a shower, they play WAAAYY over their heads in international competitions (shades of the Ryder Cup in golf), and I hate that some of them have their first names on their jerseys (Raul, Ricky) and some have their last names. Mostly, I dislike Pau Gasol, his constant whining, and the fact that he looks like a llama:














(That's Pau on the left, by the way)

His brother, Marc Gasol, also plays for the team (curiously, they DON'T use their first names on the back of the jersey, which would actually make sense for them) and he is a scruffier, thicker version of this handsome devil. I couldn't find pictures of Marc on the internet...most people are probably afraid to upload them because they assume that it contains some type of hideous virus. But I digress...

I picked up the game in the fourth quarter. The US led all of the game, but their three-point shooting went cold in the fourth, and Spain came back to make it a close game. With just a few minutes left, the US had a four point lead; Kobe Bryant takes a three, makes it, and gets fouled. I gave a fist pump, and let out a "YES!!", then stopped in my tracks. That was the first time that I had ever cheered when Kobe did something good in a game. I wanted to play the "It's 2:10 in the morning and I'm really sleepy" card, but I couldn't. I was actually cheering for Kobe to succeed. It reminded me of Jim Halpert on "The Office" when he said "Congratulations universe, you win."

It was great to see the US make things right, and claim the gold medal that they should win every year. I enjoyed the Carlos Boozer cameo at the end, which, considering his matador defense and the fact that they were playing Spain, seemed appropriate. Ole!

Fortunately, I was able to reel in my Kobe man crush on the way to work as I listened to his post-game interview. He was asked about how he came alive in the fourth quarter to thwart the Spanish comeback and said that he decided to "let the mamba loose". Considering his previous problem in Colorado, I'd think he'd want to keep the mamba on a pretty tight leash.

And yes, I know that "Mamba" is his nickname...one that HE glossed onto himself a couple of off-seasons ago. This is an almost unpardonable act, unless nobody can stand you and you don't have buddies to give you a nickname. See? Man crush gone.

Now that the Olympics are coming to an end, it is a bittersweet feeling. I love the Olympics, and I love the constant sports. Many times I was watching the TV, toggling between two or even three Olympic channels, while I followed a crucial handball match or the team archery event online. But it takes a toll on you. I was pretty good about going to bed early when I had to work that morning, but when I didn't, it was easy to stay up in the wee hours of the night. Our evenings were usually devoted to going through several hours of recorded events, so it will be nice to have them back as well. I'll be compiling my eagerly anticipated Olympic wrap-up and posting it in the next couple of days (I can actually HEAR Stacie's eyes roll as she reads this), but I wanted to mention a couple of the other "fringe" events that I have enjoyed over the past couple of weeks:

Field Hockey - I watched at least a dozen men's and women's matches over the course of the Olympics. It's a great sport; the players use sticks that look like shepherds crooks, except that they're only about three feet long. After watching them run around, hunched over, it seems like a longer stick would be an easy solution, but maybe that's not allowed. They are not allowed to shield the other person from the ball, so stickhandling is at a premium. Plus, they can only use one side of the stick (the other side is round), so they're constantly flipping it back and forth. I also like when they call a penalty; the defending team has to stand inside the goal until they other team fires it to the front of the goal. Then they run out at the ball while the other team smashes it at them. It kind of reminds me of this (go to the 2:44 mark of the clip):



Whenever the women got ready for a penalty, they would all run behind the goal and put on big gloves, elbow pads, sometimes even helmets. And the official would hold up the game while they geared up for it. It was like a baseball player trading his glove for a fishing net when there was a high fly ball that he couldn't reach. Or a football player putting flubber on his cleats to block a crucial field goal. Anyway, I enjoyed field hockey, but I think that the men should have to wear skirts just like the girls do.

Table Tennis - Another sport that hasn't made it out of America's basements yet. China dominated this event (shocking, I know), but the US had a women get to the quarterfinals for the first time ever. Of course, her name is Chen Wang, so we probably got a little bit of "naturalized" help there. The speed of the points is incredible, but while I watch it, I keep telling myself that this is something that I could do, given the coaches and all of the training that they go through. I mean, I'm kidding, but this seems like something that you could excel in if you gave it the proper amount of practice. London 2012, anyone?