XXIX Olympic Thread

putting the age issue aside for a moment, last night's girl's (i just can't bring myself to say women's) gymnastics competition made for some riveting television. kept me up until 1:30 am, dammit. how the hell those athletes can keep their composure and concentration under those circumstances, and pull off such feats… the mind boggles. one of the more beautiful, entertaining and dramatic things i've seen on the tube in a long time.

well, phelps is officially bulletproof. it's absolutely ridiculous what he has done and how he's done it. the 100m fly has to be one of the most impressive and exciting races i've seen since, well, the men's 4x100 freestyle relay. the u.s. is just incredible.

and does anyone else think shawn johnson looks a little like bugs bunny?

Originally posted by yohansen5b:
and does anyone else think shawn johnson looks a little like bugs bunny?

THAT'S IT!!! I've been looking at her thinking she reminds me of someone. It's not Bugs it's his girlfriend Lola!!!
<img src="http://thumbnail.search.aolcdn.com/truveo/images/thumbnails/C2/44/C2442DD81ABF62F7199605.jpg" alt=" - " />

An open letter to my doodle friends….

This year I have been finding myself rooting for the US athletes in most events, with womens beach volleyball being the exception because I simply root for the hottest couple. This has not always been the case and I've figured out why.

First and foremost I would like to compliment NBC on the coverage. In the past watching the Olympics in this country has been nothing but frustration because they simply focus on the American athlete, not the event. I don't give a rats arse that the athlete competing was brought up on a farm in Nebraska and almost lost a foot in a combine harvester accident at the age of 9. We haven't had that shit this year. Also in the past, once the American was out..end of coverage!
Secondly, if an American was favourite to win a gold the commentators would talk as if it was the athletes god given right to that gold, not that he/she had yet to earn it. If the athlete ended up with silver or bronze then that would be considered nothing but failure. This year they have been behind the athlete but not to the point of it's gold or failure. I am also impressed with the attitude of the athletes, especially the mens basketball team. Here we have a bunch of millionaires playing with so much pride for their country it almost chokes you up, and during their off day they are seen in the audience cheering on the other American athletes.

When the olympics started I was only going to watch the opening ceremony then nothing else because of past experience with the tv coverage over here, but ended up following the Phelps Phenomenom and found myself really enjoying the coverage by NBC.

Now I know track and field athletes can be an arrogant bunch but I hope this new and refreshing trend continues.

I just wish they would cover track cycling more.

Originally posted by Ever Circling Skeletal Family:
First and foremost I would like to compliment NBC on the coverage.

anything is better than john tesh, but their decision not to run the 100m final live is simply unconscionable

that race is the cadillac of the summer games and everyone knew what happened within minutes of it ending, but i couldn't find the footage on NBC's web site all day … i had to download the footage from some french station that broadcasted it live

incredible race, BOLT is just insanely fast and i loved his antics

this is by my favorite olympics, i've been lapping it up

Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:
but their decision not to run the 100m final live is simply unconscionable

that race is the cadillac of the summer games and everyone knew what happened within minutes of it ending, but i couldn't find the footage on NBC's web site all day … i had to download the footage from some french station that broadcasted it live

at least you get most of the stuff live. . .they are tape delaying the whole primetime coverage outside of the eastern and central time zones.

on the other hand, i have directv which has 7 extra olympic channels, although 2 of those are usa and cnbc.

Originally posted by Venerable Bede:
at least you get most of the stuff live. . .they are tape delaying the whole primetime coverage outside of the eastern and central time zones.

on the other hand, i have directv which has 7 extra olympic channels, although 2 of those are usa and cnbc.

yeah, that definitely sucks

i love the 24-7 olympic basketball HD channel, been filling up my DVR with hoops

i don't have tv, so i have not be able to watch any coverage . . . except for yesterday when i went out for lunch at a restauarant blaring the games on all sets. yes the half naked guys were great and all, but i just LOVED the trampoline! when did that become an event?

Originally posted by very sonick:
Also, Canada has failed to win even ONE FREAKING MEDAL so far. pitiful. Azerbaijan has 3!!!

well it was a good weekend for the canuckians, we're up to 7. to think that with one more, we will have caught up to kazakhstan and north korea!!!

Originally posted by sweetcell:

Originally posted by very sonick:
Also, Canada has failed to win even ONE FREAKING MEDAL so far. pitiful. Azerbaijan has 3!!!

well it was a good weekend for the canuckians, we're up to 7. to think that with one more, we will have caught up to kazakhstan and north korea!!!

Oh stop yer whinging..you lot sweep up most of the snowy medals…you can't have everything. Who do you think you are..USA?

<img src="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/media/photo/2008-08/41494200.jpg" alt=" - " />

nice ball!

Originally posted by walkonby:
nice ball!

Ball? What ball?

Here's one for you mate.


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hooray - we won our first medal! guaranteed at least a bronze in boxing, with 2 other boxers fighting today to get into the semis

and in all my years I never thought I'd see an Irishman in the 200m semi finals of an Olympics but Paul Hession did it

<img src="http://www.independent.ie/multimedia/archive/00198/hession_198731t.jpg" alt=" - " />

Originally posted by brennser:
hooray - we won our first medal! guaranteed at least a bronze in boxing, with 2 other boxers fighting today to get into the semis

and in all my years I never thought I'd see an Irishman in the 200m semi finals of an Olympics but Paul Hession did it

&lt;img src="http://www.independent.ie/multimedia/archive/00198/hession_198731t.jpg" alt=" - " /&gt;

Yeah for Ireland!! we saw him WIN his heat last night and just looked at each other for a while before my wife blurted out…"he won, he fucking won…holy Mary mother of jayzus the fecker won". I didn't have the heart to tell her it didn't mean he got a medal.

He didn't make the final :-( Came 5th….poor guy….would have been a medal in itself to make the final

But the "bronze rush" continued this morning as our light heavyweight boxer also made the semi's where I think he will fight one of your people

Originally posted by Ever Circling Skeletal Family:

Originally posted by brennser:
hooray - we won our first medal! guaranteed at least a bronze in boxing, with 2 other boxers fighting today to get into the semis

and in all my years I never thought I'd see an Irishman in the 200m semi finals of an Olympics but Paul Hession did it

&lt;img src="http://www.independent.ie/multimedia/archive/00198/hession_198731t.jpg" alt=" - " /&gt;

Yeah for Ireland!! we saw him WIN his heat last night and just looked at each other for a while before my wife blurted out…"he won, he fucking won…holy Mary mother of jayzus the fecker won". I didn't have the heart to tell her it didn't mean he got a medal.

Originally posted by brennser:
But the "bronze rush" continued this morning as our light heavyweight boxer also made the semi's where I think he will fight one of your people

i'm intrigued by this: an englishman and an irishman fighting - while neither is drunk?!? is this even possible? any chance the fighters will down a few before the bout, in keeping with tradition?

Originally posted by sweetcell:

Originally posted by brennser:
But the "bronze rush" continued this morning as our light heavyweight boxer also made the semi's where I think he will fight one of your people

i'm intrigued by this: an englishman and an irishman fighting - while neither is drunk?!? is this even possible? any chance the fighters will down a few before the bout, in keeping with tradition?

Going by history I think we already know the outcome of this one!!

The Irish lad will get the shit kicked out of him but refuse to admit defeat so keep 'fighting for Ireland' for the next 800 years, even though the British lad went home, forgot about the fight and moved on.
:D

I was shocked the NYT had a picture of the Argentina-Brazil Semi-final match with the result on it's front page this morning. I was saving that for this evening.

Originally posted by brennser:
where I think he will fight one of your people

huh! what do you mean, "your people"?

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Originally posted by Ever Circling Skeletal Family:
&lt;img src="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/media/photo/2008-08/41494200.jpg" alt=" - " /&gt;

NBC Sports should win many awards for this investigative photo journalism gallery on Cracking the code.
I'm still having trouble understanding the hand signals, its way harder than the DaVinci Code. I might need to go back and look again.

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