The 3rd night of Swimming was what I believe the best thus far. Tons of fast swimming in all different events. But what amazes me most are the NAMES.

Obvisously Michael Phelps is the leading favorite. A top notch swimmer who is like the Tiger Woods of Men's Swimming. He is humble always speaking highly of his teammates whom many of have also qualified for the 2008 olympics. But what was amazing to me was the other names.

100 back - Natalie Coughlin. You have to LOVE her spirit and her energy. Will she be the first EVER women to win the 100 back at the olympics 2 times? She has a ton more competition this year...13 girls all going under a minute but with her setting the pace of breaking for the first time ever the 59 she is one to compete with.

Then to the 100 breast - it is so cool to see Megan Jendrick (who used to be Megan Quann) come back not after ATHENS but Sydney. Especially in an event that is very common to be swum best at a young age. With a switch in coaches and a switch in names it worked.

Then to Aaron Peirsol - A guy who considers himself a 200 back rocked it with yes another world record in that 100 back. I cant recall if he was at the 2000 Olympics but I do know for a fact he was in 2004. Winning Gold

Some other names - Klete Keller & Eric Vendt names that have been in the swimming industry for years got placed on the team through their 200 free relay splits.

Overall it's exciting for the vets where they will need to shine their knowledge & experience with some of the new faces like Jessica Hardy & Matt Grevers.

MIDLAND, Texas - The USA Softball team scored 13 runs in route to a 13-0 victory over the ASA Texas All-Stars in front of 6,371 at Citi Bank Ball Park in Midland, Texas to extend their KFC Bound 4 Beijing Tour record to 51-1. The team battled the West Texas wind but still connected on 17 hits, with Natasha Watley (Irvine, Calif.) explosive at the plate going a perfect 5-for-5 with three runs scored and three runs.

Lead off batter Natasha Watley (Irvine, Calif.) wasted no time putting runners on taking a 1-0 pitch to left field for a triple. Lowe brought her home with a single to left field. A double play of a pop up by Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.) and a putout at first when Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.) didn’t return to first, left the team with a 1-0 lead into the second.
Cat Osterman (Houston, Texas) made her 13th start of the KFC Bound 4 Beijing Tour allowing a runner to reach in the first off a walk but allowing no runs to score.

The ASA Texas All-Stars did what very few opponents this year have done loading up the bases in the third but Osterman did what she does best retiring the last batter swinging. Colleen Kimbro started it off in the third for the All-Stars reaching on a throwing error by Osterman. A single to shortstop and a base on balls loaded it up but a strikeout to Jordan Daniels kept runs off the board.

Watley again led the team in the third with a single to third base. Lowe and Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.) hit singles of their own to load up the bases for Bustos, with the crowd cheering for a homerun. Bustos did not disappoint the Midland crowd with a roped homerun to right field giving the team a 5-0 lead. Andrea Duran (Selma, Calif.) ripped a double to left field and was followed by Stacey Nuveman (La Verne, Calif.) with a walk. A single to centerfield by Lovie Jung (Fountain Valley, Calif.) plated Duran. Watley, with her second hit of the inning, hit a double over the left fielder’s head to clear the base paths and edge the lead to 8-0.

“It felt good to get some good hits at the plate and I saw the ball well today so that was nice,” said Watley of her at bats. “It’s one of those nights where you walk away feeling good about the game but still know that you have a lot to keep on preparing for. It’s a positive way to head into a week break but I know we will all come back ready to keep on improving Olympic Games.”

The team tacked on two runs in the fourth taking advantage of two errors by the left fielder. Bustos singled advancing to second on an error by the left fielder Katy Gutierrez. Vicky Galindo (Union City, Calif.), entering to pinch run for Bustos, scored from second on another error by Gutierrez after she over threw on a single by Duran. A groundout RBI by Jung gave the Red, White and Blue a 10-0 lead after four.

In the fifth inning, the team started playing by exhibition rules placing a runner at first to start off the inning. Nina Cabrales started out on first advancing to second on a fielder’s choice by Maritza Martinez who was also safe. A single to second base by Kimbro loaded the bases with no out but three strikeouts by the south paw Osterman left the bases loaded.

In the bottom of the fifth, back-to-back singles by leadoff hitter Watley and Laura Berg (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.) set up the two-RBI double by Mendoza. A single by Kelly Kretschman (Indian Harbour Beach, Fla.) pushed Watley across the plate to give the USA Softball team a 13-0 win.

Osterman was again tested in the seventh when a runner was put on second, eventually loading the bases off a single and a walk. A pop up to shortstop left the runners stranded to close out of the game.

Osterman, with her 12th win of the season, struck out 13 while walking five and allowing three hits.

The team is now on a much deserved week break after spending the month of June on the road. The team will meet back together in Portland, Ore., on July 8th for a game against the Portland ASA All-Stars at 7:00 p.m. at Erv Lind Stadium.

  (Game report provided by USA  Softball)</p>

Bryan Clay, Trey Hardee, and Tom Pappas qualify for the 2008 U.S. Olympic team

EUGENE, Ore.- Bryan Clay built a foundation for a run at a gold medal in Beijing when he won the decathlon Monday night at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials with the highest point total in the world this season. Clay made his second straight Olympics with a personal-record score of 8,832 points. That marked the best score by an American in 16 years, the best in the world in four years, and beat Dan O'Brien's Olympic Trials record.

"From the get-go, I said, 'This is what I'm going to do, these are the marks I'm going to put up,' " Clay said. "I don't care if it's headwinds, tailwinds. I don't care how I'm feeling. I'm going to make it happen today, and that's what I did."

Bryan Clay 1st Place - 8,832       Trey Hardee 2nd Place - 8,534         Tom Pappas 3rd Place - 8,511

Pappas, 31, used a first place in the pole vault (17-0¼ ) and a second place in discus to become the first U.S. decathlete to qualify for three Olympics. Hardee won the hurdles and was third in the javelin. 

"Yesterday I wasn't disciplined enough. I never got in a rhythm," Clay said. "I went home last night, talked with my coaches and made the decision in my head that I was going to come out and make this happen. No matter what."

Clay was disappointed with his results during Sunday's opening events that left him with a narrow lead over Hardee, the 2006 NCAA champion, and Pappas, the 2003 world champion. But Clay found his form quickly Monday with a solid race in the 110-meter hurdles. He had the best marks in discus and javelin and cleared 16 feet, 4¾ inches in the pole vault. He needed to run the 1,500 in 4 minutes, 53 seconds to notch his personal best. He finished in 4:50.97.

On the fourth day of the U.S. Olympic track and field trials Clay won the classic event of Jim Thorpe and Rafer Johnson and Bruce Jenner and Dan O'Brien with a lifetime best 8,832 points, a bit short of O'Brien's American record 8,891 but still the highest score by an American in 16 years. Among Americans, only O'Brien, with two performances, has ever scored more than Clay, whose performance Sunday and Monday equals the 11th highest score in the history of the decathlon. Clay was followed on the U.S. Olympic team by Trey Hardee with a lifetime best 8,534 and Tom Pappas with 8,511. Pappas became the first man to make three Olympic teams in the decathlon.

"I think there's tons of room for improvement," said Clay, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist and '05 world champion. "This showed that mentally I am a very tough competitor. I am ready to break the world record. It's a matter of time. If everything is aligned ... and I can put all 10 events together, I can score really high."

The world record of 9,026 points is held by Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic, the first man to crack the 9,000-point barrier. Sebrle set his record in 2001 and is not thought to be a 9,000-point man any longer. Clay will go to the Beijing Olympics in August as the favorite to win the gold medal.

Feel free to come back to the Active.com 2008 Olympics Blog for a full series of Decathlon posts, by Coach Corey, leading up to the Olympic Games in Beijing. The count down is on as were only 53 days away from finding out WHO will be the "World's Greatest Athlete"!