Wow! Those were quite the Olympics. The past two nights I've just kind of stared at my blank TV wondering where all the volleyball highlights were. Thankfully, American's who thought they couldn't get enough of Misty May-Treanor will get to see her chasse on the new season of Dancing With the Stars!

Since Sunday's Closing Ceremonies, a few questions have been on my mind (other than what the point of interviewing Michael Phelps in London was. Did anyone get anything out of that other than to confirm that there is in fact a British equivalent to Ryan Seacrest? Lucky them...). Looking forward to London in 2012...

1) How can London top Beijing's Opening Ceremonies? Aside from raising King Arthur from the dead and having him pull Excalibur out of a stone before using it to light the torch, I'm not sure we're going to see an Opening Ceremony like that again. If London's bit during the Closing Ceremonies was any indication, they're going to rely on a theme of "China's show may have been exotic, incredibly choreographed and awesomely inventive, but we have celebrities you recognize." Although Beijing did have Jackie Chan singing on Sunday!

2) What will the featured events be for the Brits? After 2004, China made a concentrated effort to focus on gymnastics, diving, table tennis and badminton...and it paid off in a huge gold medal haul. But the UK cleaned up in track cycling, they're definitely going to want to do well in soccer, and I'm sure they'll be a factor in rowing. If you go to the London venue page, they are hyping the velodrome and its 6,000 seats. Great news for cycling fans.

3) Will there be any new events? BMX and open water swimming had pretty exciting debuts. I've heard rumblings that golf and squash are on the list. Anybody know of anything else? I imagine darts would be a great sport to debut in London.

4) Speaking of open water swimming, I wonder where it will be held. The Thames? Maybe 10K out from the city in the English Channel and just have the athletes swim in? OK, probably not.

5) Will the pool be as fast as Beijing's? A majority of swimming races at these past games saw world records set. A majority of those had more than one person or relay team surpass the existing w.r. Sure the LZR suits helped, but there was no doubt that Beijing built a fast pool. I imagine London will look to do something similar.

6) Can the U.S. track team get back on track? Granted, on paper they did pretty well. But to track aficionados (and NBC studio hosts) we could have done a little bit better. How will USA Track & Field respond? Maybe Jerry Colangelo is available...

7) And finally, going beyond 2012, does Russia deserve to host the 2014 Winter Games? They blatantly broke the Olympic truce on the night of the Opening Ceremonies by invading Georgia. Sochi, the site of the 2014 Olympics, lies just several miles from the Georgian border. Yet IOC president Jacques Rogge felt content to save his criticisms during these past Games for Usain Bolt's post-race "antics." Please. What will it take between Georgia and Russia to affect the 2014 Winter Olympics? Let's hope something is worked out and aren't raising eyebrows in a few years as we can watch Vancouver hand over the flag to Sochi.

But until the next Games, I'll be rooting hard for Chicago's 2016 bid and keeping my eye on that Taylor Phinney kid. I hear he's got potential.

The Olympics are over, long live the Olympics. Now that the Beijing (Peking for those who get confused easily) Games are over I have to say that I have two Olympic moments.  The first was the USA's come-from-behind win in the men's 4x100 freestyle relay. Forget that it kept Michael Phelps drive for eight golds alive, the win typified what relays are all about, a team putting it all together and being greater than the sum of its parts.  My second Olympic moment was Usain Bolt's WR in the 200m.  Yeah, the boy also won the 100m in WR time, but in the 200, we got to see him run all the way to the line and actually lean at the tape.  If I was a male sprinter, I would get myself a very good agent and start picking my races well.  Bolt is going to be the Federer/Woods/Lance of the next generation of sprinters with everybody else racing for second place.

I thought Sanya Richard's catching the Russians to win the women's 4x400 was also exciting and coupled with the men's victory in the same event restored a bit of US pride after the debacles in the 4x100.  Did you catch Jeremy Wariner's relay split at 43.2?  That is how you silence the critics. Too bad he came up short in the open 400.

What happened to Bernard Legat? The double 2007 World Champion (that's just last year) got skunked and looked bad doing it.  If the USA can't even draft a ringer to do well in the distance events what are we to do?  USA Track and Field won only one medal from the 800m on up and that was a bronze by Shalane Flanagan in the women's 10000m.  Yikes, it's tough being a USA distance runner these days regardless of your country of origin.

I still think they should toss out race walking.  Either that or add a new event, the 400m run while carrying a piano on your back. Time for this sport to go, let's face it, they are all running and just hoping not to get caught before the finish line.

Oh yeah, for the ladies, I think the men in the beach volleyball event should play with their shirts off.  If the women have to play in bikinis it seems only fair.

Judged sports have to go as well.  Yeah, I know gymnastics and diving are graceful and all that so let's have an exhibition for those sports and forget about the medals.  It's not supposed to be about the medals anyway.

And, along those lines, I think they should stop playing the national anthem of the country who wins. It is about sport, let's try to keep the nationalistic aspect out of it.  Distance runner Kenny Moore once opined that everyone should compete in white t-shirts and black shorts.

You got any thoughts out there?

Bruce

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that ESPN is entertaining the notion of bidding for the rights to cover the 2014 and 2016 Olympics.

Fox (shudder) and CBS are also listed as potential networks that will vie with NBC for the U.S. right for the Games. According to the article, the International Olympic Committee will start entertaining bids within the next six to eight months.

While NBC's all-encompassing coverage of these Olympics has recorded high ratings, it hasn't been without complaint. From the overabundance of beach volleyball to the "Live" logo appearing on West Coast screens that are seeing tape-delayed events, NBC's handling of the Beijing Olympics hasn't pleased everybody.

Writes the +Hollywood Reporter:

"We would never put an event on tape delay," John Skipper, executive vp content at ESPN, said. "When we put 'live' on the screen, we mean 'live right now.' We don't mean live three hours ago."

He said that if NBC was having technical trouble taking the "live" bug off its tape, ESPN would lend its technical expertise "to help them remove (it)."+

ESPN has the multi-channel platform, in addition to a huge online presence with the proven ability to showcase video that would be necessary to show as much as possible live. Should Chicago succeed in its bid for the 2016 Games, it's an easy assumption that they would be an enormous money-maker for whichever network ends up with the rights, which will probably exceed $1 billion.

And who knows, maybe ESPN could coax Brett Favre out of retirement (I'm assuming he'll be retired by then) to play team handball. That would really boost ratings...

United States women's soccer goalkeeper

Hope Solo

She said she would almost a year ago after not playing against Brazil in the World Cup. Now we believe her.

Solo and the rest of the defense led the United States to a 1-0 victory over Brazil and a gold medal in the Beijing Games. The lone goal was scored in extra time, when

Carli Lloyd

"We just look in each others' eyes and we believe and we know that we can do it," Chalupny said. "It's just a feeling that we have and nobody can break that bond. It's awesome."

It is all about the numbers.  Just ask any athlete in Beijing.  Whether it is the final score in a tennis match, the winning time in a triathlon or the perfect 10 on the balance beam the smallest units of measurement separate athletes from the joy of victory and the agony of defeat. 

There are numbers in the world of international athletic competition, however, that few of us know about. These numbers reflect the financial costs associated with representing our nation abroad on the international field of play.  America for Gold (AFG), which launched eight days before the start of the Beijing games, has set out to provide financial support to U.S. athletes.  Along with its launch, AFG began "$8 per month starting 08-08-08." 

AFG is committed to supporting athletes by taking the financial numbers game out of the equation and allowing athletes to focus on physically preparing to represent our nation in international competition. 

"We are going to apply the same determined focus and energy you will see on the field of play this summer to helping athletes succeed," said Montford. 

To support AFG, one-time or monthly contributions are accepted.  Donations can be made online, by phone at (877) 477-4488 or by U.S. mail. To learn more about America for Gold or to make a donation, please visit www.AmericaForGold.org .

BMX makes its Olympic debut this week in Beijing. Here are the four U.S. riders who hope to make history by winning the first BMX Olympic gold medal.

Mike Day Day earned his nomination to the Olympics at the Olympic Trials event in Chula Vista, California. He took first place in three out of the four events and second place in the remaining race.

Because he is so tall (6'3") Day uses a unique handlebar style with an upsweep on it. The handlebar, named after Day, is called The Fly Racing Mike Day BMX Handlbar.

• Read more about Mike Day

Donny Robinson Currently ranked number one in world ranking points, Robinson “credits his drive and determination for his success on the dirt.”

Aside from dreaming about Olympic gold, Robinson is a singer/performer and hopes to one day star on Broadway.

• Read more about Donny Robinson

Kyle Bennett Bennet was the first American to secure a spot on the Olympic BMX team. He has two second place finishes at the X Games and he won the 2007 world championship in Vancouver after recovering from ACL surgery and only having three and a half months to prepare. He is often referred to as “butter” because of his smooth riding style.

• Read more about Kyle Bennett

Jill Kintner Kintner started her career in BMX at only 8 years old then jumped between successful runs in both BMX and mountain biking. She finally shifted her full attention to BMX when she decided to push for the Olympics.

In a journey that came down to the final race, Kintner out-biked friend, roommate and teammate Arielle Martin for the sole spot on the women’s U.S. BMX team. Martin returned home to Utah after loosing to Kintner only to return to the Chula Vista training center four days later on a decision to help Kintner get ready for the games.

• Read more about Jill Kintner

The Track

The U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Cycling built a replica of the Beijing course in Chula Vista, California at the Olympic Training center where the U.S. athletes have been riding for the last several months.  (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

The Event

Seeding starts on Wednesday August 20 with both men’s and women’s semifinals and finals taking place on Thursday August 21 in Beijing. Event coverage will be on NBC from 6 to 9 pm on Wednesday the 20th East Coast Time.

BRING ON THE AUSSIE'S

After passing back-to-back tests against the elite teams of Europe, the U.S. men’s basketball team probably could have beaten overmatched Germany wearing lederhosen to close the preliminary round of the Olympic tournament 5-0. Dwight Howard scored 22 points and LeBron James had 18, 16 in the first half, Monday as the United States completed an undefeated march through pool play.

The Americans were scoring so easily, they practically got in each other's way. Chris Paul led a 3-on-1 break and threw an alley-oop that could have gone to either James or Dwyane Wade. James jumped higher and got it to lay it in, then stepped outside to hit his second 3 for a 23-5 bulge. Up 19 after one, the U.S. scored the first eight points of the second to make it 39-12. The lead was 28 after James drilled 3-pointers on consecutive U.S. possessions, and ballooned to 30 for the first time when Dwight Howard scored four straight to make it 49-19 with 3 minutes left in the half.

The U.S. isn't ready to crown themselves the next big thing, a la Phelps. At the moment, the Americans are thinking about their quarterfinal game against Australia, the last team to push the U.S. Also, Spain plays Croatia at 2:30 a.m. Lithuania plays China at 4:45 a.m., and Argentina plays Greece at 10:15 a.m. The U.S. knows Australia is a physical team that lost by just 11 when the two countries played an exhibition game in Shanghai on Aug. 5. They kept it close despite not having their lone NBA player, Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut, available for the contest.

When the quarterfinals tip off tomorrow, everybody is 0-0. Should the Americans lose, they won't even end up with a medal — as happened to Spain in 2004, after they went unbeaten in pool play. Watch TEAM USA lift their basketball game to an entirely different competitive level against the Aussie's.

As much as Michael Phelps 8 gold medals puts him in the running for the greatest Olympian ever, all the hype probably hurt him when it comes to the overall Olympic moment. On my meter, Usain Bolt jogging to a new world record in the 100m was simply indescribable. Some really big names were saying that if Bolt hadn't started  celebrating in the final 20m he would have run 9.5x and I believe them.  I can't even get out of bed in 9.69 and this guy is waving his arms and thumping his chest.  Oh baby! Frankly, I think Michael Johnson's 19.32 200m record is in jeopardy unless Bolt, who will be about 30m in front of his nearest challenger as he nears the finish line in the 200m final starts playing the air guitar and humming Bob Marley tunes.

OK.  We had to give citizenship to a Kenyan to get an Olympic contender in the men's 1500m.  But, not just some Kenyan, a guy who won silver in 2004 and is the reigning World Champion. C'mon man, the USA was drafting a ringer! Then the ringer fails to make the finals in the 1500m. What happened?  Is citizenship revokable? Hopefully, Lagat will redeem himself in the 5000m, but frankly he looked flat and that graceful stride and potent kick were nowhere to be seen.

I said this once an I will say it again.  They should just toss out judged sports from the Olympics. We know Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt are the best because they were first across the line.  Forget the doping, the judging is the biggest blight on the Olympics.  It just sucks big time to see all the bad calls.

Bruce

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The seemingly unbeatable Croatian men's water polo team, who steamrolled every team they had played thus far in the Beijing Games, was served up a bitter loss by 9th ranked Team USA.

Team USA demonstrated suffocating defense, which frustrated the Croatian team throughout the match. Croatia capitalized on its "power plays", scoring four of their six goals during 6-on-5 situations. The US was led by scoring prodigy Tony Azevedo (the team's captain) who racked up 3 goals; rounding off the scoring was Ryan Bailey, Peter Varellas, Adam Wright and Tim Hutten with one goal apiece.

Against the best scoring team in the entire world, goalie Merrill Moses had an exceptional game with 11 saves.

After defeating Croatia, Team USA went on to win Group B after beating Germany 8-7 in an another hard-fought match. The miraculous wins send Team USA to the semifinals to play the winner of a Serbia/Spain quarterfinal matchup. Reaching the semifinals guarantees Team USA a shot at a medal for the first time since 1992.

Watch for Team USA's next match on August 22nd at 7:40pm (check your local listings).

The whole world wonders. Except

Usain Bolt

Of course, Bolt didn't need to go that fast, and apparently didn't want to see just how fast he can go.

Bolt said afterward that he's not big on records and was happy just winning. But our imaginations wanted to see more. Maybe another day.

As Arizona Republic columnist Dan Bickley wrote, "The fastest man in the world left plenty to the imagination. I'm outraged. I'm thrilled."

No, I am not referring to race walking which should be dropped from the Olympics(and as a sport for that matter).  C'mon, they are all running and it is just a case of getting caught before you cross the line. No, I am talking about the 100m and the awesome, or more appropriate, not-so-awesome, performance of Usain Bolt.  The guy literally jogged a 9.92. Not 'sprinted'. Not 'ran'. But 'jogged' a 9.92. Yikes! Is the final even going to be a contest or should we just give the gold medal to the young Jamaican and go watch Michael Phelps win another gold medal.

If I were Asafa Powell or Tyson Gay, I would be tossing and turning in my sleep suffering recurring nightmares of seeing Bolt come across the finish about 10 body lengths ahead. Of course, nothing is for certain or they would have given the gold medal to France in the 4x100 freestyle relay, but Bolt look so casual (not "relaxed", I mean 'casual') in the final 50m of his race that about the only thing that can keep him from winning is either a false start of if the starter's gun is loaded and he points it at Bolt.

Sometimes domination is boring, other times it is held in awe. I think Bolt falls into the category of 'wow'.  Hopefully, Powell and Gay won't be totally psyched out, but if they watched Bolt's race, they might not even show up for the final.  That's what I would probably do which, of course, explains why I never made it to the Olympics.

However you feel about the Bolt/Powell/Gay race, one thing is for sure. They gotta nuke race walking or put in some sort of electronic monitoring on their shoes.  It's embarassing for the athletes and the sport.

Bruce

Say this about American sportswriters: They're doing their part in not letting this issue be swept under the rug.

Sadly, based on the U.S. women's gymnastics team's silver medal performance in the team competition, the media outcry could come across as sour grapes to outsiders. Which will then overshadow the truth that might hide beneath.

For those living under a rock, there is legitimate controversy about the women's (we'll use that term loosely) gymnastics team of China, which won team gold this week with a superior performance nobody can dispute.

The question is: Are they old enough?

Rules state that Olympic gymnasts must have turned 16 by the end of this year to be eligible for Olympic competition. A passport is required to verify age, which the Chinese provided for all of its gymnasts.

But these "women" don't pass the eye test, and published reports by Chinese newspapers in the past have documented them as much younger than they're now claiming to be (China claims the media were wrong, the first time I've ever heard the media blamed for anything).

The IOC has taken the stance that the passports say they're 16, and there's not much more to do. But several prominent American journalists, from Dan Wetzel to Selena Roberts have called for further investigation in the matter, but nobody expects the IOC to do anything about it.

With the great lengths the IOC takes to prevent dopingwhich they absolutely should doit troubles me if they decide not to dig deep to get to the bottom of the age scandal. It has nothing to do with the U.S., either. The Americans clearly did not deserve to win after sloppy performances in the beam and floor exercises.

So, what's up? Are we just whining because we didn't get our way, or is it important to make sure rules are strictly enforced in the world's most prestigious sporting event?

United States gets Revenge against Greece

Two years ago, Greece surprised the USA men's basketball team at the 2006 FIBA World Championships. They took it to the Americans by shocking them 101-95 in the semifinals. This time, there would be no letdown for the Americans.

Greece was ahead 13-9 with four minutes left in the opening quarter, but less than two minutes later a steal by Chris Paul led to a Kobe Bryant bucket giving the Americans the lead for good. The United States forced 25 turnovers and outscored Greece by 28-4 off the turnovers.

The Americans’ best moments in this tournament have been with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, who both come off the bench, on the floor. Greece ran 42 of its trademark pick-and-rolls in the teams’ 2006 match-up. On Thursday, it did not get half of that number, with the activity of Wade on the perimeter and Bosh inside keying a disruptive defense.

After looking sloppy and uninspired at times in its first two games, the United States played its best game of these Olympics. The United States led by 19 at halftime and rendered the second half a formality. It was 51-32 at the half, and Mike Krzyzewski's team was in the driver's seat throughout the final 20 minutes. Greece couldn't get closer than 16 in the third and the U.S. led by at least 19 throughout the fourth.

Next Game Saturday vs. Spain

Breaking news: My TiVo exploded last night. Fed up with the constant demand to record Olympic events I will never get around to watching (something about only having 24 hours in a day), the TiVo finally threw its arms in the air and turned itself into a pile of metal fragments and soot. It was 3 years old.

OK, so I made that up. The ol' TiVo is earning its keep this week, thanks in part to my unreasonable desires to watch all the events I can and NBC's fabulous job of giving us the opportunity if we have the time.

I've quickly found out that I don't have the time. But I remain grateful to the peacock network for all of the coverage they've provided us. In the first 24 hours of the Olympics, I watched the opening ceremonies, fencing, badminton, soccer, weightlifting, swimming, basketball, volleyball, beach volleyball and probably 2-3 others my saturated brain can't recall.

"We realize 200-plus hours a day is daunting for the viewer," NBC Sports executive producer

David Neal

Or, in my case, short-circuit from information overload and never quite catch up.

Oh well. That's my problem, not NBC's. They've done a fantastic job of getting the Olympics into our living room. SI reported that the 2008 Games "will result in 1,000 more total (television) hours of Olympics this year than the U.S. has seen from all past televised Summer Games combined.

And the winners are you and me.

  BEIJING, China --- With just two days before competition, the USA Softball team has had an eventful past couple of days in China. Back-to-back visits from President Bush and participation in an Opening Ceremonies celebration that amazed the World, the team is enjoying this once-in-a-lifetime experience and ready to take the field on Tuesday against Venezuela atNoon/local time.

Beginning on 08/08/08, 13 members of the U.S. team participated in an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by participating in the Opening Ceremonies decked head to toe in their parade uniforms. With over 700 athletes, the evening began with mingling of the U.S. athletes before the former President Bush and current President Bush along with First Lady Laura Bush addressed the U.S. athletes.

"Meeting the Bush family was awesome," said Monica Abbott (Salinas, Calif.). "They have done great service for our country and it was so neat to see them out there supporting us. They are big supporters of Olympic sports and they definitely want to see softball in 2016."

  The cameras were flashing as members of the softball team were sending their well wishes to members of the U.S. Men's and Women's Basketball teams, tennis teams, track and field and volleyball. In fact, a challenge was offered up from LeBron James and Jason Kidd to try and hit off of Cat Osterman (Houston, Texas) and Jennie Finch (La Mirada, Calif.). All in good fun, the laughs were exchanged and the 'The Challenge' date is To Be Determinedfollowing the Olympics.

The athletes paraded into the Bird's Nest(Track and Field Venue) representing the Red, White and Blue experiencing moments to last a lifetime.

"It was so amazing and wonderful to see the torch lit. There is nothing anything like it, it was so cool," said first-time Olympian Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.). "Meeting all the U.S. athletes before was incredible because we were all dressed the same as one team. Everyone was taking pictures, wishing good luck.. It was so neat to meet all the famous athletes."   Natasha Watley (Irvine, Calif.) who missed the Opening Ceremonies in 2004 was equally thrilled at being a part of the event.

"What an amazing night. It was a lot of fun getting a chance before we lined up to mingle with the other U.S. Athletes in the delegation. Also meeting the President... Wow, just a crazy, crazy night. The best part was the guy running around the top with the images of the torch being shown. Being in the middle of the venue and watching the fireworks was an incredible feeling."

After the incredible evening, the U.S. returned to the field on Saturday afternoon for a noon practice to which the current President Bush stopped by for a visit.

"Seeing and talking with the President twice in two days is pretty exciting," said Finch "He came to practice and greeted our team and also called out our team huddle of "Who do you play for?...USA. Laura Berg, our prankster, pulled her classic chalk handprint and he was such a good sport. Wow, what an incredible past couple of days."

The President and his entourage watched the team warm up and he was impressed with the power of Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.) as he gave her a high-five after batting practice.

The team was able to pose for a photo for the press who were in attendance as the President gave his remarks for the sport.   The president called the group "the gold medal champs," and said that softball should be returned to the Olympic program. "It's good for the world to have girls playing softball, and these women are going to show girls how to win," he said.

It was back to business once the President departed as the U.S. had an inner squad scrimmage before leaving practice at 2 p.m. The entire 15-member team then headed to the Main Press Center for a pre-competition press conference.

BEIJING, China -- The USA Softball team opened the 2008 Olympic Games making a statement breaking an Olympic record for most runs scored in a game by a single team and tying an Olympic record with three homeruns. The three-time defending Gold Medal winning team captured an 11-0 victory in five innings against Olympic rookie team Venezuela. Breaking its own previous record which was 10 runs from the 2004 Olympic Games, the U.S. used 11 hits including three home runs and a base clearing double to improve to a 15-game win Olympic win streak dating back to 2000.

"Today we were really excited to get on the field," said head coach Mike Candrea. "I was pleased with our outing and at bats and where we are right now. Jennie gave a really strong pitching performance from the circle and things were good. But in the Olympics there is no time to celebrate.... On to the next game."

With a combined no-hit performance from Jennie Finch (La Mirada, Calif.) and Monica Abbott (Salinas, Calif.), rookie Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.) led the U.S. effort with a 3-for-4 debut with one RBI coming on a solo inside the park home run.

"Well I was happy that I got a good pitch," said Lowe when asked her thoughts on the home run. "Then once I rounded first base I saw coaching doing his wave thing and knew I was going to go all the way."

Along with Lowe, designated player Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.) was 2-for-3 with one RBI while third base rookie Andrea Duran (Selma, Calif.) was also 2-for-3 with a team leading three RBI.

Winning pitcher Finch tallied four hitless innings recording five strikeouts and allowed two walks.

The U.S. put its first runner of the Olympic Games into scoring position early. Natasha Watley (Irvine, Calif.) led the visiting team with a lead off walk before Lowe recorded her first hit of her Olympic career with a chopping shot to left field. With the speed of Watley now at second base, the U.S. threatened to score with its RBI leaders on deck. Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.) recorded a flyout advancing Watley to third base but then back-to-back flyouts left the runners stranded.

Andrea Duran (Selma, Calif.) was quickly on base in the top of the second inning after the ball brushed her right thigh placing her on first with a hit by pitch. Two-time Olympian Stacey Nuveman (La Verne, Calif.) then made her first at bat of the 2008 Games a memorable one with a base hit to right field pushing Duran to third base. Lovie Jung (Fountain Valley, Calif.) drove in the first run of the game with a sacrifice flyout to right field plating Duran for the 1-0 lead.

The U.S. then padded their lead with power from the leadoff hitters. Watley connected on her first-ever Olympic home run with a two-run shot to left center before Lowe drove the ball just over the Venezuelan left fielder's head and legged out an inside-the-park home run for the 4-0 advantage.

The long ball struck once again in the top of the third inning when Olympic record holder for home runs with five, Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.) belted the ball out to left field within three seconds with a straight shot over the 220 fences. Two-time Olympian Kelly Kretschman (Indian Harbour Springs, Fla.) was then hit by a pitch before Duran recorded her first ever Olympic base hit with a drive to left field. Nuveman then looked to knock in some RBI, but grounded into a double play with Duran out on the play. The U.S. then scored its sixth run on an error from the Venezuelan left fielder who dropped a routine pop up from Jung that plated Kretschman.

A pitching change from Venezuela bringing in Marianella Castellanos didn't phase the U.S. bats as they put five more runs on the board in the top of the fourth inning for an 11-0 eventual win. Lowe started the inning with a single to right field before a Mendoza hit-by-pitch put two runners on with no outs. Bustos then drove in her second hit of the game to load the bases for the Red, White and Blue. Castellanos continued to struggle issuing a walk to Kretschman that allowed Lowe to score. Four-time Olympian Laura Berg (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.) then entered her fourth and final Olympic Games as a pinch runner for Kretschman. Duran then belted a base clearing double, the first of the game, scoring three runs before Jung roped in an RBI single for the fifth run of the game.

Yaicey Sojo was the only Venezuela player to reach base earning two walks off of Finch.

Up next the U.S. will battle a familiar foe in 2004 Olympic silver medal winning team Australia. The U.S. is 20-7 overall against Australia in major international competition (Olympics, World Championships, and World Cups). Game time is Noon on Wednesday, August 13.

Ouch.

Rau'Shee Warren

Here's where it hurts: Warren spent the last 30 seconds of the match dancing around the ringand away from Ok-sungbecause he thought he was winning. Instead, he was about the only one in the arena who didn't know the truth: He was losing 9-8 and needed to attack and try to get another point.

"It doesn't feel real," Warren told the AP afterward. "I didn't feel like I lost the fight, because I was fighting hard, doing everything the coaches were telling me. To get this far and then lose, I don't even know what happened."

Warren lost early in the 2004 Olympics, too, and avoided turning pro to get another shot at a gold medal. Instead, he had a devastating loss he may never get over.

Occasionally, the Olympics have heartbreaking moments like this. South Korea swimmer

Park Tae-hwan

Tae-hawn and Jansen redeemed themselves in future Olympics. Warren, now 21 with professional boxing in his future, probably won't have another chance to correct his mistake.

BEIJING (Aug. 12, 2008) -- The U.S. Men's Volleyball Team started out slow but picked up speed on Tuesday in its 24-26, 25-22, 25-15, 25-21 victory over Italy in an Olympic pool play match at the Capital Indoor Stadium.

In their second Olympic match without U.S. Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon who is still tending to his wife and mother-in-law at a Beijing hospital, the U.S. Men improve their record to 2-0 in Pool A. They will play Bulgaria (1-0 prior to its match against Japan on Tuesday) at 10 p.m. on Thursday at Capital Indoor Stadium.

Clay Stanley (Honolulu, Hawai'i) led Team USA with 23 points on a match-high 19 kills, three blocks and one assist. Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.) added 20 points on 18 kills, two blocks. Ryan Millar (Palmdale, Calif.) scored 12 points on seven kills, three blocks and two aces.

"Today's match had a lot to do with our serve and their serve receive," said U.S. Interim Head Coach Ron Larsen (Lafayette, Calif.). "It helped with our block."

Team USA finished with four aces and 15 blocks as opposed to Italy with three aces and nine blocks.

The U.S. Men completed 58 of 111 kill attempts for 36 percent efficiency. Italy completed 50 of 119 kill attempts for 24 percent.

"I think I was having difficulties in hitting," said Italy's Alessandro Fei, who finished with 11 points on nine kills and two aces. His teammate Hristo Zlatanov led Italy with 19 points on 16 kills and three blocks. "Of course the Americans played very well. So if you combine the two things together, this is the result."

Among other scorers, Riley Salmon (League City, Texas) scored 11 points on eight kills, two blocks and one ace. David Lee (Alpine, Calif.) totaled 10 points on five kills and a match-high five blocks. U.S. setter Lloy Ball (Fort Wayne, Ind.) had one point on one kill.

Ball was credited with 41 running sets for an average of 10.25 per set.

U.S. libero Rich Lambourne (Tustin, Calif.) was credited with 10 digs and three faults on 15 attempts. He was also credited with 25 "excellent" receptions on 33 attempts for a successful percentage of 76 percent.

Tom Hoff (Park Ridge, Ill.), Kevin Hansen (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Scott Touzinsky (St. Louis, Mo.) all played as substitutes.

In the first set, Italy held an 8-6 lead at the first technical timeout and led 16-14 at the second. With the United States trailing 16-18, a block from Millar and an ace by Salmon tied the score. Italy reached set point first at 24-23, but then committed an error to tie the score. A Zlatanov gave Italy a second set point at 25-24 and Alessandro's ace ended the set.

"I thought we started the match waiting to see Italy's strategy," Hoff said. "After the first and second sets, our block was very efficient." After that our offense got going and felt comfortable knowing the block was going well."

The United States led the second set 8-5 at the first technical timeout and 16-14 at the second. Italy came close to tying the score at 22-21, but Salmon's kill kept it out of reach. Lee won the set for Team USA with a kill.

The third set seemed like it would be close at first as the U.S. held a slim 7-6 lead. However, it reached the first technical timeout first on an Italian error, then scored four straight points behind the serving of Salmon to lead 12-6. Team USA extended the lead to 16-8 at the second technical timeout. Zlatanov scored one point on a kill, and Team USA scored the next three to make it 20-9. Italy never recovered.

Team USA used three kills from Priddy along with kills from Millar, Stanley and Lee to take an 8-5 lead at the first technical timeout of the fourth set and led 16-12 at the second. The United States reached match point first at 24-19, but a Ball serving error brought Italy to 20 and Alberto Cisolla's kill made it 24-21 before Stanley ended the match with a kill.

The Men’s team final will take place tonight, the third day of Artistic Gymnastics competition, as eight teams will compete for the gold. In qualifications, China finished with 373.600 points, followed by Japan at 369.500 and Russia with 365.425, just .225 ahead of the Americans.

The favorite to win tonight is China, who dominated the qualification stage, but defending champion, Japan, will not go down without a fight.  Japan delivered a decent performance at the qualification stage, and has the potential to get much  better scores tonight.

Russia’s performance tonight may depend on whether or  not Konstantin Pluzhnikov is able to participate. Pluzhnikov fell off the rings at the end of the session, landing on the back of his neck. He walked off the podum, then lay down on the sidelines as trainers diagnosed his injury. Pluzhnikov did walk off on his own at the end of the  competition, but his status is still up in the air.

Although the Hamm brothers will not be competing in the Olympics this year, don’t count the U.S. out just yet. Sasha Artemev, who joined the squad Thursday night, and Raj Bhavsar are the Hamm brothers replacements, and both performed well the other night.

The 2004 Athens runner-up, who finished sixth in the qualifications, lacks experience, but not heart. The United States, led by fist-pumping Jonathan Horton, who went wild the other night during competition upon seeing a U.S. flag, knows they have a lot to prove and will do whatever it takes to not let everyone back home down.

Does the U.S. have enough heart to medal? Will anyone be able to overpower China? Who do you think will take home the gold tonight?

One of the more well-known storylines of the Beijing Olympics involves swimmer

Michael Phelps

If Phelps does it, Spitz won't be there to see his amazing record shattered. Because, he says, nobody invited him.

In this interesting story, Spitz holds nothing back in making his emotions known. He's ticked off that the IOC or USOC had seemingly little interest in creating a sentimental moment.

Among the highlights:

"They voted me one of the top five Olympians in all time. Some of them are dead. But they invited the other ones to go to the Olympics, but not me," Spitz said. "Yes, I am a bit upset about it."

Spitz thinks his legacy should be respected a little bit more, especially since his lasting mark might be toppled in Beijing.

So is he right, or is he being a baby?

USA Basketball vs. China: U.S. Wins 101-70

Dwyane Wade picked up right where he left off in exhibition play,leading Team USA to their first Olympic basketball win with 19 points. Despite Yao Ming's rise to stardom, the Chinese are still incredibly weak in basketball because they lack the physical stamina, creativity and toughness it takes to win on the international level. Their best finish was a meager 8th in the 2004 Athens Olympics - and just three of their players have NBA experience (which is almost a necessity these days to understand how to beat Team USA mentally).

China played an impressive passing game, especially in the early going, as Yao Ming was surrounded by defenders. Chinese players loved the three-point line; the first points of the game were scored on a three (by of all people, Yao) and by game's end, no less than six Chinese players had hit threes. Yi Jianlian and Wang Zhizhi, both of whom have NBA experience to add to their maturity as international-level players, each hit four threes.

TEAM USA used relentless defense to trigger turnovers and force the weaker Chinese team into mistakes - leading to countless easy layups and highlight reel ally-oops. Although the weakness of the American team is all too apparent: Zero halfcourt offense. It's really scary that a team composed of guys like LeBron and Kobe, and penetrators like Deron Williams and Chris Paul struggle in a half court setting, but these guys manage it somehow. If Team USA doesn't force turnovers to create easy baskets, you're going to see them struggle to put away opponents like Germany, Argentina, and Spain. We'll have to see if the opposing countries try and slow down the game of the Americans to force them into a half-court set. The ROAD TO THE GOLD has only just begun for "The Redeem Team."

Well, it wasn't pretty but they got the job done.  The 1-0 victory over the Japanese has the US sitting atop of arguably one of the toughest groups in the Olympic Tournament.  Securing three points early on will be a huge confidence booster for our young squad as they go on to face Nigeria and the Netherlands.  The Japanese are one of the youngest and least internationally experienced teams in the tournament, relaying exclusively on U23 players...so even though this first win is exciting for fans and players alike, it should be expected. 

Click here to check out a video on players reactions to the game.  Also check out ESPN Soccer Net for an overview on defending Champs and 2008 powerhouse Argentina along with pre-tournament rankings and reviews of all the Olympic contenders.  

The media pounced on the story that several American cyclists arrived at the airport in Beijing wearing masks that covered their noses and mouths, and, consequently, the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) pounced just as quickly to un-embarrass itself.

The NY Times article linked to above reads:

But U.S.O.C. officials were apparently unhappy with their choice, scolding the cyclists for walking off the plane wearing the masks because it might embarrass the host country, Mike Friedman and Bobby Lea said. The cyclists said they did not remember the name of the official who spoke with them.

Except that the USOC gave them the masks. And told the athletes to wear them if they felt they needed to.

Earlier in the article, Times reporter Juliet Macur writes:

The United States Olympic Committee had issued the specially designed masks to protect athletes from the potentially harmful air here. The U.S.O.C.’s lead exercise physiologist, Randy Wilber, had advised the athletes to wear the masks on the plane and as soon as they stepped foot here.

Apparently, the USOC's exercise physiology department isn't communicating effectively with it's p.r. department.

The cyclists did apologize, but it remains to be seen how this will affect the rest of Team USA over the course of the games.

Has the USOC warned other athletes that if they need to wear the masks, they should do so in private? Will other athletes be overly cautious in putting them on so as not to embarrass the Chinese organizing committee?

For the athletes who train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, the environment is decidedly different than those who train along the highways of Los Angeles, let alone Beijing. Is it worth not competing at full lung capacity in a race you've spent your entire life training for so as not to embarrass your hosts?

Pollution, heat, humidity and a difficult course all conspire to make both the men's and women's Olympic road races potential death marches of the highest order. Add to that the fact that every country is sending their best athletes to Beijing(well, duh, it is the Olympics!) and 'epic' is the only word that comes to mind to describe the events which will unfold this weekend.

On paper, the Olympic Road Race course looks pretty darn tough. The men will climb over 11,000 feet and the women will climb over 4000 feet meaning that it is highly unlikely that a sprinter will be wearing the gold medal in either event. And the teams seem to agree with only a few of the them bringing anyone with fast twitch muscle fibers.

Actually, the course is split up into two distinct parts. The first section, which both the men and women will ride, is about 55 miles of mostly flat riding, designed by the Chinese to showcase some of their national treasures such as the Great Wall. The second part of the course is a 15-mile loop which contains about 1500' of climbing most if it coming in a 6-mile, 1250-foot climb. Following the ascent is quick down and up and then a long, gradual 8-mile descent back to the finish line. The men will complete seven laps for a total of 150 miles; the women will do two laps on the circuit for a total of 75 miles.

The US Men's team is headed by now 5-time Olympian George Hincapie who is joined by Levi Leipheimer, Christian Vande Velde, Dave Zabriskie and Jason McCartney. George, Levi and Christian will be the designated leaders with Zabriskie and McCartney riding in a supporting role. The US Women's team includes two-time Olympians Kristin Armstrong and Dr. Christine Thorburn who will be joined by first-timer Amber Neben.

Both squads are definitely medal-capable especially if they ride as a team. It is difficult to put personal ambitions aside especially since the difficulty of the course will clearly make this a race of attrition. But, teamwork will be key especially if the heat and humidity are oppressive and the designated leaders need a lot of water to stay fresh.

In the men's race, Spain looks to be the biggest threat. They are sending a hugely-talented squad which includes Alejandro Valverde who just won the Classic San Sebastian, Tour winner Carlos Sastre, Giro winner Alberto Contador, Tour green jersey winner Oscar Friere and Sammy Sanchez. Italy always seems to ride well in big races and they can't be counted out especially with defending Olympic Champion Paolo Bettini and one-day specialist extraordinaire Davide Rebellin. The tiny country of Luxembourg looks very good with the Schleck brothers and Kim Kirchen all who rode well in the mountains of the recent Tour.

In the women's race, Germany is always powerful with defending Olympic Champion Judith Arndt and Ina Teutenberg. Holland with Marianne Vos brings a strong team as well as the Swiss and Great Britian.

The men's race is Saturday, August 9th the women's race is the next day on the 10th. Look for both competitions to be action-packed once the races hit the finishing circuits. The pollution coupled with the heat and humidity will make it prohibitive to attack before that.

Bruce

One of the great things about the Olympics is that our athletes come from all over our giant nation.

Sports Illustrated wrote that Team USA consists of athletes from 47 of the 50 states. While every professional football team features Texans, Floridians, Californians and a few stragglers, the Olympics really are an inclusive experience for almost everyone in the country.

So, who here has a hometown product representing in Beijing? I have one--5,000-meter runner

Matt Tegenkamp

Still, I never considered Tegenkamp dominate enough to be definite Olympic material. Neither did he until college, according to this Kansas City Star article .

It was in 2001, when he was 19, when he started considering the Olympics a possibility. It took seven years to come true, when he placed second to

Bernard Lagat

Surely, some of you have blasts from the past that are heading to Beijing, too. Let's hear the stories.

USA Basketball: Russia meets Kobe

Kobe Byrant scored 11 of his 19 points in the third quarter to lead the U.S. Olympic team to an 89-68 victory over Russia on Sunday. Carmelo Anthony added 17 points in what was by far the Americans' most competitive tune-up yet for the Olympics. Having averaged 118 points in winning its first three exhibitions by an average of 41 points, the U.S. found itself in a more competitive game against the Russians, who slowed the pace the entire contest.

The U.S built a 12-point lead after the first quarter and extended the margin to 46-31 at the break. The Americans remained in control despite scoring just 17 points in the second quarter. With Team USA leading 50-33 and 8:19 to play in the third quarter, Bryant scored his team's next 11 points on an assortment of dazzling moves.

"They had some gaps there and I just took advantage of them," Bryant said. "The ball found me and I was able to make them pay. In that kind of situation where the game is kind of see-sawing back and forth, we have so many weapons - it could be LeBron (James), it could be D-Wade, one of us is going to kick into high gear."

The sellout crowd of 14,523 clearly favored the United States, and Bryant clearly was the fans' favorite. They chanted "MVP!" when he went to the free-throw line, and generally oohed and aahed whenever he squared up to take a shot.

"It feels like home away from home," Bryant said. "It's great to be so far from Staples Center and still have so much support. I feel like I'm home." Bryant hadn't been looking for his offense on the tour, averaging only 11.7 points -- sixth-best on the team --while focusing his efforts on defending the top perimeter threat. But it was needed yesterday, since he's the Americans' best half court player.

Air quality concerns have been paramount as athletes begin to arrive in Beijing for the summer Olympic Games. These fears are far from unfounded: The European Space Agency (using satellite imagery) has found that Beijing and its surrounding areas have the world's highest concentration of nitrogen dioxide, a substance poisonous to the lungs.

[Haile Gebrselassie | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Gebrselassie], the marathon (26.22 miles/42.19 km) world record-holder, voluntarily withdrew his position in the marathon event at the Beijing Olympics due to serious concerns about his own health. As an asthma sufferer, he feared that his health and career were in jeopardy if he competed in such poor conditions. He does, however, plan to compete in the shorter 10,000-meter event.

The good news is that Chinese officials have a very extensive (and expensive!) plan in place, and it appears to be improving the air quality in Beijing. The controversial plan includes halting all construction projects, severely limiting traffic within city limits, and in some cases, shutting down factories known for their pollution.

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The image above shows a comparison of Beijing’s air quality with that of Los Angeles and New York City.  An average day in Los Angeles is just barely better than the best day in Beijing in the month of May.  As shown, a very rare bad day in New York City might rate as high as 65, whereas, Beijing averaged 137 on the SEPA index during the month of May (2008).  It is important to note the concern regarding the potential manipulation and loose standards of China’s data standards.

The Wall Street Journal recently released a Beijing Air Quality Widget, allowing visitors to see this real-time air quality details (or see their detailed air quality widget).  From the historical data, you can see that Beijing averaged an API index of 137 during May, which decreased significantly to just 77 during the month of July.

Beijing residents have noted better visibility and brief periods of blue skies in recent weeks, so one can deduce that China’s efforts are working to some extent. Looking at historical data as well, it appears that Beijing’s efforts to curb air pollution are working, at least to some extent.

Let’s hope our athletes can breathe easy in Beijing!

Go ahead. Go to the track at your town's high school and run one lap around it as fast as you can.

It's not easy. To many, the 400 meters is the hardest race to run.

A 100 meter is a straight sprint, hard as you can go. The 200 falls in that category, too.

The 800 and 1,600? You set a pace, conserve yourself, use strategy. It's distance running.

But the 400, to many, is that uncomfortable space in between.

Which is why I love watching the best 400 runners work, and none are better than the United States' own

Jeremy Wariner

Wariner, sadly, might be more well-known for being a white sprinter who wears sunglasses rather than a really good sprinter who's done things nobody else can do. But the product of Baylor University (Quarter Mile U) has gained the respect of the track world, in what's becoming a remarkable career.

A couple of good articles for you to read: The first, a recent piece by ESPN's Luke Cyphers on what makes Wariner the world's best in the 400.

Another one is a little older: A long profile of Wariner written by Gary Smith of Sports Illustrated.

Here's an old video of him smoking the field: