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.

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 .

Tyson Gay wasn't sure if he would even be at the Olympics due to a left hamstring injury he suffered in early July at the U.S. trials, but the 2007 world champion is eagerly awaiting a 100-meter dash showdown this weekend with Jamaica's Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt.

Gay owns the fastest wind-aided time in history with a 9.68, but his competitors hold the two fastest legal times in the history of the 100-meter dash. Powell held the world record of 9.74 until this spring when Bolt, who beat Gay, broke the record with a 9.72.

So even if Gay is 100 percent recovered as he claimed this week, he has to race his absolute best to beat Jamaica's flying duo. If he's healthy as he says, it will be an exciting showdown to watch as these three race to grab the gold.



What are your thoughts? Will Gay be able to bring one home for team USA?

With the Olympic games rapidly approaching, one question has been looming in my mind...what caliber of players will be representing their respective countries in Beijing? Between World Cup qualifying matches, Champions League matches, the start of league play and other important matches around the world , the Olympics have to be a secondary concern for most clubs/countries. With that being said, I decided to do a little research....

The Olympic tournament is by definition an under-23 event, but each team can field three over-age players, who the clubs are not required to release. In a recent statement, FIFA reminded clubs worldwide "that the release of players under the age of 23 for the Men's Olympic Soccer Tournament is mandatory for all clubs. For Beijing 2008 the same principle shall apply". Clubs are not required to release their over-aged players, however Sepp Blatter (FIFA President and IOC member) has repeatedly urged them to do so out of respect "for the Olympic spirit".

So, what does this mean? Well, in spite of President Blatter's strong words of encouragement, I think we will be seeing a whole new host of young, green talent...and a handful of semi-retired veterans. As much as I would love to see such world renown stars as Ronaldinho, Landan Donovan and Robinho returning to the international stage, I sincerely doubt the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and the US Men's National Team (1st Team) will give a second thought about releasing their star players...but only time will tell.

Worker's Stadium-Beijing

USA Cycling finalized its Beijing Olympic roster in the men's and women's road and time trial events this week. Unlike in past Olympic years, there were no Olympic Trials and all slots were filled either by athletes meeting specific selection criteria (performances at world caliber events) or by coaches selection.

On the men's side of things, Santa Rosa resident and Team Astana rider Levi Leipheimer will ride both the road race and the time trial(TT) in Beijing. A winner of the final time trial on the way to his podium finish in last year's Tour de France, Leipheimer has shown consistency in the race against the clock and was awarded one of only two slots in the TT.

Joining Levi in both the road race and the time trial will be Garmin-Chipotle rider Dave Zabriskie. Dave is currently recovering from a crash in the Giro d'Italia which left him with a fractured vertebrae. He has been training in and around his home in Salt Lake City and the 2006 silver medalist in the World Time Trial Championships should be at full strength in China.

Making his fifth appearance in an Olympic Games, George Hincapie will ride the road race. The Team Columbia rider first rode at the games of Barcelona as an amateur in 1992 and will be counted on for experience and leadership of the US's five-man road team.

Jason McCartney earned himself a spot on the 2004 Olympic Team by winning the trials road race; this year, he is a coaches selection. Now riding for Team CSC the rider from flood-ravaged Coralville, Iowa has matured since his days as an American-based professional witness his stage win in last year's Vuelta a Espana.

The final rider is Christian Vandevelde, currently competing in the Tour de France for team Garmin-Chipotle. Christian represented the US on the track at the 2000 Sydney Games, this will be his second appearance in the Olympics. Vandevelde is enjoying an excellent road season and may be the big surprise in Beijing. If Zabriskie's back fails to heal completely, look to Christian to take his slot in the time trial.

Overall, this is a strong men's team, especially in the time trial where a medal from either Leipheimer or Zabriskie is a real possibility. Americans won gold and bronze in Athens. With only five riders per team, the road race is usually a **** shoot and 2008 should be no different. The road course is hilly and challenging and if a group goes away early, that could be the race. Team USA will need to be diligent at the front and put riders in all the moves. The Italians always seem to race well in events like this so keeping a big eye on them is also a good strategy.

On the women's side, Kristin Armstrong heads a very strong US team. The 2006 World Time Trial Champion and 2007 World Time Trial silver medalist is a strong favorite for a medal in the TT. The US won silver in this event in 2004 with the now-retired Dede Barry and in 2000 with Mari Holden; the US is in a great position to upgrade that one spot higher on the podium.

Joining Armstrong in the TT is Dr. Christine Thorburn who finished fourth in the TT in Athens and was the 2006 World TT bronze medalist. Dr. Thorburn has taken a leave of absence from her medical responsibilities to train specifically for the Beijing Games. This is her swan song in cycling, hopefully she can go out with a bang.

Armstrong and Thorburn will be joined in the road race by Amber Neben. Neben has been riding strongly in Europe all season and is a two-time winner of the Tour de la Aude, widely regarded as the premier women's stage race. Unfortunately, with only three riders per team, the women's road race is even more of a **** shoot than the men's. Hopefully, Neben or Thorburn can get into a small group from which they can win. If not, look to Armstrong for a solo move late in the race.

Bruce