Seattle Cleans Up for MLB All-Star Week

City of Seattle is now starting the MLB All-Star Week sweep. It took the All-Star Game for the city to urgently address the homelessness issues. pic.twitter.com/90mrm4ffLQ

— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) July 6, 2023

Remember how people would criticize China for needing to "transform" public spaces before hosting the Olympics?

Fake cleanliness and order.

Psaki: Biden Won't Talk About Beijing Olympics Boycott

Peter Doocy asks Psaki if Biden will consider a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics pic.twitter.com/GW8whjFd9H

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) November 15, 2021

Biden won't bring up the Beijing Olympics when he meets with Xi, but I bet Biden will bring up Satchel Paige.

Beijing Winter Games - Only China Residents Allowed to Attend

BREAKING: No One Outside Of China Allowed To Attend 2022 Winter Games In Beijing https://t.co/ccfb4ADWmk pic.twitter.com/YN5AyZXgbf

— The Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) September 29, 2021

In 2020, China permitted the Wuhan coronavirus to infect the world, eventually killing millions of people. But by all means, let's protect China from COVID.

London Olympics Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games was absolutely breathtaking.

I can't say the same for the opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games.

It was so politically charged. It wasn't a celebration of London's history or culture OR ATHLETIC COMPETITION. It was a celebration of Leftist policies, heaped with big helpings of liberal guilt.

The Beijing ceremony was so spectacular it would be impossible to match. It's a lot easier to pull off an incredible show when you have well over one billion people and you don't care about human rights abuses.

From Norway's Aftenposten:

The Kung Fu pupils in the opening ceremony of the Olympics have spent the last year cooped up in a military camp outside Beijing. Conditions have been bad. "They weren't even given enough food," says their trainer. This news adds to the criticism of the Beijing Organizing Committee.

Viewers from around the globe marvelled at the Opening Ceremony last Friday. One of the most spectacular features was the martial arts display by 2008 pupils from the famous Shaolin Centre in Henan province. With coordinated movements, they showed the Tai Chi variant of Kung Fu; a popular way to relax for many Chinese people.

The skilful and well-executed show took a severe toll on many of the participants; both those who took part and the performers who were held in reserve.

Many of the martial arts performers feel abused and ignored by the Olympic organizers. For the last year, they have been housed 50 to a room, more than 70 kilometres from the ‘Bird’s Nest’ National arena. This is where they have slept, eaten and spent all their time.

Leaving the compound around the barracks was strictly forbidden. The dormitories are crammed with bunk beds. Between 30 and 50 of the teenagers spent the night in each room. Only a few of the showers work and the toilet facilities have been bad. The winter was icy and in summer, the pupils had to battle against mosquitoes and the heat.

"After repeated complaints they finally installed air-conditioning in the sleeping quarters. However, most of the equipment was so old that it didn't work," says one of the pupils.

Most of the 2500 performers have been sent home after the opening ceremony. The few that remain in order to take part in the closing ceremony are extremely angry about the treatment they have received from the Olympic organizers.

"The food is the worst thing. We’ve had the same two courses for dinner for a year. Sometimes there hasn't been enough for everyone. Those who have arrived last haven't got anything to eat," says a pupil.

He adds that he "wants to throw up," when the food is served.

"We never get noodles or dumplings. All we get is rice," he says.

...Conditions have been so bad that their trainer, Kung Fu master Liu Haike, has sent a series of complaints to the Olympic organizers. The complaints did have some effect.

"In the end, the pupils got enough to eat, even if the diet was extremely monotonous," he says to daily newspaper Aftenposten.

Liu describes pressure from the organizers as extreme. Everything had to be perfect. As result the performers had to practice up to 16 hours a day. "The test performance of the opening ceremony was worst of all. The pupils had to remain in the stadium for 51 hours. They were hardly fed. There was nowhere to sleep. Some managed to sleep on the seats, but they didn't get more than a couple of hours at most," says Liu.

He adds that several of the pupils got heatstroke, but their physical training meant that they got better again relatively quickly. Liu says that he felt very sorry for his pupils and the way that they were treated.

"But the organizers have promised them an Olympic certificate thanking them for their effort. They will not receive pay. Nevertheless I think that the majority will think that it was good to do what they did for the Olympics and their country," says Liu.

I'm sure London didn't torture the participants in its opening ceremony the way Beijing did.

London gets points for that.

The pageantry of the Olympics opening ceremonies always have an impressive element. That was present in London. There were good moments and memorable images.

I liked the children singing "Jerusalem."

But, the Leftist political stuff was unbearable.

Meredith Vieira and Matt Lauer were the hosts. That didn't help matters. (I did get a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade vibe listening to them.)

The focus on the negative aspects of the Industrial Revolution and the resulting creation of new weapons to be used in war was really weird.

The repeated shots of Kenneth Branagh in his top hat and chewing on a cigar were so odd.

Celebrating socialized medicine???

What the hell was that????

Hospital beds on the field, along with dancing doctors and nurses and sick children bouncing around?

How strange!

There was James Bond and the Queen parachuting into the stadium.

There was a bizarre "girl loses her cell phone and finds love" vignette, "Frankie and June say... Thanks Tim."

Rowan Atkinson did a "Chariots of Fire" bit.

So, there was comedy mixed in with the Leftist spectacle.

The parade of nations was nearly two hours. The prattling of Bob Costas and Matt Lauer was absolutely hellish.

There was some relief when it was time for the Olympic traditions. The Olympic flag entered the stadium, always a highlight. The lighting of the torch is always a big moment.

Paul McCartney ended the ceremony, getting the tens of thousands at the stadium and the athletes to sing along to "Hey Jude."

This would have been the time for Paul and Ringo to reunite.

Then came the fireworks.

It's unfortunate that the ceremony included the weird Leftist propaganda. It was divisive. It didn't belong.

Glad it's time for the competition.

Go Team USA!
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Disgracefully, NBC omits a 6-minute tribute in the opening ceremony to the 7/7 bombing victims. Video of what NBC cut from the ceremony here.

NBC's slideshow of the opening ceremony does not include any image of the tribute.

Chicagoans for Rio

Not all Chicago citizens want the 2016 Summer Olympic Games to be held in Chicago.

Some are concerned about the astronomical cost.

A website draws attention to the downside of Chicago hosting the Games, Chicagoans for Rio.



FOX station WFLD-TV reported on the group.

Drudge reports:

The Chicago Olympic Committee told FOX Chicago that its broadcast "would harm Chicago's chances" to be awarded the games.

The station's news director ordered staff to hold fire after the report aired once last Thursday morning, claims a source.

Watch the story here.

I can't believe that this little story would have any impact at all on the IOC's decision on which city will be chosen to host the 2016 Olympics.

Free speech?

I don't think the Chicago Olympic Committee should be meddling in the newsroom at FOX 32. It's acting like an oppressive regime.

If Chicago does host the games in 2016, I wonder if all the homeless people will be picked up off the streets, Beijing-style 2008.
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Flashback: Obama Calls for Bush to Boycott Olympics Opening Ceremony

Michael Phelps: Pot Statement

Michael Phelps has admitted that the bong photo is legitimate.

Statement:

In a statement released to The Associated Press, the swimmer who won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games conceded the authenticity of the exclusive picture published Sunday by the tabloid News of the World.

Phelps said: "I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. I'm 23 years old and despite the successes I've had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again."

This statement may express Phelps' feelings, but these certainly aren't Phelps' own words.

Statements like these don't often come from the individual. They come from lawyers, agents, and handlers.

I believe Phelps' promise that "it will not happen again." He won't smoke pot again around people he doesn't know well and doesn't trust.
________________

More.

Michael Phelps and the Bong

UPDATE: Michael Phelps' Statement
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Michael Phelps, what were you thinking?

From Brit tabloid, News of the World:

THIS is the astonishing picture which could destroy the career of the greatest competitor in Olympic history.

In our exclusive photo Michael Phelps, who won a record EIGHT gold medals for swimming at the Beijing games last summer, draws from a bong.

...And after sporting chiefs announced laws which mean four-year bans for drug-taking, Phelps’ dreams of adding to his overall 14 gold medal tally at the 2012 games in London could already be OVER.

Those dreams seemed the last thing on his mind when he puffed from the bong during two days of partying with students last November, a quiet time in the swimming calendar when athletes would not expect to get tested for drugs.

One party-goer who witnessed the star’s behaviour told the News of the World: “He was out of control from the moment he got there.

“If he continues to party like that I’d be amazed if he ever won any more medals again.”

Phelps’ aides went into a panic over our story and offered us a raft of extraordinary incentives not to run the bong picture.

It was on November 6, weeks after his Beijing triumph, that 23-year-old Phelps surprised students at the University Of South Carolina in Columbia by showing up unannounced at a house party.

He was visiting Jordan Matthews, a girl he was secretly seeing who was a student there.

Our source revealed: “Michael came to visit Jordan but ended up just getting wasted every night.

...“He didn’t know many people so you’d think he’d be a little shy. But he was loud, obnoxious and slamming beers from the get-go.

“Every girl wanted a piece of him and every guy wanted to be his best buddy. He couldn’t get enough of all the attention.”

As he basked in his hero status, Phelps knocked back beers and shots of spirits. And when a student offered him the glass bong engraved with red writing, he did not hesitate, says our source.

...Our source said: “You could tell Michael had smoked before. He grabbed the bong and a lighter and knew exactly what to do.

“He looked just as natural with a bong in his hands as he does swimming in the pool. He was the gold medal winner of bong hits. Michael ended up getting a little paranoid, though, because before too long he looked like he was nervous and ran out of the place.”

Who knows if these accounts are authentic?

However, that really doesn't matter.

There's a picture, and when there's a picture, no more really needs to be said.

What is Phelps going to say? He smokes pot for medicinal purposes? It helps increase his appetite? It's not easy eating 12,000 calories a day.

This was not a smart move by the greatest Olympian of all-time, Michael Phelps.
________________

More.

Chinese Gymnasts: IOC Investigation Closed

I suspect the controversy about the ages of some members on the Chinese women's gymnastic team at the Beijing Olympics won't be put to rest even though the investigation into allegations of cheating has been officially concluded.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- China's Olympic gold medal gymnasts at the Beijing Games were old enough to compete but the team that won the bronze medal in Sydney eight years ago still faces questions, the international gymnastics federation said Wednesday.

The FIG closed the Beijing case after a 5 1/2-week investigation into the ages of the women's team.

"Originals of official documents received from the Chinese Gymnastics Association, specifically passports, identity cards and family booklets or Household Registers, confirm the ages of the athletes," the FIG said in a statement.

The FIG said it shared its conclusions with the International Olympic Committee, which requested the inquiry.

"It is considered that the case is now concluded," the federation said.

...The FIG's announcement that it was closing the investigation on the 2008 team was hardly a surprise. China had insisted — heatedly and repeatedly — that all the girls were old enough to compete, and that it had the documents to prove it.

China provided passports, ID cards and family registers for He Kexin, Yang Yilin, Jiang Yuyuan, Deng Linlin and Li Shanshan, all showing the girls were 16 or would turn 16 this year.

"We have received all we could possibly ask for," Gueisbuhler said. "All of them confirm the age that they should be, so what can we do?"

There really is nothing that can be done.

If the Chinese government is willing to lie its way to Olympic success, then it is.

Doubts remain.

Accusations of age falsification have swirled around the Chinese team and have intensified after news outlets found official documents stating alternate (and younger) birth dates for three athletes: He Kexin, Yang Yilin and Jiang Yuyuan. All three of them are old enough according to their passports. The Chinese have been mum on the subject, as expected.

The Chinese are alleged to have cheated in Sydney.

[T]he FIG said it continues to investigate the ages of Chinese gymnasts who competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, particularly Dong Fangxiao and Yang Yun.

"The FIG does not consider the explanations and evidence provided to date in regards to these athletes as satisfactory," the federation said.

...Dong got a Beijing Olympics credential with documents that suggest she was only 14 in 2000, said Andre Gueisbuhler, secretary general of the FIG. Her blog also indicates she was underage in Sydney.

Yang, who also won a bronze medal on the uneven bars in 2000, said in a June 2007 interview that aired on state broadcaster China Central Television that she was 14 in Sydney. Gymnasts must turn 16 during the Olympic year to compete.

"It will probably still take awhile before we can unravel all the legal" matters, Gueisbuhler said. "We have the (statute of limitations), and you have applicable law is also a factor."

"We did not have another choice," Gueisbuhler said last week. "If we want to remain credible, then we have to look into things."

The Chinese Gymnastic Team lacks credibility.

If there was cheating in 2000, it's reasonable to question whether China has given up the practice.

It's legitimate for people to be skeptical about the ages of some of the 2008 Chinese women's gymnastic medalists. The Chinese brought that on themselves.

There can be no victory in cheating. There's no honor in that.

Beijing Olympics Closing Ceremony

The Beijing Olympic Games started with the bang of thousands of drums and fireworks.

They ended with a bang as well.

BEIJING -- To the roar of pyrotechnics over the Bird's Nest, the symbol of a new China, and a simultaneously timed circle of yet more fireworks over Tianmen Square in central Beijing, the 2008 Summer Games drew Sunday night to a close, an Olympics that in virtually every regard made history.

The Games came to the end of their 17-day run after a ceremony -- a party, really -- featuring bouncing and flying men, drum carts, rotating poles, light wheels precisely 2.008 meters in diameter and 1,148 silver bell-wearing dancers in yellow dresses, all of it a lead-up to the entry of the athletes of the world, who by tradition on the night of closing ceremony mingled together, without regard to nationality, in the center of the stadium.

The palette of colors on the field, the rousing lights around and above - all of that in turn served as mere prelude to the moment when the Olympic cauldron was extinguished, the stadium suddenly so hushed the hiss of the gas feeding the huge flame above the Bird's Nest rim clearly audible.

And then it was gone.

These Games, perhaps the most memorable Summer Olympics since the Games were reborn in Athens in 1896, were over.

"These were truly exceptional Games!" International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge declared from the center of the stadium. Unlike his predecessor, Juan Antonio Samaranch of Spain, Rogge does not describe one Games or another as "best ever."

It was clear what was at issue here from the outset -- the very first drumbeats at the opening ceremony on Aug. 8 serving notice of China's arrival among the front ranks of the nations of the world, a station Chinese athletes emphatically underscored over the next two weeks, their performance topping the gold-medal chart, with 51.

Moreover, these 2008 Games established on several fronts benchmarks against which successive editions of the Olympics are sure to be measured.

The venues were first-rate, several architectural marvels. The buses ran on time. Pollution-related concerns ultimately played no part in the sports schedule. And the thousands of blue-shirted volunteers could not have been more friendly, polite and welcoming -- even when, as was frequently the case, the language barrier proved formidable.

Regarding the final medal count, I found this to be interesting:

The U.S. team won the overall medal count, with 110.

That surpassed the total from the Barcelona Games, 108, which had been the most-ever won by a U.S. team at a non-boycotted Olympics.

The U.S. gold-medal total, 36, matched the American count from Athens in 2004.

The way Olympic medals work, a medal for a team sport - such as the golds each of the men on the volleyball team was awarded Sunday - counts as just one.

If, instead, the medals awarded to each individual are counted, the totals underscore the American commitment to team sports. They read like this:

Americans: 315 medals.

Chinese: 186.

Some closing thoughts on the closing ceremony and the Olympics in Beijing--

I'm so proud of the American athletes and how they represented our country.

Some had to overcome judging irregularities and cheating controversies. The athletes treated us to soaring achievements, some for the ages, like those of Michael Phelps. We also witnessed their crushing disappointments. But they all should be proud of themselves for being what few get to be-- Olympians.

I love the competition and the drama of the Games, and I won't forget Beijing 2008.

I thought the opening ceremony was spectacular, until I learned about the conditions that some of the performers were subjected to as they rehearsed.

Read about the dreadful treatment of the Tai Chi students here.

The prison-like conditions they were forced to endure are shocking.

Another instance of abuse involved the people operating the scroll that encircled the top of the stadium.

Torture.

Then there was Yang Peiyi, the little girl with the lovely voice but a face judged not cute enough to participate in the opening ceremony.

To be sure, the opening ceremony was a remarkable display, but knowing what the Chinese did to stage it is sickening on a number of counts.

Watching the closing ceremony, I wondered if there were any human rights violations in putting on that spectacle, too.

At one point in the coverage, the commentator referred to the significance of flight in the performance and how it symbolizes liberation, very important to the Chinese.

Huh?

Liberation?

I don't think so.

NBC didn't focus on the oppression in China. I don't find fault with that. The sports took center stage. That's as it should have been.

I do give the Chinese credit for being very good hosts; but what we saw was what the Chinese wanted us to see, not the complete reality of China.

It's wrong to pretend that China is other than what it is -- a place of widespread, institutionalized violations of human rights.

The Redeem Team Wins Gold

Yes, I watched the gold medal men's basketball game-- all of it.

I didn't expect to see the end of the game. I didn't know it would be as close as it was.

At one point, it was a two point game. I couldn't go to sleep under those circumstances.

BEIJING (AP) -- Arm-in-arm, they climbed onto the middle of the medals platform, the spot that for so long was U.S. private property.

Some players flashed their Olympic medals to the crowd. One pretended to take a bite, just to make sure it was real.

Yep, it was gold - the color the Americans always used to win but hadn't since 2000.

Culminating a three-year mission to end years of embarrassment, the U.S. team survived a huge challenge from Spain, winning 118-107 in the gold-medal game Sunday.

Order was restored in international basketball.

"Much respect to Spain, but the U.S. is back on top again," LeBron James said at a press conference attended by the entire team.

But not by that much anymore.

After overwhelming everyone for seven games, the Americans led by only four points with under 2½ minutes to play. Then they proved they could handle a close game that it seemed would never come in Beijing.

Their prize: the first U.S. gold medal since the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

I am so tired, but it's a good kind of tired.

I love that the players gave Coach K. their medals and posed for a photo.

Coaches don't receive medals. Only the athletes do. I can understand that, but certainly coaches play an important part in the athletes' success, especially in a team sport.

It's very cool to see Coach K. wearing his players' medals.

Chinese Gymnasts and the IOC's "Investigation"

It was a dramatic announcement from the International Olympic Committee.

The International Olympic Committee has ordered an investigation into mounting allegations that Chinese authorities covered up the true age of their gold-medal winning gymnastics star because she was too young to compete.

An IOC official told The Times that because of "discrepancies" that have come to light about the age of He Kexin, the host nation’s darling who won gold in both team and individual events, an official inquiry has been launched that could result in the gymnast being stripped of her medals.

The investigation was triggered as a US computer expert claimed yesterday to have uncovered Chinese government documents that he says prove she is only 14 - making her ineligible to compete in the Olympics - rather than 16, as officials in Beijing insist is her age.

Mike Walker, a computer security expert, told The Times how he tracked down two documents that he says had been removed from a Chinese government website. The documents, he said, stated that He’s birth date was January 1 1994 - making her 14 - and not January 1 1992, which is printed in her passport.

It turns out the investigation that was launched by the IOC was a crock, a classic example of CYA.

The IOC has kowtowed to the Chinese. I think the Chinese were sick of the achievements of its "women's" gymnastic team being overshadowed by allegations of cheating.

Solution: Launch an investigation and quickly put the matter to rest definitively.

What sort of investigation can be conducted in just a few hours?

What a joke!

There was no investigation.

It's the same old line that the IOC has been giving all along. The passports are accepted as legitimate.

BEIJING (AP) -- Despite persistent questions about the ages of several members of the Chinese women's gymnastics team that won the gold medal, the International Olympic Committee said Friday there is still no proof anyone cheated.

The IOC asked the International Gymnastics Federation to investigate "what have been a number of questions and apparent discrepancies," spokeswoman Giselle Davies said.

"So far, everything that has been received demonstrates we have no problem for the eligibility of the competitors," said Christophe Dubi, the IOC's sports director.

If the federation had found evidence that the gymnasts were underage, it could have affected four of China's medals. In addition to the team gold and He Kexin's gold on bars, Yang Yilin won bronze medals in the all-around and uneven bars.

Chinese coach Lu Shanzhen told The Associated Press they gave the FIG new documents on Thursday to try to remove any doubts about He's age, including an old passport, residency card and her current ID card.

Lu said all the documents were issued by various departments of the Chinese government, and that he had nothing more to put forth as evidence.

The FIG has said repeatedly that a passport is the "accepted proof of a gymnast's eligibility," and that China's gymnasts have presented ones that show they are age eligible. The IOC also checked the girls' passports and deemed them valid.

Andrei Gueisbuhler, secretary general of the FIG, said the federation would release a statement later Friday.

"For the time being, there is nothing I can add," Gueisbuhler said.

...The IOC said previously that it had verified the passports of all athletes competing at the games.

"We are not in a position to say 'It's good, it's not good.' It's a government document," FIG president Bruno Grandi said earlier this week in an interview with the AP.

The IOC did not give details on what new information prompted it to act now, three days after the gymnastics competition ended.

"With some questions still remaining, we asked the federation to take a closer look," Davies said.

Clearly, the IOC and the FIG aren't taking into account all of the evidence.

The conflicting information about the gymnasts' ages is being ignored.

There couldn't possibly have been time for a thorough investigation to take place.

How do the Chinese explain the discrepancies in the athletes' ages on documents?

It appears that they don't have to explain anything.

There's supposedly no evidence that the Chinese falsified the ages of its gymnasts, no proof.

I think there's evidence that the governing bodies of the Olympics and the sport of gymnastics lack integrity.

This joke of an investigation is proof that cheating is no big deal.


Talk about counterproductive!

He Kexin

Olympic gold medalist gymnast He Kexin is 16 years old according to a passport issued in February 2008.

According to other documents, He Kexin is 14, born on January 1, 1994, not old enough to compete.

FOX News links to the findings of Mike Walker, a U.S. computer expert.

Read the story at Stryde Hax.

I think the U.S. team should file a protest immediately.

Nastia Liukin deserves the gold medal in the uneven bars.

He Kexin should be disqualified and an appropriate punishment should be given to the Chinese team.
__________________

International Olympic Committee launches probe into He Kexin's age

Maybe Nastia Liukin will be awarded the gold medal that she won on the uneven bars.

Maybe the official results will be altered.

Great Britain's Beth Tweedle, currently in fourth, has to be hoping that she gets the bronze medal.

If the IOC does disqualify He, how will that impact her scores in the team event? China won gold by a thin margin.

I think the Chinese team should be stripped of the gold if He's age was, in fact, falsified.

It appears that He was not born on January 1, 1992. Evidence points to that conclusion.
_________________

UPDATE: IOC says no proof anyone cheated.

Steve Parry is Not Michael Phelps

Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor Thank President Bush

After Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won the gold medal in beach volleyball, they were thrilled.

They celebrated, and they thanked a lot of people, including the President of the United States.

Jon Ackerman writes:

After embracing each other, waving to the fans, embracing each other and waving to the fans, the Americans immediately made way to congratulate their opponents, Tian Jia and Wang Jie of China, whom May-Treanor and Walsh just fought off, 21-18, 21-18. From there it was the customary handshakes with the referees and match officials.

Then they split up. May-Treanor sought out her father, Butch, before she sprinkled her late mother's ashes on the sand, as she did after their gold medal win at the 2004 Athens Games. Walsh went to find her husband, Casey Jennings, a professional beach volleyball player who was on the No. 3 U.S. men's team in Olympic qualifying.

The women then hugged their coach, Troy Tanner, whom they acquired in 2006 after a semi-slump left May-Treanor and Walsh briefly contemplating a split. It was then on to more family and more friends. Then the announcers and a couple camera men. Then seemingly every other person in Chaoyang Park holding an American flag.

...By now, May-Treanor and Walsh had recognized about everyone but the president. So in their first interview after remaining unbeaten in Olympic play and extending their winning streak to 108 matches and 19 tournaments, the finest beach volleyball team of all time did just that: They thanked President Bush for his inspiration.

Bush, of course, made a special visit to the practice courts to see May-Treanor and Walsh on Aug. 8, the day of the Opening Ceremony.

..."There's so many people that have helped us on this journey and it's just amazing," Walsh said. "We've grown from girls to women doing this. I always say thank you in my heart to them and to God. It's amazing the support we have. I would never ever take it for granted."

In that first interview, they could barely contain their excitement.

After both Misty and Kerri spoke and the interview was winding down, the gold medalists added:

(Video/Ms. Underestimated)

KERRI WALSH:

Can I just say one thing really quick?

(Looking straight into the camera)

Mr. President, we thank you! Thank you for your inspiration, for all you do. Everyone at home, we love you.

MISTY MAY-TREANOR: (Speaking over Kerri) This is for you. We brought it home.
It was a thank-you duet, caught on (almost) live TV. The gold medalists directly thanked President Bush.

What a great moment!

Simple but heartfelt thanks.

Watch the video here.
_______________

Watch the Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh interview on Late Night with David Letterman.

GOLD: Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh

I get so stressed out watching LIVE Olympics coverage.

Yes, the Olympics have been quite a workout for me.

I'm exhausted from tonight's beach volleyball gold medal match between Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh and China's Tian Jia and Wang Jie.

What a sweet victory for Misty and Kerri!

Sand supremacy: Misty, Kerri defend title

Thursday's wet weather couldn't put an end to Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh's Olympic beach volleyball reign.

The Americans, who also won gold at the 2004 Athens Games, became the first team in beach volleyball history to win back-to-back Olympic crowns by defeating China's Tian Jia and Wang Jie 21-18, 21-18 in the women's gold-medal match.

"We're bringing home the gold," May-Treanor yelled after their match.

With the victory, May-Treanor and Walsh continued their beach dominance. The duo extended their winning streak to 108 straight matches, and won their 14th consecutive Olympic contest.

"This was our goal. Each tournament, each team we came across brought us one step closer to our goal," May-Treanor said. "We're flying high today."

Congratulations to the USA's beach volleyball golden girls!

(Does that sound like Bea Arthur and Betty White play beach volleyball?)

Michael Phelps and Frosted Flakes

UPDATE, February 6, 2009: Michael Phelps: Of Pot and Frosted Flakes
________________

Some health "experts" are up in arms because Michael Phelps' image will adorn the Frosted Flakes box.

How dare Phelps endorse that sugary cereal!

It's an outrage!

From the New York Sun:

Olympic legend Michael Phelps will appear on boxes of the Kellogg's brand sugar cereal, drawing sharp criticism from health experts worried about the message he'll be sending to children across America.

"I would not consider Frosted Flakes the food of an Olympian," said nutritionist Rebecca Solomon of Mount Sinai Medical Center.

"I would rather see him promoting Fiber One. I would rather see him promoting oatmeal. I would even rather see him promoting Cheerios."

The critical health experts are the flakes.

Kellogg's Frosted Flakes and Corn Flakes aren't responsible for making America's children overweight.

It's not as if Phelps promoted Fiber One kids across the country would start gobbling up that cereal.

Phelps just won 8 Olympic gold medals. He pushed himself. He worked for years to achieve that goal. That's the message kids are getting.

If kids want to be like Phelps, they'll need to get off the couch and exercise. Eating Frosted Flakes is not the problem.

BATTLE CREEK, Mich., Aug 19, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- He's already taken his place in history alongside the legends, but now Michael Phelps can add one more milestone to the list. After earning eight gold medals in the 2008 Olympic Games, Michael Phelps has earned a place of honor on the front of specially-marked Kellogg's Frosted Flakes (R: 66.26, -0.45, -0.67%) and Kellogg's Corn Flakes (R: 66.26, -0.45, -0.67%) cereal boxes.

The gold medal winning Olympic champion from Baltimore, Maryland will be featured on Kellogg's Corn Flakes and Kellogg's Frosted Flakes cereal packages that are expected to hit grocery store shelves across the U.S. in mid-September. The boxes will feature images of Phelps during what were some of the most memorable moments of this summer's Olympic Games.

"As an Official Sponsor of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team and a proud sponsor of Phelps, it is only fitting that Kellogg Company feature this world-class athlete on its iconic boxes of Kellogg's Corn Flakes and Kellogg's Frosted Flakes cereals," said Marta Cyhan, Vice President, Global Promotions, Kellogg Company. "Michael embodies the values behind our Frosted Flakes Earn Your Stripes (TM: 87.59, -1.33, -1.49%) program. He knows that winning is not just about the glory that comes with gold medals, but about good sportsmanship, working hard and being your best."

Kellogg's Frosted Flakes helps kids be their best through its Earn Your Stripes program. With inspiration from Tony the Tiger (R: 66.26, -0.45, -0.67%), the Earn Your Stripes program is designed to encourage kids to eat right, be more active and work hard to achieve all of their goals.

Earn your stripes, kids.

Golden Shawn Johnson

I admire Shawn Johnson's talent.

More than that, I admire her determination.

She set a goal to win gold in the Olympics and she didn't give up.

BEIJING -- The last night of gymnastics saw head to head competition one last time between Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson on the balance beam. Nastia Liukin is the reigning world champ on beam, but Shawn Johnson is capable of equally high scores so the results were bound to be tight.

By the time Shawn Johnson mounted the beam, the gold medal was hers for the taking as the previous competitors had suffered small stumbles and subsequent low scores.

She has a collection of three silver medals from this Olympic games and although she'll tell you - through tears - that she's proud of herself and her silver medal, it was clear that she was desperate for a gold medal from these games.

Nastia Liukin went after Shawn and although her beam routine was nearly flawless, minus the step on the landing, her start value was lower and she couldn't match Shawn's score of 16.225, coming up two tenths short with a score of 16.025.

I look forward to watching the competition tonight and examining the consistency or inconsistency of the scoring.

Was the judging as screwed up for the balance beam competition as it was for the other events?

In any event, I am happy that Shawn Johnson, 16, will be coming home from Beijing as an Olympic gold medalist, like her teammate and friend, Nastia Liukin.

Congratulations, Beezie Madden and Laura Kraut!

More athletes with Wisconsin roots win gold at the Olympics.

Equestrian - Beezie Madden (Milwaukee native) and Laura Kraut (formerly of Oconomowoc) won the gold medal in team jumping in Hong Kong. The U.S. team won a jump-off against Canada for the gold, and Norway took the bronze medal.

He Kexin and Nastia Liukin: More Weird Gymnastics Judging

The Chinese, the men and women (little girls), have dominated in gymnastics.

To be sure, the American men's and women's teams have had their share of successes.

The U.S. men's team won bronze and the U.S. women's team won silver. Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson picked up gold and silver respectively in the all-around. Johnson and Liukin got the silver and bronze on floor exercise. All are tremendous achievements.

So what's the problem?

There are a few.

There are legitimate questions about the ages of some of the Chinese "women" gymnasts.

The IOC has chosen to look the other way. OK, but it's hard for me to watch the competition and not be distracted by the fact they look like children.

Beyond this age controversy, there's the matter of judging. It's been inconsistent and sometimes glaringly unfair.

In my opinion, Alicia Sacramone was robbed of a bronze medal in the vault. The gold medalist in the event stepped out of bounds on both of her vaults. The bronze medalist fell to her knees on the landing of her second vault. Sacramone wasn't perfect, but she didn't fall and she stayed in bounds.

In floor exercise, Shawn Johnson put in a gold medal performance but finished with the silver.

In the uneven bars, Nastia Liukin did a superior routine compared with one of China's little girl gymnasts, He Kexin; yet she found herself placed in a tie with He.

Beijing, August 18: Confusion over gymnastics' new scoring system overshadowed another golden night for China at the Beijing Olympics on Monday.
China won three of the four gold medals, but the United States and France were denied places on the top of the podium under a complicated tiebreak system never before used at the Olympics.

...In the uneven bars final, He and US gymnast Nastia Liukin both scored 9.025 for execution and 7.7 for difficulty, to give each a final score of 16.725.

But instead of sharing gold, officials implemented a countback system where the highest and lowest of the five judges marks were progressively removed until a winner emerged.

"I don't know if anybody understands what the hell is going on," Liukin's father and coach Valeri said, pointing out that he tied and shared an Olympic gold on the high bar competing for the Soviet Union in the 1988 Seoul Games.

"I tied in my Olympic Games but I guess they don't want it now," he added.

His daughter, who won the women's individual gold medal last Friday, was also at a loss to explain the situation.

"I honestly was in shock," she said. "I knew I didn't have my best routine (but) when I saw we got the same score and my name was second, it was weird."

It's been frustrating watching the gymnastics.

The judging has been such a mess.

Of course, the athletes realize that they're at the mercy of the judges. It's subjective. They know that going in to the competition and so do the viewers of the sport.

Still, on so many occasions, the Americans have received inexplicably low scores. Nastia Liukin shouldn't have been tied with He Kexin to begin with. There never should have been a tie to break.

I expect at least some degree of fairness and consistency in judging, not a consistent anti-American bias.

I really admire the way the American athletes have dealt with the adversity or situaion or whatever you want to call what's going on in Beijing.

From the Associated Press:

Nastia Liukin's loss of an Olympic gold medal couldn't have come in a closer or more convoluted manner.

The Beijing Games all-around champion from the United States received the same 16.725 score as China's He Kexin on uneven bars Monday.

A tiebreaker was used because dual medals are no longer awarded in gymnastics.

And that tiebreaker was so complex that long after the medals were handed out, International Gymnastics Federation officials still were explaining it.

..."For me, it's not correct," said FIG president Bruno Grandi, who noted the rules for dual medals were dropped in 1997 at the direction of the IOC. "When two people arrive on the same level, they are champions. But this competition doesn't belong to us. It is the IOC's.

"I believe it's correct to have two gold medals, but this is my modest opinion. The IOC is different."

Liukin would not criticize the scoring system.

"It's nothing I can control, and honestly, I can say it has been very fair to me, and I got the biggest gold medal of them all," said Liukin, winner of the gold in women's all-around gymnastics.

Liukin isn't whining. I haven't heard any of the American gymnasts whining or making excuses by blaming biased judges.

That's admirable.

The judging in Beijing, however, has not been.

In Defense of Chris Collinsworth

On Friday, I saw Chris Collinsworth interview Kobe Bryant.

Some have attacked Collinsworth for his questions about patriotism.

That surprised me. I had a completely different take on it.

I saw the interview as it aired, so my reaction wasn't colored by anyone else's opinion.

In an interview Friday on NBC, the world's most famous basketball player told Chris Collinsworth how he got "goosebumps" when he received his Olympics uniform. "I actually just looked at it for a while. I just held it there and I laid it across my bed and I just stared at it for a few minutes; just because as a kid growing up this is the ultimate, ultimate in basketball." The Los Angeles Laker went on to call the U.S. "the greatest country in the world. It has given us so many great opportunities, and it's just a sense of pride that you have; that you say, 'You know what? Our country is the best.'"

Mr. Collinsworth seemed either startled or impressed by such sentiment, and asked, "Is that a cool thing to say in this day and age? That you love your country, and that you're fighting for the red, white and blue? It seems sort of like a day gone by."

To which Mr. Bryant replied: "No, it's a cool thing for me to say. I feel great about it, and I'm not ashamed to say it. I mean, this is a tremendous honor."

Cynics will claim that this is merely about marketing, with Mr. Bryant hoping to use the Games to burnish his public image. On the other hand, he and his rich teammates on the basketball squad are giving up their offseason to play for nothing save possible medals. Mr. Bryant has also been an enthusiastic spectator for other U.S. Olympians, waving the Stars and Stripes at various events.

To the kind of Americans who consider themselves primarily "citizens of the world," nationalism at the Olympics is déclassé, even embarrassing. We're with Kobe.

I do not think that Collinsworth is of the mind that it's not cool to be patriotic.

My reaction to his question was that Collinsworth was addressing the types in America who do consider national pride to be corny.

When I heard him ask Bryant about "fighting for the red, white, and blue," I didn't think he was expressing his personal opinion that such love of country is a negative.

I, for one, believe that Bryant's pride in our country is sincere. I don't think his talk of being honored to represent the USA is a calculated effort for him to revamp his somewhat tarnished image.

I don't think I'm being naive. In my view, how could Bryant not be proud?

I didn't interpret Collinsworth's line of questioning to be a slam on overt patriotism.

To the contrary, I thought Collinsworth was being critical of those who do find it embarrassing to declare that the USA is the greatest country in the world.

As the WSJ points out, the "citizens of the world" types find such nationalism to be "déclassé."

Barack and Michelle Obama come to mind.