Olympic Thoughts Part One

Olympic Thoughts Part One

I love the Olympics but it's probably not great for my blood pressure. I get genuinely nervous, out of sympathy I think, because you know these people are trying to achieve a dream they've had since childhood. Watching it as a child was more fun though, because we didn't have the internet back then. So until it showed on television, you had no clue how well your country did. Now I see the Yahoo headline and know who won before they air the event during prime time. Geo and I have vowed to stay away from all news portals and websites for the next two weeks (yeah right.)

-The synchronized diving competition was painful to watch. I felt so bad for all the teams that screwed up, especially the Dumais brothers because they came so close, and the Chinese team because it must be heartbreaking to screw up that badly during the Olympics. When that one Russian guy's foot hit the diving board I had flashbacks to when Greg Lougainis hit his head on the platform. That was traumatizing to watch as a kid, I thought he was going to die and shit.

-The U.S. Men's Basketball team blows. There's no excuse for yesterday. None. You have to give them credit though, at least they're there. All those other players who cared more about their millions and the risk of injuring themselves and not being able to earn more millions suck even harder. Wouldn't it be ironic if they all got injured during the first week of the next season. Like Jayson Williams injured.

-Natalie Coughlin is awesome. I love watching her swim. Too bad Amanda Beard isn't doing as well.

-Martina Navratilova rocks. Imagine competing in the Olympics in tennis at the age of 47. She gave me one the two autographs I've ever felt the need to ask for in my lifetime (the other was from Stefan Edberg of course.) I had her sign my Wimbledon shirt after she won her ninth record Wimbledon Title in 1990.

-The media keeps hype-ing up Michael Phelps then trashing him when he doesn't win gold. Get over it. He's 19, he's the best all-around swimmer in the world and he's swimming a whole damn lot this week.

-It's crazy watching Misty May and Kerri Walsh play beach volleyball. They're so damn good. They trounced Japan yesterday. Geo was like "Okay those are the two darkest Japanese people I've ever seen." Yes, our Olympics commentary is full of important proclamations and statistics.

-The women's gymnastics events are probably the ones that are most tension-filled to watch. I don't know why but I'm so worried for them the whole time. Maybe because they look and sound about 12 years old? Just the U.S. team though. Everyone else I'm like "whatever." I don't know why but the Romanians bug me the most. Maybe because every Olympics, they have one gymnast who looks exactly like one of their other gymnasts from four years back. It's like they're cloning her. I shouldn't knock the Romanians though, gymnastics is in their blood.

-Okay the German cyclist who flipped off German cycling officials as she took the silver is funny as hell. I don't consider it unsportsmanlike... unsportsmanlike is if she flipped off the other cyclists. She was just letting the beaurocrats who dissed her friend know what she thought of them.

-Okay this Olympics blog by some broad is the most boring ever. They need to send me out there so I can outrage some people while making others laugh. "Yo, I'm standing behind one of the chics on the Chinese Women's Volleyball team and I think she's a man, man." Seriously though. I saw their team at Stanford 9 or so years ago and they were enormous. Like walking trees.

-I hope the Philippines picks up a few medals. I tried to see if I could catch any of them during the boxing but I didn't see any of them. Dammit I need a satellite dish.

-Tonight is going to be the Men's Gymnastics team competition. Men's gymnastics events are scary to watch too. Luckily I have Geo and the girls here for moral support. Oh and cupcakes. I have cupcakes here for moral support.