Gold Medal Thoughts

On the Final Day of the Olympics, let's reflect on the good, the bad and the totally absurd. China satisfied the absurd category immediately, when they deemed a 7 year old child not pretty enough to sing during opening ceremonies and instead had a 9 year old lip-sync. The 9 year old was much cuter, so it's ok to damage the confidence of a young girl, when a nation's best interests are at heart.

Saying goodbye is never easy, especially to baseball and softball as an Olympic sport. Please thank M.L.B. Commissioner Bud Selig and the players union for making sure that our best possible players represented the U.S.A. in Olympic Baseball. Thank you Derek and A-Rod (yes he is a U.S. citizen) for demanding that a clause be placed in your contracts permitting you to represent the United States once every four years for two weeks. Oh wait, none of that happened did it?

For the women of the US Softball team, it was a bitter sweet ending to what has been an outstanding run since softball became an Olympic Sport in 1996. USA Softball set an amazing standard winning 3 of the 4 possible gold medals and riding a 21 game win streak into this Gold Medal game. What a travesty that little girls won't get to dream of playing softball in the Olympics and their daddies won't get to cheer for Jennie Finch. Fortunately, in the 2012 Olympics I will have trampoline, synchronized diving and rhythmic gymnastics to keep me entertained.






How about that outstanding television coverage U.S.A. Women's Basketball received? Is it possible that it was easier for me to catch a game of table tennis and badminton, then it was USA Women's Basketball? I was able to catch the gold medal game, where Australia lost 92-65. Lisa Leslie wrapped up a 19 year career with USA Basketball, winning her fourth gold medal. A round of applause is due the WNBA for suspending their season for several weeks, so that players could participate in the Olympics and represent their respective countries. (Might want to take some notes Bud...).


USA Men's Basketball saved the best for last, as they pulled out a thrilling 118-107 win against Spain. Coach K shared his love for country with his players and guided them back to the USA Basketball of old. Somehow, he got Kobe to share the ball. Perhaps Coach K should be leading the charge for world peace. Hopefully the hard work, team building and selfless play that he has established will carry on to future USA Basketball Teams. Jason Kidd is leaving USA Basketball with a 56-0 record (He didn't play on the 2004 team).


Gymnastics took home 10 medals, the most in a non-boycotted Olympics. Of course it wouldn't be the Olympics if there wasn't some controversy. The Chinese are offended that 3 of their gymnasts age are being questioned as legit. Odd that the question would be brought up since He Kexin's date of birth was reported in March 06 by the PRC General Administration of Sport as Jan 1, 1994. I guess the top government office in charge of sports was confused and couldn't get their dates correct. For future reference, if you are going to cheat, try not to publish their real age before hand. Of course He Kexin has her "official" passport with a different date of birth, making her of age to participate in these Olympics. I am sure the Chinese could never arrange for a passport to be forged? By the way has anyone seen those 4 protesters that were arrested over a week ago? I didn't think so.


Fortunately each year China receives $1.2 billion from the World Bank since they are a developing country(one-tenth of the population still lives on $1 a day). If China runs through that billion too quickly in the fiscal year, they can call upon the services of 79 year old Wu Dianyuan and 77 year old Wang Xiuying. These two women have been ordered to spend a year in a Chinese labor camp, so that they might be re-educated. Maybe the Chinese will re-educate them on possessing common sense when it comes to filing applications to hold a protest in China. At least the Chinese Government can get some good, solid, productive labor hours out of these two women as they approach their 80th birthdays. When China won the bid to host the Olympics, the Vice Premier issued this statement, "The winning of the 2008 Olympic bid is an example of the international recognition of China's social stability, economic progress and the healthy life of the Chinese people." If he thinks I believe one word of that statement he can start advertising Tiananmen Square as Disney World.

Thanks to Mark Spitz for setting the original record for gold medals and supporting and inspiring Michael Phelps, in his pursuit of greatness. Recently, a nutritionist took Michael Phelps to task for signing a contract with Frosted Flakes instead of Wheaties. Instead of placing blame with the parents of the obese children in America, lets blame it on Michael Phelps, a human specimen of perfection. Or maybe as a parent we should turn off the tv, take our kid out to play, empty the house of soda, ice cream, cookies and cake. Force your offspring to do what we had to do as kids; hop the fence and run to our neighbor's house for Devil Dogs or Hostess cupcakes. At least we burned some calories on our quest for sugar.

The members of the Men's and Women's 4x100 relay team should not run again without taking a drink from my daughter's sippy cup. One drink out of this cup and their fingers will stick to anything, including a track baton.

Watching the Beijing Olympics on television was quite an experience. I was the kid who unwrapped and re-wrapped all of her Christmas presents weeks before Christmas. It's only in recent years that I stopped reading the first and last chapters of books and then the middle part. Living on the west coast, there was no way I wasn't going to check ESPN and Fox Sports for results, while trying to figure out how the heck I could see a Women's Basketball game.

In Taekwondo, Cuba's Angel Matos pushed a judge, then pushed and kicked Swedish referee, Chakir Chelbat in the face. Talk about a rough day at the office. Apparently Matos didn't like the fact that he was disqualified in a bronze-medal match. Perhaps he can share stories with Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian, who left his bronze medal on the mat. Sure you won bronze in the 2008 Olympics Dad. "No really I did son, we can visit it in the vault of left behind medals."

USA Women's Soccer reclaimed gold, perhaps unexpectedly. Years ago, I played basketball against Christie Rampone when she was at Monmouth University and she blew by me every time (It may have been because I was on the bench at the time). In any case what a great turn around for Women's Soccer. (In no small part due to Christie Rampone's consistent leadership, as she just completed her tenth year with the National Team).

By the way who's your daddy? Much was made of the fact that WNBA superstar Becky Hammon went to play basketball for Russia. However, the U.S. had no problem naming 33 foreign born athletes to its various rosters. We also have Jenny Lang Ping, from China coaching our women's volleyball team, but it's o.k. because we gave China Jim Lefebre to manage their baseball team and Michael Bastian to coach their softball team. I guess its time to acknowledge and admit that the Olympics is just like everything else, a business.

The Olympics have have always been about breaking down barriers and uniting different cultures through sport. I can only hope that China's hosting of the Olympics shone more light on the hardship and human rights struggles their people face every day. They are not a free people. Those of us lucky enough to be born in the U.S.A. , can't imagine not possessing the freedom to criticize, praise, protest or applaud whomever we want, whenever we want. All of these thoughts can only lead me to one place, how much of the closing ceremony was real?