Todavía con muestras de cansancio, Emanuel Ginóbili habló del ajustado triunfo del seleccionado argentino de básquetbol ante Grecia, por los cuartos de final de los Juegos Olímpicos. "Cuando cuesta tanto, uno lo disfruta más", confesó. El 80-78 dejó a los dirigidos por Sergio Hernández entre los cuatro mejores del torneo y ahora el rival por un lugar en la final será, nada más y nada menos, que el Dream Team. "Complicado es poco", anticipó sobre el choque del próximo viernes con Estados Unidos.

El bahiense fue el máximo anotador del equipo, con 24 puntos. Pero también se lució Carlos Delfino. "Lo que hizo él fue impresionante. Nos mantuvo en juego durante todo el segundo tiempo", afirmó Manu. El santafesino marcó 23, y 18 fueron de forma consecutiva. Pero Ginóbili no sólo elogió a Delfino, sino al equipo entero. "Hay cosas que pasan en el vestuario que no lo viví nunca en otro lado. Da un placen enorme ser parte de esto", explicó.

"Falta un pasito más pero el primordial se logró hoy", expresó Manu. La clave, según él, fue "la unión del equipo". "No tengo palabras para describir este seleccionado", agregó.

Ahora que en el camino sí se cruza Estados Unidos, Ginóbili habló de ellos. "Sabemos que tenemos pocas chances. No podemos cometer errores", sostuvo. Aunque avisó: "Mientras haya un porcentaje de posibilidades, vamos a luchar".

From the Associated Press:

Kobe Bryant scored 25 points in his best game in Beijing, and the men’s U.S. Olympic team advanced to the semifinals by beating Australia 116-85 on Wednesday night.

The United States will play defending champion Argentina or Greece on Friday night for a spot in Sunday’s gold medal game.

Locked in what looked like another tough game with Australia, the Americans sent the Aussies’ upset hopes down under with a 14-0 burst to open the second half, featuring nine points from Bryant.

LeBron James added 16 points for the Americans, who are guaranteed a chance to play for a medal. They need two more wins for their first gold medal in a major international competition since the 2000 Sydney Games.

It appears that the US team may in fact be destined for gold. The team has not won the gold just yet but it appears imminent. The toughest challenges are ahead and there are still a few hurdles left to get past. Thoughts?

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
"Caroline: Pull a Cheney!" An Open Letter to Caroline Kennedy (head of the Obama VP search team) from Michael Moore

"Dear Caroline,

We've never met, so I hope you don't find this letter too presumptuous or inappropriate. As its contents involve the public's business, I am sending this to you via the public on the Internet. I knew your brother John. He was a great guy, and I know he would've had a ball during this thrilling and historic election year. We all miss him dearly.

Barack Obama selected you to head up his search for a vice presidential candidate. It appears we may be just days (hours?) away from learning who that choice will be.

The media is reporting that Senator Obama has narrowed his alternatives to three men: Joe Biden, Evan Bayh and Tim Kaine. They're all decent fellows, but they are far from the core of what the Obama campaign has been about: Change. Real change. Out with the old. And don't invade countries that pose no threat to us.

Senators Biden and Bayh voted for that invasion and that war, the war Barack ran against, the war Barack reminded us was the big difference between him and Senator Clinton because she voted for the war and he spoke out against it while running for Senate (a brave and bold thing to do back in 2002).

For Obama to place either of these senators on the ticket would be a huge blow to the millions that chose him in the primaries over Hillary. He will undercut one of the strongest advantages he has over the Hundred-Year War senator, Mr. McCain. By anointing a VP who did what McCain did in throwing us into this war, Mr. Obama will lose the moral high ground in the debates.

As for Governor Kaine of Virginia, his big problem is, well, Obama's big problem -- who is he? The toughest thing Barack has had to overcome -- and it will continue to be his biggest obstacle -- is that too many of the voters simply don't know him well enough to vote for him. The fact that Obama is new to the scene is both one of his most attractive qualities AND his biggest drawback. Too many Americans, who on the surface seem to like Barack Obama, just don't feel comfortable voting for someone who hasn't been on the national scene very long. It's a comfort level thing, and it may be just what keeps Obama from winning in November ("I'd rather vote for the devil I know than the devil I don't know").

What Obama needs is a vice presidential candidate who is NOT a professional politician, but someone who is well-known and beloved by people across the political spectrum; someone who, like Obama, spoke out against the war; someone who has a good and generous heart, who will be cheered by the rest of the world; someone whom we've known and loved and admired all our lives and who has dedicated her life to public service and to the greater good for all.

That person, Caroline, is you.

I cannot think of a more winning ticket than one that reads: "OBAMA-KENNEDY."

Caroline, I know that nominating yourself is the furthest idea from your mind and not consistent with who you are, but there would be some poetic justice to such an action. Just think, eight years after the last head of a vice presidential search team looked far and wide for a VP -- and then picked himself (a move topped only by his hubris to then lead the country to near ruin while in office) -- along comes Caroline Kennedy to return the favor with far different results, a vice president who helps restore America to its goodness and greatness.

Caroline, you are one of the most beloved and respected women in this country, and you have been so admired throughout your life. You chose a life outside of politics, to work for charities and schools, to write and lecture, to raise a wonderful family. But you did not choose to lead a private life. You have traveled the world and met with its leaders, giving you much experience on the world stage, a stage you have been on since you were a little girl.

The nation has, remarkably (considering our fascination with celebrity), left you alone and let you live your life in peace. (It's like, long ago, we all collectively agreed that, with her father tragically gone, a man who died because he wanted to serve his country, we would look out for her, we would wish for her to be happy and well, and we would have her back. But we would let her be.)

Now, I am breaking this unwritten code and asking you to come forward and help us in our hour of need. So many families are hurting, losing their homes, going bankrupt with health care bills, seeing their public schools in shambles and living with this war without end. This is a historic year for women, from Hillary's candidacy to the numerous women running for the House and Senate. This is the year that a woman should be on the Democratic ticket. This is the year that both names on that ticket should be people OUTSIDE the party machine. This is the year millions of independents and, yes, millions of Republicans are looking for something new and fresh and bold (and you are the Kennedy Republicans would vote for!).

This is the moment, Caroline. Seize it! And Barack, if you're reading this, you probably know that she is far too humble and decent to nominate herself. So step up and surprise us again. Step up and be different than every politician we have witnessed in our lifetime. Keep the passion burning amongst the young people and others who have been energized by your unexpected, unpredicted, against-all-odds candidacy that has ignited and inspired a nation. Do it for all those reasons. Make Caroline Kennedy your VP. "Obama-Kennedy." Wow, does that sound so cool.

Caroline, thanks for letting me intrude on your life. How wonderful it will be to have a vice president who will respect the Constitution, who will support (instead of control) her president, who will never let her staff out a CIA agent, and who will never tell her country that she is "currently residing in an undisclosed location."

Say it one more time: "OBAMA-KENNEDY." A move like that might send a message to the country that the Democrats would actually like to win an election for once."

Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

Anyways, I had SONiC on because it's the only radio station worth listening to in Edmonton except for the Team 1260 when people are baiting this guy into spittle-filled tirades about Joffrey Lupul and 630 CHED when the Oilers are on, Brian Hall is talking about Tony Roma's or the guys on Overtime Openline are hanging up on people from Calgary.

But I digress, this post isn't about the awful radio personalities in Edmonton; it's about the American basketball team. Sonic's Rick Lee was giving away tickets to the NBA game coming to Rexall this fall, and offhandedly started a small exchange with the caller who won the tickets about how it's unfair that all these pros are in the Olympics because it is supposed to be about amateur athletes. Now I know that semi-hipster rock radio is not the best place to find intelligent sports conversation (then again, most of the time in Edmonton the stations devoted to intelligent sports conversation aren't the best place to find it—Edmonton radio listeners are a bunch of lobotomized hippopotamuses), but I have to take issue with Lee's assesment. Which is a 250-word way of saying that I love the Dream Team (or Redeem Team or Dream Team 5.0 or whatever you want to call it) and wish that more sports (Baseball, I'm looking at you) allowed pros to play.

The biggest issue that I have about this whole "they have to be amateurs" arguement is that in this day and age, it's a giant stewing crockpot of horseshit. The rule barely exists at this point, with 2 of the Big 4 leagues allowing their players to participate (and having their players allowed by the IOC), and the third (that is an Olympic sport anyway) simply not allowing players to leave teams in the middle of the season—which is understandable; the NHL probably wouldn't allow players to go to the Olympics if it had the kind of fan following that MLB does (for that matter, the NHL probably won't allow players to go to the Olympics after 2010, with the exposure significantly less when the Games are in a place like Russia). I'm sure that if stock-car racing were an Olympic event in 2012, we'd see Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson all there. It's good for both the Games and the NHL/NBA/NASCAR to allow the biggest names in the sport to gain exposure for both sides by competing in the Olympics. Apparently over 1 billion people watched the USA vs China opener. Over 1 000 000 000 people! Over a sixth of the world's population watched one basketball game. You think that would have happened if it wasn't Yao vs. Kobe and Lebron? Of course not.

The second problem is that in the Olympics, the line for amateur status is blurry, and by necessity. Between sponsors and World Cup races and stuff, most of the top athletes at the games are professional swimmers or rowers or divers or skiers or whatever. To be true amateurs (like, in the college sense), they couldn't have equipment sponsors or travel sponsors or anything like that. We all remember when freestyle skier Jeremy Bloom had trouble getting into Colorado because he had skiing sponsorships. Without these kind of sponsorships, Olympians would never be able to go.

With the exception of figure skating and boxing, there isn't a sport that competes on both a professional and amateur level (other than the big team sports which we've already established are bettered by letting their guys represent their countries). This makes creating the line between amateur and professional even more difficult, as they just aren't there. I suppose you could make the cutoff as someone who draws a salary to play that particular sport, but that would eliminate team riders in cycling, minor leaguers from baseball, basically entire nations' soccer teams, and arguably stuff like swimmers who maybe coach a high-school team at home or something.

The Olympics aren't about seeing the world's best amateurs; they are about seeing the world's best athletes. Who wants to see the best basketball players who can't make the NBA or the best hockey players who can't make the NHL (or AHL, for that matter)? Plus, this gives an unfair advantage to European countries whose players' time in the Euroleagues have never disqualified them from competing in the Olympics. And yeah, maybe this gives an unfair advantage to the US in a sport like basketball, but no more than the advantage a country like Norway gets in a sport like cross-country skiing that everyone does over there.

In fact, it could be argued that one of the reasons that baseball hasn't succeeded as an Olympic sport is that they never sent the true pros to the Games. Last year's World Baseball Classic proved that there is a demand for that sort of tournament worldwide, not just in the States.

Besides, the amateur rule only exists because the upper-class assholes who created the games wanted to keep poor people out (because if you're poor but good at sports, you use that sport to make money so you will no longer be poor, disqualifying you from the Olympics). As it stands, swimming, running, boxing, and basketball are probably the only sports that trend towards the lower classes, as everything else requires expensive equipment that plenty of people just can't afford. It's not really a conincidence that Ivy League athletes have won 10 medals in the Olympics (all in rowing and fencing).

That said, I don't think this is the case any longer, and the IOC has gotten rid of the amateurism requirements, allowing each sport to decide for itself, but that hasn't stopped people like Lee from arguing for the good old days, which, when you look at it, really weren't that good in the first place. I'll take Olympic baskketball with Dirk and Yao and Pau and Kobe over a bunch of unknowns. And so will over a billion other people, apparently.

Oh yeah, big thanks to Matt at BoA for linking to us, bringing over more traffic than the pervs googling stuff like "football cheerleader with big boobs" and "Nastia Liukin sexual preferences".

106-57

Este marcador de escándalo confirma quien es el único favorito, solo resta la pregunta de quién ocupará el segundo lugar.
El siguiente rival de los Estados Unidos es Australia, y después viene el paso a las semifinales.

They say they aren't getting the "heavy hitters" the "dream teams" in baseball. While in softball (womens sporting event) the US has those "heavy hitters" that "dream team" so much so it seems no one can beat them. They have held the gold since 1996 when they game was put into the Olympics.

So the IOC bitches and complains they aren't getting what they want on one hand and on the other they have it so they want to get rid of it.

Um, yeah, like I said before, am I missing something?

This evening, I have a different version of a Sports, Drugs and Entertainment situation going on, and this will be a future ongoing installment here on the blog...We all have a liking, backround, or lifestyle we live, in which stems from how we were raised and grew up as a child, so sometimes, certain things dont really apply to certain people....you with me?

Some people may just know only sports...some people may only know about cooking crack in pyrex pots (or anything of that sort) in thier grandmothers kitchen, or some people may only know what it takes to be in front of a crowd to entertain people, or just maybe liked to be entertained...I and im sure majority; if not all 9 of my readers know about it all...this is probably why they stop by to check in every so often right?...Lets talk about it...

Right now, sports are at an all time high..Baseballs winding down on thier regular season..(im trying to catch a Yankee game next week but I think we're shit outta luck)..Football season is just about starting up, and we have the Olympics..

Now normally, I dont watch the Olympics, I think its absolute bullshit..especially now that we have troops fighting for thier lives, we're blinded by global ping pong competitions on saturday afternoons. But lets be a little honest so far, we're all tuned in to see Michael Phelps (the human fish) go hard for more gold around his neck than Mr. T...Dudes nice, and much more than that Team Redemption (basketball) will not lose this year either...I wouldnt step outta my boundaries to say that they're BETTER than our Dream Team, but they're close to it...seriously Tone (cause I know your just about ready to fire me if I said that they were..)...as we proceed on, even on a much greater note than The fishman, Mr T, and our Dream Team Jr boys, I would REALLY like to know WHY isnt pole vaulting Allison Stoke not involved in these Olympic games?..She IS the inspiration of todays entry and its just because she gorgeous. I dont care how good she could work the pole (lol?) she looks great doing it. Gorgeous. Candace Parker doesnt have shit on Allison. I need to meet/marry this girl.Tonight. I hope she soons succeeds to her highest capability in Cal.

Drugs?

Lets just shove drugs in with entertainment on this one...Nobody stops here to read about what new weed you brought at stupid high prices and how much of an asshole people actually look after smoking it and thinking it gives you different high times..What I could speak for a second about is a rapper who flipped his whole drug selling campaign into a pretty successful rap career...Lets face it, Young Jeezy is the man. Independently (without a label at 1 point) he did what many rappers from the south did which was rap thier lifestyle on a few cds and sell it outta the trunk of thier cars or local cd shops...The only difference between his grind and every other dudes grind was that he actually sounds good on a track. I cant give him too much credit for the simple fact that Jeezy isnt versitile at all, in which the street rapper he came to be known to be before the Def Jam deal, is what he needs to stick to..This 4th Qtr, as usual, he's dropping (album titled The Recession) with the head honchos of mainstream hip hop and I think he will hold his own as he usually does..Im just waiting for another one of those classic Jeezy/DJ Drama mixtapes before the album that he usually puts out..

Lines like " 36 O's for the 19-5, front door service, you aint even gotta drive..." is what the street corner employees somehow need to listen to, to motivate themselves to do what they gotta/choose to do nowadays...hey, I cannot knock them...more power to you.

The other night Jeezy was in Detroit (the sole controller of real hip hop right now) and from the looks of the clip, he tore it down.

From the Associated Press:

Not since the Dream Team rumbled through Las Ramblas 16 years ago in Barcelona has a team looked this unbeatable. The Americans won their pool games by 32.2 points and averaged 103 points and now move on to a quarterfinal meeting with Australia, the only team they haven’t been able to blow out.

After the game, the team exchanged congratulations with Michael Phelps, now free to enjoy the rest of the games after winning eight gold medals in his record-setting Olympics. Bryant and Carmelo Anthony were among the U.S. players who went out to the pool to watch Phelps.

“He made history as one of the best swimmers ever, so for us to be a part of that and be here with him, we just felt good about it,” said Anthony, like Phelps a Baltimore product.

The Americans (5-0) return to the basketball arena Wednesday against Australia, the team that’s provided them with their toughest test in China.

A gold medal appears to be in the cards for the US, but I won't be handing out the medal just yet. The Americans have had a tough time the past few years winning it all. But this team appears to be the strongest team we have had in quite some time and a gold medal seem inevitable. Thoughts?

But here's another wrinkle to this question: If you believe that this year's team, coached by Mike Krzyzewski, could handle Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, then wouldn't the title of "Redeem Team" no longer be appropriate? Dream Team may be a cliche applied to every American basketball team whose captain isn't Allen Iverson, but it seems unfair to label this team anything but.

All summer long, the defining traits of this team have been exhausted. Team USA Managing Director Jerry Colangelo and Krzyzewski have made the team a three-year commitment to emphasize the importance of bringing back gold; Krzyzewski has supposedly instilled a sense of humility and stripped the team of its American arrogance; the players have, finally, taken pride in their defense and have converted steals, blocks and stops into high-flying dunks. But now, after mundane routs of formidable opponents Greece and Spain, this year's Team USA may be remembered for the enormous amount of skill. The question, for me, isn't whether the 1992 Dream Team would beat the 2008 Redeem Team. If Kobe Bryant and LeBron James could handle Jordan and Magic, then why can't this year's team be the Dream Team instead?

What do you think: Who would win? Is this team a Dream Team, or a Redeem Team? Or, in a titling situation we haven't covered, does its identity rest in a combination of the two?

--by Ben Cohen

Friends of mine seem to think Kobe Brynat is better then Michael Jordan at his peak, however these people don't know too much about basketball and clearly never saw Michael Jordan play...

In music terms it is like saying Usher is better then Michael Jackson, 9 out of 10 times you just don't doubt the legend...

I mean when you watched either of these MJ's no one competed period...

This is an edited article about the Dream Team 1992 Vs The Redeem Team 2008

Beijing 2008 Olympics, with each successive blowout, each complete manhandling of competition exponentially greater than Magic, Michael and Larry could have fathomed, the question about the current USA men’s basketball team isn’t about redemption, it’s about greatness.

As in, is this the greatest basketball team ever assembled? (In my opinion NO! Not enough great players!)

Could they even take the original Dream Team? (Again same answer)

Immediate reactions of blasphemy aside, the debate is certain to heat up if Team USA continues its blitzkrieg of the Beijing Olympics and wins the gold.

The level of competetion is up considerably compared to 1992 but at the same time there was some players at their peaks, Michael Jordan, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Charles Barklay,Clyde Drexler and each one of these is in the top 50 NBA players of all time, only Kobe from the current team has this accolade, also most of these players eventually won championships within their career or were extremely close..

The 2008 team play has been extraordinary, the defense suffocating and even the outside shooting precise. On top of its game, the 2008 team is a tour de force to behold, its 119-82 annihilation of world champion Spain being the finest indication that this, at the very least, is the best Olympic team since 1992. And that includes a rather dominant 1996 U.S. club.

“They wanted to show everyone they are superior, and they did,” shell-shocked Spanish center Pau Gasol said.

So this is the original Dream Team

1992 DREAM TEAM

Charles Barkley F 6-6 250 Phoenix Suns (He had just moved and obviously went on to win the MVP the next year!)
Larry Bird F 6-9 220 Boston Celtics (retired a year later)
Clyde Drexler G 6-7 222 Portland Trail Blazers (Just had played the Bulls in the Final)
Patrick Ewing C 7-0 240 New York Knicks
Earvin Johnson G 6-9 220 Los Angeles Lakers (Retired due to contracting HIV the year before, and wasn't the player he was)
Michael Jordan G 6-6 198 Chicago Bulls (MVP, and basketball GOD!)
Christian Laettner F 6-11 235 Duke University
Karl Malone F 6-9 256 Utah Jazz
Chris Mullin F 6-7 215 Golden State Warriors
Scottie Pippen G/F 6-7 210 Chicago Bulls (came into his own during the last two years)
David Robinson C 7-1 235 San Antonio Spurs
John Stockton G 6-1 175 Utah Jazz

The new team

2008 REDEEM TEAM

Carmelo Anthony F 6-8 230 Denver Nuggets (lazy but talented)
Carlos Boozer F 6-9 258 Utah Jazz (interesting how Boozer and williams are like Stockton and Malone)
Chris Bosh F 6-10 230 Toronto Raptors
Kobe Bryant G 6-6 220 Los Angeles Lakers (the only player to compete with Michael Jordan apart from Lebron James)
Dwight Howard F-C 6-11 265 Orlando Magic
LeBron James F 6-8 240 Cleveland Cavaliers
Jason Kidd G 6-4 210 Dallas Mavericks (he should have not been in this team and where was Iverson?!?!)
Chris Paul G 6-0 170 New Orleans Hornets
Tayshaun Prince F 6-9 205 Detroit Pistons
Michael Redd G 6-6 215 Milwaukee Bucks
Dwayne Wade G 6-4 212 Miami Heat
Deron Williams G 6-3 205 Utah Jazz

Superior even to the original squad?

Here’s why the argument, first broached by Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post, is at the very least a valid one.

The 1992 team didn’t need to bring its “best” team to Barcelona to roll through the Olympics. USA Basketball selected it in part based on personality, marketing and even lifetime achievement.

But like i said before most players were at their peak, so that is a lame arguement really..

Magic Johnson had been retired for a year. The Larry Bird of ‘92 was long past his prime, six years removed from his final league most valuable player award.

John Stockton was chosen over Isiah Thomas because Michael Jordan didn’t want Thomas around (after his f*Ck of the NY Knicks who could blame him and the dirty Pistons! Dumas should have been in the team though).

Twelfth-man Christian Laettner, the NCAA player of the year, was selected as a nod to the past days of collegians representing the country.

Those four players averaged the fewest points on the team. Not that any of it mattered. The U.S. outscored opponents by an average of 43.8 points per game and became a phenomenon in the process.

In 2008 there is no such luxury, not with the improved play of the rest of the world.

The final players on the current U.S. team are Tayshaun Prince and Michael Redd. Prince is a defensive stopper with his pterodactyl-like wing span (and is one of the most underated palyers in teh NBA). Redd is a dead-on outside shooter (Another underated player).

All 12 of the current American players are either in their prime or about to enter it. This team is younger, quicker and certainly more focused, mostly because it needs to be, due to the level of the competetion.

Comparing results at these games is almost futile. The 1992 team could party the night away in Barcelona, roll out of bed and still win by 40. There have been no reports of such a thing here, where preparation is paramount.

“We realize that we made a sacrifice to come out here, and part of it is our bodies need to sleep,” said Carlos Boozer. “This is what we signed up for. Let’s go do whatever it takes to get it. If it takes leaving the arena at one in the morning to get the gold medal, we’ll [do it to] get the gold medal.”

The thing is, had they needed to be, the 1992 team would’ve been just as focused. Jordan would have assured that.

If anything tilts the balance forever in the original team’s advantage, it is MJ. In the summer of 1992, he was 29 years old and in the middle of winning six NBA championships and five NBA MVPs, numbers that could’ve been higher had he not chosen to play baseball for a season and a half.

He is undeniably not only the greatest player in the history of the game, but arguably its greatest crunch-time player and, along with Bill Russell, the best at simply finding ways to win. If it came down to a final shot, who’s betting against him?

The current team, as talented as it is, would have no logical answer.

Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, considered the three best players and outrageously gifted in their own right, are all a step down from MJ.

However, the idea of Kobe defending Jordan, his idol, would be intriguing.

Conversely, the 1992 team has nothing quite like the physical freak that is the 6-foot-8, 240-pound LeBron. Scottie Pippen on him would be a hellacious matchup, though.

As good as the perimeter talent on the 1992 team was – especially Jordan, Pippen, Clyde Drexler and knock-down shooter Chris Mullin – the current squad is deeper and certainly capable of its own fireworks.

It is inside where the 1992 team would hold a significant advantage and likely determine the game.

The Dream Team’s post combinations were breathtaking – Patrick Ewing and David Robinson at center and Charles Barkley and Karl Malone at power forward, all in their prime. The current group of Dwight Howard, a tender 21 years old, Chris Bosh and Boozer would be overwhelmed and perhaps systematically fouled out (But the strength of Malone and Barkley was a force to see, the 1996 team with Payton and Kemp only compared to Stockton and Malone ). Carmelo Anthony, an uninterested defender, would have to be counted on here to help (and would have failed!).

The only way for the current team to win would be to push the ball, score in transition and find a way to prevent the 1992 club from dumping it down low.

Could they do it?

The most difficult thing to determine is effort level. The 1992 team didn’t need it. This team is focused almost exclusively on it, especially on the defensive end.

“For 40 minutes we (want) to be nonstop movement and chaos,” said Chris Paul. “That’s what we try to do. We wreck havoc. Every time down we’re all over the point guards. Our big men are up, we’re not relaxing.”

In a single elimination game, that may or may not be enough.

“You will see a team of professionals in the Olympics again,” 1992 U.S. coach Chuck Daly said at the time, “but I don’t think you’ll see another team quite like this.”

If anything, you could argue that while the 1992 version may remain the greatest team ever assembled and one that would be favored in a hypothetical matchup, no team has ever played the game at a higher level than the current U.S. team.

I was a bit surprised by the results.  Almost everyone I had listed was someone who has already played a role in Remarkable Tributes.  From big things (product development and marketing and some of our first alpha testers) to more tactical things (the composer of the music track that plays at www.isAbsolutelyRemarkable.com).  Now, perhaps the roles have not been as broad and extensive as I would like, but we are still early in the game and I figure there is plenty of time for expanding those roles over time.

I am extremely grateful for all the work and talent that has already gone into Remarkable Tributes.  I can't wait to show it off to you!

So, I want to shout out to all the following who have already been absolutely remarkable: Tony, Sam, Steve, Dennis, Henry, Patrick, Stephen, Anthony, Julie, Jason, Peter, Ben, Dave, Ryan, Erick, Gregg, Colleen, Carolyn, Brian, Robby, Garry, Darren, Dave, Jonathan, Jessica, Kendra, David, Tamara, Jessica, Thom, Rick, Omid, Autumn, Kash, Kristi, Allan, Stephen, Brenda, Kaelea, Ike, Cheron, Tanya, Trish, Tabi, Connie, Lynn, Donna, Bob, Sue, Josh, Elin, Sarah, Roy, Jan, Kim, Roxanne, Martha, Juanita, Carissa, Judy, Linda, Kay, Kim, Martin, Bonnie, Kerry, Amy, Lisa, Lisa, Jennifer, Rodney, Kirsten, GG, Ran, Jenny, Marlene, Ernie, Hal, Lisa, Candace, Andrea, James, Ann, and so many others who have signed up to be beta testers at www.RemarkableTributes.com.

Seguiremos informando desde 'Pekín'. Sayonara, que no sé cómo se dice en chino.

What's been swept under the rug is this, in the Chinese culture the number 8 is an auspicious number in Chinese number. Phelps won 8 gold medals, and he started his reign on August 8th @ 8 p.m. How weird is that?

Phelps now says that 8 is his lucky number. After the US smashed the 4x100 medley relay with an world-record time and Phelps swimming the fastest time ever in the third-leg in a little over fifty seconds, I don't think anyone will be capable of beating Phelps records in the next three maybe four Olympics.

Be as it may the US swim team has now set themselves up globally with Phelps at anchor. I wish good luck to all the other countries, and the US team who will compete in other events. Let's bring home more gold!

Eröffnung
Die Eröffnungsfeier war beeindruckend, sehr professionell gemacht, aber für meinen Geschmack auch etwas seeehr laaaang. Wir haben das auf der Dachterasse einer sehr schönen Bar gesehen (Das Obiwan am XiHai) und die Stimmung hatte was vom Public Viewing während der WM in Deutschland. Aber das letzte Land (Gastgeber China) einmarschiert, waren wir auch so froh, dass es gleich vorbei ist, dass wir einen der größten Marketingcoups der Spiele verpasst haben:

Li Ning
Als die Volksrepublik China 1984 zum ersten Mal bei den olympischen Spielen teilgenommen hat, ist ein Gymnast namens Li Ning durch Gewinn von 6 Medaillien zum Volksheld geworden. 6 Jahre später hat er dann seine nach ihm benannte Sportartikelfirma gegründet. Mit Hilfe eines von Nike kopiertem Logo und einem von adidas kopierten Slogans Die Marke Li Ning hat es mittlerweile zur klaren Nummer drei in China geschafft, nur wenige Prozentpunkte hinter den Konkurrenten aus Deutschland und USA. Der Olympiaheld Li Ning durfte das olympische Feuer auf spektakuläre Art und Weise entzünden, der Marke Li Ning wird das wohl nicht schaden. Anything is possible.

Mein erstes Mal Olympia
Letzte Woche Samstag, hatte ich immer noch keine Karte für ein olympisches Event. Sonntag Nacht hatte ich schon zwei Veranstaltungen auf dem Buckel. Aber alles der Reihe nach. Sonntag früh haben Himbeertoni und ich eine frühere Kollegin und Gründungsmitglied des Praha Drinking Teams vom Flughafen abgeholt. Sie ist hier weil sie die deutsche Hockeymannschaft anfeuern will. Da ihr Freund zu dieser Mannschaft gehört, kommt er auch an Frei- oder verbilligten Karten zu olympischen Events ran. Deshalb sassen wir auch 6 Stunden später im Beijing Sports Gymnasium und waren Zeuge wie Deutschland gegen Korea gewonnen hat.

Das Highlight
Um 6 war das Handballspiel vorbei um 8 stand ich vor der Basketballhalle. Es war im Endeffekt zwar sehr kompliziert mit einer Athletenkarte reinzukommen, wenn man keinen Athletenpass hat, aber Teamjacke, Trikot und viel Überzeugungsarbeit haben am Ende doch noch geholfen. Um 10 Uhr sass ich dann in der Halle und war Zeuge eines der größten Spektakels des Spiele bislang. Basketball. USA gegen China. Und das von der vierten Reihe hinter dem Korb. Die Stimmung war unglaublich. Das Spiel sogar eine Halbzeit lang sehr spannend, danach wenigstens spektakulär. Auf jeden Fall unvergesslich.

Fotos werden nachgereicht...

Se fosse comentar das mais diversas pitorescas comemorações executadas por atletas ensandecidos pela conquista, levaria algumas horas para concluir o texto e, antes disso, meus dedos já estariam em estado de atrofiamento. Até porque, todas as comemorações, desde que não afetem nenhuma outra pessoa, são válidas na efervescência das emoções. Prefiro, também, não me estender sobre o sueco da luta greco-romana, Ara Abrahamian, que, enfurecido com a arbitragem, rejeitou sua medalha de bronze. Não o condeno. Quando estamos com os sentimentos (positivos e negativos) à flor da pele, cometemos certas atrocidades, das quais nos arrependemos mais tarde.

A seguir, dois dos episódios que mais chamaram a atenção, até o momento, nesses jogos olímpicos no quesito cômico e bizarro:

A epopoéia dos mascotes olímpicos – as imagens são auto-explicativas

Peso realmente pesado no judô

Ricardo Blas Jr., judoca da pequena ilha de Guam, na Oceania, utiliza-se da psicologia reversa para dar um exemplo: Se você manter a forma e se alimentar de forma balanceada, ao menos um ippon você atingirá.

Diego Gomes

Both of the backup point guard, Chris Paul and Deron Williams play superb with 14 and 11 points. The NBA MVP, Kobe Bryant also added 11 points. With Dwight Howard and Tayshaun Prince scored 10 points, team USA has able to crush Spain defense and scored superb 119 points. The defense from Gasol’s brother both Pau Gasol and Marc Gasol is not able to handle superior dream team side. All of the Spain members have been frustrated with the superb team USA. Gasol brother, Jose Garbajossa, Calderon, until the wonder kid, Ricky Rubio, cannot believe they have beaten by this huge margin.

With winning all previous game in the preliminary round, team USA will secure the first seed in pool A, no matter what result from the last preliminary game against Dirk Nowitzky. Team USA in the high level of confident. With winning from the host nation, China, then they won from the African side, Angola, after that, doing the sweet revenge against Greece then with a perfect game against Spain, team USA believe they will secure the gold from Beijing.

From ESPN:

What made Saturday's 119-82 throttling of Spain so impressive was the way the Americans did everything so extraordinarily well. They're getting better each game, they're improving their few weak areas and the only thing that's scary about this 37-point beatdown is the notion that they might have peaked.

It's up to them to prove that they haven't, because the plane ride home is still more than a week away. But if they're going to keep bringing it like they brought it against the reigning world champions, there's no way they're going to lose.

It never got close in the second half, and Jason Kidd even managed to attempt his first shot of the Olympics, a lefty layup off a feed from LeBron James on a 2-on-1 break after Dwight Howard had rejected Marc Gasol's shot at the other end.

James could find only one fault with Team USA's performance, saying it had three or four unforced errors when it tried to force outlet passes to the point guards when Spain hung back on defense. But he rated this overall performance as superior to the one two nights earlier against Greece.

The victory clinched first place in Pool B for Team USA, who will complete pool play against Germany on Monday. Following that match up, they will likely face Australia in the quarterfinals and then Argentina or Lithuania in the semifinals should they get past Australia.

No matter who they play, if they play like they did today, no one will stand in their way of the treasured gold medal.

Footnotes:
^[1]: This is a tournament final.
^[2]: In June 1975, Victor Rivera announced he was giving up his half of the tag titles; Dominic DeNucci was allowed to choose a new partner, and chose "Irish" Pat Barrett.
^[3]: The Executioners were stripped of the titles as the result of a match against Chief Jay Strongbow & Billy White Wolf that was televised on October 26, 1976, during which a third masked Executioner interfered.
^[4]: Chief Jay Strongbow & Billy White Wolf won a three-team tournament, defeating the Executioners and Tor Kamata & Nikolai Volkoff.
^[5]: This was a tournament final. Shortly after Chief Jay Strongbow & Billy White Wolf won the tag belts, Billy White Wolf suffered a neck injury during a match against Ken Patera; he and Strongbow had to give up the belts.
^[6]: Bob Backlund & Pedro Morales won the tag titles in a 2/3 falls match. Backlund and Morales had to relinguish the belts since Backlund was the WWF world champion at the time.
^[7]: This was a tournament final.
^[8]: At Survivor Series, Diesel and Shawn Michaels were forced to abandon the tag titles when they could no longer function as a team.
^[9]: This was a tournament final.
^[10]: Davey Boy Smith subbed for Owen Hart the night before at the In Your House PPV. Because Owen ran down to the ring to interfere and was pinned by Diesel, the belts were returned to Owen Hart and Yokozuna.
^[11]: The titles became vacant when Billy Gunn suffered a neck injury.
^[12]: This was a tournament final.
^[13]: This was a tournament final to fill the vacancy created when Shawn Michaels walked out of the WWF for a brief period. After Austin's neck injury at SummerSlam, the tag titles became once again vacant.
^[14]: This match also included the Legion of Doom and the Godwinns.
^[15]: This was a four-team match which also included The Rock & D'Lo Brown and the New Age Outlaws.
^[16]: Mankind chose to defend the tag titles on his own when Kane refused to team with him.
^[17]: This was a three-on-two handicap match also involving the Hardys' manager, Michael PS Hayes. Bradshaw & Faarooq won when Bradshaw pinned Hayes.
^[18]: This was a "Dark Side Rules" match in which Viscera, Big Show, and Mideon were the actual opponents for the Rock & Mankind.
^[19]: Because he was not getting along with the Rock at the time this match was held, Mankind refused to participate and instead sat outside the ring with his back to the action.
^[20]: This was a triangle ladder match which also included the Hardy Boyz.
^[21]: This was a four-way elimination match which also included the Hardy Boyz and Test & Albert.
^[22]: Since Edge & Christian were banned from wrestling the Hardy Boyz for the tag titles, they dressed up as Los Conquistadores.
^[23]: This was a four-way elimination match which also included the Dudley Boyz and Road Dogg & K-Kwik.
^[24]: Kurt Angle was the special guest referee.
^[25]: This was a TLC match which also included the Hardy Boyz.
^[26]: This was a cage match to unify the WWF and WCW world tag titles.
^[27]: This was a four-way elimination match which also involved the Dudley Boyz and William Regal & Lance Storm.
^[28]: When William Regal became injured, Chief Morley took Regal's place as half of the tag team champions. This match also included the Dudley Boyz.
^[29]: This was a handicap tables match, in which Rob Conway teamed with La Resistance.
^[30]: This was a three-way elimination match which also involved Rhyno & Tajiri.
^[31]: Jonathan Coachman replaced Eugene in this match due to an injury.
^[32]: This was a ten-team battle royal that the Hardy Boyz won to regain the tag titles.
^[33]: Cody Rhodes was revealed as Ted DiBiase's mystery partner and turned on Hardcore Holly, resulting in a handicap match.

Credit goes to: PWI Almanac, wrestling-titles.com, and ProWrestlingHistory.com

I watched this after already hearing the results and I still get goosebumps everytime I see it.

And here's one last one I wasn't able to embed.

Minha verdadeira paixão, em termos de esporte, é e sempre será a Formula 1. Para mim não há esporte mais fascinante em todos os seus aspectos quanto a Formula 1.

Na última semana e meia, no entanto, a Formula 1 “saiu de férias” e eu me vi obrigado a concentrar a minha tensão e dispersar minha crise de abstinência das corridas nas Olimpíadas.

O horário é ingrato, eu diria torturante, mas eu fiz questão de acompanhar bem de perto até agora o nadador Michael Phelps. O garoto americano, tão jovem, já pode ser considerado o maior monstro consagrado de toda a história dos esportes.

Eu já vi muita coisa espetacular na história dos esportes. A melhor talvez tenha sido o conjunto das atuações do “Dream Team” americano de basquete em Barcelona/92.  Cada jogo parecia um bate bola descompromissado entre Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Patrick Ewing e alguns outros mais, ou mesmo um treino de fim de tarde. Cada partida assemelhava-se a um grande show, ao invés de um jogo oficial de Olimpíadas.

No caso de Michael Phelps, o prazer em vê-lo destroçar, prova a prova, os seus adversários e ir tornando-se o maior nome da história de todas as Olimpíadas, chega a ser quase sádico.

Se você prestar bem atenção ao final das provas, e observar as diferenças que o nadador americano impõe, de meio a um corpo inteiro ao final de cada prova, você terá a leve impressão de que os seus adversários parecem não ter rosto.

 São todos eles uma das mais belas sínteses do papel de coadjuvante que eu já vi no esporte, parecem nadadores sem rosto ou identidade diante do brilho intenso de Phelps.

貝貝：其實，點解個主題係We are ready呢？莫非係因為所有人都覺得我地無能力攪得成，為左要安撫各位，所以事先張揚We are ready?以前都好似無主辦國會咁做喎﹗

妮妮：唔係唔係，係因為我地真係做左好多好多準備功夫。例如巨人的腳印，我地一早搵阿巨人先生行左先，拍低佢，以免大日子當日，巨人先生有乜頭暈身「興」，失禮大家就唔好啦。

晶晶：林妙可同楊沛宜就肯定係比美國籃球隊更夢幻的組合，咀形超夾，好似二位一體咁，真正的dream team，有甜樣又有甜聲，全球所有女子組合都比不上這對甜心，我同敏霞都比唔上，你話我地中國係咪100% ready先﹗

迎迎：但係，李寧叔叔個一幕出咗事喎，你睇下面兩張圖：

迎迎：The Blues Screen of Death出現左，用開PC的朋友都知道Blues Screen同被判死刑無乜分別。

歡歡：oh，我上年開始轉左用mac，早知我都提意大家轉用mac啦......

妮妮：你地錯啦，唔係PC定mac的問題，係因為Lenovo收購左IBM而拉低左我地國貨Lenovo的水平同穩定性﹗

貝貝：莫非係美國的陰謀？

妮妮：咁我又唔係咁意思，而且現在中美關係咁好，唔會o既........除非...........

晶晶：乜都唔好理，跟我一齊唱，We are Ready，把心和心都連在一起﹗We Are Ready，把天與地都連在一起﹗超越了自己，贏得一場光榮的勝利，用時間紀念夢想的神奇，WE ARE READY!!!!!

It seemed like, while watching the game between USA and Greece, that the Americans had shed their smiles and silly attitudes and seriously came to this game to show how dominant they are.  They seemed like a team that knew they were going to win, and there was nothing the other team could do about it.  They all were playing extremely aggressively and their motors never died....just watch all the replays of the dunkfest and swatfest (dunks/blocks).  It was awesome to see, and it really did shed light on the fact that the only thing that can beat them, is themselves and their inability to show up when it's needed.  Take a look at this report [more]