I'm sure you know what I'm referencing in the post title. It's the feeling you have on Monday and Tuesday after just finishing a weekend that you've been looking forward to for weeks or months. In my case, I had a bachelor weekend with my Grove City friends, which started to be planned in April. It finished early on Sunday, with the last guys leaving by 2:30 pm. And the feeling of dread set in...
Then, I remembered my Advil - my friend Sean would be coming into town for two nights. Sean works for BLESTO (Bears Lions Eagles Steelers Talent Organization). That's right, he works in the NFL! At BLESTO, they have teams who are their clients and contribute to this scouting organization; it adds another set of eyes to the evaluation process. Sean has been there for about a year, and he recently got a promotion to be an area scout in the Northeast. His territory is as far west as Pittsburgh, as far south as Virginia, and all the way north to Maine (although the furthest he has to go this year is the Boston area). Which means that he will be in Western PA a couple of times, the first of which was Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
Sean and I met as interns for the Buffalo Bills in July 2002. We became friends at this point; I remember one of the first discussions we had was about Brian Giles (the Pirate OF) and how underrated he was. After we left our internships, we remained friends (the only intern of the 6 I remained friends with). He has since lived in New York, London, and Jacksonville, and I've visited him in every one of those places. We also have a race going as to who can go to games at all 30 active baseball stadiums first; by active, I mean that, if they build a new stadium, the old one no longer counts. So we both will be losing the New Yorks (Yankee and Shea) after this season. I am ahead now (I've been to 13: PIT, PHI, BAL, WAS, CLE, CIN, NYM, NYY, DET, CHC, MIN, STL, ATL, soon to add SD and LAA).
Anyway, Sean came in on Tuesday night after driving from Charlottesville, VA - a grueling drive. I took him to one of the best places to eat in Pittsburgh - Fatheads. If you've never been there, there are probably 100 different sandwiches on the menu. He liked it so much that we went back there Wednesday for dinner. I had two great sandwiches, the Red Pepper Sirloin and the Bacon Jalapeno Steak. Wow, were they good. Sean tried the one that was voted #5 sandwich in the US by Maxim Magazine, the one with kielbasa and pierogies. He said it was awesome.
Anyway, that was a treat for Tuesday and Wednesday. Now, all of a sudden, it's almost the weekend, and next week I head to St. Louis for a 5 day Labor Day weekend extravaganza, and it's also the start of football season!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Travel Note
So, I've changed my route to work somewhat. I've been taking the bus in the mornings (although it didn't show up yesterday) and walking to the Duquesne Incline at night. When I walk to the Incline, I walk down Penn Ave. to the Point. Then, I walk across the Fort Pitt Bridge, which leads right to the skyway to the Incline. It's about a 20 minute walk, and it's awesome walking across the Mon.
Yesterday, my back was hurting so I found a bus that was to drop me off at the Duquesne Incline. It was the 33X, which is the West Busway Flyer. It was packed to the point of the aisle being full of people standing. So, he stopped at my stop, right across the river, and a few people got off, and I had to get past all of the rest. So I did, people were shouting "make sure this guy gets off at this stop" to let the driver know...it was a big scene. So I get off the bus, and I notice that everybody else that had gotten off was getting back on. I was the only person on the bus that was getting off here and I caused about 8 people to vacate just so I could get my stop.
Very embarrassing.
Yesterday, my back was hurting so I found a bus that was to drop me off at the Duquesne Incline. It was the 33X, which is the West Busway Flyer. It was packed to the point of the aisle being full of people standing. So, he stopped at my stop, right across the river, and a few people got off, and I had to get past all of the rest. So I did, people were shouting "make sure this guy gets off at this stop" to let the driver know...it was a big scene. So I get off the bus, and I notice that everybody else that had gotten off was getting back on. I was the only person on the bus that was getting off here and I caused about 8 people to vacate just so I could get my stop.
Very embarrassing.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Jim Breuer - A Funny Man
So, Saturday night when my buddies were in town, we went to see Jim Breuer live at The Improv down on the Waterfront. You may remember Breuer from the movie Half Baked, a movie starring Dave Chappelle, or from his stint on Saturday Night Live, with his famous character "Goat Boy". One friend, Jarv, had seen him before at Slippery Rock University, and said he was hysterical...and he didn't disappoint on this night.
Maybe the most remarkable aspect of his show was that he cursed maybe four times; one time he said s--- in the context of a story where his daughter said the word, and he admonished her (in the story) by saying that the family doesn't talk like that. It was really refreshing.
There were many highlights, but I will point out a few. First, he told the story of the movie Half Baked, a "pot" movie. I remember seeing this movie in high school. One of the funniest parts of the movie, to me, is when they decide to go on a late night shopping spree after smoking some weed, and their grocery list is long. At the end of the list, Breuer, in his best stoner voice, adds: "...and Funions!" So, anytime anyone makes a list of anything, I add "funions" to the end of the list. Nobody ever gets it. Anyway...he's telling the story, and he continually pulls out his Chappelle impression, which is spot on, funny every time he does it. So he talks about how he was actually not high for every scene in the movie...minus one. In that scene, in which he "saved the movie" (literally...the bad guy was about to quit, so he filmed a scene after smoking weed so that production could continue) he delivers his famous line: "sucks to be you, man!" He set it up in the show, and delivered it. It killed.
Then, he started talking about success. As his measure of success, he said there were two things he wanted: leather pants and a kangaroo. He went on a riff about this that was priceless; my favorite moment of the show. He was hopping around stage like a kangaroo, then observing the reactions of people as they noticed his kangaroo: "man, is that guy successful". It was a very funny combination of visuals and dialogue. Funniest part of the show, to me.
Ultimately, he was the best comic I've seen live. I've seen a few, including Jerry Seinfeld (who took the Lord's name in vain way, waaaaaaaaaaaay too often) so I think that I can make a good comparison. But, it was a pleasant night out, and I'd recommend to everyone taking in comedy shows at the Improv.
Maybe the most remarkable aspect of his show was that he cursed maybe four times; one time he said s--- in the context of a story where his daughter said the word, and he admonished her (in the story) by saying that the family doesn't talk like that. It was really refreshing.
There were many highlights, but I will point out a few. First, he told the story of the movie Half Baked, a "pot" movie. I remember seeing this movie in high school. One of the funniest parts of the movie, to me, is when they decide to go on a late night shopping spree after smoking some weed, and their grocery list is long. At the end of the list, Breuer, in his best stoner voice, adds: "...and Funions!" So, anytime anyone makes a list of anything, I add "funions" to the end of the list. Nobody ever gets it. Anyway...he's telling the story, and he continually pulls out his Chappelle impression, which is spot on, funny every time he does it. So he talks about how he was actually not high for every scene in the movie...minus one. In that scene, in which he "saved the movie" (literally...the bad guy was about to quit, so he filmed a scene after smoking weed so that production could continue) he delivers his famous line: "sucks to be you, man!" He set it up in the show, and delivered it. It killed.
Then, he started talking about success. As his measure of success, he said there were two things he wanted: leather pants and a kangaroo. He went on a riff about this that was priceless; my favorite moment of the show. He was hopping around stage like a kangaroo, then observing the reactions of people as they noticed his kangaroo: "man, is that guy successful". It was a very funny combination of visuals and dialogue. Funniest part of the show, to me.
Ultimately, he was the best comic I've seen live. I've seen a few, including Jerry Seinfeld (who took the Lord's name in vain way, waaaaaaaaaaaay too often) so I think that I can make a good comparison. But, it was a pleasant night out, and I'd recommend to everyone taking in comedy shows at the Improv.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Lots to catch up on!
Well, I don't have time to post everything I need to post. I had 9 friends from college in town this weekend to celebrate my buddy Jimmy's pending nuptials, and there is a lot to discuss. I need to talk about West Side Story which my mom and I saw Wednesday night, plus talk about the Jim Breuer comedy show we saw Saturday at the Waterfront (he was hysterical!).
But the most important news needs to be relayed: I met Olivia Wilde! You probably don't know who she is. She played "Alex" on The OC; the girl who dated Seth, and then Marissa (yes, she was into dudes and chicks). We were at The Shiloh Room on Mt. Washington, sitting on the deck, enjoying the night, when my friend Strong started freaking out. He claimed that Olivia Wilde and Nick Stahl (from Terminator 3, among other things) had just walked in. I went inside to scope it out (since I'm the world's foremost OC fan). I told a disappointed crowd that it wasn't her. He said he was sure it was, so I checked it out again, and sure enough, I was wrong. So Jimmy and I went in and sat at the next table, pondering whether we should talk to them.
I talked to Nick first. There were five people at their table (3 producers were the other three), so he was kind of just sitting there, and I said hey, are you Nick Stahl? He was very friendly. I asked what they were doing in Pittsburgh, and he told me of a movie they were filming up on Mt. Washington called In Northwood (it's on IMDB so it has to be true!). So we talked a bit more; he liked Pittsburgh, went to the Steelers-Eagles preseason game, is a Cowboys fan. I told him that Dallas would be playing in Pittsburgh this season; he immediately told the producer he wanted to go, and the producer said he'd get tickets. So, if at the Cowboys-Steelers game you see a shot of Hollywood star Nick Stahl, you can know I had something to do with it.
Then, I interrupted the conversation that Olivia was having with another producer (I apologized to both of them profusely, but they had been talking for 15 minutes with no pause for me to interrupt, so I figured what the heck). I told her that I was a big fan of hers, especially on the OC, and she laughed and said thanks (seriously, I love The OC; I almost started quoting her lines from the show, like this one: "Yes, I've been kicked out of Corona, Mater Dei, and even Newport Union"--only Jer probably remembers that). We talked some more, I asked if she liked Pittsburgh and she said they had only stayed in Green Tree so she hadn't seen much of the city. Finally, I asked if I could take a picture of her. Her response? "With me!" So, Jimmy took a pic of me and Olivia. I told them that I really hoped they enjoyed our wonderful city and that I would look for the movie in about a year.
It was just so weird because you never see anyone in Pittsburgh (besides the occasional minor Pittsburgh celebrity--I saw Ken Rice on the street the other day, but I didn't care enough to bother him...I mean, it's Ken Rice...). So, it was really neat, and they were really down to earth and eager to talk to us. Definitely a highlight of a fantastic weekend.
But the most important news needs to be relayed: I met Olivia Wilde! You probably don't know who she is. She played "Alex" on The OC; the girl who dated Seth, and then Marissa (yes, she was into dudes and chicks). We were at The Shiloh Room on Mt. Washington, sitting on the deck, enjoying the night, when my friend Strong started freaking out. He claimed that Olivia Wilde and Nick Stahl (from Terminator 3, among other things) had just walked in. I went inside to scope it out (since I'm the world's foremost OC fan). I told a disappointed crowd that it wasn't her. He said he was sure it was, so I checked it out again, and sure enough, I was wrong. So Jimmy and I went in and sat at the next table, pondering whether we should talk to them.
I talked to Nick first. There were five people at their table (3 producers were the other three), so he was kind of just sitting there, and I said hey, are you Nick Stahl? He was very friendly. I asked what they were doing in Pittsburgh, and he told me of a movie they were filming up on Mt. Washington called In Northwood (it's on IMDB so it has to be true!). So we talked a bit more; he liked Pittsburgh, went to the Steelers-Eagles preseason game, is a Cowboys fan. I told him that Dallas would be playing in Pittsburgh this season; he immediately told the producer he wanted to go, and the producer said he'd get tickets. So, if at the Cowboys-Steelers game you see a shot of Hollywood star Nick Stahl, you can know I had something to do with it.
Then, I interrupted the conversation that Olivia was having with another producer (I apologized to both of them profusely, but they had been talking for 15 minutes with no pause for me to interrupt, so I figured what the heck). I told her that I was a big fan of hers, especially on the OC, and she laughed and said thanks (seriously, I love The OC; I almost started quoting her lines from the show, like this one: "Yes, I've been kicked out of Corona, Mater Dei, and even Newport Union"--only Jer probably remembers that). We talked some more, I asked if she liked Pittsburgh and she said they had only stayed in Green Tree so she hadn't seen much of the city. Finally, I asked if I could take a picture of her. Her response? "With me!" So, Jimmy took a pic of me and Olivia. I told them that I really hoped they enjoyed our wonderful city and that I would look for the movie in about a year.
It was just so weird because you never see anyone in Pittsburgh (besides the occasional minor Pittsburgh celebrity--I saw Ken Rice on the street the other day, but I didn't care enough to bother him...I mean, it's Ken Rice...). So, it was really neat, and they were really down to earth and eager to talk to us. Definitely a highlight of a fantastic weekend.
Monday, August 11, 2008
My Peach Problem
I am taking an aside from Olympic blogging to complain about this. I can't pick out peaches to save my life. I love peaches; love them. They are a top 3 fruit for me (with watermelon and pineapple). However, picking peaches is hit or miss for me. Too often I get the mealy, dry peaches that you just can't eat.
This is a serious problem for me. Serious enough that one of the qualifications for my future wife will be for her to have this hidden talent. So, those of you that are trying to fix me up on blind dates (and let's be honest, I'm always down for that), ask her about her peach-picking technique. It's on my top 100 qualities my future wife must have. In fact, this sounds like the start of a new list. I will tentatively place this ability at #47.
This is a serious problem for me. Serious enough that one of the qualifications for my future wife will be for her to have this hidden talent. So, those of you that are trying to fix me up on blind dates (and let's be honest, I'm always down for that), ask her about her peach-picking technique. It's on my top 100 qualities my future wife must have. In fact, this sounds like the start of a new list. I will tentatively place this ability at #47.
Beijing's First Magical Moment
Well, I'm sure that there would be great debate about this. Honestly, I can't ever get into the opening ceremonies besides the spectacular music from NBC (see below) and the Parade of Nations. So, I didn't find Friday night all that grand.
For me, Beijing's first magical moment was last night's 4x100 freestyle relay. The U.S. Men's team had set the world record in the prelims, but they were not the favorite in the final. We hadn't won gold in this event since 1996; before that, we hadn't lost the race in 32 years. So this is an event that we used to own, but the world is catching up.
The French were the favorites. They have three sprinters who are members of their team, all of whom have chances to medal in the 50 and 100 freestyle races. They had come out of nowehere; 7th at the Athens games, 3rd at the Worlds last year. And, they were talking lots of trash. Their anchor leg, Alain Bernard, had claimed that the French would "smash" the Americans.
And of course, there was another intriguing subplot: Michael Phelps was a member of the team that would swim the finals. In the finals they added three swimmers who didn't swim the prelims: Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, and Jason Lezak. Cullen Jones, the fourth member who had been on the prelim team, would swim the 3rd leg. This was Phelps least likely chance at a gold, the one that might preclude him from eclipsing Mark Spitz.
As they dove into the pool, something looked wrong. Phelps was swimming the lead leg, and was right at the front of the pack, but didn't give the Americans a lead like Rowdy Gaines said he would. Second was Weber-Gale, who was up to the challenge of keeping the Americans near the front of the pack. Third was Jones. He almost made the American coaches look like fools, as he fell way behind. The fourth leg was Jason Lezak, who is 32 and has seemingly been an Olympic swimmer forever. He was swimming fast, but the French lead was about a body length, which was just too big; wasn't it?
As he made the turn, I got up off of my feet. I was standing, hoping for a comeback so that Phelps' dream would still be alive. Rowdy Gaines started saying how Bernard was tightening up, and slowing down. In the last 20 meters, Lezak started to make his move. At 15 meters, he was about a half a body length behind. At 10 meters, I started jumping up and down, screaming for Lezak to finish it off. At 5 meters, he had pulled within a foot. At this point...I was really wishing that I was watching it with someone else, because I was so excited. They touched the wall, and it took a second for people to realize it, but Jason Lezak and the rest of the team started reacting, and it was just...it was great.
I started screaming, yelling at the arrogant French, celebrating with this huge American victory. It was such a thrill to watch this comeback. I talked to my friend Hemant afterwards, who said that all the guys in Knoxville (Hemant, Jamie, and Colin) were going nuts too.
Like I said, the first magical moment of the Games.
For me, Beijing's first magical moment was last night's 4x100 freestyle relay. The U.S. Men's team had set the world record in the prelims, but they were not the favorite in the final. We hadn't won gold in this event since 1996; before that, we hadn't lost the race in 32 years. So this is an event that we used to own, but the world is catching up.
The French were the favorites. They have three sprinters who are members of their team, all of whom have chances to medal in the 50 and 100 freestyle races. They had come out of nowehere; 7th at the Athens games, 3rd at the Worlds last year. And, they were talking lots of trash. Their anchor leg, Alain Bernard, had claimed that the French would "smash" the Americans.
And of course, there was another intriguing subplot: Michael Phelps was a member of the team that would swim the finals. In the finals they added three swimmers who didn't swim the prelims: Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, and Jason Lezak. Cullen Jones, the fourth member who had been on the prelim team, would swim the 3rd leg. This was Phelps least likely chance at a gold, the one that might preclude him from eclipsing Mark Spitz.
As they dove into the pool, something looked wrong. Phelps was swimming the lead leg, and was right at the front of the pack, but didn't give the Americans a lead like Rowdy Gaines said he would. Second was Weber-Gale, who was up to the challenge of keeping the Americans near the front of the pack. Third was Jones. He almost made the American coaches look like fools, as he fell way behind. The fourth leg was Jason Lezak, who is 32 and has seemingly been an Olympic swimmer forever. He was swimming fast, but the French lead was about a body length, which was just too big; wasn't it?
As he made the turn, I got up off of my feet. I was standing, hoping for a comeback so that Phelps' dream would still be alive. Rowdy Gaines started saying how Bernard was tightening up, and slowing down. In the last 20 meters, Lezak started to make his move. At 15 meters, he was about a half a body length behind. At 10 meters, I started jumping up and down, screaming for Lezak to finish it off. At 5 meters, he had pulled within a foot. At this point...I was really wishing that I was watching it with someone else, because I was so excited. They touched the wall, and it took a second for people to realize it, but Jason Lezak and the rest of the team started reacting, and it was just...it was great.
I started screaming, yelling at the arrogant French, celebrating with this huge American victory. It was such a thrill to watch this comeback. I talked to my friend Hemant afterwards, who said that all the guys in Knoxville (Hemant, Jamie, and Colin) were going nuts too.
Like I said, the first magical moment of the Games.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
My Favorite Things - The Summer Olympics Edition
I love sports. Almost all sports. I love major sports, like baseball, basketball, football, golf, tennis, hockey, and soccer. I love minor sports, like swimming, track, curling, speedskating, and gymnastics. So obviously, for someone like me, the Olympics represent one of the most exciting two week periods every two years.
This year's Summer Olympics, of course, are taking place in China. I ventured down to Mt. Lebanon to watch the opening ceremonies on Friday night with my friends Jim and Beth. That got me thinking about the reasons that I love the Olympics.
So, I decided to come up with a list of my favorite things about the Olympics. Recently I did a list of my favorite summer things. This list follows in the same vein. There will be a little more explanation for these favorites of mine. Also, you may have noticed that I like lists, and order:). On with the show...
1. The Olympic Theme Songs - there are two of which I am speaking. John Williams is the composer of the first favorite. You have heard his music in other places besides the Olympics, as he has created many memorable movie theme songs, like the songs for Jurassic Park, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones. The "Olympic Theme and Fanfare" was created for the '84 Summer Games in LA but has withstood the test of time (or at least 24 years). This is the song that NBC uses to set the scene (always successfully, by the way) for the important events, with the slow build of the horns and the steady beat of the percussion. The second favorite is called "Bugler's Dream" by Leo Arnaud. This is the song that is recognized as the NBC opener. This song is simply majestic; it really is regal-sounding. If I were a king, this would be my theme song. These songs give me goose bumps every time I hear them, and on Friday night my eyes welled up with tears because of the beautiful music, and the special meaning that it has to me: The Olympics are here.
2. Late night Olympic events - Most people watch the Olympics during the day on the weekends, and prime time every night. However, only the true hard core fans watch the coverage that comes on at midnight. For example, if you want to watch the USA Men's or Women's volleyball team, you have to watch at this time. It's always a fun way for me to wind down a long day of Olympic watching.
3. Swimming - I can't swim to almost literally save my life, but I love this sport. I would watch it more often if it were on TV, but since it's not, my following this sport really amounts to 8 days of Olympic coverage. Lots of memories through the years about Olympic swimming. Who can forget the showdowns between Alexander Popov of Russia and America's own shadowboxing sprint swimmer, Gary Hall Jr.? OK, probably a lot of you can, but I can't. They swim the 50 free, which is the swimming equivalent of the 100 meters. Always an exciting dash. I love the individual medleys, where proficiency in four strokes is required to compete. I just love swimming at the Olympics; my favorite Summer Olympic sport.
4. National Anthems - Anytime an American wins the gold, the flag is raised and the anthem is blared? Tears and pride for my country. But, the Olympics are the best time to get to hear other great anthems. One great one is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K1q9Ntcr5g. It's called "La Marseillaise", the French National Anthem. I bet you know the tune. Very catchy. Another great one is the Russian National Anthem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fRU_k4tjoU. This is one that, as a Russian national, you could be proud of. But, there are many lesser known anthems, which makes it fun to hear if NBC shows that medal ceremony.
5. Underdogs - Every Games features the competitors who come out of nowhere to score that medal. These people have the "joie de vivre" that is refreshing to see, just a pure pleasure of competing and the awe of being victorious. Even if they aren't American, these are always enjoyable stories to watch.
6. Chick gymnastics - I'm not as down for the dudes, but watching the 1996 US Olympic squad is one of my favorite sporting moments of my young adolescenthood. From the huge crush I had on Dominique Moceanu, to the heroics of Kerri Strug, and everything in between. Can I name all 7 members of the team? Dominques (Dawes and Moceanu), Strug, Shannon Miller, Jaycie Phelps, Amanda Borden, and Amy Chow. Yes, I am obsessed.
7. Basketball - Especially this year with the "Redeem Team". I just love the way that these supposedly egomanianical pro hoopsters show up in Beijing, walk with the rest of the American delegation, and walk through the crowds of Chinese people that adore them. This was evident with Kobe; I've been a harsh critic of his, but to see him walking through the crowd of fans at the venue was awesome, as he dealt with rock-star like adoration in the best way possible.
8. Costas - Has grown overrated for some things, but his coverage of the Olympics is second to none.
9. The Today Show - broadcasting live from the international media centre. That would be such an awesome job to have; you get to guide the American public into what is going on from the epicenter of the biggest event in the world.
10. Expansive coverage - NBC is broadcasting 3,200 hours of coverage this year. That's a ton of coverage, and my DVR won't hold nearly that much. So, my nights will be spent watching the DVR'd action from the day, while recording the action at night to watch when I'm done.
This is just a partial list. I love the track events, especially the decathalon. Water polo is a great event that isn't covered nearly enough. Of course, baseball and softball (dying their Olympic death for awhile) are entertaining. But it's just the feel and excitement of the games that overall gets me pumped. Do I like the Summer Games more than the Winter ones? Hard to say. I guess you'll have to wait until Vancouver 2010 to find out my favorite things of the Winter Games!
This year's Summer Olympics, of course, are taking place in China. I ventured down to Mt. Lebanon to watch the opening ceremonies on Friday night with my friends Jim and Beth. That got me thinking about the reasons that I love the Olympics.
So, I decided to come up with a list of my favorite things about the Olympics. Recently I did a list of my favorite summer things. This list follows in the same vein. There will be a little more explanation for these favorites of mine. Also, you may have noticed that I like lists, and order:). On with the show...
1. The Olympic Theme Songs - there are two of which I am speaking. John Williams is the composer of the first favorite. You have heard his music in other places besides the Olympics, as he has created many memorable movie theme songs, like the songs for Jurassic Park, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones. The "Olympic Theme and Fanfare" was created for the '84 Summer Games in LA but has withstood the test of time (or at least 24 years). This is the song that NBC uses to set the scene (always successfully, by the way) for the important events, with the slow build of the horns and the steady beat of the percussion. The second favorite is called "Bugler's Dream" by Leo Arnaud. This is the song that is recognized as the NBC opener. This song is simply majestic; it really is regal-sounding. If I were a king, this would be my theme song. These songs give me goose bumps every time I hear them, and on Friday night my eyes welled up with tears because of the beautiful music, and the special meaning that it has to me: The Olympics are here.
2. Late night Olympic events - Most people watch the Olympics during the day on the weekends, and prime time every night. However, only the true hard core fans watch the coverage that comes on at midnight. For example, if you want to watch the USA Men's or Women's volleyball team, you have to watch at this time. It's always a fun way for me to wind down a long day of Olympic watching.
3. Swimming - I can't swim to almost literally save my life, but I love this sport. I would watch it more often if it were on TV, but since it's not, my following this sport really amounts to 8 days of Olympic coverage. Lots of memories through the years about Olympic swimming. Who can forget the showdowns between Alexander Popov of Russia and America's own shadowboxing sprint swimmer, Gary Hall Jr.? OK, probably a lot of you can, but I can't. They swim the 50 free, which is the swimming equivalent of the 100 meters. Always an exciting dash. I love the individual medleys, where proficiency in four strokes is required to compete. I just love swimming at the Olympics; my favorite Summer Olympic sport.
4. National Anthems - Anytime an American wins the gold, the flag is raised and the anthem is blared? Tears and pride for my country. But, the Olympics are the best time to get to hear other great anthems. One great one is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K1q9Ntcr5g. It's called "La Marseillaise", the French National Anthem. I bet you know the tune. Very catchy. Another great one is the Russian National Anthem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fRU_k4tjoU. This is one that, as a Russian national, you could be proud of. But, there are many lesser known anthems, which makes it fun to hear if NBC shows that medal ceremony.
5. Underdogs - Every Games features the competitors who come out of nowhere to score that medal. These people have the "joie de vivre" that is refreshing to see, just a pure pleasure of competing and the awe of being victorious. Even if they aren't American, these are always enjoyable stories to watch.
6. Chick gymnastics - I'm not as down for the dudes, but watching the 1996 US Olympic squad is one of my favorite sporting moments of my young adolescenthood. From the huge crush I had on Dominique Moceanu, to the heroics of Kerri Strug, and everything in between. Can I name all 7 members of the team? Dominques (Dawes and Moceanu), Strug, Shannon Miller, Jaycie Phelps, Amanda Borden, and Amy Chow. Yes, I am obsessed.
7. Basketball - Especially this year with the "Redeem Team". I just love the way that these supposedly egomanianical pro hoopsters show up in Beijing, walk with the rest of the American delegation, and walk through the crowds of Chinese people that adore them. This was evident with Kobe; I've been a harsh critic of his, but to see him walking through the crowd of fans at the venue was awesome, as he dealt with rock-star like adoration in the best way possible.
8. Costas - Has grown overrated for some things, but his coverage of the Olympics is second to none.
9. The Today Show - broadcasting live from the international media centre. That would be such an awesome job to have; you get to guide the American public into what is going on from the epicenter of the biggest event in the world.
10. Expansive coverage - NBC is broadcasting 3,200 hours of coverage this year. That's a ton of coverage, and my DVR won't hold nearly that much. So, my nights will be spent watching the DVR'd action from the day, while recording the action at night to watch when I'm done.
This is just a partial list. I love the track events, especially the decathalon. Water polo is a great event that isn't covered nearly enough. Of course, baseball and softball (dying their Olympic death for awhile) are entertaining. But it's just the feel and excitement of the games that overall gets me pumped. Do I like the Summer Games more than the Winter ones? Hard to say. I guess you'll have to wait until Vancouver 2010 to find out my favorite things of the Winter Games!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
