That creep can roll, man.
If you hang around baseball long enough, chances are you will see a lot of cool stuff. The Phillies' victory over the Mets on Tuesday night wasn't unique in a grand way, but it is one that will stand out in my memory banks for the oddities and the wacky foresight from Charlie Manuel.
Just how did he know that the right move was sending Carlos Ruiz to play third base so that Eric Bruntlett could drive in the tying run as a pinch hitter with two outs in the ninth? It's either incredible foresight or just dumb luck - or both.
Nevertheless, I've seen one no-hitter, two cycles, a play that went down in the book as a caught stealing by the catcher unassisted, and a game lost by the Phillies when pitcher Jose Santiago completely missed the return throw back to the mound from catcher Todd Pratt.
Those are just a few on-the-field peculiarities I've seen. I'm saving the off-the-field stuff for the book... you know, like the time I heard a former big-league manager use four curse words in a single, declarative sentence while sitting in the visitors' dugout at Camden Yards... I marked that one down. Yes, it was quite a display.
You don't get that type of linguistic prowess in the minors, kids.
But if you stick around the game long enough, the best part about it is all the different people you meet and how the paths crisscross over time. Time and baseball just keep steamrolling ahead without much of a thought about what gets lost in its wake. That's probably why we like telling and re-telling stories about past experiences so much. It's also probably why we're never in a hurry to see the season end...
You know, in a metaphorical sense.
Anyway, my path crossed that of Andy Tracy's this past week. The truth is Tracy doesn't know me from a hole in the wall, and I wasn't sure of his significance until the Phillies called up Tracy from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill in for the injured Geoff Jenkins and I perused his professional record. That's when I remembered.
Andy Tracy was in The Game.
Now before anyone gets confused, let me say that The Game is my nickname as well as that of the few handful of people that actually saw it occur. The fact is Classic Sports TV hasn't dug up a videotape - if one exists - nor is there much in the way of details about it out there on The Internets. The truth is, I haven't even written about it and I like to blather on about everything.
But when I approached Andy Tracy on Monday night in the Phillies' clubhouse to introduce myself and tell him I was there that rainy September night in 1999 at Harrisburg, Pa.'s City Island ballpark, he smiled.
"You were there?" he said excitedly.
"Yes. Yes I was."
To this day, the deciding Game 5 of the 1999 Eastern League Championship series between the Montreal Expos-affiliated Harrisburg Senators and the Yankees' Norwich Navigators is still the greatest ending to a game I have witnessed. Ever. Actually, I can't think of any game at any level that would rate as a close second. Anyone who was there that night will agree that there is no way possible to explain how that game ended. It perfectly fits the old cliché that if the game was pitched to a Hollywood producer as a possible movie, it would be rejected simply because it was so unbelievable.
And Andy Tracy, a long-time minor leaguer - a veritable Crash Davis, if you will - played an integral part in it.
"I started the last inning with a single," Tracy reminded me.
As a 25-year-old, four-year pro for Harrisburg in 1999, Tracy slugged a club-record 37 home runs - a mark that still stands. He also set the franchise record with 128 RBIs and 139 strikeouts. That season, Harrisburg won their fourth straight Eastern League title with future Major Leaguers, Jamey Carroll, Brad Wilkerson, Brian Schneider, Peter Bergeron, Jake Westbrook, Tony Armas, T.J. Tucker, Scott Strickland, and, of course, Milton Bradley.
Norwich, managed by Lee Mazzilli, had Nick Johnson and Alfonso Soriano -- players that went on to play in the World Series for the Yankees a few years later.
Needless to say, there was a lot of talent on City Island that night, but through the most of the sloppy game filled with rain, errors, poor pitching and plenty of runs, not much of it was on display. By the time the ninth inning rolled around, Norwich had built a 10-6 lead (as I recall) and Senators' leadoff hitter Milton Bradley had struck out in all four of his plate appearances.
But in the ninth Tracy singled to start it off and ended up scoring to put the Senators down by three runs. However, with two outs, the Senators' chances still didn't look very good. By that point, most of the crowd was finally chased away by the steady rain and the lopsided score, anyway, so it seemed as if Harrisburg's chance to become the first Eastern League team to win four titles in a row had ended.
But three walks/singles later, Bradley was due up for a fifth time; only it took some frantic searching to get him up there.
Tracy told me that by the time the second out had been recorded, Bradley was back in the clubhouse with his uniform stripped off and on the floor ready to call it a season. Having whiffed four times in the deciding game of the league championship series, Bradley was understandably disgusted. It was certainly an auspicious way to end a season and the soon-to-be temperamental big-league star, was feeling sorry for himself and for his teammates. He was too busy brooding about his failure to realize that his teammates were busy rallying to give him one more chance.
So as the Senators put runners on base, someone had to go to the clubhouse to look for Bradley to tell him that he was on-deck.
By now you know where this is going. It's really quite obvious at this point. But, yes, it happened.
Despite the Golden Sombrero, Bradley came up for a fifth time and lined a 3-2 pitch with two outs in the ninth inning for a walk-off grand slam in the 11-10 victory. The only thing missing was an explosion from the light tower as Bradley circled the bases in slow-motion. The remaining fans stood and screamed, cheered and jumped up and down having witnessed an ending that was unfathomable just moments ago.
A grand slam on a 3-2 pitch with two outs to win the final game of the championship game by one run? Nah... it can't be true.
It happened. I saw it. I probably wasn't standing too far away from Andy Tracy when it went down.
Oh, but get this: Beyond the right-field fence filled with billboards at the City Island ballpark, there was a bull's eye advertisement taunting players to drill it with a homer for a free something-or-other from a local business. You know, one of those conspicuously placed ads that takes a perfect shot from William Tell to hit. Anyway, though I didn't see it through the rain drops while standing just off the first-base line, Tracy says Bradley's walk-off, championship slam might have nailed it. He isn't sure either, but it would be a nice touch to the legend if it did.
So we'll just say it happened that way -- Bradley's walk-off, championship slam drilled the bull's eye in right field as the rain drops fell, the fans freaked out and his teammates danced on the field.
And boy did they dance.
Tracy says he and his Senators' teammates stayed in the clubhouse all night celebrating that fourth straight title for Harrisburg. And needless to say, the on-the-field celebration was quite spirited, to say the least.
But Bradley so stunned by his feat that after he quickly circled the bases he broke free from the mob scene at home plate and strolled out to center field all by himself with his hands on his hips and head shaking in attempt to wrap his mind around what had just occurred.
Afterwards, when he was finally able to talk about his goat-to-season-saving-hero night, Bradley's chest heaved as he answered questions in the rain near the pitchers' mound. He was so emotional about his big hit that it seemed as if he was going to hyperventilate.
Later, the celebration in the clubhouse was so raucous that everyone had a cigar in one hand and a bottle of champagne to spray and dump over the head of anyone in eyeshot. It kind of reminded me of a party I threw on 15th Street a long time ago, only we built a bonfire for that one.
Nevertheless, Tracy got his cup-of-coffee with the Phillies this week and was designated for assignment on Wednesday when the team's bullpen became too taxed from a pair of extra-inning games. Chances are Tracy will clear waivers and head back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he leads the team with 21 homers, 84 RBIs, 32 doubles, 60 walks and 95 strikeouts.
This year marks the eighth minor-league season in which Tracy has slugged at least 20 homers. Making this dubious feat even dubious-er is the fact that he's pulled the trick for five different big-league organizations. With 230 career minor league homers (13 in the Majors), it's clear Tracy can hit. For one reason or another he just hasn't gotten a long enough look for a big-league team.
Crash Davis, indeed.
Anyway, one of these days I hope to cross paths with Milton Bradley and compare notes with him about that rainy September night in Harrisburg nearly a decade ago. I wonder how that one ranks for him.
How does a guy get into the game in the eighth inning and go 4-for-4? Really, how does that happen?
And not only did Chris Coste enter the game as a pinch hitter in one of manager Charlie Manuel’s spate of astute double-switches in the late innings of last night's 8-7, 13-inning win over the Mets, but also he remained in the game to catch.
Coste could have stayed in the game to play third base, a position he played many times during his long, pro career, but starting catcher Carlos Ruiz – a second baseman in Panama when the Phillies signed him – had moved over to the hot corner. Besides, Ruiz was the third of four different third basemen in the game against the Mets. You know, Charlie had a plan.
Watching all those players shuffling in and out of the game and into odd-looking arrangements, one had to have the sneaking suspicion that Charlie knew his fourth third baseman and his second catcher were going to deliver for him.
Strangely enough they did. Eric Bruntlett, who went up to pinch hit with two outs in the ninth smacked the game-tying run to force extra innings and help the Phillies finish up the seven-run comeback. He remained in the game at third and added another hit and a walk to help set the table for Coste’s game-winner in the bottom of the 13th.
There was a method to the madness.
“I started to put Bruntlett in the game and I told (bench coach) Jimy (Williams) that I want to save Bruntlett to hit,” Manuel said. “Ruiz has been catching balls at third base and working out there. Actually he was an infielder before they made him a catcher in the minor leagues. At that time I thought what have we got to lose? We needed a run. I wanted to keep Bruntlett back to hit for the pitcher, who had a good chance of hitting.”
Don’t you love it when a plan comes together?
“I don't ever recall getting not only four opportunities but four hits when you come in in the eighth inning,” Coste said.
Well, no. Of course not. But last night’s game was just one of those wildly absurd things. In fact, so pressed for players was Manuel that he used two different starting pitchers to pinch hit in the smooth sailing five-hours, 17-minute, 8-7 win over the Mets. One of those pinch hitters, Cole Hamels, was called on for duty for the second time in three games with a chance to send home the game-winning run. In Hamels’ case, Manuel wanted his man to be a hitter and knock ‘em in.
But with Brett Myers, Manuel gave the take sign the whole way. Actually, one has to think that if Myers would have moved the bat from his shoulder the manager would have charged out of the dugout and beat him over the head with it. With the bases loaded following Shane Victorino’s leadoff triple and two straight intentional walks, Manuel had to send someone up there to hit for one-inning pitcher Rudy Seanez. Yet there was no way Myers was going to go up there and ruin the rally by actually swinging at the ball.
Give credit to Myers not just for following orders, but also for having an entertaining at-bat. Strutting up to the plate to be nothing more than a suit with a pulse to stand there and not hit into a double play, Myers crouched, wiggled his bat and took an exaggerated front-leg lift while striding into a pitch from Scott Schoenweis that would have made Sadarahu Oh blush.
When Myers “worked” the count to three balls, no one could believe that it had come to this. Was Myers going to win the game with a walk-off walk in the 13th? Please tell us this isn’t happening.
Thankfully, order was restored and Coste singled in Victorino from third to end it.
Still, Coste says Myers’ at-bat paved the way.
“He was intimidating,” Coste said. “I know I was intimidated standing at the on-deck circle.”
“There were a lot of things happening in this one,” Manuel said. “It had everything except for a fight.”
Maybe they can work on that for tonight.
My original plan was to write about how Bob Costas has morphed into the Dick Clark of sports broadcasting as well as how NBC's Olympic coverage was xenophobic, shallow and insulting to one's intelligence.
I was going to do that, but I figured I've been there already. No sense retracing my steps.
Besides, there are far smarter people who have written far more eloquently about matters than I could have. Jason Whitlock, writing for Fox Sports had a similar idea as me in that he believes NBC blew it by not offering the competition live. He also sends a warning - as I have - that all of the traditional media ought to wake up in regard to the changing media dynamic.
Who knows, it might even be too late.
Additionally, Gary Kamiya of Salon.com, wrote about how much of a letdown it was not to see "traditional" Olympic sports on TV. NBC virtually ignored track and field, which are the essence of the games.
Actually, NBC chose to ignore track and field - and most other events, too - because they did not fit into its broadcast plan devised way back when Beijing was awarded the games in 2001. According to a story in The New York Times, NBC and IOC chairman, Jacques Rogge, worked together to finagle the schedule of swimming events so that they could be aired during prime time in the United States. But before doing so, Dick Ebersol, the president of NBC sports, had to run the plan the network and IOC past one person:
Michael Phelps.
When was the last time the commissioner of baseball asked a player what time he wanted the games to start? How about the president of ESPN or Fox checking with Jimmy Rollins to see what time would be best to put the game on TV?
Answer: never.
But NBC was so hungry for ratings and the IOC so complicit to make the network happy that they were OK with a TV network setting the agenda at the most prestigious athletic competition on the planet.
Nothing was going to interrupt NBC's vision for how the Olympics should look. That was the case when an American was killed at the Drum Tower and when political, envornmental and social questions came up regarding China. Instead, NBC dispatched its reporters out to sample some wacky food, like scorpions.
Imagine that, they eat different food in China. Good story.
So when Usain Bolt sprinted onto the scene and suddenly, like lightning, became the face of the Olympics - the unadultered, non-sponsored International star - well, NBC wasn't having that.
To NBC, Usain Bolt did not turn in the most otherworldly performances in Olympic history. He was a party crasher. Didn't he get the memo that Michael Phelps was the star?
To knock him down a peg, NBC lapdog Jacques Rogge claimed Bolt's celebrations were unsportsmanlike (Sally Jenkins of The Washington Post nails it). Costas waded into the fray, too, echoing the IOC boss' complaints. However, when Phelps pounded his chest, flexed, screamed and posed after several of his victories, they said nothing. Actually, Bob and the gang fawned all over their White Knight and wanted you to do the same.
Please ignore that man running faster than anyone else in history of the world. That has nothing to do with us.
Interestingly, Costas and Rogge sat down for an wide-ranging interview that was divided into three segments where the IOC head was asked all the trenchant questions. But since Rogge's answers were so nuanced and in-depth, that NBC reasoned there was no way it could be shown to a prime-time audience. Instead, portions of the interview were shown during the gold-medal basketball game, which was one of the network's few non-Phelps live events. Tip off was 2:30 a.m.
Even some of the former Olympic greats in Beijing backed off when asked about Bolt's epic performances. In the instance of Carl Lewis, the nine-time Olympic medalist, it had nothing to do with TV, networks or overt agendas. But it had everything to do with corporations.
When asked for his thoughts on Bolt becoming the first man to win the sprint double in the Olympics since he did it in 1984, Lewis demurred with a nod to his sugar daddy:
"He's a Puma guy. I really can't say anything," Lewis said "I said something the other day and the Nike people saw it and they weren't happy."
Join the club.
Nevertheless, to the rest of the world and for those not influenced by NBC Chinese-government-esque agenda, the 2008 Beijing Olympics were one hell of a track meet. Bolt clearly stole the show and become - to most - the face of the games, but the Jamaican prodigy had some competition.
After Bolt (and Phelps) here are the performances I will remember the most from the 2008 Games:
Sammy Wanjiru sprinting wire-to-wire to win the marathon
OK, he didn't sprint, per se. But the 21-year-old Wanjiru ran the first mile in 4:41 and didn't slow down until he shook off all challengers to set an Olympic-record (2:06:32) and to become the first Kenyan to win gold in the Olympic marathon.
The thing that makes Wanjiru's run so amazing wasn't exactly the time. After all, Wanjiru set the world record in the half marathon with a 58:53 in 2007 and ran 2:05:24 in April at the London Marathon - just his second attempt at the distance.
No, what was amazing about Wanjiru's run was the fact that he kept his pace even though the temperature in Beijing rose to 80 degrees while the humidity held steady over 70 percent under sunny skies. Anyone who has ever run in the summertime when the humidity is over 50 percent knows it's pretty damn difficult. But to run routine 4:40 miles over and over again in such conditions coupled with the stress of the deepest field ever assembled for an Olympic Marathon is more than impressive.
Sitting at home and watching the spotty coverage on television, I shook my head in disbelief figuring Wanjiru had set off on a suicide mission at his pace. Apparently, I wasn't alone - Wanjiru's competitors thought the same thing.
"I was running three minutes per kilometer," said Ryan Hall, the U.S. champion who finished a minute behind Wanjiru in London last April, but 10th in 2:12:33 in the Olympics. "That was plenty fast.
"It was insane," said Hall of the pace in the heat. "You're just hoping the crowd will come back - hoping that guys will drop out or something."
Dathan Ritzenhein, who finished first amongst the three-man U.S. team in ninth place in 2:11:59, also impressed.
"To run 2:06 in this is incredible," Ritzenhein said. "He's a very young guy. He's going to be an incredible marathoner."
"I thought I had a chance at a medal, and tried to put myself in it early," he said. "But I looked at the clock at 5k and we were already out at, I think, 14:55. I knew if I kept that up, that I wouldn't be finishing."
The Redeem Team gets back the gold I actually stayed up until 2:30 a.m. to watch the U.S. play Spain in basketball for the gold medal. The plan was to watch the game until it got out of hand and then I would trudge off to bed knowing that the U.S.A. was again the Olympic champion in basketball.
It was a solid plan, I felt, because the U.S., led by one-name stars Kobe and LeBron as well as Dwyane Wade, had been chewing off the faces of every team it had faced in the tournament. Earlier in the week the Kobe, LeBron and the gang beat Spain by 37, which meant my plan was solid.
But instead of getting to bed by halftime, I was up until the team stepped on the podium to get the gold medal.
So much for my plan, huh?
Regardless, it was pretty cool to see a team of NBA players engaged in the Olympics for a change. Though Kobe had begged off in the past, he said all the correct things and filled an important team-centric role. It was very cool.
Even cooler was when the players slipped their medals around coach Mike Krzyzewski's neck. Coaches don't get medals in the Olympics and the tribute to the guy who kept the team together and motivated was quite touching.
On another note... how about that game against Spain? Every time it looked as if the U.S. was about to flip the switch and end it, Spain came back with some crazy rally spurred by some wild offense.
In that regard, it was kind of worth it to stay up so late... or early.
Other moments of greatness:
- Constantina Diṭă-Tomescu, the 38-year-old Romanian runner from Boulder, Colo., ran away from the pack to be a bit of a surprise winner in the women's marathon. Inexplicably, when Tomescu made her move, no one else gave chase. The result was an cake walk in 2:26:44.
The thing that made this race so significant wasn't the victory by Tomescu - she has won big races in the past. The neat part was that a 38-year-old runner is the Olympic champ. For those of us quickly approaching the latter part of our 30s, 38-year-old gold medal runners from Boulder are always cool.
- Misty May-Treanor/Kerri Walsh in the gold medal beach volleyball game played during a downpour turned into a veritable wet t-shirt contest. I'm not sure about the legitimacy of beach volleyball as an Olympic sport, but I do get why NBC chose to show this one live.
- Bryan Clay's victory in the decathlon used to mean a shot at the Wheeties box, or, at the very least, a Reebok ad a la "Dan and Dave." This time around it means the decathlon and Clay come out of obscurity for a moment or two.
Heck, Clay even appeared on NPR on Tuesday.
- The U.S. sweep in the 400-meters, particularly LaShawn Merritt's victory over defending champ, Jeremy Wariner. Those two runners have created quite and interesting, back-and-forth rivalry lately with Merritt winning six of the last 11 meetings. That tally should even out if the pair go head-to-head in European track circuit this summer.
- Shalane Flanagan winning the bronze in the 10,000-meters on the first day of the track program was an apt achievement for a runner quickly moving up the all-time best charts in U.S. running. With an American record in the Olympics, Flanagan is the fastest American ever in the 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000-meters. Better yet, some believe her best event might be the marathon. Look for her to move up by 2012.
- The Ethiopian doubles in the distance events was pretty spectacular, especially Kenenisa Bekele's victory in the 10k. Though the great Haile Gebrselassie made the race by serving as a highly decorated rabbit for his countryman, Bekele went on to set Olympic records in the 5,000 and 10,000-meters and was the first double champ since Lasse Viren in 1972 and 1976.
Fellow Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba set the Olympic record with a blistering 10k for gold, but then showed some range in the 5,000 in a ridiculously tactical race. In fact, Dibaba's winning time for the gold in the 5,000 wouldn't have won a lot of local weekend road races. Still, it's doubtful Dibaba would have lost any race in Beijing regardless of the pacing.
Disappointments
- Tyson Gay - Amazingly, a sprinter some picked to win gold over Usain Bolt (who knew?) failed to qualify for the finals in the 100-meters.
- Bernard Lagat - Looking to bring home a gold for the U.S. in the 1,500-meters for the first time since 1908, Lagat, a past Olympic medalist and defending world champion, failed to qualify for the finals. In the 5,000-meter finals Lagat couldn't match Bekele's blazing finishing pace to come in ninth place.
- U.S. 4x100 team - can't drop the stick in the heats, folks.
Anyway, that's it for now. Hopefully we can do this in London for the 2012 games from a closer vantage point.
Rightly or wrongly, Charlie Manuel has always been a lightning rod for criticism amongst the hometown fans. Then again, that goes with the territory. Most big league managers are used to having all of their decisions deconstructed.
Second-guessing the manager is the true pastime of the national pastime.
Nevertheless, Manuel, like most managers, has certain moves and uses specific players in designated situations without even thinking. For instance, if at all possible, Manuel likes to remove Pat Burrell late in the game for a pinch runner or for defensive purposes.
Sometimes those moves are like an old crutch the skipper likes to fall back upon that he uses out of habit more than necessity. Other times, Manuel plays hunches despite what the statistical trends bear out.
And sometimes he just gets lucky.
Last night’s 5-2 victory over the Dodgers in 11 innings at the Bank might have been one of those grey areas – either it was a fallback move, a hunch or just dumb luck. Whatever it was, it worked out for the Phillies.
Looking to boost his languid offense, Manuel gave top-pinch hitter Greg Dobbs the starting nod at third base last night. The reasoning was that Dobbs would give the Phillies’ lineup more potency than it would have with Pedro Feliz at third. With just a .254 batting average and 12 home runs heading into the game following a month on the disabled list with a bulging disc in his back.
Though Feliz has been a bit of a disappointment at the plate, the Phillies admit that he has been better than advertised defensively at third base. Actually, Feliz probably is the club’s best defensive third baseman since Scott Rolen was in town.
Dobbs, on the other hand, is exactly a butcher at the hot corner, but when Manuel saw a chance to replace him in the late innings last night, he moved swiftly.
Here’s where it worked out – entering the game as part of a double-switch in the seventh, Feliz was in the game long enough to get two of his best at-bats of the season. With two on and two outs in the ninth of a 2-1 game, Feliz lashed a first-pitch single to right to force extra innings. And since he was the guy who made everyone stick around well past midnight with the clutch hit in the ninth, Feliz figured he ought to be the guy to end it, too.
With two on and two outs in the 11th, Feliz knocked one into the seats in left-center for a walk-off blast as well as an improbable ending for a team struggling with its hitting.
Good move Charlie, right?
“When he's swinging good and staying aggressive, he can hit the ball as good as anyone in the game,” Manuel said.
Certainly the Phillies thought they would see much more of Feliz’s offensive prowess this season. At the very least it was believed that Feliz and injured right field Geoff Jenkins would more than make up for the numbers lost when center fielder Aaron Rowand bolted to the Giants. In that regard, both players have been a disappointment though Feliz has an outside shot to reach 20 homers this season (he has 13).
Either way, Feliz has accepted whatever role Manuel has slated for him on a particular day, which was a start at third in the series finale against the Dodgers on Monday night.
“I want to be there every day, but if I'm not in the lineup, I'll try to be ready,” Feliz said. “I won't be crying about it. I'm happy the team is doing good. We're in a fight, and whatever chance I get, I'm happy about it. As long as we get the ‘W,’ I'm happy.”
Though he helped the team with his bat on Sunday night, Feliz knows it’s his glove that has gotten him his playing time. In fact, it was some fine glove work that might have saved the game for the Phillies on Sunday.
With the bases loaded and no outs in the 10th, Casey Blake hit one to Feliz at third. Quickly identifying that Manny Ramirez was busting it for home from third, Feliz stepped on third and fired it home to catcher Chris Coste, who completed the double play and saved the Dodgers from scoring the go-ahead run.
“As soon as I saw the ball, you have to know who's on third,” Feliz said. “He didn't take off for home right away, so I knew I could tag the bag and throw home. If he took off right away, I would throw home.”
So give Feliz a hat trick in the win. A game-tying hit, a game-saving play in the field and a walk-off homer…
Not bad.
Looking ahead With starting pitcher John Maine headed for the disabled list for the Mets, the Phillies might have received the break they needed as they race for a second straight NL East title. Of course the biggest issue for the Phillies will be taking care of their own business.
Still, in the five games that remain against the Mets, the Phillies will not have to face Maine, who has been tough lately. In three starts against the Phillies this season, Maine has held them to a .190 batting average. Better yet, in nine career starts against Philadelphia, Maine is 5-0 with a 2.54 ERA.
Facing Maine will be one less thing for the Phillies to worry about.
Nor will the team lose much sleep over facing the Nationals six more times, nor the fading Braves and Marlins six more times apiece. The Cubs and Brewers, on the other hand, could present a challenge.
This weekend the Phillies get the core of the Cubs’ pitching staff when they face Ryan Dempster (15-5, 2.85) on Thursday night, Rich Harden (4-1, 1.47) on Friday afternoon, Ted Lilly (12-7, 4.25) on Saturday afternoon, and Carlos Zambrano (13-5, 3.29) in Sunday’s finale.
Of course that comes after the Phils host the Mets and Pedro Martinez (4-3, 4.97) and Johan Santana (12-7, 2.64) in back-to- back games.
Yes, it will get interesting in a hurry for the Phillies.
Look for the final Olympic post sometime tonight ot tomorrow where we sum up the Beijing Games and narrow view presented to U.S. viewers by NBC Universal. Plus, we'll look ahead to the Phillies' final month of the season where scoreboard watching will be in full order.
Stay tuned.
After a couple days of pointing out the Phillies' offensive flaws by yours truly, it appears as if the bats have awakened this afternoon. The Phillies pasted the Dodgers for nine runs and 10 hits, including a stellar 7-for-16 from The Big Four. A big 3-for-5 with five RBIs from chatty Pat Burrell. So is the spark the Phillies were talking about? Is this when the offense reemerges?
We'll see.
Anyway, go to the Twitter page for the Olympic Marathon updates.
Frankly, I’m kind of tired of writing about the Phillies’ recent offensive struggles. It’s getting quite boring and ordinary. It’s just the same old thing day in and day out – strikeouts, failure to advance the runners, hanging around and waiting for that home run, more strikeouts.
Yawn.
Even though the Phillies scored eight runs in the victory over the Dodgers last night, the top hitters – cleverly called The Big Four, though “The Gruesome Foursome,” or “The Silent Majority” might be more apt – continued the slide. Oh sure, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard clubbed home runs, but add that up with the other pair of slumping hitters and it comes to a rousing 3-for-15.
Seemingly, the Phillies offense is becoming more and more one dimensional by the day. Unless someone homers, the production is minimal.
Both before and after last night’s game, manager Charlie Manuel discussed Howard and the skipper’s desire for him to return to his 2006 and 2007 form. Interestingly, though, Manuel seemed to indicate that Howard could regain MVP-type prowess if he worked harder.
“I told him [after the game] that he ought to grab his film and look at it, especially [from his MVP year] when he was hitting the ball really good and was consistent,” Manuel said. “It always reminds you of how you’re swinging, and that right there is what we have to have out of him.”
There have been whispers for a little while that the Phillies’ brass was a little underwhelmed by Howard’s off-the-field work ethic. Actually, following the 2006 MVP year the popular story was that Howard showed up for spring training overweight because he indulged in the celebratory banquet circuit. Sure, maybe he had one too many rubber chicken dinners, but how would that interfere with off-season workouts?
Nevertheless, Howard said he did watch video tape of his at-bats, but seemed lukewarm on how important that type of preparation was.
“I've watched [tapes from 2006] a couple different times throughout the year," Howard said. “It helps to a certain extent.”
Then again, it’s not as if there were too many other players like Howard willing to talk about anything after nearly every game. In a not so recent development, the Phillies’ standoffishness with the local media, seemingly led by a couple of longtime Phillies' veterans, has reached epic proportions.
Here are two very accurate descriptions from Randarino:
It’s hide-and-seek most nights in Phils clubhouse Another near-empty winning Phillies clubhouse
Certainly I’ve written about the Phillies’ verbosity in the past, as well as my reluctance to speak to vapid ballplayers – I’m a snob like that. So if the players don’t want to correct my assumptions or tell me what they think is going on, I guess I’m up to my own devices.
*** My wife summed it up perfectly…
“This is your Super Bowl isn’t it?”
“Yes. Yes it is.”
“It,” of course, is the Olympic Marathon, which will be beamed live from Beijing at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. But unlike the Super Bowl, which occurs every year, the Olympic Marathon, the traditional closing event of the games, happens once every four years.
Yes, I’ve written a bit about the big race in the past and I’m sure I’ll have more to add to the pile afterwards.
So, yeah, guess where I’ll be at 7:30… and check my Twitter page because I’ll be offering blow-by-blow updates during the race.
Almost since the hundredth of a second after Usain Bolt crossed the line of the 200-meters and entered Olympic history, the argument started. In fact, I started fielding the questions and e-mails about it as soon as word trickled out from Beijing about Bolt’s explosion in the 200-meters.
The question:
Which is more significant in Olympic history – Usain Bolt winning the 100 and 200-meters and obliterating the world record in both events, or Michael Phelps winning eight gold medals in eight events in the swimming competition?
It was an easy question and one that I didn’t put too much thought into.
“Bolt,” was my knee-jerk answer and I just left it at that.
Mostly, my answer was based on my own biases. Track and running is far and away my most favorite sport and easily the most exciting. Actually, I just received a message from a writer covering the Olympics in Beijing in which I was officially proclaimed, “The Duke of Running Dorkdom.”
It’s a proud honor.
Nevertheless, I thought about the comparison between Bolt and Phelps on the drive back to The Lanc last night and came to the conclusion that the argument is odious. There is no way to quantify the two sports simple because they are so different. Sure, athletes in running and swimming go anaerobic for significant amounts of time. Fitness and training is the cornerstone of being good at both sports. However, one is non-impact and in the other the athlete takes a beating.
I don’t know about swimming mostly because it always seemed like a bit of a country club sport to me (maybe I’m wrong), but it doesn’t seem as if there are many injuries outside of sloppy training issues. For instance, overtraining and fatigue are probably the biggest culprits that could derail a swimmer’s career.
But in running everyone will get injured at one point or another. Guaranteed. If you train to run you will get injured at some point in your career.
This is not to compare which one is tougher. That’s odious, too. Besides, whenever I get in the pool I sink right to the bottom. I’m about as buoyant as a brick and that makes swimming difficult. But in terms of significance and the event that will have the most impact on its sport, I’m sticking right there with Usain.
Firstly, Bolt’s double was a Neil Armstrong moment. The fastest any human had ever run the 100 meters was 9.69 by Obadale Thompson in 1996, but that record was thrown out because a significant tailwind had pushed the sprinters to the finish line. When Bolt ran his 9.69 in Beijing last Saturday, he was the second slowest runner out of the blocks and then shut it down over the last five strides of the race so he could celebrate.
Bolt had built such a devastating lead over the rest of the Olympic field that he had time to look back to see if anyone was gaining on him. In a race decided by tenths of a second, such a notion is absurd – especially in a race where the best runners in the world are present.
Ato Boldon, a track commentator for NBC and four-time Olympic medalist in the 100 and 200 meters said Bolt could have broken 9.6 if he had run to completion.
It was otherworldly.
“You have people who are exceptions,” said Stephen Francis, the coach of Bolt's main Jamaican rival, Asafa Powell, the former 100 world-record holder. “You have Einstein. You have Isaac Newton. You have Beethoven. You have Usain Bolt. It's not explainable how and what they do.”
Bolt ran to completion in the 200 and the result was the same. However, this time Bolt smashed a record that most track aficionados thought would never be broken – or at least not broken in just 12 years. When Michael Johnson ran 19.32 in Atlanta for the 1996 Olympics, it was viewed as a man-on-the-moon moment. No one had come closer than 19.62 before or since Johnson stunned the world.
In calling the action on TV, Boldon screamed about how he could not believe that he just saw the one record he believed was untouchable, torn apart. Watching the race as a commentator for the BBC, Johnson celebrated along with 90,000 in the Olympic Stadium. Not only had Johnson seen his record beaten, but also Bolt had run into a headwind to do it.
At its essence, Bolt’s feat was a transcendent sports moment. It was the “Shot heard ‘round the world.”
“It's ridiculous,” said Kim Collins of St. Kitts and Nevis, who finished sixth in the race. “How fast can you go before the world record can't be broke? How fast can the human being go before there's no more going fast?”
People thought the same thing when Johnson ran 19.32 in Atlanta.
“I didn't think I'd see under 19.30 in my lifetime,” said Renaldo Nehemiah, a former gold medalist in the 100 hurdles for the United States. “[Bolt is] doing something we've never seen before.”
Phelps, with the jingoist coverage of NBC promoting his every move (not his fault), took advantage of the technological advances in his sport to one-up Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals in 1972. Some have called the new swimming suits and the scientifically-engineered pool in Beijing, “technological doping.” In fact, even Spitz points out that if there were the same amount of events in 1972 that exist now, he would have won more than seven gold medals.
Though he appears to be the best swimmer, Phelps did not look invincible during the Olympics. Perhaps in another time without the cameras and technology draped over every angle and inch of the Olympic pool, Phelps might have been awarded the silver in the 100-meter butterfly that he won by .01. Or if his relay anchor had swum just .01 slower Phelps would have bagged an early silver while watching from poolside.
Not to diminish the feat – especially since he swam in 17 preliminaries and finals to get his eight medals – but Phelps had some luck on his side.
Bolt left no doubt.
Secondly, and maybe more importantly, the cultural significance of Bolt’s show in Beijing can’t be understated. Though NBC downplayed Bolt’s races, showing them some 13 hours after they occurred and then offering just one replay, the rest of the world was tuned in live and celebrating right along with the Jamaicans. Part of that is because track and field is wildly popular in the rest of the world and part of it is because NBC doesn’t get it.
Regardless, thanks to Bolt and the rest of the Jamaican sprinters that piled up the medals on the track in Beijing, the tiny island country is galvanized. Jamaica is a poor island country of just 2.8 million people with a high crime and poverty rate. As a result, the most popular sports are the ones that don’t require a lot of expensive equipment.
Running, the most egalitarian of sports, is clearly where the Jamaicans are best. In fact, three of the top five best times in the 100- meters have been run by Jamaican-born athletes. Meanwhile, three out of the last five Olympic champions in the 100 have been born in Jamaica.
This time around, Jamaica has won eight medals on the track.
In the U.S., Phelps is undoubtedly one of the most popular athletes. However, will his popularity last when the NFL season hits its stride? Is Phelps’ popularity to a level that teems of kids are asking their parents for memberships to the aquatic club in order to train to be the next Michael Phelps?
Probably not. Take what Olympic scholar, Kyle Whelliston wrote on his site, Swifter Higher:
No matter what Jacques Rogge says on Sunday night, these are not the Greatest Games Ever, Dream Games, or even Spectacular Games. The International Olympic Committee awards a nation and city the right to carve out a place for a temporary Olympia every four years, and no government has accomplished this as destructively and as cruelly as China. Thousands have been displaced to create these stadiums, and countless numbers of citizens have been detained and killed in the name of Olympic security.
But this is just another chapter -- the twenty-ninth -- in the history of the modern Games, and it's certainly not the first time the Olympics have fallen short of its goal to better the world through sport. But the local and national governments have tackled the problem of hosting this festival in an unprecedentedly negative and destructive way, nearly always at odds with the high human ideals of the original founders. Beijing 2008 will always be remembered as a show of brutal strength.
To me, Usain Bolt is the true center and defining face of these Olympics. Not Michael Phelps, who had promised to show us something we've never seen before. The thing is that we have seen this before -- the white American hero who conquers the world and takes home all the prizes.
This time, though, it comes during an era when the U.S. has a tragic misunderstanding of the East, a damaged global reputation due to its own government's bloody conquests, as well as an economy dangerously dependent on foreign credit. Phelps' eight gold medals are little else than a distraction, pleasant nostalgia of easier times for those who don't want to accept 21st Century reality. Underneath all the forced politeness, the Olympic host country is America's mortal enemy -- and a formidable loan shark in the making.
Amidst all this, a happy young man from an island nation who rewrote the books of records and rules, here in the miniature and insignificant world of athletic achievement. Sure, this is a lot to be made of people running around a rubber track, but maybe Usain Bolt can represent a symbolic ray of hope.
Maybe on a larger scale, there are still some new solutions to be found for old problems.
In Jamaica, a country seen by outsiders only from the resorts, the celebration for the 22-year-old Bolt is just getting warmed up.
So which man feat is the most remarkable? Who knows. But don’t doubt that Bolt’s runs were more significant.
When Michael Johnson sprinted through the curve in the 200-meters on that fast track in Atlanta during the 1996 Olympics, it looked as if he was either going to soar into the atmosphere and into space, or just burst into flames.
At the time it was determined that Johnson , at his apex in that race, was running faster than any human had ever run. When he crossed the line and looked back to see his time flashing there on the trackside scoreboard, no one could believe it…
19.32!
Johnson’s record was one that most track aficionados thought would stand for a long, long time. After all, aside from Johnson, no one had ever run 200-meters faster than 19.62. The record was not “soft” as they say. When Johnson and his gold Nikes blazed to that unthinkable record, he nailed it. There was no doubt.
But after 21-year-old Jamaican Usain Bolt came onto the scene with a 19.67 in the 200 and a world record in the 100 meters in New York City this summer, all bets were off. People knew he was good – the record makes that obvious – but how good was he?
This week everyone found out.
Not only did Bolt obliterate his record in the 100 with an unthinkable 9.69 in which he nearly stopped running before breaking the line in order to showboat, but also he took care of Johnson’s record.
Bolt ran 200-meters in 19.30 on Wednesday night in Beijing. In doing so, Bolt became the first man to win the Olympic gold medal in the 100 and 200 meters since Carl Lewis did it in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
But unlike when Johnson nearly burst into flames in Atlanta, it seems as if Bolt can go faster. No, he didn’t slow down to celebrate over the last 20 meters as he did in the 100, but at 21, the six-foot-five Bolt is just starting out. He’s been training seriously for the 100 for less than a year and the 200 is considered his strongest distance.
“Incredible,” Johnson told the Associated Press after the race. “He got an incredible start. Guys of 6-5 should not be able to start like that. It's that long, massive stride. He's eating up so much more track than others. He came in focused, knowing he would likely win the gold and he's got the record.”
Bolt is young, though, and his first appearance on the International stage has come this week in Beijing. What happens when he figures out what he’s doing out there? Wait until he gets more experience.
“I’m shocked; I’m still shocked,” Bolt said. “I have been aspiring to the world record for so long.
“I got out good, I ran the corner as hard as possible and once I entered the straight told myself to keep it up, don’t die on me now.”
OK, where do I start first – Phillies or the Olympics?
Phillies, right?
It certainly should be an interesting evening at the ol’ (new) ballpark tonight. Despite taking two of three from the lowly Padres, it seems as if the fans are restless and fed up with the Phillies’ offense. But make no mistake, Charlie Manuel isn’t too happy with it either.
How can he be? A nine-week slump with the bats just might be what the Mets need to capture the NL East. However, the Mets’ bullpen is a mess. Worse, it was that way before closer Billy Wagner went out with left elbow inflammation.
Nevertheless, this is a big stretch for the Phillies. With nine straight games at home, including three against the lowly Nationals starting tonight, the Phillies can cut into the Mets’ 1 ½ games lead in the NL East.
Then there is Jimmy Rollins…
Yeah, that whole situation nearly reached its apex this afternoon when the reigning NL MVP talked to a healthy media throng about the comments he made on the late-night cable TV program, “The Best Damn Sports Show, Period.”
There weren’t too many interesting revelations from that little powwow other than Rollins telling the press that the one thing he has learned this season is how important he is to the team.
Certainly Rollins is correct about that. During the last seven game road trip, the Phillies struggled to a 3-4 record and scored just 22 runs largely in part because Rollins did not get on base. During that stretch Rollins hit .167 and had an on-base percentage of .194.
Then again Rollins isn’t the only player struggling with the bat for the Phillies.
However, when asked if he regretted the comments he made on the TV show, Rollins had a quick reply:
“No, not at all.”
Without naming names, Rollins also pointed out that he took one for the team.
“I was speaking for a lot of guys,” he said.
So there’s that.
***
Meanwhile, in the Far East it was a pretty good day for the American women distance runners. In the qualifying heats of the women’s 5,000-meters at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing, Shalane Flanagan followed up her recent bronze medal in the 10,000-meters by turning in a quick, 14:59.69 to advance to the 5,000 finals on Friday.
Villanova’s Jen Rhines also advanced with a 15:15.12 over the 3.1 miles, while Kara Goucher made it through with a 15:00.98. Goucher was disappointed with her 10th place finish in the 10,000 even though she ran a personal best time and says she turned her focus on the 5,000 when she realized that she wasn’t going to medal in the 10,000.
Nevertheless, if Goucher, Rhines or Flanagan are going to finish on the podium on Thursday, it will definitely take a personal-best time. Both Rhines and Goucher have run 14:55 in the distance, while Flanagan has the American record with 14:44. By comparison, there are eight women in the field of 15 who have run times faster than Flanagan’s American record.
I meant to post this earlier, but got tied up. Anyway, Sports Illustrated photographer Hans Kluetmeier snapped the sequence of the finish of Michael Phelps' narrow victory in the 100-meter butterfly. Phelps beat Serbia's Milorad Cavic by .01, or, by judging from the photos, he won by a fingernail.
Yeah, my head hurts from doing all that thinking so I’m taking a break until tomorrow or Tuesday when we get back to the ballpark. That’s where the Phillies will have a nice break by getting back to playing teams in their own division… you know, teams they can beat.
Most interestingly, though, some people are curious about the reception Jimmy Rollins will get after his comments on the syndicated cable TV show, “The Best Damn Sports Show, Period.”
It seems to me that the title would work better with an exclamation point.
Nevertheless, perhaps the whole thing has blown over. After all, people have gotten on with their lives, the Phillies have played more games, and there have been more interesting things that have gone on in the world.
Specifically more interesting is that little gathering in Beijing. Sure, some folks are a little worn down by the hype over “The Baltimore Bullet,” Michael Phelps, but come on… 8-for-8? He swam in 17 races in less than a week and set seven world records?
Pretty amazing.
But is it the greatest Olympic performance ever? That’s a question that a lot of people will fret and ponder for a long time. I’d have to put it up there though I’m not ready to nail it down as the greatest ever until further review. For now I’m leaning toward Emil Zatopek winning gold in the 5,000-meters, 10,000-meters and marathon during the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. But, as usual, it’s tough to compare eras. Zatopek ran on a cinder track with shoes and equipment that no junior high team would dream of using now.
The same, obviously, goes for comparisons between Phelps and Mark Spitz. In that regard it’s kind of like comparing Tiger Woods to Bobby Jones. The technological advances in the equipment and life have changed the games entirely.
Still, it was an incredible week for Phelps and it should be interesting to see Usain Bolt race the 200-meters final on Wednesday. His run for the gold and world record in the 100-meters on Saturday goes up there with one of the most otherworldly single sports performances I’ve ever seen. Seriously, how did he run 9.69 when he was next-to-last in reaction time coming out of the blocks and then broke it down to celebrate for the final five strides.
Think about how significant five strides is in a 100-meter race… typically, Bolt takes 41 strides over the distance so showboating over the last five is 12 percent of the race. Factor in the slow reaction time at the start and it’s reasonable to think that Bolt could have gone 9.59.
Wait until fast Bolt goes when he figures out what he’s doing. He’ll turn 22 on the day of the 200-meters finals – how about taking apart Michael Johnson’s world record he set in the 1996 Atlanta games as a birthday present?
For the record, watching Michael Johnson on the curve of the 200-meters in Atlanta is the most beautiful thing in sports. It’s a work of art – a masterpiece. Let’s see if Bolt can make it prettier.
Finally, how about the Jamaicans’ dominance in the sprinting events? And that’s just not in Beijing, but the last several Olympics. Of the top five best performances in the event, three are by Jamaican-born runners and of the last five Olympic champions in the 100, three were born in Jamaica.
The Jamaican runners are much better than the bobsled team.
I will be posting women's marathon updates on the Twitter page. Race starts at 7:30 p.m. U.S. Eastern.
Nearly three hours after Tyson Gay had un-triumphantly pulled off one of the biggest Olympic flops since Dan & Dave of the Reebok ads in 1992, and an hour after Usain Bolt ran the fastest a human being as ever run for 100 meters, NBC decided it was a good time to run its first advertisement/feature hyping the 100-meter showdown between Gay and Bolt.
Gay was "quietly fierce" and determined to bring gold home for the ol' U.S.A. He talked about how his sister had inspired him to run and how he loves to sign autographs for fans because athletic careers are short and one day no one is going to ask.
It was very sweet and, no, that's not sarcasm. How often do we ever hear about athletes that enjoy all the trappings of their celebrity?
Nevertheless, the Gay-Bolt hype felt a lot like reading last week's newspaper... or worse. Actually, it felt insulting as if NBC were pretending that we all live in caves that are wired just for cable TV. To NBC, nothing else exists beyond what they beam out for air.
Frankly, it's a lot like the offerings the Chinese government transmits through its state-run TV networks, which, incidentally, anyone can watch live on the Internet at CCTV. Yeah, that's right - Americans can watch Chinese television on the Internet, but not NBC.
How does that work?
Actually, it doesn't. In fact, it's quite mean. Yeah, it's mean as if a big monolithic corporation once owned primarily by a group best known for making light bulbs and nuclear bombs were making fun of us. They're taunting us nanny-nanny-boo-boo style as if they were the big bully on the playground.
But the worst-kept secret behind every bully is that they are insecure. The fear is right there on the surface, lurking around with nervous glances and irrational behavior. Because they can't reason with the changing media dynamic (much like the majority of the newspaper business, incidentally) they throw punches and force feed things in the same, tired way. Sit still, be quiet and take whatever it is we give you, they say.
It's mean.
The television is as much an anachronism as a newspaper. Sure, people still watch TV - they numbers bear that out. But people aren't going to sit down at 8 p.m. because corporations like NBC tell them that's when the show will be on. It doesn't work that way anymore.
More importantly, if something occurs and NBC has the ability to air it live, it is their responsibility to do so. If they want to put on a basketball game on the TV because people are tied to their old habits, fine. Do it. But if a basketball game and a big track meet are taking place at the same time, it's OK to put one on TV and the other on, say, the Internet. It's OK to do that now. We all seem to understand how the Internet works and fits into the modern household. Let's just stop pretending that that the message can only be delivered one way when there are many different methods of delivery.
This isn't just about the Olympics coverage. Oh no. It goes for politics, news and everything else. If the whole world is watching, as they say, I want to know what they are looking at. I want the truth, not the script.
Instead, fans of certain sports are being forced to live in a parallel universe. It's the bizarro world where what you might know didn't really happen. It's like the old "if a tree falls in the woods" bit except it's more like, "if a guy runs the 100 in 9.69 and NBC doesn't air it or stream it, did it happen?"
According to The New York Times, The Washington Post, ESPN, CNN, Pravda, Al Jazeera and any other organization in the world that claims to report news, it did. But, you know, they aren't the rights' holders. Those people - the people that own air - are letting you watch Chris Paul talk to Craig Sager about basketball.
Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know. It's the same old argument every four years. Track fans (or fans of rowing, shooting, horse jumping, tae kwon do, etc., etc.) don't get to see the events they like best. Instead it's too much hype about Michael Phelps powering through the water from 1,629 different angles - all in high definition. Too much Misty May all sandy and sweaty with all that skin slowly slipping out of that skimpy, tight beach volleyball bikini - in high def. Too much of Bob Costas' hair, meticulously groomed as if it were the actual Olympic Green - again, in high def.
Bring back the TripleCast. Give us pay-per-view because the Olympics happen once every four years and it's cheaper to own a TV than travel to China.
But come on. Give us something. Sure, NBC is streaming a lot of events - tons actually. However they only show it if they can't package it or only after it aired on one of the handful of NBC-owned networks. Things like the track & field card were not only aired on television until at least 12 hours after it occurred, but also not streamed. For instance, the women's 10,000-meters finals (a big event for track geeks, especially since Shalane Flanagan won bronze) went off at 10:15 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Friday, but was not shown in the U.S. until approximately 1 a.m. on Saturday morning.
What, were they trying to get the smallest audience possible?
I get it. Track is not very popular in the U.S. (something I don't get, but that's me), but at least give us an option. Charge us $10 to watch a full slate of a specific event. Give us something.
Hell, even throw in the commercials, we'll take 'em. We're desperate. Look, we know the reason NBC won't put certain events on the Internet is because they are afraid of the truth - they are afraid that TV is quickly heading in very much the same direction that newspaper business finds itself. They're afraid of how good the numbers on the Internet coverage will be. They're afraid that viewers will make the switch and never come back. The Internet gives just too much portability, responsibility and power to the viewer. Imagine, someone can lug around a laptop or a cell phone or an iPod or a PDA and watch the Olympics. Come on, imagine it.
But oh, no, no, no... not on NBC's watch. Not if they can help it. Not if they can tell you one thing and show you another.
Plus, the network sold the TV air time. Coke, Visa, McDonalds, AT&T, Budweisser and all of the major sponsors want their shiny, over-produced ads superimposed on Michael Phelps' Speedo as he swims to another gold medal - in high def. Maybe the execs at the big advertisers are just like their counterparts at the networks in that they are too old for the new demographic. They don't get this new-fangled techie stuff. Why in their day they had 12 channels and rabbit ears and they liked it that way. They prefer things the way they used to be.
You will watch what they tell you when they tell you...
But not for long.
Shalane Flanagan, the top American distance runner who came down with food poisoning this week at the Team U.S.A. track camp in Dalian, China, seemed to be OK this morning in Beijing. In fact, Flanagan was feeling good enough to take the bronze medal in the 10,000-meters finals.
Flanagan finished in 30:22.22, which lowers her American record she set last May 5. She also became just the second American woman to medal in the 10,000, joining Princeton's Lynn Jennings.
Flanagan finished behind Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia, who finished in an Olympic-record 29:54.66 and Turkey’s Elvan Abeylegesse, who ran 29:56.34.
Americans Kara Goucher finished 10th in 30:55.16 and Amy Begley came in 26th in 32:38.28.
Both Flanagan and Goucher will run in the 5,000-meters, which begin Tuesday.
However, just a couple of days ago Flanagan’s participation in the Olympics were in doubt. Tuesday morning Flanagan woke up at 2 a.m. with stomach distress that delayed her trip to Beijing and left her coach John Cook thinking that she may have to skip the 10,000 in order to get healthy to concentrate on the 5,000-meters.
“Today the world kind of collapsed a bit,” Cook told NBC Universal. “She didn’t sleep at all last night. It just came out of nowhere and she spent most of the night in the bathroom.”
Flanagan laid low for the rest of the week leaving experts to suggest that she was in too weak to be a threat despite the fact that she owned the best 10,000-meter time in the world in 2008 with a 30:34.49. Actually, reports from Beijing were that Flanagan was going to race halfway and decide how she felt. If she wasn’t feeling good, Flanagan could step off the track and prepare for the 5,000.
Obviously, she was feeling pretty good.
Flanagan and the lead pack in the 31-women field went through the first mile in 4:49 thanks to lower humidity for the 10:45 p.m. start in the Bird’s Nest in Beijing. The pack stayed together through the first half of the race with The Netherlands Lornah Kiplagat, Dibaba, Abeylegesse and Ethiopian Mustawet Tufa pulling the runners.
The pack strung out into a single-file line past halfway and Flanagan dropped back a bit around 8-kiliometers, falling to sixth place. She quickly rallied after two laps and was within striking distance of third place with less than a mile to go.
But with approximately 800-meters to go, Flanagan surged into third place and held it to the bell lap. From there, Flanagan ran the final lap in 68 seconds to smash her American record and win the bronze. However, when Flanagan finished the race she had no idea she was in third place. Because she had lapped so many runners while driving for the tape, she didn't know if she was passing contenders or stragglers. When she crossed the finish line, Flanagan asked, "Did I do it?"
Much to her surprise, she had.
"I had no idea I was even in third," she said after the race. "I was praying I was, but I thought I might've been in fourth, and I didn't know whether to celebrate."
Her pre-race plan worked.
"My plan going out was just to go with the flow, zone out, and then go for it at the 250," Flanagan said, noting that she wanted to "fall asleep for as many laps as you can and just give it a go.
"It was enough," she said
Flanagan also wasn't aware that her time was good enough for another American record. In the past year she has set the American standard in the 3,000-meters, 5,000-meters and the 10,000-meters, twice.
"Wow, I’ll take that," Flanagan said. "I had food poisoning a couple of days ago — at least I don’t know if it was food poisoning but it wasn’t pretty — but they took good care of me and they got me rehydrated."
Can Flanagan make it two in the 5,000? Heading into the 10,000, her coach Cook said she was in really good shape.
Results 1 Tirunesh Dibaba ETH 29:54.66 (OR) 2 Elvan Abeylegesse TUR 29:56.34 (AR) 3 Shalane Flanagan USA 30:22.22 (AR) 4 Linet Chepkwemoi Masai KEN 30:26.50 (WJ) 5 Mariya Konovalova RUS 30:35.84 (PB) 6 Inga Abitova RUS 30:37.33 (SB) 7 Lucy Kabuu Wangui KEN 30:39.96 (PB) 8 Lornah Kiplagat NED 30:40.27 (SB) 9 Kimberley Smith NZL 30:51.00 10 Kara Goucher USA 30:55.16 (PB) 11 Kayoko Fukushi JPN 31:01.14 (SB) 12 Joanne Pavey GBR 31:12.30 (PB) 13 Sabrina Mockenhaupt GER 31:14.21 (PB) 14 Ejegayehu Dibaba ETH 31:22.18 15 Hilda Kibet NED 31:29.69 16 Yingying Zhang CHN 31:31.12 (SB) 17 Yoko Shibui JPN 31:31.13 18 Penninah Arusei KEN 31:39.87 19 Tatyana Khmeleva-Aryasova RUS 31:45.57 20 Yukiko Akaba JPN 32:00.37 21 Xue Bai CHN 32:20.27 22 Anikó Kálovics HUN 32:24.83 23 Kate Reed GBR 32:26.69 24 Nathalie De Vos BEL 32:33.45 (SB) 25 Preeja Sreedharan IND 32:34.64 26 Amy Begley-Yoder USA 32:38.28 27 Dulce María Rodríguez MEX 32:58.04 28 Xiaoqin Dong CHN 33:03.14 29 Isabel Checa ESP 33:17.88 DNF Mestawet Tufa ETH DNF Asmae Leghzaoui MAR DNS Nataliya Berkut UKR
Meanwhile, Americans Bernard Lagat, Lopez Lomong and Leo Manzano all advanced in the 1,500-meters, while Jenny Barringer and Anna Willard advanced to the finals in the women's 3,000-meters steeplechase...
The best one? Flotrack went to Michigan to hang with marathoner Brian Sell at The Home Depot. Yes, between his twice-a-day workouts that peak out at 160-miles per week, Sell works in the garden department. Watch it.
Are we a nation of distance runners or what?
The old-timers in baseball have a term for it - it's called "Going Hollywood." Generally it describes a ballplayer who used to be a great quote and was blessed with a down-to-earth personality that teammates, fans and the press adored. Nobody can resist the guy. The fans cheer and buy the little things that fans buy to celebrate the player's awesomeness; teammates go to war for the guy; and the media swoons by producing gushing and positive reviews of the player's work on and off the field.
Basically, the player is a celebration.
Current examples of this phenomenon are: Josh Hamilton, Grady Sizemore, Evan Longoria, Mark Reynolds, Ryan Braun, Dan Uggla and Brian McCann to name a few.
However, after a year or two of such treatment, the down-to-earthiness dissipates. Maybe the player gets to do a few commercials, or a shoe company contracts him to wear its goods. Interview requests from the well-known national outlets roll in - maybe there's a cover-shoot for a magazine thrown in.
Perhaps the ESPN or FOX will ask him to wear a microphone during the game so the viewers get to experience the full aura of his personality. Frankly, the possibilities are endless.
But when the media-hype equals the performance on the field for a few seasons, sometimes the players' head swells. With all the friends and family hanging around telling him how great he is, the ego inflates like hot-air balloon. Finally, when the multi-year deal is proffered with the rows of digits and a tiny bit of post-season award bling is accumulated, it's all over. The player is too good to stoop down to talk to the local press when ESPN and Sports Illustrated have already called. Autographs for the fans? Have they paid up yet? Will the personal appearance properly highlight all of the corporate sponsors?
And for the love of all that's holy, there can be no press relations unless the story has been cleared by the publicist and/or the agent.
Yes, the guy has gone Hollywood.
Recent examples of this phenomenon are: Barry Zito, Sammy Sosa, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Miguel Tejada and, of course, Jimmy Rollins.
Most importantly, what the old-timers always say about the guy who goes Hollywood is that they never, ever come back. Once he's gone, he's gone for good.
Bye-bye, J-Roll?
Coincidentally, it was actually in Hollywood where Jimmy Rollins' latest misstep in a season defined by such matters occurred. On the nationally syndicated cable TV program called, "The Best Damn Sports Show, Period," Rollins, along with teammate Ryan Howard, sat on a couch wearing a fashionable shirt with equally fashionable torn jeans and told hosts John Salley and Chris Rose that the baseball public in Philadelphia are... ready for this one... "front-runners."
Pause...
Pause...
Crickets...
Yes, you and I, the Phillies fan and media dude, are, in fact, "front-runners..."
I know, it didn't make sense to me, either. The only explanation is that Rollins misspoke when he said:
"...it's one of those cities. I might catch some flak for saying this, but, you know, they're front-runners. When you're doing good, they're on your side. When you're doing bad, they're completely against you. For example, Ryan (Howard) is from St. Louis. St. Louis, it seems like they support their team. They're encouraging."
Certainly it seems like the Phillies fans have been nothing but encouraging for Rollins and his teammates this season. After all, the fans have registered sell-out after sell-out all season long in the four-year-old, taxpayer-funded ballpark. Despite the fact that the Phillies have won just one World Series title since 1883 and have not won a playoff game since Game 5 of the 1993 World Series, the "front-runner" fans have helped the Phillies host the fifth-most attended games in Major League Baseball this year.
Despite the fact that the Phillies have lost more games than any other team in the history of organized professional sports (this is not hyperbole, it's fact), Citizens Bank Park has been filled to 97 percent of its capacity in 59 dates this year. Only the Red Sox, Tigers and Cubs have better percentages.
And God forbid that fans in Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Beijing, Timbuktu or Machau might actually boo a player after his manager has to bench him for lack of hustle and failure to show up to work on time. After all, they would never do that in St. Louis.
Perhaps the difference is that people in Philadelphia believe that a guy who wins the MVP one year should put out the effort every year.
But maybe that's asking too much.
OK, let's be fair. Jimmy Rollins used to be the go-to guy when looking for information on the nuance of an at-bat or a play in the field. He also is quietly aware of the game's history. He loves it. His eyes actually light up when talking about meeting Buck O'Neil and the old Negro League players. He knows the struggle those men went through not just in playing baseball, but also in everyday life.
Rollins understands baseball and can shed light on subjects that others cannot. For instance, after a game at the Vet during his first or second year in the league, I asked him how he was able to stop so quickly when running the bases at full speed. Really, it seemed as if he went from 60 to zero in a half a step. So there in the clubhouse, Rollins actually demonstrated how he "sat down" in full stride so that he could stop quickly and avoid over-running a base or a ball.
Frankly, it was as riveting and eye-opening a demonstration I have ever seen.
But that was a long time ago. That conversation would never occur these days. There probably will not be anymore demonstrations.
Hollywood.
Nevertheless, Rollins went back on "The Best Damn Sports Show, Period" on Thursday night where he didn't exactly offer up a mea culpa. Why should he - he doesn't believe he said anything untrue. Instead he clarified that "front-runner" term and expressed surprise that such words about Philly fans would cause a stir...
Insert your sarcastic, "yeah, right," here.
"The term front runner and what it actually means and to what I was using it, what was going through my mind, they weren't accurate. Front runners is like people who only show up when you're winning. Hey, we're going to cheer you if you win. That's not it about Philly fans. They're passionate. They show up - like I said, 45,000. We've got like 42 sellouts. They announce it every night. That's not what I meant. Like I said, it's the fact that here we are at this point of the year, come out and be supportive. Don't necessarily get on us. We can use that positive energy. And you know that positive energy can lift you, that negative energy can bring you down."
In other words, J-Roll, like Mike Schmidt before him, doesn't like the boos. Instead, when the Phillies fail to score runs unless someone blasts a home run, J-Roll wants a group hug. He wants people who just paid $10 to park, $16 for the cheapest seat in the park, $4.50 for a veggie burger, $4 for a gallon of gas all after the team hit the city up for tax funds to pay for the place, to be happy when he doesn't run to first base.
"There are definitely games, don't get me wrong, where I'm like, ‘Damn, you know, we are getting booed and we need to get booed because we're not doing well.' But there are a lot of times where it makes it harder to play at home when they're against you - or it feels like they're against you. They're never really against you, but it feels like they're against you - they're venting against you and it doesn't help. So, like I said, they show up. You asked about the West Coast, I'm from Oakland, I'm like, ‘They don't show up.' That has nothing to do with it.
"The whole thing was, look, here we are in the playoffs, we're at home, we're in first place. There's really nothing to boo about. We're not going to win every game. As long as we win by one when it comes down to the finish. But, go out there and support us. When Carlos Ruiz comes up to the plate, don't boo him because you want (Chris) Coste in the game. This man has a job to do today. Encourage him to do his job to the best of his abilities."
When I was a kid I never remember George Brett talking about the fans booing. Likewise, I don't recall a quote attributed to Kirk Gibson where he said he needed more encouragement from the paying customers. I doubt Nolan Ryan or Tom Seaver ever went on national TV and told the viewers that the hometown fans were "front-runners," in any type of context.
But then again those guys weren't divas. They weren't always seeking approval from the national media so they could find their smiling face on the cover of a video game. Yeah, they probably wanted the fattest contract they could get from their clubs, but they probably figured that if they were good at their job, the rest would take care of itself.
As far as I remember, those guys never went Hollywood.
Just a few clerical things: Over the next few weeks I'm going to be messing around and cleaning up the layout of this site. Don't expect a huge overhaul, instead, the changes will be minor in order to keep things neat and organized. The overall appearane will remain the same.
Also, I have added a Twitter feed. Yeah, I'm all geeked out now. Nevertheless, check out my Twitter page, which is linked in the hypertext as well as on the right-hand side of this page for various updates concerning this site, the Phillies and whatever else I feel like passing on.
For instance, an earlier Twitter update informed readers that I really like blueberries. I'm sure things might get slightly deeper than that.
Anyway, there it is. Stick around for the latest installment to this page about the diva that is Mr. Jimmy Rollins.
edited Aug. 14 @ 2:34 p.m. U.S. Eastern Timeedited Aug. 16 @ 4:58 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time
The Olympics has been a huge ratings bonanza for NBC and its web site, NBCOlympics.com. Certainly there are a lot of reasons for this such as the common sports fans' disinterest in regular-season baseball and pre-season football; actual live coverage of big events, and of course all of the drama.
Certainly it doesn't hurt to have Michael Phelps chasing Olympic history during the first week of the coverage. Nor does it hurt to have a rare interview with the President of the United States in China on a Sunday night in the summertime.
It's almost as if NBC has a captive audience.
Nevertheless, it seems as if the schedule will break nicely for NBC because after the swimming winds down, the track & field programme will start this Thursday night in the Eastern Time Zone.
Needless to say there will be some huge differences in the competition in the swimming and track events. Aside from the obvious (one has water the other just sweat), the actual elements of Beijing will become a factor. While world-records fall in nearly every heat in the swimming programme because of the turbo-charged pool and technological advances of the sport, the runners on the track will be attempting to beat the heat.
And when the heat and humidity come into play, running becomes a war of attrition.
So when Michael Phelps wraps up his assault on the record books, NBC will have Tyson Gay, Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell in the 100-meter preliminaries beginning at 9:45 p.m. on Thursday.
If it isn't enough to have the glamour event of track & field front and center on Day 1, the glamour event for distance geeks also gets going with the opening round qualifiers for the mile. Americans Bernard Lagat, a contender for the gold, as well as Lopez Lomong, the flag bearer for Team U.S.A. during the Opening Ceremonies, will be in action.
With the weather expected to turn warm this weekend in Beijing, the heat, humidity and air quality will be fairly significant. According to AccuWeather, the runners can expect temperatures in the 90s on Friday with a high UV index and humidity reaching over 60 percent. Fortunately, when the women toe the line in the 10,000-metre finals at 10:45 p.m. Beijing time, the cover of night should cool things down a bit.
It will be humid on Sunday morning (Saturday night for the U.S.) for the women's marathon, though. Certainly, the women's race will be a good chance for everyone to see just how much the pollution, fog, smog or whatever else they call it in Beijing, truly affects the athletes.
Anyway, here's a little primer for the track events of the Beijing Olympiad, complete with short synopsis and predictions.
Hell, if Sports Illustrated can do it, why can't I?
Women (all times and dates are for the U.S. Eastern Time Zone)
100-meters (Sunday, Aug. 17 - 10:25 a.m.) With defending World Champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica not in the race, this one is poised to be a U.S. sweep.
1.) Muna Lee, U.S.A. 2.) Torri Edwards, U.S.A. 3.) Lauryn Williams, U.S.A.
Results Gold: Shelly-Ann Fraser, Jamaica Silver: Sherone Simpson, Jamaica Bronze: Kerrone Stewart, Jamaica
200-meters (Thursday, Aug. 21 - 9:10 a.m.) Undoubtedly this will be hyped as the duel between Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown and American Allyson Felix. In Athens Campbell-Brown won gold and Felix got silver. During the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Felix got gold and Campbell-Brown took silver. Whose turn is it in Beijing?
1.) Veronica Campbell-Brown, Jamaica 2.) Allyson Felix, U.S.A. 3.) Kerron Stewart, Jamaica
Results Gold: Campbell-Brown, Jamaica Silver: Felix, U.S.A. Bronze: Stewart, Jamaica
400-meters (Tuesday, Aug. 19 - 10:10 a.m.) Jamaican-born, U.S.-raised Sanya Richards has a lot to prove in this event. She finished fifth in the 2007 World Championships, ninth in the 2006 World Indoor Championships, second in the 2005 World Championships and sixth in the 2004 Olympics. Mixed in, Richards smashed the U.S. record for the event, swept the 2006 Golden League meets and won the 2006 World Cup and World Athletics meets. Meanwhile, her fiancé is New York Giants' cornerback, Aaron Ross.
1.) Sanya Richards, U.S.A. 2.) Novlene Williams-Mills, Jamaica 3.) Rosemarie Whyte, Jamaica
Results Gold: Christine Ohuruogo, Great Britain Silver: Shericka Williams, Jamaica Bronze: Richards, U.S.A.
800-meters (Monday, Aug. 18 - 9:35 a.m.) Veteran Olympian Hazel Clark is the top U.S. runner in this event as well as a member of the legendary Clark family. Her sister is 800m legend Joetta Clark-Diggs, her sister-in-law is American record holder Jearl Clark and her father is Joe Clark, who was played by Morgan Freeman in the movie, Lean on Me. But Kenyan Pamela Jelimo has run five of the top seven times in the world this year.
1.) Pamela Jelimo, Kenya 2.) Janeth Jepkosgei, Kenya 3.) Hasna Benhassi, Morocco
Results Gold: Jelimo, Kenya Silver: Jepkosgei, Kenya Bronze: Benhassi, Morocco
1,500-meters (Saturday, Aug. 23 - 7:50 a.m.) Haddonfield, N.J. native Erin Donohue is the local favorite, though she will have a tough time making the finals. Shannon Rowbury of San Francisco is the top American miler, though she has her work cut out for her, too. Three runners stand out in this race, but which one will take gold is up for grabs.
1.) Maryam Jamal, Bahrain 2.) Geleta Burka, Ethiopia 3.) Iryna Lishchynska, Ukraine
Results Gold: Nancy Langat, Kenya Silver: Lishchynska, Ukraine Bronze: Nataliya Tobias, Ukraine
3,000-meters Steeplechase (Sunday, Aug. 17 - 9:30 a.m.) Recent U. of Michigan grad Anna Willard dominated the steeple in the Olympic Trials to set an American record. However, in international competition, Willard came in eighth in the heats of the 2007 World Championships. Willard will be easy to spot - she will probably color her hair pink, fuscia or electric blue. She will also be the one with U.S.A. on her jersey chasing the pack.
1.) Yekaterina Volkova, Russia 2.) Eunice Jepkorir, Kenya 3.) Gulnara Galkina, Russia
Results Gold: Galkina, Russia Silver: Jepkorir, Kenya Bronze: Volkova, Russia
5,000- meters
(Friday, Aug. 22 - 8:40 a.m.)
The U.S. has a solid team in the 5k with Kara Goucher, Shalane Flanagan and Villanova's Jen Rhines. Goucher won the event in the Olympic Trials and set the American record in the half marathon in late 2007. Rhines is a three-time Olympian in three different events, and Flanagan might have been the top American distance runner heading into the Trials. Beginning in early 2007, Flanagan set the American record in the 3,000-meters, 5,000-meters and 10,000 meters. However, a bout of food poisoning she picked up Tuesday at the U.S. distance camp in Dalian, China could derail her chances. If food poisoning wasn't bad enough, the U.S. team will face two of the best 5,000-meter runners in the world.
1.) Meseret Defar, Ethiopia 2.) Tirunesh Dibaba, Ethiopia 3.) Vivian Cheruiyot, Kenya
Results Gold: Dibaba, Ethiopia Silver: Cheruiyot, Kenya Bronze: Defar, Ethiopia
10,000-meters (Friday, Aug. 15 - 10:15 a.m.) Goucher and Flanagan double for the U.S. in the 10k with Amy Begley, the Trials' Cinderella Story. Again, the issue will be how well Flanagan recovers from food poisoning and the strong Ethiopian and Kenyan teams.
1.) Tirunesh Dibaba, Ethiopia 2.) Mestawet Tufa, Ethiopia 3.) Kim Smith, New Zealand
Results Gold: Dibaba, Ethiopia Silver: Elvan Abeylegesse, Turkey Bronze: Flanagan, U.S.A.
Marathon
(Saturday, Aug. 16 - 7:30 p.m.)
Oh man... this one is deep and wide open. That's especially the case when it was announced that defending Olympic champion Mizuki Noguchi dropped out this week with fatigue issues. Moreover, world-record holder Paula Radcliffe has missed significant training time because of a stress fracture in her left thigh suffered just three months ago. Radcliffe, of course, has won every major marathon she has entered except for the Olympics and seems determined to get after it this weekend. She reports that she feels "fresh" but "undertrained." American-record holder and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Deena Kastor is in the race looking to improve on her finish in Athens, while Kenyan star Catherine Ndereba (who used to train exclusively in Valley Forge, Pa.) aims to add another Olympic medal to an epic career.
Oh, there's more. Ethiopians Gete Wami and Berhane Adere are gold-medal threats. Others to watch include Japan's Reiko Tosa, and Russians Svetlana Zakharova and Galina Bogomolova.
Most notably, though, is China's Zhou Chunxiu who has the distinct advantage of training on the course with all of the elements that could prove to be too much for the foreign runners.
Meanwhile, the forecast is calling for somewhat cool temperatures but 80 percent humidity. That means anything goes.
1.) Paula Radcliffe, Great Britain 2.) Zhou Chunxiu, China 3.) Catherine Ndereba, Kenya
Results Gold: Constintina Tomescu-Dita, Romania Silver: Ndereba, Kenya Bronze: Chunxiu, China
Men (all times and dates are for the U.S. Eastern Time Zone)
100-meters (Saturday, Aug. 16 - 10:30 a.m.) Tyson Gay or Usain Bolt? Usain Bolt or Tyson Gay? Gay, Bolt or Asafa Powell? Either way, all three of the top contenders in the 100 have had the world-record for a bit in the past year. We give the advantage to Gay because he won't run the 200 and can focus on one event.
1.) Tyson Gay, U.S.A. 2.) Usain Bolt, Jamaica 3.) Asafa Powell, Jamaica
Results Gold: Bolt, Jamaica Silver: Richard Thompson, Trinidad and Tobago Bronze: Walter Dix, U.S.A.
200-meters (Wednesday, Aug. 20 - 10:20 a.m.) With Gay out after pulling up with a hamstring injury during the Trials, it opens the door for Bolt to stake his claim. Watch out for Americans Shawn Crawford and NCAA Champ, Walter Dix.
1.) Usain Bolt, Jamaica 2.) Walter Dix, U.S.A. 3.) Shawn Crawford, U.S.A.
Results Gold: Bolt, Jamaica Silver: Crawford, U.S.A. Bronze: Dix, U.S.A.
400-meters
(Thursday, Aug. 21 - 8:55 a.m.)
Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt each have five of the best 10 times in the world this year. More interestingly, Wariner and Merritt have split their last 10 head-to-head meetings, with Merritt taking the past two. Wariner, though, as the defending Olympic Champ, might have the most to prove.
1.) Jeremy Wariner, U.S.A. 2.) LaShawn Merritt, U.S.A. 3.) David Neville, U.S.A.
Results Gold: Merritt, U.S.A. Silver: Wariner, U.S.A. Bronze: Neville, U.S.A.
800-meters (Saturday, Aug. 23 - 7:30 a.m.) People are still talking about the 800-meters finals from last month's Olympic Trials where five men all finished within a second of each other for the three spots to go to Beijing. Christian Smith was the surprise member of the team after his dive at the tape past K.D. Robinson and Lopez Lomong punched his ticket. Needless to say, the mystery over the U.S. team remains. Nick Symmonds could surprise in Beijing because of his ability to start his kick from long range, while no one really knows how good Andrew Wheating is or can be. Wheating just finished his second year at Oregon and has only been running seriously for two years.
Be that as it is, the U.S. runners will have to perform just like they did in Eugene last month to be a factor. Besides, wouldn't it be cool if a Sudanese runner took gold in China?
1.) Abubaker Kaki-Khamis, Sudan 2.) Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, South Africa 3.) Wilfred Bungei, Kenya
Results Gold: Bungei, Kenya Silver: Ismail Ahmed, Sudan Bronze: Alfred Kirwa Yego, Kenya
1,500-meters (Tuesday, Aug. 19 - 10:50 a.m.) The old glamour event on the track always excites. It might have lost some of its luster to the faster races, but the fields have always been deep, talented and the races exciting. This year will be no different, though an American could win gold for the first time since Mel Sheppard in the 1908 London Games.
1.) Bernard Lagat, U.S.A. 2.) Augustine Choge, Kenya 3.) Abdalaati Iguider, Morocco
Results Gold: Rashid Ramzi , Bahrain Silver: Asbel Kiprop, Kenya Bronze: Nicholas Willis, New Zealand
3,000-meter steeplechase (Monday, Aug. 18 - 9:10 a.m.) One of the more interesting athletes representing the U.S. this time around is Anthony Famiglietti, a New York-native who until recently trained exclusively in Brooklyn. And no, he didn't train on the streets of New York City to better prepare him for the pollution of Beijing. Versatile and passionate as a runner, Famiglietti is more philosopher and scholar than quintessential jock. He also has been the producer and subject of two documentaries and is keeping a riveting video journal of his time in China for Runner's World, including the latest installment where he tapes the Chinese security hiding in the bushes or sitting outside his room.
But Fam will be overmatched in Beijing. Actually, the entire field will be swimming in the wake of the Kenyan team. All that's left to determine is what color the Kenyan's medals will be.
1.) Ezekiel Kemboi, Kenya 2.) Brimin Kipruto, Kenya 3.) Richard Matelong, Kenya
Results Gold: Kipruto, Kenya Silver: Mahiedine Mekhissi-B., France Bronze: Matelong, Kenya
5,000-meters
(Saturday, Aug. 23 - 8:10 a.m.)
This was Steve Prefontaine's signature distance, and the U.S. hasn't had a contender close to challenging the world in the 5,000 since Pre's run in Munich in '72. Sure, Bob Kennedy surged to the lead with 300-meters to go in the 1996 finals in Atlanta, but was quickly swallowed up by the rest of the field to finish sixth. No American has medaled in the 5k since Jim Ryun got silver in 1968, while no American has won gold since Mel Sheppard in 1908.
However, all Bernard Lagat is missing for his medal collection in the 5,000 is the gold. In Beijing he is not only looking for gold in the 5,000, but also he's attempting to pull off an incredible double in the 1,500 and 5,000.
Tall order.
Look out for Australian Craig Mottram... he's tough as hell.
1.) Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya 2.) Bernard Lagat, U.S.A. 3.) Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia
Results Gold: Bekele, Ethiopia Silver: Kipchoge, Kenya Bronze: Edwin Soi, Kenya
10,000-meters (Sunday, Aug. 17 - 10:45 a.m.) edit: Haile Gebreselassie is on the official entry list from the IAAF for the 10,000-meters, an event in which he won gold in 1996 and 2000. However, though Gebreselassie says he's fit and set for one more crack at the 10k gold, nagging injuries and the fact that he is racing in the Berlin Marathon in September doesn't change my predictions submitted earlier.
But yes, Geb will be a factor.
It would seem as if the 10k would be wide open with all-time great Haile Gebreselassie out of the Olympics in order to lower his record in the marathon in Berlin. But even with the great Geb going after the money, the Ethiopian grip on the event is still strong. After all, the defending champ will return as the prohibitive favorite.
Kenenisa Bekele will be running for two in a row as well as for his fiancé, who died while out for a run with him. Bekele's countryman, Sileshi Sihine, is also a contender. The American hope is Abdi Abdirahman, who will head to a third straight Olympics. But, "The Black Cactus" has not broken 27-minutes (no American has), which seems to be a prerequisite for winning an Olympic medal.
1.) Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia 2.) Sileshi Sihine, Ethiopia 3.) Moses Masai, Kenya
Results Gold: Bekele, Ethiopia Silver: Sihine, Ethiopia Bronze: Micah Kogo, Kenya
Marathon
(Saturday, Aug. 23 - 7:30 p.m.)
Edit: Robert Cheruyiot withdrew from the marathon with an undisclosed injury on Aug. 16. The Kenyan team replaced him with runner Luke Kibet. As a result, I changed my predictions to what is displayed. Originally I had chosen Cheruyiot for the silver.
The traditional last event of the Olympics could be the most thrilling. No, Gebreselassie is out and Paul Tergat of Kenya deferred to the younger, up-and-coming runners. But the race will feature some of the champions from the major marathons. Martin Lel of Kenya, who has won three out of the last four London marathons and the last New York City Marathon, is the favorite. Countryman Robert Cheruyiot, the winner of four of the last five Boston marathons and the 2006 Chicago Marathon can run in all sorts of conditions as evidenced by his win in Boston in '06.
Deribe Merga (2:06:38) and Tsegaye Kebebe (2:06:40) of Ethiopia will be threats, as well as Kenyan Sammy Wanjiru (2:05:24), who lost to Lel in London last April and holds the world record in the half-marathon.
Meanwhile, defending Olympic champ Stefano Baldini of Italy will toe the line along with two-time New York champ Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa and Abderrahim Goumri (2:05:30) of Morocco.
But all eyes will be on the baby-faced, blonde-haired kid from California.
Ryan Hall has been called everything from the "future of American running," to a serious contender for gold in Beijing. Both seem true. Based on the story in the most recent issue of The New Yorker, Hall will is headed to Beijing prepared to be in the mix the entire race. His 2:06 in London last April was groundbreaking, but is it enough to put him with the elite of the elite?
Meanwhile, Americans Dathan Ritzenhein and Pennsylvanian Brian Sell have legitimate shots to finish in the top 10. For a runner like Sell, who is quasi-local, a top 10 finish in the Olympic marathon is mind-boggling.
1.) Martin Lel, Kenya 2.) Sammy Wanjiru, Kenya 3.) Ryan Hall, U.S.A.
Results Gold: Wanjiru, Kenya Silver: Jaouad Gharib, Morocco Bronze: Tsegay Kebede, Ethiopia
No, it wasn’t exactly John Carlos and Tommie Smith atop the medal stand in Mexico City for the 1968 Olympics, but for Kobe Bryant that simple gesture caught by a photographer during the Opening Ceremonies in Beijing on Friday morning was about as political as it gets.
From the way it looked it was nothing more than a fleeting moment. Like a trendy, throwaway gesture that all the kids make that really doesn’t mean anything. Oh sure, maybe Kobe Bryant is for peace. Maybe deep down he believes the Chinese government-supported and bankrolled genocide in Darfur is further proof of the decay of society. The thought that human life is worth less than barrels of oil should make Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and every athlete for every nation march into the Olympic Stadium with black-gloved fists in the air.
But to make a gesture that actually had meaning behind it – that actually meant what it stood for – would be a risk for an athlete of Kob Bryant’s stature. After all, Kobe is one of Nike’s top spokesmen in the Beijing Olympics. Since a lot of Nike’s products that are sold in the U.S. are made in China, and because the shoe company has a large stake in the Chinese economy, spokesman Kobe can’t go around making declarations for human rights.
Protest is futile.
Or has Kobe simply been muzzled? Certainly we know the Lower Merion grad has some thoughts on issues like Darfur based on a public service announcement he made earlier this year. Here it is:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bSAvnpyg2Y&hl=en&fs=1]
But in China, with Team USA, Bryant says he won’t comment on the issue anymore.
“That's where we'll leave it,” he told The Washington Post.” We're going to focus on what we've got to do. We've got enough on our plate to bring back the gold medal. So we let the people that know best about the situation handle that situation and us do what we do.”
Who might that be? Is it Team USA Managing Director Jerry Colangelo, who reportedly addressed the Olympians and told them not to politicize the games, a charge he later denied in the Post story?
“We have empathy for what's happening, be it in Tibet or Darfur, and if our players are asked and their heart tells to say something, that's up to them,” he said. “I know people want quotes from some of these athletes on these issues, but come Aug. 26, I don't think we'll be asking those same questions. It's kind of newsy now. I don't have an issue with that at all.”
Wait… so human rights violations and genocide only matter when it fits into the proper news cycle? Is it me or was there a time when Darfur or Tibet has not been news?
Nevertheless, Coach Mike Krzyzewski says he and Colangelo have encouraged the basketball players to speak on whatever they want, but encouraged politeness toward the Chinese hosts.
“We want to make sure that we're good ambassadors for our country and make sure that we're representing our game here in the Olympics,” Krzyzewski said.
Because representing basketball and Nike is the bottom line, right?
So that’s where Team USA will leave it. Kind of a political don’t-ask, don’t-tell where the most provocative comment came from James.
“I don't want to bring no distractions to our team. My number one goal coming here was not to speak on political issues, it was to come win a gold medal,” James said. “I said if I was asked the question then I would answer, and I'd say that basic human rights should be protected. That's how I feel. It's not going to go further than that. It's not going to go less than that.”
Here’s where the curious part comes in. Though athletes were politicized a generation or two ago and sometimes even risked arrest and the loss of their career to make social and political statements, the latter generations have been defined by its public apathy on issues that do not mesh with capitalism, commerce and bling.
They can cite Michael Jordan as the trail blazer in that regard when he famously failed to famously failed to endorse African-American democratic senatorial candidate Harvey Gantt in his early 1990s race against arch-conservative Jesse Helms in North Carolina, because, as Jordan stated at the time, “Republicans buy sneakers, too.”
Too be fair, Jordan quietly contributed money to Gantt’s campaign and has also been a contributor to Bill Bradley’s and Barack Obama’s run for the White House. Besides, people have the right to shut-up, too.
But the notion that the Olympic Games – of any era – are not political is incredibly naïve. Oh sure, we want it to be about the best athletes from all over the globe representing their country in fair competition, but even that is political. Governing bodies in each country select the athletes, bias and favoritism is bought and sold and then comes the bureaucracies that do the drug testing.
Perhaps the only time the Olympics were pure was when Carlos and Smith raised their fists in the air.
Regardless, the Olympic ideal remains. The idea that pure sport and the best of competition is hard to be cynical about. For that the U.S. has no further to look than the man who carried the flag into the Stadium for the Opening Ceremonies last Friday morning.
Middle-distance runner Lopez Lomong's story certainly has been told and re-told enough since the U.S. athletes voted him to be the flag bearer. In fact, it’s hard to read a sentence about Lomong that doesn’t note that he was a once a “Lost Boy” from Sudan directly affected by the Chinese policy in that country. Torn from his family that hat he believed had been killed by Sudanese rebels when he was six, Lomong spent the next 10 years in a Kenyan refugee camp before being adapted by a family in the U.S.
The rest is the quintessential American Dream.
Yet by selecting Lomong (a member of a group of athletes known asTeam Darfur) to do nothing more than carry the Stars and Stripes into the stadium for the Opening Ceremonies, the U.S. athletes sent an unmistakable message against the Chinese government’s role in the Darfur genocide.
So maybe there was something to Kobe’s peace salute after all.
Go U.S.A.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2cHkMwzOiM&hl=en&fs=1] Isaac Hayes, amen.