2008 Beijing Olympics thread

[ozzie]

http://a896.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/104/l_572c436c7fe170825cff7841c15473d7.jpg

War Damn Eagle!

[KnoxHarrington]

Damn, I hate this: that American chick who went to play for the Russian women's basketball team, despite the fact I've probably spent as much time in Russia as she has, opened an interview by saying "I'd like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who made this all possible..."

No, bitch, stupidly loose IOC rules on eligibility made it possible.

I'm not going to play the "How can you play for commies, traitor" card here, but it was a mercenary move to try to worm her way into a medal. She was a free agent. I don't think that's the intent of the rules here.

[Friday]

Damn, I hate this: that American chick who went to play for the Russian women's basketball team, despite the fact I've probably spent as much time in Russia as she has, opened an interview by saying "I'd like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who made this all possible..."

No, bitch, stupidly loose IOC rules on eligibility made it possible.

I'm not going to play the "How can you play for commies, traitor" card here, but it was a mercenary move to try to worm her way into a medal. She was a free agent. I don't think that's the intent of the rules here.

this is a good article on the cross-pollinating of athletes over the years. (http://features.csmonitor.com/olympics08/2008/08/04/now-more-than-ever-olympic-teams-go-multinational/)

and in the situation of the American basketball player... she has had an olympic dream her whole life and was once again passed over by the US team, despite being a popular player in the WNBA. so why should she not grasp an opportunity to fulfill her dream?
she plays for the Russian CSKA team in the off-season... which gave her this opportunity to compete.

“I can see the frustrations of both nations losing athletes to other countries, and local athletes losing slots to foreign-born ones, but whether or not this is interfering with good competition or not is really a matter of perspective,” concludes Mr. Bijkerk. “It depends on the athlete and the reason they are switching teams. True, when someone does it only for the money, I don’t like it...but when switching countries is an athlete’s best chance to compete … well, then I think it only enhances competition.”

[Sinestro]

We love Becky Hammon!!!

[Reynolds]

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[KnoxHarrington]

Anyone gonna try to stay up to 2:30 AM to watch the basketball final?

I forget which bunch of jobbers they'll be playing.

[TheMojoPin]

BEIJING (AP) -- A Cuban taekwondo athlete and his coach were banned for life after Angel Matos kicked the referee in the face following his bronze-medal match disqualification.

BA-DAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/si/2008/olympics/2008/08/23/taekwondo.ban.ap/p1.tk.ap.jpg

Awesome coincidental acronym:

"This is a strong violation of the spirit of taekwondo and the Olympic Games. The sanctions are the following and are effective immediately: Lifetime ban of the coach and athlete in all championships and at the same time, all records of this athlete at the Beijing Games will immediately be erased," said the announcer, reading a WTF release.

[Friday]

Anyone gonna try to stay up to 2:30 AM to watch the basketball final?

I forget which bunch of jobbers they'll be playing.

which definition of Jobber (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobber) did you mean?

http://www.wackbag.com/images/smilies/kopfkratz.gif

[Willmore]

Damn, I hate this: that American chick who went to play for the Russian women's basketball team, despite the fact I've probably spent as much time in Russia as she has, opened an interview by saying "I'd like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who made this all possible..."

No, bitch, stupidly loose IOC rules on eligibility made it possible.

I'm not going to play the "How can you play for commies, traitor" card here, but it was a mercenary move to try to worm her way into a medal. She was a free agent. I don't think that's the intent of the rules here.


And when all the American baseball players went to play for Greece, despite never before even visiting the country, was that OK?

What about all the distance runners who leave Ethiopia to play for European nations? Or the Chinese table tennis players who play for other countries. Or the Brazilian beach volleyball players who competed for Georgia, or the Armenian wrestler who competed for Sweden and was disqualified. Or what about Nastia Liukin, should the Russians feel peeved that she was born in Moscow, but is competing for the US?


Becky Hammon got the publicity because she was a mid-western "all-american girl" who decided to play for Russia. If she said she wanted to play for Australia, I doubt anyone would care.

And the rules are stupid, I agree, but would you rather handcuff the athlete to their nation of birth, or make every athlete decide at the age of 16 for which country they want to compete and stick with it? There is not system that works, and why should it? The spirit of the games was never about countries, it was about athletes joining together, regardless of country to compete and find the greatest athlete amongst them.

[Friday]

And when all the American baseball players went to play for Greece, despite never before even visiting the country, was that OK?

What about all the distance runners who leave Ethiopia to play for European nations? Or the Chinese table tennis players who play for other countries. Or the Brazilian beach volleyball players who competed for Georgia, or the Armenian wrestler who competed for Sweden and was disqualified. Or what about Nastia Liukin, should the Russians feel peeved that she was born in Moscow, but is competing for the US?


Becky Hammon got the publicity because she was a mid-western "all-american girl" who decided to play for Russia. If she said she wanted to play for Australia, I doubt anyone would care.

And the rules are stupid, I agree, but would you rather handcuff the athlete to their nation of birth, or make every athlete decide at the age of 16 for which country they want to compete and stick with it? There is not system that works, and why should it? The spirit of the games was never about countries, it was about athletes joining together, regardless of country to compete and find the greatest athlete amongst them.

http://www.wackbag.com/images/smilies/appl.gif

[Friday]

Puppy Games are beating the real games out tonght.

[Willmore]

¡Viva España!

!Viva La Revolución!


I'm not Spanish, but I really want the Redeem team to lose, just because I hate that nickname.

[TheGameHHH]

¡Viva España!

!Viva La Revolución!


I'm not Spanish, but I really want the Redeem team to lose, just because I hate that nickname.

seriously, how can you root against your country? especially over something so trivial as a name. sports media has spent 8 years verbally bitch slapping NBA players about how they arent good enough in international play. now they finally do something about it and you have nothing but hate........for your country no less. move to cuba if you want a revolucion.

[whiskyriver]

Spain needs to get rid of the espn logo on their unis

[KnoxHarrington]

If I'd told you that the US team would have scored 69 points in the first half of the gold medal game, you'd probably think the game was well on the way to an utter blowout.

But Spain's still in this. I don't think they'll win...but it could be interesting.

[TheGameHHH]

d. wade has been filthy.......hopefully a little more kobe and lebron in the 2nd half will put Spain away

[Kevin]

seriously, how can you root against your country? especially over something so trivial as a name. sports media has spent 8 years verbally bitch slapping NBA players about how they arent good enough in international play. now they finally do something about it and you have nothing but hate........for your country no less. move to cuba if you want a revolucion.

QFT

Nobody in Spain is rooting for us i will tell you that.

[TheMojoPin]

Redeem Team is fucking streetball porn.

It's a crime these games have been live at such shitty times.

[Willmore]

seriously, how can you root against your country? especially over something so trivial as a name. sports media has spent 8 years verbally bitch slapping NBA players about how they arent good enough in international play. now they finally do something about it and you have nothing but hate........for your country no less. move to cuba if you want a revolucion.

I'm not American either. I'm watching 2 neutral teams, and I'd rather see Spain win.

[KnoxHarrington]

Holy shit, Spain's in this game.

[TheGameHHH]

I'm not American either. I'm watching 2 neutral teams, and I'd rather see Spain win.

my bad...

i have the exact same feeling watching this game as i did watching the Super Bowl this year. something just didn't feel right. like the stars are aligned for the underdog to pull off an upset.

[KnoxHarrington]

And with that, the lead runs back up to 9.

Does Spain have another run in them?

[TheGameHHH]

And with that, the lead runs back up to 9.

Does Spain have another run in them?

fuckin kobe baby!!!!!!!!!!!

[barjockey]

via con dio Espana

I'm really surprised its this close.:glurps:

[KnoxHarrington]

Three...and a foul!

Kobe wants that fuckin' gold, son.

[Willmore]

Portland Trail Blazers are looking really good for next seasons - Rudy Fernandez, Brandon Roy and Greg Oden.

[barjockey]

This is so exciting

[KnoxHarrington]

The Heat sucked so completely and utterly this season that I think people forgot about Dwayne Wade. These Olympics -- and this game -- has reintroduced him to everyone.

[KnoxHarrington]

Damn, both Kobe and LeBron have 4 fouls. That could be bad.

[Willmore]

Game over.

[barjockey]

Its GOLD

[TheGameHHH]

The Heat sucked so completely and utterly this season that I think people forgot about Dwayne Wade. These Olympics -- and this game -- has reintroduced him to everyone.

yea, plus he didnt really play a lot this year cause he was injured. but its official, he's back and he's gonna be d. wade again.

[Willmore]

Kobe is a stats whore ... in other news, the sky is blue.

[TheGameHHH]

how can people argue kobe isn't the best player in the game today?

love that gold

[KnoxHarrington]

Hahahaha Coach K gets a little bit of a shower

[Willmore]

how can people argue kobe isn't the best player in the game today?

love that gold

I can't argue it, but I don't have to like it.

[KnoxHarrington]

I like that they're all giving Doug Collins his props.

[KnoxHarrington]

I also like that they busted out the old John Tesh music for this.

[HBox]

U S A
U S A
U S A
U S A
U S A

[TheGameHHH]

im very happy i got to see that but now i need to go to bed

[KnoxHarrington]

I wonder what the rating on this game will be. It's gotta be a record for an event starting this late.

[HBox]

To add to the patriotic fervor a tiny bit, the US Men's Volleyball team won gold right before this game started. Their coach was the guy who's family members were stabbed before the games started.

[Friday]

Redeem Team is fucking streetball porn.

It's a crime these games have been live at such shitty times.

i hope to god this is a compliment to Team USA.
and yes, it is unfortunate that China 12 hrs away.

but thank you, NBC for carrying the games on so many channels and LIVE for so many of the games.

and YAY for the US Mens Basketball team.... not only did they take back that GOLD... but they really embraced the games this year. showing up to support their teammates, giving autographs to starstruck gymnasts, and being sportsman, even though they are worldwide stars. they seemed to appreciate the experience... and now the GOLD... as a team should.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

[Kevin]

Watching this side of Kobe was great. Made me a Kobe fan. I wish he would show this side more in the NBA. He came up huge.

I caught this game 3rd qtr on and was not disappointed.

[TheMojoPin]

"giving autographs" to starstruck gymnasts

Fixed.

The REAL balance beam is the Kobe surprise. It's why those little mutants were stumbling all over the place...the Redeem Team wears you OUT.

[spadanko]

Redemption Bitches!!!

Usa!!!

[King Hippos Bandaid]

nice win for the USA Basketball Team


cant wait for the 2012 Olympics when the 'you better win the gold or we give you a silly name team" tries to defend the gold

[K.C.]

cant wait for the 2012 Olympics when the 'you better win the gold or we give you a silly name team" tries to defend the gold

They'll call that team the Iversons.

[TheMojoPin]

They'll call that team the Iversons.

Nah, it'll be all Kemps, led by Shawn himself.

For the next 6 Olympics.

[K.C.]

Nah, it'll be all Kemps, led by Shawn himself.

For the next 6 Olympics.

It's only a 12 man roster. Shawn's going to have to cut at least six of his kids.


...I smell reality show gold!!!

[KnoxHarrington]

Actually, the 2012 team will look pretty much like the 2008 team, probably. The genius here isn't so much Coach K (though I'm sure Dick Vitale started spontaneously cumming as soon as the game ended), as it is Jerry Colangelo, who pulled together a real program, not just an ad hoc team thrown together at the last moment like they'd been doing. You can tell that this team had a real team spirit those other teams lacked.

As I type this, IOC president Jacques Rogge pretty much said point blank that baseball won't be back unless MLB lets its players play. And he also pretty much said that he thought softball got cut out of an "unfair" association with baseball, and seemed to leave the door open for it coming back in 2016. My guess is that if Chicago gets the Olympics, it definitely will be. If not, maybe, but a bit less likely.

[ozzie]

Is it really so crazy to propose playing Baseball in the winter olympics?

Dave threw this out there last week on the show, and Ron knocked the idea, saying that "Baseball is a summer sport". Sure, and basketball is a Fall/Winter/Spring sport played in the Summer Olympics. So what?

Not all of the events have to be held at a venue in, or near, the "olympic village". The next winter olympics are in Vancouver. Would it be so crazy to find a dome (Toronto, maybe?) and allow the major league players to represent their home country, and play baseball in February?

[KnoxHarrington]

Is it really so crazy to propose playing Baseball in the winter olympics?

Dave threw this out there last week on the show, and Ron knocked the idea, saying that "Baseball is a summer sport". Sure, and basketball is a Fall/Winter/Spring sport played in the Summer Olympics. So what?

Not all of the events have to be held at a venue in, or near, the "olympic village". The next winter olympics are in Vancouver. Would it be so crazy to find a dome (Toronto, maybe?) and allow the major league players to represent their home country, and play baseball in February?

If the IOC is making it clear that baseball won't be back unless MLB players are allowed in, that might be their only option.

[TheMojoPin]

If the IOC is making it clear that baseball won't be back unless MLB players are allowed in, that might be their only option.

That's essentially the only option. The baseball season already extends late as it is, so they couldn't just stop things for 2 weeks.

[brettmojo]

The owners would never go for it.

[KnoxHarrington]

The owners would never go for it.

It only happened in the NHL out of desperation: the owners needed something to jump start the sport, get a little buzz, and they went for that. I don't think MLB owners feel the same sort of desperation.

[hammersavage]

I don't like my players playing significant time in an All-Star game, let alone 2 weeks in the middle of the season.

[TheGameHHH]

Is it really so crazy to propose playing Baseball in the winter olympics?

Dave threw this out there last week on the show, and Ron knocked the idea, saying that "Baseball is a summer sport". Sure, and basketball is a Fall/Winter/Spring sport played in the Summer Olympics. So what?

Not all of the events have to be held at a venue in, or near, the "olympic village". The next winter olympics are in Vancouver. Would it be so crazy to find a dome (Toronto, maybe?) and allow the major league players to represent their home country, and play baseball in February?

between the World Baseball Classic, pitchers and catchers reporting to camp, and positional players starting up workouts its gonna be tough to get everything in line so pro players can participate. i like the WBC, why not just continue to have that? is it so important we play this sport in the olympics?

[joeyballsack]

I dont know much about soccer, so how do the various professional soccer leagues deal with things such as the World Cup and Olympics ?

Those events dont seem to be hurting those leagues too much since its the most popular sport in the world. Maybe MLB should look at the Olympics as an opportunity to make new worldwide stars much like the NBA did this year with Team USA.

[dino_electropolis]

closing ceremonies....here we go again with the Chinese display of military might....really grasps the spirit of the games...

[Misteriosa]

they never use a performer more than once... but hell those bastards have the man power for it

[dino_electropolis]

they never use a performer more than once... but hell those bastards have the man power for it

well, even if they did use the performer more than once, its not that you would be able to tell the difference...ya know, cause they all look alike (b/c of their costumes, not their slanty eyes, you racist bastards!)

[Friday]

US Mens Volleyball..... :clap:

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/23/fullj.ea0f72962a4366a9de1cc13ed0afc3a3/ea0f72962a4366a9de1cc13ed0afc3a3-getty-81972784dm086_olympics_day_.jpg

[hammersavage]

that was a great final moment to a very enjoyable Olympics.

[Misteriosa]

Overall Medal Count

Overall Medal Count Gold Silver Bronze Total
Flag of United States 36 38 36 110
Flag of China 51 21 28 100
Flag of Russia 23 21 28 72
Flag of Britain 19 13 15 47
Flag of Australia 14 15 17 46

[KnoxHarrington]

I love how when the head of the BOC spoke, they didn't put up subtitles or have a translator voice-over; they just tried to paraphrase what he said.

Kind of cheesy, NBC. If Rogge gets to have his platitudes and spin aired in their entirety, so does the dude who ran these games.

[Misteriosa]

ha! these are the second string announcers it seems. i really think nbc is overloaded with the olympics and is calling it in at this point :o

London 2012, here we come!

[KnoxHarrington]

ha! these are the second string announcers it seems. i really think nbc is overloaded with the olympics and is calling it in at this point :o

London 2012, here we come!

Sounds like all the sound guys went home too. What, you got one mic in the upper deck, NBC?

[dino_electropolis]

fkn Jimmy Page....love it....though he looks like Quaker Oats dude....

[Friday]

i really hope Leona Lewis is not afraid of heights.... wheeeeeeee
she sounds a lot better than Robert Plant these days.... :unsure:

Jimmy Page!

[dino_electropolis]

Kinda funny that part of the London 2012 float was festooned with umbrella's....shouldnt bode well for the american relay teams!

[Misteriosa]

i really hope Leona Lewis is not afraid of heights.... wheeeeeeee
she sounds a lot better than Robert Plant these days.... :unsure:

Jimmy Page!

i hope ms lewis will still be around. she's really good, but i dont have much faith in the music industry's integrity anymore.

and yes... YAY jimmy Paige!

[KnoxHarrington]

That "Beijing, Beijing" song was awful, by the way.

And I'm sure it would have still been awful even if I spoke Mandarin.

[Misteriosa]

it seems that the chinese want no mistake about the veracity of the fireworks they use this time around....

and these songs suck a dog's dick...

[Friday]

That "Beijing, Beijing" song was awful, by the way.

And I'm sure it would have still been awful even if I spoke Mandarin.

i thought it had a good beat.

i liked watching the guys repel down the memory tower ... secretly hoping they would crash into one of the musicians.

[Friday]

i was wondering why he jetted off to london this week....

he has such a nasally voice. must be all that water he gets in his nasal passage. :p

[KnoxHarrington]

And that's the end of the Olympics, donk.

[Friday]

donk.

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/tools/med/2008/08/ipt/1219492396.jpg


http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/ab/fullj.b84af35e3e6c9fb01e34cc581769897d/b84af35e3e6c9fb01e34cc581769897d-getty-oly-2008-closing_ceremony.jpg


see you in Vancouver....

[IMSlacker]

donk.

What are you talking about? The U.S. is playing Brazil right now for the gold medal in volleyball! Oooh, this is so exciting! I wonder who will win.