I am watching the closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics right now, with just a twinge of sadness that the games are over. Normally I don't pay much attention to the summer Olympics because who wants to sit in front of the TV when it is so nice outside? But the story lines of these games have compelled me to carve out some time to watch. I decided to share some of my highlights of the 29th Olympiad, so here it goes:
Most Outstanding Athlete: Michael Phelps. Was there any doubt? Phelps earned 8 gold medals, more than any other Olympian ever.
Moment That Made Me Jump Out of My Chair: Usain Bolt in the 100 Meter Dash. He not only set a new world record, he SMASHED the old one. This graphic from the New York Times shows just how far from reality Bolt's run was. He ended up setting two more WRs in the games.
Coolest Venue: The Watercube. China really set the bar high with its venues this year. All of them were spectacular and will be remembered as some of the greatest venues of the modern Olympics. The Watercube was the best however. When it was illuminated at night it was breathtaking.
Favorite NBC Announcer Team: (You had to know I was going here) Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines. Their calls of the awesome swimming races were perfect. Just the right level of emotion and they let the races and performances speak for themselves.
Moment When I Felt Bad: When Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang had to withdraw because of a bad Achilles heal. He was the favorite in the event (which is rare for China in track) and the Bird's Nest was full to see him run. He was very upset for not being able to run for his country.
Best Smile: Shawn Johnson. I felt bad when she kept coming up short for gold medals, but she always kept her smile.
Sport I Gained the Most Respect For: Gymnastics. Those people were hands down the strongest athletes in the games.
Sport I Hated: Badminton. Dude, they are like 3 feet from the net. Boring.
Moment When I Almost Cried: When NBC interviewed the USA men's volleyball coach after his team won the gold. His father was killed in Beijing right before the games started. The coach was trying to fight back tears and showed great composure.
Best Commercials: The Visa Ads. Morgan Freeman is the man. I would jump in front of a bus if he told me to. The Visa ads that he narrated were awesome, and this one was my favorite:
Thing Angered Me: NBC wouldn't show those of us in the west events that got shown live on the east coast. Don't get me started on my east coast bias theory in sports and news.
Thing (Person) That Made Me Laugh: Bela Karolyi. He should get a spot in the Sunday Night Football booth with Al and John. He made Bob Costas so uncomfortable. Hilarious.
This blog post is way longer than it should be, sorry. All-in-all I thought the Olympics were great this year. China gets an A-, NBC gets a solid B.
