Olympics 2008

[zero2056]

Games start on 8/8/08 and one of my favorite parts is the interesting (and sometimes cheesy) opening ceremony.

I'm excited that China gets to host this year. I don't know much about the Chinese and their culture and I always think that NBC and Bob Costas (I'm assuming they got the contract again) do a good job informing the viewer throughout the 2 weeks the games are on.

What say ye? Fan or foe of the games?

[bubz_bluez]

im certainly a fan.... does anyone know whether baseball will be in the games? the whole baseball classic pisses me off
bubs

[mrjohnchimpo]

i rarely watch any olympic games. the only ones are both during winter and those would be curling and the one where they cross-country ski and then shoot at targets.

[JVO]

Hey zero, you want to get together for the opening ceremonies? I am going out friday night, but I probably won't leave until after 10:00pm.

[False Alarm]

im certainly a fan.... does anyone know whether baseball will be in the games? the whole baseball classic pisses me off
bubs
baseball will be there this year bubz, but it may be the last year if it's not popular or something. as a result, they've added a rule where if the game goes into extra innings, teams will start the inning with runners on 1st and 2nd and can pick where they want to start in the batting order (just once, not each new inning). they say they need to speed up the game to hold peeps' interest or something.

why do you hate the world baseball classic bubz? i find that one much more interesting cuz it's, you know, actually the world's best players. is it just the potential injuries to cardinals? i can see the concern with that.

------------------------------------------------

to answer zero's question--foe of the games. they seem to be mostly for dilettante sports viewers. it's mildly interesting to see weird sports like fencing or this hilarious one i saw the trials for called like the steeplejack or something, where it's like a long-distance run but then they've got all kinds of gigantic hurdles (not normal ones) and huge puddles the guys gotta run through and like landmines and pit traps to negotiate. it's hilarious, and the US's best guy on it's this huge artsy guy with a buncha tattoos and a huge beard. where was i? oh yeah: if i really gave a shit about these sports, i'd follow em the rest of the time.

also, sometimes there are nice we-are-the-world and isn't-this-way-better-than-shooting-at-each-other? vibes to the games, but at least as often the games invite a sort of petty nationalism that turns me off.

[zero2056]

Hey zero, you want to get together for the opening ceremonies? I am going out friday night, but I probably won't leave until after 10:00pm.

Had the same thought and was going to send you a message when I got some things figured out for the weekend.

I maybe leaving town for the weekend, and was going to see if a) that was going to happen and b) if we were leaving Friday night or Saturday morning.

[bubz_bluez]

olympics is all about tradition and its a tradition for baseball to be in the olympics.... i just didnt like it when they took it out of the games. and i thought thats what they did with the baseball classic maybe im wrong

bubs

[slam]

i think it's been interesting watching china try to clean up beijing's air enough for world class athletes to compete in. they've gone to draconian measures, banning cars, etc, but it does not appear to be helping.

according to wired (http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/08/olympic-committ.html), on monday, smog levels were 8 times higher than the WHO levels deemed 'safe'. it seems the only thing that ever drops the smog levels is rain, but the chinese are doing their best (http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=c51de673-7196-4cf6-ad88-ba507948a389) to prevent that as well.

if i were an athlete in a sport where hundredths of a second count, i'm not sure i'd be willing to subject my lungs to that punishment. i imagine a whole lot of events will be canceled for safety concerns, and that sure won't look good.

i'm just not sure they can pull it off. will there be an opening ceremonies with all of the athletes wearing face masks?

[JVO]

.

if i were an athlete in a sport where hundredths of a second count, i'm not sure i'd be willing to subject my lungs to that punishment. i imagine a whole lot of events will be canceled for safety concerns, and that sure won't look good.


I got to say when I saw the coverage of the US cyclists wearing those stupid ass masks in the Beijing airport I was ashamed to be an american. Have we really become so pussified that we have to wear masks so that our delicate little lungs stay pink and pretty? Please. It would be like somebody inviting you to their house and you putting on dainty white gloves to make sure that you don't get any dirt on your hands. Talk about rude! ESPN commentator Tony Corheiser said it best when he said, "I hope somebody poisons those guys food!" If you are going to be a rude jackass then don't go!

I am not arguing that the pollution isn't bad, but for crying out loud, there are over a billion Chinese people who seem to be able to live with it ok, I am sure that spoiled Americans can put up with it for a couple of weeks without it ending their careers, and if it can’t, then they were never tough enough to win in the first place. We have young men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan getting shot at with automatic weapons and blown up with IED's without complaint, and then we have these idiot athletes who are afraid to breathe dirty air. All things beginning considered I would rather have the soldiers representing me than the athletes.

The Olympics are the one time for the entire world to put aside their differences and come together in peace, and we immediately show ourselves off to be snobby ignoramuses before we even get out of the damn airport.

Pitiful.

They aren't cancelling shit. The Chinese are going to make sure this goes off without a hitch. They will have 250,000,000 peasants waving big fans east of Beijing if they have to. The Chinese are tough, which is apparently more than can be said about the moron American cyclists.

[mrjohnchimpo]

all i keep hearing is reports of 'merican athletes whining about the air. There was some indoor center as well where they left some ceiling panels open or something, and the American athletes complained about "haze in the building" when nobody else could see anything.

I'm going to attempt to not watch a single Olympic event this year. I mean, most of the time I don't care, but I still catch some cause it's all anyone covers (like they think the rest of the world gets put on pause for some reason). This time I'm going to actively try to avoid. Just to be contrary.

[slam]

I got to say when I saw the coverage of the US cyclists wearing those stupid ass masks in the Beijing airport I was ashamed to be an american.

i seriously doubt that americans are the only ones who will be wearing face masks. we shall see.

but i can't blame them. seriously, when competing against the best athletes in the world, one's lung conditions are going to be a serious factor in who gets the gold. and isn't that why they're all there? to win? if g.w. wears a face mask, well, that's one thing. but the athletes are there to compete, not put a happy face on china's pollution problems.

and i doubt the chinese in beijing 'seem to be ok' with the pollution. according to the WHO (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070709-china-pollution.html), 650,000 chinese die every year from air pollution related illnesses. smog is no joke, especially in the levels that beijing has.

[False Alarm]

i seriously doubt that americans are the only ones who will be wearing face masks. we shall see.

but i can't blame them. seriously, when competing against the best athletes in the world, one's lung conditions are going to be a serious factor in who gets the gold. and isn't that why they're all there? to win? if g.w. wears a face mask, well, that's one thing. but the athletes are there to compete, not put a happy face on china's pollution problems.

and i doubt the chinese in beijing 'seem to be ok' with the pollution. according to the WHO (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070709-china-pollution.html), 650,000 chinese die every year from air pollution related illnesses. smog is no joke, especially in the levels that beijing has.
i don't necessarily disagree with you but they look like total jagbags comin into the airport like that. at least enter the country looking like a nondouchebag, then throw on a mask when you get into your limo or hotel or some shit. i'm sure brief interludes to take off your mask--at the opening ceremony, during your actual event, when you enter their country for the first time to great fanfare--wouldn't affect your performance.

[zero2056]

i seriously doubt that americans are the only ones who will be wearing face masks. we shall see.

but i can't blame them. seriously, when competing against the best athletes in the world, one's lung conditions are going to be a serious factor in who gets the gold. and isn't that why they're all there? to win? if g.w. wears a face mask, well, that's one thing. but the athletes are there to compete, not put a happy face on china's pollution problems.

and i doubt the chinese in beijing 'seem to be ok' with the pollution. according to the WHO (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070709-china-pollution.html), 650,000 chinese die every year from air pollution related illnesses. smog is no joke, especially in the levels that beijing has.

The Chinese call 650,000 smog related deaths, population control.

[Ag Au]

08/08/08 is an auspicious date for the chinese, so we shall see how well this holds true. i am looking forward to at least seeing the opening ceremonies.

[zero2056]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/08/bush-olympics.html

I watched the opening ceremony on Friday night and then most of the day Sunday.

Watching dumbass Bush show up all over th place was actually kind of funny. He even kind of gave Bob Costas a big "F U" during an interview, which was subtle yet effective as it definitely took Costas back a little bit... and then the interview was over.

Beach volley ball in high def.... best olympic sport, evah'! Check out the above link.

The 400M Men's Medley was fuckin' awesome to witness as well.

[JVO]

[url]
The 400M Men's Medley was fuckin' awesome to witness as well.

I just happened to watch that last night right before I went to bed. I had started to bitch about how I was tired of all of the swimming events, and then this came on.

One of the best races I have ever seen.

I have been watching a lot of the Boxing matches on CNBC. Olympic boxing is very interesting.

I think it is funny that the French always choke. They don't even seem to mind all that much.

The Opening Ceremonies were awesome.

[matty]

I like Michael Phelps, but Jeeeeesus. If I see any more little documentaries about him, his mom, his coach, or his fan club, I'm going to vom.

[Soul Queen]

I think it was the best opening ceremony I can remember. Which is only a few. :D

I've been watching on and off. No particular sport calls to me. Though I predict by Thursday, I'll be saying NO MORE SWIMMING...

Which do you enjoy better, Winter or Summer Olympics?

[bubz_bluez]

i like them both equally i think

love snowboarding ones of these days ill get the balls to do it but, whole scared of hieghts has kept me from it so far

bubs

[007]

Definitely enjoy Summer Olympics more than Winter. The summer sports are more my style & make for better television.

The Opening Ceremony was very impressive & a real treat to watch.

Been a great coupla days so far. I've watched a lot of swimming & boxing [on Telemundo].

We'll see what tonite has in store.

[JVO]

Zero and I were talking about this during the Opening Ceremonies.

The Beijing Olympic Committee distributed 100,000 condoms to the athletes. I guess in Greece they distributed 75,000 (which works out to 35 per athlete) and they ran out before the end of the second week. Beijing is hoping that the 100,000 will be enough, but they have another 50,000 in reserve just in case.

[Soul Queen]

What a job! I could be part of a cheer squad. Of course, i would get pretty bored through 1/3 of any softball event.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/12/AR2008081203262.html?hpid=topnews

[matty]

I watched Greco-Roman wrestling today. I don't understand the rules of that sport in the least.

I also saw a great volleyball game between China and Cuba. Cuba lost the first two matches, then defended 7 match points and came back to win the third match, then dominated the rest. It was awesome.

Synchronized diving is pretty awesome, too.

[matty]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=251017&cc=5901

Nigeria defeated the US Men's Soccer team. That means that we didn't even make the quarter-finals. Boooo!!

However, there was apparently a big standoff from the US as they pushed for the equalizing point, to the point that the people in the stands were cheering "U-S-A! U-S-A!" So it's nice for us to get some global soccer recognition, at least.

[mrjohnchimpo]

here's a blog celebrating last place finishes, "because they're there, and you're not":

http://www.mcwetboy.net/dfl/

[Soul Queen]

Did anyone catch the ladies Speedwalking competition? It is one the most bizarre things in the Olympics and really I can't believe its a competition.
They look like freaks! 007 and I were laughing for 15 minutes over how idiotic they looked.

[matty]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2urNVmKnEaQ&feature=related

Speed walking! There was a Malcolm in the Middle episode where the dad got really into speed walking.

Hilariously, I imagine that Olympic speed walkers could walk faster than most BTP members can run.

[mrjohnchimpo]

that is ridiculous.

[Soul Queen]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2urNVmKnEaQ&feature=related

Speed walking! There was a Malcolm in the Middle episode where the dad got really into speed walking.

Hilariously, I imagine that Olympic speed walkers could walk faster than most BTP members can run.

That is because half the time they are not walking. Its almost a jog.
It almost looks painful.

I thought it was funny to see the judges with the yellow paddles go out to the mob of walkers to give "lifting" warnings.

[matty]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3GGzq1PIqs&NR=1

OMG. This one is better--the women's final. Her walk is superior. Also, they have a slow-mo finish, which literally made me laugh out loud.

[cuscus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3GGzq1PIqs&NR=1

OMG. This one is better--the women's final. Her walk is superior. Also, they have a slow-mo finish, which literally made me laugh out loud.
The announcer says, "brilliant display of walking".
:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

[zero2056]

Why the slo mo when nobody was even close??

News press released later on, she wasn't in the race... just looking for the bathroom after eating some of Beijing's finest dishes (did you see the shit they eat over there!).

[slam]

The Beijing Olympic Committee distributed 100,000 condoms to the athletes.

here's an interesting article about the amount of bootynastics going on at the olympics:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article4582421.ece

[JVO]

I gotta give it up for the Chinese. They did an awesome job.
The Closing Ceremonies were just as cool as the opening. I am really excited for London. The fact that they choose a Led Zep song to represent them and picked Jimmy Page to be their performer are all good signs.

[zero2056]

Very cool that Page was on screen and got some love at the ceremonies, but I didn't realize he looks like an undead guitar playing zombie. yeesh...

Leona Lewis made up for it though :groucho:

I kept waiting for the closing ceremonies to... errr... close, but they kept going strong for a long arse time.

The chinese have to be pleased with how their turn at hosting went.

:thumbsup:

[slam]

you guys catch this?

http://olympics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/23/one-way-of-protesting-a-referees-decision/

A Cuban tae kwon do athlete committed one of the biggest breaches of sportsmanship at an Olympics, kicking a referee in the face in anger after he was disqualified from his match Saturday.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs/olympics/apkick533.jpg

[zero2056]

Yup.

He's probably lucky he didn't get run over by a tank on his way back to the Olympic Village.

What shitty sportsmanship.... especially for one Commie gymnast in the host Commie nation.

At least he wasn't from the US.

[mrjohnchimpo]

i'm just glad it's over.

[Soul Queen]

Yup.

He's probably lucky he didn't get run over by a tank on his way back to the Olympic Village.

What shitty sportsmanship.... especially for one Commie gymnast in the host Commie nation.

At least he wasn't from the US.

I think I read somewhere that he has been banned for life from all tournaments, even the small ones.

[bubz_bluez]

i wish i could have caught more baseball but it just seemed like it was on at odd hours....

ahhh well

bubs

[matty]

I didn't catch any of the baseball. I watched a couple of the softball games on and off, but the US just dominated everything to the point that it was really boring. then I missed the game against Japan where they lost. :(

The judo shit was awesome. Too bad there's nowhere to learn judo around here, or I would totally add that to the hundred things I'm already doing....

[bubz_bluez]

i agree matty judo is awesome .... im surprised theres not a dojo around here for judo...
anyways i missed alot of the baseball too ... pissed me off they didnt show it till real late most the time
bubs

[zero2056]

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/michael_phelps_returns_to_his_tank