There has been a lot of controversy on whether Michael Phelps won his 7th gold medal in the Beijing Olympics games, 100m Butterfly, or if he grabbed a silver.
I, myself, even questioned if he won. Cavic was clearly in the lead with inches to go and I watched replays over and over and as much as I love Michael Phelps, I had to go with Cavic on this one.
Thankfully to technology the truth reveals itself.
You can clearly see that Michael Phelps' (left of picture) fingers are fully bent backwards from touching the wall. Cavic's hands are still fully extended. This is a clear picture that the technology under scrutiny is accurate to the one one-hundredth of a second.
Michael Phelps is truly remarkable in what he does. He's been getting a tremendous amount of flak from spectators in the world, competitors in his sport and the media for being "too good". Cavic even went so far as to say that he thought it would be good for Michael Phelps and swimming in general if he lost. There was even one American swimmer who was a bit jealous of his coverage because it made her (and others) feel inferior, like their accomplishments were nothing.
Granted Michael Phelps is overshadowing his fellow teammates and fellow Olympians but honestly he deserves it. Why do we teach our children if they work hard enough they can achieve anything they want and can obtain any dream they have if we're going to ridicule them for being too good?
Work hard but not too hard Michael! We don't to offend others by your super-human abilities.
I even read an article yesterday (early this morning) that suggests that Michael Phelps has an edge over other athletes because he's doping. No, not that kind of doping. The kind where his iPod he's always listening to creates extra blood flow and improves oxygen levels giving him an unfair advantage over the other athletes. I think it's time to ban iPods and sue Apple!
Did you notice that Michael Phelps wears earphones and is listening music just before his every Olympic start, at Beijing’s Olympiad Water Cube pool deck, be it finals or semifinals? … Phelps removed earphones 2 minutes before the start, and he was the only swimmer who worn earphones at the pool deck. Intriguing scientific evidence testifies: Listening to music improves blood oxygen capacity and is a performance enhancement.
The only thing I can really say is congrats Michael. There will always be skeptics and haters in every aspect of life. Congrats on being the most hard working and level headed kid. And a very early congrats on being the best Olympian in the history of the world.
Already a sad note for Team USA Boxing. Gary Russell Jr., expected to be a medal contender passed out earlier before weigh-ins.
Russell Jr. was attempting to weigh in at 119 lbs, when he's been fighting at 125 lbs. Coaches have noticed that he's been sweating less and his recent collapse is assumed to be due to dehydration. An Intravenous was inserted into the athlete and he is feeling much better. Although he's very depressed, he just wants to go home.
This comes as a big blow to Team USA Boxing since they're already bringing a team that is very small. A team which hasn't been this small since the 1948 London games.
No... Not Georgia in the United States. But just wow. I know tensions are always tough between Russia and the countries who have broken apart from the former soviet union but I just didn't see this one coming. Probably do to my own blindness to the region.
Georgia's president said today that his country is under attack by Russian tanks and warplanes, and he accused Russia of targeting civilians as tensions over the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia appeared to boil over into full-blown conflict. The United States is calling for an immediate cease-fire.
I find it extremely hypocritical that the United States is calling for a cease fire. I mean, it's sweet and all but honestly, we invade two countries, one of which Russia invaded once before but now we have the right to tell another country that they should cease all military actions?
Yesterday my friend The Pajama Pundit brought up his point of view on the whole "apology" from cyclists who got off a plane when landing in China wearing smog masks.
The Chinese government was very offended and the cyclists were forced to give an apology for being concerned about their health which showed "great disrespect" to the Chinese government and all their hard work and years spent on cleaning up the pollution.
So I asked myself, since I don't live in Beijing, is it really that bad?
This brought me to a youtube clip after a few seconds of "intense" research. Although the clip here at CNN is much worse and only a few days ago, this video below shows you just how bad the pollution is in Beijing, China.
Should the cyclists have apologized? Not a chance in hell. But who knows, you should respect those who don't respect other humans, am I right?
And in a somewhat related story, an athlete had his visa revoked by the Chinese. It's the writer that makes this story worth while.
Olympic gold medalist and outspoken Darfur activist Joey Cheek has had his visa revoked by the Chinese embassy, hours before the speedskating champion was set to fly to China. And he wasn't even planning on wearing a mask when he got there.
For a short period of time every four years we are blessed to be able to watch the best America has to offer for the Olympic Basketball Team.
When it comes to the Olympics my competitive mode kicks in, my chest swells with pride and I may even get a little misty eyed. Not just for Basketball but for all events. Volleyball, swimming, diving, etc.
I set my alarm extra, extra early this morning to watch the last exhibition match before the first game of the Beijing Olympics between Team USA and Australia. After a 21 point win against Team Russia, the Americans were considered "off" and sadly, even though we won by 21 I would have to agree. Australia was much of the same.
So this definitely kicked me into nostalgia mode and I hit up youtube and searched for the 1992 Dream Team with players such as Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, the list goes on and on!
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the 2008 Basketball team. I think we're light years ahead of the competition. But when I watch these young kids perform I don't see the same passion, showmanship, and pride as we saw in 1992.
That doesn't mean that these guys lack it. I know they're very patriotic and determined to bring in the best games for our country to make us fellow Americans proud.
I basically want to see every member of the NBA (minus those who are from foreign countries of course) DIE for the chance to not only make the US Team but put on the kind of show that MJ and company did in the early 90s.
Definitely get used to the next three weeks of me talking about the Olympics in all events. I love this stuff. Enjoy a nice highlight clip from those amazing players we all loved so much.
