2008 Olympics thread - use SPOILER tags!

[kennadog]

jones is the reason the us almost lost that event

What a finish that was had me and my friends on our feet

No relay teams have every member be of equal talent. Considering Jones was the known weakest link, I was glad he held in there with the French and didn't lose too much ground. That was probably what was hoped for from him.

Rather than saying Jones almost lost us the race, I'd say the truth is that Jason Zebak won the event for the US. That was an astounding anchor leg. Since the French were heavily favored and the US team given almost no chance at all, I'd say all four swam exactly the way they needed to.

 

[Spike]

Does anyone know where I can watch highlights of basketball games? Unfortunately I haven't seen any of Spains games yet and none of my channels are showing the USA game which is on right now .

Just looking at the schedule now, and they're not even showing USA vs. Spain on Thursday
This is unbelievably disappointing.

Must be where you live. I'm going to get the game on Saturday live. (East Coast.) I seriously doubt you won't get it on your NBC station, considering the magnitude of the game.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Must be where you live. I'm going to get the game on Saturday live. (East Coast.) I seriously doubt you won't get it on your NBC station, considering the magnitude of the game.

Don't have NBC in Europe, at least not where I am. I seriously hope one of the two channels broadcasts the game, it will be a huge disappointment if they don't.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Question for anyone who may be familiar with competitive (Olympic) weightlifting: anybody know why they require some competitors to complete all three lifts before others attempt their first lift?

 

[uolj]

They go in order of weight, so the people who don't try their first lift until later are waiting until the weight is raised to the level they want to start at.

You only get three lifts, so the better lifters don't want to waste them on easy/light weights.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

The hell?

So, you mean that, if contestant #2 lifts 100kg, contestant #3 has to lift at least 101?

 

[uolj]

No. At 100kg, all contestents have the option to lift. Contestant's #1 and #4 decide to give it a go while contestants #2 and #3 pass (because that's too easy for them).

Then they move up to 115kg (assuming #1 and #4 were able to lift 100kg). The same cycle happens. All lifters who still have lifts left can lift that weight if they choose. If they fail they can try again. Maybe #1 tries at 115kg, but #4 is so damn good that he weights until it gets up to 160kg for his first try.

There might be other nuances, like if you miss a weight do you have to try that weight again or can you pass and try a heavier weight. Also, I'm not sure whether you can lift a weight and then pass the next level, but I think the general idea is correct.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I thought you got 3 attempts per weight, not 3 attempts for the whole event. You can't move on once an attempt is made without completing the weight, I am fairly certain of that one.

 

[uolj]

I thought you got 3 attempts per weight, not 3 attempts for the whole event. You can't move on once an attempt is made without completing the weight, I am fairly certain of that one.

Not according to the all-knowing wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weightlifting#Competition

Here's the official rules from the IWF (pdf): http://www.iwf.net/iwf/weightlifting_sport/doc/technical.pdf (Section 1.1.3 and 5.6 have the information.)

And yes, I did actually just look that up.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Thanks, guess I should have read the rulebooks

eta: Sometimes the fun of the Olympics is watching some random event and 3/4s of the way through realizing what you thought were the rules weren't really the rules at all.

 

[uolj]

For me it's more like watching an event and from the beginning to the end just trying to figure out what the rules might be in the first place.

I'm about halfway there for handball.

 

[LPKingsFan]

Three pages and no mention of the NBA on NBC song making its triumphant return to the airwaves? Best part of the Olympics so far, hands down...

OK, I kid. Swimming and gymnastics, with a little beach volleyball mixed in, have been must see TV.

 

[VF21]

Reason #604 why I'm really beginning to hate the Sacramento Bee:

I had signed up for the "breaking news" bulletins for Sports about a year ago, because of the Kings, of course. Shortly before the NBC coverage began for the night on Ch. 3, guess what I received in my email???



And there wasn't even a chance to delete it without reading it. The information I had successfully avoided all freaking day was in the subject line.

Needless to say, new Editor Melanie Sills has received a less-than-pleasant email from yours truly.

What a crock!!!

 

[6th]

Reason #604 why I'm really beginning to hate the Sacramento Bee:

I had signed up for the "breaking news" bulletins for Sports about a year ago, because of the Kings, of course. Shortly before the NBC coverage began for the night on Ch. 3, guess what I received in my email???



And there wasn't even a chance to delete it without reading it. The information I had successfully avoided all freaking day was in the subject line.

Needless to say, new Editor Melanie Sills has received a less-than-pleasant email from yours truly.

What a crock!!!

Same thing happened to me. Grrrrrrrr!!!!

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Three pages and no mention of the NBA on NBC song making its triumphant return to the airwaves? Best part of the Olympics so far, hands down...

You're smoking dope... I mean, yeah, everybody remembers the music fondly, marks out, whatever, but that's not in the top fifty on the list of the best things about these Olympics. Hell, it wouldn't make the top ten, even if you weren't watching any event other than basketball.

 

[VF21]

6th - I cancelled all my "breaking news" subscriptions. Want me to forward a copy of the email I sent? You can send it to her, too!!!

 

[6th]

6th - I cancelled all my "breaking news" subscriptions. Want me to forward a copy of the email I sent? You can send it to her, too!!!

you bet

 

[piksi]

Spoiler

Never thought that bunch of 12-14 years old kids from China would have the nerves to win the gold. USA girls just choked. Couldn't handle the pressure despite being more talented and skilled. 4 years from now when those Chinese are really 16 - they might be really good. The men overachieved last night, the women underachieved. C'est la vie.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Spoiler

China gave the lead away, US gave it right back.

 

[VF21]

Spoiler

The email I received said "Phelps wins 10th gold medal"... Stupid freaking Bee.

Now, about the race? Wow...

 

[PurpleHaze]

Spoiler

Never thought that bunch of 12-14 years old kids from China would have the nerves to win the gold. USA girls just choked. Couldn't handle the pressure despite being more talented and skilled. 4 years from now when those Chinese are really 16 - they might be really good. The men overachieved last night, the women underachieved. C'est la vie.

In gymnastics, the Chinese "women" were favored by many coming into these Olympic games or at least seen as equal to USA. USA men were given virtually zero chance of metaling - yet ended up with Bronze. He Kixin the super tiny 4'4" 62 lb. "so-called" 15-year-old has been a stunningly unreal acrobat in Beijing. In the World Championships USA women might have won more Gold Metals, but had arguably their top gymnast not qualified because she was 14. That's the problem according to Bella. The Chinese girls he says at 12 and 13 are competing in World Championships besides the Olympics and thus have a big stage edge when many of USA (and other nations) girls are not initiated at that level until they're 15 or 16. Even with all that said the USA "old" girls did seem to succumb to nerves more than the Chinese "tots" who also had some nervous moments before finally securing the Gold.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Spoiler

The email I received said "Phelps wins 10th gold medal"... Stupid freaking Bee.

Now, about the race? Wow...

Spoiler

I think they mean his total of gold medal at olympics (not just this one). I think I just saw on TV that he's now the greatest athlete in the history of Olympics - with 11 gold medals.

 

[uolj]

Three pages and no mention of the NBA on NBC song making its triumphant return to the airwaves? Best part of the Olympics so far, hands down...

OK, I kid.

I almost posted about it but wasn't online to do so and forgot about it later. The long Olympic song and intro followed by the NBA on NBC music got me excited for the Olympics and nostalgic for the NBA. (Although the NBA on NBC music does seem out of place, especially since this isn't the NBA.)

Spoiler

I think they mean his total of gold medal at olympics (not just this one). I think I just saw on TV that he's now the greatest athlete in the history of Olympics - with 11 gold medals.

Yeah, but she got the email before they showed the race on TV.

Spoiler

Never thought that bunch of 12-14 years old kids from China would have the nerves to win the gold. USA girls just choked. Couldn't handle the pressure despite being more talented and skilled. 4 years from now when those Chinese are really 16 - they might be really good. The men overachieved last night, the women underachieved. C'est la vie.

Spoiler

I disagree. The Chinese would have been awfully tough to beat even without the mistakes, and they didn't do any worse than the prelims, right?

 

[kennadog]

Spoiler

Phelps also surpassed swimmer Jenny Thompson as the American athelete with the most Olympic medals of any color, when he nabbed his 13th.

Phelps is simply a phenominal athlete. To swim as much as he is doing, in a condensed time period, with the pressure he is under? Incredible. Can you believe he eats 10,000 calories a day and has trouble keeoing his weight up?

Yet he is so modest and such a gracious winner. He takes nothing for granted. When asked about possibly winning all 8 golds yesterday, he said nothing is ever guaranteed, because he is beatable.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Just a friendly alert, if this hasn't been posted:
DO NOT go to "msnbc.com" unless you want every event spoiled. I was looking for a news update and got a lot more news than I wanted.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Breaking news:

Spoiler

THE FIX IS IN!

Okay, maybe that's a little harsh, but it certainly seems early on like they're calling it differently on one end than they are on the other...

 

[jon e]

i donno how to use html for spoilers but that one guy on that one team is pretty good

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

You don't have to use HTML; use the BB code in your edit box.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

No spoilers, but the 5:53 mark in the second quarter was a thing of beauty.

 

[jon e]

Spoiler

aahh here we go, i always use quick post so i never saw this. dwyane wade is pretty damn good. one hell of a game so far