Way to go!

[Tea]

Puerto Rico! Whoah! Way to go! And up until this moment, I never even used to like basketball!

Fantastic!

[Tannin]

South Afriica![/b] Woohoo! What a team. What a swim! Yes! And the Dutch were in there too. Oz in Sydney, and now SA on Athens. I love it.

[Tea]

Howzabout I post some choice morsels from the ... er ... the Mercury News, whatever that is.

(It's an American newspaper, Tea. Why did you select that particular one?)

(First one at the top of the page on Google. One imagines tha the others are all the same.)

(Ahh. Fair enough. Well, get on with it.)

(OK. I'll edit it down for length a little, and just pozt the best bits.)

For 10 years now, American basketball has been collapsing under the weight of money, selfishness, dunk contests, SportsCenter, powerless coaches and a stubborn belief that outside shooting is not worth the effort. Sunday, finally, it all caved in. The United States of America men's basketball team, a team that had lost two Olympic Games in 68 years, a team that had NEVER lost an Olympic game when using NBA players, lost to Puerto Rico 92-73.

That score again, for those of you who missed it, was 92-73.

There is no one way to sum up a colossal loss like this one. It isn't enough to say that Puerto Rico is 1/90th the size of America or that it's an American territory or that the U.S. team has more than $500 million in guaranteed salaries. It isn't enough to say that someone named Elias Ayuso, who "HoopsHype" calls "A poor man's Iverson," matched points with the rich man's Iverson. It isn't enough to say that some 32-year-old man named Eddie Casiano outscored Tim Duncan.

It isn't enough to say that the U.S. never stood a chance, though that's true. The U.S. missed 16 straight shots. Puerto Rico led by 22 at the half.

I figured to watch the U.S. team later, against one of the good teams, Lithuania or Serbia and Montenegro. There seemed no way this United States team with Duncan and LeBron James and Iverson and the like could lose to Puerto Rico in basketball, a team they had beaten five times in the last year.

Then, they started falling behind. First a little. Then a lot.

And that's when Greek television, realizing what was happening, actually cut away from a Greek-German beach volleyball match. And the announcer, who we'll call Dickius Vitalius, was in utter shock. It really didn't matter if you could understand what words he was saying. You could get the whole story from his voice. He was shouting.

Then at one point, he sounded fairly calm, as if this all was quite interesting but surely in the end the United States would emerge. See, while basketball fans around the world have been nominally aware of America's decline in hoops, few of them realized it had become this bad. The U.S. team couldn't guard anybody. Allen Iverson, Dwayne Wade and Stephon Marbury were getting embarrassed by Puerto Rico's guard, Carlos Arroyo, who would drive by any time he felt like it.

Meanwhile, half the U.S. plays ended up too far under the basket.

After a little while, you could hear something a little different in Vitalius' voice. Pleading almost. The American basketball team may not be very popular, but it has always been awesome, it has always been an EVENT to see them play, and now they were getting smoked by Puerto Rico. The Americans were clanking three-pointers as if they were not exactly sure where they were supposed to aim for (in the end, they missed 20 out of 24 threes). They were turning the ball over so often, you wondered why they bothered to get the ball back in the first place.

Every once in a while, the camera turned to coach Larry Brown.

You know, he's really done a nice job with this team.

And then finally, the announcer's voice was pure disgust. If you want a play to symbolize the farce that is now American basketball, you can have this one with about two minutes left and the U.S. down by 15. Iverson, no doubt buoyed by his one-for-nine three-point shooting to that point, decided to heave up another one with a man's hand in his face. Naturally, it smashed off the rim. That made one-for-10.

And while Iverson was busy figuring out the shooting percentage, Puerto Rico got the rebound and, what do you know, found Iverson's man, Rolando Hourruitiner, all alone in the backcourt for an easy layup.

The announcer shouted something that sounded like "Show some pride."

No, there was no last stab at pride either. The U.S. team bricked shots, missed free throws and played ATM defense (you never stand too close to the guy using the ATM machine) until the final seconds. When it ended, the U.S. players put a brave face on this loss, said it was just one game, it doesn't affect their medal chances (technically it does not – this was only a preliminary) and that they'll have to "build from this."

The thing is, what can they build? Can they learn to shoot in the next few days? Can they develop a defense that will at least SOMETIMES guard the three-point shooter? Can they break their NBA habits and actually pass the ball?

The American basketball has been falling down for a long time. This team still has big guys who can jump and run and dunk. This team is famous and rich. On talent alone, they still have to be considered a medal threat. But it's a tough thing to realize that other countries play better, smarter and more interesting basketball that Americans.

When the game ended, the Greek announcer offered a passionate wrap-up of the game. And even though I could not understand a single word, I have a pretty good idea what he was saying. I know a eulogy when I hear one.

[Tannin]

Tea, that's not fair. You should never kick a man while he's down.

[Tea]

Huh?

How elze am I suppozed to do it? At my height, if the man isn't down, I can only kick him in the ankles.

Besidez, in this case, it'z fun.

[Mercutio]

So you say there's an olympics this year?

Hm.

First I've heard of it.

[ddrueding]

No, Merc....I heard of the olympics...I think it started a few days ago.

How do I know?


http://www.google.com/logos/summer2004_swimming.gif



Haven't watched any of it. I used to enjoy it, particularly the winter ones, as I live in a place without snow.

[Clocker]

Yeah..it is definitely a team sport that requires good defense. Too bad Larry Brown could not have had his Pistons in there. That's a team that knows great teamwork and excellent defense. If he did have his own team the gold would have definitely been a lock for the USA.

[Mercutio]

One of the fantastic little doohickies that's part of Firefox is a tool called Mycroft. Mycroft gives me a nifty little search bar immediately to the right of the address bar.

Because of mycroft I haven't seen google's front page in a few months. :)

Anyway, just to comment on the other thing:

All I can say is, good.
Now, the Olympics to me define the phrase "waste of time and money", but there's a funny thing about the US Olympic Basketball team:

The real stars don't want to play for the home team. 'Cause there's no money in it.

Which is a bucket of Bushfeces on so many levels that even someone like me can see it: Literally, for these guys who play what is for want of a better term a provincial American sport, there's no prestige or glory to be gained in competing with anyone who doesn't meet their own selection criteria.

Which is pretty much a 180 degree reversal on the whole "spirit of the olympics" thing. The fact that anyone with that attitude even ends up on an olympic team shows just exactly what's wrong with the olympics and with professional basketball.

[Fushigi]

I gave up being a professional basketball fan some years ago. Like pro baseball & football, pro basketball players evolved from people who loved to play the game to greedy, whiny twits who don't care about the team or their home city; just their paycheck and endorsements.

For crying out loud. They're getting paid a lot of money to play a game. We should all be so lucky. Most of us have to work for a living. They come across as a bunch of immature, stuck up brats who only think of themselves. If they lose, it'll only be because they deserve it. I wouldn't blame the coach; just the players.

OK, enough about them.

The Olympics in general I like. At least the ideals of the Olympics. I'd rather they skip the opening & closing ceremonies, though, and focus on the competitions exclusively.

NBC's coverage seems to be marginally better than in the past, but the stupid 'human interest' pieces are already cropping up more often than I'd prefer.

[Howell]

Tea, that's not fair. You should never kick a man while he's down.

At Tea's height and flexibility kicking a man while he's down is the only way she'll land a blow to the crotch. American pursuit of excellence in sport is a rare thing these days. And with our "entertainment culture" I'm not really surprised.

I have only actually seen a little bit (<5min). I'd rather be participating than watching any day.

[Will Rickards WT]

Interesting...
They were saying on the radio this morning that the olympics was to sell 6 million tickets but have only sold 2 million and that is why the audience is sparse.

[Tea]

the olympics was to sell 6 million tickets but have only sold 2 million

It counts as one of the most astonishing ticketing stuffups of all time. I can't believe that the organisers got it so wrong. How much are these guys paid? Hoolie Doolie!

I heard somewhere that the problem is that the Greeks are not interested in watching sports tha they don't play themselves, and the foreigners are staying away in droves because of all the security bullshit we westerners are so obsessive about all of a sudden.

But what a stuffup!

[Buck]

Despite playing so poorly, Iraq's Men'z Football team haz done surprizingly well.

[SteveC]

I'm not surprised the men's basketball team lost. Going into the Olympics, I didn't think they would even medal, but losing to Puerto Rico? I wasn't expecting that. But what's even more surprising to me is the US baseball team didn't even qualify for the Olympics. OK, so there are some strong teams around the world in baseball, but for the US - the gold medal winners in 2000 - to not even qualify? Unbelievable.

[Mercutio]

Well, OK, I got my September issue of Playboy today. With olympic jumping-person Amy Acuff on the cover.

Yowza. (http://www.amyacuff.org/images/gallery/skirt-fashion.jpg) (link is completely work safe and in no way has anything to do with Playboy).

Now, what time is she gonna be on TV again?

[Howell]

Despite playing so poorly, Iraq's Men'z Football team haz done surprizingly well.

Free kick Iraq!!

[SteveC]

Now, what time is she gonna be on TV again?

Women's high jump qualifying round is next Thursday, and the final is next Saturday.

[SteveC]

The basketball team actually won a game... barely. They beat Greece 77-71.

[Clocker]

I saw on TV somewhere that because the Greeks didn't have a baseball team to participate in the Olympics, there are actually American's paying for the Greek team. Maybe that is why we didn't qualify? Not sure...

C

[Howell]

I saw on TV somewhere that because the Greeks didn't have a baseball team to participate in the Olympics, there are actually American's paying for the Greek team. Maybe that is why we didn't qualify? Not sure...

C

Actually, what you heard is that some Greek-Americans beat out native Greeks to play for Greece. And you heard it during the opening cerimonies.

[Clocker]

Thanks for letting me know! :lol:

[Howell]

My buddy Dan Berry was the six seat in the Gold medal winning Men's eight race. Was in college with him when he got into rowing as a freshman.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2002012858_olyblai23.html

Congratulations also to Netherlands and Australia!

[Fushigi]

Howell - Congrats to your friend!

Continuing my message from above, on the plus side:
The Olympics in general I like. At least the ideals of the Olympics. I'd rather they skip the opening & closing ceremonies, though, and focus on the competitions exclusively.Case in point: Phelps giving up his spot on the final men's relay to a teammate/competitor. Yes, you can say he had nothing to lose, and yes you can say that it was a way for him to get a medal without having to actually compete for it. But he did everything necessary to qualify and there was no guarantee the US would medal without him. His giving up his slot is (or has all of the appearances of) a fine example of the sportsmanship and camaraderie we should hope to see from our fellow man.

On the other hand:
NBC's coverage seems to be marginally better than in the past, but the stupid 'human interest' pieces are already cropping up more often than I'd prefer.And this is getting progressively worse as the games progress. At this rate, the last day or two will feature no coverage and all commentary.

[jtr1962]

Congratulations as well, Howell! It must be nice to see someone you know on as big a stage as this.

If the Olympics comes to NYC in 2012 I'm seriously thinking of trying to get in as a cyclist. Don't know if it would at all be possible (I'll be age 49 then), but riding in my home town for the Olympics would be the thrill of a lifetime, win or lose.

[CityK]

If the Olympics comes to NYC in 2012 I'm seriously thinking of trying to get in as a cyclist. Don't know if it would at all be possible (I'll be age 49 then)Likely impossible....towing oxygen tanks behind you is bound to slow you down :mrgrn:

[Pradeep]

US team was beaten by another basketball team (Macedonia?). They lose the next and it's all over. Now all we need is Hamm to hand the Gold over to the poor bastard who should have won if the judges could only count to ten.

lol@cityk.

If you want a nice USA-Aus almost Olympian scandal, this is a good read:

http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/2004-08-19/feature.html

[Fushigi]

US team was beaten by another basketball team (Macedonia?). They lose the next and it's all over. Now all we need is Hamm to hand the Gold over to the poor bastard who should have won if the judges could only count to ten.

lol@cityk.

If you want a nice USA-Aus almost Olympian scandal, this is a good read:

http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/2004-08-19/feature.html1. So we should all root for whomever plays the US in basketball. Will do.

2. I cannot agree with stripping Hamm of his gold. Not because I'm American, but because the issue with Tae-young occurred before the final round of the competition. Because of this, there is no way to accurately know what adjustments Tae-young, Hamm, Dae-eun (who took silver), and the other competitors would have made based on the scores at the beginning of the final round. Fix the error, yes, but do so by awarding a 2nd gold medal. There are a couple of precedents (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5784651/), although their application in this case is a little shaky.

3. Interesting article. What a messed up situation.

[jtr1962]

Speaking of gymnastics, the scoring last night was brain dead. All they were looking at was the landings. Nemov should have won the gold. And then you had I think four gymnasts getting exactly the same score (9.762). In a sport where scoring is done to the thousanths, what exactly is the chance of that happening? Sadly, I think politics plays as big a role in the scoring as the actual performance does.

[Mercutio]

Personally I think the female gymnasts need to be a wee bit older. It's grossly unfair to watch some lithe little person do the things they do and then remember "Oh yeah, she's only 14. Bad Merc!"

[jtr1962]

Actually, Merc, the minimum age is 16 for all athletes, even though some of the gymnasts might look like 9 or 10. 16 is even legal in some states. :diablo: Now if only the games come to NYC in 2012..... :mrgrn:

[Fushigi]

16 is even legal in some states.Supposedly, there's still a prefecture in Japan where 13 is considered old enough. :eekers:

[Mercutio]

And then there's Georgia, where the age of consent is or was until recently 12, but only if the child in question wasn't a virgin.

Ewwww.

Is this thread derailed enough yet?

[Mercutio]

Wait, it gets better!

In Canada it's 14 plus or minus two years, or 18 for consentual sodomy or sex with an authority figure.

Hungary doesn't have an age of consent for lesbian intercourse, but hetro and gay males have to wait until they're 18.

Ireland allows lesbians and oral sex at 15 but other practices and orientations have to wait another two years.

Japan's NATIONAL age of consent is 13. Some prefectures (states) specify 16 or 18 instead.

Mexico's is 12.

New Mexico (US State) allows homosexual sex as young as 13, but straight people have to wait until they're 17.

Hong Kong makes gay men wait until they're 21. Poor guys. They should move to New Mexico.

India and most Muslim nations ban gay intercourse completely.
All extra-marital sex is illegal in Iran. Yikes!

-- source, Wikiedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_consent)

[time]

Speaking of gymnastics, the scoring last night was brain dead. Nemov should have won the gold.

Yeah, I happened to see that. It looked apalling and the audience (many of whom are involved in the sport) booed for ten minutes. So the guy who was very obviously best ends up in medal-less fifth place. :x

Meanwhile, letting Hamm keep his medal while upgrading Yang Tae Young to a gold sounds like the best thing to do - so they won't.

I don't like The Olympics. :(

[timwhit]

Actually, Merc, the minimum age is 16 for all athletes, even though some of the gymnasts might look like 9 or 10. 16 is even legal in some states. :diablo: Now if only the games come to NYC in 2012..... :mrgrn:

Actually there is a US swimmer that is 15.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletebios/5021102/detail.html

Michael Phelps was 15 during the Sydney games.

I guess they make exceptions if you are good enough.

[Pradeep]

16 year Olympic age limit is only for gymnastics. It's up to the individual sporting federations to set them. I don't know if there is one for swimming, but I think there was a 14 year old in Sydney?

[SteveC]

Why can't the Olympics get judges/referees/umpires that know what they're doing? I'm watching the gold medal baseball game between Cuba & Australia, and with Cuba up 2-0 in the 4th, Australia had two men on and the batter hit the ball to the outfield wall. The centerfielder went back, and had the ball go off his glove, and bounce off the wall, then back to his glove where he juggled it a couple of times and finally came up with it. The left field umpire ruled it a catch when it clearly wasn't, and should have tied up the game. Instead it ended the inning. The Australian manager was thrown out trying to argue it, but the umpires didn't confer with each other, and the call wasn't reversed.

[Mercutio]

Er... what's wrong with that? He bumbled a bit with the ball and then he caught it. I'm not seeing a problem there. If he bumbled the ball a bit and then it touched the ground and THEN bounced into his glove, that would be something to complain about.

Seriously, I think I'd be more proud of a catch like that than the normal "ball drops into glove" kind.

[SteveC]

Once the ball bounces off the wall, it can't be a catch.

[Buck]

But isn't that a bit boring? Shouldn't the sport be played without gloves and the ball superheated to 120-degrees fahrenheit?

[Mercutio]

Why not? It's still in the air, isn't it?
Am I missing something fundamental in the definition of the word "catch"?

120 degrees isn't really very hot, Buck. 500 degrees, now THAT's a hot ball.
Even better, why not just use a live grenade? I'd even be so charitable as to leave the pin in.

[Fushigi]

I'd even be so charitable as to leave the pin in.But on a string of some random length between 100-400 feet.

[Mercutio]

I'd even be so charitable as to leave the pin in.But on a string of some random length between 100-400 feet.

Maybe a quick burn fuse instead of a string.

[SteveC]

Why not? It's still in the air, isn't it?
Am I missing something fundamental in the definition of the word "catch"?

That's the way it's been in the rule book for a hundred years. Once it hits anything other than a part of the fielder's body or glove, it can no longer be a catch.

[Mercutio]

I'd say that's a rule that defies common sense and makes the game less interesting, then.

[Buck]

Have a random amount of current running through the ball, so when it is touched it could either leave a mark or be played as normal. And what is with all of that dirt and those cleats? How about a nicely polished wood floor and socks -- try taking the corner at 3rd base with that setup. Having a slick floor sure makes hockey interesting.

[Mercutio]

How about loose gravel, broken glass and cleats? Man, that would be fun for all ages!

[Buck]

How about loose gravel, broken glass and cleats? Man, that would be fun for all ages!

It would bring new meaning to the phrase "you're out".

[ddrueding]

I think the most boring thing about baseball is that 90% of the time, 90% of the players on the field aren't moving. If you were to put just one sniper in the bleachers somewhere, that could liven things up a bit.

[jtr1962]

I think the most boring thing about baseball is that 90% of the time, 90% of the players on the field aren't moving. If you were to put just one sniper in the bleachers somewhere, that could liven things up a bit.
That's a great idea, dd. :idea: We can combine Olympic shooting and baseball into one sport. Bonus points if you hit a moving player, extra bonus points for a moving ball.

[Buck]

Yes, snipers . . . I like.

[Mercutio]

Hope SteveC is a Mets fan. (http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/nyy/news/nyy_gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20040831&content_id=843595&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp)