Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games

[abuck1220]

it's not like she just stumbled a little bit or hopped on the landing. she practically fell on her face.

 

i was really looking forward to this olympics, mostly because of shawn johnson, but the gymnastics stuff has been more annoying than enjoyable. and i feel like johnson is being criticized more than she should around here, and it's kind of bothersome.

Edited August 18, 2008 by abuck1220

[Soul]

I agree, the judging has ruined gymnastics for me. I'm finding myself turning the channel more often than watching it.

 

At the very least, the judging system is incomprehensible and therefore inaccesible to fans. At the worst, this competition is flat-out fixed.

 

I don't know enough to say which is which, but the end result is the same: it's ruining the enjoyment of the sport.

[bukie]

I agree, the judging has ruined gymnastics for me. I'm finding myself turning the channel more often than watching it.

 

At the very least, the judging system is incomprehensible and therefore inaccesible to fans. At the worst, this competition is flat-out fixed.

 

I don't know enough to say which is which, but the end result is the same: it's ruining the enjoyment of the sport.

 

I think if the deductions were made public, it would at least be more open to understanding.

[OleMissCub]

That Chinese girl just beat Johnson.

[Careless]

That person is XY

[OleMissCub]

Wow, I guess not. Good for Shawn.

[OleMissCub]

Poor Chinese girl knows that house her family got just taken away.

[shnsajax]

I agree, the judging has ruined gymnastics for me. I'm finding myself turning the channel more often than watching it.

 

At the very least, the judging system is incomprehensible and therefore inaccesible to fans. At the worst, this competition is flat-out fixed.

 

I don't know enough to say which is which, but the end result is the same: it's ruining the enjoyment of the sport.

 

I think if the deductions were made public, it would at least be more open to understanding.

 

Exactly what I have been thinking. Then again that makes it more difficult for the IOC to fix events.

[Derwood]

The girl who won the floor exercise definitely deserved it. She was pretty flawless.

 

I'll miss Bela when the games are over. He's TV gold.

 

Oh, and Alicia Sacramone makes my pants tight

[Guest]

Did they show any actual events today? Every time I swing by NBC, it's an interview...first Michael Phelps and his mom, then some girls team and now Henry Kissinger and something about acupuncture.

 

What the heck?

[Derwood]

Did they show any actual events today? Every time I swing by NBC, it's an interview...first Michael Phelps and mom, some girls team and now Henry Kissinger and something about acupuncture.

 

What the heck?

 

tons of races, gymnastics, etc.

 

I'm already tired of people running. Show me some people throwing stuff

[Guest]

Did they show any actual events today? Every time I swing by NBC, it's an interview...first Michael Phelps and mom, some girls team and now Henry Kissinger and something about acupuncture.

 

What the heck?

 

tons of races, gymnastics, etc.

 

I'm already tired of people running. Show me some people throwing stuff

 

=;

[Guest]

I agree, the judging has ruined gymnastics for me. I'm finding myself turning the channel more often than watching it.

 

At the very least, the judging system is incomprehensible and therefore inaccesible to fans. At the worst, this competition is flat-out fixed.

 

I don't know enough to say which is which, but the end result is the same: it's ruining the enjoyment of the sport.

 

I think if the deductions were made public, it would at least be more open to understanding.

 

But then they wouldn't be able to rig the results.

[The Voice of Reason]

Does anyone else find it odd that athletes from all over the world can train in the US right next to American athletes and then compete for another country?

 

LeRoy Kaman isn't real happy his son is playing for the Germans.

http://

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/basketball/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&page=kamanfeature-080817

 

BEIJING -- Half a world away, Kamanhaus is divided.

 

Actually, LeRoy Kaman would probably take issue with calling his home Kamanhaus. He'd prefer "the Kamans' house."

 

And if LeRoy Kaman turns on the television in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Monday morning to watch his son Chris play basketball, he'll be cheering against him.

 

"My dad is not so thrilled," Kaman said. "My mom has always supported me, she's great. My dad is kind of negative about it. He's like: 'You're not German, you're an American citizen.'"

 

He has no use for those back home who consider him some sort of a traitor.

 

"People are going to hate you no matter what you do. People hate Kobe Bryant, and he's the best player in the world," Kaman said. "I just want to be positive, not focus on the negative stuff. It doesn't get you anywhere."

[Derwood]

maybe in 2012 they should have a worldwide fantasy draft to pick teams for all the sports.

[kujay]

I didn't care much at first about this thing where people are playing for other countries in the olympics, but this Kaman thing pisses me off.

 

You shouldn't get to go play for another country just because you aren't good enough to make your own team. That's not how it works.

 

If you have dual citizenship, or perhaps even if your parents were born in a country, that's fine. But this cherry picking is ridiculous.

 

If you aren't good enough to make your own team, then you should be SOL. The blind ambition of some folks is galling.

[Derwood]

I didn't care much at first about this thing where people are playing for other countries in the olympics, but this Kaman thing pisses me off.

 

You shouldn't get to go play for another country just because you aren't good enough to make your own team. That's not how it works.

 

If you have dual citizenship, or perhaps even if your parents were born in a country, that's fine. But this cherry picking is ridiculous.

 

If you aren't good enough to make your own team, then you should be SOL. The blind ambition of some folks is galling.

 

but it is how it works. I agree with you, but sadly, that's the state of Olympic competition these days.

[abuck1220]

yeah, they should strip germany of that gold medal in men's basketball.

[Flames24Rulz]

I didn't care much at first about this thing where people are playing for other countries in the olympics, but this Kaman thing pisses me off.

 

You shouldn't get to go play for another country just because you aren't good enough to make your own team. That's not how it works.

 

If you have dual citizenship, or perhaps even if your parents were born in a country, that's fine. But this cherry picking is ridiculous.

 

If you aren't good enough to make your own team, then you should be SOL. The blind ambition of some folks is galling.

 

This really bothers you? I don't really care what they do, Kaman has a right to play for Germany. I don't look at it as being a traitor or anything of that nature, he's just doing what's best for himself. I'd do the same thing if I were in his position.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

What is it that allows Kaman to play for the German team?

[SouthSideRyan]

What is it that allows Kaman to play for the German team?

 

I'd guess it was similar to the Greek baseball team in '04, grandparent born Germany.

[shnsajax]

What is it that allows Kaman to play for the German team?

 

I'd guess it was similar to the Greek baseball team in '04, grandparent born Germany.

 

They talked about this during the opening ceremonies, countries are basicly paying athletes to play for them. There really are no rules against this, even if you competed for another country in the past.

[treebird]

What is it that allows Kaman to play for the German team?

 

I'd guess it was similar to the Greek baseball team in '04, grandparent born Germany.

 

They talked about this during the opening ceremonies, countries are basicly paying athletes to play for them. There really are no rules against this, even if you competed for another country in the past.

 

yeah, i was talking to my mom about this last night when they should the guy running for the us in the 1500m who ran for kenya in the last two olympics. he sucked, so it didn't really matter, but i can't believe this isn't seen as a bigger deal.

[chuckywang]

What is it that allows Kaman to play for the German team?

 

I'd guess it was similar to the Greek baseball team in '04, grandparent born Germany.

 

They talked about this during the opening ceremonies, countries are basicly paying athletes to play for them. There really are no rules against this, even if you competed for another country in the past.

 

yeah, i was talking to my mom about this last night when they should the guy running for the us in the 1500m who ran for kenya in the last two olympics. he sucked, so it didn't really matter, but i can't believe this isn't seen as a bigger deal.

 

He didn't suck. He was one of the gold medal favorites, but he didn't make it out of the semis.

[Guest]

The Braves are probably interested in signing Chinese reliever Zheng Xu:

 

MiLB.com[/url]"]LaPorta, the key player acquired by the Indians in the CC Sabathia trade earlier this summer, bowled over China catcher Wei Wang while scoring the third run of a breakthrough fifth inning to give the U.S. a 4-0 lead. Lefebvre -- who played against Davey Johnson during the Dodgers-Orioles World Series won by Baltimore in 1966 -- went ballistic at home plate and was summarily heaved. Wang left the game with a knee injury.

 

In the bottom of the sixth, Nate Schierholtz took out the backup catcher, Yang, in a violent collision at home on a sacrifice fly after the first baseman relayed home. That made it 5-0, but it also set the stage for what happened in the seventh inning, and what surely had the Indians organization concerned.

 

Leading off the inning, LaPorta faced reliever Zheng Xu. LaPorta took a fastball straight to the helmet, making a brutally loud sound that echoed through Wukesong. LaPorta went down, and it was reminiscent of Nix, who was struck in the face by a foul tip earlier in the tournament. Jason Donald, Nix's regular double play partner before Nix was injured, had been hit by pitches in the fourth and fifth innings. Whatever the cause, this was now escalated and as Xu was ejected.

 

The predominantly Chinese crowd made no bones about which side it was taking throughout the tense three innings. LaPorta, meanwhile, seemed OK as he was assisted over to the dugout following his beaning, but he was taken to a hospital to be checked out. Dexter Fowler replaced him at first as a pinch-runner. The only remaining question was whether the U.S. would knock out China with the 10-run mercy rule, having been frustrated inning after inning.

 

Maybe the most astonishing sight on this night came in the top of the ninth, when Neal was in to close with a 9-0 lead. Yang, the one who had been slammed at the plate, the son of a groundskeeper at the Games, pulverized a Neal fastball to the left-field seats to make it 9-1. On his way to third he started thrusting his arm, and then he danced and pumped his arm all the way home, leaping to stomp on the plate as if he had just made a statement to the Americans.

 

a) I'm not sure what Lefebvre was pissed about. Running over a catcher on a play at the plate? That's part of the game, idiot.

b) Hitting a player in the head as retaliation for two catchers being run over? Bush league.