Michael Phelps’ Sports Illustrated Cover
August 19, 2008
They did it with previous Olympic gold standard bearer Mark Spitz, and now it’s Michael Phelps turn. A timeless Sports Illustrated cover for a timeless athletic achievement.
I have to admit, it would have been WAY cooler if Phelps had kept the mustache, but it will do.
Israeli Newspaper Lauds ‘Two Jews and a Black Man’ in Swimming Relay Recap
August 15, 2008
Shout out to Kevin Van Valkenburg of the Baltimore Sun for the scoop on this one, but here’s an Israeli newspaper headline that Andrew Dice Clay could be proud of.
Two Jews and a black man help Phelps fulfill Olympic dream
No kidding. Here are some other jewels from the story.
Phelps, who is not considered the best 100m swimmer, jumped in first. He seemed a bit fatigued from the 200m semis he participated in a few hours before. Still, even on a bad day he was only a millisecond away from the world record, and when teammate
Garrett Weber-Gale - who is Jewish, by the way - jumped in he trailed his Australian opponent by a hair’s width.
By the way - classic journalistic segueway.
An amateur until the age of 20 who had played water polo and baseball, Lezak - a good Jewish boy from California - put on a great show.
A good Jewish boy is he? Fast too.
So in the end it was two Jews, an African American (Cullen Jones) and Michael Phelps who together managed to rein in the French and set a new astonishing world record.
Because not only does Michael Phelps transcend the physical limits of swimming speed, but race also.
What Happened to Katie Hoff?
August 13, 2008
You don’t want to dog out a homegirl, but what in the world happened to Katie Hoff?
Four years ago, she was the youngest representative at the Olympic Games in Athens, adorned with heightened expectations for the 2008 Summer Games. Four weeks ago, she was the talk of the U.S. Olympic trials, carving out a Wonder Woman-type lore for herself to match fellow Baltimorean Michael Phelps’ legacy.
But in Beijing, Wonder Woman has folks wondering what is wrong with her stroke. She has medaled in two events, but has more looks of exhaustion and exasperation than gold medals. Events in which she set American records more than a month ago have not proven as kind on the global stage.
Perhaps sharing a hometown and a sport with the greatest Olympian of all time are a gift and a curse for Hoff. She gets a lot of the attention and notoriety that comes with the Phelps marketing machine, and the same number of expectations that she might not be ready or able to shoulder.
At 19, she’ll have plenty of time to make her mark. We can only hope that our dreams for Hoff’s Olympic success haven’t marked up her competitive psyche for 2012.
Beijing is the New Baltimore
August 11, 2008
Where would the Olympics be without Baltimore? Probably still going on and none the wiser, but let’s just say its a lot more fun with Charm City’s influence on the games.
Carmelo Anthony, Katie Hoff and Michael Phelps are three of the biggest story lines in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and are the favorites for gold in their respective events. Anthony and Phelps have made good on their efforts thus far in the games, and are even comparing notes. Hoff’s quest for the gold standard has come up just shy in two events, but she has medaled in a team and an individual event.
Criticize the crime, poor education, and government corruption if you will. Lament the health and pride of its citizens, but you can never say that we don’t put the courts and pools in the area to good use.
Michael Phelps is….The Hulk
August 11, 2008
Is it just me, or does the Water Cube in Beijing expose its Olympic participants to high levels of Gamma radiation?
Because only some of the green stuff could elicit this response from America’s golden hero Michael Phelps.
Seriously, our boy looks like smashing time is less than five seconds away in this photo. His relay mate seems caught between trying to get face time and holding on for dear life.
He’s still on pace to become the greatest single-Olympic champion in history, and he probably has a couple of great summers beyond Beijing. We could be looking at the making of one of America’s greatest athletes.
If, we can avoid making him angry.
Michael Phelps’ Mustache Reigns Supreme in Beijing
August 6, 2008
If you thought George Sherrill’s soup strainer was the best thing in the Baltimore sports scene, then wait til’ you get a load of the Phelps-Manchu. It’s a symbol of his confidence heading into the Olympics, his quest be himself in spit of all the expectations, and how much cooler he is than 98 percent of the world’s population.
Some people have referred to it as a Porn-stache. Others have said if he returns to Baltimore with it, COPS will have its most watched episode of all time.
In either case, you will bow to its power.
Dominique Dawes is Still Fine As Hell
August 3, 2008
When I heard through the grapevine that Dominique Dawes would be returning to Olympic competition as a journalist for Yahoo! sports, I wanted to choke Jamie Mottram for not convincing her to blog for the site or at the very least, requiring her to upload pictures of herself thrice a day.
And then, I choked thinking back to that magic summer of 1996; the summer when Dawes’ and the rest of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team stole hearts all over the world.
And Dawes specifically stole my innocence.
I entered that summer as a shy teenager. And somewhere between her fine self on the floor exercise and balance beam, I went into my sophomore year of high school more confident, more self-assured, and more spiteful towards my younger sister and brother for my never being able to find a room with a television and a lock on the door.
In five days, a new era of female gymnasts will encourage fantasy, pain and pleasure in 15-year-old boys across the country. But there will never be another Dominique Dawes.
Not now, not ever.
Idiotic Bet Renders Local Man Homeless For a Week
July 18, 2008
Two clownboots from D.C. bet on who would finish 2007 with more wins between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Milwaukee Brewers. The Phillies had more wins, the idiot Brewers fan lived homeless for a week as a result.
What’s Wrong With Hasim Rahman’s Face?
July 18, 2008
Is it just me, or does Hasim Rahman always look like he’s gunning for Rocky Balboa’s record for most structural facial damage? He lost to James Toney the other night on what should’ve been a headbutt-induced no-contest, but that’s not the point.
The point is that Rahman’s face usually looks like its been attacked by bees within two minutes of the first round.
Yeah, he’s had his share of damage throughout the years, but he’s more known for the cantaloupe that instantly grew out of his head against Evander Holyfield in 2002. Again, caused by headbutts.
It seems to me that Rahman’s career could’ve been among the greatest of all time, until his opponents figured out that if you Sgt. Slaughter him, you can get a win without throwing 100 punches.
Who’s The Best Coach in the Baltimore-Washington Area?
July 15, 2008
Baseball is on a break, training camp is a couple of weeks away, and nobody really cares about summer league outside of Miami and Chicago. On what may be the slowest sports day in Baltimore-Washington history, I’m not going to ask which area team should lobby hardest for Brett Favre.
I’ll simply ask who’s the best head coach in our area.
College or pro, who’s got the goods in the Baltimore-Washington metro area? The NFL is at a disadvantage here, because both Washington and Baltimore have rookie generals at the helm. College basketball might be in the best position, because Gary Williams and John Thompson III have their share of history here, not to mention that plethora of solid mid-majors in the area.
There’s only one pro basketball team, and both of the baseball teams suck relatively.
Feel free to comment along with your vote.
