Sounds of Silence

Damn, it's quiet here. I know that the Smallholder's cow stepped on his computer, so he's not posting these days. And Max is vacationing with the extended family. But come on, the Foreign Minister and the propaganda minister have been uncharacteristically silent lately.

So some random Olympic thoughts.

So I'm watching Women's volleyball with my daughter. I tell her that the ladies in blue (the USA) are the good guys, and we want them to win. She then tells me that the women in red (the Chinese) are the bad guys, and we want them to lose. So I get waffly explaining that there are no "bad guys", but we just want the USA to win. She doesn't get it. If there are good guys, then why aren't there bad guys? Good point. I miss the days of the Evil Empire, with the clear villains to root against in the Olympics.

I can understand 14 year old gymnasts being so short... but a 26 year old woman looking like that is just freaky. Kerri Struggs (sp?) was on an episode of "Trading Spaces" and seeing her still at that size, with that voice as a grown woman... bizzare. That voice on a "grown" woman is just weird. I know it's not her fault, and I'm being mean. But imagine a woman speaking in that voice at an intimate moment. Use your imagination. Ugh. But it's not like their given drugs to keep them small I guess, they really just are that size.

I quote from George Carlin.

Gymnastics is not a sport because Romanians are good at it. It took me a
long time to come up with that rule, but goddammit, I did it.

That Japanese swimmer should be stripped of his medals. Not because of the dolphin kick, but because of that damn shrieking after he "won." (kinda like Bush "won" Florida, eh Greg?... come on ... post... it's boring here.) Seriously, though, I'm the kinda guy who holds grudges. I was just 3 at the time, but the Russian gold medal in B-ball in 1972 still pisses me off, as does the Korean victory in boxing in 1988.

Basketball bothers me. I don't really feel an affinity for these players, and I don't give a damn if Iverson loses. In fact, I usually like it when Iverson loses. And when our best player wasn't even born in America (Tim Duncan is from the Virgin Islands I believe), what does that say. But it bothers me in three senses. First that our best players don't want to go. (No Shaq, no T-Mac, etc.) Secondly that our Olympic committee was so ignorant as to the nature of international hoops in constructing this team as to ignore shooters and "skilled" players. Thirdly that North American sports are so out of touch with the way games are played around the globe. Basketball and Hockey in North America are games of thuggery. Globally they are games of skill. More fun to watch the global versions.

Is the Marathon actually run on the plains of Marathon? If it's not, it should be.

Didn't the ancient Olympics featuer athletes in the nude? Why not now? I might not want to watch many of the sports, but it would make women's beach volleyball, and women's swimming much more interesting and fun to watch. At least for roughly half of the viewing audience.

I know the point is moot, but I still don't like admitting pro athletes. I know the line has always been blurred, but I feel some line was crossed in 1992 with the Dream Team, and in 1996 in Hockey. I remember my self righteous indignation at the Soviets and their "amateur" hockey players. But at least I was right. Now I kind of miss it.

dc