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We’ve still got a couple-three months left on the ’08 sports calendar but InGameNow decided to get their wish-list in early and ranks the biggest moments in sports thus far. If by biggest moments one means commanding one’s opponent, cancer, oddmakers, NATO ally, etc. to perform self-inflicted reproductive acts.

Our personal fave based upon nothing more scientific than height off deck lept from the seated position on the couch (sofa?) is the men’s 4x100 freestyle relay victory over the French in the Beijing Olympics. And yes, we stuck the landing.

H/T: East Coast Bias

Michael Phelps: Of Chop Strokes and Reversals of Fortune!

Admit it. Its been at least 24 hrs. since you had a little Michael Phelps in your life and you miss the kid with the goofy smile, dontcha?

Still think the Serbian, Cavic, beat Phelps in the finals of the 100m fly the other night? Nice still photo sequencing from SI.com here that makes the case for Phelps.

And what’s that stat about the U.S. having 3% of the world’s population but consuming 25% of its resources? Blame Phelps. You’ve heard by now, perhaps, of Phelp’s daily caloric intake of 12,000 calories but what does all that grub look like? Intrepid Baltimore reporter sits down in a diner and takes a crack at just breakfast and… does not fare too well.

After 20 minutes, he was slowing down and looking tired. His head was dropping.

"He got up, walked slowly to the bathroom," Smith recalls. "I followed, but he shut the door in my face. Everybody in that corner of the restaurant was rooting for him, but they knew this was bad news."

Finally, the white flag came to the morning editor in the form of an email from Segraves' Blackberry:
"Just blew chunks. No way I can stand the smell of this place much longer or I'm gonna heave again. You picked the wrong guy for this detail. Sorry."



H/T: Real Clear Sports

Hey Brucie Baby, how about "Born to (Swim)", instead?

Recall back in 1984, the Reagan campaign attempted to co-opt Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” as a patriotic anthem when Springsteen, himself, advised them it was nothing of the sort but rather a song that told the story of a working-class kid who gets shipped-off to Vietnam only to return to an America of unemployment and disillusion.

(As much as we hated the “youth vote” even when we were youths, we were convinced by this incident that every politician needed a bona fide “youth consultant” to avoid stepping in it like the Reagan campaign did)

Well, according to Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News on Sunday, Bruce dedicated his performance of “Born in the U.S.A.” while in concert in Jacksonville to a kid from Baltimore who gets shipped off to Beijing only return to America with 8 more gold medals, endorsement opportunities, fame and adulation.

... ah yes, how nearly a quarter a century will change perspective on things.

SCOREBOARD!

It may not have had that element of Cold War-era intrigue but we’re totally fine with some smack-talking from Frenchie for our Olympic red meat.

With history about to slip away and Michael Phelps cheering him on, Jason Lezak pulled up next to the lane rope and set out after hulking Alain Bernard, like a NASCAR driver drafting down the backstretch at Daytona. Only 25 meters to go, half the length of the pool. Every stroke brought Lezak a little closer, a little closer, a little closer, his body seemingly carried along by the Frenchman's massive wake. The two lunged for the wall together. When the result flashed on the board, Phelps was still on course for his record eight gold medals.

The French star was extremely confident about his team's chances heading into the big showdown. "The Americans? We're going to smash them," Bernard said. "That's what we came here for."

This stunning, thrilling and amazing upset victory by the men’s 4x100 freestyle relay team kept alive Michael Phelps’ quest for 8 gold medals. 2 down, 6 to go.

Lezak blazed the fastest 100 meter relay split ever, going 46.06 seconds and the American team, in the process, crushed their own world record, which they set in the prelims by 4 seconds. In all, 5 teams broke the world record… France, Australia, Italy and Sweden, which of course, meant that the Italians and Swedes break the world record but go home empty-handed.

By far, the most exciting swim race we’ve ever seen.

Click here for video from NBC Sports

H/T: Deadspin

UPDATE #1: 'Dawg passed this along from the road. Mark Spitz, who won 7 golds at the '72 Munich games, was not invited to the Games by the IOC or the USOC to witness the potentiality of Phelps breaking his gold count. Snubbed or bitter? You make the call.