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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

Olympic Update: Stereotypes and the IOC: breaking little girls' hearts around the world

If you did a double-take when you saw the gentleman pictured below on the deck getting ready for the mens’ 4x100 meter freestyle relay a couple of nights ago, don’t feel ashamed… it’s cool. An African-American swimming for Team USA in international competition is indeed a rare sight. Here’s Cullen Jones, though, on perceptions and what he aims to do to change things: “I want more minority kids to go to a swimming pool and try to swim because of me… I want to make a difference. I want kids to say, ‘Look, a black swimmer. And he’s got a gold medal!’ And I want them to get in the water because of it.”



And Team USA’s softball catcher Stacey Nuveman on softball’s Olympic swan song: “It’s sort of the elephant in the room for all of us. We’re focused on the U.S. and our not playing, but we’re not the only ones grieving. There are little girls in Australia and Japan and Chinese Taipei who are devastated also.”

We’ve commented before on the incredibly myopic decision of the IOC to strike softball from the roster of events after these Olympics for the sole reason of U.S. dominance and this quote bears that out. Baseball is just better when the Dodgers and Yankees have good teams… College football is just better when USC, Michigan and Notre Dame have great teams and international softball benefits from having the team from the highest-profile nation on the planet as its standard-bearer. You don’t think team handball’s Q-rating could’ve benefited from a little U.S. dominance instead of the Czechs or Lithuanians or whoever does in that sport? Nice work, IOC.

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.

Old Chick Rules?

Just got back from Vegas and while bloggging will be light as we collect our thoughts, dirty laundry and whatever spare change between the sofa cushions we can scrounge, we will be going with some stuff we had planned but had not got around to.

Immediately on the heels of Dara Torres (41 years of age and mother of one and uhhh… Jewish, apparently) winning both the 50 and 100 meter freestyle events at the Olympic swimming trials last weekend came the whispers. How does a woman at her age coming out of a 6-year retirement accomplish what she has? Jason Whitlock reminds us of the bad ol’ days and the current realities of sports, performance-enhancing drugs and perceptions. His column here.