Watching the Olympics

[Greji]

How many US players are in the NBA?

GJ

All, of course! You think we would send the heavies from street ball in NYC? We gave the opposition a break and sent the NBA.

[Greji]

Was watching Rhythmic Gymnastics earlier... The Chinese team looked, um, flexible.. and hot!

(picture not from the event)..


GJ

Wait a sec! Is that a Chinese wedgie?

[GuyJean]

.. We gave the opposition a break and sent the NBA.

:D

Never seen the NBA 'pros' play so much defense like they currently are..

GJ

[GuyJean]

It's over; they are 'redeemed'..

GJ

[Gilligan]

I'm pissed that they aren't showing the game on regular TV. I don't really understand how they decide what sports to show--I have met a few young Japanese people who are truly avid basketball / NBA fans.

[GuyJean]

I'm pissed that they aren't showing the game on regular TV. I don't really understand how they decide what sports to show--I have met a few young Japanese people who are truly avid basketball / NBA fans.

That is surprising.. Well, wait. No it's not.

GJ

[Greji]

:D

Never seen the NBA 'pros' play so much defense like they currently are..

GJ

Does 118 to 107 get any redemption?

[GuyJean]

Does 118 to 107 get any redemption?

I guess so.. Interesting they needed redemption in the first place.

The Spaniards held up, but the US pulled away at the end.. Better game than I expected.

GJ

[Greji]

I guess so.. Interesting they needed redemption in the first place.

The Spaniards held up, but the US pulled away at the end.. Better game than I expected.

GJ

Hey, these aren't knock out teams from kid's leagues. Argentina would been a lot more of a presence if Ginobolli had not been suffering a bad ankle.
Granted the US was loaded up, but all-in-all, it was some good B-ball.

[Greji]

Damn. Charles got his wish. The US lost the Gold Medal round to Hungary in Water Polo.

[Greji]

Was watching Rhythmic Gymnastics earlier... The Chinese team looked, um, flexible.. and hot!

GJ

The Russians won, but they didn't show much, did they?

[Greji]

Well, the Beijing Olympics closed and one of the final events that I just happened to notice was Iceland's try to win their first gold medal. They got into the finals but France edged them out 28 - 23.

All in all, I think it was a pretty good Olympics considering all the outside causes that various groups tried to develop and the doom-sayers predicting death from smog to all competitors and tourists. Nothing left but exchange the flags and snuff the flame. Of course the paraplegics go for it from the 29th.

[Mulboyne]

The BBC had a reasonable amount of Olympic basketball coverage but they showed virtually no baseball. It only appeared when the event had reached the semi final stages and, even then, it was relegated to a digital channel which required access to cable or satellite. One or two of those matches were also shown online but not live and it seemed to be sheer luck if you could find one streaming. The same was true for the softball. Meanwhile, other team sports like football, hockey, volleyball and handballwere fairly easy to see. I don't think the BBC made the decision because those two sports are being dropped. While I got to know a little about baseball through seeing it in Japan, it always comes as a rude awakening to realize what a low profile it still has in Britain and I don't think that is unique in Europe. There are all kinds of machinations which determine what sports get into the Olympics but I suspect it would be easier for baseball to return if it could develop a higher profile in Europe or Africa.

Rugby and cricket also have an eye on the Olympics through their short forms (Rugby sevens and 20/20 cricket) so there is competition for a team sport berth at the Olympics. I don't particular want to see either included because they both have thriving world championships which would overshadow any Olympic tournament. For the same reason, football at the Olympics is of no real interest to me. There's a similar dilemma for baseball in that the sport can win a higher profile by developing the World Baseball Classic into a meaningful international event but the bigger it becomes, the less need there is for an Olympic spot. Certainly, the professional teams would probably be reluctant to have to release players for two competitions without significant compensation.

[GuyJean]

All in all, I think it was a pretty good Olympics..

I agree.. Actually, I think this is the first Olympics I've truly enjoyed since the 84 games.. It might have something to do with the time zone being only 1 hour behind Japan; taped sports events are a challenge for me to enjoy..

Was impressed by the clear skies when it wasn't raining..

GJ

[Gilligan]

Watching the closing ceremonies and all I can say is, "Dr. Seuss".

[IkemenTommy]

Ahh come on Tommy. Just cause you atheletically challenged doesn't mean the rest of us should hate the Olympics.

Just think they may come up with a new event such as Free Wanking that even you could enter....

Yeah, that was my 9am just-got-home-from-binge-drinking, still-in-drunken-state post. I will retract that comment.

[IkemenTommy]

Watching the closing ceremonies and all I can say is, "Dr. Seuss".

Chinese Super Bowl half-time show.

[Charles]

Damn. Charles got his wish. The US lost the Gold Medal round to Hungary in Water Polo.

I didn't wish for the US to lose at water polo, I wished for the Olympics to lose water polo entirely.

[AssKissinger]

[font="Impact"][color="Red"][SIZE="6"]Redeem Team Conquers The World![/SIZE][/color][/font]

[Greji]

Well I guess this thread is going to be pretty dead for the 1,432 days until London...

I would think that the London Organizing Committee has got to be passing peach seeds after watching the show that Beijing put on. Regardless of what derogatory comments that could be made, that's gonna be a hard act to follow!

[Ol Dirty Gaijin]

I would think that the London Organizing Committee has got to be passing peach seeds after watching the show that Beijing put on. Regardless of what derogatory comments that could be made, that's gonna be a hard act to follow!

No, not at all. Wiff Waff is coming home.

[yt]JsFRgIb8mAQ[/yt]

[canman]

I wonder how long it will take for more of the negative reporting to come out about Beijing. And what was up with the mayor of London. I know he is a free spirit, but couldn't he button his jacket and try and keep his hands out of his pockets? I agree that the Brits must be thinking, how can we top what the Chinese did. My advice, no more air guitar by 70s rock legends. Also, is David Beckham that famous and popular that he was needed to "kick off" London 2012? I know that he is popular here in Japan, but that was worldwide last night.

[Caustic Saint]

What was up with NHK's coverage of the winner of the Men's Marathon? Okay, I get that he went to high school for a bit in Japan, can speak Japanese and made for a neat interview, but...

He's Kenyan - not Japanese!

They were playing it up with some "local boy wins gold" angle, and it was just sad. Did Japan fare so poorly that they've got to claim this guy as one of their own? They had his old high school running coach call and congratulate him, then talk about how this guy won because he used the "Japanese style of marathon running." Oh, really? How'd that "style" work for the Japanese runners?

13th and 76th

13th isn't bad for a marathon, but being the last person to complete and not drop out hardly speaks well for this great style of running.

As much as I enjoyed some of the games, I'm happy to see them end.

[Behan]

What was up with NHK's coverage of the winner of the Men's Marathon? Okay, I get that he went to high school for a bit in Japan, can speak Japanese and made for a neat interview, but...

He's Kenyan - not Japanese!

They were playing it up with some "local boy wins gold" angle, and it was just sad. Did Japan fare so poorly that they've got to claim this guy as one of their own? They had his old high school running coach call and congratulate him, then talk about how this guy won because he used the "Japanese style of marathon running." Oh, really? How'd that "style" work for the Japanese runners?

He kept saying he learned gaman in Japan.

[GuyJean]

He kept saying he learned gaman in Japan.

I noticed that too.. Some thick goma-suri in effect.

But really, why did he come to Japan? Was it to train for the Marathon? Or work for Toyota?

GJ

[GuyJean]

I wonder how long it will take for more of the negative reporting to come out about Beijing. And what was up with the mayor of London. I know he is a free spirit, but couldn't he button his jacket and try and keep his hands out of his pockets? I agree that the Brits must be thinking, how can we top what the Chinese did. My advice, no more air guitar by 70s rick legends. Also, is David Beckham that famous and popular that he was needed to "kick off" London 2012? I know that he is popular here in Japan, but that was worldwide last night.

:lol:

Ha,ha. The mayor looked like his fat ass should be plopped down at a bar with his 4th pint in hand. I don't think he wore a belt, but that's cool. Maybe I'm just used to seeing robotic/militaristic Chinese displays of grandeur these last two weeks.

I think Beckham is pretty big globally. What's that sport he plays again?

GJ

[Mulboyne]

But really, why did he come to Japan? Was it to train for the Marathon? Or work for Toyata? ]
Here's one I prepared earlier:

...He's been based in Japan since 2002 after he won a cross-country race which was effectively a scouting exercise by Japanese schools...

I don't think Japan is making too big a deal out of him. If a foreign athlete went to school in Britain, trained in Britain and had a British coach then I'm damn sure we'd want to claim a piece of the credit. Actually, we might have gone further and offered the athlete the chance to represent Britain. The current captain of the English cricket team is a born and bred South African so we're not shy about doing that. The US used to be a home for a number of athletes who changed their allegiance but I suspect tighter immigration rules would now make that tougher. I did notice a showjumper competing for the United States who had already won Olympic gold for his native Australia at an earlier games.

[GuyJean]

.. The US used to be a home for a number of athletes who changed their allegiance but I suspect tighter immigration rules would now make that tougher..

Very true. And the US can use the 'melting pot' explanation..

Except the pot won't accept the 'tired, poor, or huddled masses' now; they're probably terrorists. We now have 'Give me your filthy rich, IT certified, and athletic phenoms' spay-painted on the Statue of Liberty.

GJ

[xenomorph42]

I finally saw the official (tape delayed) coverage in the US. I have one reaction:



Fucking showboat! If you're not going to give your best effort, don't come to the Olympics. After Bolt's record is broken and long forgotten, people will still remember that he didn't give his best performance, he was more interested in showboating.

Let the man showboat, it's within his rights to do so, don't get so riled up about it. Seems like you're taking it a little to seriously, dude.

[Behan]

Japanese marathon runners train in the thin air of Colorado and at least some of the figure skaters train in the US, probably due, in part, to a lack of ice rinks in Japan.