Michael Phelps, Dara Torres, USA basketball, and the Little League World Series

I have watched some of the Olympics this weekend, and actually I am glad I did.  Of course I watched Michael Phelps, but I also enjoyed watching Dara Torres, and the US men’s basketball team. 

 

Michael Phelps is an amazing story.  Yes, he is blessed with an incredible amount of talent, but those eight gold medals did not happen without an unbelievable work ethic.  And a little luck too, but I remember the old saw about good luck being related to hard work.  Americans will love him, laud him, and hopefully will not do what we seem to do with many of our icons-turn against him for winning too much. Someone told me he got a million dollar bonus from his goggle provider for winning just seven gold medals-wow.

 

I enjoyed watching Dara Torres win two silver medals last night, coming oh so close to making those gold medals.  Forty-one is hardly AARP ready, but in swimming it is ancient.  That she was able to accomplish what she did should serve as inspiration to all of us old-timers who still have some athletic hopes and dreams, even though they are far removed from the Olympic stage.

 

I have been amazed by the US men’s basketball team.  I am not a fan of the NBA, and have not been since Michael Jordan retired.  For years I have not enjoyed the NBA style of play, and that style led us to basketball disasters in the 2004 Olympics and 2006 World Championships.  But this team is actually fun to watch. They play defense, they rebound, and they fast break.  I don’t see anyone beating them as they really do go twelve players deep.  Thanks to all who sold the superstars on playing this kind of ball.

 

I also enjoyed watching the women’s marathon last night, and for me, the race did not have to include an American to make it interesting.  I can’t tell you the name of the Romanian who won, nor can I tell you the names of the two Chinese and two Kenyans who battled for 2^nd-5^th in the marathon.  They did a great job in this most brutal of events.  So did the British runner who had such difficulty she nearly stopped.  To me, just finishing the event makes her an Olympic champion too.

 

I didn’t spend all my weekend watching the Olympics.  Actually, I watched some of the Little League World Series too.  This is a mini-version of the College World Series, and it is a lot of fun to watch the players, and their coaches and parents too.  I guess there is one more week of both the Olympics and the Little League World Series, and then college football season will be at hand!

~ by Ron Meyer on August 18, 2008.