2010 Winter Olympics Thread

[Yachtzee]

Let's kick off the Winter Olympics! The opening ceremonies were very entertaining, but I must say the Olympic Cauldron looks like it was designed by stoners. I wonder how many college kids are going to take photos of each other taking hits off of it.

Sad story about the Georgian Luger posted in the other thread. I thought the tributes during the opening ceremonies were very nice.

Who are Redszoners' favorites in these games? I root for the US first and foremost, but like the Austrians (former home for two years) and the UK team (for my wife's family) if the US doesn't have a favorite.

[texasdave]

I usually root for anyone representing the Stars and Stripes. If I root for anyone else it has to be an underdog or someone from the host country. Host country underdogs are a bonus.

[SunDeck]

For those who have not seen it, let's review the greatest downhill run of all time. This two minutes did more to endanger adults at ski resorts than anything. For the next two years, I WAS Franz Klammer on every run.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVMJKIx34SE

[Eric_the_Red]

Bring on the curling!

[redalways]

I like the alpine skiing events. Its insane how difficult those courses are and how fast the skiiers go. Im a Bode Miller fan, probably one of the few.

[Reds Fanatic]

Today's biggest event the Men's downhill has been postponed. In fact both skiing events for this weekend have now been called off along almost all practices which have already been cancelled. They are going to have a hard time getting the skiing in with the conditions temperatures in the 40s and rain have turned the ski course into slush.

[improbus]

Good sports:
Olympic Hockey
Speed Skating
Downhill/GS/Super G
Ski Jump
Bobsled/Luge
Biathalon/Cross Country Skiing (strangely compelling: I love the frozen spit)
Annoying Sports:
Anything with judges

[HeatherC1212]

I watch just about everything (can't handle too much hockey but I do check the medal rounds out) but my heart is always with the figure skating even though the judging tends to suck at times, LOL :p: The Olympics are such a magical moment for the athletes and I love the human interest stories, seeing the underdogs win which almost always happens in a few of the events, and it's so inspiring to see the athetes shine on such a huge stage. And I need to have a proud mom moment right now because two of my friends who I've known for almost five years now are on the US figure skating team and will compete in the pairs event tomorrow night. Their names are Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig and this is the first time they've ever been on the world stage. They're probably not going to factor into the medals but I'm hoping they have two great performances in the Olympics! From emails and photos that I've seen from them so far, I do know that they're having an awesome time in Vancouver. :) BTW-I also run their official website so I'm going to toot my own horn by posting the link here. I know you guys won't mind, LOL ;)

Amanda & Mark's official website (http://www.evora-ladwig.com)

[Red in Chicago]

Bring on the curling!

That's the only thing that remotely interests me about the winter olympics. Otherwise, it's a total snooze-fest for me.

[Gallen5862]

I watch just about everything (can't handle too much hockey but I do check the medal rounds out) but my heart is always with the figure skating even though the judging tends to suck at times, LOL :p: The Olympics are such a magical moment for the athletes and I love the human interest stories, seeing the underdogs win which almost always happens in a few of the events, and it's so inspiring to see the athetes shine on such a huge stage. And I need to have a proud mom moment right now because two of my friends who I've known for almost five years now are on the US figure skating team and will compete in the pairs event tomorrow night. Their names are Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig and this is the first time they've ever been on the world stage. They're probably not going to factor into the medals but I'm hoping they have two great performances in the Olympics! From emails and photos that I've seen from them so far, I do know that they're having an awesome time in Vancouver. :) BTW-I also run their official website so I'm going to toot my own horn by posting the link here. I know you guys won't mind, LOL ;)

Amanda & Mark's official website (http://www.evora-ladwig.com)

Heather great job with the Website. I will have to cheer them on to victory.

[George Anderson]

I have always wondered whats the training schedule like for an Olympic athlete? For example does a ice skater or snow skier basically practice daily for 4 years? Or is it less not as extreme and they only practice 2-3 times a week for 4 years?? I'm curious because it seems they spend so much time and energy for potentially only a few short opportunities to compete at in the Olympics.

[HeatherC1212]

I have always wondered whats the training schedule like for an Olympic athlete? For example does a ice skater or snow skier basically practice daily for 4 years? Or is it less not as extreme and they only practice 2-3 times a week for 4 years?? I'm curious because it seems they spend so much time and energy for potentially only a few short opportunities to compete at in the Olympics.

I don't know about the other sports but skaters have specific schedules that they do almost every week. Most days they have two or three skating sessions (usually around 45 minutes for each session) and then they do off ice workouts such as strengthening exercises, lifting, or ballet classes at various times during the week too. For my friends at least, in between those sessions they coach at the rink, go to school (Amanda is a student at USF), or do some other types of work as their second (or third!) job. It's expensive to figure skate so most skaters (especially the lower ranked skaters) almost always work or coach to help with their expenses. My friends have both been skating since they were very young and the training increased as they got older and then got more experienced once they became a pairs team. It's quite a journey to get from young skater to Olympian but personally, I think that makes the sweetness of making the team that much better. My friends are sky high in Vancouver and knowing about their long journeys to get to this point makes it sweeter for me to watch them! :thumbup:

The USA all ready has five medals! One gold (Hannah Kearney in mogels), two silvers (Apolo in short track, Spillane in Nordic Combined today which was an AMAZING race), and two bronzes (Shannon Barhke in mogels and JR Celski in short track) and I know the Olympics aren't everyone's cup of tea but they've been pretty great to watch so far. I'm loving it and I can't wait to see the pairs competing tonight. I know I'm going to cry the minute I see my friends on that Olympic ice, LOL :laugh: (BTW-Thanks for the compliment about the website! :D)

[cincinnati chili]

I have always wondered whats the training schedule like for an Olympic athlete? For example does a ice skater or snow skier basically practice daily for 4 years? Or is it less not as extreme and they only practice 2-3 times a week for 4 years?? I'm curious because it seems they spend so much time and energy for potentially only a few short opportunities to compete at in the Olympics.

Depends on the sport. As annoying as Apollo Ohno is, he supposedly does 4 2-hour intense workouts per day. I don't imagine the curling team does that.

Great finish today during the Nordic combined. I can't imagine cross country skiing that fast, going uphill.

[Gallen5862]

Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig skated very well.

[George Anderson]

Depends on the sport. As annoying as Apollo Ohno is, he supposedly does 4 2-hour intense workouts per day..

He does that every day for 4 years?

[Yachtzee]

He does that every day for 4 years?

4 years? Try every day since he got into the sport. Winter Olympians put in the hours, days, months, and years of training that any other athlete does. They just don't have the money that professional athletes get, so they usually have to work a couple jobs just to support themselves. I know the skiers in the Alpine events compete every winter in a series of races that are covered extensively in Europe, but go largely unnoticed in the US. They have to train year round just to keep up their fitness in order to compete during the season. Some of the top athletes are lucky enough to have endorsement deals that help them out financially, but most have to supplement their income with other jobs.

[fugowitribe]

Don't forget that the Olympics are not the only thing theses guys and girls compete in. They have World/National championships in most of these events every year.
They compete less than most sports, but the work that goes into their performance is every bit or more grueling than higher profile atheletes.

[HeatherC1212]

I AM SO HAPPY TONIGHT FOR MY FRIENDS!!!!! They skated their very best and got a personal best score too! YAY!!!!!!! :jump:

[George Anderson]

Don't forget that the Olympics are not the only thing theses guys and girls compete in. They have World/National championships in most of these events every year.
They compete less than most sports, but the work that goes into their performance is every bit or more grueling than higher profile atheletes.

Ok, that makes sense.

I just couldn't imagine training 2-3 times a day for your entire life just for one 2 week event even though it is something as incredibly awesome as the Olympics. If I were to focus that much of my time to something,it would be for a sport that paid big bucks like baseball or basketball.

FWIW My 6 year old daughter has taken up ice skating and she participated in her first show Saturday night. It really is interesting to see the older figure skaters up close and personal because you get a good perspective on how tough it is to do the things they do.

[11larkin11]

Wheres GAC at, we have to root on the hometown boy Louie in the Mens halfpipe Wednesday night!

[improbus]

Does anyone know if they are going to show the Men's Downhill? It's the only event that I want to see and instead I'm watching 15k Cross Country. They better show it.

[Hoosier Red]

They're probably going to show it on tape delay in prime time.

[improbus]

They're probably going to show it on tape delay in prime time.
They better....

[KronoRed]

They better....

Gonna storm NBC if they don't? ;)

[Hoosier Red]

I know it lost them a ton of money, but I really liked the way NBC carried the games in 2002 and 2006 with CNBC MSNBC BRAVO and USA carrying all the events live(or close to live) and NBC airing figure skating and medals at night.

[improbus]

DOWNHILL!!! The thing that I love about the Winter Games is the Speed. People should never throw their bodies at 90+ mph over snow/ice, but for some reason, they do.

[Patrick Bateman]

That's the only thing that remotely interests me about the winter olympics. Otherwise, it's a total snooze-fest for me.

That's cool. Have you ever tried it?

It's my winter sport of coice lol.

[Roy Tucker]

Its officially winter and its the Olympics. Piles of snow outside and about as winter as it can get. But a fire in the fireplace.

I stayed up till midnight to watch pairs ice skating with wife and daughter. I would never do that under normal circumstances.

[HeatherC1212]

Its officially winter and its the Olympics. Piles of snow outside and about as winter as it can get. But a fire in the fireplace.

I stayed up till midnight to watch pairs ice skating with wife and daughter. I would never do that under normal circumstances.

That's fantastic! What did you think of the competition? I'm curious as an avid skating fan what you, a casual viewer, thought about everything. :)

My friends skated great again last night and got another personal best score! :D I am SO PROUD of them for doing so well in their first big competition. Their second to last lift (the one handed one) got the highest element score of ALL the pairs which is a really big deal for them. I wish more pairs had skated clean (bummed for the German team who I adore but didn't have their best performance last night) but overall it was a pretty good competition. :thumbup: :beerme:

[RedsBaron]

DOWNHILL!!! The thing that I love about the Winter Games is the Speed. People should never throw their bodies at 90+ mph over snow/ice, but for some reason, they do.
I haven't watched much of the games but I did see the men's downhill skiing last night. I have skied before, which helped leave me in absolute awe of the skill and speed of the competitors. Simply amazing.

[improbus]

I was really disappointed that they only showed 5 downhill runs. Boo NBC. The really don't do the proper justice to the sport. It is the most exciting minute and a half in sports and they covered it in two segments. Very sad.

[improbus]

I haven't watched much of the games but I did see the men's downhill skiing last night. I have skied before, which helped leave me in absolute awe of the skill and speed of the competitors. Simply amazing.

They should add a few "NASCAR" cameras to the downhill to capture the speed. I want to see a true horizontal shot that gives you an image of both the speed of the skiier as well as the pitch of the slope. The camera angles they do use don't give you a true image of the danger.

[Roy Tucker]

That's fantastic! What did you think of the competition? I'm curious as an avid skating fan what you, a casual viewer, thought about everything. :)

My friends skated great again last night and got another personal best score! :D I am SO PROUD of them for doing so well in their first big competition. Their second to last lift (the one handed one) got the highest element score of ALL the pairs which is a really big deal for them. I wish more pairs had skated clean (bummed for the German team who I adore but didn't have their best performance last night) but overall it was a pretty good competition. :thumbup: :beerme:

I enjoyed it.

I felt bad for the pairs where someone fell on a jump. I realize some of the jumps/spins/whatever are very difficult, but I wondered why falling seemed so common? Don't they practice these things endlessly? There were few pairs that skated cleanly.

I actually thought the second Chinese pair skated a better long program. But they were pretty far back from the short program.

I didn't realize the first Chinese pair was as old as they were. What made that team was the guy was an excellent and lyrical skater. The other guys in the competition seemed there just to do the heavy lifting and a prop for the female skater. But their interaction was truly as one.

I felt bad for the German and Russian pairs. They kinda fell apart. I think it would be enormously difficult to screw up at the beginning of the program and then try to pull it together and go on. It was funny when the camera zoomed in on the Canadian woman right as they were done and she went "dammit".

So your friends are Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig? I thought they were good. Although the top 4 pairs really are head and shoulders above the rest.

And Dick Button is a hoot.

[Chip R]

I was really disappointed that they only showed 5 downhill runs. Boo NBC. The really don't do the proper justice to the sport. It is the most exciting minute and a half in sports and they covered it in two segments. Very sad.


I know. I was looking forward to that and it was over almost as soon as it started.

[Eric_the_Red]

Curling is on USA network! :)

[bucksfan2]

I was really disappointed that they only showed 5 downhill runs. Boo NBC. The really don't do the proper justice to the sport. It is the most exciting minute and a half in sports and they covered it in two segments. Very sad.

I agree, but NBC is also in a tough spot. The Mens downhill began at 12:30 and on my way home from work at 3 you already knew who won the medals. They did hold it back for primetime, which I thought was a good idea, but there is only so much you can show.

Its a shame that NBC didn't show that live on one of their networks.

[Gallen5862]

USA Womens Curling team just lost by a hair with the measuring device.

[BuckeyeRed27]

USA Womens Curling team just lost by a hair with the measuring device.

I was watching that. I'm no curling expert but that was about as thrilling/shocking as you can get. Pretty big choke by the USA. They were up 4-0 after 4 ends.

[SunDeck]

I agree, but NBC is also in a tough spot. The Mens downhill began at 12:30 and on my way home from work at 3 you already knew who won the medals. They did hold it back for primetime, which I thought was a good idea, but there is only so much you can show.

Its a shame that NBC didn't show that live on one of their networks.

Yet they show gazillions of snowboard cross qualifying rounds. I like watching those plenty, but I also think they are short changing the downhill and probably some other events to appeal to the snowboard demographic.
Even so, I'm pretty torqued to see what Shawn White brings to the half pipe.
[my nine year old made me type that]

[bucksfan2]

Yet they show gazillions of snowboard cross qualifying rounds. I like watching those plenty, but I also think they are short changing the downhill and probably some other events to appeal to the snowboard demographic.
Even so, I'm pretty torqued to see what Shawn White brings to the half pipe.
[my nine year old made me type that]

I love watching the alpine skiing events. Being a skiier I can understand more the actual kind of talent it truly takes to go balls to the wall down a course like that. However in just watching the snowboard cross I can see where it is much more entertaining for the common viewer. I also think PTI had a debate about a USA hockey game being pushed off NBC in favor of some kind of ice skating. Its more about television ratings than anything else.

[HeatherC1212]

The skiing events are all messed up right now due to the weather conditions in Vancouver. That men's downhill was supposed to be in primetime one night (Sunday?) so when it got rescheduled, it messed up things with NBC. I think they're doing the best they can with events and the random issues that keep happening (WTH was up with the ice the other night during the speedskating?! :eek: ) and I'm just enjoying whatever they show me each evening. Some things they're doing pretty well (trying to show the skating and other marquee events live if possible) and others they're not but it's still enjoyable to watch, at least for me. I'm looking forward to a skating free night tonight since I really need to get sleep and should be able to go to bed early tonight for once, LOL ;)

[bucksfan2]

The skiing events are all messed up right now due to the weather conditions in Vancouver. That men's downhill was supposed to be in primetime one night (Sunday?) so when it got rescheduled, it messed up things with NBC. I think they're doing the best they can with events and the random issues that keep happening (WTH was up with the ice the other night during the speedskating?! :eek: ) and I'm just enjoying whatever they show me each evening. Some things they're doing pretty well (trying to show the skating and other marquee events live if possible) and others they're not but it's still enjoyable to watch, at least for me. I'm looking forward to a skating free night tonight since I really need to get sleep and should be able to go to bed early tonight for once, LOL ;)

The Mens Downhill was supposed to be shown on Sat night in primetime. Stupid Canadian Weather!!!!

[SunDeck]

I love watching the alpine skiing events. Being a skiier I can understand more the actual kind of talent it truly takes to go balls to the wall down a course like that. However in just watching the snowboard cross I can see where it is much more entertaining for the common viewer. I also think PTI had a debate about a USA hockey game being pushed off NBC in favor of some kind of ice skating. Its more about television ratings than anything else.

As a fellow life long skier, I agree. Unfortunately, it is very hard to convey the vertical nature of the downhill on TV, which makes downhill look flat sometimes. It's hard to convey a mile and a half black diamond, solid ice with blind turns, through gates at 80mph.

I miss the days of Wide World of Sports when you could count on alpine events on Saturdays in the Winter.

[Hoosier Red]

As a fellow life long skier, I agree. Unfortunately, it is very hard to convey the vertical nature of the downhill on TV, which makes downhill look flat sometimes. It's hard to convey a mile and a half black diamond, solid ice with blind turns, through gates at 80mph.

I miss the days of Wide World of Sports when you could count on alpine events on Saturdays in the Winter.

The other problem with skiing, luge, bobsled, etc is that because they're all going down the hill one at a time, you can't get a feel for who's doing better than the others. Imagine watching the 100 meter dash one at a time.

One thing I've liked is when the TV people put a graphic up for what the lead time's line was down the mountain.

[SunDeck]

The other problem with skiing, luge, bobsled, etc is that because they're all going down the hill one at a time, you can't get a feel for who's doing better than the others. Imagine watching the 100 meter dash one at a time.

One thing I've liked is when the TV people put a graphic up for what the lead time's line was down the mountain.

I agree and I really like the overlays they do that show skiers side by side. Or maybe that's what you mean. But I wish they'd just show more shots from the side of the course, like they did with the mogul runs earlier in the week. Those shots were dramatic.

[HeatherC1212]

My friends were on The Today Show again this morning! They were on before the competition began and they did a little interview and skating segment this morning around 9 AM. It's a cute clip (you can find it at the Today Show website) and I think once you've been on that show twice, you may have finally made it, LOL :laugh:

Great night for Team USA! I lost track of how many medals they won (I think there were two silvers and a bronze in addition to three golds) but Shaun White won the halfpipe gold, Shani Davis won the gold in the 1000m for speed skating, and Lindsay Vonn won the downhill gold earlier today. Pretty fun to watch this evening and it was the first stress free night I've had since the Games started last week! That will change once figure skating is back tomorrow night, LOL :D

[SunDeck]

I don't know anything about half pipe, but even being totally uninitiated to it, one can see that Shaun White is just not playing the same game as the other competitors. That kid is amazing.

[Razor Shines]

The other problem with skiing, luge, bobsled, etc is that because they're all going down the hill one at a time, you can't get a feel for who's doing better than the others. Imagine watching the 100 meter dash one at a time.

One thing I've liked is when the TV people put a graphic up for what the lead time's line was down the mountain.

The Luge Cross.

[Roy Tucker]

I don't know anything about half pipe, but even being totally uninitiated to it, one can see that Shaun White is just not playing the same game as the other competitors. That kid is amazing.


That's what I thought too.

At $8M per year, he's at a totally different economic level that all of his competition too. http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=sbd.main&ArticleID=136957

At the 2006 games, he truly seemed joyous and "duuuude" and all that x-game stuff. This time, it all seems a bit more calculated and businesslike.

[bucksfan2]

As a fellow life long skier, I agree. Unfortunately, it is very hard to convey the vertical nature of the downhill on TV, which makes downhill look flat sometimes. It's hard to convey a mile and a half black diamond, solid ice with blind turns, through gates at 80mph.

I miss the days of Wide World of Sports when you could count on alpine events on Saturdays in the Winter.

TV defiantly doesn't do the downhill justice. After skiing the "birds of prey" run after they deemed it ready for the public, there is no way I could even go straight down that run. The alpine skiiers are amazing athletes and that often goes overlooked.

I thought NBC did a pretty good job in the women's downhill, which is somewhat disappointing. The men ski a tougher course, faster, and with more reckless abandon, but I guess they didn't have the "Vonn Story". That said what Vonn and Mancusco did was pretty amazing. They destroyed the field. I thought it was cool when they showed the two skiiers on their lines at the same time.

[SunDeck]

TV defiantly doesn't do the downhill justice. After skiing the "birds of prey" run after they deemed it ready for the public, there is no way I could even go straight down that run. The alpine skiiers are amazing athletes and that often goes overlooked.

I thought NBC did a pretty good job in the women's downhill, which is somewhat disappointing. The men ski a tougher course, faster, and with more reckless abandon, but I guess they didn't have the "Vonn Story". That said what Vonn and Mancusco did was pretty amazing. They destroyed the field. I thought it was cool when they showed the two skiiers on their lines at the same time.

Birds of Prey sounds deadly to me. Here's an article from the NYT before they held the World Championships there in '99:


For the men competing here in the downhill and super-G competitions this week in the world Alpine ski championships, Birds of Prey is a sheet of near-vertical ice sprayed down with hoses before race time.... At Screech Owl Jump, a point two-thirds of the way down the 1.6-mile downhill course, Russi thought the runoff was too short for a decent landing. ''I like to have the possibility of letting people fly at least 180 feet, and still land on a steep hill and not on a flat,'' Russi said.

Racers know that their speed is likely to start building at the Brink, three sharp turns over a natural step in the mountain near its peak. With a 65 percent incline -- 90 percent is straight up and down -- the area is steep.

Near Russi's Ride, a spate of open terrain just below the halfway mark, a racer is likely to reach a speed of 90 miles an hour. Around the bend at Golden Eagle, about three-quarters of the way down, a skier is swept into the air for at least 200 feet. He then heads into the Abyss, a left-hand turn that hurtles him into a final jump before the finish.

Also, I think Vonn is changing Women's skiing. Within a couple of years, there may not be such a thing as a "woman's ski".

[bucksfan2]

Birds of Prey sounds deadly to me. Here's an article from the NYT before they held the World Championships there in '99:

Its steep and icy to say the least. You can't do it justice until you have skiied it. There is nothing like standing down at a flat spot, looking up and saying wow skiiers go straight down that.

Another good one is the slalom course at Deer Valley. I skiied it at the end of the day, caught a patch of ice, and found myself sliding down the entire hill. I stopped at the bottom and was waiting for the rest of my group to come down. I started talking to a ranger and asked him if it would be this icy for the Olympic race. He said even more so. They will ice the run through the race in order for it to run faster. I just shook my head in disbelief.


Also, I think Vonn is changing Women's skiing. Within a couple of years, there may not be such a thing as a "woman's ski".

The only real difference is length isn't it? I am somewhat surprised that more women haven't switched this year after Vonn has won all but 1 WC downhill races this season. I can see were you wouldn't want it on more technical races with more turns, but on a downhill it would make sense. I hope this doesn't offend anyone but Vonn attacked that hill like a mens skiier. There is a reason she is heads and shoulders above the rest of the competition. In a mens downhill where Bode Miller missed gold by <.1 seconds, Vonn won by ~.5. Hopefully now that her gold is out of the way, we will hear less about her shin and see her try to win 3+ more medals.

You may know this but does a racer have to finish the race with both skis on in order to not DNF? I saw one woman fall, stay within the course and slide across the finish line only to see her DNF in the standings.

[SunDeck]

The only real difference is length isn't it?



Men's skis are stiffer too. That's not to say the women's skis are not stiff already- I'll bet I couldn't get those things to turn on a bunny slope. :)



You may know this but does a racer have to finish the race with both skis on in order to not DNF? I saw one woman fall, stay within the course and slide across the finish line only to see her DNF in the standings.

I wondered the same thing, probably on the same run as you. Whether it's about gates or skis, I'm not sure. I seem to recall a snowboard cross race where one person wiped out at the end but advanced because she made across the line, even though she was on her backside.

[Chip R]

The only real difference is length isn't it? I am somewhat surprised that more women haven't switched this year after Vonn has won all but 1 WC downhill races this season.

They said last night that another gal tried using men's skis but she couldn't handle it.

[bucksfan2]

They said last night that another gal tried using men's skis but she couldn't handle it.

Yea I head them say that. Usually skiers have multiple pairs of skis that they chose from. I thought the reference was that the skier (was it Paerson?) didn't feel comfortable using those skis on that course.

Looks like Vonn is up to no good today, leads after the downhill portion of the Super Combined by a pretty good margin again.

[ochre]

For those who have not seen it, let's review the greatest downhill run of all time. This two minutes did more to endanger adults at ski resorts than anything. For the next two years, I WAS Franz Klammer on every run.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVMJKIx34SE
That was clutch.

[Yachtzee]

TV defiantly doesn't do the downhill justice. After skiing the "birds of prey" run after they deemed it ready for the public, there is no way I could even go straight down that run. The alpine skiiers are amazing athletes and that often goes overlooked.

I thought NBC did a pretty good job in the women's downhill, which is somewhat disappointing. The men ski a tougher course, faster, and with more reckless abandon, but I guess they didn't have the "Vonn Story". That said what Vonn and Mancusco did was pretty amazing. They destroyed the field. I thought it was cool when they showed the two skiiers on their lines at the same time.

When I was a kid and the Olympics were handled by ABC Sports, there seemed to be a much more balanced showing of the events. I can remember knowing all the skiers for the Austrian, Swiss, German, and American teams. Some of the most compelling athletes of those games were people like Franz Klammer and Leonard Stock of Austria, Pirmin Zurbriggen of Switzerland, Alberto Tomba of Italy, and Marc Girardelli, skiing for Luxembourg. Sometimes you'd have an American jump in like Bill Johnson, the Maher brothers, Tamara McKinney, and later A.J. Kitt. But generally, the coverage focused on showing the athletes competing. The announcers were excited by the performance on the slopes or the rink, no matter which country the competitors came from. Listen to the calls of Klammer's downhill run in 1976 or Stock's run in 1980 and the announcers sound like they're jumping out of their seats. Now, if an American isn't in contention for a medal, the announcers almost sound like the event is a major disappointment.

The Winter Olympics have never been the same since CBS carried the 1994 games in Lillehammer. I remember that as the year the games really changed from focusing on the athletic events to focusing on the back stories. Alpine events were pushed to the side in favor of showing locker room shots of Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. Then there were the constant canned segments giving us the back stories of various American athletes. When they did show events, they tended to just show the Americans. Alberto Tomba was featured, but mainly for his partying. David Letterman's mom and Mujibur and Sirajul got more air time than most of the athletes at the games. Since then, it's never been the same.

[bucksfan2]

When I was a kid and the Olympics were handled by ABC Sports, there seemed to be a much more balanced showing of the events. I can remember knowing all the skiers for the Austrian, Swiss, German, and American teams. Some of the most compelling athletes of those games were people like Franz Klammer and Leonard Stock of Austria, Pirmin Zurbriggen of Switzerland, Alberto Tomba of Italy, and Marc Girardelli, skiing for Luxembourg. Sometimes you'd have an American jump in like Bill Johnson, the Maher brothers, Tamara McKinney, and later A.J. Kitt. But generally, the coverage focused on showing the athletes competing. The announcers were excited by the performance on the slopes or the rink, no matter which country the competitors came from. Listen to the calls of Klammer's downhill run in 1976 or Stock's run in 1980 and the announcers sound like they're jumping out of their seats. Now, if an American isn't in contention for a medal, the announcers almost sound like the event is a major disappointment.

The Winter Olympics have never been the same since CBS carried the 1994 games in Lillehammer. I remember that as the year the games really changed from focusing on the athletic events to focusing on the back stories. Alpine events were pushed to the side in favor of showing locker room shots of Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. Then there were the constant canned segments giving us the back stories of various American athletes. When they did show events, they tended to just show the Americans. Alberto Tomba was featured, but mainly for his partying. David Letterman's mom and Mujibur and Sirajul got more air time than most of the athletes at the games. Since then, it's never been the same.

You have a legitimate point here. And I really don't know how old you are Yachtzee but I am 27. The only thing I remember for Lillehammer is Tommy Moe and his Olympics. I think NBC does a decent job in their broadcast and I do agree that it takes stories to see the thing anymore. With today's 24 media it is very difficult to hold onto the information too long.

<spoiler alert>

Lindsay Vonn crashed out on the slalom part of the super combined. She held the lead after the downhill portion but didn't finish. espn.com, si.com, wsj.com are the 3 sights that I have noticed already broke that story. NBC is in a tough position because they want to show that race, but a large portion of their audience already knows who won. They have to gear themselves moreso to sell the story than anything else in today's Olympic broadcast.

I do think the weekend telecast are exactly as you described the older Olympic broadcast. But I have to admit, while I do find the international stories neat and all, I want the Americans to win. NBC did a nice story on the Chinese figure skaters and their road to the Olympics, even after watching that I wanted the Americans to win.

[Yachtzee]

My friends were on The Today Show again this morning! They were on before the competition began and they did a little interview and skating segment this morning around 9 AM. It's a cute clip (you can find it at the Today Show website) and I think once you've been on that show twice, you may have finally made it, LOL :laugh:


I'm happy for your friends. It sounds like you've been enjoying the figure skating. I personally miss the days when they still had compulsory figures. I think it put more emphasis on the skill of figure skating and required the skaters who specialized in the free skate to skate clean. I know they changed it to benefit little flippy skaters like Midori Ito, but it's just crazy that someone can fall on their behind and still medal because they can throw in a couple triple jumps.

The other thing that bugs me, at least with the men, is all this focus on their outfits. I've heard more about Johnny Weir's outfits than I've heard about most of the other sports at the games. If skaters want non-figure skaters to take the sport seriously, they need to get rid of all the silly ice capades costumes and just wear a national team uniform so that people can focus on their skating. It's the Olympics, not a fashion show.

[Yachtzee]

I do think the weekend telecast are exactly as you described the older Olympic broadcast. But I have to admit, while I do find the international stories neat and all, I want the Americans to win. NBC did a nice story on the Chinese figure skaters and their road to the Olympics, even after watching that I wanted the Americans to win.

I want the Americans to win too, but I also enjoy some of the drama that comes with amazing competition where Americans are not involved. And I don't care so much about the back stories. That information is fine for the announcers to throw in as color to calling the events, but it's ridiculous to show a 10 minute canned segment on some athlete, then show 3 or 4 minutes of an actual competition, especially when the people they are pimping fail to medal. Then it all seems like a waste of time. Let the events provide the drama and hire some announcers who can get excited by the competition.

[BuckeyeRed27]

I have watched a lot of the mens curling on USA the last couple days. They are now 0-4 and should easily be 3-1. They flat out choked 3 times in a row. It's actually been painful to watch.

[Gallen5862]

The Womens Curling Skipper just missed 2 chances for points. USA behind 2-0 going into the 3rd End.

[Yachtzee]

Earlier, I watched the US beat up on Norway in Ice Hockey - 6-1 was the final.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Earlier, I watched the US beat up on Norway in Ice Hockey - 6-1 was the final.

Slopy game for the US though. Norway had several good chances that they didn't capitalize on. Also the US scored 3 goals in the last 4 minutes of the game. Wasn't as bad as the score looked.

[Yachtzee]

Watching women's curling, which is quite compelling. The Danish team looks kind of punk rock in their skirts. I'm just amazed at the skill and strategy these ladies have to use in getting these rocks down the ice.

[Yachtzee]

Wow, the US women just really messed up their last rock in that end for curling. Failed to get it far enough and gave up 3 points to the Danish.

[Yachtzee]

I have watched a lot of the mens curling on USA the last couple days. They are now 0-4 and should easily be 3-1. They flat out choked 3 times in a row. It's actually been painful to watch.

It's amazing how close some of these teams are in ability. It's hard to make mistakes and get away with it.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Wow, the US women just really messed up their last rock in that end for curling. Failed to get it far enough and gave up 3 points to the Danish.

Doesn't look good for our ladies here...down 2 with 3 stones left

[Kingspoint]

US Men win Gold in a huge upset in Men's Figure Skating.

Awesome! First time we beat the Russians in that sport in 22 years.

[bucksfan2]

US Men win Gold in a huge upset in Men's Figure Skating.

Awesome! First time we beat the Russians in that sport in 22 years.

Apparently people are pretty upset that the American won gold. They said he did not skate a gold medal performance. Can't comment on it because I was watching the back of my eye lids at the time.

[Roy Tucker]

The other thing that bugs me, at least with the men, is all this focus on their outfits. I've heard more about Johnny Weir's outfits than I've heard about most of the other sports at the games. If skaters want non-figure skaters to take the sport seriously, they need to get rid of all the silly ice capades costumes and just wear a national team uniform so that people can focus on their skating. It's the Olympics, not a fashion show.

Dave Letterman said why do they all look like Edward Scissorhands?

[texasdave]

Apparently people are pretty upset that the American won gold. They said he did not skate a gold medal performance. Can't comment on it because I was watching the back of my eye lids at the time.

I can't wait until they make Ballroom Dancing an Olympic Sport.

[HeatherC1212]

Apparently people are pretty upset that the American won gold. They said he did not skate a gold medal performance. Can't comment on it because I was watching the back of my eye lids at the time.

It's the technical skill vs. the artist argument that's been going on in figure skating for years. Personally, I thought Plushenko was sloppy in his jumps, his spins weren't as good, and his footwork wasn't as hard as Evan's so I agreed with the result although I'm shocked the judges actually did it. I thought they'd give Plushenko huge tech marks for the quad which would seal it for him but they actually looked at the whole programs last night. It seems like this judging panel appreciated the transitions, spins, and artistic style a lot more than four years ago (probably why Jeremy Abbott ended up moving up to ninth place overall even though he had two big errors in his long program) and Plushenko didn't pay as much attention to those details in his program. Evan isn't even my favorite skater (I prefer the Japanese men and Johnny and Jeremy are two of my fave US guys) but I agree with the result and I'm very happy for him. :thumbup:

BTW-Elvis Stoiko is a tool. I know not many of you will even know who that is but I just read his review at Yahoo Sports of the event last night and he just sounds like sour grapes. IT IS NOT ALL ABOUT THE JUMPS. I would much rather watch a complete program with slightly easier jumps (it's not like Evan didn't do anything hard last night) than a technically challenging program with crappy spins, no transitions, and easy footwork. Whatever dude. :thumbdown

[bucksfan2]

Thanks Heather. That article on Yahoo is what I read and I have a limited understanding of ice skating.

As for curling I find it fun to watch but frustrating at the same time. The sport just looks easy. It was frustrating watching the American miss shots thinking, come on guys its can't be that difficult. I don't mean to take anything away from the curlers, I imagine it takes a great deal of touch to make the shots they do, but if I see another American slide a stone too far my head may explode.

[westofyou]

i don't care one iota about figure skating... but the other skating with the hitting was pretty awesome last night, two OT games and an upset of Russia, now that's an Olympic moment... and without the guitar solos in the background that are equaled in stank only by the ones that are placed in any episode of 90210

[SunDeck]

BTW-Elvis Stoiko is a tool. I know not many of you will even know who that is but I just read his review at Yahoo Sports of the event last night and he just sounds like sour grapes. IT IS NOT ALL ABOUT THE JUMPS. I would much rather watch a complete program with slightly easier jumps (it's not like Evan didn't do anything hard last night) than a technically challenging program with crappy spins, no transitions, and easy footwork. Whatever dude. :thumbdown

I remember Elvis Stoiko. And I remember that he looked awful on the ice until he jumped. And man, could he jump. But Surya Bonaly could do back flips and she never got a medal.
So, I get style. But for the love of god, do they need to dress up like it's a beaux arts ball? Pictures of Dick Button from 60 years ago still look good, and he didn't need feathers on his wrist to win two gold in a row.

[Chip R]

i don't care one iota about figure skating... but the other skating with the hitting was pretty awesome last night, two OT games and an upset of Russia, now that's an Olympic moment... and without the guitar solos in the background that are equaled in stank only by the ones that are placed in any episode of 90210


That Canada-Switzerland game was incredible. Who did the Russkies get beat by?

BTW, I saw a nice goal from one of the American girls. Whe was set up in front of the Finnish net, back to the goal, and the puck came to her then she put it between her legs and past the goalie. Pretty good play.

[bucksfan2]

That Canada-Switzerland game was incredible. Who did the Russkies get beat by?

BTW, I saw a nice goal from one of the American girls. Whe was set up in front of the Finnish net, back to the goal, and the puck came to her then she put it between her legs and past the goalie. Pretty good play.

I tried but I can't watch Women's Hockey. No checking, they look slow skating, and whenever the US doesn't play Canada the score is like 15-1.

[Chip R]

I tried but I can't watch Women's Hockey. No checking, they look slow skating, and whenever the US doesn't play Canada the score is like 15-1.


I know, but it's better than men's figure skating or snowboarding.

[bucksfan2]

I know, but it's better than men's figure skating or snowboarding.

Better than Men's figure skating, not so much on snowboarding. In my younger days I tried to ski in a half pipe. I don't think I got my skis out of the pipe on any of my passes. What those snowboarders do are pretty amazing, especially Shawn White.

[westofyou]

That Canada-Switzerland game was incredible. Who did the Russkies get beat by?

BTW, I saw a nice goal from one of the American girls. Whe was set up in front of the Finnish net, back to the goal, and the puck came to her then she put it between her legs and past the goalie. Pretty good play.

Lost in a shoot out to Slovakia, I also agree with BF womens hockey is painful to endure, I'd prefer to watch any other event myself, though I did see a USA women crash into the boards and seperate her shoulder (at least the way she left the ice told my eyes that)

[bucksfan2]

Lost in a shoot out to Slovakia, I also agree with BF womens hockey is painful to endure, I'd prefer to watch any other event myself, though I did see a USA women crash into the boards and seperate her shoulder (at least the way she left the ice told my eyes that)

Does Ovechkin play for Russia? I was somewhat surprised when I saw that score run across the bottom line.

The wife is out of town this weekend and I may just make an effort to watch the USA Canada game, probably the only time I have ever made an effort to watch a hockey game.

I don't watch much hockey at all but didn't the NHL adapt a lot of Olympic Hockey rules?

[westofyou]

Does Ovechkin play for Russia? I was somewhat surprised when I saw that score run across the bottom line.

The wife is out of town this weekend and I may just make an effort to watch the USA Canada game, probably the only time I have ever made an effort to watch a hockey game.

I don't watch much hockey at all but didn't the NHL adapt a lot of Olympic Hockey rules?

Ovechkin does play for Russia and he was by far the best player on the ice last night, in fact the ice was tilted towards Sloveki for the 1st 2 periods and they totally controled the 3rd to get the tie.

The NHL adopted some of the Olympic rules, but the most important one they missed was the larger ice, and they are playing on an NHL sized rink during the games.

The USA/ Canada game shoudl be great, but Canada is a stud team, big and strong and they have their fans too. It will be tough to beat them.

[bucksfan2]

Ovechkin does play for Russia and he was by far the best player on the ice last night, in fact the ice was tilted towards Sloveki for the 1st 2 periods and they totally controled the 3rd to get the tie.

The NHL adopted some of the Olympic rules, but the most important one they missed was the larger ice, and they are playing on an NHL sized rink during the games.

The USA/ Canada game shoudl be great, but Canada is a stud team, big and strong and they have their fans too. It will be tough to beat them.

Its funny the ice looks huge when women are on it, not so much with the men. Wasn't the two line pass originally an Olympic rule that the NHL adopted?

There is an interesting article over on wsj.com about the comparisons between this US team and the 1980 team. Basically it was talking about how the US team is full of younger guys who have played together before. It should be a fun game to watch.

[WMR]

When does the USA hockey team play on tv again?

[Yachtzee]

Better than Men's figure skating, not so much on snowboarding. In my younger days I tried to ski in a half pipe. I don't think I got my skis out of the pipe on any of my passes. What those snowboarders do are pretty amazing, especially Shawn White.

I think snowboarding has definitely been a good addition to the games. Snowboarders are definitely amazing in what they can do these days. I always wanted to try it myself, but my skiing days ended (knee surgery) back in the days when most ski areas still banned snowboarding and half-pipes because of insurance reasons.

Watching men's hockey. Belarus just got a goal to make it 1-3 against Sweden.

[bucksfan2]

When does the USA hockey team play on tv again?

7:40 Eastern time on Sunday.

[bucksfan2]

I think snowboarding has definitely been a good addition to the games. Snowboarders are definitely amazing in what they can do these days. I always wanted to try it myself, but my skiing days ended (knee surgery) back in the days when most ski areas still banned snowboarding and half-pipes because of insurance reasons.

Watching men's hockey. Belarus just got a goal to make it 1-3 against Sweden.

I think the snowboarding has been a very good addition. I like watching the half pipe, (personally I think they should add the skiing half pipe. Those skiers get higher than boarders) and enjoy the snowboarder cross. I really can't wait to see the skiers take to the course.

Its funny I have met a bunch of skiers on the slopes who have switched to snowboarding after injuring their knees a couple of times. Im told its much easier on your knees boarding than it is skiing.

[westofyou]

Its funny the ice looks huge when women are on it, not so much with the men. Wasn't the two line pass originally an Olympic rule that the NHL adopted?

There is an interesting article over on wsj.com about the comparisons between this US team and the 1980 team. Basically it was talking about how the US team is full of younger guys who have played together before. It should be a fun game to watch.

Yes they removed the red line and allowed the two line pass, that was good move, but they should losen up on the clutching and grabbing calls they call, they tend to be somewhat weak.

[Yachtzee]

Its funny I have met a bunch of skiers on the slopes who have switched to snowboarding after injuring their knees a couple of times. Im told its much easier on your knees boarding than it is skiing.

Hmm. Interesting thought.

[SunDeck]

I think the snowboarding has been a very good addition. I like watching the half pipe, (personally I think they should add the skiing half pipe. Those skiers get higher than boarders) and enjoy the snowboarder cross. I really can't wait to see the skiers take to the course.

Its funny I have met a bunch of skiers on the slopes who have switched to snowboarding after injuring their knees a couple of times. Im told its much easier on your knees boarding than it is skiing.

Agreed- I enjoy it a lot.
But I'll never give up my boards. The key to keeping your knees is to admit that you're not twenty anymore. That and biking to and from work everyday keep my legs in skiing shape.

[Gallen5862]

The USA womens skipper made a key shot to beat the Russians. The USA Mens Curling Coach benched the skipper making him the alternate. The Former alternate is now the Skipper but throwing Third Rock. Hopefully the Men can win this match.

[BuckeyeRed27]

The USA womens skipper made a key shot to beat the Russians. The USA Mens Curling Coach benched the skipper making him the alternate. The Former alternate is now the Skipper but throwing Third Rock. Hopefully the Men can win this match.

Awesome shot by Jason Smith in the 5th. Curled it right onto the button on the last shot to tie up the game. Nice to see a shot go our way.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Finally US mens curling wins one!
France had to make a perfect shot and couldn't squeze it in.

[Kingspoint]

It's the technical skill vs. the artist argument that's been going on in figure skating for years. Personally, I thought Plushenko was sloppy in his jumps, his spins weren't as good, and his footwork wasn't as hard as Evan's so I agreed with the result although I'm shocked the judges actually did it. I thought they'd give Plushenko huge tech marks for the quad which would seal it for him but they actually looked at the whole programs last night. It seems like this judging panel appreciated the transitions, spins, and artistic style a lot more than four years ago (probably why Jeremy Abbott ended up moving up to ninth place overall even though he had two big errors in his long program) and Plushenko didn't pay as much attention to those details in his program. Evan isn't even my favorite skater (I prefer the Japanese men and Johnny and Jeremy are two of my fave US guys) but I agree with the result and I'm very happy for him. :thumbup:

BTW-Elvis Stoiko is a tool. I know not many of you will even know who that is but I just read his review at Yahoo Sports of the event last night and he just sounds like sour grapes. IT IS NOT ALL ABOUT THE JUMPS. I would much rather watch a complete program with slightly easier jumps (it's not like Evan didn't do anything hard last night) than a technically challenging program with crappy spins, no transitions, and easy footwork. Whatever dude. :thumbdown

Heather, what you saw is what everyone else saw (who's not a biased Russian). 6 of 9 judges were from Eastern Bloc Countries and they still voted against Plushenko. Plushenko had been giving poor performances for the last year+, but European judges continued to give him high marks making him believe that he could come to Vancouver and have the Gold handed to him. Sorry, Comrade....this ain't 1972 anymore.

Nyet Gold for You!


-----------------------------------------

[Yachtzee]

Watching the men's Super-G tonight, and then some skeleton after that, I wish NBC would give us more. I know they have a limited amount of time in prime-time to show us feature events, but why not show early heats in the sliding events and some of the earlier racers in the alpine events during the day, and save the last heat or the last 5-10 competitors for the prime-time show? It really seems like they don't do those sports justice by just showing 5 or 6 racers, a few of which are the lower ranked Americans who don't have a chance of medaling. I know we've all been enjoying the curling, but MSNBC and CNBC have practically been the curling channels this past week. Why not skip a few games and mix up the daytime broadcast a little?

In the alternative, I'd like them to at least mention the racers who came in between the ones they show, maybe with a short clip of their run and a mention of their time. It's a little disconcerting to see an American make his or her run and take the lead, only to see the next racer go, but their now trying to beat someone else's time, with no mention that anyone has gone in between. If I'm not paying close attention, I'm wondering what happened to the guy who just went? Did I see his time wrong and he didn't take the lead?

[Yachtzee]

As usual, a figure skating event ends with claims of being robbed and complaints against judging. The only thing I can think of is to ask, "What would Brian Boitano do?"

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/southpark/images/0/03/BrianBoitanoSP.jpg

[Gallen5862]

Men's Curling now on MSNBC. The USA Skipper is back in but throwing Third Rock and Yesterday's Skipper is back to being the alternate.

[Gallen5862]

The USA Mens Curling Team won in the 11th End. The Womens Team plays at 5pm on CNBC.

[Gallen5862]

The USA womens skipper made a key shot to beat the British in the 11th End.

[HeatherC1212]

As usual, a figure skating event ends with claims of being robbed and complaints against judging. The only thing I can think of is to ask, "What would Brian Boitano do?"

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/southpark/images/0/03/BrianBoitanoSP.jpg

He would say that Evan deserved to win the gold medal the other night which he actually said on both The Today Show and the skating show on Universal Sports yesterday, LOL ;)

People seem to be so negative about these Olympics so far but I'm enjoying the Games. The USA is doing really well, there are a lot of great stories about athletes from other countries, and the events themselves have been pretty exciting too. Yeah, maybe NBC should do a better job showing some of the events full out but overall, it's been very enjoyable and I'm having a great time watching everything. I've even had fun watching the events like biathalon, cross country skiing, and nordic combined...none of which I will ever watch at any other time except during the Olympics, LOL :laugh:

[SunDeck]

Man, I can barely watch the short track races; those guys are so close to wiping out the entire time. And I feel bad about this, because I have met some Koreans here in Bloomington who are all really nice people and who all seem like they'd rather lose a limb than do anything dishonest, but I have developed a real dislike for the Korean team.

[OldRightHander]

I am enjoying what I'm seeing so far, but my only complaint is the same one I've had for years. I want to see more actual competition and fewer of the little profile pieces and side stories. Other than that, I really like watching the winter events more than the summer just because I think they're more entertaining to watch.

[hebroncougar]

So, tonight, I can watch figure skating and curling in HD, but have to watch US/Canada in SD on MSNBC?

[Chip R]

So, tonight, I can watch figure skating and curling in HD, but have to watch US/Canada in SD on MSNBC?

You would think they would show the hockey game on NBC to get the largest audience possible. But maybe figure skating is a bigger draw than hockey. :confused:

[hebroncougar]

You would think they would show the hockey game on NBC to get the largest audience possible. But maybe figure skating is a bigger draw than hockey. :confused:

That's what I was thinking. But, we have common sense.

[NJReds]

That's what I was thinking. But, we have common sense.

Figure skating is the big ratings item for NBC. That and any Americans that win gold. They have Bode Miller's run tonight.

Hockey is a big snore ratings-wise, although I'm watching Canada-USA and it's a great game through 2 periods.

[SunDeck]

Bode Miller! That was the first mens alpine event where I had not inadvertently heard of the outcome before seeing it and what a great surprise to see him win GOLD.

[wolfboy]

Figure skating is the big ratings item for NBC. That and any Americans that win gold. They have Bode Miller's run tonight.

Hockey is a big snore ratings-wise, although I'm watching Canada-USA and it's a great game through 2 periods.

Another goal by Team USA!
:beerme:

[NJReds]

Another goal by Team USA!
:beerme:

4-3 US and Canada is pouring it on. Amazing play by Miller and all of the US players going down to block shots. Less than 1 minute left.

The intensity of this game is insane. I can't imagine what a gold medal matchup between these two teams would be like.

[NJReds]

Empty net GOAL! US leads 5-3

[Reds Fanatic]

What a fantastic game. US wins 5-3!

[wolfboy]

Empty net GOAL! US leads 5-3

Great win tonight! :beerme:

[MilotheMayor]

A tremendously tremendous effort by the USA team!

[Chip R]

What a fantastic game. US wins 5-3!

Couldn't agree more. Hopefully there is no letdown in the next game.

[paintmered]

Great game! It was like watching an all-star game with the intensity of a Stanley Cup Final game. And the Yanks pull off the upset in Canadian soil. Just awesome. :thumbup:

[redsfan1966]

Amazing hockey game...may have been the best one I have ever watched...but yes, unfortunately ice skating, snowboarding, etc. get better ratings than hockey---hence a great matchup on MSNBC...

[dabvu2498]

A tremendously tremendous effort by the USA team! I caught that, too. The verbal stylings of Eddie Olczyk! Anyway, here's hoping the US doesn't have to face them again.

[Chip R]

I caught that, too. The verbal stylings of Eddie Olczyk! Anyway, here's hoping the US doesn't have to face them again.

I noticed that too. He got a little excited and tongue tied. :)

[reds1869]

That was the best hockey game I've ever watched. Just tremendous fro start to finish. paintmered summed it up perfectly with his All-Star/Stanley Cup description. The whole game was thrilling.

[westofyou]

If Canada had a point man on the power play who played half the game that Raffy played then they could have walked with the win. Cudos to the USA who took advantage of their speed, didn't let Canada pound them and rode the hotter goalie to the win, despite Canada having a deeper talent pool. Speaking of the talent pool, Canada needs more grinders, they are deep talent wise but many guys playing in the 3rd or 4th line in grinder situations but playing the type of game that isn't needed then. That's when the USA was able to take the game to the Canadians net at their best.

[WMR]

http://i49.tinypic.com/1z1fww0.gif

[reds44]

Re: the post above mine.

Oh those silly Canadians.

[bucksfan2]

Bode Miller! That was the first mens alpine event where I had not inadvertently heard of the outcome before seeing it and what a great surprise to see him win GOLD.

It was great to see that, I hadn't heard anything either and it fun to watch. I wish NBC would have shown more racers, but I was getting nervous seeing racer after racer come down. I was almost certain Svindal was going to push Bode a spot lower after he had done so in his first 2 events.

With all due respect to Apollo Ono, I consider Bode the top male winter athlete. 5 golds in every discipline is almost unheard of. If he medals in the slalom or GS it may be one of the greatest individual olympic performances.

As for the hockey I had no problem with what NBC did. I have MSNBC in HD so it was great to watch. Hockey just doesn't get the ratings that a hodgepodge of sports can get.

Miller played a great game in the goal. I love watching olympic hockey, great players who haven't played together for all that long means we get intense hockey with a lot of goal scoring. The Canadians seemed like they were on the attack for the majority of the game. Sidney Crosby did look a little soft but Rick Nash is a beast.

[hebroncougar]

It was an all star game with hitting. I loved it!:)

[NJReds]

If Canada had a point man on the power play who played half the game that Raffy played then they could have walked with the win. Cudos to the USA who took advantage of their speed, didn't let Canada pound them and rode the hotter goalie to the win, despite Canada having a deeper talent pool. Speaking of the talent pool, Canada needs more grinders, they are deep talent wise but many guys playing in the 3rd or 4th line in grinder situations but playing the type of game that isn't needed then. That's when the USA was able to take the game to the Canadians net at their best.

Miller saved the US last night. That, and the willingness of the defensemen to drop down and block as many shots as possible.

Edit: And it didn't hurt that Canada had so many SJ Sharks. We all know how they fare in big games.

[Sea Ray]

They had the ice dancing finals last night and I would like to opine publically that NBCs color commentary was severely lacking. 99% of us marvel at what these skaters can do but have no idea what the difference is in a Gold Metal and a 5th place finish. For example the US team lost out on a metal to the final team, a pair from Russia. I would like to know what the Russians did that was lacking in the American's program. I have no idea. I don't know what these skaters are scored on and there is precious little commentary by the announcers while the skaters are performing. How can I follow a sport where I don't know how to score it? Give me Dick Button any day...

[Chip R]

Heather, what you saw is what everyone else saw (who's not a biased Russian). 6 of 9 judges were from Eastern Bloc Countries and they still voted against Plushenko. Plushenko had been giving poor performances for the last year+, but European judges continued to give him high marks making him believe that he could come to Vancouver and have the Gold handed to him. Sorry, Comrade....this ain't 1972 anymore.

Nyet Gold for You!


-----------------------------------------

Congratulations to Plushenko for winning the Platinum medal (in his mind only).

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/In-Plushenko-s-mind-and-website-he-s-the-plat?urn=oly,221408

[HeatherC1212]

Plushenko is a tool and slightly delusional. :eek:

I'm so proud of Meryl & Charlie for winning the silver medal last night! I've met them several times over the last few years and they're wonderful people. I remember seeing them compete as junior level skaters several years ago at the US National Championships and now they're Olympic medalists. That is SO COOL. :)

Team USA won a silver medal in one of the team Nordic Combined events today. This Olympics is turning out SO well for Team USA. We're winning medals in events that we've never even been close to medaling in before which is very cool. Go Team USA!! :D

[Chip R]

Plushenko is a tool and slightly delusional. :eek:


Slightly?


I'm so proud of Meryl & Charlie for winning the silver medal last night! I've met them several times over the last few years and they're wonderful people. I remember seeing them compete as junior level skaters several years ago at the US National Championships and now they're Olympic medalists. That is SO COOL. :)

I didn't see them skate. I turned it on when the Canadians were skating> I was on the phone with the sound off but you could tell they were so in sync and were almost like they were one with each other. The Russians and Belbin & Agusto were great but they weren't in the same league as the Canadians. That was nice that they (deservedly) won since they were so down and out about the hockey loss the night before.

[HeatherC1212]

Slightly?

Ok, maybe a little more than slightly. I was trying to be nice, LOL :laugh:

The US ladies did a nice job in their short programs last night but the top two were outstanding (Kim and Asada) and deserve to be first and second respectively. Joannie Rochette stole my heart though for skating such a beautiful performance just two days after losing her mother to a heart attack. :( Wow, that took so much courage and so much strength and I was sobbing right along with her after she hit her final pose. She was outstanding and whether she medals or not, she's a champion in my eyes just for being out there.

[westofyou]

Canada vs Russia at 4:30 PST... I'm PUMPED, this will be the marquee game so far.

[wolfboy]

NBC is streaming the US v. Switzerland if anyone is interested:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/assetid=bf9c2f97-8b8c-463d-bc9d-9af4a7c92ebd.html#mens+quarterfinal+united+states+ switzerland

[Chip R]

Canada vs Russia at 4:30 PST... I'm PUMPED, this will be the marquee game so far.

Canadians are whipping the Russians right now 4-1 in the 1st.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Canadians are whipping the Russians right now 4-1 in the 1st.

Well I think the Canadians are awake now. 6-1...make that 6-2 as I type this and the Russians had to pull the goalie.

US won but struggled 2-0 against the Neutrals (last goal was an empty neter with about 10 seconds left)

[westofyou]

Canadians are whipping the Russians right now 4-1 in the 1st.

Brutal, Russia should have pulled the goalie sooner.

[NJReds]

Brutal, Russia should have pulled the goalie sooner.

They needed two goalies. It wasn't his fault. It was a complete bombardment.

Playing a little defense, maybe dropping down to block a shot or two might've helped a little.

[westofyou]

They needed two goalies. It wasn't his fault. It was a complete bombardment.

Playing a little defense, maybe dropping down to block a shot or two might've helped a little.

Moving ones skates can help a hockey team.

[westofyou]

BTW when I say the should have removed the goalie I mean to save his rear, the rest of the Russian team left him hanging, at least his defense.

[Chip R]

They needed two goalies. It wasn't his fault. It was a complete bombardment.

Playing a little defense, maybe dropping down to block a shot or two might've helped a little.

I think Tretiak in his prime might have had trouble with Canada tonight.

[redsmetz]

Listening to The Story on WVXU, an NPR program which interviews folks with some unique story. Some of today's show is about Katie Uhlaender, the daughter of the late former Red, Ted Uehlander. She competed in the skeleton event, but finished out medal contention. Touching story. The link for the radio interview doesn't seem to be up yet. Here's the story itself.

http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_971_Katie_Uhlaender.mp3/view

[Chip R]

Does anyone think that the Canadian women's hockey coach looks like Larry Bird?

[HeatherC1212]

That was one of the BEST final flights of ladies long programs that I have ever seen in a competition. No falls, few small errors, and everyone seemed to skate with a lot of heart. Absolutely beautiful and I totally agree with the podium (although I don't think the gold medalist was 28 points better than the rest of the field). I'm so happy for Joannie to win the bronze and I'm sure her mom is smiling down on her even more now. :)

Four more medals for team USA today! Two medals in Nordic Combined, a gold and a silver, which brings their total to four overall in the Nordic Combined events (!!), one in the men's arials which is SO COOL to watch (silver for "Speedy" Peterson), and the US women win the silver in ladies hockey. Not a bad day overall! :D

[Roy Tucker]

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/2010/olympics/2010/02/26/behavior.hko.ap/canada.celebrates.jpg

[Eric_the_Red]

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/2010/olympics/2010/02/26/behavior.hko.ap/canada.celebrates.jpg

Thug life.

[camisadelgolf]

When will Jamaica's medal drought end? I really had high hopes for their bobsleigh team this year.

[westofyou]

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/2010/olympics/2010/02/26/behavior.hko.ap/canada.celebrates.jpg

My fifty mission cap, I worked it in, I worked it in to look like that
It's my fifty mission cap, it's his fifty mission cap
And I worked it in, I worked it in and I worked in it to look like that
And I worked it in to look like that

[HeatherC1212]

When will Jamaica's medal drought end? I really had high hopes for their bobsleigh team this year.

I don't know but they didn't even qualify a bobsled team for the Olympics this year. :(

[Sea Ray]

I don't know but they didn't even qualify a bobsled team for the Olympics this year. :(


I agree with you.

I think I heard that their bobsled team did not qualify this year.

[Jack Burton]

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/2010/olympics/2010/02/26/behavior.hko.ap/canada.celebrates.jpg

What did those guys win?

[texasdave]

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/2010/olympics/2010/02/26/behavior.hko.ap/canada.celebrates.jpg

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!"

[guttle11]

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/2010/olympics/2010/02/26/behavior.hko.ap/canada.celebrates.jpg

Molson? May as well pull up a table and eat back bacon with the cast of Degrassi. Go all out, eh.

If the USA can win the gold in men's hockey, I hope we top this. Tap a PBR keg, light some Marlboro reds, wear gold medal shirts from Wal-Mart and show the latest "Keeping up with the Kardashians" on the big screen.

[Chip R]

Does anyone think that the Canadian women's hockey coach looks like Larry Bird?


Tell me these 2 weren't separated at birth.

http://www.canadiansportcentre.com/Communications/SportPerformanceWeekly/2004%20SPW%20Images/Melody_Davidson_CP.jpg

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/02hI17J5PZ7Ra/610x.jpg

[WMR]

America!!! @#$% Yeah!!

:D

LOL the Fins are getting a fanny spanking.

[WMR]

lol 6-0

[Raisor]

Fun way to start a game, eh?

[Yachtzee]

America!!! @#$% Yeah!!

:D


McDonalds . . .
Wal-Mart . . .
The Gap . . .
Baseball . . .
NFL . . .
Rock and Roll . . .
The Internet . . .
(a bunch of other stuff) . . .
OLYMPIC HOCKEY . . .
Sportsmanship
Books

[BuckeyeRed27]

Wow great match for the gold in women's curling. Sweden beats Canada in the 11th end. Canada had a chance to win it in the 10th and made a mistake and then in the 11th had to knock out two Sweden stones to win and literally missed the shot by an inch.

[Eric_the_Red]

Who saw Ono get DQ'd? I say it was a valid DQ, but a few friends say no. (I think their vision is clouded by red white and blue goggles.)

[joshnky]

Who saw Ono get DQ'd? I say it was a valid DQ, but a few friends say no. (I think their vision is clouded by red white and blue goggles.)

It looked valid to me. He put his hand on the guys hip and he fell. It appears doubtful he would have fallen if Ohno hadn't touched him.

[Yachtzee]

It looked valid to me. He put his hand on the guys hip and he fell. It appears doubtful he would have fallen if Ohno hadn't touched him.

I don't know. It looked like he was going to fall regardless. However, all the skaters know how these things go when they step on the rink. If they touch someone else and that person falls, whether caused by the touch or not, the refs are going to err on the side of DQ. I can understand it. Keeps skaters from initiating contact and trying to argue it was merely incidental.

[WMR]

:usa:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTev5pSuYLk

[improbus]

I'm not usually someone who mixes patriotism with sports (it is almost always contrived), but I REALLY want to beat Canada.

[improbus]

BTW, sports are amazing when they aren't interrupted by commercials every two minutes. It is amazing what true "flow" and "momentum" look like.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Whew this is a really exciting game. US started to play a lot better in that period. Hope they can keep it up.

[Yachtzee]

Tie game! Overtime!

[redhawkfish]

Woohoo!!! Go USA!

[improbus]

Gooooooaaaaaalllll!!

[HeatherC1212]

:jump:

[BuckeyeRed27]

Wow wow wow wow wow. How great is this?

[Playadlc]

I feel like crying right now.

[Joseph]

Miller was phenomenal.

[HeatherC1212]

That sucks. Oh well. Considering Team USA was at best a longshot to even get that far in the tournament, winning the silver medal is pretty darn great. Congrats to all those guys (especially the USA goalie who was insanely good this whole series) and I guess Canada gets their lucky #14 gold medal after all. I was kind of hoping to see if Canada would self destruct if they didn't win this medal today, LOL :lol:

I bet Sidney Crosby gets booed by the USA Penguins fans when he gets back to his own team, LOL :laugh:

[improbus]

Ugghhh. How can this get worse? Oh, I know, Nickelback is playing in the closing ceremonies...Why not Rush, Canada? Why?

[KronoRed]

Ugh, I only watch Olympic hockey and I loath Canada right now!

Finland doesn't even get an appearance? did they get their medals under their hotel room doors?

[Chip R]

Couldn't have scripted this game any better. Too bad for the US. This means so much to Canada. If the US couldn't have won it, I was hoping the Canadians would. For quite a while, guys like Luongo, Nash, Iginla, Heatley, and even Brodeur are going to be cheered like they are on the home team when their teams go into Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

[paintmered]

Damn. We can't even say, "At least it wasn't Crosby who beat us." Just remember, Pens fans: country before club.

[Eric_the_Red]

So, when is game 3 of the best 2 out of 3 series?

[WMR]

Damn, wouldn't you love to see them play a full series.

What passionate hockey.

Ryan Miller is a rock star.

[WMR]

The NHL is crazy if they bypass the Olympics. What a way to get folks back interested into your sport.

[KronoRed]

So, when is game 3 of the best 2 out of 3 series?

Double Elimination!! :D

[reds1869]

Damn, wouldn't you love to see them play a full series.


Absolutely. I could watch these two teams play every night.

[Yachtzee]

The NHL is crazy if they bypass the Olympics. What a way to get folks back interested into your sport.

Makes you wonder if MLB made the right decision not to take a break during the Olympics in order to keep baseball in the summer games. With all the NHL players in the games, this tournament has been two weeks of free advertising for the NHL as the announcers have been good about filling us in on who these players play for as their day job. If MLB really wants to grow the game globally, maybe they need to take the Olympics more seriously.

[dabvu2498]

Makes you wonder if MLB made the right decision not to take a break during the Olympics in order to keep baseball in the summer games. With all the NHL players in the games, this tournament has been two weeks of free advertising for the NHL as the announcers have been good about filling us in on who these players play for as their day job. If MLB really wants to grow the game globally, maybe they need to take the Olympics more seriously.

Moot point since there will be no baseball in the 2012 Olympics.

[Yachtzee]

Moot point since there will be no baseball in the 2012 Olympics.

I know. My understanding was that one of the main reasons the IOC decided to dump baseball was because MLB wasn't going to work out some kind of deal to allow its best players to compete in the Olympics.

[reds44]

Makes you wonder if MLB made the right decision not to take a break during the Olympics in order to keep baseball in the summer games. With all the NHL players in the games, this tournament has been two weeks of free advertising for the NHL as the announcers have been good about filling us in on who these players play for as their day job. If MLB really wants to grow the game globally, maybe they need to take the Olympics more seriously.
Isn't that why they created the WBC?

[paintmered]

I know. My understanding was that one of the main reasons the IOC decided to dump baseball was because MLB wasn't going to work out some kind of deal to allow its best players to compete in the Olympics.

For MLB to accommodate the Summer Olympics would mean that one of two things has to occur:

1. Shorten the season by 2.5 weeks and lose part of the prime July/August gate. Teams won't give up that revenue.

2. Delay the season by 2.5 weeks and turn the World Series into a Thanksgiving tradition every four years.

Fact is, it's easier to accommodate the second option when it is an indoor sport and climate isn't in play. (I'm saying this assuming that's what the NHL does. I don't really know.)

[11larkin11]

This would be so great to get the NHL back, unfortunately, if a casual fan wants to become an NHL fan, they have to watch Versus or NBC on Saturdays. NHL got screwed when they lost the ESPN deal

[SunDeck]

What a great hockey match. Not at all sad to see Canada win. Way to go neighbor!

[KronoRed]

Moot point since there will be no baseball in the 2012 Olympics.

That brings up another thing, Women's hockey is likely to get the boot in 2018 because the IOC is not happy that other countries (Europe) haven't been competitive in it.

[KronoRed]

2. Delay the season by 2.5 weeks and turn the World Series into a Thanksgiving tradition every four years.



Aren't we almost to that point already though? the WBC is not a replacement IMO, considering when it happens it's Spring Training with different team names.

[blumj]

Most MLB teams barely tolerate letting their best pitchers throw one measly inning in the All Star Game during the season.

[Chip R]

Nice beaver!

[Oxilon]

Makes you wonder if MLB made the right decision not to take a break during the Olympics in order to keep baseball in the summer games. With all the NHL players in the games, this tournament has been two weeks of free advertising for the NHL as the announcers have been good about filling us in on who these players play for as their day job. If MLB really wants to grow the game globally, maybe they need to take the Olympics more seriously.

That still doesn't change the majority of people's biggest beef with the WBC -- potential for injuries. Have your players half-way through and adjusted to the MLB regular season and than throw them into a playoff-like atmosphere Olympics with starting pitchers taking relief roles, short-day rest, etc.. People on hear complained when Aaron Harang was brought upon short-rest to pitch the 12th inning of a game when there was nobody left. If there was an Olympics, short-day rest would be commonplace.

[Yachtzee]

For MLB to accommodate the Summer Olympics would mean that one of two things has to occur:

1. Shorten the season by 2.5 weeks and lose part of the prime July/August gate. Teams won't give up that revenue.

2. Delay the season by 2.5 weeks and turn the World Series into a Thanksgiving tradition every four years.

Fact is, it's easier to accommodate the second option when it is an indoor sport and climate isn't in play. (I'm saying this assuming that's what the NHL does. I don't really know.)

They should be talking about shortening the season anyway, but I think it would probably be wiser to start the season early than push it later. If MLB wants to expand baseball globally, they have to get baseball taken seriously on the global stage.

[Yachtzee]

That still doesn't change the majority of people's biggest beef with the WBC -- potential for injuries. Have your players half-way through and adjusted to the MLB regular season and than throw them into a playoff-like atmosphere Olympics with starting pitchers taking relief roles, short-day rest, etc.. People on hear complained when Aaron Harang was brought upon short-rest to pitch the 12th inning of a game when there was nobody left. If there was an Olympics, short-day rest would be commonplace.

All sports have to deal with the potential for injuries in international play. MLB has repeatedly said they want to grow the reach of the sport internationally. The only way they are going to do that is to have baseball played in international competitions viewed by people all over the world. At this point, not even the WBC does that, because it is only of interest in countries where baseball is already popular. The Olympics are viewed by people all over the world. If you want young kids in Africa, India or Europe to get interested in the game and start playing ball in order to be come the next new source of MLB talent and the next market for MLB products, you're going to have to get baseball into the Olympics and get it there with top talent. If it requires some sacrifices to get there, so be it. MLB has to decide if the potential for new revenues from future markets is worth the risk. Part of the reason why international soccer is so big is because the various soccer-playing nations have made sacrifices in scheduling their domestic leagues to allow top players to compete in international competitions.

Baseball has more potential as the next big global sport after soccer because it can be played just about anywhere with just a bat and a ball. Kids in the Dominican will make gloves out of milk cartons to play it. Plenty of cricket-playing countries already have athletes with some of the basic skills to succeed in baseball. I don't see any reason why baseball can't spread outside its current reach. But it isn't likely to happen if MLB jealously guards its talent so that the US has the monopoly on games played by the sport's best players. Part of what spread the popularity of professional baseball across this nation was the barnstorming of teams and players when the sport was still young.

[paintmered]

This whole time I can't help but think the WBC contributed to Edinson Volquez having Tommy John surgery.