London 2012 Summer Olympics

[Axver]

New Zealand #1 on the medal table when weighted for population.

 

[cobl04]

All this bragging flies in the face of your silver-and-bronze-are-great-too stance we're ranked ninth by total medals, you are waaaaay down!

 

[Axver]

All this bragging flies in the face of your silver-and-bronze-are-great-too stance we're ranked ninth by total medals, you are waaaaay down!

Enjoying the moment after years upon years of copping it from you lot! Oh I like watching Australia suffer in their boots, especially with the desperate "Team Oceania" drivel on The Age right now.

But I wouldn't say this bragging "flies in the face" of my stance at all. After Mahé Drysdale's gold, my favourite Kiwi medal of this Games so far is the bronze our equestrian team won in the three-day event. Massive, massive effort; Andrew Nicholson was just perfect in the cross-country and showjumping after copping an unfavourable call in the dressage, and Mark Todd is pretty much a god amongst mere mortals. And while Australia's sulking about silvers and bronzes, I'm pretty sure the equestrian team's still partying hard. Apparently they threw one hell of a celebration that night anyway!

 

[Irvine511]

New Zealand #1 on the medal table when weighted for population.

when weighted for population, where is Michael Phelps?

 

[Axver]

when weighted for population, where is Michael Phelps?

Left this planet behind.

 

[Irvine511]

anyway, to preempt a bit on the inevitable conversation, there are going to be questions regarding Katie Ledecky in light of Ye Shiwin.

here's the difference, for me. Ledecky has improved dramatically over past year. and no surprise, she's 15 years old. Ye's improvement at age 16 is also not unexpected. Ye improved by 5 seconds over a 400m race, Ledecky by 5 seconds over an 800m race, though by about 15 seconds over the past year.

so why does it look like, to me, that Ye's swim is more suspicious? because Ledecky's swim was totally consistent with how people have always swum, whereas Ye's final split simply doesn't make sense in context. Ledecky's finally 100 won't be faster than the likely winner of the men's 1500 (China's Sun Yang) whereas Ye was faster than Lochte and half the men in the same event (the women swim the 800 not the 1500, but expect that to change in Rio where they both swim the 1500, as it should be).

perhaps i am biased, which i think we all are naturally, but China has a long history of doping in swimming (40-ish drug busts since the early 1990s) whereas USA swimming has had a few (Angel Martino, who did cheat; Jessica Hardy who proved that she had taken something mistakenly as part of a supplement) and there was some suspicions around Misty Hymen who beat Susie O'Neill back in 2000 in the 200 fly with a similar huge time drop. Dara Torres acknowledged the inevitable head on. Phelps gets drug tested up to 3x a week. and it just seems impossible to me at a 15 year old who lives 15 minutes from me up in Bethesda (and swims for one of the best age group clubs in the US) and is going to be a sophomore and was only a year ago probably not thinking about the Olympics would be able to find some EPO or synthetic testosterone in the way that a swimmer like Ye, who was identified and put in a state sport school at an early age, would be.

but that's how it goes. no GDR swimmer ever failed a drug test. Ye's strokes are gorgeous and balanced. my issue with her is not her time (she broke what was a great, suit-assisted WR whereas Ledecky didn't break another great, suit-assisted WR) but the strangeness of her final 100m.

anyway ... fucking fantastic meet. notable for the end of Phelps and his powerful rebound, the new era of swimming (Franklin, Le Clos, Ledecky, and, yes, Ye), the falling of the favorites (Cielo, Adlington, Lochte, Magnussen), and probably the best Team USA performance since 1976 (i don't count 1984).

and thank you to everyone who bothers to read my blathering about swimming. i rarely get to feel like i know anything about any sports -- i pretty much don't care about *any* professional sports -- and so i appreciate having a space to write about it.

also, i anticipate Phelps will return in 2016 for the 100 fly. he'll get bored in Baltimore. believe me, i know. i've been there. and when you have more gold medals than Argentina, what else are you going to do with your time?

 

[trojanchick99]

I agree. I'm suspicious of the Chinese swim program because of their history. I'm just as suspicious of US Track and Field.

I continue to love Franklin and wonder whether she will end up competing in the NCAA. The endorsement money will be hard to turn down.

 

[No spoken words]

New band name for you. "Alex Morgan's Knee".

Irvine, you don't need to apologize for gushing about anything, let alone Phelps. The only reason I hope he really does retire from Olympic competition is because I'm sick of seeing his Mom and sisters. Even when dude's on the fucking medal stand, they cut to his Mom a bunch of times. Just stop it.

And, Romero, I've actually televised Conference NCAA VB for years and years. It never rates all that well, unfortunately.

 

[No spoken words]

Oh shit, Trampoline action.

 

[speedracer]

also, i anticipate Phelps will return in 2016 for the 100 fly. he'll get bored in Baltimore. believe me, i know. i've been there. and when you have more gold medals than Argentina, what else are you going to do with your time?

Smoke pot and play poker? I've heard he's a regular at the poker room in Charles Town, WV. I've never seen him there though (I go there maybe 1-2x a month).

 

[Saracene]

I've watched more rowing at these Olympics than I have in my entire life - not that I'm complaining! I'm getting fed up though with the delusional commentating on Channel 9.

Aussies are positioned perfectly!
Aussies are lifting!
Aussies are making a move!

Um no sorry, I'm not blind, I can see the stupid boats and they're not lifting.

 

[Axver]

Aussies are positioned perfectly!
Aussies are lifting!
Aussies are making a move!

Aussies are in the house tonight for Big Brother!

Channel 9's asinine commentary and its equally asinine ads are now just starting to blur for me.

Another bronze today to the Kiwi rowers, taking our haul at Eton Dorney to 3 gold and 2 bronze. Absolutely stoked; it's easily our best performance in the rowing. Mahé Drysdale probably won't be back in 2016, but I'm looking forward to Cohen & Sullivan and Bond & Murray defending their golds in Rio.

Some of the track and field has already been quite exciting. Curse Channel 9 for only showing about two seconds of the pole vault so far, but still, I'll take what I can get!

 

[Danny Boy]

Good lord, just watched Serena steamroll Sharapova 6-0, 6-1. Serena has to play a doubles match later, so I guess she was trying to dispatch Sharapova without breaking a sweat.

 

[DRay9911]

so glad nbc decided to pull their heads out of their asses this weekend:

Olympics: NBC’s Daytime Coverage Saturday and Sunday Will Air Live in All Time Zones | Sports Media Watch

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Good lord, just watched Serena steamroll Sharapova 6-0, 6-1. Serena has to play a doubles match later, so I guess she was trying to dispatch Sharapova without breaking a sweat.

Yeah that usually happens when these two meet yet Serena loses a set to fucking Radwanska in the Wimbledon final.

 

[CrashedCarDriver]

*watches the trampolining*

Yes.. that's an olympic sport

Canada just took out gold

Rosalyn Maclennan or something

 

[trojanchick99]

so glad nbc decided to pull their heads out of their asses this weekend:

Olympics: NBC’s Daytime Coverage Saturday and Sunday Will Air Live in All Time Zones | Sports Media Watch

Finally! I can live with the tape delayed prime time package, it was the tape delay only for the West Coast that was really maddening.

 

[DRay9911]

exactly. last weekend was embarrassing

Timothy Burke ‏@bubbaprog
NBC's pride about being live in all time zones reminds me of the Chris Rock bit about dudes who claim they take care of their kids.
https://twitter.com/bubbaprog

conspiracy theorists believe nbc only did it because of name value of the men's/women's finalists. which is probably true.

 

[CrashedCarDriver]

It seemed like NBC held the public to ransom over their Olympics coverage

Which is unfair because at least in Australia, the cable networks are an option to cover up the inadequate/ shit coverage the free to air provider in Australia had to offer

 

[DRay9911]

*watches the trampolining*

Yes.. that's an olympic sport

Canada just took out gold

Rosalyn Maclennan or something

joba chamberlain was impressed by her performance

too soon?

 

[No spoken words]

 

[Irvine511]

Smoke pot and play poker? I've heard he's a regular at the poker room in Charles Town, WV. I've never seen him there though (I go there maybe 1-2x a month).

Charlestown ... Racesand Slots!

I go to WV a few times a year, but not to there.

I hope someone smart is in charge of his money and he doesn't blow it all.

There was mercifully less of Debbie Phelps this year. I think that NBC really is going after the "mom factor" because a large amount of their viewing audience are women, and it's easy for them to identify with the Chicos-clad mothers of the athletes.

 

[Irvine511]

*watches the trampolining*

Yes.. that's an olympic sport

This is the most fun looking sport since short track speed skating.

 

[No spoken words]

Charlestown ... Racesand Slots!

I go to WV a few times a year, but not to there.

I hope someone smart is in charge of his money and he doesn't blow it all.

There was mercifully less of Debbie Phelps this year. I think that NBC really is going after the "mom factor" because a large amount of their viewing audience are women, and it's easy for them to identify with the Chicos-clad mothers of the athletes.

Oh, I know very well why they do it. I sit in rooms and hear things like this seriously discussed. Doesn't make it any more enjoyable, though.

 

[ntalwar]

Well the 2012 US Men's Basketball "Dream Team" is putting on a show reminiscent of the OG '92 version. Though I don't think any Nigerians were elbowed in the face by Kevin Durant so there's that.

Final score: 156-73 which is the most points ever scored in an Olympics, shattering the previous record of 137. Not bad.

The US was not as impressive against Lithuania - they barely won, 99-94.

 

[CrashedCarDriver]

I wonder if the Nigerians tried to launch a pyramid scam to any of the Dream team players

^ Too soon?

 

[Irvine511]

Oh, I know very well why they do it. I sit in rooms and hear things like this seriously discussed. Doesn't make it any more enjoyable, though.

And it's interesting how different the packaging is between the Prime Time soap opera and the heats of track I'm watching right now.

It's like NBC could actually do a great job if they'd stop whoring after target demo. And cut down on the commercials.

I think the gymnastics commentary with the "Fab Five" and their "awakening to dreams of gold/could the judge's scores be golden?/any sentence with the word GOLD in it" is the most barfy. I want to slap whoever writes the track for Al Trautwig.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

London won the Olympics over Chicago, not New York, right?

ETA- I just checked. Chicago was 2008.
So yeah...how the fuck could New York have lost out to anyone else?

Honest answer? Jim Dolan.

He was afraid that a stadium n the west side of Manhattan would steal business from Madison Square Garden. So he spent millions of dollars protesting the stadium, eventually torpedoing the entire thing. The backup plan was to build the Olympic Stadium in Queens. Didn't have quite the same allure to it, and they had to rush the plan together. So New York looked unprepared... and London won.

So thanks to Jim Dolan's protests...

- there is no West Side Stadium
- New York didn't get the Olympics
- the Jets had to go back to being stadium partners with the Giants
- the original plan for a retro style brick stadium for the Giants was scrapped in favor of the generic monstrosity you see today
- the real estate development of the west aide yards in Manhattan and the Willets Point section of Queens stalled, and to date has yet to see a shovel in the ground
- the Knicks still suck

 

[ntalwar]

so why does it look like, to me, that Ye's swim is more suspicious? because Ledecky's swim was totally consistent with how people have always swum, whereas Ye's final split simply doesn't make sense in context. Ledecky's finally 100 won't be faster than the likely winner of the men's 1500 (China's Sun Yang) whereas Ye was faster than Lochte and half the men in the same event (the women swim the 800 not the 1500, but expect that to change in Rio where they both swim the 1500, as it should be).

I'm not a swimming expert, but Lochte's overall time was 23 seconds faster than Ye's. Ye also won the 200 IM by less than a second over than the 2nd place finisher, and the 400 IM by under 3 seconds over the 2nd place finisher.

 

[No spoken words]

And it's interesting how different the packaging is between the Prime Time soap opera and the heats of track I'm watching right now.

It's like NBC could actually do a great job if they'd stop whoring after target demo. And cut down on the commercials.

I think the gymnastics commentary with the "Fab Five" and their "awakening to dreams of gold/could the judge's scores be golden?/any sentence with the word GOLD in it" is the most barfy. I want to slap whoever writes the track for Al Trautwig.

Agreed with all of this. I think they're of two minds over there right now. For whatever it's worth, this is their first Olympics in ages (actually, maybe ever since ABC had it for so long prior to NBC) without Dick Ebersol fully in charge, so, I think they're living and learning in many ways. Their streaming product is an unqualified hit so there's that.