And Constantina Tomescu Dita of Romania is the oldest, at age 39, to win the women's marathon in Beijing. Here's hoping she didn't boost her blood to do it.
===
Damn you, Brita Steffan! The upstart Deutsch bitch one-ups Dara Torres (and everyone else) in the women's 50m freestyle. I started to have a gut feeling, "Awww, fuck. This isn't good. We gotta figure things out, or the Aussies are gonna upstage us too in the 4 x 100m medley relay."
===
NBC called the men's 1500m freestyle "The Super Bowl of Sport" in Australia. Are sure it's that and not the AFL Grand Final? Apparently he hasn't been following the footy.
===
Grant Hackett hacked his effort to win the 1500m. He procrastined in the pool and ruined it for himself. Tunisia's Oussama Mellouli, who also trains and lives in the States, gived the country their first swimming gold. He is the next small country hero of note. In Tunis, it is a party down there, for Mellouli is now a hero.
But Hackett got only silver, with Ryan Cochrane of Canada getting the bronze. Mellouli is to Tunisia and Kirsty COventry is to Zimbabwe. Babies will be named in his honor down there. Should Oussama return to Tunisia, he will get a hero's welcome.
===
Ugh. Dara Torres again finishes with a silver. I just had a bad feeling that it was going to happen. And Phelps is swimming only the butterfly leg. I may have to do a Top 5 Reason You Can't Blame very soon. To add to insult, the Chinese get another medal, and another bronze.
---
Meanwhile at the shooting gallery, Matthew Emmons is busy in the Men's 50-meter Rifle 3 Positions Qualification.
---
Michael Phelps got gold number 8, passing Mark Spitz.
I yelled at the heavens, "He did it! HE did it! Oh my fucking God, he did it!" Unfortunately, BongaMom was not very pleased that I screamed in the streets in celebration. She even so far as to wish that she could stab me with a knife to shut me up.
Well, well, well. People have vivid imaginations about killing people. We have our choice of weapons, too. For her it's a knife; for me it's a gun. And it runs in our family because we're coffee drinkers. She could have done better by not making it such a deal of it. But that's not her, and I knew that the Bedlam Cycle restarted.
It's not secret, really, BongaDad told me, "You're crazy." "Crazy in a celebratory way," I replied. "That makes millions of us around this country supporting the team. Like Mom, you shouldn't be making a big deal of it."
Obviously, both of them don't understand, let alone embrace the historical impact of this win for the 4 x 100m medley team. Or rather, they CHOOSE not to. Their loss.
Manila meltdown, Long Beach redemption
The USA's hopes of medaling in boxing were hampered even further yesterday.
Mongolia's Serdamba Purevdorj pulled off a rare win for his country over Luis
YAnez, 8 points to 7. Some administrative changes are now in order.
The good news for the USA is that we have a couple of fighters who are still alive
in representing the USA: Demitrius Andrade in the welterweight division and
Deontay Wilder in the heavyweight division.
===
What a wasted effort by my folks from the City of Makati Little League. The
pitcher, Jenny Pangilinan, gave up two home runs in the 7th and 9th innings to
Grand Rapids, Michigan in the 2008 Big League Softball Championship.
I am flat out disgusted by this because this was, in essence, the best chance for
a Filipino individual/group other that Manny Pacquiao to win something
substantial. Wasteful, wasteful, wasteful.
The last time the Philipines won something substantial in this department was
Zamboanga in 1992's Little League World Series, but because of age falsifications,
Long Beach ended up with the title.
I wouldn't want Jenny to pitch for Long Beach State. I'll stick with Brooke
Turner, thank you very much. This game was theirs for the taking and they gave it
to Michigan.
===
At the same time, Long Beach's PONY League All-Stars beat Taichiung City, Taiwan. While Jenny was the goat for Manila, Oliver Van Buskirk was the hero for Long Beach, in the bottom of the seventh inning with a two-run shot. Chiu Chun Chang was the goat for the Taiwanese.
Last year, Long Beach finished runner up. I am convinced it left a bad taste in their mouths, and they didn't want to go through that again.
I am glad they didn't.
Mongolia's Serdamba Purevdorj pulled off a rare win for his country over Luis
YAnez, 8 points to 7. Some administrative changes are now in order.
The good news for the USA is that we have a couple of fighters who are still alive
in representing the USA: Demitrius Andrade in the welterweight division and
Deontay Wilder in the heavyweight division.
===
What a wasted effort by my folks from the City of Makati Little League. The
pitcher, Jenny Pangilinan, gave up two home runs in the 7th and 9th innings to
Grand Rapids, Michigan in the 2008 Big League Softball Championship.
I am flat out disgusted by this because this was, in essence, the best chance for
a Filipino individual/group other that Manny Pacquiao to win something
substantial. Wasteful, wasteful, wasteful.
The last time the Philipines won something substantial in this department was
Zamboanga in 1992's Little League World Series, but because of age falsifications,
Long Beach ended up with the title.
I wouldn't want Jenny to pitch for Long Beach State. I'll stick with Brooke
Turner, thank you very much. This game was theirs for the taking and they gave it
to Michigan.
===
At the same time, Long Beach's PONY League All-Stars beat Taichiung City, Taiwan. While Jenny was the goat for Manila, Oliver Van Buskirk was the hero for Long Beach, in the bottom of the seventh inning with a two-run shot. Chiu Chun Chang was the goat for the Taiwanese.
Last year, Long Beach finished runner up. I am convinced it left a bad taste in their mouths, and they didn't want to go through that again.
I am glad they didn't.
Who is the World's Fastest Man? and other thoughts
James Blake and the Bryan brothers have to come into their respective matches with this question in mind.
-
Okay. You still have a chance to medal. You can still get bronze. It's better than coming away with nothing. You can go one of two ways, and ONLY one: come out ready to deliver and fly home with a medal, or leave Beijing with a bruised ego and little momentum heading into the big show at Flushing Meadows.
So, what will it be, guys?
-
===
Meanwhile, the Williams sisters have a great opportunity to give the USA a gold medal in tennis in Beijing. They disposed of the Bondarenko sisters, 4-6, 6-4, and 6-1.
===
I was very disappointed in James's choice to come home empty-handed. His loss to Novak Djokovic will no doubt put him as a longshot to win a single round, let alone win, the US Open in my book. Absolutely horrible.
===
I asked the question to the Bryan brothers, and they chose the other path. They ended up taking down Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra, 3-2, 6-3 and 6-4, clinching the bronze.
===
Meanwhile, it's the Russians who stymie the Americans in women's fencing, taking gold in the team foil. They came into the match as the favorites, but it is a bit of a downer knowing that the team won't be the once to keep pace with the Chinese in the gold medal count.
===
Tyson Gay has to be feeling very down right now. He finished fifth in semifinal, and has to watch Walter Dix and Darvis Patton represent the USA's hopes in the 100m. Could the Netherlands Antilles' Churandy Martina crash the three-nation sprint party of Jamaica, the USA, and Trinidand & Tobago?
===
Martina didn't crash the party, but Usain Bolt won the title of the World's Fastest Man, winning the men's 100 meter dash. Dix took home the bronze.
===
The men's basketball team kept its march intact, defeating Spaim 119-82. Lebron James led the way with18 points with eight people scoring in double figures.
-
Okay. You still have a chance to medal. You can still get bronze. It's better than coming away with nothing. You can go one of two ways, and ONLY one: come out ready to deliver and fly home with a medal, or leave Beijing with a bruised ego and little momentum heading into the big show at Flushing Meadows.
So, what will it be, guys?
-
===
Meanwhile, the Williams sisters have a great opportunity to give the USA a gold medal in tennis in Beijing. They disposed of the Bondarenko sisters, 4-6, 6-4, and 6-1.
===
I was very disappointed in James's choice to come home empty-handed. His loss to Novak Djokovic will no doubt put him as a longshot to win a single round, let alone win, the US Open in my book. Absolutely horrible.
===
I asked the question to the Bryan brothers, and they chose the other path. They ended up taking down Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra, 3-2, 6-3 and 6-4, clinching the bronze.
===
Meanwhile, it's the Russians who stymie the Americans in women's fencing, taking gold in the team foil. They came into the match as the favorites, but it is a bit of a downer knowing that the team won't be the once to keep pace with the Chinese in the gold medal count.
===
Tyson Gay has to be feeling very down right now. He finished fifth in semifinal, and has to watch Walter Dix and Darvis Patton represent the USA's hopes in the 100m. Could the Netherlands Antilles' Churandy Martina crash the three-nation sprint party of Jamaica, the USA, and Trinidand & Tobago?
===
Martina didn't crash the party, but Usain Bolt won the title of the World's Fastest Man, winning the men's 100 meter dash. Dix took home the bronze.
===
The men's basketball team kept its march intact, defeating Spaim 119-82. Lebron James led the way with18 points with eight people scoring in double figures.
More Olympic Quick Hits, Day 8
Great Britain's Rebecca Adlington strikes again, going the distance to win gold in the 800-meter freestyle in world record time. It's an 8:14:10 for Adlington, who shares the same first name as my mom.
===
The men's volleyball match against China isn't supposed to be as tough for them as it was for the women. As I type this, they win the first game, 25-22.
===
Remember when you were five, six or seven years old, and there was a small trampoline outside on the front yard, and you bounced on it until it broke? Well, wouldn't you know it, we have an event on the trampoline. Erin Blanchard and Chris Estrada both represent the States in their respective events. For China on the women's side, He Wenna and Huang Shanshan look to medal for the People's Republic. On the men side, the home fans should look out for Lu Chunlong and Dong Dong (that rhymes, and those ARE their names).
===
BOb Costas was joking about the Greek headline for their basketball game against the USA: "We invented the Games for THIS!?"
Seems the Hellenics got more than they bargained for.
===
Cavic's coach, being the sore loser he is, files a protest. He's just made that he lost. Gotta let it go, guy. That's all you can do. He's not going to win this one. And if he decides to do things a la Munich 1972 basketball, he should reviled even more.
If his protests succeeds, which I believe, should not, he will be reviled. Fortunately, that didn't happen, and I would suppose either he could use Viagra or PRozac, or lay off the coffe for a while.
===
Who is the world's fastest swimmer? The questions was answered in 21.3 seconds It was Brazil's very own Cesar Cielo Filho, in an new Olympic record time, besting his previous one by .04 seconds. And you call yourself a man, Amaury Leveaux.
I don't get these Frenchmen. By the way, his fellow comrade Alain Bernard finished second.
===
Moving right along, the USA men's volleyball continued to pour it on the Chinese. They take Game 2, 25-12. Meanwhile, Jefferson Perez brings home Ecuador's second medal in the 20 km walk-a silver. Han Wang of China finished fourth.
===
Man! I can't believe it. In volleyball, China's women gave us more of a match than the guys. 25-22, 25-12, and 25-18 for the USA men. Sweep.
===
I think the doujin artists are at work in paying tribute to the yuri pairs of Sonya V. Litvyak and Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen, Gertrud Bankhorn and Erica Hartmann, & Lynette Bishop and Yoshika MIyafuji. My categories respectively: Meant For Each Other, Comedy Pair, Shy Couple.
Brilliant. Watch for those things to surface in the coming weeks on Rapidshare, Fakku and the like.
===
Meanwhile, some more badminton golds are on the way for China. Martk Spitz described Michael Phelps's effort as "EPIC." I wholeheartedly agree.
===
Our performance in table tennis is just as forgettable as the likes of badminton and archery. FACT, deviants.
===
First victory for the USA in women's field hockey. After a heartbreaker to the Germans and their football-delusional coach, they rebound against New Zealand, 4-1.
We face the bloody Brits next. Heheheh...CHA~~~~~NCE.
===
In fencing, the women nearly gave it up in the team foil semifinal to Hungary. Aida MOhamed's rally against Erinn Smart ended up falling short by two points.
Bring on the Russians.
===
The baseball team rebounded yet again, dealing yet another defeat to Canada, rallying in the seventh to win, 5-4. And the USA men's water polo team defeated Croatia, 7-5. Softball had no problem laying the mercy rule on Chinese Taipei, 7-0.
===
Could it be that Serbians are going to stay away from purchasing, let alone boycott, watches made by Omega? After all, they timed Phelps to be .01 faster than Milorad Cavic.
===
Meanwhile, some of the rowing events are werapping up. We have three opportunties to get some medals, along with a gold in fencing (gotta out hit the Russians first).
---
Well, Bulgaria's Rumyana Neykova set the world's best time in women's single sculls with a 7:07.71 down in Seville in 2002, so it was no surprise that she went into the final as the odds-on favorite. As expected, she brought home a gold medal for Bulgaria. That said, I was quite pleased with the USA's Michelle Guerette getting the silver, with Zhang Xiuyun of China finishing fourth.
---
I am geting a gut feeling that this trampoline event will be another place where China will get some more medals. Believe it or not, this is another event where we suck at. I think the sales of trampolines will go down after our efforts; none of our entries qualified for the finals.
---
And where there is success in one area, there is futility in another. The Winklevoss brothers finished dead last in the Men's Pair in rowing. And another. Megan Kalmoe and Ellen Tomek finishing fifth in the women's double sculls, behind even China's Li Qin and Tian Liang. Suddenly, the Antipodes are guaranteeing the world that they won't go empty-handed these Games.
---
As if things hadn't been bad enough for our boxers, it just got worse. Shawn Estrada, from my part of town, lost to London's James Degale, 11-5. I thought that this guy was going to make a big impact. But when you don't have any punch, or hand speed a Manny Pacquiao, there is no way you will connect, and I had the unfortunate honor of witnessing just that.
If Luis Yanez doesn't get through in the light flyweight division, USA Boxing should have some administrative changes in order, as well as provide a report on why we didn't medal at these Games. Horrible.
---
We got ourselves our first gold in shooting. VIncent Hancock delivers in the men's skeet, outlasting Tore Brovold of Norway in a shoot-off. Jason Parker and Matthew Emmons-already with bronze and silver, respectively-each have an opportunity to add one more to their collection in the Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions event.
This will be fun.
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