Month: August 2008 (Page 30 of 50)

      Still Golden: Phelps Wins Sixth in 200 IM

      August 15, 2008 /

      Another day, another gold medal, and another world-record swim for Michael Phelps.

      He dominated from the starter’s gun to the final touch, as Phelps captured his sixth gold medal in Beijing by winning 200-meter individual medley race with a time of 1:54.23. He also set his sixth world record by breaking the old mark of 1:54.80 which he set last month at the U.S. trials.

      Ryan Lochte had only a 29-minute rest between the 200-meter backstroke and 200 IM, and it showed. He could not keep up with Phelps’ pace and had to settle for the bronze medal. Lochte’s consolation prize was a world record and his first career individual gold medal in the backstroke. He edged American teammate Aaron Peirsol with a time of 1:53.94 to break the world mark they shared together.

      Next up for Phelps is the 100-meter butterfly finals on Friday evening and if all goes according to plan, the record-breaker will come on Saturday evening in the 400-meter relay, a race that the Americans are heavily favored to win.

      General Sports, Swimming, The Olympics

      May/Walsh survive a tough first set to beat Belgium

      August 15, 2008 /

      Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh were tested in the first set of their first elimination match against Belgium, but they fought off five set points to come back and win, 24-22. Liesbeth Mouha stands 6’4″ and her height (and girth) gave Walsh trouble at the net. That, coupled with Liesbet van Breedam’s cut shots gave the Belgians the first set lead.

      But the Americans – specifically, May-Treanor – were outstanding down the stretch of that first set. At one point, May-Treanor had four straight digs and several nice kills to turn the tide of the match.

      The U.S. dominated the second set, 21-10, to win their 105th straight match. More importantly, they advance to the round of eight and are one step closer to defending their 2004 gold medal.

      The Olympics

      Proposed Manny and Oscar fight in a stalemate

      August 14, 2008 /

      Boxing fans are going to riot if there isn’t a fight between Oscar de la Hoya and Manny Pacquiao. Right now, money is (of course) the main holdup. Manny wants 40 percent and Oscar thinks he should only get 30 percent. Ultimately, there is no better way for Oscar to retire than to end his career with a bout against the best pound-for-pound boxer in the sport. According to promoter Bob Arum, this HBO PPV fight will most likely generate over $100 million. If Manny ends up getting 30 percent, he will still make more money in this fight than he ever has before.

      Sadly, the boxing audience has dwindled since its heyday. The average sports fan doesn’t even know who the current heavyweight champion is. Boxing has simply lost its star power and with it, its relevance. A fight between Manny and Oscar would have a real chance to bring the sport back to the forefront with both boxing fans and non-boxing fans. It will be a real shame if the fight of the century doesn’t take place because the two fighters can’t agree on how to split the purse.

      Boxing

      Larger than the Olympics: Kobe Bryant

      August 14, 2008 /

      Seeing Kobe Bryant at the Beijing Olympics, we are reminded that Kobe is currently the most well-known athlete throughout the world. This slightly large ad is larger than life in the streets of China which reveals that in China, Kobe has been raised to mythical proportions.

      The Chinese audience at the USA vs. China game wouldn’t even let Kobe walk onto court as he was mobbed by fans looking for autographs and photos. Considering that China has 1.3 billion people, I wouldn’t doubt that he has more fans there than he does in America. If Kobe ever decides to live there, the Chinese would probably make him their honorary emperor.

      Humor, NBA, The Olympics

      James Blake offers hope

      August 14, 2008 /

      Roger Federer is losing some very big matches. The #1 player in the world lost to #2-ranked Nadal at Wimbledon and today he lost to #7-ranked James Blake in the Beijing Olympics; it was a bad day for Federer and a great day for Blake and the Americans. But Federer’s loss of momentum is not as important as Blake’s win.

      The sport of tennis already has tournaments that are much larger than the Olympics – so predicting what players will make it to the finals and earn medals isn’t too hard. Blake’s victory was surprising, as is any upset of Federer. Historically, Blake hasn’t had much of an impact in Grand Slam events, but with this victory, he has won the hearts of a worldwide audience. More importantly, he has offered hope for an American medal in Beijing.

      Tennis, The Olympics

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