Author: John Paulsen (Page 676 of 937)

Wet and Wild: May-Treanor/Walsh capture the gold

August 21, 2008 / John Paulsen

Facing a good team in front of a (semi-)partisan hometown crowd in a pretty heavy rainstorm, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh completed their gold medal run (without losing a single game during the entire Olympics) by defeating the Chinese combo of Wang Jie and Tian Jia, 21-18 and 21-18.

They have now won 108 straight matches and have won back-to-back Olympic gold medals. Expect big changes for the duo now that this competition is over, as both players have said that they’d like to start a family. May-Treanor is 31 and Walsh is 30, so it’s conceivable (no pun intended) that they could take a year or two off to start a family and then join forces again in a couple of years to try to make a run at the 2012 Olympics in London. At 35 and 34, it wouldn’t be easy, but the way that these two compete, you never know. I guess it could depend on how many kids they want to have. One, maybe… two would be tough.

Regardless, if they do indeed take a break, the time is now for another American team to grab the mantle. The best beach volleyball team ever to take the sand now sounds like they may be done competing, at least for now.

Thursday morning update: The World of Isaac posted these photos of the match.

The Olympics

Kerri Walsh May and Walsh Misty May Misty May-Treanor women's beach volleyball

NBC is on my sh*t list right now

August 21, 2008 / John Paulsen

The women’s beach volleyball gold medal match was at 11 AM Bejing time, or 11 PM Eastern/8 PM Pacific. Does NBC show the match live on the West Coast? No, they make everyone in May and Walsh’s home state (California) wait until 11 PM Pacific to see the match.

You wouldn’t think it would be that hard to show it live on both coasts. On the East Coast, you have your normal programming, starting with all the diving and recorded track and field. Then, when the match is about to start, you air it live (as normal). On the West Coast, you start the night with the live match at 8 PM PT, and when it’s over, you go back to the diving and the track and field. The only downside for NBC is Bob Costas has to record a few more transitions in between events so that the West Coast feed makes sense. Since the match would reach a wider audience if it aired earlier on the West Coast, you’d think that it would be worth NBC’s time and trouble if it generated higher ratings.

This whole unnecessary three-hour Pacific Coast delay becomes even more troublesome for those that spend any time on the internet while they’re waiting for the match. I’m halfway through the first game of the gold medal match right now, but I already know the outcome because the news is splashed all over the internet, which includes my MSN.com home page.

(By the way, we here at The Scores Report have made a concerted effort not to post results of these Olympic Games until the event has aired in the U.S. Here’s an idea – maybe I should make The Scores Report my home page. Hmmm…)

All right, I’m going to quit my bitch session now. Misty May and Kerri Walsh are running around in wet, white bikinis (it’s raining in Bejing) trying to win a gold medal. And they’re in high definition. I really need to focus.

Television, The Olympics

Kerri Walsh Misty May Misty May-Treanor NBC Olympic coverage Walsh and May women's beach volleyball

Who’s better – Misty May-Treanor or Kerri Walsh?

August 20, 2008 / John Paulsen

I know, everyone asks the dynamic duo this and they both say it’s a stupid question. But there’s a reason people want to know what they think. Maybe the press is trying to drive a wedge or create some conflict between the two. (The Kobe/Shaq relationship made for some very interesting drama, didn’t it?) Or maybe people are genuinely curious to know how each player views herself in the realm of beach volleyball.

After pondering this question for a few days now, I think I have come up with an answer. Misty May-Treanor is the better player, but Kerri Walsh would be more difficult to replace, and therefore is more valuable.

May-Treanor does it all. She’s arguably the best defensive player in beach volleyball, she’s an excellent passer and setter, and she’s a very good hitter. (She actually started as an outside hitter at Long Beach State before the coaching staff converted her to a setter. While in college, her team won the NCAA title and she was the NCAA Player of the Year twice.) There are no easily discernable weaknesses in her game.

In short, she’s beach volleyball’s best all-around player.

Kerri Walsh stands 6’3”, and for a woman of that height, she has superior quickness and speed. She’s a force at the net, and a semi-recent shoulder injury forced her to develop a finesse game, which makes her nearly unstoppable as a hitter. She’s a capable passer and setter, though since she spends so much time at the net, her partner does most of the digging.

In short, with her size and athleticism, she’s a truly unique player. She’s irreplaceable, really. Where else are you going to find a player her height that can run and jump like she can?

So that’s my answer. It all depends on your definition of the word “better.” Does it mean the game’s best all-around player? Then May-Treanor is better. Does it mean the game’s most valuable/irreplaceable player? Then Walsh is your girl.

Karch Kiraly said it best – with a win in the gold medal match tonight, May-Treanor and Walsh will go down as the best (men’s or women’s) beach volleyball team ever. Whomever you favor, it’s abundantly clear that in the case of this pairing, the sum is greater than its parts.

And that’s a scary, scary thought.

Poll Answers

Barstool Debates, The Olympics

Kerri Walsh Kerry Walsh better than Misty May-Treanor Misty May Misty May-Treanor Misty May-Treanor better than Kerri Walsh women's beach volleyball

After a slow start, Redeem Team blows by Aussies

August 20, 2008 / John Paulsen

It wasn’t pretty during the first quarter, as the U.S. men’s basketball team struggled to make shots and to defend the three-point line. But a 14-0 run at the beginning of the second half broke the game open and the U.S. went on to win, 116-85.

Kobe Bryant led Team USA with 25 points on 10-16 shooting, including 4 of 7 from long range.

“Early in the game, they made a lot of tough shots,” U.S. point guard Chris Paul said. “We were doing what we were supposed to be doing and they made tough shots, but sooner or later we’ll impose our will. I don’t know if you can keep up with us for 40 minutes.”
LeBron James added 16 points for the Americans, who are guaranteed a chance to play for a medal. They need two more wins for their first gold medal in a major international competition since the 2000 Sydney Games.

The U.S. moves on to the semifinals where they’ll face Argentina, who nipped Greece, 80-78, in the first round of the elimination bracket.

The Argentineans figure to be Team USA’s toughest challenge in these Games. With Andres Nocioni, Luis Scola, Fabricio Oberto and Carlos Delfino, they have NBA-talent, and in Manu Ginobili, they have one of the best players in the world.

NBA, The Olympics

Kobe Bryant LeBron James Manu Ginobili Olympic basketball Redeem Team