Top 10 sports stories we didn’t get to see in ’08
Posted by John Paulsen (01/01/2009 @ 2:00 pm)
Fox Sports put together a good list of the top sports stories that didn’t happen in 2008.
The 10th-seeded Wildcats should have toppled Kansas in the Midwest Regional Final. Down by two points, Davidson had the final possession. It was a good three-point shooting team. All the Wildcats had to do was get somebody free to knock down the decisive trey. With one more bucket, they would have furthered the legend of March Madness.
Alas, Davidson guard Jason Richards took the last shot and clanked it. The Jayhawks escaped, 59-57, then went on to win the national title. Had Davidson done the right thing, North Carolina coach Roy Williams would not have attended the championship game as a KU fan. That was uncomfortable for everybody.
“You dream about that type of stuff when you’re a little kid, having the opportunity to win the game, take your team to the Final Four,” Richards said of his last shot. But this dream didn’t come true. “I had a great look,” he said. “Maybe you could say we could have gotten a better shot. At that point, it seemed like the best shot for us. My team had confidence in me. Unfortunately, I just missed the shot and fell short.”
Click here to see the rest of the list.
Posted in: College Basketball, College Football, Golf, Humor, MLB, NBA, NFL, Super Bowl, Tennis, The Olympics
Tags: Chinese gymnasts, Dale Earnhardt, Davidson, Greg Norman, Maria Sharapova, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Phillies, Rich Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Tampa Bay Rays, tiny Chinese gymnasts, Tyson Gay, Usain Bolt, Usain Bolt vs. Tyson Gay
Tiny Chinese gymnasts
Posted by Gerardo Orlando (08/16/2008 @ 1:01 pm)
It’s obvious to everyone that China broke the rules with gymnasts who were clearly under the minimum age of sixteen. Mitch Albom has a little fun with the story.
What did you expect? Any country that would lip-sync out a 7-year-old singer because she wasn’t cute enough for the opening ceremony wouldn’t hesitate to use underage children to capture gold medals. That’s a no-brainer. There is what you see and there is what really goes on in China, and what you see at these Games, the image they project, is as precious as oxygen to the New Emperor of the Planet. Who cares if a gymnast is so young she is, as one critic charged, “missing a tooth”?
In trying so hard to win, the Chinese are oblivious to the fact that they look ridiculous to the rest of the world. The Chinese team was impressive as hell in wiining the team gold medal, but China has paid a price with their credibility, not that they care much. At least guys like Albom can have some fun with it.
You must turn 16 in the Olympic year to compete in this sport. But honestly. This one girl? Deng Linlin? She’s 16 the way I’m 16. All the girls are tiny: She looks up to them. Previous registrations for events suggest several Chinese gymnasts may barely be 14 (even that is hard to believe), but all you need for the Games is a valid passport, and, surprise, the team has those. Who are you going to interrogate? The Chinese president?
Fortunately for the American team, Nastia Liuken and Shawn Johnson were able to finish first and second in the all-around competition. By taking the gold and silver medals, they were able to quell the controversy a little.