7 Things: The Winter Olympics on TV

I've spent much of the past 17 days watching the Winter Olympics, and today I'd like to share 7 Things about the coverage. Some are complimentary, some are not. Some are snarky. some are not. But all of these thoughts are born out of my love for the games and the athletes who have entertained me over the last 2 weeks.  So here we go...

• At every Olympics I always love the pieces networks so about the host country. Mary Carillo's travel pieces during these games were simply marvelous. I especially found her trip to Siberia to be enlightening. For those of us who are students of history, Siberia has always sounded like "the worst place in the world." Now I know the rest of that sentence should say "unless you live there." Thank you, Mary.
• I was reminded again that as a USAmerican most of the sports of the winter games are sports that I pay attention to once every 4 years. I am ignorant about them. And as a result of that, the commentators can say pretty much whatever they want to without me knowing the difference. But even with that said-  Has there even been an announcer more wrong more often and more loudly than Chad Salmela, the guy who did color on the cross country skiing and biathlon events? Every prediction was sure to go wrong, and at the end of every event he was screaming like it was the last play of the Auburn/Alabama football game. But I couldn't look away- just like with any other train wreck!
• I am always frustrated at every Olympics with how much time NBC spends reporting on USAmericans instead of on some of the bigger stories from other nations. This time around there not even much coverage of the medal ceremonies featuring national anthems of other countries. This is particularly frustrating for me as during the Winter Olympics I become a fan of Norway. It's been true ever since Lillehammer in 1994, when I fell in love with the place. I'll never get to visit, so I become Norwegian every 4 years. And while my team won many medals, I didn't get to hear the anthem at all.  Boooo, NBC. Boooo!!!
• Bob Costas deserves a medal of honor for his work while surviving pink eye, as do those who helped fill his shoes while he was out. I have to tell you, however, that I was way ahead of the curve in making "Costas took the red eye flight" jokes. I also made a "Ligety split" joke during the opening ceremonies. I am available for parties and bar mitvahs. 
• I was confused and frustrated by the figure skating coverage. I am home pretty all day. and so I watched a lot of live event coverage on the NBC Sports Network. When they showed the skating live, the broadcast team was former NC State basketball Terry Gannon, along with former Olympic skater Johnny Weir and 1998 gold medalist Tara Lipinski. When my wife would watch the exact same footage during prime time the announcers were Tom Hammond, Scott Hamiliton and Sandra Bezic. My first question is why? No other sport got new announcers for the taped version. And my second question is WHY? Gannon, Weir and Lipinski were absolutely brilliant. They were honest, concise and full of insight. And Tara and Johnny gave us a fashion show everyday as well!  I love Scott Hamilton, but the rest of his team just did not measure up. And Bezic was better than Sominex. Just awful...
• I love watching curling. I find it to be unique and fascinating. But does anyone else feel like after 17 days you still have no real idea what the rules are and no clue what the announcers are actually talking about? It's like they speak a foreign language. Curlish. And also, am I alone in thinking that the rules of the biathlon were made up by a middle school youth group? Ski, then shoot while laying down. If you miss, ski around a penalty circle one time for every shot you miss. Then ski some more and shoot standing up. The ski some more. The only thing missing were live bears stationed along the course the spice it up a bit. A very odd sport.
• The closing ceremonies were. as always, full of pageantry and spectacle. I do have some suggestions on ways they could have spiced them up a bit. First of all, where was YakovSmirnoff? The greatest of all Russian comedians (the ONLY Russian comedian?) could have put  little zip into the festivities. Also, during the tribute to Russian authors, NBC could have easily slipped in the Seinfeld clip of Elaine suggesting that the original working title of War and Peace was actually War- What Is It Good For? Big laughs, no doubt! And finally, did anyone else have trouble deciding if the giant animals at the end were cute...or creepy? That bear was just a little TOO life-like. Wouldn't it have been awesome to see it go on a rampage, squashing dancers like Godzilla and then destroying the cauldron of the Olympic flame? You have to admit, that would have jazzed it all up! 

All-in-all I thought it was an good Olympics. The best part was that after all of initial concerns about security, toilets and Putin that once the games started it became all about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. It was all about athletes, And that's the way it's supposed to be. And the United States team did well, even though many of the people and teams who were supposed to win fell short. Maybe we just need to invent a few more freestyle skiing and snowboarding events so we can have the most gold medals! Now bring on the summer games of 2016 and beach volleyball in Rio!!!

The Opening Ceremonies: A Few Snarky Thoughts

I am somewhat of an Olympic junkie as many of you know, and so I watched most of the 3 and half hour spectacle last night that was the opening ceremonies to the 2014 Winter Olympics. I also followed along on Twitter. And here are a few of  my takeaways...

• Bob Costas was reporting to us from Superman's Fortress of Solitude.
• Four out of five Olympic rings is NOT "close enough..."
• The official sponsor of the United States team must be Bill Cosby. I can think of no other excuse for those sweaters.
• At this point in his life, Matt Lauer has already retired. He might as well have commented by phone.
• It was good to see that "The Most Interesting Man in the World" will be skiing for his native Mexico.
• Will someone be live tweeting any breaking news on Costas' pink eye?
• I think it will be best for everyone involved for the Russians to win the gold medal in hockey. Sounds like the entire nation may fall apart if they don't. And NO ONE wants to be there for that...
• If you are are staying at a hotel in Sochi, you should apparently abide by the old retreat axiom, slightly revised- "If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, GET OUT OF TOWN! Whatever you do, DON'T FLUSH!!!"
• Shaun White is an adult with a real haircut and everything. Who knew?
• We learned that the Russians are proud of their history- well at least the parts they showed us. We saw brilliant examples of their ballet and heard much of the classical music they have contributed to our world. The Communist era was symbolized by a train on its arrival and red balloon floating away for its fall. There was no mention of Lenin, Stalin, Siberia or Chernobyl. And worst of all was no update on the whereabouts of my 2 favorite Russians of all time...

But the torch lighting was cool, there were no disasters to speak of, and the games are underway- so it's all good! Now bring on the curling. And go Norway!

My Favorite Olympic Moments

The recently completed Olympic Games of London 2012 offered some amazing moments and stories.  Some were tales of victory, some of triumph over the odds and some of loss.  Here (in no particular order) are some of my favorite story lines...

• The Opening Ceremonies. It was a night that brought us James Bond & the Queen,  Rowan Atkinson doing Chariots of Fire and Sir Paul McCartney singing Hey Jude. It featured a battle between Lord Voldemort and Mary Poppins, and reminded all of us in the USA just how proud the Brits are of their government-run free health care (Imagine that!).  It also gave us one of my favorite opening ceremony moments ever- the forging of the Olympic ring in the stadium, then joining it with 4 more in the sky. Powerful stuff. 
• Michael Phelps!  He wasn't content with just smashing the record for all-time medals won. He wanted more!  People doubted Phelps after his day one loss in the 400 IM.  You should never doubt the best swimmer in history. Ever.  He came back to win 4 more gold medals and once again claim the title King of the Pool.  For a related story, see also Shutting Up Ryan Lochte.
• Great moments for Great Britain!  The Brits were powerful in lesser-known venues like rowing and cycling, but the world felt the full force of their love for their athletes as stadiums ROCKED when Jessica Ennis won the heptathlon; Moe Farah claimed gold in both the 10,000 and 5000 meter races;  and Andy Murray won tennis gold at Wimbledon.  Congratulations, UK, on hosting a great Olympics, and for providing moments of majesty for us all!
• The Queens of the Beach!  For a third straight time Misty May-Trainor and Kerri Walsh-Jennings won beach volleyball gold.  Considered to be a bit past their prime, the Golden Girls were awesome again, losing only one set.  Love me some beach volleyball, men's and women's- so it is NOT just the bikinis!  :)
• A True Winner.  I blogged earlier about how much I was inspired by South African Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee who ran the 400 meters.  But my favorite Oscar moment was provide by Karani James of Grenada, who after winning the 400 semi in which Oscar finished last immediately went to Pistorius and asked to exchange name bibs with him- a very unusual act showing the world champion's respect for what Oscar had accomplished.  THAT is the Olympic spirit!  James went on to win Grenada's first ever gold medal in the event.  Great story...
• USA Team Glory!  You all know how I feel about soccer (I don't!) but there were great moments for the USA team, including Alex Morgan's amazing game winning goal in the semi-finals and Hope Solo's amazing performance in the gold medal game.  The USA women's water polo team was also amazing winning their first ever gold, and of course the Fierce Five gymnasts also provided a team thrill.  USA!  USA!  USA!
• No Belly Flops Here!  American David Boudia stunned the world by winning the gold medal in the men's 10 meter platform diving event over prohibitive favorite Bo Qiu of China and local hero Tom Daley of GB.  His last dive had to be nearly perfect- and it was!  Amazing performance under pressure...
• Never Give Up.  Chinese 110 meter hurdler Liu Yiang (a former world champion) fell over the first hurdle and was out of the qualifying race.  He was also injured.  But he picked himself up, hopped down the track on one leg, kissed the final hurdle and crossed the finish line.  Another great moment was the performance of silver medal winning USA 4 x 400 meter relay team led by Bryshon Nellum, the young man who has shot in the leg several years ago and told he would never run competitively again.  Not only did he compete, he was also chosen to carry the USAmerican flag in the closing ceremonies.  Again...the true Olympic spirit in action.
• Mad Scientist Comeback!  In the gold medal match in men's indoor volleyball, Brazil crushed Russia the first two sets (they play best 3 out of 5).  The Russian coach rearranged his line-up, putting players in positions they had never played before with the national team.  The announcers declared it a panic button move and declared the match over.  Russia won 3 sets in a row to upset Brazil and win the gold.  Best coaching move EVER!!!
• Women or Fish?  The women from the USA simply dominated the swimming pool, led by the 4 gold medals of 17 year old (same as my son, and he is single, Missy!) Missy Franklin.  Among the other ladies providing thrills and world records in the pool were Rebecca Soni, Allison Schmitt, Katie Ledecki and Dana Vollmer.  And most, if not all, will be back for Rio 2016.  Sorry, world!  :)
• The Faster Ever!  The women of the USA's 4 x 100 meter relay team not only won gold, they broke a world record set back in the 1980s by a steroid fueled East German team.  Actually they didn't break the record...they SMASHED it!  I love relay races, and this one was amazing.  Way to go Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight and Carmelita Jeter!!!
• Lightning Bolt!  Jamaican Usain Bolt is simply amazing to watch.  He has now competed in two Olympics, won 6 gold medals and set 4 world records.  Sorry Carl Lewis and company, but the battle for Greatest Sprinter Ever is a battle for 2nd place.  Everyone is now chasing the legend...
• The Closing Ceremonies.  Eric Idle singing Always Look On the Bright Side Of Life was the night's clear winner.  Anytime you get a little Monty Python, things are just better!

So there you have it.  That's my list, although it could have been much longer!  And now that the games are over, I am in serious need of a new hobby.  Any suggestions?

Being Great

I watched in awe last night as the Jamaican 4 x100 meter relay team smashed their own world record.  Here were 4 men, gifted by God, trained by coaches and supported by friends and family, who went out on the track in front of millions of people watching and achieved greatness.  They weren't just good, they were spectacular.  Good would not have been enough.  They came to London for greatness.

It got me thinking about how often how I have settled for "good" in my life.  I am not talking about accomplishing things that draw attention to me, I am referring to things that inspire others.  I look at so many people who have had great accomplishments and marvel at their faith and determination to do great things. I am 52 years old and I often wonder what chances I have already missed to serve God in some bigger, more productive way.  It is a sobering thought, for example, to realize that by the time Mozart was my age he had been dead for 18 years. He left a mark on the world as a young man that has inspired generations of musicians.  What mark am I leaving and who have I inspired?  I have been blessed to live an interesting and productive life full of wonderful relationships and moments of service, but how many opportunities have I missed to do something great in the name of Jesus?  There have always been excuses, "what ifs" and "if onlys" that have kept me from achieving everything God has had in store for me.  And I want that to stop.

All of us have been gifted by God, trained by leaders and supported by family and friends. What will we do with our gifts?  We will seek glory for ourselves or glory for God?  Will we settle for "just getting by" or will we seek to do great things in the name of Jesus?  The decision is up to each of us.

Because of Jesus,

We've Got It All Wrong

Ulysses Bolton of the Bahamas???

The other day I was eating lunch by myself in a restaurant where they have televisions. They had the Olympics on with the sound off, and they were showing a water polo match between two European countries.  I was loving the action, but I soon found myself distracted by the conversation at the table next to me. It seemed to be a family, with a grandmother, a younger couple, and two teenagers.  They were discussing the Olympics, and this is a synopsis of what I heard...

Why are the showing swimming (it was water polo) again?  I hate swimming.  I like the running.  They never show the running (except for hours in prime time).  You know who is really good?  That Ulysses Bolton (Usain Bolt), the one from the Bahamas (Jamaica). He is so fast. I saw him win the 1000 yard (100 meter) dash.  He is really American you know, he just runs for the Bahamas because there team is easier to make.  Almost all of those foreigners really live in America.  Why do we let those foreign countries in the Olympics anyway (WOW!)? You know what else I hate? When those stupid British people say soccer and football are the same thing (The entire world calls it football except us)!  Yeah right. The Bucs would kill those soccer teams (seems unlikely the Bucs would win at either sport)...

I'll stop there, although unfortunately they didn't.  The discussion also had some racist elements and accused all gymnasts and volleyball players of being gay.  To sum up, there was NOTHING they said that was completely accurate.  Their facts were all wrong.  And yet, they were certain of every word that they said.

We live in a world where this is not an unusual happening- in fact, it is the norm.  Whether discussing the Olympics, defending our favorite political party or trying to prove a theological point, we often yammer on as if we know what we are talking about, when in fact we've got it all wrong.  Jesus IS the truth, and yet so many people have false understandings of his teachings and his mission.  Our sources are far too often talking heads and bloggers who also have no idea what they are talking about.  And so the misinformation spreads until there are many believers in facts that are simply not true.

The third chapter of the book of James contains many warnings about watching what we say and speaking only the truth.  If James were writing today he would have talked about typing the truth as well.  My lunch experience was a reminder to me that we cannot speak the truth if we are not first willing to seek it, and to hear things that may be difficult to hear.  Just because someone else said it and we agree with it does not make it true.  We must seek the truth- and we must look more than one place.

So today I ask myself and each of you...what is it we've got all wrong?

Because of Jesus,

Random Ramblings

Here are a few random thoughts for a beautiful Sunday morning...

• Marilyn and Will have returned home after 11 days in NC, and I am so glad to have them back.  They had a great visit with her family and a good tour of the UNC-W film school.  They returned with great stories.  Stay tuned for Will's production of the next great primetime soap opera, ELKIN!  Like Dallas, only much, much smaller...
• It's Sunday, and Chick-fil-A is closed.  Seems like the perfect day to close out this week's crazed arguments as well.  I have stayed away from this very public discussion, but I will offer this one reminder to everyone who used valuable time and resources fighting this battle- "It's all about chicken JESUS!"
• I have become a total Olympic zombie.  I cannot remember what I did for entertainment before they started, and I have no idea what I will do when they are done. 
• I did venture away from the TV to see The Dark Knight Rises this weekend. I have always thought The Dark Knight was overrated, but I have to say the third chapter in the trilogy totally rocks, just like my son said it did.  I give it a 15.327, and it's in the green area of scoring. And thanks to my smart phone I could still get beach volleyball results as soon as it was over. Win/Win! 
• The Fab 5 were wonderful, but if you are wagering on which group of USAmerican women had the best games and have the brightest future, look to the swimming pool. Total dominance!  
• The USA men's basketball team won by only 5 points yesterday. According to the new scoring system I introduced this past week (see 7 Things I'd Change About the Olympics) they now have one loss.
• Will starts drumline camp tomorrow, so his summer is pretty much officially over.  I will miss him being home. I will also miss our frequent trips to the Hibachi Buffet.
• My first summer as a camper at Quaker Lake Camp (after 8th grade) there was a mini-Olympic style competition that took place all week.  I can proudly say that I went undefeated and won the blue ribbon (which I still have!) in singles badminton, beating Susan Bass in the finals. Which was not easy because she was really cute.  Needless to say, I was disgusted by the Olympians who cheated at the great sport of badminton by playing to lose. Perhaps I should plan a comeback.  
• I never thought I would see anyone in my lifetime with the combination of God-given talent, work ethic and competitive fire to equal Michael Jordan.  Michael Phelps, thank you for proving me wrong.  22 medals. 18 gold.  Still the king of the pool. Simply amazing.
• And finally...  When I was young, I played every sport I could, and was reasonably good at most of them.  But I always wanted to be great at baseball.  I could play every position and hit the fastball okay.  But I never learned to hit the curveball.  This weekend I have been reminded on several occasions that life is constantly throwing curves, and that they still befuddle me.  I was reminded once again of a truth I learned in 1977-78 as a freshman at Lenoir Rhyne College.  One of my friends always greeted life's curves the following expression: "That's life in the big city.  Sometimes you chase the armadillo. Sometimes the armadillo chases you..."  Think about it.

I hope you all have a blessed Sunday.  I'm looking forward to church with my family and lunch at Moe's.  I hear they serve a mean Christian burrito...


Because of Jesus,

7 Things: How I Would Change the Olympics

The dog and I have been on our own for a full week now, and with 4 or 5 days left to go we seem to be surviving pretty well.  My friends Jerry and Lisa have provided me with so much transportation that I have nothing to whine about! The start of the London Olympics has also helped to occupy a great deal of what would have otherwise been some seriously boring downtime.  When home, I am pretty much glued to the TV. I even have trouble tearing myself away to go to bed at night.  My watching habits are not normal, I freely confess. I don't really care about watching sports that the USA team will dominate.  I prefer some of the lesser known stuff, and I love when underdogs win.  I actually prefer the Winter Olympics in some ways because our USAmerican athletes are almost always underdogs there.  In fact, it would make these games the best EVER if the USA loses a men's or women's basketball game (see below) to a country like Tunisia or Montenegro.  I have always been a huge fan of the Olympics, and that continues to be be true.  However...there are a few changes I would have made if I were in charge this time around.  What are they, you ask?  I am so glad you did!  Here are 7 subtle changes I might suggest...

1. With these games in London, I feel the organizers missed a great opportunity by not bringing back jousting.  Knights in armor doing serious damage right on the front lawn of Buckingham Palace.  It would have been a ratings bonanza, and would have been less offensive than the reality show NBC keeps plugging that turns war into a reality show.  Plus it might have allowed the host country to dominate a sport...
2. NBC should ban all political commercials for the duration of the games.  All of them.  Just when I feel my spirits soaring because some woman from Uganda pulled off a stunning upset in table tennis, I am brought crashing back to earth by some voice over yo-yo reminding me that Mitty says ping while Obama says pong.  For these 16 days it should be OK not to care. In fact, it should be applauded!   Thank you.
3. In basketball, the USA teams are just too good. I think the scoring should be done on a curve to make it interesting again. For instance, the USA should have to win by 25 points or more or they actually lose.  Other teams should get bonus points if they are ahead at halftime. USA players should have to go in a penalty box after fouls so the other nations get 5 on 4 power play situations.  And intentional fouls against LeBron James should be perfectly legal.  And encouraged!  :)
4. BRAVO is showing nothing but tennis.  Really?  Americans don't even watch Wimbledon anymore.  The NBC family of networks should set aside one channel that shows nothing but volleyball and beach volleyball 24/7. I would never go to bed.  And an all water polo network wouldn't be bad either...
5. I love the swimming events and the still-to-come track events, but here's an idea to spice up both.  The relays are often the most exciting events, so why not add some coed relays?  Get the best women and men together on some 4x100 relays and see what happens!  I am betting it would be great fun.  And while we are at it, why not coed beach volleyball?  I think I am on to something with this one!
6. I have always wondered how gymnastics scores would change if the judges had no idea who they were judging.  So here's my thought- make all the athletes wear the same uniform and mix them all together for the prelims.  Have them all wear some sort of mask and a number.  Make the judges deliver scores with no knowledge of who the contestant is or what nation they represent.  My guess is everything would change.  And while we are at it, go back to the old scoring system.  It had flaws I am sure, but at least idiots like me could understand it.  After the men's team finals last night I am more convinced than ever that they are making up rules as they go along.  And what is up with the color thing?  I actually heard an announcer say the other night that "the score is a 13.687, but it is in the yellow zone, so it may be good or it may be bad."  What the @*&% does that mean?  That's like saying someone scored a touchdown, but the ref didn't like his style- so it MAY only be worth 5 points.  Ridiculous.  I want my perfect 10 back. Nadia, where are you?
7. They keep looking for entertainment pieces to play between sporting events, so here is my suggestion. Ryan Seacrest is working for NBC during the games, and Simon Cowell lives in London. so why not a do an American Idol type show using only the athletes of the games.  Who doesn't want to hear a sing-off between Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps?  My guess is Lochte will talk about how much better he is, but will find a way to not quite win (Cheap shot).  I am available for programming tips as needed, Peacock. 

Judo, badminton, table tennis, water polo, archery, target shooting, equestrian events, diving, fencing, boxing, cycling and weight lifting are just some of the sports I have watched this week that I will not watch again for another 4 years. And many more- including speed skating and indoor cycling- are still to come.  Keep it coming, London 2012! You had me at Bond and the Queen...