Nothing Gold Can Stay

Last Saturday night at 11:30, I, like a lot of the world, watched the United States Men's Basketball team beat Spain in the Gold Medal game. I was surprised at the coverage of the game's result--most media outlets incorrectly blurbed that Spain provided only a "scare" to the US. However, the victory didn't come easily. Spain played much, much better than they did in the Preliminary round, when their impression of a fainting goat was spot on. And for three quarters and some change, they played better than the Americans. In the end, USA's athleticism and Kobe Bryant's Satanically inspired compettitiveness outlasted the Spaniards. Even though the US won, they should have won by a lot more. Which takes me back to one of the best nights of my life....

In August of 2006, I experienced one of the greatest nights of my life. My in-laws got tickets to the Team USA exhibition game vs. Puerto Rico, and they let my wife and I tag along. From the minute we sat down, everywhere I looked I saw basketball legends. Let alone the coaching staff and the loaded roster, imagine being in the same arena as Dr. J, Scottie Pippen, Clyde Drexler, Pat Riley, Chuck Daly, Lenny Wilkens, Tark the Shark, and John Thompson, Jr. The game was great too, a plethora of fast breaks and windmill dunks, but the precision was lacking. Carmelo Anthony was shooting the ball as if he were trying to earn enough tickets to get a stuffed LooneyTunes character; 7' forward Chris Bosh never entered the key and launched (and missed) a million three point shots; the American guards (CP, Kirk Heinrich) were unselfish, but Carlos Arroyo zipped by them all night and their court vision was blurry at best.

Since that night, I've followed the progress of Team USA to see if they would fulfill Coach K's vision for what USA Basketball should become--committed, team-oriented, and lethally compettitive. Seeing them play in the Olympics had been, in my opinion, a near fulfillment of that vision. Their backcourt, inspired by the hustling Dwayne Wade and Kobe Bryant, was everywhere. Their undersized frontcourt, led by Bosh, Dwight Howard, and Tayshawn Prince overacheived in almost every way.

So when I sat down on Saturday night to watch the Gold medal game, I expected to see a culmination of the vision--the Beijing Opening Ceremonies of basketball, if you will.....not exactly. Spain, even without star guard Rudy Fernandez, played good enough to win and their fundamentals were precise. 17 year old phenom Ricky Rubio asserted himself as the next Pistol Pete, flying past an aging J-Kidd, an uncreative CP, and a balding Deron Williams, dishing beautiul passes to his Bigs. Pau Gasol drew a lot of attention from the American frontcourt, which allowed little brother Mark (a beefier, harrier, uglier version of his bro) to make jumper after jumper.

The bottom line is that team USA did the least they had to do in order to get the Gold, and I wanted them to do the most they could possibly do. Ussain Bolt, the Jamaican Blur, also did the least he had to do in order to win the Gold by jogging the last 10 meters of the 100m dash. Bolt did finish with a world record 9.69, but had he done his best, he could have run an unbreakable 9.59 and possibly outshined Michael Phelps. And yes, Team USA did go undefeated and win the Gold, but instead of winning by 11, they could have won by 30. Instead of fulfilling Coach K's vision, they largely ignored it. Instead of emerging from these Games as the best basketball team ever assembled, they will forever be silver to the Dream Team's gold.

Premier League Picks

1. Manchester United - No surprise for me here. They are still working on signing Berbatov to bolster a thin front line. Regardless, I see Nani and Rooney having a needed great start until Ronaldo comes back in October. Fans sing "Paul Scholes scores goals"

2. Chelsea - Deco adds to a crowded midfield, but should lend some creativity to an attack that was less than impressive. Look out if they sign Robinho while Drogba recovers. Owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, reportedly worth $23.5 billion. The team hasn't turned a profit since his tenure began, not that he cares. Good times!

3. Arsenal - Nasri looks to be a good addition to a perpetually young squad, and Walcott seems to be ready to have a breakthrough season. The team recently completed the very impressive Emirates Stadium located in North London.

4. Tottenham Hotspur - The trendy pick to break into the top four. Add me to the list, although the league website lists "Lilywhites" as one of their nicknames. That can't be good. Steve Nash's father played for them back in the day.

Others

Liverpool - Manager Benitez has not proven to be successful in league play, and continues to rotate players to "keep them fresh," only to drop games they shouldn't. One of the unique aspects of the sport is the way players move from one club to another. There are no trades or a league imposed salary cap, so players are literally sold from one club to another. Benitez has clashed with American owners Gillett (Canadiens) and Hicks (Stars and Rangers) over funds to buy players. Keane and Torres make for a formidable front line.

Aston Villa - I am seeing good things from this side. Gareth Barry seems to be staying, which gives them experience on the international stage. Intangible factors include a sweet shirt, charity sponsorship to a children's hospice, and the nickname Villans. Nice!

Manchester City - Owner and former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is a fugitive seeking asylum in England having refused to return to Thailand after attending the opening ceremonies in Beijing. He was ousted by military and royal elites under allegations of corruption, authoritarianism, tax evasion, and other offenses during his reign. While they have yet to find evidence to support anything other than tax evasion, he has received death threats and has been labeled "a human rights abuser of the worst kind" by Human Rights Watch. His assets have been frozen, and charges are still looming in Thailand. This should get interesting.

The Olympics are on Fire!

Ratings are up even though the games are on the other side of the world. The opening ceremonies were spectacular, but were they on the up and up? Typical.

Phelps Phenomenon is taking over the games, but there are other performers that are worth following - including the beach volleyball team that lose wedding rings in the sand. Do they really need to play with them on?

Really? Europe would be very fun to live, but he can't be serious. Although when you combine a generous exchange rate and crazy rich owners it could happen. It would be nice to not pay taxes.

Fun "Grammar-Nazi" Blog

Favre

I haven't posted an opinion in a while mainly because I just haven't had one. This summer has been pretty slow, the constant Favre watch being evidence of that. I saw Wendy Nix got the short end of the stick by spending days in Green Bay bored to death getting the Packer side of the story. I think Pedro Gomez should feel slighted. By the way, what ever happened to Pedro? Maybe he is still following Bonds around.

The summer saga has finally drawn to a close. Favre will be playing football this year, but not in the familiar Packer Green. The New York Jets have recently gained attention less for their play on the field than the behavior of drunken unruly fans that can't keep their tops on. Men, AND women. With the acquisition of the grizzly veteran, the starving New York media will surely be stirred into a frenzy - not that they need help. They had been struggling to gain attention after the Giants just won the Super Bowl, but the time seems right now that the Yankees and Mets are in third place, and the Knicks stink. The fans have reacted well. Jersey sales have been up.

How good will the Jets beon the field? They were 4-12 last year, and still play in a tough conference. They may finish second in their division behind the Patriots, but ahead of Buffalo and Dolphins. the Steelers, Chargers, and Colts will probably win their divisions. It seems like the Browns, Bengals, Broncos, Jaguars, Titans, and Jets will contend for 2 playoff spots.

At least Jets fans have an optomism now that their quarterback can make a deep out pass.

Appropriate beard of the week.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

This is my new favorite band.