The flame has been snuffed. Closing ceremonies, to a slightly less degree than the opening gala, rocked (Jimmy Page's appearance notwithstanding). I type in awe of Chinese creativity, ingenuity, and execution (no double meaning intended).

My nephew Nolan's girlfriend Bernadette offers a good recap of her personal observations.
She offers a very interesting link to 36 facts about the Olympic Medal Count. And from there, there was an interesting take on the "real" medal count. If you want to know my take on this, just read my prior posts on gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, and synchronized swimming.

Since she had more observations than did I, here's her take on things:

So, the Beijing Olympics are over. Let me take a second to weep. To say I am obsessed with the Olympics would be an understatement. For the past two weeks, I spent a lot of my time watching the Olympics on NBC, following the medal count, even watching the most obscure events like Sailing and Shooting on nbcolympics.com. So, for the first time, I was able to follow the Olympics very closely. I DVR'd every primetime slot on NBC, checked nbcolympics.com at least 50 times a day, read blogs on Yahoo. So, what did I think? Let me address some highlights and disappointments of these Olympics Games.

HIGHLIGHTS
Michael Phelps
Of course there is Michael Phelps. I bet everyone's sick of hearing about him but the truth is that he has become the most decorated Olympian of all time; a title I feel is well deserved. In the gold medal count, Phelps would have been 9th in these Olympics, in front of countries like France, Canada, and Mexico. Two of the best moments came from his races; particularly the 4x100 Freestyle Relay which left me screaming and jumping (although Jason Lezak gets a lot of credit for that comeback) and the 100m Butterfly in which I was given a play by play over the phone while my plane was sitting on the airport runway. What made it sweeter was all the talk against Phelps, from Ian Thorpe saying that Phelps would not be able to tie Mark Spitz's 7 gold medals let alone beat it, Bernard saying they were going to "smash the Americans", to Cavic's statement that Phelps losing the race would be "good for swimming". Not only did Michael Phelps beat the odds, he also beat the doubters and showed them what hard work could achieve.

Opening Ceremonies
No words can explain the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremonies. It was exceptional, phenomenal, breathtaking. As pathetic as it sounds, there were times I actually cried. From 2,008 drummers in perfect synchronization, to the human Chinese printing press, to the green, glowing human bird's nest replica, the Opening Ceremonies were a feast for the eyes. China really used their best resource, their people, to create an amazing show. Granted, afterwards various controversies such as the computer generated fireworks, lip synching little girl, and the performer who may have been paralyzed during practice, have cast some doubt, the Opening Ceremonies in terms of aesthetics were amazing.

Team Sports
USA Team Sports flourished in this Olympics. Despite disappointment in a silver medal finish for USA Softball, the other team sports did exceptionally well. Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Volleyball, Men's and Women's Water Polo, and Men's and Women's Beach Volleyball all made it to their respective gold medal games, with five of them winning the gold. The USA reclaimed the top spot in Men's Basketball as the "Redeem Team" and Men's Volleyball won the gold medal in an emotional final after Coach Hugh McCutcheon's in-law's were attacked earlier in the Olympics.

UT Athletes
The current and former UT students that represented the United States during the Olympics also fared well. In the end, Burnt Orange in Beijing earned 10 gold medals (most from swimming), two silver, and two bronze. It was nice to hear UT mentioned numerous times on the NBC Broadcasts.

DISAPPOINTMENTS
Track & Field
Although Team USA in Track & Field actually had the most gold and total medals in the competition, it was a disappointing overall performance. Blunders like baton drops, medal sweeps that didn't happen, and injuries that hindered the favorites all contributed to the letdown in Track & Field. Another disappointment was Liu Xiang's inability to compete in his home country for even one race. However, there were some bright spots including Usain Bolt of Jamaica, golds in the decathlon and women's discus, and sweeps in the Men's 400 Meters, and 400 M Hurdles.

Gymnastics Scoring
Needless to say, a lot of people were frustrated about the gymnastics scoring. One ridiculous example come to mind in the women's vault individual event final when a Chinese gymnast who landed on her knees won a bronze medal, when American Alicia Sacramone only hopped on her attempts. Another was when Nastia Liukin only got the silver medal when she scored the same score as another gymnast, although in this case the rules were in place ahead of time.

The Weather
The weather in Beijing during the Olympics wasn't exactly sunny. A lot of the time we saw downpours and overcasts and sometimes some events had to be rescheduled. China's attempts to "cloud seed" in order to change the weather turned out to be a bust.

Medal Count
The medal count was a bit confusing. Certain countries, particularly the United States, look at the total medal count to determine who "wins". In that case, the United States won with 110 medals. Others look at the total gold medals, particularly China. In that case, China won with 51 gold medals. So, who's right? Plus, there are some underlying factors, mostly in terms of bias in judged sports. For example, the United States only won 4 gold medals in judged sports. China won 27 golds in judged sports. What do you think?

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August 23, 2008

A Phelpsian Quiz
[Randomness]

You Are Swimming

You are an interesting set of contradictions. You are peaceful yet competitive. Graceful yet strong. You exist in your own private universe.

What Olympic Sport Are You?

Iconically speaking, it looks more like I am a champion in the competitive sleeping competition....which is probably closer to the truth.

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Saturday Questions
[Life of Bryan]

Been writing all day...and these are random blips on the radar of my life:




• The Barnyard Cow. Why does this bull have an udder? That's just confusing to our next generation of veterinarians. This troubles me.


• Facebook Flair. I admit it, I'm a fan. My flair board is at near capacity. I don't understand why some flair arrives in triplicate. I even got five copies of one flair...about a spork thinking that it is Batman. Surely the Flair senders aren't so passionate about Spork humor that they're intentionally sending it this way. This leads to the possibility that I could be sending it out similarly excessively (when I take the time do so, which is rare). I am troubled by the prospect of this.


• Rhythmic Gymnastics. The tell-tale sign that the Olympics are almost over. The proverbial fumes of the athletic gas tank. I confess...I'm not a fan. I just don't get it. I don't know if I'm supposed to watch the gymnast, or the twirly ribbon. Invariably, I end up watching the ribbon, like I'm some sort of oversized kitten distracted by a dangling string.

  Is rhythmic gymnastics really just competitive hula-hooping? If this is really a sport, then why not ballroom dancing, or competitive square dancing?

  No, I can't do the things these ladies do (and thank goodness there is not a men's division of this activity). However, if that's the only criteria for consituting "sport," then I look forward to the 2012 arc welding and Federal Income Tax reporting competitions. I guess I just don't understand how this gets to be a sport and baseball and softball have lost their spot on the Olympic Roster...it probably won't surprise you to know...I'm troubled by this.

• Football season has started in earnest.Cotter is strapping on a helmet for the first time. They've got him penned in as the starting center, which I find somewhat hilarious (although he's actually pretty good and hasn't been beaten in practice by the big orange traffic cone he lines up against). Unfortunately,he's starting off on the Injured Reserve. He went to Going Bonkers yesterday as an "end of the summer hootenanny" and twisted his ankle. I'm troubled by this.
• Learn from my mistake: don't order a pepperoni lovers with extra cheese on a thin crust. That's just too much grease for that sort of pizza bed. Last night, my guts were troubled by this, but a Pepcid remedied the matter sufficiently.
• I'm surprised by Barack Obama's selection of Joseph Biden as his running mate. Didn't Biden label Obama with passively racist language that he had to later clarify? Didn't Biden fail to even get out of the gates in the election primary? Didn't Biden get caught plagiarizing several years ago? Isn't Biden pretty far left, for a candidate trying to woo moderate independents? Didn't Obama say that his small dollar contributors would be told of his pick first, rather than big media?

  I hope more people are seeking answers to these questions, apart from partisanship. The cynic in me instead sees this as a sign of politics as usual, despite the promises of change. I'm troubled by this.

• The new Sunday school year starts tomorrow. Great days are ahead! New people in new classes making new discoveries and building new faith in God. New friendships, new trust, new learning, and new understanding. New steps of obedience and new partnerships in ministry. I love these new beginnings! I am in no way trouble by this!
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August 19, 2008

Why Bryan Hates Gymastics
[Good Sports]



Gymnastics is not a sport.

Don't get me wrong...it's incredibly athletic. I love watching the athletes. They are phenomenal. I just can't suffer the competitions that are not objective. I can't stand the subjectivity in gymnastics.

When Michael Phelps won by .01 seconds, it was disputed, but sustained because it was objective. When Dara Torres lost by .01, it was accepted because despite her fine performance, it came justthisshort.

Then we move to gymnastics. Only in this competition, nobody can get a perfect score. Only in this sport, you can have have a .1 deduction if your right toe lands slightly off parallel, or .5 if you land on your knees instead of your feet....OR reverse both those conditions if your starting difficulties are slightly different than the person that just went before you. Only in gymnastics can this impressive act of grace pictured here score higher than a mistake free routine performed by a competitor whose only error was in wearing a unitard with the letters "U," "S," and "A."

I believe in being the supportive dad from the bleachers. But if I were a gymnastics dad, I think I'd be the guy escorted out by security because of accusing the judges of being drunk, blind, bribed, or some combination of all three.

A friend of mind heard me griping about this lack of objectivity in gymnastics, and he explained something that really helped me understand how the complex scoring system works. You see, at the back of the International Gymnastics Federation scoring book, there apparently is an appendix of rules for Olympic competition. And at the very back of this appendix, there are an assortment of special dictates that have applied in this year's Beijing games:



• In the case of tie, America always loses


• Home court advantage: +.5 to final score. Home competitors should be compensated for not being able to enjoy an international destination


• Non-Americans: 1 free fall, stumble, trip, or faceplant.


• American gymnasts to be judged by advanced precision robots designed to recognize slightest deviations to perfect performance.


• Non-American gymnasts to be judged by celebrity "You Think You Can Dance" panel.

So the lesson that we can all learn here today is that Bryan's neck is never more red than when national pride is on the line and all that's right and good in international gymnastics is compromised by pre-adolescent Chinese fudging tumblers (they're sixteen just as much by inverse comparison that I'm 29) and prejudiced international judging bumblers.

I agree...I worked way too hard on that last sentence. I suspect the European judges will give me low marks on execution, despite my high starting score.

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August 13, 2008

The Only Synchronized Swimming I have Ever Enjoyed
[Infotainment]

I'm all about the Olympics, despite the honorable reasons that people have given for boycotting it. It's happening, and so I'm watching. I've decided that I'm going to start over-using the adjective "Phelpsian" to describe anything that is even slightly better than average, in honor of Michael Phelps' fantastic accomplishments. If he indeed wins 8 golds and sets 8 world records in the process...well, Cotter may just have to get his name changed to reflect the achievement.

That being said, I just don't get the men's synchronized diving. It could be the first time an Olympic sport is the result of something inspired by a comedy sketch.

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August 9, 2008

On Truth
[Well Said]

Francis Schaeffer
Truth demands confrontation -- loving confrontation, but confrontation nevertheless.
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An Open Letter to the Neighborhood Barking Dog
[Life of Bryan]

Dear Yappie McBarky,

From time to time, we all get a little wound up. I understand that. It just seems that lately, you've been wound up...a lot. Daily, we hear your piercing calling card over and over and over and over again. I can only imagine your frustration at the likelihood that nobody is home to hear your plaintive cry and give you the attention you so earnestly desire. We're all a little upset that the temperature has been so consistently hot. Tempers run a little short and we are all a bit quick to bark out...well, for us humans that's more figurative than literal, but still true. Yet, here's what I've learned. Find some shade, and wait silently for a small breeze. The silent part is really important.

Because barking incessantly has become your "thing," and it is know what you are known for in the neighborhood, I thought I could offer a few insights that may help cease your barking and improve your reputation in the community:



1. This decision of yours unveiled last night to add a 3 AM performance is not going to go over well with the neighbors. I admit that even I, a fan of yours, may have uttered a violent threat to find you, and...well...let's just say that it wasn't a pleasant thought. Matinee performances, while themselves an infuriating experience, are really your forte'.


2. You live in DFW, and airplanes will be flying overhead daily. They cannot hear you, and they are no threat to land in your yard. You don't need to threaten them with a series of staccato barks.


3. I'm pretty sure that there are no other dogs who will answer your calls. I've lived here three years now, and your act is pretty much a solo one. While you no doubt are the Cal Ripken of barking dogs, even the Iron Man short stop knew when to hang up the cleats. It's time to go into the dug out...or dog house.


4. The full moon should not be confused for a spot light. And it is not shining on you.


5. The squirrels are part of the neighborhood. We all have to live with them. They will, from time to time, run across your fence top. The little critters do it to just antagonize you. Don't give them the satisfaction of seeing you so upset. If you really want to frustrate them, let me suggest that you just smile at them and give them a little doggy wave. Kill them with kindness!

If I'm right about this, you probably haven't been trained to read any form of written human communication, much less English. Even so, I do hope your owner will somehow come across this letter while doing an Internet search for canine laryngitis will be moved to read it to you in a way that conveys the heart of my plea for you to shut your yapping yaw...at least during the nighttime hours. I imagine that you are napping right now, probably comfortably on your master's bed. And they may be tiptoeing around you, so as not to rouse you. So, until you awake to again regale me with an account of your latest doggie dream in a language I'll never understand apart from some barking-related advance in Rosetta Stone technology, I remain....

Respectfully,

Bryan

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August 2, 2008

This just in...
[Editor-ial]

From Ron Burgundy's personal library, here's a couple newscast related videos that demonstrate the value of editorial oversight...just because.

The difference between a period and a comma...


This one is awesome...all weathermen should be required to dress this way...


Either this guy has registered with the authorities, or he has a legitimate grievance to file...


He's not just a reporter, but also a sufferer...

Do they offer a college class that helps avoid those awkward silences and weird transitions?

A local favorite...

And we close with the classic...Boom Goes the Dynamite.

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Sung to the tune of Reunited
[Life of Bryan]

I have started a blog over at my hometown paper...because they offer it, I guess. I had a very happy childhood and I love my hometown. So to me, it is a way to stay connected there. I'll probably cross-post a lot.

Anyway, I blogged there today about family reunions. The McAnally family reunion is going on this weekend...and this is the closest I can get to it.

Does your family do the reunion? Do you partake? What makes your reunions special? My inquiring mind wants to know.

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August 1, 2008

Imperfect Prayer
[Punchline]

From the inbox:


Dewey goes to the local revival and listens to the preacher. After a while the preacher asks anyone with needs to be prayed over to come forward to the front at the altar.

Dewey gets in line, and when it's his turn the preacher asks: "Dewey, what do you want me to pray about for you?"

Dewey replies: "Preacher, I need you to pray for my hearing."

The preacher puts one finger in Dewey's ear, and he places the other hand on top of Dewey's head and prays and prays.

After a few minutes, the preacher removes his hands, stands back and asks: "Dewey, how is your hearing now?"

Dewey says, "I don't know, Reverend, it ain't until next Wednesday."


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