Andrew Who?
To hear the Australians talk, Andrew Bogut was supposed to be the second coming of Kobe Bryant.
Guess not. Next?
A Ping From Beijing
I just received a ping from Beijing.
Politburo? Chinese secret police? Margaret Hoelzer?
Nope. Just THT‘s intrepid man-on-the-ground in Beijing, Mark McCarter:
Mike…Thanks for making my coverage part of your site, and for the nice plugs.
All the best…Mark
My pleasure, Mark; you’ve done a great job over there. I hope all that beach volleyball hasn’t stressed you out too much.
Give my regards to LeBron and Kobe, wouldya?
Olympic Crushes Run In The Family
Much to Number Three Son’s relief, U.S. gymnast Shawn Johnson finally picked up a gold in the balance beam the other night.
His reaction to her finishing second to teammate Nastia Liukin in the all-around competition?
“She wuz robbed!”
I think somebody’s got an Olympic crush. Of course, they do tend to run in the family.… Read the rest
Phelps Channels Spitz
We knew “it” was coming…
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… Read the rest Haggling For Gold (And Silk, Too)
Dave Barry goes shopping in Beijing and finishes short of a medal, while his wife takes the gold (and silk, too).
As someone who has haggled over “Nike” t-shirts in open-air Jamaican markets and honest-to-God, GENUINE Rolex Submariners in Chinatown, I feel his pain.
An Ode to Olympic Moms
The Olympics Sap-o-Meter over at Slate was redlining over the weekend in the wake of Michael Phelps’ rendezvous with destiny (there, that ought to set it to twitching even more).
Apparently it was Bob Costas’ interview with Michael and his Mom that really set the too-cool-to-care cynics to clucking. Color me sappy, then, because I enjoyed it (that segment starts about 15 minutes in).
In particular, I was intrigued to learn about Michael’s struggle with ADHD and bullying classmates; as a parent, and a former “shortest and nerdiest kid in the class,” I can identify with such stories. It’s all too easy to look at the mega-million dollar freak of nature with all the O-bling around his neck and forget that he was once an awkward teen in dire need of some loving parenting and mentoring.… Read the rest
Attention Chinese Tow Truck Drivers!
I wonder if my old buddy, Keith The Tow Truck Driver, has ever hauled a car all the way to China?
If so, he might be pleased to know about this.
Mark, personally, I think your chances are better over at the beach volleyball venue.
She Lived Up To Her Name
“I thank God for how far I came to be here and to have the opportunity. It’s OK. I wouldn’t trade it. If it didn’t hurt this bad, I didn’t care that much, so, yeah, it’s still worth it. I’m glad I got the chance.”
–Nigerian sprinter and former Huntsvillian Olutoyin Augustus after failing to qualify for the semifinals in the women’s 100-meter hurdles
Toyin, we understand how you feel, but please remember this: We are not disappointed in you at all.
You lived up to your name.
A Million Little Lies?
A reader writes:
This sounds like a reprise of your April Fools post.
He’s referring to my most recent HT community column sounding like my 4/01/08 “We’re moving to Durham, NC–Gotcha!” post.
I get his point–“if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.”
And I will admit that on occasion I do use a little “artistic license” when telling a story. What writer–or preacher–doesn’t?
But I can assure him, and you, that when it comes to this particular story, I’m no James Frey.… Read the rest
Rob Enhood Robs From The Glitz and Gives To The Poor
Tired of all the sappy, overwrought, maudlin, violin music-filled NBC soft focus pieces?
Have I got just the thing for you…
The Lord Deserves Praise
THT‘s Mark McCarter gives us the inside scoop on Nigerian sprinter and former Grissom High star Olutoyin Augustus and the meaning of her first name.
“The Lord Deserves Praise.” That seems about right for a Sunday morning.… Read the rest
Oh, Say Did Marge Sing?
But she still earned a silver and it took Coventry’s best effort (and a new world record) to beat her.
Needless to say, Huntsvillians are proud of Margaret Hoelzer and her hardware (1 2 silver, 1 bronze), but most of all, the way that she represented us so well.
Well done, Marge. Go ahead and sing your heart out anyway–you deserve it.… Read the rest
A Patriotic Pedicure
She’s tanned, she’s rested, she’s ready…
and she got a patriotic pedicure, too:
Aubie v. Aubie, “The Water Cube,” Friday night, 9:00pm Central…
Small World, Eh?
It turns out Margaret Hoelzer isn’t the only athlete with North Alabama ties competing in Beijing.
Toyin Augustus is a Nigerian 100 meter hurdler who prepped at and ran track for Grissom High School (Number One and Three’s alma mater) prior to competing at Penn State.
Also, Julianne Kirchner is a 50 meter freestyle swimmer from the Marshall Islands whose parents grew up in North Alabama and attended UNA.
(UPDATE 8/16: You can read how her race went here).
Why the Marshall Islands? Julianne (age 16) has lived most of her life on Kwajalein Island, and if you’re from Huntsville, you probably know at least one rocket scientist in your circle who has spent some time in that distant atoll.… Read the rest