Beijing '08: Olympic trials (and errors)
With the opening ceremonies of the Olympics just two short days away, let's review some of the most positive and negative things the American team is dealing with.
Pro: Men's Basketball
Team USA is looking strong, despite a mediocre performance in their final tune-up against Australia. This team looks to redeem their embarrassing bronze medal performance of 2004, and looks forward to match-ups with European powerhouses Spain, Argentina and Greece.
Con: Baseball and Softball
Enjoy these sports while you can. The IOC, in all its European-influenced brilliance, voted these two sports out of the 2012 games in London, England. The popularity of the sport in the Americas and Asia did nothing to influence the IOC, and there's no guarantee they'll be back in 2016 either. Look for Men's Baseball, led by former Mets skipper Davey Johnson, to contend for the gold.
Pro: Michael Phelps
The six-time Olympic gold-medalist swimmer looks to dominate this year, as he's competing to win a record eight gold medals in Beijing. Not to mention he's growing a sweet mustache.
Con: Big problems in China
We've been hearing about them for months. Conflict in Tibet, horrible pollution, human rights violations. These problems have largely overshadowed the build-up for these games, and there is no sign that this trend will stop. The Olympics were created as a way for nations to separate themselves from their everyday conflicts and issues, but there is a line of what we can ignore and look beyond and we have clearly crossed it.
Pro: Exhaustive coverage
In the age of DVRs, high-speed internet, and streaming video, the thousands of hours of Olympic coverage can be boiled down to whatever your heart may desire.
Con: Exhaustive coverage
How much is too much? Try 3600 hours of coverage between broadcast, cable, and online sources. That's 150 days worth of coverage if you're keeping track, in what NBC is calling "the most ambitious single media project in history." That might be the understatement of the century.
-- Tim Fiorvanti
