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Post by RocDoc on Aug 28, 2004 15:03:21 GMT -5
What a rotten TEASE that the Lithuanians(by circumstance) were put through!!! The current European champs, VERY highly regarded, ...undefeated in the prelims and quarters... ...shooting at record percentages... ...and STILL they come away with a friggin' GOOSE-egg after ONE loss to the Italians.... The carrot was being dangled SO temptingly within reach....and then phwoosh! Gone! Actually, it was one of the three carrots, seemingly for the taking... Aaargh. ~ Good, tho not even a 'great' game for the U.S., but they did it. I guess the motto is that he who lives by the '3' dies by the '3'....and I kept screaming for them to go inside more than they did. Them white boys DO have inside moves AND some wonderful passing, but 'twas not to be.... ! I feel so bad for the people back 'home'...  |
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Post by phil on Aug 28, 2004 16:49:32 GMT -5
FOURTH in the World is nothing to be ashamed of ... !!
And having beat the "Dream" Team
is a nice feather to put in your cap ...
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Post by JesusLooksLikeMe on Aug 29, 2004 6:24:22 GMT -5
What about that mens 4 x 100m eh? Biggest case of British overachievement ever! Though it sure helped that the US messed up that second baton change...
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Post by maarts on Aug 29, 2004 7:14:21 GMT -5
I love a good upset! That race was gold! It must've send the bookies in a spin.
Also enjoyed Kellie Holmes' win, Jesus!
The silver for the Aussies at the 4x400 meter relay was quite a shock too...as was the silver to Matthew Helm at the diving...would you believe he's a regular in my shop?
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Post by Ryosuke on Aug 29, 2004 7:39:36 GMT -5
I have never heard of Mathew Helm until now, but I must ask this anyway - what's his taste in musc like? The media should put more spotlight on what kind of music that Olympic medalists listen to.
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Post by maarts on Aug 29, 2004 7:53:19 GMT -5
He's mostly into DVDs, which we sell at our shop too. I think he lives near Warners Bay, at the coast.
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Post by phil on Aug 29, 2004 8:07:42 GMT -5
Best Olympics Events ...
1) Team Volley Ball
2) Boxing
3) Track and fields
(IMO)
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Post by phil on Aug 29, 2004 11:53:49 GMT -5
Having a small dinner tonight with a few friends
to watch the Olympics closing ceremonies ...
On the menu ...
- Muscat de Sammos "Anthemis" (sweet wine) for apéritif ... Also plenty of OUZO !!
- Tzatziki (Mint/garlic/cucumber sauce)
- Dolmathakia Me Rizi (stuffed grapevine leaves)
- Tiropitakia (cheese pastries)
- Piperies Psites (Grilled Bell Peppers)
- Agioritikos 2002(dry white wine)
- Suvlakia (grilled skewered lamb)
- Kouros 2000 Nemea (red wine)
- Ktapothi Me Saltsa (octopus in tomato sauce)
- Ambelon 2002 Opuntia-Locris (dry white wine)
- Horiatiki (feta and tomatoes salad)
- Rodhakina me Retzina (Peaches in Retzina)
- More Ouzo ... ;D ...
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Post by RocDoc on Aug 30, 2004 10:05:48 GMT -5
Aoh, I'm almost recovered...hell of an Olympics this year it seemed. I, at the least was more into it than usual...maybe ALSO because my mom-in-law is also over from Lithuania to help with our little Matas, with us embracing 'the European' even more than we usually do... The Lithuanian team gave us SUCH high hopes too...aaah. ~ Interesting piece here on how Greece REALLY took a major loss on this endeavor... sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/olympics/2004/writers/08/29/reilly.letter/index.html?cnn=yes |
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Post by maarts on Aug 30, 2004 17:23:31 GMT -5
Jacques Rogge had announced that there would be a change in style' in the presentation of the Olympics- under that banner fell the so-called 'best Games ever'-announcement at the closing Ceremony...but even had that symbolic gesture been performed, he'd be hard pressed to say those magic words....
I, for one wouldn't....
Not because of the venues and empty seats, but because of dickhead athletes, deciding to jump the starting gun and gain an unfair advantage over others...
Never have I seen an Olympics where you had to wait for 48 hours to get the right results in the discus, hammerthrow and weightlifting, while frauds and cheaters are laureled in front of a billion-headed TV audience, hailed as champions but disgraced several days later, exiting stage left with the tail between their legs....
The Games of the Cleverest Bastards who can jump the Doping Controls and Fool the Public....now what's the Greek for that? It can replace the Fortis...or whatever motto it has now.
Still- the volleyballtournament was awesome and by far my favourite event- the handball delivered some great matches too (and a lot of crowd support)....
Hope Beijing doesn't have those terrorist-concerns.
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Post by RocDoc on Aug 30, 2004 18:13:45 GMT -5
Maaarts, had you ever watched team handball until seeing it during these games?
I mean I have been told that there are pro handball leagues scattered through many European countries....and I've mentioned it here before, but THAT is a great spectator sport!
~
...and yes, completely agreed that the continuous doping scandals bacame really friggin tedious.
STILL, I cannot understand how all these boobs allowed themselves to be caught.
Are many of these substances something which leaves some sort of a long lasting 'marker' in your blood....or in your system generally?
Like the way marijuana's THC is detectable for some sorta 3 months via pee test?
It's not like these athletes are taking EPO(ferinstance)like a day or a week before competition hwile full well knowing it's all detectable?
Inadvertent dietary supplements/vitamins which are somehow adulterated/'fortified', I can understand...since perhaps you simply do not know what you're getting.
But I can imagine, off-season you might TRAIN with something to up your endurance and for the residual effect....but for godsakes you're going to stop in time for the shit NOT to be detected, to work itself OUT of your system, aren't you?
~
I heard late about the Greek woman judo champ who took a suicide dive on the eve of the start of the Olympics....WTF was that story about?
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Post by maarts on Aug 31, 2004 6:41:41 GMT -5
Yes, I did see some matches and played handball at school- played as a goalkeeper for several years in my schoolteam. I can still feel the impact some of those shots that I took on my body....
Holland has a pretty decent competition and even though they're not one of the superpowers in European handball, they are fairly good.
When I was working in Amsterdam, one of my colleagues was playing topgrade in Aalsmeer, one of the best teams in the country and he invited us several times to come and watch games....saw some pretty good ones. He plays centre and that's one position where you always get mangles, for his job is to infiltrate in the middle of the defense and create space for outside shooters or receive the ball and have a shot yourself...lots of pulling and tugging and he is at his irritating best.
Very good spectator sport indeed and very underrated.
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Post by PC on Aug 31, 2004 9:12:32 GMT -5
I watched most of the closing ceremonies too, and I actually got a little teary-eyed at some parts! *sniff* Which is weird because I'm not into sports at all, and I don't cry at movies or anything like that. But I have a soft spot for the Olympics somehow.
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Post by RocDoc on Aug 31, 2004 11:06:39 GMT -5
Nothing wrong with that, PC. Unless you shut yourself completely off to the backstories on some of the more extraordinary circumstances of how some of those athletes came to compete, the often extremely adverse conditions which many of them went through to excel.....I personally can't help but get drawn in. You see them, many coming from miniscule little countries( *cough*3 million population Lithuania!*cough*)but that desire generally is written so plainly on their faces. I honestly get interested and involved....and when you see the joy, the beaming pride which comes with the culmination of a life, I personally cannot help but feel at least a bit of what they feel. Like the woman from Greece who won the 400M hurdles, who just laid down on the track, crying.....and the home crowd loving her... It's the same sort of intensity of emotion that I hope to occasionally find in music....and there it is! ...and for 14-some nights in a row! ~ I'm honestly NOT very happy that the next Olympiad is in that abominable country....  I was once quite fascinated with them...then, Tianamen Square happened. And they've simply moved on...and shamefully the new generations have nearly zero idea of what went on there. |
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Post by Ryosuke on Sept 1, 2004 3:12:17 GMT -5
I'm honestly NOT very happy that the next Olympiad is in that abominable country.... I expect that things are going to get very ugly whenever and wherever a Japanese athlete (or fan) is involved, if the soccer tournament held there a few months ago is any indication. The collective display of hate was a bit off-putting, to say the least. |
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