Olympics
Our family knows Shawn Johnson (gold in beam) so everyone is thrilled for her. One point about gymnastics competition in the lower levels, which is where everyone starts: the kids have a saying about what they call "Cutie Points." Everyone with eyes realizes that if there was such a thing Johnson would start off with a ton of them and I can only speculate what edge she got at the lower levels of competition in the smaller meets as she was maturing into a top gymnast. But make no mistake about the hours upon hours of strength work and "trick" work and practice, the hours are killing and the girls are frequently sobbing after practice. She (and all the girls) paid a dear price for winning.

Hoops: USA is now doing what we all thought they would do when NBA players were allowed to compete. What none of us realized was that individual skills don't count for much when playing well organized and well coached "teams" of even pretty good players. It's taken awhile but great athletes well coached will kill the quite ordinary European athletes every time. And don't forget: Eurotrash folds when things get tough as NBA finals prove.

Track and Field: lost in all the buzz over Phelps are the world records being set on the track. Best athletes allowed to compete at their best. What many don't realize is that in all events the heats required to make the final run get most of those guys exhausted by the time they run in the finals. A hundred meter guy will run seven heats before the finals which mean all of them are in an endurance race of 800 meters and they have to train for these distances. Bolt's record smashing 200 should be the top story but girls gymnastics, an activity not a sport, will dominate news cycle.

Boxing: too ridiculous to talk about. The sport should be dropped from the Games because the judging is insane.

Volleyball: a fast game that is very exciting. BUT the announcers are the worst. They chit chat about bullshit while this blindingly fast game is being played. Where's the ball, assholes? God, Cosell started this kind of color reporting but most others don't have the brains, background, or style to do it.