Olympics updates

[Harlan Huckleby]

The U.S. women's beach VB team lost, but it was fitting. The Brazilians had more energy. I think being 38 caught up to Kerry Walsh-Jennings. You gotta watch the floppy-haired German chick in the finals tomorrow. She is the most amazing athlete in the tourney.

[Patler]

OK, he was pretty good. But high school wrestling is now very watered-downed. By college wrestling standards, one asks how many state championships a wrestler had in high school. I saw in one bio that Big Ben only finished 3rd, once. By college level wrestling standards, Ben was a no-count recruit.

Since around 1980 when they went to 5 divisions in WI and most states, "state champs" are as common as strippers claiming to be "working on their degree."

Jessie Thielke, the other WI kid who made Olympics, was a 4-time state champ.

Provisor was just a late bloomer, I guess.

PS. One gopher wrestler who graduated recently had SIX state championships! In South Dakota, gifted junior high kids can compete at high school level.

I wasn't suggesting he was good/great or anything else, just providing what background I could find. He seems to have been around the national program for a long time but hasn't achieved great success.

Most HS and youth state championships have been diluted by the proliferation of classes. In the past it was meaningful to be a state champ, now it means you were the best of just a handful of others in your class.

[Harlan Huckleby]

At the risk - actually certainty now - of beating this topic to death, I think the proliferation of classes in high school sports was a damn shame. Maybe the one sport where it makes sense is football, where small schools can get physically crushed by a larger, bigger roster. One of the glories of the single wrestling tourney was that the champs were often farm kids from tiny schools. See the movie Hoosiers for full factual documentation of the possibilities.

I talked to a bus driver once who was a 2-time state wrestling champ back in the 70's. I understood his amazing accomplishment, and I think he appreciated that. It's a shame that high school championships are now just awards for being pretty good.

[Radagast]

In Tokyo , Baseball will be one of the sports. Basketball can recruit from the NBA as they are in their off season , but Baseball will be in full swing. Where will America get players to compete with some very competitive World Teams ? MLB Teams fighting to get to the post season aren't going to want to give up their Star players .

[wootah]

https://zippy.gfycat.com/Comfortable...Appaloosa.webm

http://i.imgur.com/ILX7Idl.mp4

[texaspackerbacker]

In Tokyo , Baseball will be one of the sports. Basketball can recruit from the NBA as they are in their off season , but Baseball will be in full swing. Where will America get players to compete with some very competitive World Teams ? MLB Teams fighting to get to the post season aren't going to want to give up their Star players .

You have roughly the same situation with Hockey in the Winter Olympics. I wonder if MLB would consider a mid (actually late) season break for players to go to the Olympics. They have four years to hash it out. With so many foreign players from so many places, it would seem like a logical thing to do.

[Radagast]

You have roughly the same situation with Hockey in the Winter Olympics. I wonder if MLB would consider a mid (actually late) season break for players to go to the Olympics. They have four years to hash it out. With so many foreign players from so many places, it would seem like a logical thing to do.

Yes, the patriotic solution would be great, but as the recent episode of extortion by Brazil of the hostage swimmers ($11,000.00 +) that allowed them to return to America points out, Greed always trumps doing the right thing . The US Olympic Baseball team will be lucky to field a AA squad . Japan, Taiwan, The Dominican Republic, Cuba, and others will be ready, I hope America will be ready for them !

[wootah]

Yes, the patriotic solution would be great, but as the recent episode of extortion by Brazil of the hostage swimmers ($11,000.00 +) that allowed them to return to America points out, Greed always trumps doing the right thing .

I wasn't there, but it seems the swimmers didn't really do "the right thing" themselves, wouldn't you say?

[Cheesehead Craig]

The swimmers were morons. It was either jail time or a fine for filing a false police report. The guy paid the fine in the form of a "donation" to a charity. Flippin idiots.

[wootah]

They could learn a thing or two from the Belgian judoka that after his medal got into an argument with a hooker trying to steal his mates cellphone. He got some nice souvenirs from Rio:

[red]

something really doesn't smell right with the whole robbery story

now brazil can keep lochte, no matter if he lied or not, the guy just seems like a giant douche bag

brazil is about as corrupt of a country as they come. for a city whose waters are a cesspool and roving bands of child muggers and killers, they sure did get touchy over a guy pissing in an ally, and tearing down a poster. THE HORROR. so out of all the shit that the people of rio see every day, THIS, is where they took their stand

the tape that was shown by the police was missing three whole minutes from the time a guy walked up to the taxi pointing something and the guys getting out with there hands up. then theres another two minute jump where after the break the guys hands are still in the air. then theres guys sitting down with all their hands in the air.

the explanation that the brazilian cop gave about the guy using the gun to control the situation is complete bull shit. if you use a gun to persuade someone to give you money, thats armed robber, plain and simple

then pulling guys off a plane and confiscating their passports and holding the at the police station, sounds like hostages there
then one of the guys being able to go home scott free and without so much as an apology by giving $11,000. i agree thats extortion and a ransom

how much do you want to bet that the money doesn't make it to a charity?

and through it all, the muggings and robberies of tourists continue

[Radagast]

I hope I'm not alone in this, but when many of the Olympians finish their competition , I scream " Now go eat a Pizza" . I realize that they are athletes and their weight affects their performance , but many (especially some of the women) are just severely thin . Watching some of the athletes just makes me mindful of their sacrifices . They have suffered and trained for years, they deserve a Deep Dish Chicago Style Supreme PIZZA !!!

[Radagast]

Update: American Women "Bitch Slap" Spain in the Gold Metal Basketball game !

[Radagast]

Watching the USA vs Serbia in the Gold Metal Basketball game , reminds me of the Washington Generals playing The Globetrotters . The USA looks like a PRO Team as Serbia looks like that team who can't wait for it to be over with . Can anyone say , BITCH SLAPPED !

[SkinBasket]

ABC News headline:

Rio 2016: A win for Caster Semenya is a win for women

Because being beaten by men everyday isn't enough...