Familial Obligations

For the second straight weekend, I slacked on posting.  On Saturday, I put together a quick commentary on winning and losing and threw out a few predictions.  Sunday I started a post, but didn't finish.  I blame my family.

Saturday we went to visit the in-laws.  I do not have a stereotypically bad relationship with my in-laws.  Sure, there is occassionally some tension, as there is in any family dynamic.  Generally speaking, though, I think we get along fine.  My father in-law has had some health issues and it was important for the Wife to see him again and for him to get to see his grandsons.  So even though this occured in the middle of the Olympics, I accepted my husband duty and separated myself from my television and my TiVO for the majority of the day.

Of course, I say this like it is an unusual sacrifice.  Missing sports on TV for familial obligations has become the norm of my life.  Not always (or even often) to see my in-laws, but to go to a soccer game or a baseball game, or a swim meet, or the grocery store, or Target, or the outlet mall, or a birthday party, or my parents' house, or a play date, or to the basement to play, or to the park, or for a bike ride, or...or...or...

Needless to say, the carefree days of being a single, young man are gone.  Long gone are the Sunday afternoons when pre-game was on at noon, followed by a 1:00 game, followed by a 4:00 game, a quick dinner from Lost Dog and then the Sunday night game.  I didn't even know it was a gorgeous, sunny, 68 degree day.  I also didn't care.  Long gone are the Saturdays spent deciding between 17 different college football games.  Long gone are the days of waking up to the British Open and not moving until someone kissed the Claret Jug; or impatiently waiting for the Masters telecast to start on Sunday, and not moving until that Green Jacket was slipped onto someone's shoulders.  There was a time when I saw most of DC United's games, in full.  Not anymore.  I used to be able to tell you everything that was happening in college and pro basketball, now I barely recognize the names past the first five picks in the NBA draft.  (That might be because I can't pronounce half of them, but there are other things going on as well.)  So, even when I need a 36 hour day to see everything I want to see on the Olympics, I still have obligations.

I have learned to accept my current life.  As I have said before, I am hoping one day my boys will participate with me, and the only one in the house annoyed that the TV is on football for 9 hours on Sunday is my wife.  That hasn't happened, yet, so I make do.  I have become very good at the media blackout.   And there is something to be said for skipping through commercials, and stupid interviews, and the diving commentator's comments.  I enjoy 4 pm Cowboys games, so I can TiVO the game, let my kids watch iCarly or Ninjago in the afternoon, and watch the game in peace after they go to bed.  I do the same thing with the Olympics.  Sure, I don't watch all four quarters of the water polo game; I haven't seen as much judo as I should; and certain sports may pass by without my eyes so much as crossing their path, but I have been able to see most of what I want.  I have experienced at least a little of almost everything on the Olympic slate.  This is the price I pay for getting married and having unprotected sex.

This weekend, aside from the family visit, I cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms, did some mopping and actually paid attention to my children.  Watching the Olympics, trying to crank out a new post every day and maintaining some semblance of domestic tranquility requires sacrifices.  This weekend's posts, partly on Saturday and completely on Sunday, were what I put on the Altar of the Sports Gods before letting the blade come crashing down.

Today's Olympic Story Line -  Phelps.  Yeah, I'm taking the easy way out on this one.  I know you rely on me for more obscure stories, but every once in a while, even I have to jump on the big one.  Take a moment and reflect on the greatest Olympic career ever.  (Whether or not you think he was the greatest Olympian of all time, he had the greatest Olympic career.)  Michael Phelps began his Olympic career as a baby faced 15 year old and finished 5th in the 200 fly.  I don't think I could have completed a 200 fly when I was 15.  And I was a swimmer.  He then spent 4 years making himself the greatest swimmer in the world and took on 8 events in 2004.  At the age of 19, he won 8 medals, 6 golds.  We all know about the 8 for 8 in Beijing.  He then spent the better part of 2 years as a slacker.  He finally decided to get serious and took on the same schedule at the US Swimming Trials as in 2008.  He qualified in everything, but dropped the 200 free after winning it.  In seven events in 2012, he won 6 medals, 4 gold.  Twenty-four Olympic events:  18 gold medals, two silver, two bronze.  Twenty-four times he stood on the blocks to compete against the best in the world and in 22 of those, he stood on the podium, eighteen times on the top step.  I don't think anyone, including me, understands how remarkable this truly is.

He is not the most interesting person.  I saw an interview with him last night and it was kind of long and kind of boring.  His mother is more interesting.  His sisters are great.  Missy Franklin is fantastic.  But he is the greatest of all time.  The Olympics will miss something without him in four years.  The only question to ask now is:  What will his mother do?  She is going to lose a lot of TV face time now that he is retiring.

Reflections on What Has Happened (Focus for this will be on US sports and medals, but we will touch on other stuff as time permits) -

A lot to catch up on, as the whole weekend needs coverage (and I am sure I am missing something.):

1.  Defending Men's beach volleyball gold medalists Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser lost in their round of 16 match.  Reports were that Rogers is hurt.  I just think Dalhausser is a sweet, giant teddy bear at heart, and wanted someone else to get that gold medal experience.

2.  US women's soccer team won their quarterfinal match 2-0 over New Zealand.  Oddly, Hope Solo did nothing controversial.

3.  Missy Franklin won the 200 backstroke with Elizabeth Beisel getting third.  I love Missy Franklin, but I am having trouble with her love of Justin Beiber.  It's a good thing I don't have daughters.  My Delaware Insider on the other hand, well, I wonder how much Bieber Fever is in his house.  (In case you didn't see it, gymnast Jordyn Weiber is also a huge Justin Beiber fan and wants to marry him so they can start a new craze - Weiber-Beiber-Fever.)

4.  KATY LEDECKY! - the 15 year old from Bethesda, MD won the women's 800 meter freestyle.  Youth dominates.

5.  US dominance in the men's 400 medley relay continues.  The US has never competed in this event in the Olympics and lost.  Of course, Rowdy spent the entire relay talking like Australia was going to come roaring back from a two second deficit to pass the back half of the US relay, which only had the greatest swimmer ever (and 100 fly gold medalist) and the 100 free gold medalist.  Who does he think we are?  France?

6.  The trampoline competition began.  It is pretty impressive and interesting to watch for about two minutes.  Then you remember this is trampoline.  In the Olympics.  And the overwhelming idiocy of the idea makes you turn it off.

7.  Cullen Jones gets silver in the 50 free.  The 50 free may as well be a game of Candyland - completely random and everyone has the same chance of winning.

8.  The US has not won any medals in badminton.

9.  American Jamie Gray won the women's 50 M Rifle gold.  Apparently there is some strategy to this.  I don't know what it is, but there is some time element to when you have to shoot and she was waiting for her closest competitor to shoot, presumably so she would know what she had to do.  The other competitor waited too long, so Jamie picked up her rifle and blew one right through the bulls eye.  Take that!

10.  Did you hear Andy Murray won the gold in Men's Tennis?  Just making sure because I don't think it was covered enough.

11.  Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin, was all over the tennis coverage this weekend as his girlfriend, Maria Kirilenko won bronze in women's doubles tennis.  Ovie is a superstar, but dude is way out his league here.

12.  Serena Williams won tennis singles and then joined her sister, Venus, to win doubles tennis.  They both have 4 gold medals (three in doubles and one in singles.)  It is hard to believe these two come from the same gene pool.  Venus is tall, lanky and graceful.  She looks like a gazelle.  Serena looks like a linebacker.  With giant breasts.

13.  Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings are really, really good.  But it was mean of them to make that hot, Italian girl cry.

14.  Usain Bolt is really, really fast.

15.  There are some hot Turkey volleyball players.  Which is just funny to say.  (More on this later.)

16.  US Women's volleyball defeated Italy to advance to the semis.

17.  Silver in men's 10,000 for Galen Rupp.  Nice finish to move into second place.  His training partner, British runner, Mo Farah, won and immediately ran off the track smacking himself on the head in disbelief.  I don't have that kind of energy after sleeping for 8 hours.  This guy was going crazy after running around a track 25 times.

18.  Race walking might be even dumber than trampoline.

Predictions Wrap Up -

Fri:

1. Franklin-Biesel 1-2 in 200 backstroke - WRONG - Bronze for Biesel.
2. US wins 2 medals in men's 100 fly. Gold for Phelps. - WRONG - Tyler McGill finished out of the medals.
3. 15 year old Katy Ledecky wins a medal in the 800 free. I'll say bronze. - WRONG - GOOOOOOOLLLLLD!!!!!
4. US wins one medal in men's 50 free. Not sure who or what color. This is a crapshoot anyway. - Correct - Silver for Cullen Jones.
5. US wins 2 medals in men's discus. - WRONG - Discus hasn't happened, but I meant shot put.  Bronze for Reese Hoffa.
6. US wins 1 medal in women's 10,000. - WRONG - 11th, 12th and 13th.
7. US wins gold in both beach volleyball competitions. (My Volleyball Insider will like the optimism, but may question the judgment.) -Pending.

Not a good day.

Sat:

1. US Women win 400 Medley Relay. -  Correct - With a world record!
2. US Men win by more than US women win by. - WRONG - Women won by 1.97 seconds.  Men by 1.91.  But Rowdy tried to make the men's race sound close.  (Let it go.  LET IT GO!  Serenity now.)
3. No US medals in women's 50 free or men's 1500 free. - Correct - Not a tough one.
4. Misty and Kerri and Rosenthal/Gibb keep my US double
gold beach volleyball prediction alive. At least for today. - Correct - And Misty and Kerri didn't even make the Wife stress out.  (She gets very worried during their matches.)
5. US wins men's long jump. - WRONG - Bronze for Will Clay.
6. Jeter wins women's 100 gold - WRONG -Silver.  By .03.

Better than Friday

Things to Watch For:
1.  I finally finished watching the Opening Ceremonies.  Comments on that.
2.  Volleyball and Water Polo are entering the knock out rounds
3.  More sailing.  Starting on Sunday, July 9, there have been about 923 sailing races per day.  The first medal was awarded yesterday.  There are 11 medals to be won in sailing.
4.  Gibb/Rosenthal in beach volleyball quarters.  This is not about them.  This is not about America.  This is about my double gold prediction.
5.  Women's soccer v. Canada.
6.  More wit and wisdom from me.  Just one more week until I get to take a break.

Predictions:

1.  Gibb/Rosenthal come through for me.
2.  US women advance in soccer.
3.  France destroys the World Cup redemption story by upsetting Japan.
4.  US Men lose to Hungary in water polo.
5.  NBC continues to show entirely too much equestrian.  (Seriously, what is up with that?  Who is watching this?  Once the chances of a 57 year old falling off the horse and stumbling around like a three year old in a life jacket who just randomly spun in circles for five minutes went to 0, the appeal disappeared.)
6.  An angry US Men's basketball team beats Argentina by 20.

Fat Old Man Update:

1.  Swam 2000 meters on Friday night.  After eating a Chipotle dinner.  That is a tough double.
2.  Swam 1050 Sunday afternoon before thunderstorms cut me off.