Recently i went to a Brewer Game, it was on a Friday against the Padres. I had great seats too, third row behind the enemy dugout. So i'm sitting next to this dude from Detroit and he is in awe of Miller Park!
He happens to be an engineer, and he is literally staring the entire game at this steel masterpiece w/ the retractable dome. So am i, this is like my sixth or seventh visit to the stadium this year. So we have this great conversation which forwards to Barry Sanders and his humbleness. Then it carries on to sweetness, WALTER PAYTON, and the guy is literally in tears when he tells me the story of how great this man was as a human being. He actually witnessed the game when Da Bears won it all in 1985!
I couldn't agree with him more. I proceed to tell him the story of how Barry said he didn't care about receiving the Heismann Trophy in college and how accolades mean nothing to him. Humbleness goes a long, long way in this world.
Great lesson .......now how sweet it would be if the Brewers made the Fall Classic.
Peace.
.So now the question becomes, is he the greatest Olympian ever?
The answer to that is no.
Not until he wins even more in London, or does something even more freaky, like pick up a gold in the triathlon.
OK, so maybe the idea of Phelps on a bike or taking a run after a swim is a bit far-fetched. The point is that swimming medals are so plentiful that it's the only sport where someone can even think of winning more than a handful in any given Olympics.
As good as the U.S. basketball team is, the players will get only one medal when they finish off their Olympic run this week. And as awesome as Usain Bolt runs, the fastest man on the planet will go home to Jamaica with no more than three gold medals, for the 100 and 200 meters and the 400 relay.
Phelps was able to win eight golds in nine days because, yes, he's the greatest Olympic swimmer of all time. It also helped that his toughest race came first in the 400 individual medley and he excelled in events that were spread out at just the right intervals.
But greatest Olympian ever? No.
Give that nod to Carl Lewis, who won nine gold medals over four Olympics, including the long jump four games in a row. Unlike Phelps, Lewis won his medals doing two very different things, using his speed to win the 100 and 200 meters and his leaping ability for the long jump.
He likely would have had even more medals but the United States boycotted the 1980 games in Moscow where Lewis had qualified in the long jump and as a member of the 400 relay team.
"I don't want to appear to be putting Phelps down," said David Wallechinsky, the Olympic historian who has literally written the book on the games. "But I need a little more longevity to name him the best Olympian ever."
The people at NBC would certainly debate that because they built the first week of the Olympics around Phelps' quest for eight golds, scoring a ratings bonanza that will pale only to the endorsements Phelps will haul in after the games.
And who knows what Jesse Owens might have done had world events not denied him the chance to compete past the 1936 games, where he ran and jumped his way to four gold medals under political and racial pressures that Phelps never had to face. No one has transcended the sport like Jesse. Every Olympics has it's special star.
Consider the '76 Olympics, with Nadia, and her seven perfect tens.
Phelps is a testament to great training, hard work and incredible natural ability. It took 36 years for someone to break the record of seven golds set by Mark Spitz in Munich and this record may be untouchable long after that.
He celebrated Sunday morning at the Water Cube with fists in the air and hugs from teammates. The look on his face was one of triumph mixed with the relief that he had done what some thought was impossible.
Great swimmer, yes. Greatest swimmer ever, OK.
But no matter what NBC tries to tell you, it's too early to declare him the greatest of all Olympians.
Personally, I have never seen ANYONE having more FUN with fishing or such full of PASSION!!!!
EVER!!!!!! It makes it so much fun for me to watch!!!
When i'm flippin' through channels with the remote.....i always stop on TimeWarnerSports to catch JG.
Go to NBCOlympics.com & click on Beach Babes at the top of the tab.
Volleyball Cheerleaders......oh well...some things don't need an explanation.
ENJOY!
Why is this so?,,,,,,why why why?
Do you have any ideas why Kenyans seem to dominate the marathons & long distance runs? Come on.......& be nice!
I know, i know....they're running from the Lions & Tigers all the time, & they do run barefoot on sand, pyramids, & clay....yada yada yada ......blah blah blah
Can i get some legitimate reasons here as to the obvious stereotypical---which is the color of their skin?
I'm presuming they have a focus & dedication that is unmatched. I've seen a few other Olympians with that ability. Michael Phelps has that same innate quality, so does Asian /Chinese gymnast Yang Wei.
They excel at the top of their sport.
If it's 7 repetitions & under.....then i'm having a bad day.
My bodyweight?....."bare"-ly 170 ! :)
