Summer Olympics: Beijing, China - Page 23

Mantenna · 08-13-2008, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lois Lane

Has anyone else noticed that even at the prime events, there are plenty of seats visible in the crowd? I was looking at Mr. Lane and saying, "Gees, if we got ourselves to Beijing, we could probably get tickets to any event--even the gymnastics and swimming finals." China has what--1.3 billon people or so? Gees, just start giving the tickets away that didn't sell and fill up the seats!

I'm sure this is at least partially impacted by the massive ticket scam.

Athletes, families hit by Olympic ticket scam - The Red Tape Chronicles - MSNBC.com

Olympic ticket scam

No doubt all the families that lost thousands of dollars from that "legitimate" sales site would have loved to have been in those empty seats.

Google · Sponsored Links

FireWoman · 08-13-2008, 05:38 PM

Wow thats the first I heard of that...

Honestly, I dont think it would effect that many seats being empty, there are millions of people that would pay to go to an event and can afford to do so still. Its awful that people who couldn't are the ones that were taken advantage of and hurt the most.

ClosetRTWatcher · 08-13-2008, 05:43 PM

That scam is a huge bummer. I cannot imagine going that far and then finding out you were swindled - especially if your own child is competing!!

I was surprised to see the empty seats because I kept hearing in the news that this was the first Olympics where all events had sold out venues:
ABC News: Olympic Events in Beijing All Sold Out

VeronicaBelle27 · 08-13-2008, 05:46 PM

Re: USA vs. China Girl's Gymnastics

I think the score would have been really close had the oldest (20, yea sure) girl on the Chinese team been judged fairly, like USA was. She fell off the beam also, and received a .8 deduction, but she continued her routine and wobbled massively on EACH skill, but there was no additional deductions. Alicia received her .8 deduction, and I think another tenth, and finished with nary a wobble. Hmmmph! Whatever, I was a gymnast, and a very tiny girl, but the China team of today looks younger than any Chinese/Romanian/Bloc team I've EVER seen. The one girl, Deng, looked exactly 10.

My usual theory holds up yet again, annoyingly so: if the girls were all about the same height it would be more fair for floor exercises: The Chinese could skip forward four or 5 steps into the corner after a full out tumbling pass and still be in-bounds, while the taller teams have to really be exacting.

Swimming:
Not bothered by excessive Phelps coverage, it is amazing what we are witnessing, but was a bit put off about the discussion on the podium, there is no excuse, especially for Lockte, he hasn't been up there SO much that he can afford to be that blase. And he was instigating the conversation!

I think the Spitz reaction hinges on the fact that Thorpe was in the Beijing audience.

Haven't read too much upthread, because I am SO busy at work, but wanted to write this in. My evenings, though, are solely dedicated to being glued in to NBC, rewinding on the DVR any moment missed as I step away.

**Critical** · 08-13-2008, 06:42 PM

Yeah, I pretty much dislike most of the commentators NBC shoves in between/next to the commentator(s) who actually played the sport. Al Trautwig is just the worst of the bunch. I actually think Tim and Elfie (sp?) do a great job at gymnastics if they can get a word in with Al yammering on and spouting his lame cliches. I also really love the commentators for volleyball. I was a huge fan of Karch Kiraly and think he does a great job and Chris Marlowe has always been really good too.

It's my understanding that Bela is still a part of the coaching staff but, in gymnastics, they only allow one coach and sometimes an athlete's individual coach on the floor. For instance, in the case of p-bars, they let the girl's coach spot her. I'm sure Bela pissed off the Chinese with all of his comments. He's not known for being terribly diplomatic. Still, you can't argue with his results: he's coached some of the greats to gold medals.

On a superficial note, the Water Cube, when lit up at night, is stunning. What a beautiful building.

Mark Spitz is just whining because he's not on top any more and it looks like Pehlps is definitely going to get 8 golds and great Spitz's record. Even though Phelps isn't super-charismatic, I'll take him over a pompous egomaniac any day.

Ian Thorpe did go to Beijing, but I don't think he required a marching band to herald his appearance.

FireWoman · 08-13-2008, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Critical

On a superficial note, the Water Cube, when lit up at night, is stunning. What a beautiful building.

Mark Spitz is just whining because he's not on top any more and it looks like Pehlps is definitely going to get 8 golds and great Spitz's record. Even though Phelps isn't super-charismatic, I'll take him over a pompous egomaniac any day.

Ian Thorpe did go to Beijing, but I don't think he required a marching band to herald his appearance.

Yes i have to agree, the cube is a work of art!

I loved Thorpe, I'd have been leeading that Marching Band if there was one lol.

Florimel · 08-13-2008, 07:18 PM

Sorry to disagree, but I think Mark Spitz should have been invited to the games, should have been offered a spot as a presenter. What he did at the time was spectacular. I remember it, and his record has stood for more than thirty years and no negative behavior has been written about him since.

Even with that, his Olylmpic experience was marred by the murder of the Israeli team. He had to be flown back to the U.S. immediately and never even got to participate in the closing ceremonies.

Lois Lane · 08-13-2008, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Critical

Ian Thorpe did go to Beijing, but I don't think he required a marching band to herald his appearance.

Ian Thorpe is a national hero in Oz. When I was visiting there, he had his own show called "Thorpie's Angels."

It was cheesy and hysterical. I don't even remember what the show was. Anyhow, my guess is that he was invited by the Australian team...OR, he just plucked down some of his money (he's got a ton!) to go watch the Games.

Spitz...he was a great athlete and the fact that he has won the most golds in swimming until now (I'm just going to assume that Phelps will beat his record!) -- for three decades -- is pretty impressive. It truly is. But Spitz was never charismatic, which is why he never made a ton of money on endorsements etc. He was so wooden that no one wanted him after his initial stint.

I have no idea what he does for a living. Some of you have said Botox salesman. But in that original article that was posted here earlier, it said he was a stock broker, didn't it? I'm assuming he makes decent money. If he was going to be in Singapore anyway, you'd think he'd just spend a little money and fly himself there. Sheesh.

**Critical** · 08-13-2008, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Florimel

Sorry to disagree, but I think Mark Spitz should have been invited to the games, should have been offered a spot as a presenter. What he did at the time was spectacular. I remember it, and his record has stood for more than thirty years and no negative behavior has been written about him since.

The problem is that, Like Lois Lane said, Spitz (in spite of being nice looking) has no charisma or presence in front of the camera. Plus, he's an arrogant ass so no one probably wants to work with him. He may have accomplished a lot in his time, but that only gets you so far. It seems he's rubbed enough people the wrong way that they don't want to deal with him. It just sounds to me like he's bitter and unhappy about someone finally breaking his record.

The problem with him just flying to Beijing on his own is that he seems to have wanted a marching band. He said he didn't want to sit in the stands anonymously. He wanted the fanfare and from what I've read, no one likes him well enough to accomodate his big ego.

In contrast, I read an article about Greg Louganis and he regularly has gone to the training facility for the diving team to give them advice and encouragement. He didn't release the story: some of the US Team told a reporter about it. That's a class act

myrosiedog · 08-13-2008, 09:22 PM

Was watching MSNBC's Olympic wrapup earlier and they said that Phelps eats 12,000 calories a DAY!!!!

They actually asked him what his sample meals were like and then put it all together on a table. It was MASSIVE. He eats 3 egg sandwiches, plus an omelet, plus grits and chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Lunch is a pound of pasta and 3 ham sandwiches. Dinner is another pound of pasta and an entire large cheese pizza. Plus he drinks about 8 energy/sports drinks a day. I think there was more, but that is all I can remember. It was a pretty impressive spread though. Tiki Barber was commenting (again, a pro-football player commenting on swimming and wrestling-but hey, I've always liked Tiki) that in his pro days, he probably only ate about four to five thousand calories and the line backers maybe 8000. Roulon Gardner then proceeded to pick up Tiki and spin him around the set. I like Gardner. He is the American wrestler that won gold in Sydney and then placed his shoes in the center of the mat.

Mark Spitz, what an ass. But I do remember how everyone was

for him when he won. He was definetly a household name back then. Too bad he hasn't shown any class since then.

MSNBC was also posing the question is Phelps the greatest athlete of all time. They put out names like Ali, Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Martina Navatalova, etc. and asked if Phelps with all his medals can be considered greater than them. The "professionals" they asked said it's comparing apples to oranges, you can't compare baseball or tennis to swimming. I think Phelps is probably ONE of the greatest athletes of all time, but not sure he is THE greatest. There's just been so many in so many different sports (and my heart belongs to Ali. I used to watch him when I was small with my dad and listen to my dad go on and on about him, so I have fond memories and tend to be a little biased I guess.

)

08-13-2008, 05:38 PM	#222
FireWoman I Bleed Scarlet And Gray Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: At the High Rollers Table Posts: 4,074	Re: Summer Olympics: Beijing, China Wow thats the first I heard of that... Honestly, I dont think it would effect that many seats being empty, there are millions of people that would pay to go to an event and can afford to do so still. Its awful that people who couldn't are the ones that were taken advantage of and hurt the most. __________________ "Irregardless? That's not even a real word. You're affixing the negative prefix 'ir-' to 'regardless', but, as 'regardless' is already negative, it's a logical absurdity!" ~Steve Smith "Once I swore I would die for you, But I never meant it like this."

08-13-2008, 05:43 PM	#223
ClosetRTWatcher Pineapple! Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Changing my name to Pistol Tanker Posts: 2,493	Re: Summer Olympics: Beijing, China That scam is a huge bummer. I cannot imagine going that far and then finding out you were swindled - especially if your own child is competing!! I was surprised to see the empty seats because I kept hearing in the news that this was the first Olympics where all events had sold out venues: ABC News: Olympic Events in Beijing All Sold Out

08-13-2008, 05:46 PM	#224
VeronicaBelle27 FORT Biscuit Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Doing a lap before I commit to a location Posts: 789	Re: Summer Olympics: Beijing, China Re: USA vs. China Girl's Gymnastics I think the score would have been really close had the oldest (20, yea sure) girl on the Chinese team been judged fairly, like USA was. She fell off the beam also, and received a .8 deduction, but she continued her routine and wobbled massively on EACH skill, but there was no additional deductions. Alicia received her .8 deduction, and I think another tenth, and finished with nary a wobble. Hmmmph! Whatever, I was a gymnast, and a very tiny girl, but the China team of today looks younger than any Chinese/Romanian/Bloc team I've EVER seen. The one girl, Deng, looked exactly 10. My usual theory holds up yet again, annoyingly so: if the girls were all about the same height it would be more fair for floor exercises: The Chinese could skip forward four or 5 steps into the corner after a full out tumbling pass and still be in-bounds, while the taller teams have to really be exacting. Swimming: Not bothered by excessive Phelps coverage, it is amazing what we are witnessing, but was a bit put off about the discussion on the podium, there is no excuse, especially for Lockte, he hasn't been up there SO much that he can afford to be that blase. And he was instigating the conversation! I think the Spitz reaction hinges on the fact that Thorpe was in the Beijing audience. Haven't read too much upthread, because I am SO busy at work, but wanted to write this in. My evenings, though, are solely dedicated to being glued in to NBC, rewinding on the DVR any moment missed as I step away. __________________ Could does not mean should Last edited by VeronicaBelle27; 08-13-2008 at 05:49 PM.

08-13-2008, 06:42 PM	#225
Critical Bitten Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Merlotte's Bar & Grill Age: 41 Posts: 5,560	Re: Summer Olympics: Beijing, China Yeah, I pretty much dislike most of the commentators NBC shoves in between/next to the commentator(s) who actually played the sport. Al Trautwig is just the worst of the bunch. I actually think Tim and Elfie (sp?) do a great job at gymnastics if they can get a word in with Al yammering on and spouting his lame cliches. I also really love the commentators for volleyball. I was a huge fan of Karch Kiraly and think he does a great job and Chris Marlowe has always been really good too. It's my understanding that Bela is still a part of the coaching staff but, in gymnastics, they only allow one coach and sometimes an athlete's individual coach on the floor. For instance, in the case of p-bars, they let the girl's coach spot her. I'm sure Bela pissed off the Chinese with all of his comments. He's not known for being terribly diplomatic. Still, you can't argue with his results: he's coached some of the greats to gold medals. On a superficial note, the Water Cube, when lit up at night, is stunning. What a beautiful building. Mark Spitz is just whining because he's not on top any more and it looks like Pehlps is definitely going to get 8 golds and great Spitz's record. Even though Phelps isn't super-charismatic, I'll take him over a pompous egomaniac any day. Ian Thorpe did go to Beijing, but I don't think he required a marching band to herald his appearance. __________________ The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them. - Mark Twain

08-13-2008, 07:18 PM	#227
Florimel FORT Fogey Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 1,984	Re: Summer Olympics: Beijing, China Sorry to disagree, but I think Mark Spitz should have been invited to the games, should have been offered a spot as a presenter. What he did at the time was spectacular. I remember it, and his record has stood for more than thirty years and no negative behavior has been written about him since. Even with that, his Olylmpic experience was marred by the murder of the Israeli team. He had to be flown back to the U.S. immediately and never even got to participate in the closing ceremonies. __________________ Happy dance for being proven right about Jin being alive. Next request: Run Season 6 in September instead of waiting until winter.

08-13-2008, 09:22 PM	#230
myrosiedog FORT Fogey Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: All jacked up on Gator Juice in the Swamp. GO GATORS!!!! Age: 47 Posts: 15,132	Re: Summer Olympics: Beijing, China Was watching MSNBC's Olympic wrapup earlier and they said that Phelps eats 12,000 calories a DAY!!!! They actually asked him what his sample meals were like and then put it all together on a table. It was MASSIVE. He eats 3 egg sandwiches, plus an omelet, plus grits and chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Lunch is a pound of pasta and 3 ham sandwiches. Dinner is another pound of pasta and an entire large cheese pizza. Plus he drinks about 8 energy/sports drinks a day. I think there was more, but that is all I can remember. It was a pretty impressive spread though. Tiki Barber was commenting (again, a pro-football player commenting on swimming and wrestling-but hey, I've always liked Tiki) that in his pro days, he probably only ate about four to five thousand calories and the line backers maybe 8000. Roulon Gardner then proceeded to pick up Tiki and spin him around the set. I like Gardner. He is the American wrestler that won gold in Sydney and then placed his shoes in the center of the mat. Mark Spitz, what an ass. But I do remember how everyone was for him when he won. He was definetly a household name back then. Too bad he hasn't shown any class since then. MSNBC was also posing the question is Phelps the greatest athlete of all time. They put out names like Ali, Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Martina Navatalova, etc. and asked if Phelps with all his medals can be considered greater than them. The "professionals" they asked said it's comparing apples to oranges, you can't compare baseball or tennis to swimming. I think Phelps is probably ONE of the greatest athletes of all time, but not sure he is THE greatest. There's just been so many in so many different sports (and my heart belongs to Ali. I used to watch him when I was small with my dad and listen to my dad go on and on about him, so I have fond memories and tend to be a little biased I guess. ) __________________ Que me amat, amet et canem meum (Who loves me will love my dog also)