LongLiveRalph

I had a water polo game on in the background at work, can't remember who was playing but it wasn't the USA. The game was tied 3-3, and the goalie for one team made a save. The announcer said to announcer 2, "Jack, what kind of momentum does a save like that give to a team?" Announcer 2 replyed, "Well, it's not necessarily momentum...It's more that the game is still tied 3-3, rather than being down 4-3." A perfect answer to an unneccessary question.

Gold silver and bronze all beating the previous world record is what I would call obliterating, especially in a shorter race.

Yeah, it's tough to watch a ref insert himself into the game that early. A yellow and a stern warning could've done the trick. Either way, it was irresponsible of Orozco to swing his elbow like that. Every player in the world is going to make a meal of it if they feel an elbow come at them. The Nigerian made it look bad, but it was not debateable that Orozco elbowed him. Idiot. Didn't USA lose in the semi's and play for the bronze medal in the Sydney 2000 Olympics? That team looked strong and the program seemed to be in good shape following that Olympic performance, and the full national team's play in World Cup 2002. Things have fallen off since then.

No question...And in golf you're competing against others using the same technology, so the playing field is level. Just like in these Olympics, Phelps is beating his opponents in the same pool, all wearing the same "super" suit. My only statement had to do with breaking world records...These guys are shattering world records set in 2005 by three seconds. That's not really fair to the previous world record holder, who likely swam in a shallow pool without a fusion swimsuit. When the 5th place finisher is breaking the world record, it tells you something about the other variables. However, I see what you're saying...The previous record holder of score under par at Augusta didn't have Tiger's Nike driver or golf ball or DriFit shirt, and that's the way it goes.

Phelps is unbelievable, and holds the majority of the world records in his events, but a world record from 2007 is dated in swimming at the moment. It is supposedly a very fast pool, and the swimsuit (namely the Speedo TYR, I think its called) are making previous swimming records obsolete. There are races where the guy finishing in 5th place is breaking the previous world record. That's not to take anything away from Phelps, because everyone is swimming faster and he's still the fastest. But, there are plenty of other variables other than just being a better swimmer than the previous world record holder.

Two from each group advance, Netherlands and Nigeria went 2-0-1.

So who is the greatest Olympian ever? Carl Lewis? Jackie Joyner Kersey? Jesse Owens? They all had multiple opportunities to win events (100m, long jump, relays, etc.) just like swimming. It is perfectly fine if you think it is unfair to bestow this unofficial "title" on Phelps, but you should state who you consider to be the greatest Olympian ever, if not Phelps. Something to be considered, other than TOTAL number of medals, is longevity. It's almost more impressive that Dara Torres has been able to remain a world-class swimmer for 20+ years, rather than racking up awards during her 6-year prime. That takes some serious physical stamina and even more mental stamina. Someone like Jackie Joyner-Kersey also set a standard for excellence in multiple events over an extended period.

They definitely missed Adu and Bradley, went down 2-1 to Nigeria. The US had a man ejected in just the 3rd minute, which pretty much sealed their fate. Down 2-0, they scored on a late PK to make it 2-1, and had a header hit the post in injury time... It was a typical US performance in a big soccer event. Play like crap and barely beat the team you're supposed to beat...Play great and nearly upset one of the tournament favorites, earning a tie...And then lay an egg in the game you only need to tie to advance. You can't get a red card 3 minutes into a knockout game.

Phelps is by far the greatest Olympian. Truly incredible athlete. He's racing against his own world records, not the other competitors. The relay that you showed enough restrain to claim was "the greatest Olympic event ever" just 11 seconds after it finished is already slipping into afterthought (other than another gold around Phelps' neck). I understand it took on extra importance because of Phelps' quest. I realize the Frenchie talked smack. I watched the event, and was pumped up that the US won. It was exciting, and one of the few races that the US team wasn't supposed to win by 2 seconds. I never for a moment considered it the greatest Olympic event ever, but wasn't surprised when NBC and ESPN and many here made it into "Miracle on Ice" drama.

Yes agreed...I was just citing the fact that those three coordinators who were hired as first-time HC's the same year the Bills hired Jauron have each had one good season and one very poor season. The original poster was mentioning them as "Hey, why didn't we get these guys?" The Bills were FAR from championship caliber, but were sniffing the outskirts of playoff contention in both of Jauron's seasons. That said, at this point I think we'd all take an 11-5 playoff season, even if it was followed by a 5-11. If Peters is wearing a helmet this season and everyone is healthy (to the extent that football teams stay "healthy" over 16 games), I agree, 9 wins is the watermark. I have plenty of worries about QB and redzone offense (the usuals this time of year in WNY) but I still see them as as team that could win 10 or 11. But they haven't proven it yet...Alll they've proven is that they're a team who can lose 9.

How could you even say that? Were you frozen during the previous two regimes? You are naming those guys looking back with three years of hindsight. You're telling me, after hiring D-coordinator Greggo, and then O-coordinator Mularkey, that you would've been excited in 2006 about giving a first time shot to the next young coordinator? You're lying through the keyboard if you say you would've been fine with that. And Jauron's two 7-9 seasons, while short of the playoffs, is better than the 4-12 put up by Mangina ('07) and Kubiak's 6-10 ('06). Payton fell from 10-6 and NFC Championship to 7-9 and out of the NFC playoffs. McCarthy's Packers caught lightning in a bottle last season, but had to win their last 4 to finish 8-8 in '06.

You guys can argue till you're blue in the face, you're both missing the obvious. It's clear that our televsions are manufactured in China, and are programmed by the Communist government to spew pro-China propaganda at every opportunity.

Who should have been hired, if not Jauron? Mike Sherman? Mike Martz? It was OBVIOUS the major criteria was previous head coaching experience, seeing as the Bills had just failed miserably with two first-timers. I wasn't thrilled with the Jauron hire, but I don't remember too many all-star options...

Hahahahahahaah!! The article itself said "Based on a prelim time swam in Omaha to assure his spot on the relay." So, Phelps at the US Championships in Omaha, knows he needs to swim fast enough to make it into the top 4. Do you think he was really hammering it? Have you WATCHED any of the swimming events in the Olympics??? The dude is in a class of his own. I don't think there's any "arguably" about it when you're saying Best Swimmer in the World. I don't need a tard like Gary Hall telling me he's not that fast...I can see with my own eyes that he is!!!

I don't think Jauron is a great coach. I didn't want him hired. But I think he was the right man for this team, coming off of two straight HORRIBLE hires. He is much too conservative for my liking. When teams are so even in the NFL, it is very tough to consistently win the 16-14 games that Jauron loves. But with a lack of offensive talent and experienced quarterbacking in Jauron's tenure here, they haven't exactly had the artillery to try to win games 31-28. So I understand that he's incorporating a style that he feels gives them the best chance to remain competitive. I loved the call to go for it on 4th down against the Patriots in the opener in '06. The play failed (way to get there, Willis) and the Bills lost, but that was really an anti-Jauron decision. The Dickie J I know would've kicked the FG, and the Bills probably still would've lost. But I'd like to see more balls and some fire out of him. If I was to say Jauron was a good coach, it would be based on his ability (or his staff's ability) to get the most out of their fringe players (Crowell and Greer are two who became starters) but also DiGiorgio, George Wilson, Freddy Jackson, et al. Most importantly, I have never seen a Bills team give up under Jauron. That was not true under Greggo (at least once) and on several occasions under Mularkey. Even before them, Wade lost a few players in a divided locker room. Jauron seems to keep everyone under one umbrella, and keep them focused on that scoreboard on Sunday, even if the overall outlook is bleak. It's not going to get Dickie J to Canton, but you asked what I like about him. There you have it.

I manually masturbate caged animals for artificial insemination.

You can feel free to believe whatever you want. That's the best part about living here.

I didn't see the Dutch game either, but USA was awful against Japan. Very lucky to win, and very lucky that the ref decided not to penalize the US for a clear take down in the penalty box at the end. The ref had a horrible game too. The USA will likey have trouble against Nigeria without Adu's creativity and Bradley's midfield tackling and distribution. Nigeria is always solid in the U-17 tournaments and likely has some very explosive players. Go USA!

There was an article in Time a few weeks ago stating that some blacks were actually worried that Obama winning the presidency would give America a false sense of accomplishment in race relations, and might actually hurt some poor blacks...The worry was that people in power and government positions (namely, white people) would be less inclined to explore the plight of many black Americans, and instead revel in how "enlightened" we are for electing a black man president. The summary was that while race relations have come a long way in the last 50 years, there's still plenty of inequality, and some are nervous that electing a black man to the top office in the nation might make some think that "We've made it" when in truth, we still have a long way to go. As for the White Power groups, what a joke...The whites are really losing their grip on the nation...What, with only a token 389 white members of Congress? Only 8 of 9 on the Supreme Court? Personal responsibility sucks and it's much more convenient to be angry and blame someone else for my problems. I love the bit Dave Chappelle used to do. My best recollection: "As a nation, I think we're ready for a black president. I think we are. But I wouldn't want to be that guy. It'd be TOO HOT!!! There's too many crazy people out there, you'd never know when somebody was looking to take you out. But I'd have a plan. I'd appoint a Mexican vice president. Who's gonna shoot me now!!??!!"

Ahh yes, disguised racism is always good times. Love the ghetto ball comment, you look like a real keen observer when you throw that stuff out there. The 1992 squad was playing against kids who had never been in an indoor basketball arena before. Most of them grew up playing on courts with no backboards, just rims nailed to a pole. They were awe-struck by Jordan and Bird and Magic...They had only seen them on posters, or on TV if they were lucky. They didn't play against them!! There were FOUR international players in the NBA in 1992. NOW THERE ARE 72!!!! You're another "The dunkers ruin the game" and yet conveniently forget that the 1992 team didn't have to call one timeout in the tournament because the competition was nowhere near them, and all they were looking to do was alley-oop and dunk. But sshhh, let's not talk about that. They were professionals all the way, including Barkley throwing an elbow at a 5'10" Angolan when the USA was up 56-7. Frankly, I'll take a 2-point loss in the gold medal game over 50-point wins in a joke "competition." The games are much better, and the USA players are playing cohesively and aggressively. I can't believe people still want to bash them with the old "thugs" routine. These guys are playing the right way, playing for your country, and giving the Beijing crowd some "oohs" and "aahhs" with a few dunks when they're up by 25. What's the big deal? And your American arrogance just sounds disgusting as you lament that they "squeak by" to win a gold medal, instead of winning by 40. You're probably still trying to get over that swimming victory by just .08, because the US has by far the most talented swimmers in the world and should've dominated them.

What's crazy is that everyone else in the pool is basically racing each other pretty close, and Phelps is a body length in front of all of them, racing his own green line. I still fail to see how the US "upset" the French squad in that medley when we have a guy who can swim a second or more faster than everyone else.

Agreed about the NBA. The quality of play in the regular season and playoffs in the West was unbelievable (the east again was subpar other than the Celts, Pistons, and LeBron.) Chris Paul is the best basketball player I have seen in a long time, loved watching him at WF and love his NBA game. On your other point, I saw an exhibition game played on 11-foot rims with former college players. Obviously, the shooting was difficult, but not as horrible as I thought it might be...But the game itself was gross. It was like watching the WNBA. Everyone jumping under the rim, arms up, going for rebounds like 11-year olds. It was ugly to watch. I know for a fact from watching that, that raising the rims is not an option. Perhaps widening the court? Not sure if that would work either, because the players will still guard the rim...But it seems they need to make SOMETHING bigger, seeing as PG's are now as big as the PF's used to be. Those who cry about the current state of the game complain about the shooting percentage, and wax poetic about the old days like the old schoolers made 65% of their jumpers. They didn't. And they didn't have a 6'7" athletic freak guarding them, either. Defense just wasn't played the way it is now. It was a different game, a less-athletic game. It's just evolution. Look at the differences in hockey between 1983 and today.

I love the complete disregard for the fact that there is a difference between a team playing their second game (Skins) versus the Bills playing their first game. People are really shocked the Bills didn't look efficient and cohesive? They haven't looked that way in 8 years!! Why were we expecting it in the first live action in months, against a team who has already mixed it up? Relax folks, relax. The Bills are going to give you some incredible Sundays this year, and there will be others where you're not sure why you even bother watching this garbage team. And then six days later, you'll be cheering them on again. Two things that bothered me: 1) I understand they have offensive scripted plays to start games, but Schoenert should've sent Lee Evans into the end zone on PLAY 1. Tell Trent to hit Evans or throw it 7-yards out of back of the end zone if he's covered. I think it could've gone a long way, after an unexpected turnover, to show the entire team that this is a new offense. 2) On the Bills 2nd FG drive, they never once threw into the end zone. I remember they had a game last season where they had 5-6 trips into the red zone and not once did they attempt a pass in the 10-yard scoring area. You get ZERO points for a pass over the middle to the 4-yard line. I was wondering why they bothered drafting Hardy- thankfully Losman went to him next time they got down there.

The tag on the banner: "Made in China"

A huge difference, like, 7-8 potential Hall of Famers vs. 0 Hall of Famers?