A Golden Day

The US takes the medal count lead on the day the Rockwood Olympic Watch leaves town. Coincidence? Well, yes, but still interesting.

I'll be reporting on the Olympics for the next few days from an undisclosed vacation spot, as Team Rockwood was in need of some R&R and this was the only time we could schedule it. But if you're the sleuthy-type and just need to know, here's a clue: no, Caesar didn't actually live anywhere near here.

* Has there ever been a team so exuberant in victory as Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings? And not in a mean way, either. Sure they gave a big victory scream when they actually won, but then they went and hugged their opponents. After that, they went around the arena thanking their coaches, friends, even the Olympic volunteers. They are literally the greatest beach volleyball team ever. They have never lost a match, and now that Misty is retiring, they never will. And yet, in their moment of three-peat Olympic gold glory, they went around the arena thanking unpaid volunteers. Do you think Michael Phelps would ever do that? Does that question even need to be answered?

* And behind them during the post-match interviews, The Beach Volleyball Dancers! Or maybe, since this is the match that decided first place, The Solid Gold Beach Volleyball Dancers.

* According to the stadium PA, Usain Bolt isn't just the fastest man on the planet, he's the fastest man on all the planets. I suppose that impossible to disprove. In tonight's 200m semi-final, it certainly looks like that statement is true. Tom Hammond's comment that he "loped" to the front is a pretty accurate description. He almost looks bored while destroying his opponents.

* While Dwight Stone introduced the women's long jump, I noticed something unusual in the background. Apparently the javelin competition is going on at the same time as the long jump. Have you ever wondered how they get the javelin back to the athletes after they've thrown it? Tonight I saw London's solution. A small, radio-controlled Mini Cooper could be seen driving toward the throwing area with a javelin embedded in its roof, and then later driving toward the field carrying nothing. I guess using an RC car is easier than carrying it back by hand.

* Brittney Reese lost bronze in the long jump by six inches in 2008. Now she wants to win for her hometown of Gulfport, Mississippi, because it sustained a lot of damage during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Yes, I'm sure that seven years ago, the citizens of Gulfport looked at their ruined town and said, "It's bad, but as long as a hometown girl can jump six inches further than a Chinese girl in 2012, everything will be okay." Fluff!

* Allyson Felix is being trained by Robert Kersee, Jackie Joyner-Kersee's husband. He pushes her to be better. What an amazing quality in a coach! Fluff.

* The pushing worked! Felix wins.

* Reese wins the gold in the long jump. So finally the homeowners in Mississippi can rebuild and get on with their lives.

* Decath-a-fluff! Bob Costas introduces the decathlon with some history about the competition that determines the "world's greatest athlete." Bruce Jenner is part of this story. Good gravy. How did he go from the world's greatest athlete to THAT?

Anyway, we get a brief rundown of the five events they did today. Five more will be coming tomorrow. Hopefully we've seen the last of Mr. Jenner.

* Misty and Kerri are holding hands while getting interviewed by Bob for the last time. In previous nights, we've seen the medal ceremonies of the ending interview. Surely we'll see that tonight. They'll sing, right? Does that question even need to be answered?

I'll answer it anyway. Yes, of course they do. "Looks like Kerri got a little misty," says Bob. Clever.

So, I did get to watch some Olympics tonight and will probably watch some more over the next few days. Keep checking back to see how much. See you tomorrow!