Winter Olympics Rock

"Hey everybody." "Hey Doctor Nick," - I think I'm quoting the Simpsons.

Been while since I posted, but I've been enjoying a very solid winter weekend.
First off, I know it's probably not the fashionable thing to do, with all the stuff I've been reading about ratings being down, but I love this year's Winter Olympics. I'm getting a huge kick out of them. At 9:30 yesterday morning I was leading my son in a chorus of "USA" chants as we got ready to watch the USA-Sweden prelim round hockey game, which aired live about an hour and a half later. The USA lost 2-1, but still it's always fun to watch Mats Sundin don the blue and gold and skate against Mike Modano and the red-white-and-blue boys. The USA has pretty much secured a spot in the quarters, when the real action starts. So, do you remember where you were in 1980, when the US beat the Ruskies? I was collecting bills for my paper route, clueless as to what was happening...I could hear people shouting in their living rooms as I knocked on their doors. You could be sure I watched the game against Finland for the gold a couple days later, and I'll always remember that.

Anyways, the Olympics are cool, because it's really the only time I'd ever consider watching women's speedskating (or men's for that matter) like I did last night. Or the luge, or the bobsled, or curling - even curling. My son, who is seven, is also into the Olympics, and it gives us something do to together; he was even intently watching curling yesterday. What's the attraction?

Some of it, of course, has to do with the danger elements (well, probably not for curling. Dick Beddows anyone?). "Dad, I love watching the figure skaters because they might fall," my son said the other day. Then I must have given him a sour look and he retracts, "I'm just kidding." But I don't know. I think he's right. Check out this NBC homage to crashes..

I guess maybe when you know they're coming, the shock value is not quite there, but when you watch live (or tape-delay as the case may be), it's always in the back of your mind that something like that could happen to interrupt the peaceful serine gliding on the snow or ice...

In addition to the Olympics I also saw the Gannon men's hoops team, get slaughtered by nationally ranked Findlay on Saturday. Started out as a close game, but Findlay crushed in the second half, as Gannon came out flat. Findlay's whole roster is from Ohio, and they had a 5-9 senior point guard that rocked. "This guy's been here for at least five years. He's was playing when I was," John Bowen told me as he watched the game.

I also saw the Otters get slaughtered last night. So, I went 0-3 in the space of two days for teams I was cheering for.

Ralph