Full Version: question about Olympics
If the softball team win, does the total Olympic tally go up 12 (for each player) or does it go up just one (for each event)?
Teams getting a medal count only as one medal in the overall standings, regardless of how many athletes make up a team.
[ August 22, 2004, 04:40 PM: Message edited by: phillyrunner ]
[ August 22, 2004, 04:40 PM: Message edited by: phillyrunner ]
Why doesn't the US have a baseball team? Did they just fail to qualify?
The U.S. failed to qualify for baseball.
As of today, the U.S. leads in total medals (57), and China leads in gold medals (22).
[ August 22, 2004, 05:50 PM: Message edited by: canmark ]
As of today, the U.S. leads in total medals (57), and China leads in gold medals (22).
[ August 22, 2004, 05:50 PM: Message edited by: canmark ]
Despite the U.S. men failing to qualify for baseball, the U.S. women have just won gold in softball, defeating Australia 5-1 in the gold medal game.
From the Daily Notebook page:
It wasn't bad, considering that it's not major league baseball and no hot guys were involved. wink In the Japan-China game I saw a terrific play where a second baseman (basewoman? baseperson?) went to her right and made a spectacular diving stop and flip to second base for the forceout. And the game ended with a runner thrown out at the plate trying to score the tying run.
The pitch gets to the plate really fast, thanks to the 43-ft distance instead of 60-6 as in baseball. That makes it incredibly difficult to hit, accounting for so many shutouts (over 80 percent of the games in the tournament ended in shutouts). They may want to tweak that a little in order to help get more scoring and more competitiveness.
But congrats to Team USA...a little bittersweet, however...
QUOTE
What is the point of having women’s softball in the Olympics? The U.S. has won all eight games by shutout and is so dominant that another team scoring a run would be an accomplishment. Softball does not have much interest worldwide and it barely kept its Olympics status in 2002. There is nothing more boring than watching a lopsided softball game, which is why we’ve fast-forwarded through all the action this week...
NBC can’t be bothered to show water polo games in their entirety (there are only four seven-minutes period) but can show us the entire 1-0, eight-inning Japan vs. China softball game? They show only four high jumpers and a total of eight jumps but can show us the entire Japan vs. China softball game? Gee, they must have had at least 5 people in the U.S. who cared. We defy anyone to sit through watching a 1-0, extra-inning softball game, men’s or women’s. Softball’s a fun sport to play, OK to watch in person but deadly dull on TV.
While I am certainly not against water polo, particularly men's water polo, I have to tell you that late Saturday night while I was continuing my project of loading my iPod with songs from my CDs, I had the Japan-China softball game on in the background and found myself surprisingly interested. I ended up turning off the PC and watching the final couple of innings, then waiting out a half-hour for the USA-Australia game to follow. (Alas, I finally fell asleep during that game.)NBC can’t be bothered to show water polo games in their entirety (there are only four seven-minutes period) but can show us the entire 1-0, eight-inning Japan vs. China softball game? They show only four high jumpers and a total of eight jumps but can show us the entire Japan vs. China softball game? Gee, they must have had at least 5 people in the U.S. who cared. We defy anyone to sit through watching a 1-0, extra-inning softball game, men’s or women’s. Softball’s a fun sport to play, OK to watch in person but deadly dull on TV.
It wasn't bad, considering that it's not major league baseball and no hot guys were involved. wink In the Japan-China game I saw a terrific play where a second baseman (basewoman? baseperson?) went to her right and made a spectacular diving stop and flip to second base for the forceout. And the game ended with a runner thrown out at the plate trying to score the tying run.
The pitch gets to the plate really fast, thanks to the 43-ft distance instead of 60-6 as in baseball. That makes it incredibly difficult to hit, accounting for so many shutouts (over 80 percent of the games in the tournament ended in shutouts). They may want to tweak that a little in order to help get more scoring and more competitiveness.
But congrats to Team USA...a little bittersweet, however...
QUOTE
The Americans are leaving Greece with what they came for: a gold medal for themselves, their country and a ``team mom'' who couldn't be there to share it.
A month before the Olympics, Sue Candrea, the wife of U.S. coach Mike Candrea, died of a brain aneurysm while traveling with the team on its ``Aiming for Athens'' tour. She quit her job to join her husband of 28 years.
She rode the buses with the All-American girls, went for coffee with them and gave them companionship while on the road away from their families as they chased their dream of Greek gold.
The American women honored Sue Candrea by wearing ``SC'' decals on their batting helmets and wristbands. She was always in their hearts.
A month before the Olympics, Sue Candrea, the wife of U.S. coach Mike Candrea, died of a brain aneurysm while traveling with the team on its ``Aiming for Athens'' tour. She quit her job to join her husband of 28 years.
She rode the buses with the All-American girls, went for coffee with them and gave them companionship while on the road away from their families as they chased their dream of Greek gold.
The American women honored Sue Candrea by wearing ``SC'' decals on their batting helmets and wristbands. She was always in their hearts.
QUOTE
I had the Japan-China softball game on in the background and found myself surprisingly interested.
Joe, this saddens me to no end! 
You know, the whole thing about the medal count tally is a bit misleading. Of course the United States will have a higher total count because you have more athletes from that country participating in events. However, if the count was changed to something like a "per capita" count, or in this case, "per participant" count, then it might be a more realistic representation of how well a country is doing with its athletes.
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