Month: August 2008

A Chinese man stabbed two relatives of a U.S. volleyball coach early Saturday, killing one. The guy then killed himself by leaping from the tower they had been on. Chinese officials say they are surprised because attacks against tourists are so rare, and American officials say the people weren't wearing anything that would signifiy they […]

For the Olympic swimmers at least the choice is crystal clear: shave! Michael Phelps will no longer display his Fu Manchu style when he does the first for-real dive into the Water Cube pool today. Excess body hair, in any part of the body, would make the decisive difference, were it just a tiny fraction […]

I just finished watching the amazing finale to the opening ceremonies –mmmmm….fireworks– and decided to check out the NBC online viewing situation. The best link I can find is this one. Unfortunately, you have to install a bit of Microsoft software called Silverlight, the bastards, but once that was done, I was up and running. […]

The Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics was technically spectacular, not a surprise given that it cost at least $100 million (twice that of the Athens Games in 2004) and had the weight of an authoritarian government behind it. The gymnast who skywalked across the top of the stadium to light the torch performed a […]

Michael Phelps won his first gold medal in his first Olympics race, blowing away the field in the 400 IM and setting a world record in the process. Watching underwater video, it appears as if Phelps is half-fish the way his legs act like flippers. He is stunning to watch in the water and his […]

The Curse of Dane Cook has claimed one final victim: Dane Cook. Last year I wrote about MLB's TV commercials featuring the annoying comedian/"actor" bellowing about how "There's only one postseason…there's only one October!" Of the four ads I saw that touted specific teams, three backfired as those teams' fortunes plummeted. The Brewers went into […]

Number twenty-three in a series. Broadcast: Sunday MLB on TBS, LA Angels at NY Yankees, 8/3/08; Announcers: Chip Caray (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst) Before we begin, I just want to say that I cherish the thought of writing these reviews. If you agree, feel free to express yourself. You may not like what I say; […]

How dare NBC’s Olympics site encroach on Outsports’ turf! The site today has a cool feature where you have to guess which male swimmer has which abs. Wish I had thought of it myself. After a few seconds, the closeup dissolves to show the swimmer and his name. One more reason to watch swimming and […]

With the Olympics opening tonight, Southern Voce explores the event and gay jocks who have taken part. Included in the cover story is an interview with Bruce Hayes (photo), the former Atlantan who won gold in the 1984 Games, and a closeted athlete who won silver in 2004. The paper also features a story on […]

The XXIX Olympic Games commenced at 8:08pm Beijing time on this 8th day of the 8th month of 2008. Eight is considered a lucky number in China — and they are very zealous about it! The Seattle Times staff shares a few examples: The XXIX Olympic Games commenced at 8:08pm Beijing time on this 8th […]

Why would anybody be surprised at the opening ceremony that Beijing just put on? One glance at the enormous plazas of the Forbidden City, designed for public displays, and you know that the Chinese have been putting on big shows involving thousands of people for centuries. The one tonight, with its theme of harmony as […]

It would be hard to top the hotness of the discus thrower in this GE ad: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULx0I0Pogo8 It would be hard to top the hotness of the discus thrower in this GE ad: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULx0I0Pogo8

One of the possible breakout stars of these Games is British diver Tom Daley and for one simple reason — he’s 14 and the youngest Olympian. He is tailed by autograph-hunters, makes groups of girls collapse into red-faced giggles and has the world’s media hanging on his every word. He was even picked out by […]

Let the games–er, the stagecraft–begin. The opening ceremony is typically a circus of symbolism celebrating the host nation’s history and culture. Maybe we’ll see a procession of tanks, you’re thinking. Well, probably not. We can only hope the party isn’t so self-consciously scripted that it comes off as a dud. Let the games–er, the stagecraft–begin. […]

Under Armour, the hyper-masculine line of workout gear, might just have muscled its way into an image problem with the same gay men who wear it proudly at the gym. A piece from the New York Times explores the company and its meteoric rise since former college football player Kevin Plank launched it in 1996. […]

Out former NBA player John Amaechi is in Beijing blogging about what he sees there and doing basketball commentary for the BBC. An outspoken advocate for human rights, Amaechi offered support for athletes who used their Olympic platform to make political statements. He shared his thoughts on the topic with the BBC. Out former NBA […]

It seems the U.S. Olympic Committee is so over Bode Miller (photo). For the first time ever, the group required all of its 596 Olympians to attend its crash-course on etiquette before heading to the Beijing Games. Some athletes dubbed it “the Bode Miller show” after the American skier who showed more of an interest […]

All-around gold medalist from 2004 Paul Hamm bowed out last month with an injury; I guess the family that tumbles together stays together. Brother Morgan (left) said a tearful good-bye to his team today as bone spurs in his leg forced him to withdraw from the team. Team USA just lost another gay-friendly athlete. “This […]

The German magazine Stern has a great online gallery of 17 Olympians and the tattoos they are sporting for Beijing on various body parts. Among them is uber-hottie flatwater canoeist Tomasz Wylenzek (right), who won a gold for Germany in 2004. Check out the tattoo gallery. The German magazine Stern has a great online gallery […]

Number twenty-two in a series. Broadcast: Philadelphia Phillies on Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia, Phillies at Washington, 7/30/08; Announcers: Harry Kalas (play-by-play), Tom McCarthy (play-by-play/reporter), Chris Wheeler (analyst), Gary Matthews (analyst). In April 1971 the Phillies played their first game at Veterans Stadium, their brand new, state-of-the-art facility. (Really. It wasn’t always a dump.) The master of […]