The word "inspiring" gets tossed around too much during the Olympics. I try to avoid it because I know the truly inspiring athletes arrive at Olympic venues weeks after the Closing Ceremonies.

So, I was a little surprised to hear David Lee use it during a phone conversation we had Sunday afternoon.

"Looking into the athletes' eyes and seeing their determination to compete is very inspiring for me," he said. "My goal always is to be the best for the U.S. in the Olympics. When I see it in their inner hearts and souls, it makes me dig deeper for my Olympics."

Continue reading "Tim's Take: Wait for inspiration" »

You think you're tired? Mr. Olympics here has been watching all 3,600 hours of the Beijing broadcasts on six TVs and two computers in my Beijing Basement Bureau. I've consumed enough caffeine to awaken China's 8,000 Terracotta Army statues.

OK, I exaggerate, but trust me, Mrs. Olympics wants me out of the house, and the grass is tall enough to hide a gymnast.

I've done this as a public service to you, and before we part, there are a few stories I'd like to share that you might have missed while dozing off with a remote in your hand at 1 a.m.

Continue reading "Tim's Take: Remote out of control" »

The United States will "win" the medal count at the Summer Olympics.

China will have the most gold medals.

Who's counting? Who cares?

Not me.

This is a big deal to ringheads and Olympics officials, and I just don't get it anymore.

There's no team trophy. President Bush will not accept a gold cup amid a fake confetti shower while wearing a T-shirt over his suit and baseball cap, both emblazoned with "USA, XXIX Olympiad Champions." American fans won't be holding up preprinted copies of USA Today with the headline "We Win!" while a Chinese pixie lip-synchs "We Are the Champions."

Continue reading "Tim's Take: Besides medals, what really counts?" »

Here are five things I can do without at the Olympics, and five things I will miss after the closing ceremonies Sunday.

What I won't miss:

1. I'm tired of athletes treating their country's flag like laundry. What once was a spontaneous celebration has become a tasteless cliche. I'd like to see the USOC and other national Olympic committees strongly advise their athletes against using the flag as a scarf, shawl, blanket or any other accessory. Next time you win a medal, just smile and wave.

Continue reading "What must go and stuff I'll really miss after the Olympics" »

Cincinnati's Heather Mitts became the third Ohioan to win a gold medal Thursday. Mitts was a defender on the U.S. women's soccer team that defeated rival Brazil, 1-0, in the final.

David Payne, originally from Cincinnati, leaned past teammate David Oliver to win the silver medal in the 110-meter hurdles. Payne took a winding road to the podium. Since February, he has had an appendectomy, a bruised heel and a leg stress fracture. He barely made the Olympic team, claiming the third berth when another runner crashed. At the Games, first-round injuries to China's Liu Xiang and America's Terrence Trammell opened more doors. "I'm glad to be able to prove that I can do it," Payne said.

A dropped baton eliminated the U.S. women's 4x100 meter relay team. The relay pool included Akron's LaShaunte'a Moore, who did not run in the heat, so her Olympics ended without competing. Cincinnati's Mary Wineberg is expected to run in a 4x400-relay heat at 7:50 a.m. Friday.

LeBron James (Akron, Cavaliers), Michael Redd (Columbus) and the U.S. men's basketball team plays Argentina in a semifinal Friday at 10:15 a.m. The bronze medal game is at midnight Saturday and the gold medal game is 2:30 a.m. Sunday.

Katie Smith (Logan/Ohio State) had five points in a 67-52 basketball semifinal win over Russia. "It wasn't the prettiest, but hats off to our defense," Smith said. The gold medal game is 10 a.m. Saturday.

The Akron Aeros' Matt LaPorta and the Toledo Mud Hens' Mike Hessman and Blaine Neal play in a baseball semifinal against Cuba at 6 a.m. Friday. The women's synchronized swim team's technical routine is at 3 a.m. Friday. The free routine is at 3 a.m. Saturday. The team features Euclid native and Ohio State sophomore Becky Kim, and OSU graduate Kate Hooven.

Late Wednesday night, Cuban wrestler Reineris Salas beat Cleveland's Andy Hrovat in the first round, 0-3, 3-1, 2-2, and Hrovat did not advance.

One Ohio runner won a silver medal, one saw a potential gold medal slip through a teammate's hands and another is waiting her turn at the Birds Nest in Beijing.

David Payne, originally from Cincinnati, leaned past teammate David Oliver to take the silver medal in the 110-meter hurdles today. Payne's time was 13.17 seconds, just 0.01 ahead of teammate Oliver, who won the bronze. The gold medal went to Dayron Robles of Cuba, who won in 12.93 seconds.
The U.S. women's 4x100 meter relay finished last in its heat today after a dropped baton on an exchange. The 4x100 relay pool included Akron's LaShaunte'a Moore, who did not run in the heat, but was available to run in future heats.
The heavily favored U.S. women's 4x400 relay takes the track on Friday. The relay's runners have not been announced, but Cincinnati resident Mary Wineberg is expected to be one of the four.

Continue reading "Ohio's Olympians update" »

Cleveland native Andy Hrovat's Olympics are over. The wrestler known as Silent H was one-and-done at 185 pounds (84 kilograms) after losing the lead and his first-round match in the final 10 seconds Wednesday night in Beijing.

Unheralded Cuban wrestler Reineris Salas beat Hrovat, 0-3, 3-1, 2-2.

"Andy didn't come close to wrestling to his ability or our expectations,'' U.S. coach Kevin Jackson said. "We lost to a guy we thought we were better than. We're very disappointed."

Salas lost his next match to Turkey's Serhat Balci, who was fifth at the 2007 World Championships. In a format change from previous Olympics, wrestlers who lose advance to the repechage (second-chance) bracket only if their opponent reaches the final. Salas' loss meant Hrovat was eliminated.

Continue reading "Hrovat's Olympics are one-and-done: Cleveland wrestler eliminated in first-round match" »

At the Olympics, they always save the strangest and coolest sport in the Games for near the end.

Appropriately, one of the most unusual and interesting U.S. Olympians will make history tonight when she draws her pistol, flenches with her Epee, dons a bathing suit, mounts a horse and runs a couple miles.

And that's just the end of Sheila Taormina's story. What came before is truly astounding.

Taormina is an American modern pentathlete, and the first woman to compete in three Olympic sports. This is her fourth Olympics. She won a swimming gold medal on the 4x200-relay team in 1996. She placed sixth and 23rd, respectively, in the triathlon at the 2000 and 2004 Games.

Taormina came back expressly to make Olympic history, dabbling in cross country skiing in 2005 before settling on the modern pentathlon, which is a further extension of her already varied athletic career. Modern pentathletes compete in air pistol, Epee fencing, 200-meter freestyle swim, equestrian show jumping and a 3,000-meter cross country run.

"This is not an obsession," she said earlier this year. "My goal truly is to make Olympic history. That may be the wrong reason to be doing this. I've questioned that."

Continue reading "Pentathlete chasing history despite herself" »

Andy Hrovat was just 5 years old when he wrestled his first match at a Euclid YMCA tournament.

He got beat and came off the mat not the least bit bothered. "When do I wrestle again?" Andy asked his father, Bob Hrovat.

Soon, Andy was on the mat.

"He got creamed," Bob recalled. "He said, 'When's the next match?' I told him he was done for the day and he said, 'What about next week? Are we going somewhere else?'

Continue reading "Tim's Take: Tenacity of youth sticks with Hrovat" »

Anna Tunnicliffe, a former multi-sport star at Perrysburg in Northwest Ohio, sails today for the gold medal in Laser Radial (women's one-person dingy). She placed 15th, second, and second in three races Monday and is seven points ahead of Lithuania's Gintare Volungeviciute. Tunnicliffe is almost assured of a medal.

Another Ohioan will go for gold at midnight Friday when Heather Mitts (Cincinnati) and the women's soccer team plays Brazil in the Olympic final. The U.S. beat Japan, 4-2, on Monday.

Kim Kreiner (Mogadore/Kent State) competed in javelin prelims late Monday night.

David Payne (Cincinnati) is the sixth-fastest qualifier (13.42) for the 110 hurdles second round today at 10:45 a.m. "I'm not in the best shape, but I think I can medal," Payne said. A good throw on Amber Campbell's second attempt was out of sector, preventing the Cincinnati native from advancing in the hammer throw. She was 21st.

LeBron James (Akron/Cavaliers) scored 18 points in 18 minutes and the U.S. finished group play as the only undefeated men's basketball team with a 106-57 victory over Germany. Katie Smith (Logan/Ohio State) is averaging 6.4 points for the U.S. women, who play a quarterfinal against Korea tonight at 10.

Left fielder Matt LaPorta (Akron Aeros) rejoined the team Monday after getting beaned in 9-1 victory over China. He was examined at a hospital and was listed as day-to-day. The U.S. plays Taiwan today at 7 a.m.

Are you wondering what I'm wondering?

So, where is Michael Phelps' father?

Phelps has been on TV so much since the Olympics began I'm starting to wonder if NBC devoted an entire channel to the guy. He and his mother, Debbie Phelps, have given lengthy interviews in Beijing, and nobody bothers to ask, or tell, where his dad is.

Even Bob Costas joked that Debbie has received as much air time as Michael, which means we've seen a lot more of her than LeBron, and there's something wrong with that. But Costas didn't bother to ask, or tell the viewers if he already knew the answer -- what's up with pops?

I don't want to pry. But he's a public figure and I'm curious. I'm a dad. I've got a son and daughter. I'd like to know what the deal is.

Wouldn't you?

Continue reading "Why Michael Phelps has a stay-at-home dad" »

Before the Olympics, I wrote a story highlighting nine of the 32 Ohioans on the U.S. team who had legitimate shots at winning gold medals, and several others who had chances to be on the podium.

The Olympics are more than half over, and the Buckeye haul so far is one gold, three silvers and two bronzes.

What was I thinking?

Well, I'm not as dumb as I look. There's plenty more to come.

Continue reading "Tim's Take: Wait for your state" »

Two women became the first Ohioans to win medals Saturday. Columbus resident Hanna Thompson helped the U.S. capture an unexpected fencing silver medal in women's team foil, and Kettering resident Hyleas Fountain won bronze in the heptathlon. Thompson, an Ohio State grad and assistant coach, had a key run of seven straight points in a 31-30 quarterfinal upset of world champion Poland. The U.S. team beat Hungary and lost in the gold-medal match to Russia, 28- 11. Fountain is just the second American to medal in the heptathlon. She led Friday, but sub-par results in the long jump and javelin cost her.

Margot Shumway (Westlake) had a good shot at earning a rowing medal in women's quadruple sculls final, which took place at 4:30 a.m. today. The U.S. also was a medal
contender in men's eight at 5:30 a.m. with 2004 gold medalist Bryan Volpenhein (Cincinnati). Megan Kalmoe and Ellen Tomek were fifth Saturday in the double sculls final,
rowing a boat named posthumously after longtime referee and coach Bob Walton of Cleveland Heights. Patrick Todd (Cincinnati) was fifth in the lightweight men's four B final.

Anna Tunnicliffe (Perrysburg) slipped from first to third place after the fifth of 10 Laser Radial races in light winds.

Katie Smith (Logan/Ohio State) and the U.S. women play New Zealand today at 10:15 a.m. Mary Wineberg (Cincinnati) runs in a 400-meter semifinal at 9 a.m.

How good is the U.S. Olympic softball team?

Too good -- much too good for its own good.

This is softball's last Olympic hurrah in the foreseeable future. So, enjoy U.S. stars Jennie Finch, Crystl Bustos and Jessica Mendoza while you can. The International Olympic Committee voted softball and baseball out of the Games after these Olympics.

That's a shame because softball is a great game. It blends speed, skill and power in a way few women's team sports do at the Olympics.

Continue reading "Tim's Take: Softball team is winning games, but it's not winning over fans or IOC" »

Track and field began at the Summer Olympics in Beijing Thursday night. For hammer thrower A.G. Kruger of Ashland, Ohio, it was over quickly.

Kruger failed to advance from the preliminary round early Friday morning.

Kruger's best throw was 71.21 meters (233 feet, 8 inches). He was just over 5 meters or 16½ feet shy of advancing to Sunday's finals.

Kruger's first throw was 70.58 meters (231-6). He fouled on his third and final attempt.

Kruger's career best is 79.26 meters, which he did in 2004. His goal for the Beijing Games was to hit the automatic finals qualifying standard of 78 meters on an early prelim throw, and to top 80 meters in the finals, hoping that would get him on the podium.

Kruger is the reigning U.S. champion and was the lone American man competing in the hammer throw.

Kruger, 29, is a native of Iowa and lives in Ashland, where he trains with former Olympian Judd Logan. Kruger recently was named strength and conditioning coach at Ashland University, and said before the Olympics he plans to remain in Ashland to train for the 2012 Games. His goal is to compete in at least four Olympics.

Kruger finished last at the 2004 Athens Games, where he threw 69.38 meters.