Time beyond regulation: The Paris Olympics— the best I’ve ever watched!

SIMONE BILES

:10—With per week of perspective in our rearview mirrors, let’s discuss some Olympics. At first, the Paris Olympics have been nearly flawless, each venue totally unbelievable, the historical past of Paris pretty dripping from each occasion and the presentation of the French citizenry to the world magical. I’ve to say this was really the best Olympics I’ve ever watched and I’m going again to the ’68 Olympics in Mexico. Simply good. And kudos to the ever-present Mike Tirico who, as the primary host, simply appears snug describing gymnastics, rowing, ping pong, boxing, observe and discipline, swimming and on and on with absolute ease and aplomb. Mike is solely the perfect there may be proper now and possibly of all-time, he’s simply that rattling good.

JORDAN CHILES

:09—Let’s discuss concerning the athletes and I’ve to start out with the simple, unbelievable Simone Biles, who, together with Jade Carey, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles and Hezly Rivera, gained the Ladies’s Group Gold Medal together with Gold Medals within the All-Round and the Vault and a Silver within the Flooring Train. Simone’s standing as the best gymnast in historical past is safe and the best way she carries herself and comes throughout in interviews as a superior girl in each side is to be applauded. Class and intelligence all the best way. And whereas we’re at it, Jade Carey added a Bronze Medal within the Vault whereas combating off the flu, Suni Lee gained a Bronze Medal within the Ladies’s Uneven Parallel Bars and Jordan Chiles gained the Bronze Medal within the Ladies’s Flooring Train. Yeah, I mentioned it, Jordan gained the Bronze regardless of all of the baloney happening within the scoring sales space. First and final—the scorers initially made a mistake along with her rating to place her in fifth place as an alternative of third place, so the onus on fixing that mistake falls on them, not the U.S. officers that needed to make the attraction.

:08—Sticking with the ladies, who clearly led the best way for the U.S. Olympic squad, our women of the hardwood as soon as once more introduced dwelling Gold for the eighth, that’s proper youngsters, the eighth straight time. Our ladies are the pre-eminent sports activities group within the historical past of the Olympics, beating France within the closing in a nail-biter, 67-66. Led by A’Ja Wilson’s 21 factors, the ladies have been in a position to overcome a cagey French group seeking to pull off the upset. It looks like the three issues you possibly can rely on in life are dying, taxes and a USA Ladies’s Olympic Gold Medal in basketball.

:07—And to finish the cycle, our males gained Gold towards the French once more in Males’s Basketball, 98-87, in an in depth, hotly contested recreation that got here all the way down to the wire and Steph Curry placing a dagger within the hearts of all of the French supporters with 4 three pointers in two minutes to slam the door shut on Victor Wembanyama, all 7’4″ of him, and the house group. LeBron James was tourney MVP and well-deserved and Kevin Durant picked up his fourth Olympic Gold Medal in hoops, becoming a member of a choose few athletes in profitable 4 Gold Medals throughout 4 Olympics. USA! USA! USA!

:06—Katie Ledecky. Katie Ledecky. Katie Ledecky. 4 extra Olympic medals, 2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze. In her signature occasions, the 800-meter Freestyle and the 1,500 meter Freestyle, she was Gold, outdistancing her opponents within the 1,500 by 10 seconds. You heard me. Ten seconds. Or about half the size of the pool. Katie says she’s coming again for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and I can’t wait. And this time I shall be in L.A. stay to see as a lot of the motion as humanly potential. Checkmark on Bucket Record #312 developing.

:05—As the old-fashioned cat that I’m, I’ve to say, with the caveat that I’m a pink, white and blue homer who at all times, at all times roots for our athletes to win, I used to be pleased to see Noah Lyles squeak out the 100 meter Gold Medal by a thousandth of a second and win the Bronze Medal within the 200 meters whereas sick with COVID, his actions earlier than the 200 left me a little bit dry. In case you’re sick and know you’re sick, why waste one valuable second of power by operating across the different opponents? Possibly if he had conserved each ounce of his power, he may have gained the 200 additionally and actually put his identify within the report books. C’mon, man.

:04—Subsequent up, the superb, Best Of All Time, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who not solely gained her second consecutive 400-meter hurdles Gold Medal, however set the world report for the fifth time in a loopy time of fifty.37 seconds. The subsequent day she ran the fastest-ever cut up within the 4×400 meter relay and put the USA to date in entrance it was mere formality for the final two legs for an additional Gold Medal, matching her two Gold Medals from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She is clever, vivacious, beautiful and completely unbeatable. See ya in L.A., Sydney.

:03—Just a little shoutout to Ryan Crouser, the behemoth 6’7″, 320-pound shotput legend who gained his fourth consecutive Gold Medal and is doubtless the best shot putter in historical past. And to Joe Kovac, who gained the Silver Medal for the third straight Olympics and is usually thought to be the second-greatest shot putter ever.

:02—Final however actually not least, Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez turned the primary athlete in Olympic historical past to win 5 consecutive Gold Medals, his in Greco-Roman Wrestling on the age of 42. Standing 6’5″ and weighing in at 290 kilos of pure muscle, Mijain first gained Gold in 2008 in Beijing, China, and by no means missed a beat. After his latest Gold Medal, Mijain positioned his wrestling footwear on the middle of the mat, signaling his retirement from the game. A legend. And only a daydream thought; if Mijian had been born in, say, Penn Hills 26 years in the past, wouldn’t he look good enjoying defensive deal with in your Pittsburgh Steelers? Together with his legendary, off-the-charts power and his unbelievable agility and pace, is there any offensive lineman that might cease him? Appears unlikely.

:01—Exhibition soccer video games are meaningless. Actually? Are ya certain? Didn’t the Emperor, Chuck Noll, as soon as say concerning the preseason video games, and I misquote however you get the thought, “In the event that they’re so meaningless why will we play them?” The Steelers offense has appeared dreadful, the O-Line is a debacle with Dan Moore tied to left deal with once more regardless of being mediocre at finest, and may we hit a go 40 yards down discipline for goodness sake? I’m simply saying.

:00—Put a fork within the Pirates, they’re finished.

GAME OVER.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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