First Non-Sports Entry!

Michael Jackson turns fifty today. Sure, this has nothing to do with sport, but any excuse to watch one of my favourite scenes in the history of cinema. Well, I say cinema... Made-for-TV counts, right?

Hitler Shuns Michael Phelps!

It's less than a week since Michael Phelps beat Mark Spitz's record and clinched his 8th Olympics Gold Medal. I've seen criticism of the US commentator, Dan Hicks, in some quarters but I don't think anything is as bad as this guy. Here's how the people of Venezuela saw the start of the 4x100m I.M Relay last weekend.

All That Glistens Need Not Be Gold

So, a mixed day for Irish boxing. I'm not going to buy into the hysteria of 'Fabulous Friday', not when two of our three boxers in action were beaten. I watched all three fights, live - I've seen every Irish Olympic medal since i was born and I wasn't going to stop today.

Kenny won. Hardly a surprise. Jeffries looked scared in an interview this week and acted like it in the ring today. Sutherland showed no grit or determination. Not happy with his performance at all. However, I want to talk about Paddy Barnes.

Paddy is 21, from Belfast, and did very well to medal in these Games. Against the two-time World Champion and home favourite Shiming Zou he was always up against it. What interested me, however, is the interview he gave after the fight. If you're in Ireland you can see it here and if not, then allow me to summise. Barnes attacked the judges for not awarding him a single point - a valid argument. But when Marty Morrissey (who looks oddly like Betty Boop) tried to cheer him up by saying that he did well, Barnes was indignant. The bronze medal is for "losers", he said, and "[the organisers] can keep it, I don't care."

I hope Paddy regrets his outburst. He has done remarkably well to get this far and could go on to greater things in London in 2012. However, that attitude is the wrong one. He's been a major part of one of our most successful teams in over 50 years. He has done his country, his club and most importantly himself proud in Beijing. He's done a lot more than some 'athletes' in this country who are revered as heroes. I hope that he becomes more positive about his achievements very soon.

Remember Paddy, bronze ain't bad.

Enjoying the Olympics??

I somehow think this girl isn't!



I'd make a 'pain in the ass' joke but I'm afraid you'd think it's crap!

Bolt From The Blue

So how have they been for you? The Almost Daily Sports Blog has been thoroughly enjoying the Games at the expense of many other aspects of my life...such as The Almost Daily Sports Blog.

Ireland are doing magnificently. Well, certainly our boxers are. Don't rule out Denis Lynch tomorrow though...nor Olive Loughnane later on tonight. Ok Olive is unlikely, but since she's from my hometown that's a real homer pick.

The Games have belonged to two people - Phelps and Bolt. So, who's the star?

Let's assess the facts. Michael Phelps has won 8 gold medals in Beijing. More than Spitz. He's won 14 overall. More than Ireland. He set seven World Records along the way, in every event bar the 100m Butterfly, which he did win despite the claims of some people.

Usain Bolt on the other hand, so far, only has two gold medals and two World Records. However, to me, he is the star of these Olympics. He is the first man in 24 years to complete the 100m/200m double. He is the first ever to win both in World Records. He also has the chance to win a third medal this weekend in the 4x100m relay with the all dominant Jamaican sprinting team.

So which tally is most impressive?? For me... it is Bolt. Just.

Phelps' records have as much to do with a technological fluke than anything else. The pool is deeper and wider than most and the new LZR suits from Speedo add an estimated 2% to an athlete's performance. Sure, everyone else has the use of the same technology, but that gives him a distinct advantage over those who went before him. As for these games, but for Jason Lezek, and the previously mentioned squeaky bum touch over Milorad Cavic, there would have been no gold rush.

Bolt, on the other hand, is in a different class. He set the 100m World Record by running only 85 of them and today, broke one of the most impressive records in the book, Michael Johnson's 19.32 in Atlanta in 1996. Both performances were phenomenal. Simply stunning. His winning margins are impressive. In events where margins are measured in the hundredths, he won by a chasm. He is brilliant.

I confess that I had my doubts about Bolt. Too often athletes have shown us flashes of brilliance, only to rob us of the joy of what we have seen. Like someone in the audience of a magic show, I wondered where the rabbit came from. However, I have been assured that he is clean. I sincerely hope he is. Track and fired needs a star. It needs an instantly recognizable face. It needs an L.T., an A-Rod, a Wayne Rooney. It needs a Michael Phelps. Usain Bolt is that man. Usain Bolt is a super-star. Usain Bolt is the greatest athlete in the Games of the 29th Olympiad.

Gremlins... And Not The Furry Kind

Apologies or the absence of this blog. Laptop issues have struck in recent weeks. Hoping to get them solved very shortly.