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Is America Down and Out?
Monday, July 24, 2006, 06:30 PM EST
[Baseball]
Recently the American athlete has taken a public beating in international competition. Nobody can forget Bode Miller's horrible display of skiing prowess at the 2006 Winter Olympics. The man kowtowed as the second-coming of Hermann Maier resembled a hung-over frat boy on spring break...and performed as so.
Baseball struck a horrible blow back in the spring at the World Baseball Classic where the American team disgraced "America's game" by failing to make the semi-final game when they lost to both South Korea and Mexico in round 2 of the tournament. Who knew they liked baseball in South Korea?
Tennis, a game that traditionally has American standouts, stumbled at the Grand Slams this year. The William Sisters, Lindsay Davenport, Andy Roddick and James Blake barely managed a dent at Wimbledon, The French Open, or the Australian Open.
We won't even discuss soccer...that's an entirely separate article.
So what's the deal? Is the American athlete down and out? Have the American teams begun to rely too heavily on reputation and those that came before them? Are we, the American public, so jaded that we simply expect too much out of our athletes? Or is this another example of the waning social, cultural, and political power that America is facing on a global front?
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Enter a Mennonite cyclist with a bad hip...a man who could potentially be the poster boy of the classic American dream and who has ushered in a new kind of American dominance in the sport of cycling. While some of you might have watched Tiger Woods pull out of his golfing slump this weekend at the British Open, another American invasion was happening across the Channel. While the name Floyd Landis might sound more Nordic than American, this Pennsylvania native took first place in the 2006 Tour de France.
The Tour de France has been held since 1903 and winners have stood upon the podium 93 times. Easily, the Tour is the most physical and psychologically demanding race in the world. Riders cover 2, 272 miles of the French countryside. The rate at which the cyclists ride is equivalent to running a marathon every single day for three weeks. They take in nearly 10,000 calories a day to maintain their energy, and once they hit the Alps, they climb a vertical distance that is roughly equal to three Mount Everests.
Sure, this may be old news, and few may care who wins the toughest cycling event in the world, but perhaps you should take notice. Lance Armstrong can credit his god-like presence to this ultimate test of athleticism and dedication. Armstrong won the Tour seven times and battled cancer at the same time, while Landis won his tour with a degenerate hip. You can hardly compare the two cyclists, but what these men have shown the world is there are no odds too great to overcome when pursuing a dream.
In the history of the race, only three Americans have ever taken the top prize a total of 11 times. What makes Floyd's victory so unique is the circumstances in which he won his yellow shirt. Sure, Armstrong won the title 7 times and did this in between a serious battle with testicular cancer. Landis won his title with osteonecrosis, a hip-joint ailment which basically means he has no tissue between the joints in his hip and movement of any kind is incredibly painful. In the most serious stages of osteonecrosis, most people cannot walk or function on a daily basis. He rode with constant throbbing, hardly slept because of the injury, but Landis used the pain as a means to finish the race. He may have won the Tour de France last weekend, but this week he'll be getting his hip replaced.
Now I ask you, how in God's name did a man with no hip win the toughest test of strength and endurance known to man? Was it divine intervention and sheer determination? Regardless, it is amazing.
Americans came to idolize Lance Armstrong for his determination and endurance under pressure and unfathomable circumstances. In the same way, Landis will be forever immortalized as a hero who defied odds to conquer his greatest challenge.
These are the stories that we can be proud of and should pay more attention to. While people sit around bemoaning the doping antics of certain professional athletes who have tainted the image of American athletics, these bullies overshadow the true stars who make sports enthralling and inspiring.
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America isn't down and out, we just focus on the wrong things. For some reason we love to watch the fall from greatness. We salivate at the thought of another celebrity divorce, a political scandal, and a cheating athlete. These are the stories that sell magazines and papers, but the real stories the ones that provide hope and awe and ultimately sell books, support foundations, and shine light on the things that really matter.
Don't write off the American athlete just yet...because for every downfall a comeback is in the works.
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10 Trifling Things That Keep Me Up At Night (v.3)
Thursday, July 13, 2006, 08:15 AM EST
[NCAA Football]
I know, I should be flogged for my blogging-absence, but time has been a short commodity for me this past month. I am about to open in a great show at the Capital Rep Theater in Albany, NY and I encourage everyone to check out www.capitalrep.org and click on "Five Course Love." (Also, I am on a dial-up connection and it sucks!)
10. The fact that I have not put up a posting in nearly a month because I can't think of anything to write since I am trying to memorize 250 pages of text for the show I am in.
9. Being 6' tall isn't always a good thing. Case in point: the goofy stride of Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon, chasing for those well-placed shots.
8. They say breaking a mirror means 7 years of bad luck. With that in mind, does it mean the 7'x 10' mirror I smashed when I fell in to it last night mean I'll have 70 years of bad luck?
7. Driving home from the grocery store last Sunday, I thought I accidentally joined an Italian Pride Parade mid-route...not realizing that I missed the World Cup Finale and was in the middle of a celebratory riot.
6. It really is a Red Sox nation. After attending a game at Atlanta's Turner Field in June, there were more Boston fans there than Braves fans. (Considering the season Atlanta is having, I guess that shouldn't be too shocking.)
5. I still can't get in to baseball the way I can follow football, but at least they do everything possible at baseball games to make sure you have a great time. (The Napoleon Dynamite dance break in the 6th inning was an instant highlight!)
4. What will happen to the Northwestern Wildcats after the death of Randy Walker? What happens to any team when they loose their ultimate captain?
3. How many more days to NCAA Football kickoff?
2. Is it wrong to date someone because he can get you US Tennis Open tickets?
1. I started watching Celebrity Poker on Bravo and ESPN and actually love it! Does this mean that ultimate dominos are next?
I know this is a rough blog entry, but I was missing the conversation...but I plan on being more punctual once the show opens on the 21st! Cheers blogging nation!
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The FIFA Twilight Zone
Thursday, June 15, 2006, 10:39 AM EST
[World Cup]
"You're traveling through another dimension. A dimension, not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. Next stop, the Twilight Zone!" There was nothing different about that night. It started out like all the rest. I was forty-five minutes late for dinner with my girlfriends in the East Village. I had spent the day shopping at Bloomingdale's and was excited to debut my latest Marc Jacob's buy. As I entered the bustling French restaurant, the girls had already polished off a bottle of wine and I needed to catch up fast. The waitress quickly poured me a dry Riesling and as I lifted the glass to my lips and took my first sip, the wine rushed down my spine like a cold chill... "I couldn't get over that match this morning! Granted I was hung-over from Friday night, but nothing was going to prevent me from watching England take their first game in the World Cup! David Beckham can bend it like he can bend his girlfriend! Bollocks, did you see that shot? I swear I was on the phone with my boyfriend screaming 'Oley!' at 9:30 this morning! Which reminds me, I can't stay out too late, Serbia is playing in the morning and I can't miss it." Um...excuse me? Did I sit down at the wrong table? Aren't these my tragically hip and Euro-centric New York girlfriends who spend their time at film festivals and planning their next vacation to Nepal? Aren't these the girls who I can recite my latest humbling dating experience to or get advice on how to make the most out of the back of a cab? More importantly, aren't these the girls who I normally blow off on a Saturday because I'm the one suffering in front of a television watching my game go in to overtime? It was one of the few times in my life I came in to a sports conversation and had absolutely nothing to say. To make matters worse, these were my girlfriends, the ones I never have to impress with my sports prowess. Here I was, excited to dish about the hot date I had that lasted until 3AM on Wednesday night and all they wanted to talk about was soccer?! What was the world coming to?
Wine. I needed more wine and a chance to clear my head. It was just soccer, I know soccer! I grew up in the soccer capital of the Midwest and spent countless road trips watching my cousins play soccer in college. I know who Pele and David Beckham are...I can do this...I can fake this sports conversation...maybe. "Yea ladies, that game between Trinidad and Sweden was amazing! Too bad they're out of the competition with that tied-game." <Silence> (FYI- a tie in World Cup soccer isn't like a tie in most sports.) Who knew that a tie will earn you "one point" and a win will earn you "three points?" Needless to say, I learned this fact real fast on Saturday night. In fact, I learned a lot about soccer that night. My girlfriends, who are more up-to-speed with the latest fashions at the Conde Nast organization and peace-keeping efforts at the U.N., informed me what "bend-it like Beckham" really means, who the favorites are in the FIFA World Cup, and explained the rivalries that exist between different English and world teams. Basically I felt like an ignorant American for being so clueless when it came to a game so globally important. It's funny to watch the tables turn on you. Normally I am the one explaining the significance of this game or that, and last weekend, I was the one getting a lesson in sports from the most unlikely of teachers. To top it off, even my fashionista friend had a special jersey designed for her World Cup viewing pleasure. Yes, that's what it has come to...designer jerseys. It seems that all of New York has caught on to the World Cup fever. My local dive bar has soccer-themed happy hour. Joggers have cast aside their NY RoadRunner shirts for soccer jerseys in Central Park. Pick-up games between "team Mexico" and "team Dominican Republic" are frequent in city parks. Even at Bloomingdale's the customers were standing in line talking about the games. It seems everywhere I go World Cup is on the brain. To be completely honest, I have even found myself watching it on television and reading articles in the Times to remain up to speed. (And also to never find myself in that humbling place of looking like an idiot who has no clue.) Since the US lost their match in grand fashion, it's hard for me to get emotionally embedded in the games. (Maybe if I was Brazilian or German I could go out and buy one of their snazzy jerseys and cheer for them.) But what I've loved the most from witnessing the World Cup is the sense of nationalism that the games have ignited in football fans. Living in New York, people are proud of their heritage and I have to say it's been fascinating to see the mix of cultures that have come out to support their home team. The World Cup is more than just soccer. It's about national pride. On the other hand, it also seems to be about the flashy colorful jerseys, the crazy hairstyles, wild tattoos, ravenous fans, and the drop-dead sexy men who run around the field for 90 minutes like maniacs and then rip off their shirts to show the world their six-pack abs. I can dig it!
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So long, brown-eyed girl!
Monday, June 12, 2006, 01:42 PM EST
[NGS II]
And so it must come to an end. It was an honor to face the competition and if I were completely malicious, I'd start to spread an "American Idol" rumor about a re-count and sketchy voting, but the final four are stellar bloggers. (Seriously, .01 off the final four?) They say there is no glory in second place, but I'm thrilled with my 5th place finish, considering I was the 19th contender. Before it's all said and done, I need to send some words of thanks out to my partners-in-crime: ScarletnGray, Bafongu, MeanDovine, Gbrent, and Dudski. The first three were mighty fine editors and provided much critical feedback and the last two were my amigos who also slipped in under the radar and I just hold a special place in my heart for them. Thanks to everyone who voted on the blog, but most importantly, thanks to all the people who took the time to read my opinion. I always enjoyed reading your comments and I hope to write some more thought-provoking pieces soon. My postings might be sporadic this summer, but I'll be back in full force for football season! I leave you with my swan-song, or better yet, my theme song: Brown Eyed Girl So hard to find my way, -Belle of the Ball
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10 Trifling Things That Keep Me Up At Night (v.2)
Sunday, June 11, 2006, 09:06 AM EST
[Dirk Nowitzki]
10) That Dirk Nowitzki's father wanted him to go in to professional handball over basketball. I mean, is there money in professional handball? Wouldn't being 7' be a disadvantage in handball? 9) The fact that I have no will power when it comes kettle corn or honey wheat pretzels. Case in point: I polished off an entire bag at 2AM last night.
8) Trying to keep all the World Cup games straight. Ivory Coast, Trinidad, Sweden, Germany, Costa Rica, England, Iran...who has one point, who has two? 7) Bumbling sports announcers. Example: Game 1 of the NBA Finals, first quarter. Dirk got popped in the face by Shaq's monstrous elbow and of course, it caused Dirk to flinch...the reporters told it like this: "Well folks, in that last time out, Dirk sat down and a trainer came over and spoke to him for 45 seconds and asked him "are you okay?" and Dirk said "yes" and then Dirk touched his face twice, took two sips out of two different clear-liquid bottles and then whipped his face with his towel. I think he'll be back in the game." I mean, seriously!
6) The fact that Barry Bonds won't talk to special investigator, George Michael (opps...I mean Mitchell) unless he gets immunity from federal prosecutors. Hahaha...can we say "guilty?" 5) Did you know that 40% of NASCAR fans are female and that 75% of NASCAR fans went to college? Guess it destroys the idea that most NASCAR fans are rednecks, especially when 35% of NASCAR fans make over $50,000 a year. 4) David Beckham may be trashy, but he is still G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!!! 3) Regardless of how much I studied or paid money for a test-preparation class, my GRE scores still came out average. At least they are good enough to get in to school, but it just proves the fact that standardized tests are pointless in predicting your competency as a student. 2) Frank Solich, ex-Nebraska coach and current head coach for Ohio University, is fighting a drunk-driving conviction based on the fact that GHB, the date-rape drug, was found in his system. Uh...I didn't know men could use that excuse too.
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