2008 Olympics/Less than Three Months

While the PRC was trying to prevent rain falling upon the Opening Ceremonies using their usual coercive approach, firing silver iodide crystals into all clouds 50 kilometers upwind from Beijing, the U.S. team's Lopez Lomong, a former Sudanese refugee kidnapping victim, was literally carrying the flag for freedom "http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/trackandfield/columns/story?id=3468567".

After reading this moving article, I will pay close attention to the 1500 meter heats.

I can still remember seeing the '68 Mexico City Olympics every day after school, and learned about "impartial" Eastern bloc boxing and diving judges, Kenyan distance runners, Dick Fosbury's "Flop" high-jumping technique, and the almost total dominance of American swimmers.

A friend tells me he still considers Lee Evans' 43.9 second 400 meter win the best feat in track history, even greater than Bob Beamon's stunning 29 feet, two and one half inch long jump the same week. San Jose State's Evans was pushed nonstop during his metric quarter mile by Villanova's Larry James, and third place U.S. finisher Ron Freeman also broke the WR that day.

Every time I see George Foreman on another gas grill commercial, I think about him winning the '68 Olympic heavyweight title with the "music" of Howard Cosell's nasal voice playing in the background, and becoming the first great Baby Boomer middle-aged hero decades later, after Cosell further memorialized George in 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica with "and down goes (Joe) Frazier!!!"

Now, Dara Torres seeks to become the ultimate middle aged heroine as she contends for the 50 meter swimming sprint at age 41, while her two year old daugther Tessa cheers her mother from their South Florida home.

Even though Dara is not a Boomer, but an early Gen Xer, she has plenty of forty and fifty something fans who are ready to purchase products she hawks if she can become the oldest swimming gold medalist ever. The FDA will be kept busy chasing her marketing agents for at least a decade, as they push this supplement, and that energy drink. Many skeptics continue to insinuate her effort, but she is being tested constantly, and the fact is, the woman is just an aquatic marvel.

My 82 year old father in Delray Beach has been fascinated by Dara's training regimen as reported by the local press, and the Florida Panthers (local NHL hockey team) fitness expert has been raving about Dara's total dedication. She maintains fantastic nutritional discipline, lifts weights religiously, and sleeps nine hours per night, in an effort to shock the world with a Gold Medal almost two thirds of the way to age 65. I guess Dara's next feat will be to jump in the ring with George Foreman, to test nutritional regimens in a three round exhibition.

As the 30 year reunion schedule notes, we rendezvous on Friday morning October 24th, can attend educational events, then meet for the Class Party Friday evening. On Saturday, the football Dores take on Duke.

For you Duke haters out there (and Lord knows there are no shortage of us, especially their hoops team; when the Washington Nats had college night three years ago, the P.A. announcer read the names of more than 100 participating colleges, and the only two booed, and loudly, were Duke and U. Va.), check out the U. of Maryland alumni "TruthaboutDuke" website, which records every Duke malfeasance imaginable.

I suppose many of the Duke haters are even secretly pulling for Coach K to lose Olympic Gold with the U.S. men's team, so they can use that failure against him in their arsenal.

Enjoy August, and we will be back in touch.