It's Raining in Baltimore

I love The Olympic games. Love.

The Olympics have it all. Athleticism. Drama. Skill. Suspense. Entertainment. Hope. Inspiration. Love. I can go on and on...

Ok, so not only have Amanda and I been glued to our TV every night this week but there have been tears shed. I love how pure The Olympics are and the athletes are competing for the love of the game. They have been training their entire lives for one chance at glory and it's so compelling to watch it every night. I'm not gonna lie...I've been choked up a few times. Seeing someone accomplish something that they have worked so hard for is a great thing.

Last night after the Americans went Gold/Silver in the women's (or little girls) all-around gymnastics final, Amanda looked over at me with a sad puppy dog face and uttered..."I want to be an Olympian..." It was the cutest thing I have ever seen in my whole life. I, of course, burst into laughter and gave her a hug. Speaking of Gymnastics...



Those girls are amazing! I think I'm strong and tough but I can't even do a simple hand stand. I do weigh 3 times as much as they do but still! My buddy Scott Allen actually claimed that he thinks could do a routine on the parallel bars. and he was serious. oh Scott. anyway...It's no secret that gymnasts are athletically special but it's great entertainment and I really am sad that this part of the Olympics is over. oh well...I'll always have the memories.

So, Michael Phelps. There's so much to say about this guy. He has captivated America and has us all scrambling to our TV every time he swims. As of right now at 3:51pm on Friday, August 15 he has 6 gold medals and he's going for his 7th tonight. What's amazing about him, not only is he winning every race but absolutely crushing his opponents. He has 6 golds and 6 world records to go with it. Incredible. But, all of his success has gotten many people discussing where he fits in among the world's greatest athletes. Now, I don't want to get off topic too much but debating how great athletes are is a very difficult task, and I happen to be great at it. If there was an Olympics for that...you know who would win gold! anyway...sorry about that. Michael Phelps now has the record for most gold medals ever by any Olympian. Did that sink in correctly?? Think about how many athletes and events and Olympics there have been and this guy is the greatest Olympian ever! wowzas! But...in my professional opinion his record is a little skewed. He competes in a sport that offers many opportunities to win gold. Most sports only offer 1 chance at gold. If basketball had 10 individual events than Michael Jordan would be considered the greatest Olympian of all time. You see what I'm tryin to say? All that being said...I love watching this guy and will be cheering for him to break every Olympic record! For more info on the greatest athlete of all time please see www.mattwithsports.blogspot.com



My favorite sport is basketball. Olympics or not. Basketball is the cat's pajamas! (My producer at KSL used to say that all the time and I've been waiting to use it!) International Basketball hasn't been too kind to the USA the past 8 years. In fact, they haven't won a significant tournament since the 2000 Sydney games. This year our team has been dubbed the "redeem team" and are trying to bring the gold back where it belongs. Spain and Argentina will be their biggest threat but I have no doubt that we will do it!



Of course there are many more events that are great to watch. Who doesn't love a good beach volleyball match? Seriously. I'm really excited for the next week of the competition. Look at all the amazing story lines thus far and Track & Field hasn't even started yet!

Go USA!