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USA beats Europe to win the Ryder Cup!!!!!!

We cannot say farewell to the 2008 Olympics without offering a 21-gun salute to the fine U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, based at Fort Benning. (Not to be confused with the three-volley salute common at funerals, the 21-gun salute is typically reserved for the president as part of the "Hail to the Chief" ceremony, and for other heads of state.) The unit brought home two gold medals: Spc. Walton Eller III for the double trap competition and Pfc. Vincent Hancock for the skeet. Eller set two Olympic records with a score of 145 in the qualifying rounds and 190 in the...

On Friday night, the U.S. team entered the political fray again by choosing archer Khatuna Lorig, who was born in what is now the country of Georgia, to be the U.S. flag bearer in Sunday's closing ceremony.

Georgian born Khatuna Lorig will carry the US flag.U.S. team picks Georgian to lead them in closing ceremony

The 'Redeem Team" does it, beating Spain in a close game tonight.

Laura Wilkinson has, among other things, an Olympic gold medal, a big ball of tape and a plan. The gold medal, won eight years ago in Sydney, represents the competitive apex of her 15 years in diving, which came to a close Thursday night (Thursday morning CDT) with her ninth-place finish in the women’s 10-meter platform final. The tape ball represents the physical stresses of hurling her body off a three-story tower day after day, month after month, embodied by the miles of athletic tape Wilkinson, 30, has required over the last year to wrap her wrist and, during Thursday’s...

BEIJING -- The U.S. men's volleyball team won the Olympic gold medal Sunday, defeating defending champion Brazil to complete a perfect run through a tournament shadowed by a grisly attack at a Beijing tourist site. The Americans captured their third gold medal in the sport with a 20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23 victory in the final. Top-ranked Brazil, a two-time gold medalist, settled for the silver medal. The U.S. surge to the title came after coach Hugh McCutcheon's father-in-law was fatally stabbed the day before competition started. McCutcheon missed the team's first three games to be with his wife, a former...

BEIJING -- Torri Edwards' screeching expression said it all on a night of rain-soaked relay calamity on the Olympic track Thursday. Think about the famous Edvard Munch painting, "The Scream," and you get general idea of back-to-back disasters unfolding for the U.S. relay teams within about 30 minutes. There was disqualification for the men in the preliminaries of the 400-meter relay, followed by the same for the women, a huge dose of Olympic-size ignominy. This wasn't a whisper to a scream. It was a scream to a scream at the Bird's Nest. And, on top of it all, the botched...

<p>Results re-posted further down in thread so they won't be a spoiler.</p>

Every generation needs heroes. Young people especially need role models. How blessed we are that the role model of these Summer Olympics is Michael Phelps. Here is a young man who embodies self-discipline, hard work and goal orientation. It is not so much the world records he shattered. It is not only the number of medals he won. His whole outlook is to be celebrated. He has a commanding presence yet he is the boy next door. True, his endorsements will make him millions. Yet I dare say that is the furthest thing from his mind right now. As I...

Just saw Kerri Walsh pause the interview after winning the gold to thank W for his inspiration, Class.

Mark Spitz thinks there's only one man who Michael Phelps can't beat. His name is Mark Spitz. Spitz, the American swimmer whose record of seven gold medals in a single Olympics Games was shattered by Phelps, said Wednesday that if the two legends squared off in their primes, it'd be a draw. "I think that the relationship between people that are great is they have a common thread of knowing how to beat their competitors and they know how to constantly be in shape and in top form," Spitz told the Daily News. "If that's the case, I'd know everything...

Leave it to the liberal print media to find some way to kill everyone's Olympics buzz. For instance, did you know that the choice by the U.S. Olympic Committee to have Ralph Lauren stitch the threads for Team USA's opening ceremonies uniform was an unfortunate nod to racism and classism and a futile, nostalgic clinging to America's waning WASP empire? That according to Sameer Reddy (pictured at right, photo via Newsweek) in an August 20 online exclusive for Newsweek

Sour-faced Bob Costas and Cris Collinsworth should take a lesson from the enthusiastic, America-loving Bela Karolyi. ---------------------------------------------------- Being the typical American family — 2.1 kids, house in the burbs, yappy dog — the Olympic Games have been running in the background pretty much non-stop at our house. In the evening, after work, I settle down with everyone else and watch what Bob Costas and company have for me that night. Maybe it’s just the fact that after three days both fish and avuncular TV anchors stink, but the NBC talking heads have gotten on my last olfactory nerve.....

Shawn Johnson had dark circles under her brown eyes and a headache, but when she jumped onto the balance beam Tuesday night she switched on her smile and defiantly pounded out a gold- medal routine. "This gold means more than anything to me," Johnson said. "Beam is my favorite event, and I've worked hardest on this for a long time. It's the perfect ending to my Olympic experience." The United States finished 1-2, with Nastia Liukin getting the silver. China's Cheng Fei won the bronze.

He's the "eight" wonder of the world! Here is the iconic first photo of a bare-chested, medal-clad Michael Phelps doing his best Mark Spitz impression - sporting an Olympic-sized grin as his eight golds dangle from his neck. The photo - taken inside an ancient temple in Beijing on Sunday night - will grace the cover of Sports Illustrated, which hits newsstands tomorrow.

BEIJING – Shawn Johnson had spent a week smiling her way through the gymnastics hall. No close defeat, no age controversy, no puzzled judges score could stop her. Where human nature said her face should relay some of her internal emotions – disappointment, frustration – she just kept smiling. Tuesday she beamed after beam. On her fourth and final chance, Johnson won her gold medal with a nearly flawless routine on balance beam, outpacing teammate Nastia Liukin and China’s Cheng Fei. At the end she unleashed a smile as big as Beijing itself, a glorious conclusion to a competition that...

NBC Questions Kobe Bryant’s Pride of Being on Team USA 2008-08-17 -By Warner Todd Huston In a recent interview with USA Olympics basketball team member Kobe Bryant, NBC Sports reporter Chris Collinsworth seemed to question Kobe’s patriotism when the player said that he was proud to wear the team USA uniform. Wondering if it was “cool” to be proud of being on Team USA, Collinsworth seemed to surprise even Bryant with the temerity of the question. Why Collinsworth wouldn’t think it would be “cool” to be proud to be on the American Olympic basketball team is anyone’s guess. In a...

BEIJING, China (August 16, 2008) - The U.S. Shooting Team added to its medal count at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing today when 19-year-old Pfc. Vincent Hancock (Eatonton, Ga.) captured the gold medal in Men's Skeet. Hancock of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, a world champion and world record holder in Men's Skeet was in first place going into the final after hitting 121 out of a possible 125 targets in the qualification round, which is a new Olympic record. Hancock shot 24 targets in the final to finish tied with Norway's Tore Brovold, who shot a perfect 25,...

Assorted TV commentators keep opining that the Olympics are all about the brotherhood of man, rather than national ambition or patriotism. But don't tell that to the fanatically nationalist Chinese -- or to Kobe Bryant, the NBA star who is playing with Team USA in Beijing. In an interview Friday on NBC, the world's most famous basketball player told Chris Collinsworth how he got "goosebumps" when he received his Olympics uniform. "I actually just looked at it for a while. I just held it there and I laid it across my bed and I just stared at it for a...

Michael Phelps News *****Spoiler alert****

So affecting is his sincerity that we got three separate requests for this last night within minutes of it airing, one of them from MKH. As for Collinsworth’s question, I don’t know how to take it, frankly. From the transcript it reads like he’s making a neutral point about how American culture views patriotism, but watch his expression as he asks it. Clearly he’s not trying to get him to say, “Yeah, you’re right, it’s stupid to be proud of your country� in the middle of their Olympics coverage, but … weirdness. Good work by NBC, though, in dousing a...

I've been perusing the discussion boards across the net, and there seems to be (duh) two schools of thought- those who want Phelps to break the Mark Spitz record and those who don't. Personally, I have no great love for Spitz- in fact, I don't particularly care for him at all. But, from all appearances, he came by his medals honestly- with the added burden of a mustache and without any kind of special swimsuit. I really don't know anything about Phelps but, considering his record breaking success, you kinda wonder about steroids or blood doping. I mean, the guy...

Wow! Amazing! http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0808/oly.phelps.sequence/content.1.html

Food Cited In Illnesses That Hit Track Team By GINA KOLATA and JASON STALLMAN BEIJING — Several members of the United States track team became ill at the team’s pre-Olympic training center in Dalian, about 300 miles east of Beijing, and food poisoning was the likely cause, according to a coach for three Olympians. “When we were in Dalian, a lot of guys got sick — five or six every day,” said John Cook, who coaches the runners Shalane Flanagan, Shannon Rowbury and Erin Donohue. United States Olympic officials, who had acknowledged concerns about food issues in China leading up...

"Did you notice that Michael Phelps wears earphones and is listening music just before his every Olympic start, at Beijing's Olympiad Water Cube pool deck, be it finals or semifinals? I first noticed that before his first gold swim on August 10: Phelps removed earphones 2 minutes before the start, and he was the only swimmer who worn earphones at the pool deck. Intriguing scientific evidence testifies: Listening to music improves blood oxygen capacity and is a performance enhancement." "So what? Can one call listening to music shortly before entering the swimming pool for competition a performance enhancement? Yes, say...

Phelps ties Spitz's with seventh gold By Steven Nelson Posted Friday, August 15, 2008 6:38 PM ET BEIJING -- Move over Mark Spitz. Michael Phelps won his seventh gold medal of the Beijing Olympics on Saturday, edging Milorad Cavic by .01 of second in the 100m butterfly. Spitz won his seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Games. Phelps will try to beat the record in the 4x100m medley relay Sunday. "I've always marveled at the fact that in the last four years (since Phelps won six golds in Athens), he has had to live with a lot more expectations...

BEIJING, Aug. 15 -- In a hallway of the Beijing Workers Gymnasium on Friday night U.S. boxer Raynell Williams buried his head in a towel, leaned against a door and wondered just what it was he had done so wrong on an evening when he appeared to do everything right. A few feet away, his coach Dan Campbell, gnawed on a toothpick and glared. "I just called back to the people in the tape room and everybody said it was (expletive)," Campbell said after Williams lost a second round fight he looked to have decisively won against France's Khedafi Djelkhir....

Another gold another world record!

President George Bush (C), first lady Laura Bush (L) and their daughter Barbara (R) gesture as they watch the swimming events at the National Aquatics Center during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 11, 2008. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (L) shakes hands with U.S. President George W. Bush as first lady Laura (bottom L) and their daughter Barbara (bottom R) look on at the National Aquatics Center during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, August 11, 2008 Secret service agents assist U.S. President George W. Bush as he stumbles in the spectator stands at the National Aquatics Center before the swimming competition...

Co-written by Alan B. Somers WASHINGTON -- After decades as ardent fans of Grand Prix racing and international swimming competition, we have come to the conclusion that in both, sports engineering has become more important than the competitors. In Grand Prix driving, it is not surprising that engineering has come to overshadow the talent and gallantry of the drivers. Auto races have involved technology since the first race car fired up. Today, however, the heroics of the drivers matter far less than their cars' technology. The unforeseen consequence has been that Grand Prix racing is boring. Could international swimming suffer...

And he is looked upon here as a great inspiration, a source of great American pride. The world is dazzled by this man. But that's not the Michael Phelps that truly exists. Michael Phelps is the epitome, ladies and gentlemen, of The Ugly American. I found out today what he eats on a daily basis. I know he swims five hours a day and needs a lot of energy. Big producers do. He's produced a lot of medals, a lot of records. Big producers do need a lot of energy. But according to Obama and many on the left, Michael...

In an August 13 blog post for the Baltimore Sun Olympics coverage blog "From Baltimore to Beijing," sports columnist Rick Maese posted a complaint by an Israeli doctor accusing gold medal-winning Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps of doping. Phelps's drug of choice: rocking out on his iPod before a swim. Koudinov's argument in a nutshell: Did you notice that Michael Phelps wears earphones and is listening music just before his every Olympic start, at Beijing's Olympiad Water Cube pool deck, be it finals or semifinals? I first noticed that before his first gold swim on August 10: Phelps removed earphones 2...

BEIJING (AP) -- Alicia Sacramone's foot slipped off the 4-inch-wide tightrope that is the balance beam, her body wobbling and shaking as she fought to stay upright. Another slip, this time in the floor exercise, sent her tumbling onto her back. Mistakes of millimeters by the Americans made for just enough of an opening for the Chinese to slip through for the team gold medal in women's gymnastics Wednesday at the Beijing Olympics. "I was surprised by the mistakes made by the U.S. team," conceded Cheng Fei, who has seen enough of the Americans the past four years to know...

If only Amanda Beard moved as quickly through the water in the 200-meter breaststroke on Wednesday night at the Water Cube as she did afterward in the mixed zone -- which she ripped through at warp speed -- she might have avoided creating another first in her long Olympic career. Beard had won a medal in the 200-meter breaststroke in the last three Olympic Games, including gold in 2004 in Athens. This time, she didn't even make it out of the heats, finishing 18th in 2 minutes, 27.70 seconds, nearly a half-second out of the last qualifying spot. For better...

Word reaches me out here that some people back home think that Michael Phelps is “boring”. They are having trouble because his victories are “inevitable”. Perhaps I should point out that the rising of the sun in the morning is inevitable, yet it is the most amazing thing you will ever see in your life. It’s inevitable - still - that the swifts fly from Africa to England and back every year, but it’s still a matter of wonder and joy.

BEIJING — Michael Phelps has become the winningest Olympic athlete ever, earning his fourth gold medal of the Beijing Games with a world record in the 200-meter butterfly. The American touched in 1 minute, 52.03 seconds, breaking his old mark of 1:52.09 set at last year's world championships in Australia.

Michael Phelps carved his name among the Olympic greats on Tuesday, smashing another world record in the pool to join Mark Spitz and Carl Lewis in an elite group on a record nine career golds. ...Phelps joined compatriots Lewis and Spitz, as well as "Flying Finn" distance runner Paavo Nurmi and Soviet gymnast Larysa Latynina with a total of nine golds. He could overtake them all on Wednesday when he swims in two more finals. "To be tied for the most Olympic golds of all time, with those names in Olympic history ... it is a pretty amazing accomplishment," he...

He swam so improbably fast, making up so much ground in a foaming, desperate attempt to reach the wall first in the 4x100-meter relay, that Jason Lezak not only won a gold medal for the United States on Monday, but he helped to shatter the world record by nearly four seconds. That race alone would have provided an astonishing day of swimming at the Summer Olympics, but it was the third world record of the morning and seventh in three days of competition. An eighth record was set during preliminary races later Monday, matching the total number broken at the...

BEIJING (Army News Service, Aug. 12, 2008) -- Spc. Glenn Eller won the Gold Medal in double trap shooting Tuesday, setting an Olympic record with a total score of 190. Eller's teammate, Spc. Jeff Holguin, finished fourth. Both Soldiers are members of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit based at Fort Benning, Ga. Eller went into the final round leading by four shots and hit 45 out of 50 targets, to win the first shooting Gold for Team USA in Beijing. Eller is a three-time Olympian. He finished 15th in 2000 and 17th in the last summer Olympic games. He claimed...

If Michael Phelps goes on to win eight gold medals in the Olympic swimming competition at the Water Cube, he will owe a huge debt of gratitude to teammate Jason Lezak. No, make that HUGE. In one of the greatest anchor legs in swimming history, Lezak reeled in boastful Frenchman Alain Bernard in the final 50 meters to bring the United States home to a breathtaking victory in world-record time in the 4x100 freestyle relay to provide a riveting finish to this morning's program. "It was a crazy thing to watch," said Garrett Weber-Gale, who swam the second leg for...

With no room for error in his quest to break Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals, Phelps and three American teammates headed into perhaps the toughest obstacle of all on Monday morning: a showdown in the 400-meter freestyle relay against France, a team led by world record holder Alain Bernard.

'"The Americans? We're going to smash them [ in the 4x100]. That's what we came here for," [Alain] Bernard [of the French team] said.' Below, Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale and Jason Lezak celebrate after winning the men's 4x100m freestyle relay swimming final. France finished second. "Frederick Bousquet, Alain Bernard, Fabien Gilot and Amaury Leveaux react after the men's 4x100m freestyle relay final."

From where the other three members of this relay team stood, they watched along with everyone else inside the Water Cube as Lezak -- self-described "late-bloomer," a 32-year-old graybeard in a peachfuzz sport -- hauled off after Bernaird, the chatty Frenchmen, for what was surely a fruitless pursuit, what was sure to be a prophesy fulfilled. After all, it was Bernard who'd proclaimed defiantly in the days leading up to this showdown: "The Americans? We're going to smash them. That's what we came here for."

President and Mrs. Bush attended church at the Beijing Kuanjie Protestant Christian Church. See Quote of the Day for his remarks. He and his family spent time at the Swimming Venue cheering on the USA swim team. President Bush met with President Hu Jintao of the People's Republic of China TRANSCRIPT President Bush also met with Vice President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China and Premier Wen Jiabao of the People's Republic of China . . President George W. Bush and his father, former president George H.W. Bush, attended a men’s basketball game between China and the...

In a basketball game which featured approximately 600 dunks, including several worthy All-Star Weekend, it might come as some surprise that the most significant aspect of America’s 101-70 win against China was the play of its defense. In the shock and awe of the final score, it would be easy to forget that after 15 minutes of the 40, the score was 31-29. That will give a more honest picture of where the US is in relation to basketball powers like Spain and Argentina. For those first 15 minutes, China played as perfect a basketball game is it could ever...

Video of the U.S. National anthem as it was played by our Chinese "hosts" for Michael Phelps' gold medal...awful!! CLICK HERE

American Flag

BEIJING (AP) - A trio of American flags were raised to the rafters at the Olympic Fencing Hall as tears streamed down the face of Mariel Zagunis, winner of the first U.S. gold medal of the Beijing Olympics.

Today President Bush attended and practiced with the USA Women’s Volleyball Team. He attended a practice of the USA Women’s Softball Team. He attended a basketball game and cheered on the USA Women’s team during their Group B women's basketball match against the Czech Republic. Mrs. Bush, Barbara Bush and Marvin Bush also attended the game. He then addressed the media about a serious issue, that of the escalation of violence in the province of Georgia and the Russia-Georgia conflict. REMARKS Mrs. Bush and Barbara Bush visited the Forbidden City. President GHW Bush (#41) watched the gold medal match...