DeShawn Is a Music Star
Well, I can basically guarantee that I was the only person inside the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium watching a music video of DeShawn Stevenson’s YouTube lip sync debut during the USA-Greece game. But the other thousands of hoops fans were not seeing nearly the entertainment that I was.
The description calls it “the best video ever put on youtube,” and that’s probably not far off. More to the point, for those of us worried that last year’s Season of DeShawn was a one-time blip of unbridled weirdness, DeShawn the Usher-Channeling Music Star is here to show us that we needn’t worry. His head might be cut off from the top of the screen, and his mouth might not always match up with the words, but this is magic.
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Signs of the Games: Forget it, Jake
I hope I’m not somehow being offensive here, but I just don’t quite get this one. I see it every time I take a bus ride back to our office from the water polo natatorium and/or handball gymnasium, which is more frequently than you might think. It’s part of the Chinatown Shopping Center, which, in an odd twist of fate, is actually located in China?
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USA Baseball Wins, Bizarrely
The stands just before the second rain delay of U.S.-Netherlands baseball. By the end, they were emptier.
The U.S. baseball team won a 7-0 decision over the Netherlands today, with Stephen Strasburg throwing seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball, left fielder Matt LaPorta contributing a three-run homer and Washington Nationals prospect Shairon Martis taking the loss. That’s the normal version.
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These Olympic Stands Sure Are Full
Yeah, this is somewhat of a cheap shot, or shots, I guess. During the above photo, it was raining lightly in the ninth inning of a U.S. rout over the Netherlands. We had already sat through a rain delay of well over an hour. But it wasn’t really that full before the rain started, and when I snapped this photo it was hardly raining at all. And probably one-third of the people pictured were related to U.S. players.
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USA 74-54 After Three Quarters
[Live blogging the U.S.-Greece men's basketball game]
The Kareem Teamers can bring this Olympic Basketball Gymnasium to life when they’re doing their fast-break twirling-dunk routine, but they can also put the gym to sleep when they’re up 20 against a raggedy Greek team in the third quarter. It would not be at all false to suggest that the crowd made more sustained noise during the halftime Ghostbusters-themed trampoline act. Or for when Evander Holyfield was shown on the big-screen.
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Chinese State Humor Writers Rule
Tiny singer wins heart of nation. (Xinhua)
One of the simple joys of life in Beijing is picking up a copy of the English language state paper, the China Daily, to read the Olympic coverage. Just about every story in every section is about how frickin awesome!!!!! these Olympics are, although in fairness today’s front page also had 41 words on new data showing that inflation just reached a 12-year high. I’m probably not fit judge the paper’s hard news writers, but they definitely have some of the toppest-notch humor writers I’ve ever seen employed at a state daily.
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Judo Fans Get Creative
Spanish judo fan Raul Fuentes.
Having previously maligned some of the cheering sections at Olympic events, I’ll go ahead and say that the judo crowds have been great. The huge Dutch contingent was solid, as usual, with full-throated singing. The South Koreans were thundersticky but also loud. The Spaniards rang bells. The French, I believe, came dressed in red-white-and-blue Judogis, the competitive robes worn by judo players, adorned with matching curly-haired wigs.
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America’s Vegan MMA Judo Sweetheart
Your Olympic bronze medalist, as pictured on her blog.
A few minutes after Ronda Rousey became the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo, she was asked what she would do next.
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Bud Lights and Blondes: Five Minutes With Craig Sager
Craig Sager’s Olympic outfit.
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Chris Kaman is Germany’s Barber
The Chris-Kaman created hair of Tim Ohlbrecht. (By Hannibal Hanschke - Reuters)
U.S. citizen and German basketball center Chris Kaman spoke at great length to the U.S. media this morning after the Germans crushed Angola. Kaman, of course, is new to the German national team, and in coming days, many reporters will write about how Kaman came to play for the Germans through his great-grandparents’ nationality, how some of his family members–including his dad–felt uneasy about this choice, and how he’s just trying to get a different summer experience than going to the Vegas Summer League.
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