The Tail End of August

Alright, it's a Saturday. It's hot, it's muggy, I've nothing else to do. Let's ramble about sports!!

First of all, FLUSHING MEADOWS!! I'm sure the 7 Train in New York City is jam packed right now. A slew of big players are/were in action today. Top seed Rafael Nadal handily displaced Viktor Troicki (hey, there's a Serbian player not named "vic") in straight sets, handing him a gaping donut in the third set. Unseeded American Sam Querry is through to the 4th round, surprisingly, after beating Ivo Karlovic 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-2. Andy Murray endured a 5 set scare against unseeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer. Olympic champion Stanislas Wawrinka is also going to the 4th round with a huge comeback victory: 5-7, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-0, 6-4. Talk about inconsistencies, the scores are all over the place for these guys at the US Open.

The American favourites-Williams Sisters-are both into the next round after convincingly beating their opponents, with the identical score, no less: 6-2, 6-1. Amelie Mauresmo, the cellar seed at this tournament is looking good, cruising into the 4th round. Some matches in progress right now: The Bryan Brothers are 2 games away from advancing to the third round of men's doubles. Juan Del Potro, seed 17 is up a set 6-4 on the Frenchman Gilles Simon (seed 16). Nadia Petrova is in a battle against Flavia Pennetta of Italy, tied at a set each and 3-3 in the third.

Later tonight, the crowd can decide whether to cheer for Blake or Fish in an All-American duel at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Before that, Dinara Safina will take on Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland. Fourth seed David Ferrer will play Japanses Kei Nishikori (when did Japan start getting good at tennis?). The rest of tonight's matches will be doubles save for one. If you're interested, here's the official schedule from a very blue US Open website: http://www.usopen.org/en_US/scores/schedule/index.html?promo=topnav.

Jays swapped Matt Stairs to the Phillies for some unknown minor league pitcher, to clear space for Travis Snider, one of our top farmhands. I don't get why this stupid move was made. Stairs is a very valuable member of the team, the fans love him, and it doesn't make sense to move him when you've got guys like Gregg Zaun who actually WANTS to be traded, and then there's Brandon League, who more or less could use some experience at AAA. Goes to show what idiots are running this organization.

At Yankee Stadium earlier this afternoon, the Jays were able to squeeze out a 7-6 comeback victory. BJ Ryan earned his 25th save, John Parrish gave up 4 runs in just 4 innings-Jays scored 3 in the 7th and 2 in the 8th to retake the lead. Alll in all, it's games like these that make you wonder why every game can't be like this. Our offense scored twice the number of combined runs in the past 3 games. Well, playoff hopes are dwindling as we speak-the Jays need a vision for the future.

K-Rod is 5 away from tying the all-time saves record. He's got 52...and barring injury, there's little question he'll surpass that and perhaps 60 as well.

Things are quiet in Raptorland, and I couldn't care less about football (sorry Peyton Manning).

Usain Bolt...remember him? Oh yes, he's back at it again on the track. On Friday night, Bolt captured the 100 M title in a Zurich meet in a dazzling time of 9.83. I'm telling ya, the best is yet to come for this guy!!

And Michael Phelps is...well...getting as many endorsements as he can. Can't blame him, I'd love to have those 8 gold medals around my neck too!

OBAMA! OBAMA! OBAMA! Since he made history on Thursday night in Denver as the first OFFICIAL black nominee for President, congrats to Barack and his family. I loved him from the beginning and am not about to stop now. USA needs this man as President. For the sake of a brighter future, please go out and vote for him on November 4th if you can!!!!! John McCain picked Sarah Palin as his running mate, I was surprised, if not shocked. Well, good luck Republicans!

-D

Instant Replay

With all the hooplas going on in Denver-namely the Democratic National Convention-I almost forgot that the US Open has gotten underway at Flushing Meadows. Having been to Flushing earlier this summer, I have something to relate to this tournament instead of watching TV blankly and idly. For the first time since 2001, the Swiss Maestro-Roger Federer, now World #2 enters the US Open without a hard court title on the year. While his friend and rival Rafael Nadal is living "da life" with an Olympic Gold around his neck and a Toronto title to his credit.

Federer effortlessly won his match over Maximo Gonzalez yesterday-looking better than the fatigued and perhaps jet lagged Rafa. Otherwise, no massive upsets yet. Just a few seeds knocking out-most significantly Tomas Berdych, Richard Gasquet, Nicolas Kiefer and Daniela Hantuchova. And my hometown lady-Li Na-fourth in Beijing has gone through to the second round. She's on a roll right now!

Starting today, Major League Baseball will begin using Instant Replay to perfect close calls. It's been a long and difficult debate and I don't know what spurred this latest progress. But I certainly do not completely agree with the decision. First and foremost, it's subjective as to what umpires deem "close plays". Secondly, when umpires retire off the field to review their verdict, they're making players and fans wait in boredom. At least when managers come out to argue, fans can cheer and jeer as they wish...arguments have been around baseball since its birth and they are an entertaining part of the game. Thirdly, human error is a part of baseball and life. It can create historically memorable moments and MLB will prevent any more of those moments from happening with their implementation of "instant replay".

That was the philosophical part of it. Now for the practical part, my plan is to put in place a system similar to the "Hawk Eye" challenges in tennis. Say, both teams get 3 challenges through 9 innings. Whenever a manager requests a "challenge", a replay of the action would be shown on the jumbotron. That way, fans, players and coaches get to see for themselves who was right and who was wrong. Afterwards, umpires can stand by their call or overturn it accordingly. Simple, clean and keeping with the human element.

In Blue Jay land, Roy Halladay earned his 16th win of the season last night down in rainy Tampa Bay. The offence was great, plating 6 runs, including one on Vernon Wells' 4th homer in 3 games. He's starting to get real burning hot!!! Scott Rolen returned after almost a month of shoulder troubles. Tonight will be a toughie. The Jays will have to battle Matt Garza with whom they've had tons of frustration this year. Rookie David Purcey will try to regain form.

NBA tip off is in 2 months.

London 2012 is in 1430 days!

-D

See You in London 2012-The Closing Ceremony

9:59 AM: Adam van Koeverden wraps up these Games with some inspiring words. The 2008 Olympics are over. But the memories from Beijing live on. These Olympics have been so personal to me because of my Chinese blood. It's been a pleasure to live blog in the last 16 days. Had so much fun, the kind of fun that comes around only every 4 years. Hopefully, I will be in London in 2012, enjoying the Olympic experience up, close and personal. Four years to go...

9:54 AM: The Greek, Chinese and British flags are still flapping as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad has officially concluded. The fireworks are still relentlessly going off. The athletes reluctantly exit through the tunnel. This is it. It is over in an incredible way!

9:51 AM: Party! Party! Party! The Canadian athletes have joined in the dancing celebration...though they have no idea what's being sung. More fireworks!! More fireworks!! They're going off with the beat of the music-clever!!

9:49 AM: And of course, gotta have Jackie Chan at such an important ceremony!! He looks happier than usual in his blue Beijing volunteer shirt. Singing along Jackie is Ren XianQi, Chinese pop star who I do recognize.

9:45 AM: Glowing acrobats are lifted into the air as another pop song is performed by Chinese stars. Is it just me or do they need to crank up the mike a little bit?

9:40 AM: Placido Domingo, the famous tenor and Song ZuYing, a Chinese soprano pair up to sing "Jasmine Flower". Look at that fancy-schmancy dress Song is wearing. It's sparkly--sure costs alot of money.

9:36 AM: And now for some traditional Chinese music...

9:32 AM: "Beijing, Beijing, I Love You" is performed by 6 Chinese pop stars, none of which I recognize. Goes to show that pop culture in China is changing rapidly. Sorrounding the singers is a bunch of yellow-shirted ladies playing (or pretending to play at least) the Erhu, an ancient Chinese instrument. The two make a good contrast.

9:30 AM: More fireworks!!! Superb!!!

9:27 AM: Acrobats climb a tower in centre stage. Gotta love those suits they're wearing-the silver back and the red on the front. Makes for a fantastic visual presentation. From afar, they look like red ants.

9:23 AM: The Beijing theme song "You and Me" is sung one last time at these Games and there goes flame. A flame that the Chinese waited so long to see.

9:21 AM: Highlights from 16 days past are played on the top ring of the Bird's Nest. This part of the ceremony is titled "Memories" and rightly so, these Games won't ever be forgotten for the history of these Games. The flame is about to be distinguished.

9:17 AM: A roar from the crowd means David Beckham is here!!! He takes the football and bends it into the sea of athletes. Who I assume to be a young volunteer dives for it...he'll have a story to tell his grandchildren!

9:13 AM: Can you say Transformers?! The double decker bus magically opens up and Leona Lewis appears from within. Jimmy Page (from Led Zepplin) is playing the guitar.

9:10 AM: Here comes the familiar Londonian double-decker bus. A small girl emerges from the big red bus and receives a symbolic football from another girl.

9:07 AM: The five-ringed flag now rests firmly in the hands of London! Get the party started at Buckingham!!

9:04 AM: As the handover ceremony is getting underway, Boris Johnson, mayor of London and the mayor of Beijing, Guo JingLong trot out to centre stage. Boris Johnson looks awfully like David Miller with his milky white hair.

9:02 AM: Now tell me why Jacques Rogge doesn't know how to sing the Olympic Anthem? It's like George Bush not knowing the words of the Star Spangled Banner. Ooo...fireworks in the shape of the Olympic rings go off above the Bird's Nest. Beautiful!!

9:00 AM: The good ol' Union Jack is raised and God Save the Queen is sung by what I presume to be a British choir. Team GB looked oh so good in Beijing. Gotta love the Brits-I'm looking forward to the London Games!!

8:57 AM: Does Jacque Rogge ever smile? I think I'll stick to Barack Obama when it comes to public speaking?

8:52 AM: Impressive!! There were 38 world records and 85 Olympic records broken at these Games-Liu Qi tells us. But the camera framing is still off-centred like it was at the Opening Ceremony.

8:49 AM: Here come Liu Qi (head of BOCOG) and Jacques Rogge-hope these speeches are better written than the Opening Ceremonies.

8:44 AM: Yao Ming is a popular man-even with all the great athletes on the floor-look at all the fellow sportsmen taking his pictures. Look at all the excited volunteers posing with Yao.

8:37 AM: Joauad Gharib, silver medallist in the men's marathon almost stumbles off the podium. Blame it on the sore legs-2 hours of running, 26 miles-how can you not be sore?

8:34 AM: Chairman Yao's here!!! He's all smiles-in the middle of an ecstatic mob. What's the flag of Angola doing near Yao?!

8:26 AM: The Canadian faces appear on camera!!! Do you recognize any of them? And is that Adam van Koeverden in that stocking hat?

8:23 AM: To the accompaniment of Chinese music, the athletes "march" into the Stadium. I don't know if you can call this marching-more like a scrum of people nonchalantly straddling in.

8:21 AM: The 204 flags have formed a circle in the middle of the field. Zhang Ning carried in the flag for China.

8:17 AM: Here come the flags!!! Now, this is in no order right...wait what? Okay, they're in the same order as the Opening Ceremony-the number of strokes it takes to write the first word of the nation in Chinese. Makes sense?

8:14 AM: Don't those acrobats on the "spring legs" remind you of kangaroos? Should've had this at the Sydney Games...

8:10 AM: Hey, what the hell...power outage...talk about bad timing!! Who or what on Earth caused this?!

8:07 AM: The colourful fireworks burst into the air!! How many firecrackers are in store for us tonight?

8:05 AM: Two huge drums, and I mean HUGE, appear in mid-air with a person hung to the side banging with force.

8:04 AM: Are those bike helmets that the drummers are wearing??

8:02 AM: The Chinese flag go up the flagpole once more to the tune of the great national anthem we heard 51 times in the past 16 days. President Hu is singing the words with boister.

8:00 AM: Fireworks in the shape of numbers countdown to the beginning of the Closing Ceremony explode in the air. What a way to start.

7:44 AM: If you haven't heard, the Redeem Team, USA men's basketball prevailed over Spain to win the Gold Medal that eluded them 4 years ago. Spain played a fantastic game, losing by only 11 points (that's good considering what they were up against). So now the Raptors have 3 Olympic medallists.

7:40 AM: The closing ceremony of these Beijing Games will begin in 20 minutes...should be a spectacle once again. It's only fitting to have began these Games with a spectacle, the Games itself were historical and spectacular and now, it has to end in a spectacular manner as well!!

-D

Packing the Bags on Day 16

11:20 PM: They've done it! They've done it! The Russian men capture bronze. Russians looking so much more efficient tonight than the Italians. That's it for tonight. I'll be back tomorrow morning as we close the case on the 2008 Beijing Games.

11:19 PM: Match point for Russia-and the Italians spike it back...

11:14 PM: The big hair Italian player gets a yellow card and he's yelling at the chair umpire.

10:54 PM: Russia captures the second straight set-25:19. They're looking good for the bronze, one more set to go.

10:44 PM: Live result from the men's volleyball bronze medal match-Russians captured set #1 25-22 and leads the Italianos 18-13 in the second.

9:40 PM: Tsegay Kebede of Ethiopia passes his countryman Meriga on the last lap to take bronze. Meriga tried so hard to keep up with the leaders, but he is even struggling with jogging. What a great show of endurance-running through breathtaking sights in Beijing. Great close to the athletic events of Beijing.

9:37 PM: Kenya has its first marathon champion!!! Samuel Wansiru crosses the line, crushing the Olympic Record. And now, Jaouad Gharib-36 year old veteran of Morocco-will run through the finish with the silver medal. Listen to this crowd, what an ovation for the Kenyan and Moroccan heroes.

9:36 PM: One last lap inside Bird's Nest. What a moment for the Kenyan. He'll do a full hearted sprint to the finish, arms raised, waving, and he will get gold with an Olympic Record time!!

9:33 PM: Deriba Meriga of Ethiopia has crossed 40 KM in 3rd place. The contenders are pretty much set now. And Wansiru is now headed for the tunnel...about to enter a crowded National Stadium.

9:29 PM: Samuel Wansiru of Kenya is entering the Olympic Green as we speak. He's got a sizeable 17 second lead as we approach two hours on this 26 mile marathon. Jaouad Gharib of Morrocco following in second place has now hit 40 KM. The Bird's Nest is in sight...the Ling Long Pagoda is straight ahead. They are so close. And if you can believe this, Kenya has never won the Olympic marathon.

8:04 PM: Classless commentary from CBC as the runners pass Tian An Men. Why would you tell viewers about the massacre as the one piece of history on the square when there have been so many other grand, more joyful events that have taken place there?? The massacre is hardly the most important as the People's Republic was founded there. The square has so much connection with the Olympics too, as it was where hundreds of thousands gathered to celebrate the successful bid of the Games in 2001 as well as the countdown galas on the one year and 100 day countdowns to the opening of the Beijing Olympics. Why mention the most sombre history of all? Are they trying to humiliate China? Naive choice either way...

7:31 PM: And they're off...the marathoners are circling the historic Tiananmen Square and passing in front of the Forbidden City. Such beautiful sights around this ancient city-really nice weather as well, lower humidity than usual, less smog than usual. Beautiful route for a beautiful event.

7:05 PM: Alright folks-it's all come down to this-Day 16! The last day of competition in Beijing. It sure has been exciting no? We've seen some incredible fortitudes from the athletes, but let's save the highlight reel for later. In about 25 minutes, the signature event of the Olympiads-Men's Marathon will be a must watch as the runners trot their way around historic Beijing-the soul of the Olympic city. As well, the Redeem Team will look to redeem a win in the gold medal match later tonight. Men's volleyball final will be a rematch of the women's final-USA v. Brazil. Iceland will have a reason to celebrate as their men's handball team will go for the first ever Olympic gold in that island nation's history. A slew of boxing matches will get underway overnight as China aims for 100 medals. Enjoy the last day folks. Will keep ya updated.

-D

The Climax on Day 15

12:00 AM: That's that for this Day 15. It's hard to believe that 24 hours from now, the Games will be over. It's certainly been a fun 2 weeks. But before we say goodbye, there's the signature event-Men's Marathon going later tonight. And join me for a recap of this highlightful Day 15 at 6:30 PM at www.blogtalkradio.com/hdsports! One more day to go!

11:43 AM: Team USA has won 4 straight Olympic titles!! 92-65's the final score. Congrats USA, this is an incredibly dominant "dynasty". And you can be sure that expectations will be high in 2012 for this Dream Team.

11:41 AM: A minute left in the fourth-as Chuck Swirsky would say: "Get out the salami and cheese mama, this ballgame is ova!". They're up 92-65, and the USA will dribble it out...

11:24 AM: Going into the fourth, the United States up 69-54 on the Aussies. They look to streak the Olympic title streak to 4!! Just 10 short minutes away.

10:42 AM: The United States has opened up a commanding lead of Australia at half time 47-30 in the women's basketball gold medal game. I thought the Aussies would be putting up a better fight.

10:28 AM: Listen to this Brazilian contigent sing their national anthem during the victory ceremony for women's volleyball! What a neat moment...the Brazilian flag reads "Order e Progresso" and that's exactly what this team used to capture this meaningful gold. Their fans are still chanting and voicing rejoice! And here comes the coach tossing...

10:24 AM: Second quarter just began in the women's basketball gold medal match between USA and AUS. The Americans lead 25-15. The Aussies aren't a bunch of wimps, so don't expect a 40 point blowout.

10:22 AM: It's case closed on field hockey. The men's final ended in a 1-0 win for the Germans over the Spaniards. Defending gold medallists Australia claimed bronze.

10:18 AM: Wow, Matthew Mitcham speaks French??! He just gave an interview in that language with Radio-Canada, the French speaking arm of CBC. Okay, it wasn't the most fluent or colourful French, but impressive nonetheless for the Aussie. Congrats Matthew!!

10:10 AM: From one Aussie to the next. The Australian women's basketball team is going for gold versus the American "Dream Team". This is a storied rivalry and both teams are potent and undefeated in these Games.

9:56 AM: I don't think I've ever seen a more ecstatic Olympic champion than Matthew Mitcham of Australia. He is jumping up and down, overwhelmed by joy, draped in the Aussie flag, high fiving the fans...what a great moment for Mitcham, who is the only openly gay competitor in these Games. He proved today that sexual orientation is no barrier to achievement in life!

9:46 AM: Get the party started in Rio!!!! The Brazilian women have captured volleyball gold, winning a tight fourth set 25-21. Lang Ping and Team USA settle for silver. China captured bronze earlier in the day.

9:36 AM: Australia's Matthew Mitcham spoils the Chinese diving sweep. Mitcham nailed an unbelievable last dive, receiving four 10's and a ridiculous score of 112.10 points. The Chinese finish second and fourth. Gleb Galperin snagged bronze. Tom Daley, at age 14, finishes a respectable 7th. I mean, he is 14!! Phenomenal future ahead of him. But the big news-Matthew Mitcham-snagging gold on a sensational last dive overcoming a 24 point deficit!!

9:31 AM: A few moments ago, Korea upset Cuba in the swan song tournament of baseball. The Koreans jumped out to a 3-2 but it was threatened in the 9th inning. Cuba loaded the bases with one out in the 9th, but the Koreans induced a twin killing. They win gold in Beijing after not even qualifying in Athens. Earlier, the United States won bronze.

9:27 AM: And it's Ma Lin who defeats the world champion Wang Hao to claim the men's singles table tennis crown. Again, it's a sweet sweep for the Chinese with Wang LiQin winning bronze.

9:20 AM: A couple minutes ago, the Americans lost set #3 to the Brazilians in the gold medal match of women's volleyball. The score wasn't even close, 25-13. Can you say Americans are running out of gas?? The Brazilians are leading 5-3 in the fourth set.

9:18 AM: Huo Liang of China missed his last dive, dropping to a competitve fourth. Zhou and Mitcham continue to lead. Tom Daley has climbed back up to 6th place after an awesome 5th round. Gleb Galperin is in the bronze medal position.

9:15 AM: The Chinese divers just don't crack a bit under pressure. Zhou LuXin, after seeing Gleb Galperin's huge dive, comes up with a huge one of his own getting three perfect 10's.

9:11 AM: It's an Olympic Record for Jeremy Wariner and the relay team. Team USA annihilated the field, crossing about 20 metres ahead of Bahamas-the silver medallists. The Americans have never lost this event since 1984 and they do it at the Bird's Nest in Olympic Record time. Wariner's last leg was a mind-blowing 43.23!!

9:07 AM: It's a clean start in the men's 4 by 400 relay. The United States are incomparable in this field of 8 teams. They may try for a world record with Merritt running leg 1 and Jeremy Wariner running the anchor.

9:02 AM: China is guaranteed of a table tennis sweep today. Wang LiQin obliterated his Swedish opponent earlier. Ma Lin currently leads Wang Hao 2 games to 1. Now, China will haul 8 medals out of table tennis alone.

8:55 AM: The United States takes the second set 25-18 in the final of the women's volleyball tournament. Brazil won the opening set.

8:48 AM: After 3 rounds of diving in the Men's 10 M final, the Chinese sit 1-3, sandwiching Cuban diver Guerra Oliva. Fourth and eighth are not that far apart. Tom Daley is in that eighth position. Thomas Finchum is totally out of it with a horrible first dive.

8:45 AM: In the javelin final that just concluded. Norwegian Andreas Thorkildsen won the gold with the world's longest distance this throw this season. Latvia wins silver and Finland settles for bronze, though they finished 3-4-5.

8:41 AM: In the bottom of the 8th inning of the gold medal match, Korea is leading Cube 3-2. What a story the Koreans have been! They began this tournament by knocking the United States. And now are in position to win the gold medal.

8:29 AM: Matthew Mitcham, the diver with AUSTRALIA written on the back of his trunks, nailed his second dive, receiving four perfect 10's. He was a bit shocked with that result too, but the guy deserved it.

8:26 AM: In the women's volleyball final, Brazil is leading the Americans 1 set to none, after winning the first 25-15. They're currently down 1-4 in the second.

8:22 AM: Another historic double for Ethiopia-Kinenisa Bikele-wins gold in Olympic Record time in the men's 5000 M. It was a painfully slow first lap, but Bikele ran away in the end. The Kenyans take silver and bronze. This duplicates what Kirunesh Dibaba did last night.

8:12 AM: Adam van Koeverden won silver in the K1 500 overnight. For most people, that's very good, but it is kind of disappointing for Adam. Gary Reed also misses out on a dream, finishing 4th in the men's 800.

____________(Sleep)____________

11:48 PM: That's it for now. I'll be up early tomorrow morning to catch the diving final. See you then!!
11:46 PM: Sabine Spitz of Germany cruises to a sweet victory in the women's mountain cycling race. Poland and Russia grab the rest of the medals. Catherine Pendrel of Canada misses out on the podium by 9 seconds, taking the pressure on her shoulders after Premont's disappointing drop out.

11:44 PM: In the second all-Chinese table tennis semi-final, Ma Lin is leading Wang LiQin 3 games to 2 and down 2-3 in the sixth game. The Chinese crowd is lovin every minute of this.

11:41 PM: Jacque Rogge is at Wukesong taking in some baseball action. It's the bronze medal match between Japan and the United States. Team USA has come back from a 4-1 deficit to knot it at 4 all in the bottom of the 3rd.

11:38 PM: The men's 10 M semi-finals have wrapped up. Huo Liang of China qualifying first. Matthew Mitcham of Australia looking very strong followed by the other Chinese. David Boudia of the USA is in 5th. His teammate and roommate Thomas Finchum finished 7th. Tom Daley goes through in 8th position. Peter Waterfield was edged out in 13th place and the two Canadians were way back.

11:33 PM: Apparently, Premont had difficulty breathing. We should get more on this as the race ends. It is uncharacteristic of her. And by the way, Tom Daley stands in good position to advance to the semis while his Team GB fellow Peter Waterfield is on the edge of elimination. Daley missed his last dive, but his previous dives are strong enough to keep him in the hunt.

11:26 PM: Sabine Spitz of Germany is flying on the course, with a major lead on the rest of the riders. Again, the Canadians are having a mixed race. Premont has dropped out. Pendrel is in bronze medal position. Still no explanation as to why Premont was unable to continue.

11:19 PM: Peter Waterfield, also from Team GB just overrotated like a Russian roulette wheel. The nuclear splash gets him 4's...this will help with the British press' Daley-mania.

11:13 PM: Just to close the case on field hockey. China scored in extra time to win 11th place in the tournament.

11:01 PM: I've always been impressed by the handstand dives. Can you imagine being up 3 stories up on the edge of a platform, performing an act that requires tremendous balance and strength...it's scary to say the least!!

10:56 PM: Hoooo!! What a dive from Tom Daley!! That was incredible. It was one of those handstand dives. Beautiful vertical entry...almost splashless. Three 9's gives him 86 points and into the lead for now.

10:49 PM: Wang Hao just handily defeated Jorgen Persson of Sweden 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9. Wang, the world champion, takes the first step toward a Chinese sweep, advancing to the gold medal match.

10:40 PM: Catherine Pendrel of Canada is now all alone on the course. She is in 5th position and about a minute back of the German leader. Wow, interesting how life works eh? Premont, who was so favoured, will have DNF beside her name and that's just downright disappointing after all the work an athlete does in preparation for the Olympics.

10:31 PM: Marie-Helene Premont has dropped out of the race. There seems to have been a huge problem after she crashed. It may be an injury, it may be a mechanical dilemma. This is tough tough news. She was world #1 and it just had to happen to her on this special day.

10:25 PM: Whew...what a dive by Huo Liang. Three perfect 10's from the judges, literally splashless!! He had a mediocre prelim round, but is looking good in the semis. This is diving, so don't ever count out the Chinese!!

10:23 PM: The women cyclists have completed one lap on the mountainous course. Marie Helene Premont sits at about 20 seconds back in 5th position. Five more laps to go, no way to tell who's going to win right now.

10:21 PM: Beautiful dive from Tom Daley-the 14 year old wonderboy from Team GB. Three 8's on that one...he just looks so mature yet so small. You can only imagine what it's like for him to be at the Olympic Games at that tender age. It really does make me feel underachieved.

10:04 PM: Okay, I see, they go to extra time when there's a tie in field hockey. But back to mountain cycling, Premont is leading as they go up and down the soily hills. And China is a "powerhouse" in this sport?? Never knew that...

10:00 PM: Marie Helene Premont of Canada is going for gold in the women's mountain biking. Premont won silver in Athens and is ranked first in the world this World Cup season. It's a long long course but at least the weather's cooperating-it's warm, sunny...no mud to splatter around.

9:58 PM: The South Africans tie the game at 3 with 5 seconds remaining on the clock. Being a dummy when it comes to field hockey, I don't know what happens next.

9:50 PM: RSA strikes back on a penalty shot. It's 3-2...seems like a reasonable hockey score.

9:42 PM: The Chinese clearly better in this game, outshooting the South Africans 11-5. Hey, I got an idea, why don't we turn the Toronto Maple Leafs into a field hockey team. Maybe they'd have more success that way? BMO Field looks like a good place to do it. And as soon as I start typing, China scores again!! Make it 3-1, this one sailing high into the net!

9:37 PM: The Chinese came within a feet of scoring their second goal. Oops...spoke a minute early...they DO score their second goal. This one coming from the top of the crease. Boisterous crowd too...zhong guo dui-jia you!!!! Let's Go China!!

9:31 PM: The Chinese and South African men's field hockey teams are fighting for 11th place in an early one in Beijing. There are 23 minutes left in the 2nd half and they're knotted at 1. That's about the only half-exciting event going on at the Games right now.

8:05 PM: Okay, seeing nothing is going on in Beijing...let's talk politics. Obama has teased us big time. The running mate of the Senator is expected to appear with him in Springfield, IL tomorrow afternoon. Who is it?? Only Obama knows! I've signed up for the email alert and has been checking my box every minute. Nothing yet...and this is turning into one hyped poker game. Hands down, Obama has got the best poker face ever! No body knows for sure what's in the cards??

7:04 PM: It may be the second last day of competition, but it doesn't look it with 32 gold medals ready to be handed out. Every event will be a medal event today. Lots of Canadian hopes today too. Obvious contenders include Adam van Koeverden in the K1 500 Final and mountain cyclist Marie Helene Premont. Lots of team finals also taking place today-men's field hockey, women's handball, women's basketball, women's volleyball, men's baseball and men's football. The Chinese will look to sweep the diving golds by winning in the men's 10 metre. Looking forard to that as well as a potential podium sweep for China in men's singles table tennis. Lots of news to come!!

-D

Mother Natures Co-operates on Day 14

12:11 PM: The final whistle goes off. The players hug. Day 14 is done. Two more medals for Canada. Lots to look forward to as the Games draw to a close. See you in the evening!

12:08 PM: The American lead is up to 20...I think we can safely wrap this one up now. Argentina gave a valiant effort, but the Redeem Team was just too strong. An Athens repeat was not to be in Beijing.

12:03 PM: Listen to this! The Chinese fans are chanting a-gen-ting, jia you-Let's go Argentina!!! Secretly, I'm cheering for Argentina too...I mean who wants the USA to shellack everyone by 40 points?? But hopes are slim for Argentina to win this one, being down 94-79.

11:51 AM: After three quarters, the United States are up 78-64. Don't count out Argentina just yet. We can only wait and see!

11:38 AM: With 5 minutes left in the third quarter. The United States now up 16 on the Argentinians (67-51). Messy and inconsistent basketball on both sides!

11:10 AM: Half time---the United States by 9 after 3 free throws by Carmelo Anthony. 20/33 shots by the United States has been from beyond the arc. What are they doing? There is no way to predict what will happen in the second half!!

11:07 AM: Luis Scula puts one in at the net. That brings Argentina to within 6. It's 46-40. Who said this game was over after the first quarter?? Manu Ginobili is still in the locker room, nursing an injury. This has become one exciting game-for now at least.

10:58 AM: The Argentinians have gone on a hot streak, 16-3 run. Now, ARG has cut the lead to 8 without Manu Ginobili and Carlos Delfino! Good time out called by the United States to re-focus.

10:42 AM: Aussie pole vaulter Steve Hooker has just broke the Olympic Record of 5.95. He goes over that with a 5.96 cheered on by the crowd at Bird's Nest. Draped in the Aussie flag, Hooker does a victory lap around the stadium.

10:37 AM: Things are not looking good for Argentina-their flagbearer Manu Ginobili just went down with some pain. While he rests, the United States leads 21-4!!

10:21 AM: The tip off is right now for the United States and Argentina (men's basketball semi-final). Handshakes go around. And let's get it on!!

10:10 AM: What an anchor by Asafa Powell!! He makes it another new world record!! The Jamaicans slash the world record by 3/10ths of a second. Hands down, no competition at that finish line, Powell was a good 10 metres ahead of the silver medallists-Trinidad and Tobago. The Japanese reels in the bronze. Canada was side-by-side with the Jamaicans until the second leg. They finish 6th and China was disqualified.

10:08 AM: Hearts are thumping now for the men's 4 by 100 relay. Jamaica is in lane 5-Canada alongside in lane 6. The United States is not here as you know. Great Britain was disqualified. A medal for Canada not out of the question. The crowd is chanting jia you for China!

10:06 AM: A short while ago, the Spanish world champion basketball team advanced to the gold medal final by narrowly beating Lithuania 91-86. The United States Redeem Team will play Argentina shortly and are of course, the prohibited favs. However, Argentina has defeated Team USA before.

9:58 AM: Bryan Clay of the United States wins the Decathlon gold medal!!!! He led from event 1 to 10 and had an insurmountable lead heading into the exhausting 1500. Look at this friendship between the decathletes. They're embracing eachother, congratulating eachother. A sweet sight to see at the Olympics!!

9:57 AM: Still match point for Brazil-Italy serves-and a SPIKE does the job!!! The Brazilians celebrate. They will go to the Final. The Italians applaud them and their own effort.

9:56 AM: Match point for Brazil-and the Italians save one!

9:49 AM: Brazil is communicating better than the Italians. They are a few points away from the gold medal match, leading 18-15 in the fourth.

9:47 AM: It's nearing the end of the Lithuania v. Spain basketball game (men's semifinal). With about 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter, Lithuania is leading 83-79.

9:35 AM: The United States men's volleyball team advanced to the gold medal match overnight. Now, it's Brazil vs. Italy at the Capital Gymnasium. Winner moves on to face the USA, loser will fight for bronze with Russia. Brazil currently up 2 sets to 1, leading11-7 in the fourth.

9:29 AM: A short while ago, Zhang YiNing beat Wang Nan to win the gold medal of the women's singles table tennis tournament. Again it went from tough to easy as Zhang lost the first game 8-11, then stormed back to take the next 4 games 13-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-3! Guo Yue won the bronze to make it a Chinese sweep!

9:16 AM: Unbelievable! The Jamaicans botch the 3rd pass, they step out of their lane and throw the entire race away. The Russians win gold, the Belgians capture silver and it was a close finish for bronze. But a amazing developmen for the Jamaicans. They mess up on the baton passing and it's just a shame to see DNF beside Jamaica.

9:12 AM: Time for some baton-passing!! The women's 4 by 100 relay is ready to go! You know who to watch for!! J-A-M-A-I-C-A!!!

9:05 AM: Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia has completed the long-distance double. She strides her way to the gold in the women's 5000 after winning the 10000 earlier in the week. It's the first time in Olympic history that's happened. How many "firsts" are we going to see in Beijing??

9:01 AM: Overnight, two more medals for Canada. Thomas Hall capturing bronze in the C1 1000 and Karine Sergerie kicked her way to silver in Women's 67 KG Taekwondo class. Adam van Koeverden finished 8th out of 9 kayakers in the K1 1000 in which he won bronze 4 years ago.

____________(Sleep)____________

12:10 AM: Everybody get on your feet!!! Here is GOLD MEDAL POINT!!!! 14-4...serve, pass, set...and DENIED BY DALHAUSSER!!!!!!!!!!! An appropriate end for the Thin Beast!! The United States makes it double gold in beach volleyball!! Terrific endurance for Rogers and Dalhausser, you could see the difference in the third set. So the Professor and the Thin Beast fly the Stars and Stripes once again in Chaoyang and proving that they are on top of the world.

12:08 AM: The Professor-Todd Rogers drops a soft landing in between the Brazilians. It's 12-3 for the Americans. Rogers/Dalhausser just look so much tougher in this third set. And playing alot smarter for gold.

12:07 AM: Marcio hits an easy serve into the net. Gives away a crucial opportunity. It's 10-2 R/D!!!

12:05 AM: And another REJECTION from Phil!!!! Three consecutive points, three consecutive blocks from Dalhausser!!! 9-1 USA!! Brazil is being choked right now by the huge stuffings.

12:04 AM: BOOM-REJECTION from Dalhausser...and again...REJECTION from Dalhausser!! The Thin Beast comes up with 2 huge blocks for Team USA and they're up 8-1.

12:02 AM: Look at this!! In a matter of 5 minutes, Rogers/Dalhausser have opened up a 6-1 lead in the third set tiebreak. The Brazilians are making silly errors and Dalhausser is serving like a big man!!

12:00 AM: As Beijing hits high noon, baseball is going at Wukesong Park. The Japanese just slapped a single in the top of the 5th. Koreans are leading 2-1...2 outs.

11:55 PM: Still set point...and a service error does the job. The Brazilians balance the weights to a set each. We will play to a third set as we should!! No body wants this spike/dig/rally/serve/block fest to end!!

11:54 PM: Stand up Brazil!!! It's 20-16 for the green and yellow....and Rogers pounds another one into the sand.

11:53 PM: Rogers has been effective in spiking the ball. Dalhausser has been shaky at the net in the last few plays.

11:51 PM: Dalhausser slams one into the net. The Brazilians have won 3 straight points. The Americans are now under pressure.

11:50 PM: It's 15 all at Chaoyang Park...and Fabio pounds one into the sand!! 16-15 Brazil. This is a sizzling match with huge saves, huge blocks, huge digs and a huge crowd.

11:47 PM: Wang Nan has just defeated Guo Yue in a 6 gamer-the all Chinese semi-final in women's singles. So it will be Zhang YiNing v. Wang Nan in the final. No surprise there.

11:43 PM: Dalhausser just STUFFED Fabio!!! Amazing air Phil is getting!!! And did you know Dalhausser was born in Switzerland? His dad is German, his mother is Swiss. He used to play baseball as well.

11:41 PM: Rogers and Dalhausser are 94-8 this season!! Not as dominant as Misty and Kerri, but you can't get much better than that!!

11:40 PM: The NBC beach volleyball commentary is very very informative and innovative! Simple yet interesting!! Superb analysis and just enough talk to keep viewers company! Two thumbs up!!

11:37 PM: Unbelievable rally!!!!! All 4 athletes were almost buried in the sand, diving and digging!! Rally of the match so far!!!

11:35 PM: The two teams had 13 ties in the first set and we're back at it again. It's 5-5 early in the second set.

11:29 PM: The Brazilians jam it into the net!! And it's a 23-21 victory in set 1 for Rogers and Dalhausser. They are a set away from gold. This is even more exciting than yesterday's women's gold medal match!! There are chants of U-S-A and of course, the "oh-le"s!!

11:27 PM: In this fast paced match, the Americans have themselves a second set point. ...and Fabio puts it over Dalhausser's outstretched hand. Commentator's line of the game: "That blue and yellow paneled ball was spinning so fast if almost turned green..."

11:26 PM: Rogers/Dalhausser can't put away set point. Marcio jams it away!!

11:25 PM: Neither teams relent. Brazil and the United States are still in a dead heat in the first set of the men's beach vball final. 19-19!

11:20 PM: While it's 15 all on the beach. The medal ceremony of men's BMX event is going on right now. It's weird seeing wild dirty boys receiving pristine Olympic medals on that elegant podium with the gorgeous ladies holding the medals.And look at this, the two Americans thought it was over before the anthem was played. But I'm sure these cyclist-adventurers will get used to the Olympic tradition.

11:12 PM: The resilience of Rogers/Dahausser guides them back into this game. It's now just 10-9 for Brazil. They've had some shimmering digs already!!

11:08 PM: The Brazilians are chanting soccer cheers! Ohhhh-leee-oh-le-oh-le-oh-le...oh-le...oh-le!!!

11:04 PM: Rogers/Dalhausser are down early 6-1 in the opening set. They've already committed 3 unforced errors. Pick it up gentlemen, this is the Olympic final!!

11:01 PM: The Thin Beast and Todd Rogers are taking to the sand in the men's beach volleyball gold medal final!! Marcio/Fabio of Brazil are their opponents and it won't be an easy one for the Americans. Fabio is 6'8", nicknamed Jaws.

10:52 PM: Zhang YiNing wins her semi. Li JiaWei will go paddle for bronze. 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-8 and 11-5. It went from tough to easy for Zhang. And since the next semi-final (11 PM) will be an all Chinese one, China is guaranteed another gold and perhaps a glorious sweep.

10:47 PM: They've walked for more than 3 hours in heavy humidity. It's the men's 50 KM race walk event of course. Sounds easy? It's incredible how fast these guy stroll. But man, walking for 3 hours is quite an accomplishment itself.

10:42 PM: World Champion Maris Strombergs of Latvia pulls out the finest performance of his career to take the gold medal of the men's BMX event. Two Americans take silver and bronze. What a wild wild race!!! What a wild wild sport!!!

10:33 PM: What a race! Sam Cools crashed before the first turn and the two Frenchwomen go 1-2!!!!

10:30 PM: Here comes the fateful Final of the Women's BMX event. Canadian Sam Cools is at the starting line.

10:22 PM: In table tennis women's semifinals action, athlete oath taker Zhang YiNing is facing Li JiaWei from Singapore. Both have won a set each with Li leading 6-4 in the third.

10:10 PM: Sam Cools of Alberta has advanced to the women's BMX final. With the falls we have seen, it's anybody's race!

10:07 PM: BMX is raising alot of eyebrows and gaining alot of popularity, especially with my generation. Yea, I admit it, it is damn exciting. You really do feel the adrenaline rush, but only if it could be a little longer. With the reception BMX is receiving, I think it won't be kicked off the programme anytime soon.

9:40 PM: And it is indeed a bronze medal for Ricardo/Emanuel of Brazil. You know they want to be in that gold medal match to defend their title. But Rogers/Dalhausser have proven that they are the dominant pair on the beach now. And they're so grounded and happy with this medal. Classy athletes.

9:34 PM: It's R/E's bronze medal to lose. With this lead, they'd really have to blow up to throw this medal away. In the second set, it's 18-7 for Brazil!!!

9:28 PM: At Chaoyang Park, Brazil has opened up on a huge lead on the Georgians, leading in the second set 11-3!!!

9:26 PM: Haha, Bob Costas is a funny man. He just admitted he "knows nothing" about BMX but it's "exciting". That gave me a chuckle!

9:21 PM: The difference in that first set was the successful attacks percentage. The Brazilians were 14/21, a solid 67% while the Georgians were just 10/22, short of 50%.

9:19 PM: Second set point for Ricardo/Emanuel. No spike needed. Just a little tap over the net wins the set number one for the Brazilians.

9:16 PM: They're fighting for the bronze at Chaoyang Park. Ricardo/Emanuel vs. Geor/Gia! The Brazilian defending champs are up 18-12 in the opening set. But look at the change in weather! Beautiful, gorgeous day with the sun brightly shining.

7:05 PM: Though these Games will be coming to an end in 3 days :(...there is still lots of action to be seen. Especially on the track, where 7 gold medals will be handed out. The sprint relays will be the most exceptional ones to watch. But on the water, Canada's medal contenders are out. Adam van Koeverden in his secondary event-K1 1000 and Thomas Hall-C1 1000 are expected to make some noise. BMX will get underway after a day of delay. And the Chinese will be lovin table tennis as the women's singles crown is up for grabs. In beach volleyball, Rogers/Dalhausser draw inspiration from Misty and Kerri. And it's sudden death for many of the medal rounds in the team sports. Keep it here for a constant flurry of updates!

-D

Rain, Rain Go Away (and a Typhoon) on Day 13

12:17 PM: What a dramatic Day 13 it was! It started with heavy rain, an incredible beach volleyball final, upsets, surprises and botches on the track, a merited silver for Emilie Heymans of Canada and Eric Lamaze ends the day with a gold for the Great White North. I'll see you on Day 14!

12:09 PM: I got goosebumps listening to O Canada. What a great moment. And Eric Lamaze also tears up...the tears of an Olympic champion!

12:06 PM: The gold goes around Eric Lamaze's neck! And here's O Canada...

12:00 PM: The medal ceremony is underway for Eric Lamaze and individual show jumping. Love how they come in on their horses!

11:45 AM: ERIC LAMAZE BRINGS HOME GOLD!!!!!!!!!! Eric Lamaze and Hickstead clear all the jumps and for the first time in Canadian Olympic history, we have an individual equestrian gold medal. What a great moment for Eric Lamaze. Congratulations, that was a tremedous run for Eric!!

11:43 AM: Bengtsson has 4 penalties and a rather slow time. If Lamaze does a perfect run, he wins gold. If he has 4 faults, he still can go faster than the Swede's time to win gold.

11:41 AM: The United States adds a bronze medal in equestrian. And here comes Bengtsson of Sweden in the jump off for gold.

11:31 AM: The United States wins gold in women's soccer. They score a goal in extra time to propel themselvesonto the top step of the podium. Brazil is devastated.

11:12 AM: Eric Lamaze of Canada runs a perfect and clean jump. He is tied for first and will go to a jump off with Ralf-Goran Bengtsson in 15 minutes. Assured of at least a silver, Lamaze, third-ranked in the world will jump for gold.

11:02 AM: The United States have scored in the women's football gold medal match. They're in the 11th minute of extra time after 90 minutes was useless in deciding a winner.

10:59 AM: Wow, just read that both the USA men AND women relay teams did not advance to th 4 by 100 final. For the men, it was the first time since 1912, the women, the first since 1948. Canadian men finished second to Jamaica in their semi-final and will advance to the final!

10:54 AM: Some of these horses have hilarious names. "Ninja" "Opium"...

10:34 AM: They're in the 77th minute at Workers Stadium. USA and Brazil are still tied at 0!!

10:25 AM: Okay, I understand that Eric Lamaze and Ian Millar have a shot at the individual show jumping medals. But, how many Canadians really want to watch equestrian at 10 in the morning, when there are other much more exciting events to air? Say, Radio Canada-the French speaking arm of the CBC-is airing the thrilling and heart-thumping relays from earlier. Why not that on English CBC?

10:15 AM: Oh and if you haven't heard, during the women's 4 by 100 relay heats, the United States dropped their baton on the anchor leg. So the Americans are out. We won't see the much anticipated Jamaica-USA match up in the final.

10:13 AM: At Workers Stadium, they're scoreless at half time. It's the gold medal match between the American and Brazilian women.

9:56 AM: The medal ceremony for the Men's 400 is right now. Man, Wariner was just not himself tonight. He's addressing the crowd, but deep down, you can only imagine how disappointed he is. Jeremy's a classy athlete and I still believe he will break Johnson's world record someday.

9:47 AM: Dayron Robles grabs the gold in a time of 12.94. The two Americans Payne and Oliver lean for silver and bronze. No competition for the happy Cuban.

9:46 AM: Here we go! Set...gone...

9:42 AM: Hurdles are an exciting race 'cause you just never know what could happen. They're NOT that easy to jump over either. David Oliver of the United States is probably the biggest threat to Robles in this race.

9:36 AM: Here comes Dayron Robles and the other hurdlers. It's the final of the 110 M hurdles race. Liu Xiang, of course, unable to be in the final. It shoulda been a match up that drew the biggest cheers. But instead, it's Robles who is now the clear prohibited favourite.

9:27 AM: Americans sweep the podium. But LeShawn Merritt is the winner. Big upset at the Bird's Nest! Jeremy Wariner just tighted up in the last 100, horrible finish, but a silver nonetheless. Wariner must be very disapppointed. I was very disappointed. A 44.75 is a disgusting time for Wariner. Something went wrong there. David Neville, the other American, made a diving effort for bronze. Congrats to Merritt. But Jeremy Wariner fails to execute tonight.

9:24 AM: On your mak...set...and they're off!!! Wariner looking very good!

9:22 AM: On you mark...set...FALSE START. Rooney from Team GB jumped the gun.

9:21 AM: There's my man...Jeremy Wariner with his signature shades. Already world champ and Olympic champ. Let's see what he can do here!!

9:19 AM: Here are the intros for the 400 M final!!! Kudos to the CBC for showing it live!! I am impressed by this classy decision.

9:16 AM: Listen to this crowd!! Chen RuoLin needs to average 8.5 to get the gold. ...that'll do it!!! That was a perfect dive, almost splashless. Four out of the seven judges gave her a deserving 10. Chen wins gold. Heymans wins silver. Wang wins bronze. What a great final round!!

9:15 AM: Nerve-wracking moment for Heymans. She did all she can do and can only wait and see. One Chinese left, the biggest threat to overtaking Heymans from the gold medal position.

9:11 AM: Jeremy Wariner is in the ready room. In 10 minutes, he'll come out and try to defend his Olympic title.

9:02 AM: Emilie Heymans has vaulted into 1st place after 4 dives. The two Chinese both missed their 4th dive a little bit. I don't know who to cheer for.

9:00 AM: The gold medal match for women's soccer is now underway at Workers' Stadium. USA and Brazil kick off for the Olympic title in what is a very rainy Beijing. Will update when action picks up.

8:58 AM: Emilie Heymans just nailed her 4th dive. She score 95.2 points and pretty much snagged a medal with that. Very impressive dive from Heymans!

8:48 AM: It's the Grand Final of the softball tournament. Japan defeated the United States 3-1 for the gold. It's a shocker as the USA has not lost a game since Sydney 2000 and never lost the gold medal game. Well, I guess you can win everything. Terrific pitching from Japan!

8:46 AM: After 3 of 5 dives in the women's 10 M platform final, Emilie Heymans is in 2nd place. Looking good for the Canadian. The 1-2-3 divers are very tightly bunched. The next two are make or break.

____________(Sleep)____________

12:10 AM: I'm out for tonight. Just heard that Ron MacLean's mother has passed away from cancer. It's very sad news, will be awkward without seeing MacLean on prime time. My condolences and best wishes go out to him and his family! See you in the morning.

11:49 PM: Congratulations to Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor. They earned it!!

11:44 PM: And the spike always works!!!! Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh WIN the tournament without dropping a set!!!!!!! It's an 108 match winning streak. That's just incredible. I was rooting for China of course, but a silver and a bronze is already history for China. It's okay. Tian/Wang just have to work like Nadal and hope the time comes for May/Walsh like it has for Federer.

11:43 PM: GOLD MEDAL POINT for the United States. Get the tape recorder rolling!

11:42 PM: Wang Jie rejects Misty May-Treanor!! It's 18 all!!!

11:41 PM: Misty May and Kerri Walsh are 480-16 since winning in Athens 4 years ago. They are unbeaten this year. So dominant!

11:35 PM: China stuffs Walsh and retake the lead 15-14. It's a true tug of war between these two teams, really showing why they're top two in the world.

11:33 PM: You can't tell the difference between the sweat and raindrops on the bodies of the players on the sand. The ball's really making the rallies interesting. It's China by one: 14-13 in the second set.

11:30 PM: The skies look even more ominous now. You can see the shadows of the players on the sand from the bank of lights. Is this 11:30 AM in Beijing?? Or 11:30 at night?? And hey look at that, guard Jason Kidd is at Chaoyang rooting for the Misty and the United States.

11:28 PM: Tian hits another ace. It's 8 all in the second set. ...make that 2 straight aces!!!! The latter one topspins off the net. The Chinese lead 9-8 and they are coming back in this set.

11:22 PM: They're done diving at the Water Cube. Chen RuoLin qualifies first in the semi finals, some 44 points ahead of Paola Espinosa of Mexico. Then, it's the other phenom Wang Xin and then the Canadian veteran Emilie Heymans in 4th place. Marie-Eve Marleau also squeezes into the final set to go at 8 AM tomorrow morning.

11:21 PM: That's it, a spike does the job. Team USA up one set to none! They just have so much more raw power than the Chinese and is communicating better right now.

11:18 PM: Set point for the USA. This is a terrific game. China asks for a time out. This is truly a golden match.

11:16 PM: The Americans and Chinese are chasing eachother like cat and mouse. It's 17 all in the first set!

11:13 PM: It's 13 all after an ace from Tian Jia!! The rain's not dampening the spirits of the fans! They are into this big time! Lot of parity between the two teams so far.

11:08 PM: They've got volunteers with brooms sweeping water off the track. This is a crazy day in Beijing. Just look at how dark the skies are!!

11:05 PM: After 4 rounds of diving, it's Chen RuoLin in 1st, Mexican beauty Paola Espinosa is 2nd, followed by Wang Xin and Emilie Heymans.

11:03 PM: As the Chinese lead 4-2 in the opening set, CBC's transmission is about 3 seconds faster than NBC's, just for the record.

11:01 PM: The rain continues to pour as USA stuffs the Chinese for the first point of the game.

10:59 PM: As the clock strikes 11, Misty May Treanor/Kerri Walsh takes to the court to defend their Olympic gold and extend the 107 match win streak. At the same time, the Chinese pair Tian Jia/Wang Jie want to derail the Americans and take gold at home!

10:58 PM: Quote of the day from NBC diving commentators: "Melissa Wu has one of the most beautiful tucks in the world...and one of the worst entries."

10:52 PM: David Davies, after leading for about an hour 55 minutes, misses out on the Olympic title. Dutch veteran van der Wilden wins the gold, coming up hard in the end.

10:49 PM: All the Chinese divers are picking up on the tradition of taking a bow after their dives. Must be lucky!

10:46 PM: Man we are seeing some serious misses in the diving event (including Emilie Heymans) Huge splashes. Demoralizing scores. Not only that, but it hurts if you don't enter the water vertically. But what a contrast the Chinese are-entering almost splashless.

10:44 PM: Now you wonder, do athletes get into any event they want for free? We've seen the Redeem Team go cheer for Phelps. We've seen Despatie now cheering for Heymans. Okay, they probably do, but are they allowed to sit anywhere they want? Or are they assigned seats?

10:36 PM: Zhang YiNing wins: 11-5, 11-2, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8! She moves on to the quarterfinals. And overall, just dominated Fukuhara.

10:34 PM: What a beautiful shot the super slow mo provides in table tennis. It gives such a clear look at the spin and the focus/reflexes of the players.

10:31 PM: After 2 dives, Emilie Heymans sits in 2nd place. And a Russian has come across the finish line in the Women's 20 KM Race Walk. Norway has got a silver in that event and Italy settles for bronze. The hosts China just misses out, finishing fourth in the Walk.

10:26 PM: Look at this table tennis match! What a great great match up. Flagbearer for Japan Ai Fukuhara vs. athlete oath taker Zhang YiNing. Fukuhara is very popular in China if you didn't know. She was actually raised and trained in northern China before returning to compete for Japan. So, an exciting one here. It's a shame whoever loses. Currently, Zhang leads 3 games to 1. It's best of 7 in table tennis.

10:23 PM: Preliminary wrestling?? Really? No diving, no track, no table tennis, but wrestling?? Okay, the commentators are pretty good, explaining the rules and everything, but I want to watch some table tennis.

10:19 PM: What was that red thing David Davies just put in his mouth? It was handed to him in one of those spears with a pocket on the end of it. Looked like raspeberry juice or something. Oh and after round 1 of the women's 10 M semi finals, Emilie Heymans of Canada is in premier position!

10:13 PM: Unbelievable entries by the Chinese. It just doesn't get boring watching the Chinese dive. It's crazy how tiny the splash is. These ladies are not light objects. Though they don't weight 200 pounds, they still hit the water at 35 mph. I am always impressed by the Chinese rip entry!!

10:09 PM: J'adore la plongeon!! Les chinoises essaient de gagner leurs septieme medaille d'or de la plongeon avec le 10 M des femmes. Emilie Heymans de Canada est dans troisieme position de ce demi-finale. How was my French?? (as I am listening to French commentary on this diving event)

10:05 PM: Hey hey! David Davies is leading the 10 K race! I like the guy, very very smart swimmer and tremendous endurance!!

9:57 PM: Very dedicated fans out to cheer on the marathon swimmers!! Look at the stands at the Ming Tombs filled with jaunty spectators! Considering the weather, this is a great sight, psychological boost for the swimmers!

9:51 PM: Had a warm shower. Missed the end of the China-Brazil beach vball match. But it is officially medal #80 for China!!!! Xue Chen and Zhang Xi grabs the bronze by a score of 21-19, 21-17! In an hour's time, May-Treanor/Walsh and Tian Jia/Wang will take to the sand for gold.

9:19 PM: China wins the first set 21-19!! Neither teams effective with the block as the ball has been slippery in these wet conditions. The sand doesn't look too bad though.

9:13 PM: It's wet and sticky in Chaoyang Park as the women's beach volleyball bronze medal match is now underway. Tolita/Renata of Brazil vs. Xue/Zhang of China. Lots of empty seats at Chaoyang, but it's a good one so far. We're tied at 15 in the opening set.

8:14 PM: Rain is sheeting down on Beijing AND Hong Kong. So, some of the events that may be affected include the Race Walk, Open Water Swimming, BMX, Equestrian, Softball, Football...it's looks like a disastrously messy schedule right now. We can only wait.

7:04 PM: Damn phone connection ruined my show tonight. Anyhow, it's better to move on from things like that. So let's talk about the good stuff that's taking place on Day 13. I'm looking forward to the Men's 400 M final tomorrow morning with my man Jeremy Wariner ready to defend his title! I'm telling ya, he may just break Johnson's WR tomorrow! It's daring, but it's possible on this fast track. The Men's 110 M Hurdles final tomorrow will be without Liu Xiang. BMX biking goes tonight as does Open Water Swimming. Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh will battle for gold against the greatest Chinese pair of Tian Jia/Wang Jie! Diving also goes tomorrow morning, always fun to watch! Looking forward to lots of events!

-D

Quiet but Not So Quiet on Day 12

12:14 PM: Serbia extends the match. It's still match point. 14-12 for the United States...and a SPIKE does the job!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The United States men move on to the medal round! That's Day 12! Usain Bolt with another immortal performance today. Join me for that and more at 6:30 PM at www.blogtalkradio.com/hdsports! See you in the evening!

12:13 PM: Match point USA...Clay Stanley serving.

12:10 PM: David Lee's serving and he's getting USA closer and closer to the semi final. It's 12-10 in the fifth set. The atmosphere is heating up!

11:54 AM: And yes, it will be a long one indeed. The American men force a fifth set. It's getting late in Beijing, but the action never stops!

11:42 AM: It may be another long one at the Capital Gymnasium-the USA down a set in the fourth, leading 12-11.

11:26 AM: Once again, NBC has chosen to neglect one of the most exciting races of the Olympics to broadcast volleyball. Classless! And oh yes, the commentators were complaining about gymnastic scores again last night.

11:18 AM: It's 15 all in the third set of the men's volleyball quaterfinals between USA and Serbia. The teams won a set each.

10:57 AM: Still soaking in the magnitude of what Usain Bolt just did!! This is once in a lifetime event. And what an unforgettable race this was. Nobody in the 112 year history of the Olympics has ever lowered both the 100 and 200 world records. It's rare just to win both events. And he does it in a significant headwind, a day before his birthday!! Perfection!!!!

10:40 AM: Can you imagine the celebration in Kingston, Jamaica right now??!! Melaine Walker in the Women's 400 M Hurdles race has given another reason for Kingston to celebrate. She has snagged the gold, Sheena Tosta of the United States wins silver and Team GB settles for bronze with Tasha Danvers.

10:29 AM: Wallace Spearmon, the 3rd place finisher has been disqualified for stepping on the lane line. But what a birthday present this is for Usain Bolt. That's right! It's his 22nd birthday!!!! I thought Federer's 27th was good because he carried the flag into the most lavish OC we'd ever seen. But Bolt beats that hands down by running a WR in the 200, capturing double gold and double WR in Beijing!!!

10:22 AM: WORLD RECORD!!! WORLD RECORD!!! WORLD RECORD!!! Remarkable! Unbelievable! We have never seen this ever!!! Usain Bolt broke the world record in the 200! It's 19.30 seconds! It's 19.30!!!!!!! And it's a headwind!! What a sprint!! This is almost impossible-19.30 at sea level into a headwind!! He shellacked the field again! Not only is it a double gold, it's a DOULBE WORLD RECORD. He finally ran through the line this time and the result is the WR falling again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10:21 AM: ON YOUR MARK-SET-...and they're off!!!!!

10:13 AM: Here comes Usain Bolt!!!!!!! People are saying he's have to fall flat on his face for anybody to beat him. Bolt is trying to do what no man has done since Carl Lewis did in 1984-the sprint double gold.

10:10 AM: I bet you've never heard of the national anthem of Estonia! It's quite short and slow. At least it's not sombre.

9:58 AM: From the semi-finals of the women's 200, you can tell that the final will be another fierce battle between the United States and Jamaica!

9:53 AM: The Redeem Team now up 116-85 on the Aussies in the 4th quarter. Can anybody stop these guys??

9:51 AM: A short while ago, Emilie Heymans qualified 3rd in the prelims of the women's platform diving. She moves on to the semis in a great position, so does the other Canuck Marie-Eve Marleau.

9:50 AM: China won a bronze medal in the women's hammer throw. Never knew we had this talent...

9:41 AM: China has missed the cut. Shi DongPeng so closely and anxiously missing out on the final by 2/100th of a second.

9:36 AM: Shi DongPeng, China's remaining hopes in the 110 M Hurdles is out on the track, is receving a roaring reception from the Bird's Nest crowd. The pressure now focuses on him but don't count him out.

9:33 AM: Dayron Robles sure doesn't look like an athlete, with his glasses and scholarly look, but he sure can run. Cruising into the final with an impressive time of 13.12.

9:28 AM: I'm hearing some boos for Dayron Robles, but mostly cheers.

9:25 AM: Here come the hurdles. The semis of the men's 110 M hurdles race is set to go at 9:30. It'll be interesting to see the crowd's reaction to Liu Xiang absence. China has been a graceful audience, but they may not be as excited for this one as they are for other races.

9:23 AM: The United States basketball team-the Redeem Team-is way ahead of Australia in the quarterfinal game. 89-61's the lopsided score.

9:20 AM: Caught the tail end of Rashid Ramzi's medal ceremony (men's 1500). That was Bahrain's first ever medal at the Olympics. Great honour for Ramzi, sure he'll be a national hero.

9:13 AM: Brazil seals it. It was a straight sets defeat for China, but they're just happy to have playd against Brazil and are thrilled to be in the QFs. That's alright, China's men's volleyball team has been on the rise and it has a bright future.

9:11 AM: Men's Volleyball Quarterfinals: Match point for Brazil against China. Leading 24-15 in the third set.

____________(Sleep)____________

12:02 AM: What a sport BMX biking is. Dangerously fast. Wildly unpredictable. Otherwise, it's quiet until the evening session in Bird's Nest. Hope Canada's softball squad can pull out a win!! See you in the morning.

11:42 PM: I like Shawn Johnson's ear rings-they are in the shape of "peace" signs. Very nice!

11:25 PM: Why do Japanese gymnasts wear Chinese colours? Are they trying to fool the judges?!

11:18 PM: After 2 hours of swimming, the 10 K marathon is over. Russian Larisa Ilchenko wins the inaugural gold medal. Team GB wraps up silver and bronze, Keri-Anne Payne and Cassandra Patten respectively.

11:12 PM: The water polo cameras catch a sleepy spectator. I don't blame her. The score, if you're wondering, is 9-7 in favour of the Italians over the Canadians.

11:08 PM: Look at this cool tool used in Open Water Swimming. It's an exhausting distance, so the coaches hand the swimmers water bottles via a stick with a pocket on the bottom with the country's flag painted on the pocket. That is, of course, so that Canadians don't grab American bottles. Cool stuff!

10:55 PM: That's it! Marcio Araujo/Fabio Luiz have beaten the defending Olympic gold medallists-Ricardo/Emanuel. It will be a Brazil-Georgia bronze match and a USA-Brazil battle for gold. Should be a good one to watch!

10:53 PM: Match point for MA/FL!!! They could pull an upset and go on to fight for gold with Rogers/Dalhausser!

10:48 PM: Marcio Araujo/Fabio Luiz are up 18-14 on the defending champs. Ricardo and Emanuel just aren't as consistent today.

10:45 PM: Japan and the USA are scoreless in the top of the 6th in the first softball semi final. Canada-Australia gets underway at midnight.

10:39 PM: Excuse me?? The NBC track commentators said that Sanya Richards loss to Christine Ohuruogu was the biggest upset of these Games yet?? Excuse me, but I think that nothing would ever come close to that image of our NATIONAL HERO Liu Xiang. That was disappointment to a billion people. How many people even know Sanya Richards??

10:34 PM: Defending Olympic champions Ricardo/Emanuel in the men's beach volleyball tournament is in trouble, down a set early to fellow Brasilians Marcio Araujo/Fabio Luiz 22-24 and down 6-8 in the second.

10:15 PM: Wow, the two Brits are in front in the marathon swimming event for the women. Can't blame the others, cause they don't have an English Channel to practice in! Haha.

10:05 PM: I love the camera angles in the Open Water swimming event. Very good isolation shots and great views from the boats! Impressive!

9:48 PM: Rogers/Dalhausser once again owning their opponents. This time, the Georgians never had a chance. Todd and Phil now move onto the Gold Medal Match after an easy defeat, 21-13/21-11.

9:33 PM: I'm watching Taekwondo and I don't understand it at all. But I learned that you get 2 points for a kick in the head, 1 in the torso and that a competitor wins when he/she opens a lead of great than 6 points or leads after 3 periods. Cool! Even cooler, Canadians are expected to medal in this one! But Ivett Gonda, a favourite in the -49 KG, has been upset by a Swede and she is out after just one bout.

7:04 PM: It's a day of few gold medals, but potential history as the superhuman Usain Bolt goes for the rare sprint double in 200 M Finals tomorrow morning. Canadian Ivett Gonda wants a medal badly in taekwondo but she'll have to earn it against strong Chinese and Taiwa...oops, I mean Chinese Taipei opponents. Otherwise, Rogers/Dalhausser in action tonight, Redeem Team in action as well. BMX Cycling making its Olympic debut as well as Open Water Marathon Swimming. Should be fun!

-D