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Post by number1fan on Aug 13, 2008 2:33:34 GMT -5
ahhh...'twas not meant to be for the women's gymnastics team *sigh*
china gold / usa silver / romania bronze
looking forward to the individual events and the all-around!
thanks for the badminton article aaosmts19 and that photo of bach and malaythong susie 
...wonder when they'll be on primetime 
and loved all those pics of mp aofreak!  ...he's just racking up all the gold medals and world records......AMAZING!
lily...you lucky lady, getting to see apolo at the bank no less. 
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Post by tabatha on Aug 13, 2008 2:54:50 GMT -5
I was bummed about the gymnastics team as well. But they did well considering. Tough break on their slip ups.
AOfreak, I love the last Michael Phelps picture, the one of him in the water. Amazing. The US dominated. Still can't believe how far ahead they were. And did so under 7. Wow.
Baseball is coming up shortly, I'm thinking. I wanna see how Barden does.
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Post by aaosmts19 on Aug 13, 2008 6:02:32 GMT -5
Men's doubles quarterfinals today at 1pm...must be local time; hopefully we will see them on tonight's show  Raju Rai of the USA plays a shot during his Men's Singles match against... (Michael Steele / Getty) www.mercurynews.com/columns/ci_10181178Purdy: U.S. badminton players deserve some respectBy Mark Purdy Mercury News Columnist Article Launched: 08/12/2008 06:26:30 PM PDT BEIJING — Until this week, I had never seen or visited a building shaped like a shuttlecock. But then, you see a lot of things here that you don't see other places. Rowdy and unfettered badminton frenzy, for instance. No, really. Some of the Olympics' wildest crowds have been at the new Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium. It was designed architecturally as a salute to China's second or third most popular sport, behind table tennis and/or basketball. I wanted to ask why. But when I stopped by the venue, all of the Chinese fans in the building were too hoarse and sore to answer, or even use sign language. They had busted the strings on their vocal chords and their wrists were sore from banging together their inflatable thundersticks. "This is definitely how I wanted it to be,'' Howard Bach said. "It's crazy.'' Bach is the Bay Area's very own badminton evangelist. He grew up in San Francisco, learned to play the game at the Shih Yu-Lang Central YMCA. And he came here with doubles partner Bob Malaythong with the mission of winning America's first badminton Olympic medal. That wasn't going to be easy. After winning their first-round match Tuesday, Bach and Malaythong advanced to a Wednesday quarterfinal match against the tournament's No. 2 seeded team, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng of China. Before the match, Bach and Malaythong planned to enjoy the experience, no matter what. They are accustomed to doing their forehanding and backhanding in quiet anonymity. The fans in China, especially when rooting for one of their own athletes, never stop screaming and noisemaking. (Notice how I refrained from the obvious cheap one-liner of calling it a "racket.") Olympic badminton, I should explain, is not the badminton you might play in the back yard at your family reunion. That is, unless your Uncle Elmer can bat back a shot over the net at more than 200 miles per hour, which is what world-class badmintoners — is that the right term? — can do. That can turn the game vicious — even more so in doubles, when one player often stands near the net to deflect shots in self-defense. While watching the action, the thought crosses your mind that it might be safer for them to play with pellet guns instead of shuttlecocks. Bach loves every minute of it, of course. He also loves it when the crowds get emotional. When the 2005 world championships were held in Anaheim, his favorite moments occurred when foreign fans gave him all kinds of grief. "This guy from Indonesia kept yelling, 'Howard, you suck! You suck!' '' Bach said. "He ran down to the front row and yelled it. I told him, 'I'll show you how crappy I can play when I beat your country's team.' '' And then Bach did just that. He and his then-partner won the tournament to claim the first world championship for any U.S. team. But the Olympics are still a badminton desert for us. No Americans had even advanced to the quarterfinals of an Olympic tournament before Bach and Malaythong won their match Tuesday. Is Bach jealous of the attention received by his Chinese counterparts? Wouldn't you be? Bach says that Lin and the other top Chinese badminton pros can make a half million bucks a year. Bach made about $20,000 in prize money in 2007. He augments his income with a cashier's job at a Home Depot in Orange County, where he now lives. "If we could win a medal someday,'' Bach said, "it would not just show that Americans can play badminton, it would have to get more people excited about the game. My friend, Apolo Ohno, the speed skater, told me that you can win all of the world championships you want — but until you win an Olympic gold medal, Americans won't care.'' He's right. But if they visited the Big Shuttlecock here for the daily badminton blast, I know one thing. They would never look at Uncle Elmer in the back yard the same way again. (Notice how throughout this column, I refrained from suggesting that U.S. architects one day design a baseball stadium to look like a syringe.) |
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Post by susie on Aug 13, 2008 8:13:20 GMT -5
 ...a valiant effort by our guys, though. Chinese too strong for US shuttlers Malaythong and Bach By the Associated Press Posted Wednesday, August 13, 2008 4:00 AM ET Bob Malaythong and Howard Bach of the United States received a taste of China's badminton supremacy on Wednesday, losing to the second-seeded pair of Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng in the quarterfinals of the Olympic badminton tournament. The Chinese pair raced out to an 8-1 lead in the first game and never looked back on their way to a 21-9, 21-10 win over the unseeded Americans. "They are world-class players and we expected nothing less," Bach said. "They converted on every opportunity they had." Cai and Fu will meet Lee Jae-jin and Hwang Ji-man of South Korea in Friday's semifinals of men's doubles. Lee and Hwang defeated Japan's Keita Masuda and Tadashi Ohtsuka 21-12, 18-21, 21-9 in an earlier match. Malaythong and Bach settled down in the second game and held an 8-7 lead at one point, but the Chinese pair rallied and took an 11-8 advantage at the break. A monster smash by Cai made it 14-9 and Malaythong threw his racket in the air in frustration. Chants of "U-S-A! U-S-A!" were met with boos by the flag-waving crowd at Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium. Bach said he was taken aback by the booing. "I was surprised," Bach said. "I wouldn't call it bad sportsmanship, they just wanted everything for their players and it's the same everywhere you go." The Chinese players were diplomatic in their assessment of the match. "We didn't underestimate them," Fu said. "You never know what's going to happen in the Olympics, so we took it seriously." By reaching the quarterfinals with a 21-10, 21-16 win over Chris and Roelof Dednam of South Africa on Tuesday, Malaythong and Bach advanced further than any American ever has in the Olympic badminton tournament.
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Post by number1fan on Aug 13, 2008 11:28:01 GMT -5
Nadal reaches quarterfinals
Federer avenges 2004 loss to Berdych with straight-set win
Posted Wednesday, August 13, 2008 3:28 AM ET
BEIJING (AP) -- Perhaps Roger Federer's not washed up yet.
Signaling his recent tailspin may be over, Federer avenged a defeat four years ago at the Olympics by beating Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-6 (4) Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals.
It was Federer's biggest victory since he lost to Rafael Nadal in an epic Wimbledon final last month.
Federer wept after losing to Berdych in the second round at the Athens Games in 2004. This time he was shouting "Yes!" and punching the air after he smacked a service winner on match point to finish off Berdych.
"He's always dangerous," Federer said. "I just tried to play tough and compact and not give him much."
Nadal also advanced, digging out of a hole in a pivotal service game and beating Igor Andreev of Russia, 6-4, 6-2. Venus and Serena Williams won to remain on course for a sibling showdown in the women's final Saturday.
Nadal and Federer could meet for the gold medal Sunday. Regardless of the tournament outcome, Nadal is assured of climbing to No. 1 in the rankings next week, ending Federer's 4½-year reign.
Federer will next face No. 8 James Blake, who advanced by beating No. 10 Gilles Simon of France 6-4, 6-2. Blake, the lone U.S. male to survive the first round of singles, is 0-8 against Federer and has won only one of their 22 sets.
"If he's too good for me, he's too good for me," Blake said. "Every time at the beginning of each match, I've felt like I could come out on top."
No. 3 Novak Djokovic, who could face Nadal in the semifinals, beat No. 13 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 7-6 (3), 6-3.
No. 4 Serena Williams busted a racket in frustration over a slow start, then rallied to beat 18-year-old Alize Cornet of France 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Williams' outburst came as she fell behind 5-1 in the first set. She gradually tamed her erratic groundstrokes, and after managing a service break in the opening game of the final set, she held in five consecutive games for the victory.
Venus Williams, playing her first tournament since winning Wimbledon for the fifth time, also reached the final eight by defeating No. 12 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-3, 6-2. Venus, seeded seventh, is seeking to add to her Olympic medal collection after winning the doubles with her sister and the singles at Sydney in 2000.
"It's only every four years, so now is the time to really play well," she said.
Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, who this week achieved the No. 1 ranking for the first time, beat No. 16 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 7-5, 6-1. Jankovic's next opponent will be No. 6 Dinara Safina of Russia, riding a 13-match winning streak after beating Zheng Jie of China 6-4, 6-3.
When Federer broke for a 4-2 lead in the first set and let out a guttural "hmmmpf," he sounded as though he was lifting a heavy load off his shoulders. Which is exactly what he's trying to do in Beijing.
The stylish Swiss seeks his first medal after getting shut out at Sydney and Athens. He's also trying to end a slump that has left him without a major title this year, stalling his career total at 12, two shy of Pete Sampras' record.
Federer hit three aces in the final game of the first set, but his serve briefly went haywire two games later. He had three double-faults - more than he often hits in an entire match - and fell behind 3-0.
But those were his only double-faults, and he otherwise served well, breaking back in the fifth game and holding the rest of the way. In the tiebreaker he rallied from 3-1 down while hitting three service winners and his 11th ace.
Since losing to Berdych in Athens, Federer has beaten the Czech seven consecutive times while losing only one set.
Nadal played his third-round match on Court 1, which resembles a bull ring, and the Spaniard looked right at home as he wore down Andreev from the baseline. The 4,000-seat stadium was packed, and because of heavy haze the lights were on despite a 4 p.m. start.
Nadal broke for a 4-3 lead and served for the first set three games later. He fell behind love-40 and faced four break points in the game but overcame them all, with Andreev hitting a service return out each time.
In the second set, Nadal raced to a 4-0 lead. He closed out the match with a service winner, then punched the air in triumph.
"I am playing close to my best level," Nadal said. "My goal is try to continuing playing like this."
www.nbcolympics.com/tennis/news/newsid=208192.html
this event is setting up perfectly so far! ;D
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Post by number1fan on Aug 13, 2008 23:08:17 GMT -5
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Post by number1fan on Aug 14, 2008 13:26:04 GMT -5
TENNIS*spoiler alert**spoiler alert**spoiler alert*
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* Williams sisters, Federer ousted in quarters 
Both still alive for Olympic medal in doubles
Posted Thursday, August 14, 2008 7:12 AM ET
BEIJING (AP) -- Serena Williams and Roger Federer probably would have liked the rain to stay.
Federer's bid for his first Olympic singles medal ended Thursday night after a near-four-hour rain delay when he lost to American James Blake.
So began a strange night in the quarterfinals. Serena Williams lost to Elena Dementieva of Russia, and as the clock approached midnight, Venus Williams was beaten by Li Na of China.
Matches were delayed for 3 hours, 35 minutes because of rain. With four matches in progress, rain again forced a stop until Friday at 1:15 a.m., with top-ranked Jelena Jankovic about to begin against Dinara Safina.
The startling sequence came in a tournament that had gone mostly according to form through three rounds. But upsets have long been the norm in Olympic tennis -- since 1988, no top-five player has won the gold medal in men's singles.
No. 4-seeded Serena struggled with her serve early against Dementieva, then staged a rally in the final set. Williams overcame two match points during an 18-point game to hold for 5-3.
But Dementieva held at love in the next game, sealing the victory when Williams pushed a volley wide. The loss came after the U.S. team had won 12 consecutive matches over the past three days.
"It was what it was," Williams said as she left the court. "It hasn't sunk yet."
Williams remained in contention for a doubles medal and was to play a second-round match later with her sister. They won a gold in doubles in 2000 in Sydney.
A wayward forehand plagued Venus, and she sent one long to lose serve and fall behind 6-5 in the second set. The reigning Wimbledon champion had three more forehand errors in the final game, and when Li hit a service winner on match point, the crowd responded with the biggest roar of the tournament.
A few contrarians went against the upset trend. No. 2 Rafael Nadal beat Jurgen Melzer 6-0, 6-4 in a match that ended at 1:08 a.m. Nadal's semifinal opponent will be No. 3 Novak Djokovic, who rallied to defeat Gael Monfils 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Top-seeded Mike and Bob Bryan of the United States won their quarterfinal match in doubles against Lleyton Hewitt and Chris Guccione of Australia, 6-4, 6-3.
Blake's 6-4, 7-6 (2) victory was a stunner in that he had won only a single set in eight previous matches against Federer. But the top-seeded Federer has been battling a yearlong slump that has left him stalled at 12 major titles, two shy of Pete Sampras' record.
His Wimbledon reign ended last month, and he came to Beijing knowing he would lose the No. 1 ranking to Rafael Nadal next week after 4½ years on top.
Federer's latest defeat means no rematch in Sunday's final against Nadal, who won in epic fashion when they met for the Wimbledon title.
Federer had been seeking his first Olympic medal after losing in the singles semifinals in Sydney and in the second round in Athens. He was scheduled to play a quarterfinal doubles match later Thursday with Swiss partner Stanislas Wawrinka.
The upset was sweet for the No. 8-seeded Blake, a first-time Olympian at 28 and the lone U.S. male to survive the first round of singles.
www.nbcolympics.com/tennis/news/newsid=213754.html
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Post by tabatha on Aug 14, 2008 14:59:28 GMT -5
too bad for roger, but great for blake. i'm happy for him. the williams sisters...  i usually don't root for them during the regular tennis season, but do during the olympics. hard to believe that they are both out. i hope they do well in doubles... jason lezak goth is first medal (individual) for his swim. bronze, wtg! i've been missing the baseball games, they come on late night/ early morning. and i heard the usa pitcher did a great job. i'm disappointed, this is the last year for baseball in the summer games and they're not showing it in a good time slot imo. i caught the first game, seen brian barden get on base. but whatever... |
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Post by wags on Aug 14, 2008 21:34:04 GMT -5
if you want to watch a 'rewind' video of the men's doubles quarterfinals in badminton (usa vs china) here's the link... Thanks for the link #1. I'll enjoy watching this later. |
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Post by A.O.Freak on Aug 14, 2008 22:01:19 GMT -5
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Post by number1fan on Aug 14, 2008 22:01:28 GMT -5
i hope the link works for you wags...this is how i've been able to watch events i've missed.
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maricorgi
Full Member
I've gone to the dogs.
Posts: 132
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Post by maricorgi on Aug 14, 2008 22:10:55 GMT -5
love the Michael photos.... he just did it again. holy crow.. the perfect athlete.
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Post by number1fan on Aug 14, 2008 23:42:03 GMT -5
 men's basketball...
 92
USA
 69
greece
 U.S.A.U.S.A.U.S.A.U.S.A.U.S.A.
next up...spain
aofreak, awesome pics of michael! ...there's this sports guy here in l.a. calling him 'flow master p' |
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Post by tabatha on Aug 15, 2008 1:11:39 GMT -5
WooHoo. USA does it again. Amazing. I hope that they can beat Spain.
again aofreak, amazing michael phelps photos. ryan got the gold in his race, then bronze, nice to see that. i bet he was beat. he had about half an hour between races. phew!
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Post by mellie on Aug 15, 2008 1:42:03 GMT -5
Woohoo!!! The Americans win gold and silver in the women's gymnastics all around event.
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...a valiant effort by our guys, though. 
