With something like three dozen NBC networks broadcasting some kind of Olympic coverage, it will seemingly be possible to TiVo the Games and watch them continuously for four straight months. And with all that airtime to fill, rest assured NBC will drag out every last longshot, small-town, no-name, violin-strings, heart-wrencher of a story to make you weep your way through the miracle of competition … between commercials for Howie Mandel’s “Deal or No Deal.”
But here are a couple of tidbits that really matter:
* China’s Li Jiajun, one of the favorites in the 500-meter short track speedskating race, has twice suffered a collapsed lung because of race crashes. Another reason speedskating, much like roller derby, has so much viewing potential.
* No, the Jamaican bobsled team will not be at Turin. It failed to qualify. But Robel Teklemariam, an Ethiopian, will compete in cross country skiing. And Pat Antaki will race the skeleton for Lebanon.
* Loveland’s own Jeremy Bloom will have to ski above his head to contend for a medal in freestyle moguls. But his performance is crucial. If Bloom lives up to his chiseled image, the U.S. could get a pole- hold on the event.
* Bode Miller seems like the new Allen Iverson, a dominant athlete whose quirks make stuffy old people hate him. But the question for us violence-loving stateside viewers: Would Americans rather see Miller cruise to gold in the alpine events, or watch him take some bone-crushing crash? Both are real possibilities.
* According to The Washington Post, the U.S. team will be the most racially and ethnically diverse team in the history of the Games, a great point of pride for the team, making it truly unique in the world. In the end, though, American sports fans want to see just one color: gold. In 2002, the U.S. finished second in the overall medal standings, behind Germany. It will be a longshot for the U.S. to overtake the Germans. But not as long a shot as a little team, from a little sport with a little dream referred to simply as “The Miracle on Ice.”
Around town
The Colorado Mammoth is up against it this weekend in a crucial divisional game against the San Jose Stealth at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Pepsi Center. The Mammoth (3-3) leads the Stealth (2-3) in the West Division, with Arizona (3-1) just one game out front. It will be the Mammoth’s last game before the National Lacrosse League breaks for its All-Star Game on Feb. 25. So the Mammoth’s tilt with the Stealth could mean a major swing.
The couch
ON: Extensive, night-long television coverage of the Turin opening ceremony might be about as exciting as watching people walk around in circles (uhm …). But they’re significant for a reason beyond the Games. NBC anchorman Jim Lampley, who also calls boxing bouts for HBO, among other gigs, will be working his 13th televised Olympics – a record, surpassing Jim McKay’s former mark. Lampley, who along with McKay also did time on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports,” told USA Today of his accomplishment: “Since I’ve never been a prime-time host, it’s a little like saying the custodian has been in the building longer than the CEO.”
OFF: The Screamin’ Snowman 5K/10K Snowshoe Race and 1-mile fun walk is a mix of singletrack, groomed ski trails and fresh powder. And, to double the fun, the race will be the 2006 high school state championship snowshoe 5K. The run kicks off Sunday at the Nordic Center at the Eldora Ski Area, in Nederland, at 9:45 a.m. Check racingunderground.com for more information.
What we’d like to see
Sonny Lubick become Colorado State’s next athletic director, if he wants the job. Or better yet, make him AD/football coach, like Wisconsin did with Barry Alvarez, Alabama-Birmingham did with Watson Brown and UNLV did with John Robinson. Lubick, beloved in Fort Collins as CSU’s football coach, would raise money for the program like a PAC chairman for the headset set. And if you’re the AD at CSU, as Mark Driscoll came to learn in his 2 1/2 years on the job, fundraising is more important and more difficult than making sure Cam the Ram takes his vitamins.
Weak in review
The NCAA Division I Basketball Committees had better get their rankings in a row quick, before they have a very BCS-like problem on their hands. Last week the committees began releasing the official Ratings Percentage Indexes (RPI), the rankings used to determine placement in the national tournament. This week’s list had seven Big Ten teams in the top 25 but only two ACC teams. And, ranking above the ACC’s North Carolina at No. 26 were three Missouri Valley teams: Northern Iowa (15), Creighton (16) and Wichita State (23). Say wha’? Air Force and Colorado, by the way, are Nos. 47 and 48.
