Nothing like having your Dreams Dashed, thanks Gloria!

I’ve taken full advantage of the Krld Restaurant week this year. I’ve sampled a bunch of great restaurants. The downside is I need to get serious about my exercise but I’m going to wait until after my birthday. Sorry small detour, that’s not the point of this story. Well after dinner at N9NE we decided to go watch the Channel 8 new at Victory Park. The evening was beautiful.

After the news, the anchors Ted McCaa and Gloria Campos came outside to meet and greet audience. There weren’t many of us out side so I got to speak to both of them. I’ve had a couple of glasses of wine so I can be very out going. Ted comes out first and is super friendly ( although shorter than he looks on TV). I say, “Hey Ted, is 42 to old to follow your dream to become a sport reporter?” He is all charm and smiles. “Your never to old to follow your dream. You don’t have to go back and get a journalism degree. You will probably have to start in a smaller market”. I’m elated. Ted McCaa thinks I can be a sports reporter. Yea me!!!!!

Next Gloria comes out and I’m thinking we are going to have a instant connection. She will see that I’m a lively, intelligent professional not unlike herself. So I repeat, “Hey Gloria, is 42 to old to follow your dream to become a sport reporter?” She pauses for a moment then looks me straight in the eye and says, “You know it is a visual medium!”. Ok great, I’ve been called fat, ugly and old by Gloria Campos! Frankly I was stunned. Couldn’t she have sugar coated it a little. Said something like, hey honey lets leave that jock chasing for those younger bimbos – wink wink. You should be the power behind the scenes” But no! Just “this is a visual medium”. She did follow up, “You could try blogging”. Well I do you mean woman and now you’re the topic of it!

As I walked away a few inches shorter because of the crushing blow to my ego I got to thinking. She’s no Kate Moss! Maybe she just doesn’t want the competition. I’m going to go back one more time and this time I’m asking Dale Hansen, but first I’m going to find him before he goes on air and buy him a drink. Then I’ll ask him!

So for all my myspace friends this is apparently my only hope of some how entering the sports world. Doesn’t any one want my (slightly) slanted view of today’s sports environment. Surely somebody needs an old, fat, woman’s view of sports! Can you hook me up? I don’t expect to start in the locker room interviewing Dirk (but I’m willing and capable). I can write articles for your kids soccer league newspaper!

5 Simple Rings

I love the Olympics!

 

I love love love the Olympics.  The pageantry, the gallantry, the nobility, the hot bodies.  The pure and basic mano y mano competition, well mostly.  (I’ll talk about that in a minute.)   The opening ceremonies were spectacular if not a bit intimidating.   I think it behooves us all to learn some Chinese!  Did you see those numbers?  I’m not being prejudice my best friends are Asian.  No, really they are! Daisy/Xian-ping (did I spell it right?) will vouch for me!

 

I am obsessed with the Olympics.  As I’ve done since I was a kid,  I have been glued to the tv (and now my laptop and cell phone) trying to witness and absorb every minute.  I’m so frustrated that I can’t watch every minute of every sport by every team.  I got so excited about it as a kid and nothing has changed.  I got goose bumps and a lump in my throat watching the opening ceremonies.  Did you see how great Dirk looked carrying his country’s flag.  He was hot to me!  Sitting in my favorite little bar with my favorite young (and hot) bartender watching Dirk enter the stadium is one of my most favorite Olympics moments so far. 

 

Although my enthusiasm and awe of the Olympics and athletes have not changed there is some big differences (some good / some bad)  from the Olympics of my childhood. 

 

Then (as a kid)

• You’d watch an event and immediately run outside and attempt whatever event you just witnessed.  We put so many dance / gymnastics routines together.
• You only got to see what was on tv so you essentially got ‘real time’ updates.
• Gymnastics had Nadia Comaneci.  I remember watching her floor routine and getting her perfect 10s.  It’s a feeling I’ve never forgotten.
• You only got to see what they showed you and only what you were home to see.

 

Now

• You watch an event and you lean over pour yourself another glass a wine and some chicken wings and say “Wow, I wish I could do that!”
• There’s almost too coverage and you find the scores / results out before you get to watch it.
• Gymnastics have become too athletic.  They are all just little jumping machines and the floor routine has lost all artistic/dance flair.  Not sure why they even play music now.
• There’s massive amounts of coverage and live streaming so you can even watch the events at work!  (downside of this is possibly getting fired but I swear I’m multitasking)
• TIVO – OMG TIVO has changed the way I watch the Olympics.  My DVR is completely full of Olympic events from every channel.  The ability to slo mo or freeze frame has changed my life. 
• Michael Phelps! And TIVO are a dead sexy combination!

 

Why oh why, didn’t I realize I should’ve become a sports reporter when I was younger.  Though I’m not sure how well I could maintain my professionalism.  I was watching one of the reporters (female) interview Phelps and he had two drops of water racing each other down his chest looking for that perfect V.  I’m afraid if that would have been me I would have done something like ask… ‘So Michael how do you feeling like getting you 99^th gold medal and breaking your

 

millionth world record’ then leaning over and licking following the trail of those

 

two drips of water with my tongue!

 

On a more serious note, I do have a few issues with the current Olympics.  Although I love it and have watched every game possible, I don’t think basketball should be in the Olympics.  I don’t thing most team sports should be in the Olympics.  There’s other venue for these team sports:  NBA, Majors, World Cup to identify the best of those athletes.  There something loss in a team sport that is evident when individuals complete.  Now having said that I’ve become a huge fan of the beach volleyball.  However, for reasons I can’t quite explain that seems like a more head to head sport.  Maybe it’s a factor of the number of players. 

 

The other issue I have is some of the events that are more about skill vs athleticism.  A person who can run a 1000 miles in 2.2 seconds is an athlete.  Being able to shoot a gun is a skill.  I play a decent game of pool but that is a skill not necessarily an Olympic sport.  But if it does become one I may have to represent!