Just watched her on CBC. 5th in the long jump and a complete screw up on her exchange with Williams in the 4 x 100 and they finish out of the medals. I was rooting against both her and the dream team this afternoon. I’m a happy camper.
Jingoistic America hater! I think Marion should get a wreath anyway… 
Hate on the US much?
You are happy three US sprinters lost their chance a medal because you have some unknown dislike for one of the sprinters you don’t even know?
You are happy that our basketball team busting their butts to represent this country lost? why?
I’m usually happy to see people win. I don’t derive my pleasure from the sadness of people who have lost
Yeah, he’s a pig. 
No wreath for Marion, unless it’s a burial wreath…
-Robert
If you watched the changeover, the girl took off to soon in the go area, her hand for the changeover was in the wrong place. She was hammering and had left to early. Jones ONLY mistake was coming off of the gas when she still had time to make the changeover.
It is not Jones’s fault that the fool in front of her took off.
I have no time for BALCO sponsored athletes but in this case it was NOT entirely Jones fault the girl in front F**ked up.
Perhaps her performance speaks to the fact that she became a mother less than a year ago and has other priorities at this point in her life?
Can’t tell if you are joking or not.
I’m generally not a fan of Whitlock but I found this article to be fairly insightful.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=whitlock/040826
"Hate on the US much? "
Not at all. Nationality had nothing to do with it.
I don’t like Marion because she’s a probable drug cheat and also didn’t deserve a place on the relay team based upon her qualifying. As for the basketball team, they’re over paid spoiled brats. Good to see them get whupped.
I never liked her. Thought she had a poor attitude…like her success was pre-ordained. I glad to see she has failed.
Paul Hamm said afterward: “In my heart I feel that Marion won the gold medal.”
and Siri Lindley was also on hand commenting “even though she did not win, it was a true gold medal performance.”
.
I didn’t realize they were being compensated for their efforts at these games. My bad.
I think Whitlock was dead-on. But give them credit for showing up; how many other NBA stars begged off after being selected.
Spoiled or not, overpaid or not, they deserve a little more respect for representing the US. I sometimes wonder if they looked a little different, let’s say a little more clean cut ala Michael Jordan, there would be better support.
However, the play of the US highlights the problems with NBA ball. I seldom watch it any more, no skills, no defense.
I would not wish anyone who has worked hard to get there failure. It’s a little mean-spirited if you ask me.
“I think Whitlock was dead-on.”
I would say he has some very good points, especially with his comparison with hockey. It’s definately not a Canadian game any more.
That still wouldn’t stop me from rooting for Argentina this afternoon.
Bwuahahahahaha! Good pair!
-Robert
Andrew:
Maybe I’m wrong, but didn’t Jones slow a bit much too soon? We were taught to run “through” the exchange zone. Our h.s. coach would have kicked our butts if we weren’t hammering on the exchange.
Maybe I’m wrong. I’ll have to review the tape.
-Robert
“didn’t Jones slow a bit much too soon”
I never claimed it was Jones’ fault, just that it was a screwed up pass. The 4 X 100 was my event back in high school. Exchanges get screwed up from time to time. It’s part of the 4 x 100.
It’s true I didn’t want to see Jones win, but it would have been sweeter if the Jamaicans had won under different circumstances.
Ok. I just heard a commentator say it was Lauren’s fault. Started too soon. I didn’t have the sound on the t.v. My bad.
CV: Yes, I also ran that race many times in h.s.
-Robert
I didn’t realize they were being compensated for their efforts at these games. My bad.
If you think they’re there purely out of patriotism and the goodness of their hearts, think again. They may not collect a paycheck from USOC, but you can bet they stand/stood to make oodles in endorsement dough if they’d brought home the gold.
Personally, I think all this nationalist fervor misses the entire point of the Olympics. To me, the beauty of the games is that it’s a gathering of the world’s best athletes. It’s supposed to be athlete vs. athlete, not country vs. country. Nationality should only enter into it as a way of thinning the roll of entrants. But of course our baser instincts take over and we root for ‘our side’. In doing so we cheapen the games, IMO.
Just my take.
“I don’t like Marion because she’s a probable drug cheat”
Wow!!!
Just another reason it is good to live in the USA. You know, that whole innocent until PROVEN guilty thing.
Any thoughts on the appropriateness of the Greek crowd at the mens 200 last night? Were they right to attempt to disrupt the race because their 200 guy blew off his drug test? Or was the US somehow to blame for that?
Those players weren’t going to see much in the way of additional endorsement money even if they won gold by winning the gold medal game by 50 points. I don’t recall an endorsement bonanza for the members of the original “dream team” at all. Endorsers did play up the fact that the guy they had already contracted with was on the team but that was about it. What I did not see was John Stockton’s face plastered all over the media endorsing various products.
These guys are already famous and already rich and their endorsements are pretty much “set” because of their exposure and ‘rep’. I would even go so far as to make the case that they are over there for a ‘better’ reason than other athletes for whom the only hope for fame and fortune is their performance in these games. Now who is motivated by what?
Frankly, these guys went even though they had nothing to win (personally) but a lot to lose and I respect them for that. I think they played hard but didn’t have adequate time to prepare and the selection process was highly flawed. The international game is a shooters game and we didn’t make a point of selecting shooters. Oops.