So the last week or so of my television viewing has been devoted to watching the Olympics and the Red Sox. I’m fairly certain I haven’t watched anything else. Oh, I did watch Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives – they were doing an ice cream show…and I now want to make my own ice cream flavors. And then I’ll add that to my pizzeria. And then I’LL be on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. WOO! …I feel like I should marry a rich guy before I start planning on opening a restaurant with no formal culinary or business training. So that we won’t live in a cardboard box when it fails after 3 months.
Anywho…the Olympics. I’ve basically been watching soccer and swimming. Beach volleyball too. I find it interesting that the women wear bikinis and the men wear loose fitting shorts and loose tank tops. Life isn’t fair. Same with gymnastics, the guys get to wear loose fitting shorts over their…gymnasticy outfits. But I don’t watch gymnastics. I did watch synchronized diving. I don’t understand that sport. I think it’s awesome to watch two people doing the exact same movements at the exact same time, but I’m not so sure I agree that China was ALWAYS sooooo superior to everyone else. There were a few times where the commentators were talking about mistakes they made, and then they get 9.5s on everything. It’s stupid. And then the Americans are completely synchronized all the way through the dive, except one goes in the water at a teensy little angle. 5s. Come on now. Olympic judging is so stupid. I heard yesterday (didn’t watch) about the baseball game where the team was down like 8-0 or something in the top of the 9th, bases loaded, no one out, and they called the game for rain. You don’t do that! 9th inning? Bases loaded? No one out?? No way do you end that game. You wanna end it after the bottom of the 8th? Go for it. You start the 9th inning, you gotta finish it. That’s why I like sports like swimming and running – can’t screw that up. Someone is faster than everyone else. There’s no other factors. Even the team sports like soccer and basketball (and baseball/softball), the refs factor in. I thought the ref from the Sweden/Germany women’s game was a little tough on the Swedish team. I think there were like 5 minutes left in the second half when Germany got called for its first foul. But as a soccer player, I have the utmost respect for soccer referees, and I know that it is an incredibly difficult job. It’s an enormous field, and you’re one person – you can’t see everything, and you don’t have the luxury of slow-mo replay from 6 different angles to tell you if someone is actually fouled or if they’re embellishing. I tried reffing once. It was not a fun experience. I’ll never do it again.
The other thing I’ve been watching every night is my Sox. They just completed a sweep of the Texas Rangers, and scored 37 runs in 3 games. 19 the first, 8 the second, and 10 the third. Interestingly, the closest game was the one they scored 19 in. 19-17. That must stink to score 17 runs and lose. Although it stinks even more to be up by 10 in the first inning and then be losing in the 8th – which is what happened to the Sox. It was not a pretty game to watch. It’s funny how that always happens. Those kind of games, it seems like no one can get anyone out – even if you bring out the best pitcher you have, he implodes. They also acquired Paul Byrd from the Indians and he’s starting tonight. I’ll be interested to see how this goes. He’s a veteran, so I expect he’ll have the kind of reaction that Jason Bay had – AHH! I’M ON A TEAM THAT’S PROBABLY GONNA MAKE THE PLAYOFFS! WOW! Although Byrd was in the playoffs last year. And he blew it. Against the Sox. But still. I think he’ll be good for the team. Give Clay a chance to sit out for a few games before giving up another 7 or so runs. Poor Clay.
GO RED SOX! GO USA! GO MICHAEL PHELPS (normally I wouldn’t root for someone to win ever single event, but he’s likable)!
Lessons Learned 