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NBC Has a New Sports Channel
I sat down a little bit ago to put together my thoughts on this weekend’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. While I was going through the event website I was struck by the fact that there will be no coverage of the Trials – no television, no internet streaming. I found that very disappointing. Especially given that there is a new sports channel that would seem to be perfect for running/track and field. That’s because as of the beginning of this year the old “Versus” sports programming station is now owned by NBC and has been renamed NBC Sports Network. A perfect fit it would seem for track and field since…
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Batman & Robin – The Jamaican Sequel
I’ve seen this movie several times before during the professional era of the sport. A top level coach gets a sprinter to the top. Then others join the camp in hopes of having the same success. Soon another sprinter emerges from the group, and now two of the best sprinters in the world are training together daily. They try to coexist as 1a and 1b, but at some point they must meet outside of practice and 1a and 1b become Batman and Robin, as the dominant Alpha Male finally emerges. You see, while it sounds good to say “1a & 1b”, there’s no such thing in the egomaniacal world of…
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Don’t Overlook the Kids
When we start looking ahead at who may be participating in the Olympics, our thoughts usually turn to proven commodities like Usain Bolt, Allyson Felix, Dayron Robles and Sally Pearson – athletes that have already put down excellent marks, and won medals in big time competition. What we often forget is that before they were household names (at least in households with track fans) they were “nobodies”, just some young kids hoping to someday be in the spotlight. Of course those kids were very talented and gave indication at an early age that big time success just might be in their destinies. And when we watch the Games in August,…
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Potential 2012 Match Ups to Watch For
Things should start heating up pretty quickly now. The U.S. Marathon Trials are in less than two weeks, and the indoor season will be going strong by the end of the month. So we’ll be full gear into the buildup for London in just a few weeks. Of course one of the big questions in any Olympic year is: who will the major players. It might be a bit early to start identifying major players, but here are some matchups that I think bear looking for this year, that should have a major effect on medal distribution in London. Usain Bolt v Tyson Gay v Yohan Blake (Sprints) These…
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Finally, The Olympic Year has Arrived
At midnight all over the globe the world celebrated the dawning of another New Year. The dropping of the ball in Times Square didn’t usher in just another year however. For those of us that love sport, especially track and field, this will be a special year. Because come August we’ll be tuned in to London, and the Olympic Games – that once every four year gathering of THE best athletes in the world. And if you’re like me, it’s been a very long wait! I know that the World Championships were just a few months ago, but somehow it just wasn’t that satisfying this time around. There were too…
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Who Will Emerge in 2012 – Women
Now that we’ve taken a look at the men, it’s time to do the same with the women, because there will certainly be those women that step out of the shadows to make headlines. After getting drubbed by the Eastern Bloc sprinters in ’76, Evelyn Ashford became Kryptonite to the Iron Curtain Superwomen demolishing them at the ’79 World Cup before making headlines at the ’84 Los Angeles Games. The ’88 Games in Seoul saw both Jackie Joyner Kersee and Heike Drechsler blossom, as one of the sport’s greatest rivalries was born. And the Games of 2000 saw Gabriella Szabo burst onto the scene. The question now is who will…
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Who Will Emerge in 2012 – Men
Christmas is behind us and that means the new year, and the 2012 Olympic season, is only a week away. If there is one thing that is certain about an Olympic year, it’s that there will be athletes that step out of the shadows and into the spotlight. The ’76 Games in Montreal gave us Edwin Moses. The ’92 Games of Barcelona brought us Quincy Watts and Kevin Young. 2004 was the big stage debut of Keninisa Bekele, and of course Beijing was Usain Bolt’s time to shine. You never know whose star is going to shine, but you can bet that someone unheard of, unheralded, someone that’s lost before,…
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Looking Forward to London
It’s Christmas Eve, which means we’re just a week away from the year 2012 – the year the ancient Mayans predicted the world would end. Of course we track fans know that the real excitement won’t be watching the world crumble around us, but watching the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in London! So, as I prepare for the excitement of Christmas morning, I’m also starting to to look forward to the London Olympics. After all, Christmas comes once a year, but I’ve been waiting almost four years for the Olympics! and in the world of sport, NOTHING is bigger than the Olympic Games. Can you believe it’s been…
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Lee Evans to Have Brain Surgery
Scanning the internet I just came across the news that Olympic gold medalist Lee Evans is set to undergo surgery on a tumor in the pituitary gland area of his brain. While it doesn’t seem to be getting much play this is big news for the world of track and field – at least for those of us old enough to remember cinder tracks and hand timing. Evans was a member of the San Jose State track team and the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village Track Club – the precursor to clubs such as the Santa Monica Track Club (featuring Carl Lewis); H.S.I. (featuring Maurice Greene) and the Racers Track…
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Rupp Enters U.S. Marathon Trials
The calendar has yet to turn to 2012, but already we have news that may shape the U.S. Olympic team for London, as Galen Rupp was a last minute entry into the marathon trials scheduled for January 14thin Houston, Texas. Interestingly enough Rupp will be running his first ever marathon at the Trials. He was able to enter the race because 10,000 meter and half marathon times are allowed for entry. Rupp set an American Record of 26:48.00 for 10000 last year, which is easily under the qualifying standard of 28:30, as is his half marathon time of 60:30 run at last year’s New York City Half marathon (qualifying standard…