Good Reads: Olympic Wrap-ups and more

With the Olympics wrapping up, there are a few good stories to see:

Dan Wetzel just gets it

Plaschke has a nack for finding great stories and then writing pieces worthy of the topic. I liked this one about a Greek cab driver.

Adrian Wojnarowski defends Allen Iverson.

Jason Read
The story of Jason Read caught my attention late and I went back looking for stories about him. They weren't hard to find. Read is an Olympic rower, who was part of the rescue crew on September 11.
Story on him by:
Ian O'Connor
The New York TimesUSA Today's Jill Lieber
The Newark Star Ledger

The Posnanski collection:
On Maurice Greene

A kind of bouncy Olympic thought column that included the following:
This is another Olympic trick — giving silly sports genuine-sounding names. Instead of, say, calling a sport "running around with a ribbon," they call it "rhythmic gymnastics." A sport that is really "chasing around a guy on a bicycle," is called "individual pursuit.""Modern pentathlon," after all, sounds better than "five utterly unrelated sports."

on the little moments

Good reads from a winding down Olympics

Mike Wise's story on Rulon Garder is fun and well-written. Reading stories like this is why print journalism is essential from the Olympics.
It includes this amusing line quote from Gardner on his amputated toe.:
"It's in my refrigerator back home in a jar," Gardner said. "I'm going to bury it on the hill next to my dog as soon as I go home."

Bob Ryan makes the case for Americans to get into team handball. I happen to agree with him.

Not everyone loves the Iraqi soccer team

Having written extensively on Mr. Garciaparra, Mariotti writes about Mrs.

Whitlock is interesting.

This Washington Post story is going to gets some people angry.


Israel’s first gold medal insipred a handful of stories.
USA Today
Jerry Izenberg
Posnanski

I wonder if when Dan Wetzel covered Briana Scurry for the UMass Daily Collegian he ever thought he’d be covering her again in the Olympics in Athens. I guess I know the answer but its funny to think about. This column isn't even about Scurry. It's on women's soccer, but the coincidence is still interesting to me.


The last paragraph of this Herald Sox notebook amused me.

One of the most disturbing things I have ever read

Good Reads: Back from vacation

I've returned from this weekend's wedding in Minnesota and Red Sox-White Sox game in Chicago. I may write something about U.S. Cellular Field later.

Some great stuff was written while I was gone. I'm sure I missed a lot of it, but this is a pretty impressive collection.

Race is never an easy topic, but John Smallwood's column on the rarity of a white American male winning in track is excellent.


Dan Wetzel on the Iraq soccer team defining Olympic ideal. He also wrote about the Afghan woman runner. Both pieces are excellent.

Plaschke on Hamm

Here's most of the Posnanski collection since I've been gone:
On Harry Truman statue in Athens
on Paul Hamm controversy
on Maurice Greene
on Lisa Fernandez as the perfect role model
His it's Not all fun and games column has this amusing line:
Obviously, it's a bit more involved when you're from the United States since there are 438 American athletes here. Actually, there's some dispute about the number of Americans here: In the daily notes, the U.S. Olympic Committee broke it down this way:American athletes: 438. Women: 260. Men: 276.Now, I don't have a math degree, but unless there are a couple of athletes named Pat (or swimmers from the old East German days), that doesn't seem to add up.

Mike Wise's column on Justin Gatlin included the following passage.
"Moments later, eight runners took off in a blur of spandex and fluorescent colors. Imagine an event time starting at 11:10 p.m. and being over before 11:10:10 p.m. "

Ian O’Connor on the family of Tammy Crow's manslaughter victim.
Bernie Lincicome

Norman Chad on Olympic TV

Phil Sheridan

A pair of entertaining Red Sox stories:
Stan Grossfield on Manny Ramirez
Gordon Edes article on Dave Roberts has some fun nuggets on the Red Sox fantasy football draft.
Air Canada briefly misplaced the Stanley Cup. (Skip to the bottom of the story).

Good Reads: Michael Phelps and more

I was sick of Michael Phelps before the Olympics and now I find myself rooting for him. His desire to take on Thope and Pieter von Hoogenlongname, in a race that he was a longshot in was refreshing and maybe a little inspiring.

I do find the media's revisionist history interesting. The same people that were hyping his quest for eight golds as realistic are now making it sound like it was never possible. I think its mostly because sportswriters, myself included, don't know anything about swimming.

Anyway on to the links:

Starting with Phelps...
Many of the big names seemed focused on the pool including:
Adrian Wojnarowski
Bill Plaschke
Dan Wetzel
Bryan Burwell
I liked this Burwell line:
So how refreshing was it to see that Phelps found a higher joy in pursuing greatness, rather than seeking the easiest way to cash in on that $1 million bonus that athletic apparel company Speedo had promised if he equaled Spitz's record?
Jay Mariotti
Jeff Jacobs

Other Olympica...
Not sure why this was newsworthy, but I found it amusing
Posnanski on Courtney McCool

Ian O’Connor said men could learn from women in basketball

Dick Vitale needs a dose of reality.


South Florida Sun Sentinel on Greek Baseball experience

Stateside...

USA Today on ESPN

Mitch Albom on Joe Falls
I liked this passage:

He told me once how, when he was lamenting his job to a New York City boxing writer, the man asked him to name an auto plant in Detroit.
"The Rouge," Joe said.
"OK," the guy said. "Do you know what the men at the Rouge plant did this morning? They got a cup of coffee, maybe a doughnut, and they sat down to see what Joe Falls had to say in the sports section. Do you know what a privilege that is?' "
From that point on, Joe said, "I never complained about my job."

Good Reads: PLaying catchup

A weekend trip to Philadelphia and an upcoming trip to Minnesota have me rushed and my time limited so today's Good Reads are a little abreviated, although there are a few days worth of catching up in here.

Nothing on Team USA's choking against Puerto Rico. It's in overkill mode. If you really want to read about it, you won't have to look far.

Columns blasting the Iranian delegration for refusing to allow a an athlete to compete against Israel in Judo.
Wetzel
Posnanski
Wojnarowski


On the magical story that is Iraqi soccer:
Wetzel
Sally Jenkins

Other stuff:
Wetzel also wrote a column on the excitement of winning a mile. It's a very him column.
On Iranian hatred

Plaschke on the opening ceremonies.

Posnanski on America's struggles.

Phil Sheridan is the gymnastics guy.
on Carly Patterson
on a gymnast defying age expectations.

He also wrote a nice column on the bond between the U.S. and Iraqi teams.

Good reads: Solid Olympic coverage

Maybe the best day so far in Olympic coverage.


GOLD: Sally Jenkins kicks Dick Pound’s ass. This may be the best serious column I've read in a long time and I'd be stunned if anything from this Olympics is better.

SILVER: Ian O'Connor, Adrian Wojnarowski and Dan Wetzel share this spot for coverage of the Iraqi soccer team's upset of Portugal. It's a weird world where Americans are both cheering for and bombing Iraqis.

BRONZE: I'm splitting awards more than the A-10. Phil Sheridan and Jerry Izenberg both have strong pieces on U.S. Flag Bearer Dawn Staley.

More Olympics

Mike Wise on Michael Phelps

Plaschke uses the original marathon as a vehichle to look at Olympics history meeting present

Burwell checks out the Village

Mariotti writes a fun piece about being willing to supress his own cynicism

Lincicome on being American in Athens

Posnanski on Navritalova


Stateside
Shaughnessy is uncharacteristically optimistic as he rips off Springsteen in his lead.


This never happens.

Bill Simmons shreds remember the Titans in his top 72 sports movies but still picks it No. 55, which means its hard to imagine what Numbers 56-72 will be like.

Why is it that Northeastern coaches seem to leave head jobs to become assistants see Dave Leitao, Barry Gallup and now perhaps Ron Everhart

Good reads: Nation's finest arrive in Athens

While the best athletes seem to been in Hellas for weeks, several top scribes appeared to arrive yesterday and made themselves heard as the press core welcomed Woj., Pos and Sally Jenkins to the ranks of professional pontificators.

No medals today. I'm to busy, but plenty of links.


Bob Ryan on Softball

New York Times on Amy Acuff naked

Ian O’Connor sight and sounds


George Vescey on Greek Americans playing for Greece.
Adrian Wojnarowski goes big picture.

Burwell on Athenian anxiety

Phil Sheridan on gymnastics

Posnamski on Michael Phelps.
Sally Jenkins

I for one, am excited at the prospect of a week of Dave Barry at the Olympics.
Qualifying for the Olympics was the second most impressive thing this guy did this year.
Jay Mariotti admits to being a little nervous.
Jeff Jacobs

I like Bernie Lincicome, but his attempt to be Norman Chad flopped.



Meanwhile back in the States...

Tudor on Rivers hold out
Edes on Millar

LeBetard on Terrell Owens

Simmons on Madden 2005.

This is just a little pathetic.

Good Reads: Olympics, Olympics, Olympics

The Medalists

GOLD: This will get shared by Bill Plaschke and Cathy Haratsa who both wrote about U.S. softball coach Mike Candrea, who recently lost his wife.

SILVER: The New York Times has done an excellent job uncovering interesting athletes that won't end up on the medal stand including Palestinian runner Sanaa Abu Bkheet.

BRONZE: The Washington Post did a story of Keri Strugg finding maturity and perpective in her life with gymnastics all but behind her. (This ran yesterday and I somehow missed it.)

The Rest

Next
On Greece itself:
Boston Globe says Greeks have the spirit.
Bernie Lincicome adds his to the sight and sounds collection. The last anecdote is amusing.

Athlete stories:
USA Today does a long (by its standards) on Jennie Finch.

Ian Thorpe articles by Bob Ryan and NY Times on Ian Thorpe
Jeff Jacobs on anonymous US boxers.

News:
LA Times on athletes competing for nation's they've barely visited.
The Associated Press' story on the U.S. Women's soccer team opening the games with a win.

George Vescey praises Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, who is hte gold medal winner in lastnameletters and the head of the Athens Olympic organizing committee.

Akron Beacon-Journal LeBron beat writer Tom Reed reports on a stressful day for the men's basketball team.

The Russians are emerging again as a sports power.

Non-Olympics stuff:

Bianchi on Tim Brown joining the Bucs.

Good Reads: Olympics and more

Medalists

GOLD: In the midst of the Olympic drug controversy, The New York Times produced a fine piece on Tammy Thomas, a former US Cyclist banned for steroids.

SILVER: Bill Plaschke spins a winner about father and son Ross and David Newhan. Ross is a baseball writer for the LA Times. David plays for the Orioles. Here is a link to Ross' column about his son.

BRONZE: Mike Wise on Maritza Correia, the first black U.S. swimmer.

ATHENS

Ian O'Connor is rooting for these games to be successful.

Jerry Izenberg is far more cynical.

More Iraq Olympics stuff from Jeff Jacobs, that might have made medalist, but he's late on this story.

John Powers on Rulon Gardner. WP's Liz Clarke too.

William Rhoden examines the feelings surrounding the games.

Cathy Haratsa said the games haven't been anti-American yet.

EVERYWHERE ELSE

Rambling Ray Ratto's column would have been better had he stayed on topic.
Mike Lupica fairly wonders about all the Giambi secrecy.

Not even remotely sports related, but interesting.

See you tomorrow.

Good Reads:

Corny new Good Reads feature for the Olympics... The three stories of the day will get... that's right... gold, silver and bronze. Not a fastic day to start with though. The gold and silver stuff is great. I was scraping for bronze.

The Medalists

GOLD: When Dan Shaughnessy isn't being cynical and bitter, he's still excellent. Today is one of those days. His story on Pat White, a 13-year-old baseball player battling cancer is outstanding.

SILVER: I know we've had Termite Watkins stories already, but this is a good one.

BRONZE: The Washington Post introduces us to Dana Vollmer, an Olympic swimmer with heart problems and Lauren Williams, one of the USA's best women sprinters.

From Greece

The Dallas Morning News has its own DanaVollmer story.

Jeff Jacobs rambles a little, but overall I enjoyed his first person thoughts on this Olympics' mix or suspicion, uneasiness and wonder.

Mike Wilbon gets a feel for how old Greece really is.

The Dallas Morning News adds its own atmosphere piece.

ESPN's Greg Garber on families with two Olympians.

This story is more than a little messed up with Romeo and Juliet overtones.

The Rest

Mitch Albom, I'm pretty sure, used to write about sports.

Good Reads: Sunday Best

Olympics

Boston Globe says both security and hopes are high.

Gil LeBreton of the Fort Worth Star Telegram says Americans wopn't be popular in Athens.

Mike Bianchi isn't rooting for the Americans.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a heartwarming story.

Jeff Jacobs talks to some U.S. women's hoop players for a good column.

Bill Plaschke compares these to the first Olympics.

The Washington Post on Michael Phelps. Just up the Beltway, the Baltimore Sun weighs in too.

It's Phil Sheridan's turn to weigh in on safety concerns.

Akron's Tom Reed writes about sports as a unifying force.

The Charlotte Observer says C.J. Hunter's role as a strength and conditioning coach at NC State is a black mark on that school's athletic deparment.

Baseball

Gordon Edes' notes has this classic line.

A revealing statement
Sox manager Terry Francona on Kevin Youkilis, who was dubbed the "Greek God of Walks" in "Moneyball": "I've seen Youkilis in the shower, and I wouldn't call him the Greek god of anything."

The Globe's Nick Cafardo revisits whether to resign Pedro.

Kevin Millar is never one to turn down an opportunity to talk.

Jay Mariotti looks at Maddux's ho-hum reaction to 300.

Bernie Miklasz on the Larry Walker trade.

Miscellaneous

The Washington Post has the story about former James Madison star Clayton Matthews battling paralysis.

Dan LeBetard is not surprisingly pro-player.

This is disappointing news.

This story reaffirms my belief in people.

Looks like Fran Dunphy is getting offered the La Salle job.

Good Reads: Sox, soccer etc.

Bob Hohler does a nice feature on new Red Sox first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz.

The U.S. Women's soccer team is now Cubs fans.

Fair is fair.

It was Bob Ryan's turn to slam USA Basketball. Wetzel plays too.

Local Greeks are excited about the Olympics.

Caulton Tudor says replay in college is bad, although he does it a little more eloquently.

Jay Mariotti writes a solid column about Greg Maddux.

Bernie Lincicome on John Elway.

T.J. Simers gets an X-makeover. I do not see the point of this story.

The Arizona Republic talks about Marcel Shipp going in to the season as a backup again. I'm taking pool entries on when he becomes the starter.

George Vecsey on the last run for women's soccer pioneers.

Mitch Albom talks to Barry Sanders.

Ray Ratto looks at Greg Maddux, maybe the final member of baseball's 300 club.

Simmons begins his top 72 sports movies of the past 33 years series. This sort of thing is his strength, but it's hard to imagine he won't fizzle out here with so many to write.

Good reads: Olympic security and stuff

Light day...

Olympic Stuff

Christine Brennan isn't impressed with Olympic security.

Greg Couch is concerned too.
Dan LeBetard isn't impressed with Team USA basketball.

Miscellaneous

A nostalgic follow-up to Bob Murphy's passing.

Bernie Mik is glad that the new Cardinals ballpark isn't getting a new corporate name.

Joe Posnanski writes about the new Kansas City arena again. It does have this amusing line:
Some guy wrote in to say that, somehow, this new arena will put money in sportswriters' pockets. Maybe when he returns from the Planet Yubba I'll ask him how that one works.

Good Reads:

Just one today. It's powerful and a bit of a downer, but it's well-worth the read.

A soldier's downward spiralIraq war haunted local soldier who took his own life in June

Ridiculous reads: Couple of steals from Fark

Mom always said Don't play in the fountain.
Correction: Sorry we exist.
I'm sure the German Courts had nothing better to do than this.
Mike Vick tries to get back into the "Which Vick brother is a bigger idiot race," he's still well behind Marcus.

Good Reads:

Bob Ryan is a rare voice supporting Nomar. I think its Ryan's best work in a while.

Jerry Izenberg does a fine piece on the sad fading of Eddie Robinson.

Reading Dan LeBetard feels different now after he more or less declared himself "the defender of the poor-spoken player". Knowing he considers himself that weakens his defense of Miami's Antrel Rolle. LeBetard may be dead on, but you're stuck wondering if he's just playing his role.
This line sneaks up on you:
There are plenty who nonetheless castigate Rolle with a grandfatherly, ''Nothing good happens at that hour,'' but you ought to know that plenty good happens for athletes at that hour, and it usually involves a great deal of nudity.


The Washington Post has a good article on Termite Watkins' quest to qualify an Iraqi boxer for the Olympics. I'm expecting the Post to have some pretty impressive Olympic coverage.

Jay Mariotti wonders about Nomar's heel.
Wetzel on Belichick.
Posnanski on Priest Holmes.
This is a great topic, but it feels overwritten to me.
Do you think his Seattle PI mini bio embarasses Art Thiel?

Lisa Olsen dances around Giambi, steroids and his mysetrious health issues. She never quite settles on the point she's trying to make, but the topic alone makes the column interesting.

Solid Philly story on Jameer Nelson and Delonte West joining the wealthy.

Good Reads: Nomar Day II

More Nomar Stuff

Gordon Edes spends the day in Chicago.
The man on the $20 bill weighs in.
Jay Mariotti on the Nomar scenario.

Mike Vega says its Brady's town now.

Larry Bowa's circus continues.

Dan LeBetard on the trading deadline.

Good reads: UConn quarterback

My former co-worker and good friend Scott Cacciola beat the crowd to the Dan Orlovsky story. The UConn quarterback is not only highly-rated, but has an interesting background. If Cass got paid by the word, he'd be a rich man.

Good Reads: Nomar to Chicago

Nomar is a Cub

From the Globe:
Bob Hohler's news story on the move.
Gordon Edes' analysis.
Shaughnessy says Nomar's public comments about liking Boston are not genuine.
Hohler on Lowe staying.
Cafardo on the parting.
Notebook including possibilities on future playing time scenarios.
Bob Ryan on Yankee reaction.
From the Boston Herald:
Tony Maz says this trade puts Theo on the spot.
Maz's baseball notes are also trade-centric.
Karen Guregian looks at Doug Mientkiewicz.

Providence Journal
Sean McAdam looks at the new emphasis on defense and the mixed emotions from Nomar's departure.
Steve Krasner says Nomar wasn't a leader, but gave his all.


From Chicago Papers:
Mike Downey is stunned by how little the Cubs had to give up for Nomar.
Phil Rogers' take is similar although not as funny.
Rick Morrissey says this could jumpstart the Cubs.
Jay Mariotti is uncharacteristically optimistic.

Elsewhere:
ESPN's Jayson Stark has trade deadline winners and losers. The Sox and Cubs are both winners in his mind. Granted everyone thought the Sox were big winners last year with the additions of Suppan and Sauerbeck.

Jeff Jacobs of the Hartford Courant talks to Yankees about the Nomar trade.
Baseball America Trade Analysis.
Newday uses this opportunity to write dumb headlines about curses and bad ledes with Boston accents.
The New York Daily News isn't much better with the headline "Boston finally dumps Nomar" as if he were some a bad player and a bad guy.

Columnists

Mike Bianchi does his running off at the typewriter. There's a lot of good lines but most of them are too long to put here. This one fits:
The Heat bring Shaq to town, and the Dolphins bring A.J. Feeley. That's like one parishioner bringing an apple pie to the church picnic and the other bringing three-bean salad.
Plaschke says the Dodgers deal was unnecessary.
Dan LeBetard has two columns today. One says its time for A.J. Feeley to start at QB while the other compares Wannstedt to Bush.
Kevin Scarbinsky says Bear Bryant's influence on Sylvester Croom is obvious.
Simers takes a shot at the Dodgers.
Dan Bickley continues sniping at Randy Johnson.

Stephen A. Smith wrote about Mike Tyson.

Miscellaneous

Steinbrenner isn't all bad.

The next Yao could be Yi.