THIS WEEK:

There are 3 weeks till I get married: planning a wedding is a cross between major excitement and a major to-do list. In many ways I'm super excited to celebrate it, yet on the other hand I'm ready to get through it and "back to a life of normalcy."


The Beijing Olympics are over: While Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, and the Redeem Team made most of the headlines, it was also exciting to see our performance in Beach and Indoor Volleyball for both the Men's and Women's teams (commence global domination NOW). I've also discovered an appreciation for waterpolo. Boy that sport is exciting to watch - it is rough! (What goes on above the water, is MUCH different from what is below: "hey this guy is going to shoot on goal, I am just going to straight kick him in the nuts!"


The US OPEN tennis tournament begins: It's my favorite tournament to watch of the year: the fans at the night sessions in NY are absolutely crazy. I think James Blake and Andy Roddick will be the crowd favorites...yet Nadal / Federer are the favorites to win.

Democratic National Convention is held: I'm excited about Barack's VP pick and we'll see if the Obama-Biden duo can effectively convey a message of unity. I've also read that the Denver Convention is also "Politicians Gone Wild with Spending" which is too bad. Oh and the race is effectively tied now: chance of Obama winning two months ago: 75%+.

Now? 50%.

OLYMPICS: My changes to the sports lineup

1. Keep soccer, but make some changes - There's been discussion about making some changes here, and some notable sports reporters have suggesting getting rid of both women's and men's Olympic soccer.

Reason: Olympic soccer is the opportunity for our U-23 team to tune up for the World Cup. I don't agree with the reporters on espn.com and cnnsi.com about this. The summer Olympics fall between World Cups and the US doesn't have a competition of Euro caliber, which falls the same year. Also the qualifying for the Olympics is driven by other major continental tournaments, and it is important to hold such tournaments. It's a tune up for the US, and we're definitely competitive. But one thing I'd change is make a rule that the 3 players that can be above 23 years old must be released from their clubs for the Olympics. Club soccer can wait.

2. Get rid of softball, keep baseball - They are already getting rid of both, although 3 years ago softball and baseball were nearly reinstated. (It was 1 vote shy of reinstating them).

Reason: It's just not competitive. The US softball team has dominated all opponents. Before yesterday, the cumulative run tally in softball was something like 55 to 1. Baseball on the other hand IS competitive, and I'm sorry it is being eliminated. Cuba, Japan, Central American teams, and the US are power houses.

3. Add golf - I'm not sure of the format for it, but possibly a team like, Ryder cup competition could work versus head to head.

Reason: It's truly an international sport. The world plays golf.

Other changes:

4. Don't let the host country verify the ages of its athletes (Chinese women's gymanstic team). Given what everyone is saying, this could blow up. Meaning if this is really investigated and China in fact issued false documentation, then it would tarnish the image of the host nation.

5. Improve Coverage format - Show the Olympics on cable channels devoted to it when the events are live. I laugh everytime NBC's Bob Costas says "Michael Phelps on next, Live" yet I already know the outcome after seeing it live on the Canadian channel. Thank goodness for Canadian coverage. So much better.

And actually I laugh at Bob Costas altogether...although that's another post.