HH: True Redemption

Speaking of Domination! As I sat up until 1:22 AM Saturday evening, just to have the pleasure of watching The Redeem Team play Spain for the Gold (whom they just beat by 47 last week). I was thinking, 'maybe the Gasol brothers may be a little upset?'. Well, it started just the way you would think after 5 minutes: Spain up by 5, Lebron and Kobe sitting with 2 fouls, the Crowd going wild. Then Mr. K. sends in this little guy named Dwayne Wade. He took over, and within minutes--the USA was up by 11. Though Spain did keep it close until the end. It was very interesting: At one moment, Kobe literally took over, and then whenever Spain countered back--Lebron or DWade would dominate.

The last quarter, and only up by 5 with Chris Bosh at the line. Then a close-up of Lebron motivating his teammate, and I quote, "let's beat these bums". I like getting the team going and all, but still no response from Spain. The next thing you know, they are up by 14. This was really fun to watch--regardless of the time. It was true athleticism and they could turn it on whenever they needed. Ref's or no ref's--who were awful both ways. Just don't get me started on that...........

KL: On Domination...

What can I say? I enjoy watching domination. At least in the Olympics, that is. I am not sure why I shed no tear for the underdog during these 14 days. On any other given day--or at least the other 3 years 50 weeks, I want nothing more than to see the over-achiever fail. What is more satisfying than seeing Ohio State lose, the Yankees humiliated, and the Patriots stumble? Rather, there is more fulfillment in seeing the Rays take first in the AL East, Boise State crack the top 10, and rooting for Blake over Federer.


But for whatever reason, during the 2008 Olympics I have undeniably been rooting for athletes to perfect their art. Do I even need to dwell on the Michael Phelps story? I changed my sleeping schedule around to accommodate NBC's ridiculous coverage in order to watch swimming (swimming!) at 11 PM--multiple times, no less. The dynamic Beach Volleyball duo of Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor have not lost in over a year--and as far as I am concerned, they will not lose while I am tuning in. Watching USA Men's Basketball return to glory has been nothing more than magnificent in my viewpoint. I even question why this Completely Redeemed Team let undermanned Angola keep the final score "only" around 20?

While watching professional sports, I live to see close competition--even if it is at the expense of my rooting choice. There is nothing like experiencing a 2-1 nailbiter in a game 7 baseball playoff going into the bottom of the ninth. Even being a hopeless fan of USC football, watching the Trojans lose a heartbreaker to Texas in 2006--despite the depression that followed--may have been one of the greatest College Football games I have seen. On similar lines, the 2008 Super Bowl was one for the ages--even while being an outspoken hater of both the New York Giants and of the New England Patriots.

No, in Beijing 2008, I'd rather watch nothing short of an athlete or team dominate in their sport. Save the competition for the professionals--there will be plenty of time for that.

KL: The Redemption Team--No Longer of Dreams

With the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing rapidly approaching, many sports web sites, blogs, newspapers, and other media outlets will strongly focus on Team USA--The Basketball Edition. While the term "Dream Team" is no longer appropriate--and far outdated, this years reincarnation will be far ahead in talent than whomever it is matched up against. With that being said, after the 2004 Olympic debacle it should be mentioned that talent alone does not win the Gold Medal. That disappointing "team" mixed about as well as oil and water.

It appears the powers-that-be have attempted to rebuild on a new philosophy: balance, character, and experience. While this author has been critical and snide regarding Coach K in the past, Mike Krzyzewski--along with a little serving of Kobe Bryant and Lebron James--will be, I believe, the perfect ingredients for success in 2008. The style of Coach K--defensively sound and team oriented--is a concept that was completely lost on the Larry Brown and Allen Iverson led squad four years ago. A solid playmaker like Jason Kidd, has to be an upgrade over a shoot-first point guard like Iverson. That is not to say this team will not struggle--they will, unlike the Magic, Michael, and Larry version 16 years ago that simply overwhelmed its opponents then. Of course, this is not a knock on the current team. It just shows the climate of where basketball is on an international level. It has greatly advanced from the outer reaches of Europe to the heart of South America.

In the end, a Gold Medal in 2008 may mean more than the 1992 achievement when the competition was outright laughable. Now that the rest of the world has caught up, things just might get interesting for Team USA. And a hard fought, drawn-out win by the current NBA All-Stars (no longer to be referred to as the "Dream Team") may just be more satisfying in the context of redemption. At the very least, it will save some embarrassment for the NBA. And if this team loses? Lets just bring back the collgiate athletes and call it a day.