1-Seeing Yao tower over everyone while carrying in the Chinese flag during the Olympic ceremonies.
2-Seeing lots of sports I don’t see very often. Handball, water polo, table tennis, rhythmic gymnastics. I don’t need a professional league with an ESPN contract, just a once-every-four-year reminder that other sports are cool, too.
3-Gymnastics judging. I don’t get it. [...]

1-Men’s volleyball wins the gold medal. The story triumphs all, with the head coaching losing his father-in-law in a vicious and fatal assault just a day after the open ceremonies. The team could have folded, had a lot of reasons to not play this thing through, and that’s besides the fact that no one expected [...]

By Jason Bissell
My question is, “How could you not like the Olympic Games?”
These athletes are truly what sport is all about. They don’t get paid. Most don’t have huge endorsement contracts. They have worked at their skill since they could pretty much walk. These are Olympians.
The Olympics is a nice break from Manny being Manny [...]

By Carrie Kreisler and Eric Taylor
Eric: Carrie, not that I’m anti-American or anything, but I just can’t get into this Olympic spirit. Maybe it’s the late hours, maybe it’s lack of familiarity with the athletes, or maybe it’s that I simply don’t care. Whatever the case, I’d say I’ve spent about 27 seconds with my [...]

So how about baseball? There are just two full months remaining in the season before the real fun begins, the playoffs. Plus, my Cubs are sitting atop the National League having just swept Milwaukee primed for a playoff run. Sold. Let’s talk baseball.

I’ve tried not to write this column for what seems like a hundred years, but it can wait no longer. Golf and I are not a match made in heaven.

Leader Sports Editor Eric Taylor sounds off on the current state of sportsmanship in the stands … and asks for a little perspective.

GAME NOTES
JULY 31, 2008, 7:05 p.m.: OMAHA ROYALS (49-62) vs. Salt Lake (66-45)
HOME: 22-30 (45-27 in ‘07) AWAY: 27-32 (28-44 in ’07) vs. Salt Lake: 0-1 (3-1 in ’07)
TONIGHT: The Royals host the Salt Lake Bees in a 7:05 p.m. game at Rosenblatt Stadium. It’s game 2 of a 4-game series, which Salt Lake leads [...]