Games of the XXX Olympiad: London 2012

[Grover]

First female Saudi athlete competes in Olympics - Los Angeles Times

Excellent story from Plaschke (I know)

[Groundhog]

As great as the win over Russia was, Team USA's win over Argentina sets up an Aussie-USA game in the next round... d'oh.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by rowech

The call was weak and the handball questionable but I can't help but wonder if the official would have called the foul that happened about two minutes later if it was 3-2 and she hadn't already awarded one PK.

I think she would have and it would have still been 3-3.

I haven't watched a lick of the Olympics on NBC, but I happened to watch the highlights of this on replay. The 6 second call was pretty messed up. It's never called and to do that in the Olympics - that's the ref being a real shit. At the same time, even the Canadian team says that they were warned - just not by the ref who called the penalty. Even so, it should have never been called.

The handball was a clear handball. That's just a bad bounce, but it was absolutely the right call.

[spleen1015]

What is this 6 second rule?

[Grover]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

What is this 6 second rule?

Technically the keeper is supposed to get rid of the ball within 6 seconds, but you never, ever see it called.

[SirFozzie]

It was called several times in past men's world cups but didn't lead to goala.. before 2000, the goalie had four steps to put the ball back into play.. it's a unique situation where under existing rules, you couldn't penalize the goalie for delaying the game (the only rules at the time were on delaying a restart, and the ball was theoretically in play, even though anyone trying to get the ball from the goalie would be committing a foul)..

So they came up with this rule to encourage the goalie to put the ball back into active play quicker. Usually, the ref will not call an infraction unless A) the offense is egregious and B) Repeated. Apparently, one of the assistants warned the Canadian goalie for it halftime, but it was probably 12-15 seconds in total (5 or so of them getting to their feet)

[Big Fo]

SI's Grant Wahl did some research, the last time he could find evidence of that call being made was during a Bolton - Newcastle game in 2002. So yeah it's pretty rare.

[SirFozzie]

women's Gymnastics - Balance Beam:

Spoiler

a Protest by the US leades to Aly Raisman's score being upgraded to tie for third, and since Aly's routine was more difficult, she wins the bronze

[SirFozzie]

Interesting: Gold Medalist admits to breaking the rules during his world record winning race. IOC apparently can't do much about it.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-blogs/blog...-in-london.html

would be interesting to see if this means underwater cameras are necessary for future events

[whomario]

The mens gymnastics final on the horizontal bar just finished, if you are interested in it you will want to watch it

Spoiler

Dutch competitor Epke Zonderland wins it with an absolutely spectacular performance that had the audience rocking and even the other competitors couldn´t help grinning at it, even Hambuechen who lost out on Gold due to that. Basically he had 3 consecutive flight elements without a break, easily the most spectacular.

[Grover]

Dressage. What the fuck?

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Grover

Dressage. What the fuck?

What do you have against horsey dancing?

[Grover]

Steve Carrel's doppleganger is the US Women's water polo coach. Awesome.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Grover

Steve Carrel's doppleganger is the US Women's water polo coach. Awesome.

Yeah and he might have cost his team a medal by calling time out with one second left when his team didn't have possession-led to AUS tying the game-that is if I understand what just happened there.

[Big Fo]

Yeah, I think we just had a Chris Webber kinda moment. There was one second left and where the ball was I don't think Australia could have scored from that angle even if they had uncontested possession. Calling a timeout was unnecessary.

[Grover]

and calling a timeout while on defense is a penalty, apparently.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Interesting: Gold Medalist admits to breaking the rules during his world record winning race. IOC apparently can't do much about it.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-blogs/blog...-in-london.html

would be interesting to see if this means underwater cameras are necessary for future events

Surprised he said anything. That extra kick or two happens at pretty much all levels.

[Thomkal]

whew they pulled it out in OT.

[Grover]

What a rocket of a goal from Otsu for Japan. Up 1-0 13' in v. Mexico.

[Grover]

And Mexico level off a deftly headed corner from Fabian.

[MrBug708]

Incredible finish in the Brazil-Russia woman's V-Ball game.

Spoiler

6 match points for Russia in the 5th set, before Brazil got their first match point and was able to seal it

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by Grover

Technically the keeper is supposed to get rid of the ball within 6 seconds, but you never, ever see it called.

I never get people complaining about breaking a rule that hardly gets called. You broke a rule. End of discussion.

[Grover]

Originally Posted by Matthean

I never get people complaining about breaking a rule that hardly gets called. You broke a rule. End of discussion.

While I agree with your point, I disagree with calling it in that big of a situation.

I can't remember the last time I saw a 6-second foul called in football. And there are keepers who will handle and hold the ball much longer.

[Ryan S]

Originally Posted by Grover

While I agree with your point, I disagree with calling it in that big of a situation.

I can't remember the last time I saw a 6-second foul called in football. And there are keepers who will handle and hold the ball much longer.

I remember playing in a game where our keeper was penalised 4 times for breaking the 6 second rule. Worst referee ever.

I have seen it called in professional games, but not for a while. Never seen it in a Champions League or international game.

As for the handball, it looked like ball to hand to me. I don't think the Canadian player had much of a chance to get out of the way, especially with the slight deflection before it hit her. Very harsh decision.

[bulletsponge]

Originally Posted by Ryan S

I remember playing in a game where our keeper was penalised 4 times for breaking the 6 second rule. Worst referee ever.

I have seen it called in professional games, but not for a while. Never seen it in a Champions League or international game.

As for the handball, it looked like ball to hand to me. I don't think the Canadian player had much of a chance to get out of the way, especially with the slight deflection before it hit her. Very harsh decision.

if she didnt stick her arm up i bet she wouldnt have been called for a handball. but if you stick your arm up and the ball hits it you will be called for a handball everytime

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

Just saw the highlights of that USA-Canada game and I have to say, I really wish there was a top flight women's football league to watch. I realize I'm in the minority, but I enjoy watching women's football. Too bad the economics aren't there, apparently. Felt awful for Canada, though.

100% agree. The women's game is great.

[Hammer755]

Originally Posted by Grover

First female Saudi athlete competes in Olympics - Los Angeles Times

Excellent story from Plaschke (I know)

Plaschke must have.

A different editor.

For the Olympics.

Where else did all those.

Paragraphs come from?

[EagleFan]

What is the deal with the tape in this olympics?

[Grover]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

What is the deal with the tape in this olympics?

The physio-tape? It's gotten really popular in European football over the last two years or so as well.

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by Grover

The physio-tape? It's gotten really popular in European football over the last two years or so as well.

What is it for?

[Grover]

What is Physio Tape? | Vitality Medical Blog

[EagleFan]

Isn't that mostly a wrap?

[EagleFan]

Is that what I have seen on divers, the Chinese volleyball team that May/Walsh just played, thought I saw a couple gymnasts with it too?

[Grover]

yeah, the stuff they're wearing is physio tape

[EagleFan]

It bugs me.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Watching various people bitch (via the silly NBC vs NASA graphic meme) -- ostensibly folks who are genuinely smarter than the average bear too -- about the NBC coverage, I'm still left scratching my head.

What part of "they paid $1.2 BILLION dollars to cover it as they see fit" is hard to grasp?

Between "most watched non-U.S. Olympics since 1976" and "avoiding the anticipated $200 million dollar loss", the way the usually inept network has played their hand (to my great dismay) seems downright brilliant.

For the instant gratification crowd who seems to feel they have a divine right to see an event live, I'm pretty sure there were a hell of a lot of tickets available and I haven't seen any reports of a shortage of airline seats.

[sterlingice]

More money =/= most successful. Well, in NBC's eyes, sure, but not for viewers.

That said, I've said it a couple of times: except for a couple of gaffes (Frankln commercial most notably but that's a feature of the advertising hand not knowing what the programming hand is doing), I think they've done well.

SI

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

More money =/= most successful. Well, in NBC's eyes, sure, but not for viewers.

More people have watched these Games than in nearly 40 years. With nearly two THOUSAND more hours of coverage than in past years. And yet, somehow, there's viewers who are feeling underserved? That's just, well, absurd.

And the most absurd of all seem to be the small fraction of "cordcutters" who suddenly realize "crap, maybe this isn't quite as great as I thought it'd be" ... but then try to insist it's somebody else's fault.

Hey, maybe someday Google or Microsoft or Netflix or some as yet uninvented content provider will pony up a few billion & grab the rights to show the Olympics, but until then ... well, gosh, my heart just bleeds.

Sorry, this is as much frustration with a few idiots online as it is anything, the whining has just kinda stood out in the past 24 hours or so.

[cuervo72]

Well they didn't make any money off of me!

(Seriously, we've had it on for parts of maybe two nights. Other than the generic "GO USA!", nobody much cares. Family isn't big on sports, they'd rather watch Catoon Network.)

[Big Fo]

This aspect of Olympic gymnastics is kind of confusing.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

women's Gymnastics - Balance Beam:

Spoiler

a Protest by the US leades to Aly Raisman's score being upgraded to tie for third, and since Aly's routine was more difficult, she wins the bronze

Just stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Besides that annoying pair of catty announcers- judging. And not just judging but "hey, here's some cash and a form so we can file a protest". Instant replay- I get that- you should get it right. But this is judged and it's just dumb.

SI

[sterlingice]

I wish we got more of these field events. They seem to be blitzing through them whereas I wish they would give us a little more of them: shot put, pole vault, high jump, long jump, etc

SI

[sterlingice]

Some great drama on the 100m hurdles- no one was really sure who won until they announced it. Looks like Harper actually got her arm across first but Pearson gets first

SI

[Young Drachma]

I haven't really tuned in at all. I'm not a cord-cutter anymore (I live in the hinterland and got better cable because it was cheaper than my basic cable package with internet)...but I use the BBC when I want immediate highlights via proxy, because all I want t do is see what happened after the fact since it's all tape delayed and during the day, I don't really think (or care, frankly) to watch. And I don't like their coverage.

So yeah, good for them spending tons. It's not as if I don't (not speaking for all of the cord-cutting ilk) understand the reasons behind the deliver method of these games and the reasons for why they're doing it how they are.

I just bet that the next games will be far more responsive to the way that people actually consume demand media these days and they'll find a way to monetize and make that model successful, too.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I wish we got more of these field events. They seem to be blitzing through them whereas I wish they would give us a little more of them: shot put, pole vault, high jump, long jump, etc

SI

Actually in the little bit that I saw last night I saw the pole vault final for the women and...yeah - they ran through three women's jumps in about 30 seconds. Hey, thanks for the coverage. Now back to the women's gymnastics after-event-wrapup-party-extravaganza!

[larrymcg421]

Really happy to see American distance running back on the map, but that 1500m race call was one of the worst I've ever seen. They call the final stretch run like there's still a lap to go and then don't even mention Manzano sprinting until very late and fail to notice Centrowitz making a late push for Bronze.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Just stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Besides that annoying pair of catty announcers- judging. And not just judging but "hey, here's some cash and a form so we can file a protest". Instant replay- I get that- you should get it right. But this is judged and it's just dumb.

SI

My understanding is that they can only protest the difficulty score and not the judged part.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Some great drama on the 100m hurdles- no one was really sure who won until they announced it. Looks like Harper actually got her arm across first but Pearson gets first

SI

I remember in the coverage for the Women's US Olympic Trials (with the dead heat issue) they said that the arms/head/whatever don't matter, it's the torso. I was surprised by that (don't follow track events much), then upon reflection realized I shouldn't have been.

[Young Drachma]

NBCmetrics: After 22 Medals, NBC Finally Mentions South Korea For The First Time

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

And yet, somehow, there's viewers who are feeling underserved? That's just, well, absurd.

No it's not, if you're a cord cutter. I missed out on the BBC proxy bits until I heard yesterday, but they moved so much to the cable channels and only streamed to those with cable accounts that I've been stuck with the primetime feed. They throw a 30-minute retrospective at the start of the broadcast, and save the key events until near the end of the broadcast at 11PM after we've rolled over to go to sleep, and I believe I am allowed to feel "underserved".

I wish there had been an option for me to pay $30 (I might have gone as high as $50) to stream the Olympics over my Roku, but much like with ESPN360 and its sports I'm out of luck.

Oh well, back to my Blu-Rays and videogames.