Keeping Score

Dylan Armstrong, the pride of Kamloops, may be the second Armstrong to reach the moon. At least, that's where he looked to be headed as the men’s shot put ended at the Beijing Games yesterday. If you weren’t able to watch, you missed a tremendous showing by Armstrong, who came this close ( ) to winning a bronze medal. And now Armstrong will begin preparations for what has been his ultimate goal all along – the 2012 Summer Games in London. He is going to put out fair city on his broad shoulders and take us along with him and, yes, it’s going to be one heckuva ride.

There is sad news from Beijing, courtesy of Andy Borotwitz of BorowitzReport.com: “A member of the U.S. Olympic diving team was disqualified from competition today when it was learned that he did not have a sufficiently compelling human storyline to exploit on the NBC telecast of the worldwide sporting event. Tracy Klujian, the expelled diver, was not raised by a single mother, never had a career-threatening injury, and did not overcome a personal tragedy of any kind . . . According to sources close to the diving team, Mr. Klujian had concealed the fact that he comes from an intact middle-class family who never lost their home to a flood, tornado, or typhoon . . . ‘Tracy did his best to hide his background from team officials,’ one source said. ‘But when the truth came out, he was finished.’ “ . . . Markus Rogan, an Olympic swimmer from Austria, talked to The Associated Press about the red-hot Speedo LAZR suits: “I tested it. I threw it in the pool and it didn’t move at all, so I’ll still have to swim.”

NBC-TV is getting ripped, again, for its decision to tape delay so much of its Olympics coverage. As David Thomas of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote: “If I have it figured correctly, when it’s noon here, it’s 1 a.m. tomorrow at the Olympics and sometime last night on NBC.” . . . One more
from Thomas: “Says Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski to a European journalist: ‘We have an expression that when you have a really good team, you play for the name on the front of the uniforms, not the name on the back.’ So, the Redeem Team is playing for Nike?” . . . Jerry Crowe, in the Los Angeles Times: “When Michael Phelps overtook Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis, Larysa Latynina and Paavo Nurmi to become the most decorated athlete in Olympic history, it
would have been nice to see it unfold as it was happening rather than three hours later. Thanks for nothing, NBC.” . . . So let’s just give the gold medal for Olympian coverage to CBC-TV, shall we?

David Letterman, on the hot topic surrounding the Beijing Olympics: “Are you excited about the Summer Olympics? Of course, they’re being held in China, in Beijing, and everybody in Beijing already has Olympic fever. Or as it’s also known, bronchial asthma.” . . . Fark.com has the Olympic spirit, witness this headline: Neither Hamm will compete until they are cured. . . . Our Olympic team may be struggling to win medals, but all the athletes have tried their hardest and there is nothing more Canadian than that, eh? . . . According to the New York Post, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will provide the halftime entertainment at the Super Bowl in Tampa on Feb. 1. Which means that former Daily News publisher Dale Brin somehow will find a
way to be there.

Thomas Bonk, in the Los Angeles Times: “As part of Bill Self’s 10-year deal to continue to coach basketball at the University of Kansas, there’s a ‘retention payment’ of $500,000 due Self every year he stays on. Oh, he also gets 50 free tickets to every home game . . . as if he couldn’t afford
them.” . . . Former NHL and WHL star Theo Fleury made his pro baseball debut on Aug. 9 as the Calgary Vipers split a Golden league doubleheader with the Yuma Scorpions. Fleury singled on a 2-0 count in his only plate appearance in the opener. He started the nightcap in left field and went
0-for-2, striking out twice. And, no, he didn’t cross-check or spear anyone. . . . Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, with some CFL travel tips: “Three things a visiting CFL player can do for excitement in Regina: 3. Water sliding at the Seven Oaks Inn; 2. Side stepping goose poop in
Wascana Park; 1. Reminiscing with the locals about the good old days when the Rolling Stones came to town.”

If you do anything this weekend, go to washingtonpost.com and read a column by Sally Jenkins that was headlined Dissonance Strikes A Chord. It appeared in the Washington Post of Aug. 9. This, folks, is gritty, gutsy stuff. . . . Elliott Harris, in the Chicago Sun-Times: “Whatever the opposite of human growth hormone is, that sure looks like what some female Olympic gymnasts
must be on.” . . . Gregg Easterbrook, over at ESPN.com: “Olympic officials forbid French athletes to wear badges that said ‘for a better world’, ruling this violated strictures against political statements. Apparently the notion that the world should be ‘better’ is too controversial for the Olympics! Then again -- in a better world, there would be no bribes.” . . . Social note: Former Kootenay Ice centre Jarret Stoll, now with the L.A. Kings, is engaged to Rachel Hunter, who may be best known as Rod Stewart¹s ex-wife. . . . Stoll, who will be forever young, is 26; she is 38.

Janice Hough, the Left Coast Sports Babe: “Manny Ramirez says he is happy as a Dodger and wants to stay in Los Angeles forever. Doesn’t this sound like Elizabeth Taylor on one of her honeymoons?” . . . Mike Finger, in the San Antonio Express-News: “U.S. Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger said that with Tiger Woods not competing, Europe should be considered the favorites in next month’s event. Frankly, Azinger is missing out on an obvious opportunity. Woods’ absence leaves a perfect chance to add the one American with the swing and the track record of intimidating foreign competitors -- Charles Barkley.” . . . This week’s e-mail take included US$1.2 million, courtesy of Mrs. T. Groenwoud, the Award Co-ordinator at some lotto website. . . . The way I hear it, the real MVP at last week’s under-15 national basketball championships was TRU sports information guru Larry Read.

You realize, of course, that Week 1 of the NFL schedule calls for the New York Jets to visit the Miami Dolphins. Chad Pennington versus Brett Favre. How did the schedule maker know? . . . Pennington, who was picked up by the Dolphins after being Favred by the Jets, is keeping the seat warm for rookie Chad Henne. And as Greg Cote pointed out in the Miami Herald: “Chads haven’t gotten this much attention in South Florida since the 2000 presidential election.” . . . Favre made his debut as the Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback in 1992. Between then and the end of the 2007 season, the Chicago Bears had 20 starting QBs.

Aramark, a company based in Philadelphia, is responsible for the food in the athletes’ village at the Beijing Games. According to The New York Times, Aramark says it will go through more than 35,000 pounds of duck, 14,000 pounds of tofu, 150,000 pounds of beef, one million apples, 20.1 million servings of rice and 743,000 potatoes. . . . Dwight Perry, in the Seattle Times: “So just how big is JaMarcus Russell, the Raiders’ 6-foot-5, 270-pound quarterback? He beeps while backing up from centre.” . . . The first sign that Christmas is just around the corner -- Leonard Maltin’s 2009 book of movie and video reviews is on the shelves. . . . Which means your Daily News Christmas Cheer Fund is three months from liftoff. . . . The second sign that Christmas is almost here? The Wish Book arrived at Sears on Wednesday. . . . Happy shopping!

Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.