If you’re up early in the U.S., maybe you saw this on one of NBC’s platforms, if it’s available … Stop me if you’re heard this one: A U.S. relay team dropped the baton. Oh, yeah. You have heard it before.  Like five minutes ago.

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This is ridiculous. An embarrassment. And it happens at every Olympics, seemingly. A U.S. relay team throws the baton. It just went down in the men’s 4×100 qualifying.  Certain to qualify, the Yanks couldn’t get the baton around the track. Dog bites man. I’m not sure I’ve been to a big track meet (world championships […]

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To read stories that have appeared in newspapers and their websites … here you go. The most recent is one that appeared in L.A. Daily News, on Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh winning the gold in a rain-drenched beach volleyball final. The day before, tiny teen Charlotte Craig lost a semi-controversial match and fell out […]

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I thought about this. I really did. I even made a bit of an effort. But it became clear to me within the first few days here that I was never, ever going to know more than a few words of Mandarin Chinese. Maybe I’m too old to pick up new stuff quickly. But I’m […]

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Well, that turned out to be a lot of hassle for nothing. BMX, the newest goofy sport to make the Olympics menu, was set to run its finals in men’s and women’s competition today, and I was going to follow a kid named Day. The thing about weird sports? You don’t know what they do […]

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It was nothing special. Nothing that will make NBC’s highlights. Just a qualifying heat in the men’s 5,000 meter run. But I happened to be watching, on the big screen here in the press center, and the finish of the event just boggled my mind.

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Buses are a way of life for anyone covering the Olympics. They take you where you want to go, for free, run on a schedule, usually are air-conditioned and can get you closer to the front door of wherever you need to go than taxis or some private party driving a car. Thus, we think […]

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Yes, yes, we Americans should know more languages. Aside from our first-generation immigrants, few Americans are fluent in any language except English. It can be vaguely embarrassing, when you get into a conversation with someone from, say, Europe (especially northern Europe, where seemingly everyone speaks English) and their second language is almost as good as […]

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Who did that song? The Bangles? Some girl group 20-some years ago. (OK, I looked it up, and it’s by some one-hit wonder band named “The Vapors.”) Anyway, I just fell asleep in the work room at the Beijing Science and Technology University gym. That’s very Japanese. Or very Japanese journalist, from my experience covering […]

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Another random thought, while watching ball. (That’s a great thing about baseball, isn’t it? How you can do other things while it’s going on and not really miss much?) Anyway, I have been impressed by the enthusiasm of the Chinese for the sports on the Olympic menu, most of which they can’t possibly have any […]

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