It seemed like nearly everytime you turned on the Olympics to watch Michael Phelps break world records and win gold medals, the NBC cameras would somehow find his Mom nervously sitting in the stands. Much was made about his Mom having to raise Phelps on her own after her husband ditched the marriage while Michael was still fairly young and before he turned into…oh i dont know…the most popular athlete in the world. Well, after years of mystery, I think I found him. None other than the lead singer from Twisted Sister, Dee Snider.
This look-alike is uncanny. It’s so uncanny it has to be true. So does this give us reason to believe that, as the band was formed, maybe Snider should have gone with “Twisted Swimmer?” Or how about changing their hit song from “We’re not gonna take it” to “We are gonna break it.” Okay, okay, enough with the Twisted Sister play on words.
Seriously though, is Dee Snider just Phelps wearing a blonde pony tail? Phelps doing his war cry after winning a gold medal looks an awful lot like Snider doing the ultra-makeup kinda gay rock band of the 80’s scream. Pretty unbelievable if you ask me.
Note: You can also view the video in high definitionhere on Vimeo.
Over the past week and a half, there’s been tons of talk about Michael Phelps’ performance at the Olympics; his eight gold medals, his world records, and his eating habits. Most people wondered how in the hell Phelps could shovel down 12,000 calories a day in food without having his heart stop. Is it humanly possible to eat that much? Well, we put it to the test. Rich and Kevin from Sportable and Kyle, one of our loyal readers, attempted to tackle one of Phelps’ meals in a gold medal food competition. The results were less than world record worthy.
Kevin had breakfast, which was:
Three egg sandwiches
A five-egg omelet
A bowl of oatmeal (Phelps eats grits)
Three slices of French toast
Three chocolate chip pancakes
Two cups of coffee
Kyle had lunch:
One pound of pasta
Two ham sandwiches
One protein/energy shake
Rich had dinner:
One pound of pasta
A large supreme pizza
One protein/energy shake
The champions of the 2004 Summer Olympics were de-throned by the heavy underdogs, Korea in a 3-2 upset. Cuba has historically been a international baseball powerhouse, having won gold in ‘92,’96, and ‘04.
Cuba had the bases load with one out in the 9th inning, but South Korean reliever Chong Tae-hyon was able to get Cuban phenom Yuliesky Gourriel to ground into a game ending double play. Gourriel has often been compared to a young Alex Rodriguez, and like A-Rod, Gourriel choked when given the chance to win a championship.
If the Cuban’s are looking to add some offensive punch to their lineup they should check into the availability of Angel Matos, seeing as he is no longer eligible to compete in international Taekwondo
Cuba’s domination of international baseball has been slipping lately, including a loss to the US in the gold medal game of the 2000 Olympics. Keep in mind, the 2000 US team was headlined by offensive powerhouses, Doug Mientkiewicz, Adam Everrett, and Pat Borders. Then, in 2006, Cuba lost to Dice-K and the Japanese in a riveting conclusion to the inaugural World Baseball Classic.
The Cuban team has been slowed down by defections and retirements. Cuba’s superstars from the 90’s have either defected to the US, or have been slowed down by age and retirement. Things are looking promising though. Cuba features a young core of exciting but inexperienced players, headlined by Yuliesky Gourriel, who figure to be a formidable threat to win the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Apparently winning a Superbowl wasn’t good enough for Peyton, he wants the chance to go for the gold against foreign football super powers like…Canada?
Peyton makes a compelling argument though, noting that, “there’s still one thing left for me to accomplish..winning a gold medal. The only problem is that football has never qualified as an Olympic sport. Which is completely bogus. Now you may say that many countries don’t play football, but that makes it even easier then, right?”
Ahh, Peyton Manning, the University of Tennessee’s finest…
If you’ve been paying any attention at all to the 2008 Summer Olympics, its more than likely that you’re familiar with some of the more popular events like Swimming, Gymnastics, Track & Field, and Basketball, but what about the events that don’t get that prime-time coverage on NBC? Here’s a tribute to the 5 most obscure Sports at the Beijing Olympics.
#5 BMX Biking
Once relegated to a small but dedicated following at the X-Games, in 2008 BMX Racing became the newest Olympic Sport. BMX Racing involves using customized bicycles, usually featuring 20 inch wheels, to race around a dirt track which often feature multiple jumps and other challenges. According to the official Beijing Olympics website: “The Olympic BMX track, which is approximately 300 to 400 meters in length, features high technical jumps and other obstacles designed for the top-level riders of the BMX racing.”
Think: a nice bike ride on a dirt path + Mountain Dew
#4 Yachting
When I think of yachting, I think of it as an activity enjoyed by old men (think: Hugh Hefner) with goofy looking caps on a lazy Saturday afternoon. It turns out yachting is actually an Olympic sport. In fact there are even four different categories of events for men and women, as well as three mixed events. Olympic yachting generally takes the form of a race to cross the finish line between numerous vessels, which require each vessel to navigate around multiple buoys without interfering with competitors.
Think: sailing on steroids
#3 Field Hockey
Hockey is a summer Olympics sport? Apparently when anyone outside of North America and Eastern Europe refer to Hockey, they’re talking about field hockey. Field Hockey is played between two teams of 11 players (10 position players and a keeper). Players battle to hit a small plastic ball into a goal by using a stick; shaped much like those used in Ice Hockey. The similarities end there. In field hockey only the Keeper is allowed to touch the ball with their body, and even they are not allowed to catch the ball or bring it to a dead stop. Also, goals are only counted if they are scored from within a semi-circle which extends roughly 20 yards from the goal. International men’s Field Hockey has historically been dominated by natural rivals Indian and Pakistan, although in recent years European and Australian teams have challenged their dominance. The women’s sport is dominated by Australia, although India and China also are known to put together strong teams.
Think: Ice Hockey (without the skates) + Soccer + Lacrosse
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