Don Alexander: An Olympics for all to cheer about

Don Alexander

Wow, what a couple of weeks of Olympic games! I got up at 6 a.m. last Sunday to make sure I wouldn’t miss the 7 a.m. men’s basketball gold medal basketball game between Spain and the U.S.A. Did you know that roosters don’t even get up that early?

But I’m glad I did because the U.S. team won by seven after being up by only one at halftime.

At first I thought I was watching a Laker game with Pau Gasol playing for Spain and Kobe Bryant playing his last Olympic game for the Americans. Gasol was the MVP for the Spaniards.

Yes, I now believe that LeBron James is the best basketball player in the world. Will he pass Kobe and Michael Jordan as the best of all time? Give me three more years.

But was it great to see

And how about them USA basketball women? I think they averaged about a 35-point spread as they beat France, 86-50. You don’t get butterflies in your mid-region like you do watching most medal games when the USA women play. Really, there should never be a 36-point spread in a medal game.

It kind of a reminder to me of the 1980’s when you would watch either a good girls’ high school basketball team or a very poor one. It was like a slow pitch softball team all-of-a-sudden plays a fast pitch team. France looked like the little sisters. It wasn’t as close as it looked!

It was the fifth gold medal in a row for the Americans so the rest of the world will just have to catch up. The U.S. team has won 41 consecutive Olympic games dating back to 1992. The one game they lost was in the 1996 World games. Congrats, girls, you are the best in the world.

But what game did I really watch with hope running through my veins? That’s right. I watched the U.S. Women’s soccer team beat Japan, 2-1. As basketball is an American sport, soccer is the rest of the world’s sport. Even though I think that several rule changes are needed to take away the criticism that watching soccer is like watching the grass grow unless your kid is in the game.

Last year USA lost to Japan in a shootout at the World Cup. I couldn’t eat for four hours. Now they were playing that team for the Olympic gold medal. We won! We won 2-1 to avenge the defeat last year.

I was bouncing around like I was 20-years-old. I called everyone. I talked to my daughter Dixie who hadn’t a clue who was playing but did hear the Olympics were going.

She said, “Great. Wanna go out for dinner tonight?” I told her I had to check the Olympic schedule but it was good, as I don’t get into rowing and fencing. But how could anyone not know the U.S. was playing Japan for the soccer gold medal? Oh, well.

That same day was the U.S. women’s water polo team’s big game.. They had never won a gold medal and played favorite Spain for the gold. We won, 8-5. That was really exciting. Those water polo players have to be in the best shape of any athlete. Congrats.

It’s a good thing that the Olympics are over because football is coming. But it was a great couple of weeks that saw the U.S. dominate in total medals but China did very well to come in second. Russia came in third. I was hoping it was 33^rd. I guess that’s a carryover from the old days.

I just love watching the games since the rules were changed to allow pros to play. Best athletes against best athletes. That’s the way it all started in Athens, Greece in 776 B.C. Do you think they actually had chariots with spears on them to knock out the competition? Does anybody have any videotape?

I’m going to celebrate the life of a dear friend of mine, Al Samas, at the Elks Lodge in Garden Grove tomorrow (Friday). He valiantly fought cancer 8 times while winning the battle 7 times. A lot of his friends will be there. God bless you, Al.

E-mail Don Alexander at Journaldon@aol.com.