If the organizers of the next Olympic Games are looking for a new event, I have an idea: pairs figure sleeping. The idea was inspired by this photo that Mama G snapped last night of me and Mama C teetering on the edge of consciousness after watching the women’s downhill. We’re blaming Bode Miller.
Now we’re talking about a sport in which humans hurtle themselves down icy mountains at 70 miles an hour or more while wearing little clothing and a pair of sticks attached to their feet, so it’s hard to imagine that anyone could make it boring. But Bode’s incessant monotone commentary worked like a cocktail and an Ambien on us.
We’re hoping to do better during tonight’s alpine combined event. Maybe we’ll try watching with the sound off.
Oxbow's World 
Dear Mr. Oxbow,
your commentary was spot on! As a person of a certain age, I remember the Amazing tv show “Wide world of Sports”. As far as Olympic coverage, they were the best and always will be the best presenters of the Olympics. Jim McKay was the best there is. Who can forget the year the Americans won gold in hockey called–“The Miracle on Ice”!
I remember the announcers(not their names) who called the downhill skiing events when the great John Claude Killy was winning with thrilling runs.
This year’s coverage seems lackluster in every event. Maybe I’m just getting too jaded about sports in general. Skiing back then was about overcoming the challenges not only of the hill, but the length of the skiis and the weakness of the ski boots, and the frailties of the bindings. Overcoming failure in any one of these areas to win was truly a heroic victory or the “Agony of Defeat”.
Real tennis matches with serve and volley were truly exciting to watch, especially when Billie Jean King and other players were playing with WOODEN RACQUETS!
Sports for the young ones is about having the best equipment and the most technical savvy, and of course the most power over your opponent either in speed or technique.
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