More Olympic contemplations

The U.S. Nordic combined team did it again, medaling in the team pursuit event. What we Nordic buffs need now is for them to communicate some of their mojo to the rest of the U.S. Nordic athletes.

Incidentally, I have it on good authority that Canada will offer asylum to any Norwegian and Austrian atheletes who are denied re-rentry to their own countries due to poor performance. The one condition is that the Norwegian curling team has to burn their infamous pants.

Evidently Plushenko's "platinum medal" has disappeared from his Web site. Could it be that he's angling for a diamond medal?

Latest nomination for athletes who can learn something from the exuberant snowboarders who finished off the podium but seem to have had a grand time anyway: Julia Mancuso. Lindsey Vonn was already on my list, but I hoped for better behaviour from Mancuso. It sucks to have a combination of fog, accidents and rules spoil your giant slalom chances, but all of those things are out of one's control. Despite the obvious bad blood between Mancuso ond Vonn, I think we can assume that Vonn didn't crash and break a finger (Or was it a nail? I forget.) just to spite Mancuso.

I'm enjoying the ski cross events, because they remind me of the Alpine skiing we did as kids, when grooming was something that happened twice a day, ski patrols were around to pick up the injured and dead, not to be ski nannies, and groups of adolescents would race each other to the bottom just for the hell of it. What I want next is ski cross grudge matches that are compulsory for any athletes who throw hissy fits, whether they can ski or not. let's start with Mancuso and Vonn.