2012 Olympics: Female athletes makin' us proud!

(Some of this info might be spoilers, if they're results from today that haven't aired in primetime yet, so consider yourself warned!!)


There are so many of them competing well at the games, bringing home medals, playing with class and grace, being good examples of good sportsmanship, supporting members of their teams, and just being the kind of role models girls need (and unfortunately get to see only every two years). This is just a short round-up, focusing on American athletes, of what we've seen at the Olympics so far:

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings win their third goal medal for beach volleyball.

These two were phenomenal to watch - they are such a good team that they flowed like they were one player...they knew what the other was doing and where she was without even looking! And after beating the Italians in the quarter finals, they both congratulated their opponents on a job well done.

Allyson Felix wins gold in the women's 200 m.

The women of the U.S. gymnastics team.

Aly Raisman won two individual medals, a bronze for the balance beam and a gold for her floor routine - as someone who's afraid to even do a somersault, watching her flip and twist effortlessly through the air was amazing, like an airborne ballet. Also, let's give all these ladies a hand for giving the U.S. women's gymnastics team its first team gold medal since 1996.

In addition, the U.S. women's soccer team and women's basketball team have both made it to the gold medal game, and today Claressa Shields won a gold medal for women's boxing, which is an Olympic sport for the first time.

(All photos are courtesy of NBCOlympics.com - please visit their website here for more info and more photos on the Games!!)

From NBCNews.com: For first time, women from every nation ready to rock Olympics

This is just so awesome. According to Scott Stump's article, for the first time in the history of modern Olympics, all 205 nations competing at the Summer Games in London are sending at least one female athlete: Brunei, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are sending a woman for the first time, and it's the first time the U.S. will have more female athletes competing than male athletes. Maybe it's hormones, but that kinda brings tears to my eyes. When the Olympic Games are pretty much the only place to see female athletes compete on a main stage, it's kick ass that they're getting more of an opportunity than their earlier counterparts (even from as recently as two years ago!) and it's kick ass for all the little girls out there today who need strong, positive female role models, whether those little girls want to grow up to rock the Olympics or just rock the world.

You can read the whole story here.

A quick thought on the NCAA sanctions against Penn State

Well done.

While the penalties the NCAA imposed on Penn State this morning may seem harsh to some - $60 million in fines to be put toward external programs to prevent child abuse and/or help child abuse victims, 4-year postseason ban, a reduction in scholarships, 5 years probation, and 13 years of won games erased from Joe Paterno's record and the schools record - I'm relieved to see that someone, that some organization, realizes it should never be "football first." And not just talking about football - that no college sports program should take priority over the college itself, or in the case of Penn State, over the welfare of a child. Kids go to college to get an education. Colleges are institutions of higher learning. For some people, sports are their ticket in. For some schools, sports programs, but especially football programs, are their way of helping pay for improvements or additions to the school to assist their students in furthering their education. But when the school becomes ancillary to the sports program, when the coach becomes so popular and powerful that he answers to no one, when the heads of the education part of the institution defer to others in decisions and don't stand up for their students or for the integrity of the institution, then there is something really twisted and really wrong. And when innocent children become the victims because of that twisted culture, when they have nobody to stand up for them, then there's something really, REALLY wrong. Jerry Sandusky was a monster. Joe Paterno was not a monster but he placed football above all else that he allowed a monster to survive - the same can be said for all in Penn State's administration who allowed him to survive. Sometimes athletic programs that are money makers for a school think they are above the school. Sometimes the athletes themselves think that, sometimes it's the coaches, sometimes it's the school itself. So good on the NCAA for stepping in with sanctions harsh enough that other schools will have a "think about it first" attitude before letting something like this happen again. And as a side note, also good on the NCAA for doing what it can to help out all of the Penn State athletes in the football program who will be affected by these sanctions - they were part of the program but not part of the problem, and it's the program and school that's being punished, so good for the NCAA for trying to minimize the amount of the punishment that will affect those players.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Rant of the day: Poor sports in Kansas City

Hope everyone caught the Home Run Derby last night - congrats to Prince Fielder for winning it for a second time - that dude is a beast! As a sports fan who can't help but become embroiled in bitter sports rivalries (how excited was this fangirl that the New York Yankees took 3 of 4 games from the Red Sox this past weekend??), it's always nice to see, at something like the Derby, players from opposing sides of those rivalries laughing together and cheering each other on. David Ortiz kept encouraging Robinson Cano and was excited as a little kid at almost every Mark Trumbo homer. In the middle of a season of playing against each other, the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game are a chance for players - and fans - to play with each other and have a little bit of fun. The players were all having fun, so why was it that when Robinson Cano got up to bat, the stadium erupted into boos and didn't stop the entire time? How is that sportsmanlike? How is that fun? Kansas City fans were upset that Cano, captain of the American League Derby team, hadn't picked one of their players to hit in the Derby. Really? That's worth acting like a bunch of petulant 5-year-olds? There are only four spots on each team - four. There are probably a dozen players who deserved to be on each team. It's not like Cano picked every single one of them EXCEPT Billy Butler. But you win - your booing worked and Cano didn't hit a single home run. He came in dead last. Dead last with a smile on his face. He was tweeting throughout the entire Derby and every single tweet was something encouraging for another player, was something upbeat, fun, excited - he was having a grand ole' time, in spite of the nastiness of Kansas City fans. And really, in the end, I guess Cano wins after all, because all three players he chose over Butler were the last men standing - guess he made the best choices after all.

Here endeth the rant. All-Star Game tonight - be there!

Take me out to the ball game...

Got to enjoy another game at Yankee Stadium this past Wednesday. Went by myself, but made some new friends, enjoyed a hot dog and a beer, got to see one of my favorite players, Andy Pettitte, pitch and unfortunately fracture his ankle (boo!), but the weather was sunny and gorgeous and New York won the game. It was nice to see so many families out at the game and it was a pleasant surprise to see not so many dads out with their kids, but so many dads out with their DAUGHTERS. Girls like baseball, too! So good on you, dads, for spending quality time with your kids and instilling a love of the game in both your sons and daughters!

A quick thought on the Roger Clemens verdict

Roger Clemens is not guilty of lying to Congress during the MLB steroids investigation. This case is oddly reminiscent of the not-too-distant John Edwards misuse of campaign funds case. In both, there really wasn't enough evidence to convict. In both, the defendant is an arrogant, entitled, selfish sleazeball who you kinda just want to punch in the face...but that doesn't make them criminals. Unfortunately, it's not against the law to be an a$$h-l-. And I say this as someone who used to like both these guys, Edwards moreso than Clemens. The good news is now we can move on and we don't have to hear about either of these guys anymore. Or, at least one can hope.

Here endeth the rant.

Yay Yankees for winning 10-games in a row - *this* is the kind of sports news I want to write about! My team is making me proud - can't wait to see you guys in person at Yankee Stadium again next week!

Matt Cain throws Giants' first perfect game

Congrats to Matt Cain on the San Francisco Giants' first perfect game, and only the 22nd perfect game in baseball history. I'm not a Giants fan by any means, but a game well played is a game well played, and a perfect game is still an elusive accomplishment and something any pitcher as well as his team should be proud of - because a pitcher can't do it without his team. Special shout-out to one Giants player who caught a ball at the wall for an out - former New York Yankee Melky Cabrera. While Robinson Cano was definitely worth hanging on to more, was always sorry to see Melky go - glad to see he's doing well with his new teammates. You can read more about it here.