As we warm up for the Olympics we are puzzling over a trivia question - in what event has the United States been most dominant, and is there some other event even more dominated by some other nation?
As a casual observer I would have said that the US has virtual ownership of the men's 4x400 relay in track and the men's swimming relays (4x100, 4x200, 4x100 medley). I would have been right! Sort of. In track, the 4x400 has been won by the US 16 of 21 times; in the swim relays, the US record is 7/9, 14/22, and 11/12.
So the medley relay is the most automatic medal I have hit upon - the lucky swimmers who represent the US in the trials and finals are virtually assured of a gold. In fact, if memory and past form serves, four US swimmers will probably set a new world record in the qualifying round and four fresh new swimmers will eclipse that mark in the final.
Other suggestions for owned events?
COMING EVENTUALLY IF I REMEMBER: Most memorable Olympic quotes. Jim Thorpe and Sir Charles Barkley are contenders in my own imagination.
Thanks King! I like it.
At least he did not ask for directions to Oslo while in audience.
Posted by: GMax | July 19, 2008 at 01:23 PM
"Gone. All gone."
--Jim McKay, Munich 1972
Posted by: Danube of Thought | July 19, 2008 at 01:29 PM
I remember it well DOT.
It still makes me so sad.
Posted by: Jane | July 19, 2008 at 01:37 PM
"Do you believe in Miracles?"
Okay that was the winter Olympics, and I can see the speaker but don't remember his name. I do however remember Mike Eruzione, Jim Craig and the other boys from Boston (and elsewhere)and where I was and who I was with.
Posted by: Jane | July 19, 2008 at 01:41 PM
It was Al Michaels.
Mornin', Jane. (At least here on the Coast it's mornin'.)
Posted by: Danube of Thought | July 19, 2008 at 02:15 PM
I believe it was Al Michaels, Jane. I don't remember much about the victory over the USSR but I remember that I watched the next game against Finland (the game in which the US actually clinched the gold medal) in my apartment in Shaker Heights, Ohio (I was working in Cleveland at the time) while writing a brief to reopen a judgment won by an an auto finance company against my client. The USA won and the judge reopened the judgment! A great day all around!
Posted by: Thomas Collins | July 19, 2008 at 02:19 PM
That was a great day TC. Al Michaels, yup.
I was in Scituate with all my buddies drinking beer and rooting on guys some of us had gone to college with. That victory was so sweet, it confirmed my belief that anything is possible.
Posted by: Jane | July 19, 2008 at 02:36 PM
Al Oertle owned the discus for about two decades. This wasn't Olympic but I saw a world record set, which still stands: the Quarter Mile Relay, by USC. Running third was an O.J. Simpson, nicknamed 'Orange Juice'.
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Posted by: kim | July 19, 2008 at 02:39 PM
Oerter won the discus in four successive Olympics. In the final three, he wasn't close to the best in the world going in, but each time he summoned up a superhuman effort on the big stage. Today the whole world would suspect steroids or HGH.
Posted by: Danube of Thought | July 19, 2008 at 02:48 PM
Oerter it was. Maybe he was pumping that stuff from his own adrenals or pituitary.
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Posted by: kim | July 19, 2008 at 02:54 PM
Sometimes, DoT, I suspect you of HGH.
Posted by: hit and run | July 19, 2008 at 02:54 PM
The Barkley quotes (which are fantastic) come from a great NYT homer column from 1993, debating whether the home town Knicks have what it takes to overcome the Western Conference Phoenix Suns in the NBA playoffs.
The title that year was won by Chicago over Phoenix, 4-2.
Posted by: bgates | July 19, 2008 at 03:08 PM
I was in Navy Hospital in San Diego when the Munich Massacre happened. You had to bring your own portable TV in if you wanted TV. Because of the flight path for the San Diego Airport right over Balboa, we could only get one channel with the rabbit ears, so everyone was in my room watching the Olympics.
I think we ended up with about 15 patients and maybe 6 or 7 doctors and another half dozen corpsmen or nurses. People and IV poles everywhere all huddled around one rather snowy 13" TV.
Posted by: Sara | July 19, 2008 at 04:47 PM
We used to own the men's basketball gold, but after they let in the pros, they got cocky and lost (using too much cocky?).
Think of how nice the world would be if the Palestinians had had a Gandhi or MLK instead of Arafat and the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem.
Posted by: Ralph L | July 19, 2008 at 06:18 PM
Not from the Olympics, but another great Barkley line. He was telling his mother that he was a Republican. Mother: "But Charles, those Republicans only care about the rich folk." Barkley: "Mom, I *am* rich!" [Incidentally, I think Barkley may have tilted left since then.]
Posted by: jimmyk | July 19, 2008 at 08:12 PM
Not sure who said it but I remember the 72 Munich massacre. "The games must go on."
Posted by: Rocco | July 19, 2008 at 10:55 PM