Vancouver 2010: And So It Ends

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The Winter Olympic Games concluded with a men's hockey game that belongs right up there with the 1980 "Miracle On Ice".  Sidney Crosby's overtime goal gave Canada a 3-2 victory over the United States, fulfilling their destiny of winning a gold medal before the home folks.  The way the game was played, this might do for hockey what the 1958 NFL championship game between the Colts and Giants did for pro football--put it on the map in a big way in the United States and around the world.

Otherwise, these Olympics have been very good for the United States.  They won 37 medals (including nine gold, 15 silver and 13 bronze), more than anyone else in Winter Games history.  Not only that, but they struck gold in unlikely places.  Billy Demong and Johnny Spillane finished 1-2 in the men's Nordic combined (that's large hill ski jumping and cross country skiing)--the first American medals ever in that sport, while Steve Holcomb piloted the U.S. four-man bobsled team to its first gold since 1948.

The American alpine ski team, which had been loading up on medals during the first week, fizzled in the second week due to injuries and controversy.  Lindsey Vonn disqualified in her last two races, including her crash in the Giant Slalom that looked much worse than it was in the snow and fog (she broke a pinky).  But teammate Julia Mancuso had more reason to be upset, because her run immediately following Vonn's was halted halfway down the hill by officials, causing her to replay her run as the weather got worse and finished out of the running.

Host country Canada may not have "owned the podium" like they said they would, but they did lay claim to a record haul of gold not seen in those parts since the 1890s.  They finished third in the medals (Germany was second) with 14 gold, seven silver and five bronze for a total of 26.  The golds came in men's and women's hockey, men's curling and ice dancing.

The women's hockey team, upon winning the gold over the United States, had a private celebration on center ice at Canada Hockey Place.  Thanks to You Tube, we could see the players quaffing champagne and beer.  So why does the song "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha come to mind?

For those of you who hit the remote whenever NBC put its prime time showcase on figure skating, the winners were Kim Yu-Na of South Korea in the 'ladies' category, and Evan Lysacek of the United States in the men's.

As the Games closed with the dousing of the flames at Vancouver's B.C. Place Stadium (which looks eerily like the Metrodome), the memories of bad weather, trucked-in snow and the death of a Georgian luger still linger.  But Canada should be proud of the way they hosted these Olympics in spite of everthing.  All they really did was to set the bar higher for the next Winter Olympics host, Sochi, Russia, in 2014.

Beauty,eh?

Vancouver 2010: Oh No, Canada

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From the Maritime provinces to the metropolises of Toronto and Montreal, to the prairies of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and to the shores of the Olympic city of Vancouver, everyone's wondering the same thing:  What happened to all those medals we were supposed to get?

Canada spent $118 million training its athletes to "Own The Podium", an effort to grab as many medals during these Winter Olympics as they possibly can.  The net result?  Eleven total medals as of Tuesday night, including six gold, placing fifth overall.

So who's really owning the podium thus far?  It's none other than the United States with 26 medals, including seven gold.  Most of that is due to the performances of Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn on the ski slopes.

There will still be plenty of opportunities for the Canadians to win gold before the competition ends Sunday.  They have an excellent chance in men's and women's curling, and the women's hockey team plays the U.S. in the gold medal final Thursday.

But the men's hockey team has become a source of concern across Canada.  You would think that, with Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla, Dany Heatley, Martin Brodeur and all the NHL talent the country has to offer, they'd be a shoo-in for gold.  But Team Canada needed a shootout to defeat Switzerland.  And they lost to the Americans 5-3.  Now they're in danger of not medaling at all.

(Since the U.S.'s victory occurred one day shy of the thirtieth anniversary of the "Miracle On Ice", when a bunch of college kids took down the mighty Soviet Union in a historic match at Lake Placid, some people have been comparing that game to the one on Sunday.  Please don't.  In this case, it was "our pros" beating "their pros".)

(MSNBC, normally the home of Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, televised the U.S.-Canada game to record numbers for the news and opinion channel.  NBC broke from taped bobsledding during its prime time coverage to present the last 30 seconds of the game.  We were surprised that they showed it at all.)

Team Canada can still win the gold and calm a nation's anxieties.  They cruised past Germany 8-2 Tuesday night at Canada Hockey Place (known as General Motors Place when the NHL Canucks are playing).  But the road become much tougher when they face Russia (and Alexander Ovechkin) Wednesday night.

By not playing to its stereotype of being reserved, Canadians have been learning a valuable lesson in hosting these Winter Olympics:  Never promise more than you can deliver.  To do otherwise would be downright . . . American.

Tiger Woods Declawed

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In an address to the world that any disgraced politician would envy, Tiger Woods apologized to just about anyone who listened Friday:  his wife Elin, his family, fans, parents and the PGA Tour.  He sounded sincere in telling us how sorry he was for cavorting with an assortment of women, and for behaving like a jerk on and off the golf course.  After listening to that, Woods should be damn lucky he's still married to Elin, who--tellingly--wasn't in the same room during his mea culpa.

The timing of Woods' announcement was dictated by his rehab schedule, where he is reportedly being treated for sex addiction, and not because he wanted to stick it to one of his former sponsors.  Accenture, which dropped Woods in December when the news about him got to be too much for them, is putting its name to a match play golf tournament in Arizona this weekend.

Coverage of the Tiger Woods Show was seen on all networks, broadcast and cable.  Only reporters from wire services were permitted in, asking no questions.  This tight control of the message was greeted with derision by most of the other media.  Doesn't this sound like Michael Jackson to you?

Among the other things Woods told the assembled family and friends:  He blasted the tabloid media for stalking his family.  And what really happened to sour the relationship between him and his wife should remain between them.  No argument there.

Oh yes, about the golf.  Woods says he might return to playing someday, but didn't say when.  If he does, it'll be a long time, if ever.  Forget the Masters or the U.S. Open.  The most important thing in his life right now is to get his life together, and that has no timetable.

If Tiger Woods really, truly wants to become a better man, then whatever he's doing now is the first step in a long process.  We wish him the best.

Vancouver 2010: What You See Is What You Get

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Every Olympics, it seems, people complain about NBC's handling (or mishandling) of the events it covers, and when it chooses to show them.

The Winter Games in Vancouver offers a better opportunity for NBC to show more events live than it did for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, simply because the time difference is much less daunting.  However, to recoup their considerable investment in the eyes of advertisers who want to appeal to 18-49 women, they hold the best events that might appeal to that demographic in prime time.  That's why you won't see much live streaming of events on your computer, because NBC needs every eyeball they can get.

Take Wednesday night, for example.  Lindsey Vonn's gold medal run in the women's downhill was held for broadcast until midway through the prime time show, sandwiched between live coverage of men's snowboarding and speed skating. (Although we could have done without witnessing that private moment between Vonn and her coach/husband after she had won the gold.  It was uncomfortable to watch.)

Those sports not considered quite as desirable to the young and distaff by advertisers are relegated either to late afternoons and weekends (for biathlon and cross-country skiing), or to cable networks not normally associated with sports (that would be ice hockey and curling).

And then there are the often-ridiculed profiles of athletes who have Beaten The Odds, or whose motivation comes from a relative who's dying of a fatal disease.  Those have been around since the days of "ABC's Wide World of Sports".  Come to think of it, the evolution of Olympics TV coverage stems from that show alone.

It must be working.  Thus far, the Winter Olympics have been enjoying the biggest increase in viewers since the Salt Lake City Games of 2002, the last time they were held on this continent.  They've even edged out "American Idol", the Fox show that took them to the cleaners in 2006.

Get used to this, folks.  No matter who wins the American broadcast rights to the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia and the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, embargoed coverage and targeted marketing will be the patterns we're stuck with.

Vancouver 2010: What Could Go Wrong?

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The Winter Olympics in Vancouver got off to a tragic start with the death of Nadar Komaritashvili, a Georgian athlete who crashed on the luge course during a practice run prior to the Games.  As a result, the men's competition started where the women were supposed to, and the women started theirs where the juniors would have been, in order to cut down the speed on a track that some have called dangerous.

But that was only the beginning.  There was a malfunctioning torch at the Opening Ceremonies, Zamboni problems at the speed skating oval, and Alpine skiing events were postponed because of either too little snow or too much--which allowed American skiier Lindsey Vonn to give her celebrated shin a chance to heal.

Other than that, the big story so far is that Canadians have finally won Olympic gold on their own soil, even if it is in events deemed more suitable for ESPN's X Games.  Alex Bilodeau in men's moguls and Moelle Ricker in women's snowboardcross made history for the Maple Leaf.  Jenn Heil in women's moguls would have been the first, had she not lost to American Hannah Kearney.

The most significan accomplishment for the United States thus far is that Apolo Anton Ohno became the most decorated male athlete ever at the Winter Games with six medals.  He won a silver in the men's 1500-meter short track speed skating event.  Bode Miller won the bronze in the men's downhill.

All that stuff about Canadians "owning the podium" has yet to pan out, with Germany leading the medal count as of Tuesday night.

NBC's coverage benefits from the Games being in the same hemisphere as its audience, which was not the case in Beijing two years ago.  They're even showing some of the major events live in prime time.  Or is it "plausibly live"?  However, not everyone is so fortunate.  A quick check of the website for KING, NBC's Seattle affiliate, tells us that the West Coast is getting the Olympics coverage on tape delay even though it's in their own time zone.

In the past, we've been hearing from viewers in Detroit, Buffalo and International Falls talk about how much better the Olympics coverage is on Canadian television than on NBC.  Since CTV, not CBC, is covering these Games, we've yet to hear if it's still true.

The forecast for Vancouver and environs is for improving conditions, which would be enough to make every event remain on schedule, cramped though it may be.  Everyone involved--the athletes, organizers and TV networks--is keeping their fingers crossed that everything else goes off without a hitch.

KSTP-AM Gets In The Game

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The news that KSTP (AM 1500) is changing its talk format from politics to sports, and is becoming an ESPN Radio affiliate, caught a lot of people off guard.  It might very well become a game changer, so to speak, in local radio if things roll their way.

KSTP's ratings have been in the dumper since they lost Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity to conservative talker KTLK (FM 100.3) a few years ago.  They used to be the home of well-regarded local talent such as Barbara Carlson, Bob Yates, Don Vogel and T.D. Mischke.

Now, after getting rid of hosts Shawn Prebil, Chris Murphy, Jay Kolls and Al Malmberg, KSTP is left with its two most marketable commodities:  Patrick Reusse and Joe Soucheray, who have been with the station since the 1980s.  They will now be filling the afternoons together and separately.  But both have been veering away from sports in recent years.  Reusse, who still writes a sports column for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, has been known to talk about movies and politics at times.  Soucheray, who's keeping his "Garage Logic" show and his St. Paul Pioneer Press column (unless something happens with the paper itself), dropped sports a long time ago and is now best known as a neo-conservative who doesn't believe in climate change.  Collectively, their act is getting tired.

Not even being the Minnesota Twins' flagship station has helped KSTP.  First, there's their lack of a strong 50,000-watt signal, which can't be helped because of FCC regulations.  Second, baseball is a family-friendly sport, while dissing President Barack Obama and the Democrats on a regular basis is not.  Will the Twins be impressed by KSTP's switch enough to keep from going back to WCCO?

ESPN Radio is currently heard on a part-time basis on KFAN (AM 1130) and KFXN (AM 690), its daytime-only sibling.  KFAN seems to need ESPN mainly for live coverage of the World Series, NBA playoffs, and college football bowl games, while most of the talk shows go to KFXN.  ESPN also has a reputation for constant self-promotion and caring only about certain teams such as the Yankees and Red Sox, which is not they way to endear yourself to the folks in, let's say, Paducah, Kentucky.

It's not known whether KSTP will drop ABC radio news (for whom they've been an affiliate since 1982).  But if they do, it'll be interesting to see who ends up with it because there are no obvious choices.  WCCO is owned by CBS.  Clear Channel has a deal with Fox News Radio for talk stations such as KTLK.  And progressive talker KTNF (AM 950) currently runs CNN news.

But the biggest question seems to be this:  Does the Twin Cities really need another sports talk station?  KFAN has been doing this format for two decades, and even they understand that sports talk around here begins and ends with the Minnesota Vikings--and not just because the station has the radio rights to their games.  So that's why they let their hosts delve into other topics such as politics and pop culture.  WCCO has Mike Max and Dark Star during the week, and Sid Hartman on Sunday mornings.  The key, folks, is local, local, local.  KSTP tried that for years, but now they face an uphill battle with the likes of "Mike and Mike In The Morning".

Five Ring Circus Comes to Canada

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The Winter Olympic begin in Vancouver Friday.  The Canadian city is one of the crown jewels of the Pacific Northwest, and is a wonderful place for Alaskan-bound cruise ships and for budget-conscious TV and movie producers.

Vancouver's weather is similar to Seattle and Portland, so if they held the Olympics in those cities, few would notice the difference.  But lately, there's been a big problem.  All that winter weather which is typical for the host city has instead been diverted to places such as Washington, Philadelphia and Baltimore.  Snow had to be trucked in from elsewhere, so the skiing competitions could take place without downhills taking place on bare ground.

Canada is on a mission to win more medals than anyone else at these Olympics, having pumped tons of money into their national sports system.  And they probably will win the medal count, too.  If not, Ottawa should launch an investigation.  Expect to hear lots of "Oh Canada" at the podium.

One of those gold medals for the Maple Leaf should come in men's hockey, where the Canadians have assembled a massive amount of NHL talent that might prove to be overwhelming.  Enjoy it while you can, because this may be the last Olympics in which NHL players compete.  For this the league is taking two weeks off from its already-long regular season schedule.

The United States has its own team of competitors aiming for gold and endorsement contracts.  Most of them are household names within their own households.  The rest are snowboarding legend Shaun White, short-track speedskating (and "Dancing With The Stars") whiz Apolo Anton Ohno, and this year's It Girl Lindsay Vonn.

Let's talk about Vonn for a minute.  She's been presented to us as this Great American Hope for winning medals in the women's skiing events, which she could very well do.  Unfortunately, she has a bruised shin which might jeopardize her Olympic run.  Should Vonn bow out, all the efforts to make her a star--the NBC commercials, the Sports Illustrated cover of her crouching provocatively, and the swimsuits she wore for that magazine--will have gone to waste.

Facing the possible loss of their meal ticket, NBC will still show plenty of skiing, snowboarding and figure skating in prime time.  (If you want to watch hockey or curling, go to cable.)  Network officials expect not only a loss of viewers (mainly to "American Idol"), but also a big drop in revenues.  That's why ESPN and Fox are considered the front runners to come away with the rights to the 2014 and '16 Olympics.  But does the International Olympic Committee want anything to do with Rupert Murdoch?

So sit back and enjoy the show for the next two weeks.  Maybe by then you'll think of Vancouver as a place to book your next vacation instead of as a stopover on the way to Sarah Palin country.

A Tale of Two (Snowy) Cities

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Washington, D.C. has become the nation's capital of snow, with over two feet being dumped this past week.  During a normal winter, they usually get around 15 inches.  Another two feet will fall, according to forecasters, before it ends Wednesday.

Almost everything there has been shut down, from schools and businesses to the federal government.  This is a city where a light dusting would put officials on high alert.  More than that is a catastrophe.

(The storm in the mid-Atlantic was partially responsible for the Super Bowl's record TV audience of 106.5 million viewers, surpassing the final episode of "M*A*S*H" as the most-watched show in history.  Only CBS, indeed.)

Here in the Twin Cities, we just concluded a snowstorm that lasted three days and accumulations in most of the area was less than a foot.  All it really did was to bring traffic to a standstill.  The season-to-date totals, according to KSTP.com, comes to 37.8 inches.  But then, we have a phalanx of snowplows and sanding trucks at the ready (as the budget allows) to keep the roads passable.  Washington doesn't have as many.

We don't mean to be smug about winter weather.  Not in the least.  It's just that it's more a fact of life which makes us better prepared to deal with it.  Those who don't like it can always go to Florida.

Colts Got Fooled By Saints, 31-17

It's party time on Bourbon Street, as all the denizens who chose to remain in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina are celebrating the Saints' Super Bowl championship.  It's been a long time since they had a reason to celebrate anything.

The Saints, who had been big-time losers from the day they joined the National Football League, defeated the Indianapolis Colts in Miami 31-17.  Saints' coach Sean Payton's risk-taking and Drew Brees' MVP-caliber quarterbacking are what won them the game.  On the second-half kickoff, they recovered an on-side kick, which led to a touchdown.  Then in the fourth quarter, they went ahead with another touchdown, followed by a two-point conversion that initially failed, but was overturned after reviewing the replay.

Peyton Manning of the Colts threw for two touchdowns.  But it was those two interceptions he threw towards the end of the game, the first of which was run back for a Saints score, that defined his performance in this game.  Now he and Brett Favre of the Vikings have one thing in common.  Also, do the Colts have any second thoughts about not playing to win at the end of the regular season?

The Who provided the halftime musical entertainment, continuing the NFL's policy of showcasing only Baby Boomer talent after the Janet Jackson fiasco of a few years ago.  Here Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and whoever they could round up to complete the band played the Reader's Digest version of hits, which should be familiar to anyone who listens to KQRS, or watches the "CSI" shows.  (The game was televised by CBS, after all)  But they still knew how to rock.

Maybe you watched the game for the commercials.  There was the usual array of moronic beer ads (mostly Bud Light), movies that won't open in theaters for months, and ads that depict guys as spineless doofuses.  Then there was the one where Tim Tebow's mother told us she was glad she made the "choice" to keep her son, the superstar college quarterback.  No matter what you think of Focus On The (Christian) Family, the organization that sponsored this ad, hot-button political issues should be off limits on Super Bowl Sunday.

The Saints' winning a championship won't magically transform a city still trying to recover from Katrina, nor will it calm the lingering resentment over the government's handling of it.  But it will bring a lot of self-esteem to a region that sorely needs it right now.

Chill Out! Just Enjoy The Game

I know that a lot of you are still angry about the Minnesota Vikings failing to make the Super Bowl, and have threatened to boycott Sunday's game between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts.  We're hearing that every day through talk radio and the blogosphere.

I'm also aware that there is a petition running on Facebook pleading with quarterback Brett Favre to return next season.  But after seeing the beating Favre took against the Saints in the NFC Championship game (and the pictures of his damaged joints that accompanied it, I'm not so sure he should.  Favre and his family need to think long and hard before committing to another season.

There are fans and then there are fanatics.  There are those who live and die with the home team, and there are others who move on.  It's great when your team makes it to the Big Game, but when it finally comes you become so obsessed with it that you can't enjoy it.  It's also true when you personally know someone who's playing in that game.  And when that player is injured, nothing else matters.

It may be heresy to say this, but I think it's best for one's mental and physical health if your team is NOT playing for the world championship.  If your team wins, that's great.  Go celebrate like there's no tomorrow.  If they lose, especially if the score is close, don't take it out on your furniture or your loved ones whether or not you've had one too many beers.  It's a game, folks, not a matter of life or death.  The sun will rise tomorrow morning no matter what the result.

This is what fans in New Orleans and Indianapolis will face this Sunday.  They won't care about how well the other team played, or how good the commercials were.  They just want to see their team win.  The rest of us will be noshing on snacks and enjoying the game.
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As for who we think will actually win the game, we're going with the Colts.  Never bet against Peyton Manning.

Unfinished Business At The State Capitol

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The Minnesota Legislature has reconvened for its 2010 session, faced with the same problems they left behind last year:  a monstrous budget deficit--$1.2 billion--and a lame-duck governor who thinks he can "unallot" his way out of red ink.

There's something else this year.  It seems that half the legislators, such as House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelleher (a Democrat) and Rep. Marty Seifert (a Republican),want to run for Governor Tim Pawlenty's job, and the distraction factor is high.  Pawlenty is currently running a pseudo-campaign for President in 2012.  And at least one--assistant Senate majority leader Tarryl Clark, a Democrat--wants to end the reign of weirdness that is Third District Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, a Republican.

In the statewide caucuses that were held Tuesday night, those who bothered to show up (no Obama fever this year) chose Seifert in the GOP straw poll, and Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak for the Democrats.  Former U.S. Senator Mark Dayton, considered the front-runner in terms of finances (he's reportedly funding his own campaign), chose to sit this one out and wait for the primaries.

Meanwhile, back at their day jobs . . . Among the early items on the Legislature's to-do list (once they slay the budget dragon) is a focus on getting people back to work, a bill to fund new building projects, and an effort to restore cutbacks in health care for the poor.

And there's that new Vikings stadium.  Governor Pawlenty made the suggestion that, now that Minnesota has joined the Mega Millions lottery game, some of that money should go toward funding the stadium.  But legislators are still awfully ambivalent toward giving the football franchise the money to build their new playground, money they should be spending themselves.

Of course, all of this is subject to the approval of Governor Pawlenty, for whom the word "compromise" is not in his vocabulary.  It's up to him if he wants to see Minnesota succeed or fail based on what he does with his trusty veto pen before he leaves office.  And whichever one of those legislators manages to stand up to Pawlenty, then that person's chances of succeeding him in the Governor's Mansion improves greatly come November.