The Thrill; the Agony; the Drama!

As I surveyed the week just passed, thinking about a topic for today, a montage of events quickly spun through my mind. The weekend alone delivered a three-part sequel of what even a casual observer might consider sadness and despair. Things kicked-off, if you prefer to call it that, Friday with the admission by former Senator, and twice Presidential candidate John Edwards that, despite his emphatic denials, he had indeed been involved in a sexual relationship with a former aide. That revelation, after weeks of allegations by the National Enquirer, hardly qualified as news.

Meanwhile, after the untimely demise of the Senator’s reputation Friday, a member of American Royalty died. Bernard Jeffery McCullough, better known as Bernie Mac died Saturday of complications from pneumonia. He had been diagnosed in 1983 with sarcoidosis, a disease which causes inflammation of the body's tissues, most frequently in the lungs. Bernie was one of the Original Kings of Comedy; he was 50 years old. He will be widely remembered for his special brand of humor and an impressive catalog of work.

The ill-fated triangle was completed Sunday when 65 year-old singer, Isaac Hayes, was found dead. Hayes was a widely popular musician whose work in the late 60’s to mid-70’s rendered him a cult figure for many. His style provided a sneak preview for the art form that would eventually be known as Hip Hop. He wore a bald pate, gold chains, and talked (rapped) for long segments at the opening of his songs, many of which were cover tunes, made popular by other artists, but made his own by Hayes. Walk on By (Dionne Warwick), I Stand Accused (Jerry Butler), and Never Can Say Good-bye (The Jackson 5) stand out as examples. While Hayes was not afraid to collaborate, or reinterpret the work of others, he is probably best known for having penned the soundtrack for the movie Shaft in 1971. Hayes had been in deteriorating health since having had a stroke in 2006. Ironically, Mac and Hayes are featured in a movie along with Samuel L. Jackson (recently critically injure in an automobile accident), directed by Malcolm Lee (Spike's cousin).

You will notice you, I chose not to dwell on the details related to the “other woman,” in the Edwards case, or Bernie’s recent dust-up with the Obama Camp, or the secrecy and initial denials surrounding Hayes’ stroke. But I have attached plenty of sources, so if that’s what you need, go for it.

I opted not to go in to all that so I could spend at least a few moments discussing what might be the only regularly scheduled seriously robust mixture of sports and politics known to man; the Modern Olympic Games. The 29th Olympiad launched Friday, amid an incredible display of pomp, pageantry, and yes, politics. The Modern Olympics were first held in 1896 in Greece, home of the Ancient Olympics. That year, 14 Countries participated, though the vast majority of the athletes were Greek. A point which is not all that surprising, since traveling great distances then was probably about as infeasible as it is today, even discounting fuel prices.

Over the course of 16 days, from August 8th to August 24th, 10,500 athletes are expected to participate in 302 events in 28 sports. It is the ultimate in sporting events. And if you lean toward the politics, focus on the judging/scoring.

When the dust settles, the battle for supremacy of the sports realm will have been won by host China, or the United States. The two Countries finished 1 and 2 in Athens in 2004, and are expected to do so again this year. China would like to reverse the order and finish first, especially since they at home.

Already there has been compelling action. The American Men scored what some considered an upset, winning the Gold Medal over the French in the Men’s 4X100 Swimming event. The US came from behind and just edged out the Frenchmen. On the other side of the coin, the Chinese Women took the Gold Medal in Women’s Gymnastics in a hotly contested battle.

We are accustomed to viewing sports in this Country. Naturally, every event has winners and losers. But the Olympics are packed with more than two weeks of action, 16 consecutive days of winners and losers. Watching the sheer devastation on the faces of competitors who fail to achieve their objectives is its own special challenge.

The late Jim McKay coined the expression, "Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sports... the thrill of victory... and the agony of defeat... the human drama of athletic competition... This is "ABC's Wide World of Sports!"” He used the phrase to frame the popular TV Show, The Wide World of Sports, but he could just as easily have been talking about the Olympics. It is a spectacle made for that description.

These Games have already become special an American vantage point. Michael Phelps has established him self as the most celebrated Olympian ever, topping the previous total of 9 Gold Medals (Carl Lewis, Mark Spitz, and two others), winning 10 so far. He will almost certainly win more while in Beijing.

All that is well and good. But despite the dominant swimming performances and the wins that are all but predestined in Track and Field…America’s success or failure in these games will be judged on whether they secure the Gold medals in Men's and Women's Basketball. At least that is how I will judge! Holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday.


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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/08/08/2008-08-08_ok_i_did_have_sex_with_that_woman_admits-2.html

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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/08/12/2008-08-12_john_edwards_is_the_daddy_rielle_hunter_.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Mac

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http://www.eonline.com/celebrities/profile/index.jsp?uuid=cac72bdf-c9e4-4e31-908c-4b98dd3aa390

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http://www.isaachayes.com/

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005002/news#ni0549855

http://www.last.fm/music/Isaac+Hayes

http://www.cinematical.com/2007/11/29/malcolm-lee-to-direct-soul-men/

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http://www.nbcolympics.com/gymnastics/news/newsid=206305.html#china+grabs+gold+u+s+silver

http://www.nbcolympics.com/newscenter/news/newsid=205871.html#phelps+sets+olympic+gold+standard