THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 26, 1996 TAG: 9607260633
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SERIES: Olympics '96: from Atlanta
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: 56 lines
Going out with a bang: The other day on local television, Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell said, ``They should take the critics (of the Atlanta Games) out to the shooting venue and get rid of them.'' In that case, the media is in no immediate danger. The bus would break down before it got there.
Presidential perks: While Bill Clinton returned to the Olympics to watch basketball and gymnastics, veepee Al Gore shuttled out to field hockey, because, I guess, there are no state funerals to attend.
At sea: Tennis player Goran Ivanisevic, who bowed out meekly in the first round to the world's 104th-ranked player, prepared for the Summer Games by spending most of the last three weeks sitting on a boat in the tropics. Maybe he should have entered the sailing competition.
Swashbuckling: To make fencing more compelling, competitors should be made to wear capes and duel on rooftops.
Svengali speaks: If you were chilled just a little when Bela Karolyi encouraged gimpy, wincing Kerri Strug to go for one more vault, keep in mind that this is a man who once observed, ``The young ones are the greatest little suckers in the world. They will follow you no matter what.''
Over the rainbow: Is there not something goofy and just a little bizarre about the voices of our Gymnastic Princesses? When they talk, I think of the Munchkins singing ``Follow the Yellow Brick Road.''
Blacked out: Though you'd never know it from TV's coverage, Olympic soccer has been packing stadiums in places like Birmingham, Ala., Orlando and Washington, D.C. The other day, NBC reported receiving 1,000 calls an hour from Americans wanting more exposure for futbol.
The Olympic pool: Swimming may be compelling and full of human interest stories, but once the racers jump into the water, you can't tell one from another.
Ping: Baseball purist Bob Costas just can't resist getting in his digs. ``Nothing like that sound of aluminum hitting horsehide,'' he said the other night over highlights of a U.S. victory. His sarcasm agrees with me.
Out of ammunition: Two losing members of the American rifle team declined to speak to the media the other day. My only hope is that the nation can withstand the disappointment.
Propaganda alert: Every now and then, you hear somebody in the media talk about an athlete ``putting his/her life on hold'' in order to compete in the Olympics. Fact is, for almost all the athletes here, sport is life. A fine one, at that.
Name game: The first thing a spectator at a badminton match must learn is that the abbreviated form of shuttlecock is ``shuttle.''
The Olympic pastime: I wouldn't say people here are willing to spend money on anything related to the Summer Games, but 21,000 turned out at 10 a.m. the other day to watch the Netherlands and Australia play baseball.
Over and out: What I enjoy most about the Games is the international flavor. It isn't everyday you get to see men wearing socks with sandals.
KEYWORDS: OLYMPICS by CNB