Beijing Games' Top-10 Best/Worst Moments

The Beijing Olympics featured some fine moments and some not-so-stellar occasions.

On the positive: Mix Morgan Freeman’s voice with Usain Bolt’s speed and Chinese diver’s Guo Jingjing’s grace with the wit of Bob Costas.

On the negative: Are the Karoylis for real and just how difficult is it to hold a baton?

Here are my top-10 lists in reverse order:

Best

10. Opening ceremonies. Jaw-dropping choreography, music, dance, singing, etc. No better way to open a global event.

9. Morgan Freeman’s voice in commercials. The man’s got “pipes.” Let him read the phonebook, it would sound great.

8. Ato Bolton, track and field commentator. Who better to analyze Usain Bolt’s history making than a guy who’s been there? Bolton had superior insight.

7. Chinese diver Guo Jingjing. Perhaps the most graceful athlete in the Olympics. The diver’s personal life has been endlessly scrutinized, but no one in the Olympics performed with such precision.

6. Technology. The touch pad timing in swimming, freeze frame in diving and robotic camera detailing side views in track sprints provided mesmerizing viewing.

5. The women’s gold medal match in the beach volleyball won by the United States. It was superior athletic competition. Long rallies, sportsmanship, all-round fun.

4. Jason Lezak’s final 50 meters in the 4x100-meter free relay. Lezak overcame nearly a body-length deficit and allowed Michael Phelps to secure his second of eight gold medals. The close finish set the tone for all of the Olympics’ finest moments.

3. Bob Costas. The host of NBC’s prime time coverage was at his best. He handled hard news, soft news and controversy as a pro’s pro. He mixed in humor and often was too quick for his own colleagues. Costas still dresses like he’s going to work as a bank officer, though. Dude, NBC can afford it. Get a wardrobe makeover.

2. Michael Phelps’ eight gold medals and seven world records. It was among the greatest Olympic performances in history. And, oh, he may earn $100 million because of it. Not bad for a week’s work.

1. Usain Bolt’s dominance. The Jamaica runner’s final races in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4x100-meter relay took about 40 seconds total. The result: three gold meals, three world records. Nobody close. Enough said.

Worst

10. Bela and Marta Karolyi. Bela was so over-the-top emotionally and so pro-American, it was hard to take him seriously. Marta Karolyi often crossed the line between passion for her sport and abusive coach. She’s just hard to watch.

9. Karch Kiraly. He may be the biggest name in the history of volleyball. But his broadcasting skills can be summed up in one word — dull.

8. Dara Torres was the 10th oldest Olympian in Beijing. Nice woman, nice story. But where was the coverage of the other middle-age athletes doing great things?

7. Tom Hammond, track and field. Knowledgeable, for sure. But was he wearing eye shadow?

6. Andrea Kremer, swimming commentator. Could you possibly provide your expertise by at least by getting athletes’ reactions in the form of questions?

 5. Carol Lewis, track and field commentator. No one among NBC’s crew of more than 100 commentators talked so much and had so little to say. An example: “He ran hard in the semifinal, but he’ll have to give it his all in the final.” Gee, no one would have ever thought of that.

4. The USA track team’s race number malfunction: Geez, who forget the assigned numbers? The felt pen substitutes got the job done, but looked silly.

3. The USA track team’s collectively inability to hold a baton. What was the problem? It was too hot to hold?

2. Gymnastics commentators: Al Trautwig, Tim Daggett and Elfi Schlegel. Note to Daggett: Stop using the word “WOW” to begin every sentence of commentary. Note to Schlegel: Do you really think coaches care what you think? Note to Trautwig: Remember journalism school? One of the ideas is to attempt objectivity.

1. Coverage (rather, lack of) of the women’s marathon. How about some time-gap splits and mile splits? Where were the Americans? Where were the post-race interviews? It was as if the announcers were watching a different event than the one being broadcast.