Gold medal podium memories still fresh for Phil Mahre

This has been the best Winter Olympics for the United States since the 1932 Games in Lake Placid, New York, when just 17 countries competed.  The Gold medal count has reached 9 at the moment and could go higher.

When I watch an athlete stand atop the Olympic podium and receive their gold medal and then listen as their national anthem is played, I often times wonder what is going through their minds at that very moment.

Former gold medalist Phil Mahre, who along with his twin brother, Steve, became world class alpine skiers and for all intents and purposes Phil was the greatest American skier until Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn came along, winning 27 World Cup races and three overall World Cup’s from 1981-83.  He won a silver medal in the ‘80 games in Lake Placid and a gold in the slalom in Sarajevo in 1984.

He recently was speaking with a colleague of mine, Matt Fulks about what happened to him when he stepped onto the podium and received his gold medal.

“That’s one that really changed my whole career”, said Mahre, “Prior to that I always thought it was about me.”

"Sports are pretty selfish, you don’t do them for anybody but yourself, really in the grand scheme of things.  When I won my medal in Sarajevo I thought that was going to be my moment.  I was going to get up on the victory stand and it was all about me.

Then they start to play your national anthem and you realize that it’s not just yours, it’s America’s.  A lot of thoughts go through your mind and for me all lot of people were standing up on that podium with me.  Family, friends, coaches, servicemen, everybody who ever donated money to the Olympic movement, everybody that ever wished me luck and it became very emotional.  It was a situation where my Olympic dreams would have never come true had it not been for America.” 

Then Phil Mahre cracked up.  “I’ve never listened to the national anthem the same since then....whew...sorry....touching.....a lot of people to thank.”

You listen to the emotion in his voice and you know there is something good at the heart of sports and the Olympics.  They are worth it.  For everyone involved.  The athletes, coaches, volunteers and the families. 

Put a Cherry on it

In honor of the Canadians win over Russia and in anticipation of a rematch between the U.S. and Canada in the gold medal game at the Olympics, here’s a tribute to Canadian hockey analyst and fashionista Don Cherry.  

Now this man has a schtick and knows how to work it.  Dickie V can’t compare.

Farewell to a friend

I found out yesterday that I’d lost a friend.  He was a cameraman and editor who worked for a company I once co-owned.  His name was Scott Parrish.  When our little company was growing and the work was becoming more than what my partner Mickey and I could do, we hired Scott.  It was a great decision.

He was a funny guy who was talented and loved what he did.  Mickey, Scott and I, often times sat around after shoots of the golf show I hosted at the time, Par for the Course and drank beer, talked sports and told jokes.  We had a lot of fun together in those years.

I’d heard he’d been sick the past couple of years, but I was off doing other things and we hadn’t crossed paths much.  I’m sorry I didn’t take the time to look in on him.  He was a quiet soul who was easy to be around and I considered him a friend.  He will be missed.

Why I love Olympic hockey

Every four years I’m reminded why even though I didn’t grow up in a hockey town and as a big fan of the game, that international hockey is one of the best sports in the world played by some of the best and toughest athletes anywhere.

The game between Canada and the USA a few nights ago was a perfect example of what makes sports great. Passion and great play on the ice and passion in the stands.  It was also a great example of why the international game is better.

The international game has bigger ice to skate on, although in Vancouver and North America they’re on an NHL sized rink.  It has physical play, but without the fights and other subtle rule differences that make the game more fluid and more enjoyable to watch.  It’s what the NHL should be.

Just a couple of days ago the world nearly came to an end for Canada when they fell to the US, but the Canadians have rebounded and beaten Germany and then Wednesday night exploding for four first period goals on their way to a crushing 7-3 defeat of Russia.    Their first win over the Soviets in 50 years at the Olympics.

When Rick Nash made it 3-0 in the opening period, you could almost hear the roof get blown off the arena.  If Canada plays with the passion and agressiveness they played with in this game, they’ll be hard to beat for the gold, but the US has beaten them once already and are one game away from a possible gold medal rematch.

If you thought the first game had the attention of much of North America, wait and see what happens if they play again for gold.  There won’t be a TV in Canada that isn’t tuned the ice of Vancouver, eh?

Self is college basketball's best coach

Top ranked Kansas captured their sixth straight Big 12 basketball title last night with an 81-68 victory over Oklahoma.  In addition, the Jayhawks are now 27-1 overall, 13-0 in the conference and ran their nation’s best home winning streak to 58 in a row.  For head coach Bill Self, it’s his 6th title in just seven years  since taking over for the departed Roy Williams.  He’s also got a national championship notch on his belt as well.

If you ask me, the best coach in college basketball right now is Self.  Consider the fact that the Jayhawks just became only the third team in the past 50 years to win at least six straight major conference roundball titles.  The others were UCLA with their string of 13 straight and Kentucky from 1968-1973.  To pull off the feat in today’s environment is nothing short of incredible.

Before leaving Illinoi s for Kansas, Self won the Big 10 title two of the three years he coached there and in the year his team didn’t win the conference crown, it won the post season tourney.  Oh yeah, the team he recruited and left at Illinois went to the national championship game the next season.  In his past 12 seasons as a head coach he’s won  10 conference titles and finished second twice.

I’ve watched him coach since he was at Tulsa, where he took a team that didn’t have a starter over 6-6 and led them to the Elite Eight with a high paced offense and pressure defense.  He won at Illinois by recruiting physical bruisers out of the Chicago area who could run, but also handle the physical more slowed down styles in the Big 10.

At Kansas, he’s blended the best of both styles, taking over Williams run and gun offensive players and creating a more balanced attack that can still run with the best, but can pound you with the high low post and will lock you down defensively.

There are coaches such as Williams, Krzyzewski and Calipari, who may have more NCAA titles or recruit better NBA players, but for my money today, Bill Self is without question the best college basketball coach in America.  He can recruit with the best, is a tremendous motivator and gets players to buy in and sacrifice for the team.  His Jayhawks may win their second NCAA title in the last three years, but even if they don’t, he’s my choice.  

Of course, Self and Kansas are about as perfect a fit as you can find and he’s not going anywhere soon.  But if I was looking to hire a new coach, he’d be my first call and I’d have a big checkbook ready as well.

Who would you pick for your coach?

Tiger, did we really need to be subjected to this?

Tiger Woods apologized to the nation last Friday.  It was a speech that was delivered in front of a small audience of friends and family and broadcast on network TV.  His wife Elin wasn’t present, but his mom was and boy did she look pissed off.  Before I even take time to discuss what he said, let me first address the issue of the major networks carrying the so called “news conference” live. 

What made this an event worth coverage equal to the State of the Union address?  With everything we’re dealing with in this country, two wars, a crushing debt, a fragile economy, a congress that doesn’t have a clue what it means to work together and compromise, we got to hear a golfer spend thirteen minutes on national TV saying he was sorry for having sex with a bunch of women who weren’t his wife.  Are you kidding me?

I’m not sure if this was step one of his 12 step sex addiction rehab program or what, but the nation didn’t have to be subjected to this live national broadcast.  At least the Golf Writers Association boycotted the event on grounds it’s not a news conference if no one can ask questions.  Look, I get it that ESPN or the Golf Channel would carry this, but NBC, CBS and ABC?

As for the apology itself, for those in the media who wanted to call it heartfelt, I think they must have been drinking before the show.  For anyone who thought he looked wooden and very matter of fact in reading his statement, they’ve apparently never really watched him much.  He’s not very comfortable in front of cameras and in this situation I don’t blame him, but he also revealed why he’s really a social misfit and had to pay women to be with him.  He doesn’t have real people skills.

What does all this mean for the future of his golf game?  It’s hard to say.  His personal family problems are his own as far as I’m concerned.  We still don’t know when he’s actually going to come back to the game.  But I’ll guarantee you this.  He will get heckled, many times over and it’s going to be very interesting to see if he ever returns to being the type of golfer he was before his house of cards began to collapse.