Bloggin' Umholtz

It's Miller Time! - Not

We interrupt the regularly scheduled broadcast of the Annals (yes, I spelled it right) of the N.P.D. & S to bring you the following tirade.

Sorry folks, I just need to get this off of my chest.

I’m not much into watching organized sports on TV. I can usually find better things to do with my time. WDC? The exception to this is the Olympics. Of the two, the Winter Olympics has always been my favorite, and I dutifully follow it and watch at least a couple of hours a night if I can stay awake. This year, for some reason, I have not been as “into it” as others. I chalk it up to my ongoing health problem, stress of the job, etc., but whether that’s it or not, I really don’t know.

Apparently I’m not the only person that is “not into the Olympics” this year. A skier, by the name of Bode Miller, has expressed several times since being there that he really doesn’t care if he wins a medal…and it shows.

Make no mistake; Bode Miller is an exceptional skier. I would never attempt to take that away from him. But take note, I do not refer to him as an athlete. There is a big difference between being an exceptional skier and being an athlete. An athlete thirsts for victory, strives against all obstacles to achieve, and never, ever, says he doesn’t care about winning. Bode was an athlete at one time. He is, in my estimation, no more. He does not have the hunger, the desire to win. He does not ski from the heart, from the soul. He does not, at the risk of sounding cliché, have or exhibit the Olympic Spirit. And that is a shame.

Sure there is a part of me that soars with pride every time I see a United State’s athlete succeed. That’s only natural. But mostly I cheer for all the athletes striving to reach that goal of an Olympic Medal, no matter what their political affiliation. There are numerous stories at every Olympics of the sacrifices these athletes make to get where they are, numerous stories that tell the tale of hardships, burning desire, passion and courage. Most know that they have no chance of winning. Remember the Jamaican Bobsled team? Still, they come…and they give it everything they’ve got. We can ask no more. We expect no less.

It takes commitment and dedication. It takes passion. Bode, like it or not, you are representing much more than yourself. You are representing your country. You are representing all those Olympic athletes that have come before and will come after. Somewhere, right now, in the United States is an athlete, a skier, that didn’t make the team, because you did. Somewhere is an athlete, with the burning desire, the heart, and the soul to give their sport his all, in the hope of just making it to where you are now. Somewhere, this athlete watches, as I do, your Olympic saga unfold, and together we hang our heads in shame.

Much has been made about your after hours forays into the nightlife of Torino. I would be the first to say you are entitled to a social life. But come on, on the night before you compete? You are every coach’s nightmare, an uncontrolled talent. Even a nitwit like me knows you don’t party on the night before the big game…unless you’re happy warming the bench. Get it together, already.

You’ve expressed that you don’t care if you win a medal, and quite frankly, neither do I. You don’t deserve to stand on that podium, great skier or not. My suggestion is that you fire up that urban assault vehicle of yours and head out of town. Make room for a real athlete. On the way, stop at the six-pack shop and pick up a case or two of beer. Awww, what the heck, load that Winnebago down until the tailpipe leaves sparks on the road. It’ll be the only Olympic spark you’ll know.

Tirade complete. Time to go back on the meds.