Basketball Diary: Michael Phelps and Me

August 7, 2008, 8:36 am
Basketball Diary: Michael Phelps and Me
By Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony (USA Basketball)

Carmelo Anthony will start at forward for Team USA at the Beijing Olympics. He completed his fifth year with the Denver Nuggets in the N.B.A. after leading Syracuse University to the 2003 N.C.A.A. title. He’ll be offering his insight on USA Basketball and the Olympic experience to beat writer Pete Thamel throughout the Olympic Games.

BEIJING – Michael Phelps is, of course, from my hometown of Baltimore. I got a chance to talk with him last night at the Olympic Village. I met him before just growing up, but I hadn’t met him since he won those six gold medals in 2004. So his whole life has changed. He’s not from the same neighborhood as me, but we’ll claim him.

This is my first time to really get a chance to mingle and interact with him. We talked about spots back home, but we were talking about getting out to each other’s events. He’s going to bring some golds back to Baltimore and I’m going to bring a gold back. They can have our parade together in Baltimore.

I’m amazed at what he can do in that water. He’s like a shark. I’ve never seen anyone swim like that before. Swimming never caught my eyes before I saw him. But I told him I’m going to check him out on Saturday. I’m going to try and see track and boxing and swimming. Those are the main three.

We got bum rushed going into the village. In Shanghai it was crazy out there, too, with the fans bombarding us. But it was fun, though, to see the fans and see how they really are. It was crazy when we walked into the village last night. I can’t even explain it. It felt weird, but it felt good at the same time because you had the best athletes in the world from other counties and they look up to me and Kobe and LeBron and DWade. They look up to us. That kind of felt weird.

We sat down and ate with some of the other countries. As we were eating, countries were coming up to us and we were interacting and mingling. We’ll be back there to do more, later. We embrace that. We walk around and show love to the fans out here and the other countries out here.

----

Dear Carmelo,

You're their idol, you're one of the best in the world and people respect you because of that. They wanted to be like you. Its funny how you would describe the feeling as wierd, though. :]

1. Synchronized Swimming Duet Free Finals

a.k.a The only event which moved me to tears.

Snychronized swimming has a certain mystery to it. I don't know why this sport exists. Its a rare sport, it doesn't involve a medieval war/combat history like high jumping, sprinting etc. Its art, art in Olympics. Ballet in the water.

Russia's power duo Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Ermakova won the gold medal. The 2 were 'untouchable' since 2001, 7 years ago. They've won in every event they participated. They're only 25 this year which makes them only...18 when they already champions?! WOW. They have the same name, the same height, the same weight, the same body/legs length, they were born in the same year, only a month apart in the same city in Russia. I guess everything has to be correct to the nearest decimal, everything has to be perfect to achieve perfect.

They scored perfect 10.0 across the board for their technical skills and avg 9.7 across the board for their artistic impression. They were robotic; absolutely identical in the water - they can stay underwater for such a long period of time and even with electronic systems today, it'll be hard to even spot a mistake from these 2.

However it was Spain that got the high artistic impression. They have gorgeous costumes and the whole routine just kinds of pulls the audience in. The Russians were described as "taking only a short moment in the warm-up pool...its hard to have a drive after being on top with no competition for 7 straight years" Even Elena Isinbaeva was there to cheer them on.

After Japan performed and waited at the stage for the result, the girls cried...I think its the first time the they are up for medal contention. Its really touching. Again at the victory ceremony, Spain and Japan weeped tears of joy. Its so moving that I started crying too. I guessed 3rd time Olympic champion Anastasias of Russia were already used to all the emotional rides of getting a medal.

Michael Phelp's goggles are getting around

BEIJING -- If the basketball competition is assuming an old pattern, with the U.S. dominating and attention shifting elsewhere, the U.S. players, superstars all, are still the lives of this party.
Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Jason Kidd went to see Michael Phelps win the 200-meter butterfly, the race in which his goggles leaked. Monday night Phelps and about 20 members of the U.S. swim team returned the favor, attending the 106-57 rout of Germany.
Invited to the dressing room afterward, Phelps gave the players a pair of goggles. Dwight Howard wore them to the interview room.
“I told him [Phelps] I was going to do the 100-meter medley next year," Howard said.
Said Phelps: “When we're swimming and we look up and see these guys, it's awesome to see them in the stands. We were all so excited, it was like we can't lose in front of these guys, we're not losing a single race in front of these guys.
“Just being able to sit in here and hang out with these guys, it's cool to sit in here. These are the guys I'm always watching on TV.”
Of course, the basketball players shared the goggles as they’ve shared the ball. LeBron James took his turn with them in the mixed zone.
“He made history as one of the best swimmers ever,” said Carmelo Anthony, like Phelps a native of Baltimore, “so for us to be a part of that and be here with him, we just felt good about it.”
--Mark Heisler
Photo: U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps, who tossed aside a leaky pair of goggles after winning the 200-meter butterfly last week, showed up at the U.S.-Germany men's basketball game Monday and passed the players a new set of goggles. Credit: Nick Laham / Getty Images

Phelps 'enjoying the ride' as he departs Olympics

By BETH HARRIS and PAUL NEWBERRY – 56 minutes ago (from 11:31pm, 21 Aug)


BEIJING (AP) — Michael Phelps jetted off from his Olympics of a lifetime on Wednesday night, zooming into a future that includes newfound celebrity status, oodles of money and a possible redo four years from now at the London Games.

The swimmer who won a historic eight gold medals and set seven world records in Beijing was departing on an overnight flight to London, where he'll help in the handover of the Summer Games from China to the 2012 host city during Sunday's closing ceremonies. Then he's going to steal away on a vacation.

"I'm just taking everything step by step, enjoying the ride," Phelps told The Associated Press in an interview hours before leaving.

Since winning the last of his gold medals on Sunday, Phelps has been on a whirlwind of sponsor and TV appearances in Beijing, and he's enjoyed some of the city's nightlife. The exhaustion was evident in the 23-year-old champion's droopy eyes.

"I really want to spend as much time with my friends and family as I can," he said. "It's coming up on two months on the road. I want to be able to see them and just relax."

Phelps' world changed dramatically during his 2 1/2 weeks in Beijing. After one TV appearance, he was driven off in a golf cart and promptly got mobbed.

"It was scary," said his coach, Bob Bowman. "That's what will be the different thing for him."

But he's letting his playful side come out. Phelps was waiting to be introduced last at yet another sponsor's event Wednesday when he spied a spread of desserts on the bar. He ducked over, grabbed a chocolate cookie, and teasingly put his fingers to his lips to quiet the server.

Across town, Bowman was getting the star treatment at a cocktail party. The casually dressed coach was approached by a barrage of giggling women who put their arms around his waist and posed for pictures.

Bowman recalled sitting down to enjoy his first alcoholic drink with a colleague after Phelps' epic conquest of Mark Spitz's record ended Sunday. He raised his glass and said, "Well, my career's over, let's toast. All downhill from here."

Actually, the ride is only uphill for both men.

Phelps and Bowman plan to return to Ann Arbor, Mich., to collect the last of their belongings and be honored during Michigan's home football game against Wisconsin on Sept. 27.

Then they'll complete their moves back to Baltimore. Phelps will reside in a downtown condo, while Bowman builds a new home. They'll resume training at North Baltimore Aquatic Club, where the duo first crossed paths when Phelps was a hyperactive 11-year-old.

Phelps plans to attend the Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla., in late January.

"Hopefully the Ravens are there," he said of his hometown NFL team.

Shopping is in Phelps' future, too. After all, he's got a $1 million bonus from his swimsuit sponsor Speedo to burn. Tops on his list is a new car to replace his BMW.

"My friend's in the car business, so he's going to help me," Phelps said. "I've been looking at some Aston Martins and some Maseratis. It would be pretty sweet to get an old-school Aston Martin, some of the old-school (James) Bond ones. That would be sick."

Phelps famously hates to lose, whether it's in the pool or playing video games. Unfortunately, he's not as adept with the game controls as he is getting his hand on the wall first.

"I always lose," he said. "It kind of bugs me. I'm always getting rocked. I need to get my video game skills up, that's for sure."

Phelps' five-month hiatus ends in February, when he resumes serious training.

"I would rather it be three months, but I wanted it to be five so that it was probably longer than he wants and when he comes back, he's really ready to come back," Bowman said.

He won't be hovering while Phelps tests himself as a pop culture phenomenon, hopefully better than he did after Athens. A few months after the 2004 games, he pleaded guilty to driving while impaired.

"He's on his own now. He makes all the decisions outside the pool and I take care of the pool," the coach said. "In Athens, he had never had any personal freedom at all. Now he's had a lot and he's screwed it up, and he's learned what that means. He's done a pretty good job with it. I had my doubts in the beginning that we were going to get there, but now I think he's got it down."

Aussie Olympic great Ian Thorpe has noticed a change in Phelps, too.

"It sounds really cliched but it's true, he's really grown as a human being," Thorpe told the AP about his former rival. "That in itself is going to serve him well as he makes these decisions in the upcoming few months and few years."

Phelps' agent is sorting through a mountain of offers that could propel the 14-time gold medalist into a household name that lasts long past the Olympics.

"I don't see him being an actor," Bowman said. "I think he'll just want to be a celebrity, whatever that means. He'll just have to keep improving if he wants to do that. He handles himself so much better than he did. I was just amazed at some of the answers he gave to a lot of these questions this time."

Phelps can always ring Down Under and seek Thorpey's advice.

"I'm happy to help him out if he wants a hand with some of these things," the Aussie said.

Phelps' mother, Debbie, was a visible presence in Beijing, along with his two older sisters. Bowman said Phelps' father, Fred, didn't attend the games, as he did in 2000 and 2004 when he stayed out of the spotlight and sat separately from his ex-wife and daughters. Phelps frequently praises his mother publicly for her devotion to him and his career, while never discussing his father.

Asked to describe their relationship, Bowman said, "I think it's just distant. I don't think it's good or bad. There's not much there."

Phelps will return to the international swimming stage at next summer's world championships in Rome, where Bowman said he'll focus on relays and shorter events, including the 100-meter freestyle and one of the backstroke events.

"It's like Michael said the other day, `Debbie wants to go to Rome, I want to go to Rome, that's why we're going,'" the coach said. "It'll just be what it is. He could probably do without it."

Phelps plans to return for his fourth Olympics in 2012 and he's not ruling out swimming eight events again.

"I'm never, ever ruling it out," he said. "We just have to play it by ear and see how things go, but definitely start some new events and see where it takes us."

And hey, Michael Jordan, Phelps is still awaiting your phone call.

"I talk about him in every interview. I want to meet him," the golden guy said. "He's that one guy I really, really wanted to meet my whole life."

Elena Isinbaeva Breaks WR

I remembered her by the official Olympics 2008 advertisement. She was the opening athlete: "girl - who jumps the highest".

The whole stadium of 17, 000 were staying behind for her - and perhaps the whole world as well. Elena had won the Women's Pole Vault event but the night ain't finished for her. She's attempting to break her PB - also the WR. Its the 1st time I've ever seen her compete...the keeper of some 14 WR. She prays, mumbles to herself before every attempt. She failed in the 1st 2. But just before the third and final attempt, she skips to her bag and mat which she placed on the field earlier, picks up her blanket and cocoons herself underneath it. What was she thinking back there? The mental strength of athletes. She is really comfortable back there, like how Phelps was in all his competitions. People at the top of their game is really in a league of their own. She takes a nap (on her mat and blanket which she places on the field) while other athletes competes, wakes up when its her turn.

There, she skips to her position; prepares herself and prayed. Silence throughout the stadium. Everyone was waiting for another glory moment from another star. Everyone was waiting to be a part of history..and she delivered.

1. Gymnastics Women's Balance Beam Finals

Gold: Shawn Johnson (USA)
Silver: Nastia Liukin (USA)
Bronze: Cheng Fei (CHN)

I'm so happy for her. So are the presses of the world who titled their reports with alot of 'finallys' - finally a gold for Johnson. Well-said. :] After 3 silvers, the world champion finally got her medal. I didn't know why there's DNQ at vault and uneven bars. She couldn't have been disqualified, is she? She is the 4th American to ever get a gold in all-around during the World Championships last year. She's even invited to The Ellen DeGeneres Show! Nastia on the other hand had 1 gold, 3 silvers and 1 bronze. A (bronze) medal more than Johnson. But its ok, we love you more, Johnson!

Liu Disqualified

All eyes were on Liu Xiang.

Event: Heat 6, 110m Men's Hurdle Heats.

Venue: Bird's Nest

*.*.*

Thousands of Chinese, waiting under the hot sun for an entire morning just for one man. He had been the national pride; and for once, Chinese are able to see their favourite athlete competiting in the flesh. They were cheering him on, waiting for the moment he will emerge from the holding room.

Even as several events were going on at the same time, the camera were strictly surveying him in the holding room; where billions of Chinese were watching from their home intently. Out comes Liu, warming up and getting ready in his lane.

1st warning shot; Liu got up and ran like the others for 5m before slowing down and turning back. However: Liu ripped his sticker from his thigh and head for the holding room once more. Signs of an injury starts to show; the shock from the crowd was evident. Silence. Apart from finding out what happened to their hero, they might be asking themselves: What had we been waiting for? Why did we come here at 7am in the morning? What is my facepaint and banners for?

Liu had given up. He pulled out of training on Sunday in fear of aggrevating his injury. Liu has not competed since May 23, when he participated in a pre-Olympic test event at the Bird’s Nest. He withdrew from Reebok Grand Prix meet in New York on May 31, saying he felt a balky hamstring. On June 8, he false-started — some believe purposely — at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore.

It breaks my heart to see how much faith the Chinese citizens had in him, and how much they anticipated his race. Some waited for weeks for the tickets, some came in wheelchairs, some flew into Beijing from suburban areas just to have a glimpse of their national hero. Liu’s coach, Sun Haiping, apologized for the injury then grew overcome with grief, covering his eyes and sobbing in a post-race news conference. Some Chinese reporters also cried in an area under the stadium where interviews with athletes are conducted.

news>>>

In recent days, the Chinese public had been cautioned not to expect too much from Liu, given that he had not competed since May 23 because of a hamstring injury.
That injury had healed, but last Saturday, Liu suffered a recurrence of chronic inflammation in his right Achilles’ tendon, according to China’s track and field federation.
By Monday morning, the pain had become “almost intolerable” and Liu began to shiver in discomfort, said Feng Shuyong, head of the track association.