Friday's Odds and Ends

Is anyone else wishing the Olympic coverage was more about the athletes and less about the news crew? It seems like they sometimes blather on and on just to hear the sound of their voices. Then we have the teasers for what is coming up later in the broadcast, and those are all about the announcers getting face time on the screen. One of the teasers last night was about a documentary that will air Sunday night about the Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding scandal at the Olympics 20 years ago. 

I thought it was tabloid television at it's worst back then, and I haven't changed my mind since. Yes, it was tragic that Nancy got attacked during the games. It was horrible that Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, and her bodyguard, Shawn Eckhardt, thought the best way to make sure Tonya won the Olympic gold was to break her main competitor's leg. But the media back then turned it into drama, not news, and in my opinion, the drama ended in 1994.

Image Courtesy of Free Figure Skating Clip Art

On a more positive note, the skating in the final event for the ladies' singles last night  was spectacular. Every skater went out on the ice with fire and passion and skated her heart out. I'm glad I was not responsible for judging because I loved all the performances, although it was clear to viewers, as well as judges, that Russia's Adelina Sotnikova deserved the gold. Her reaction when she finished her program was so emotional and so memorable, and we could see what the skate meant to her. Not just because of the possibility that she won. But she clearly rejoiced in what she had been able to do on the ice. There is a wonderful picture of her taken at the very end of her performance that you can see if you click on the link above. Since the picture is copyrighted, I can't borrow it.

To me, that is what the Olympic Games are all about. The athlete rejoicing in what she or he can do.

Now for some Friday Fun. The following one-liners were borrowed from the Clean Jokes Website.

I've just opened a new restaurant called Karma. There's no menu, we just give you what you deserve.

I had a dream I was a muffler and I woke up exhausted.

If you are running next to me on the treadmill, the answer is YES, we are racing.

The past, present and future walk into a bar. It was tense.

What fits your schedule better......Exercising 1 hour a day or being fat 24 hours a day?

Silence is golden, Duct tape is silver

I'm going to stand outside. So if anyone asks, I am outstanding.

That's all folks. Have a great weekend. Are you going to watch the Kerrigan/Harding documentary?

Friday's Odds and Ends

Did you watch the beginning of the Olympic coverage last night on prime time? Did you find it odd that the coverage began before the opening ceremonies?

I did, so I decided to try to find out why. Sadly, it is primarily about the money. According to an article by Chris Chase in USA Today, Thursday's are the most popular night of television viewing and the networks covering the Olympics need to get the most bang for their buck. Because 12 new medal events were added to the competition schedule since 2010, scheduling is a challenge, so one more day of competition and coverage was added.

Image courtesy of College-Social.com

Traditionally the biggest draws for television audiences are the skating events and the networks did not want to compress the figure skating schedule. That would have put the women’s free skate, which takes place in two weeks on another night; not a good move for television ratings or sponsors. The women's free skate attracts thousands and thousands of fans and networks want the biggest night of skating to air on the biggest night of television.

While some consideration was given to allowing time between events for athletes to rest and for courses to be cleared for other events, the driving force behind the decision was money. As Chris Chase put it:

Scheduling and television are big reasons for the early start, but money is the thing that ties them all together. It’s the universal answer for sports queries like this. “Why did the NFL start playing games on Thursdays?” “Why do the NBA playoffs last longer than many celebrity marriages?” “Why is snowboard racing an Olympic event?” It all comes back to the green."

Sad. 

Now it's time for a joke. A lady went to a doctor’s office, and a few minutes into the examination, screeching could be heard from the exam room. Then the lady burst out of the room as if running for her life.

After much effort, a nurse finally managed to calm the woman down enough to find out what happened. The nurse then barged into the doctor's office and shouted at him, “Shame on you. Mrs. Smith is 82 years old, and you told her she’s pregnant?”

The Doctor continued writing on the chart and said, “Does she still have the hiccups?”

Image courtesy of Teluguone.com Comedy where there is another doctor joke.

 That's it for me today, folks. We are still having record cold temperatures here in Texas and it is cold in my office. My hands are freezing and it is very hard to type with gloves on. Have a great weekend. Stay warm. Stay safe. Be happy.