The Yard and our loyal staff have always held the Olympics atop our Mount Olympus. Legends and goats, heroes and villains, triumph and tragedy are spread across 16 days every four years. COVID truncated 2020 into the 2021 Olympics so it has only been three years since last we gushed. It is truly a world stage for 205 delegations from around the world to send athletes to compete in mainstream to obscure sports, some with weapons. With traditional television and streaming platforms so much content is available to every possible device. With war going on all over the world, the Olympics persists. Iran, Iraq and Israel all have delegations at the Games. Fortunately, the flag ceremony is not in alphabetical order or there could have been trouble. Afghanistan has athletes in attendance and surprisingly none are women. Haiti is a country without leadership and violent gangs are running the place, yet they have a delegation. The Olympics can’t solve the world’s problems but at least it can keep the Russians at home. No one else has been able to do that.
After WW2, Russia retained “influence” in eastern Europe for decades. This influence was ensured by Soviet troops and tanks. One of these satellite countries was Hungary. The Hungarian People’s republic was a shadow government of Russia. Nikita Khrushchev was the Putin of the 1950’s. When the Hungarian people revolted against their puppet government in 1956, Nikki released the Kraken just like Vlade in 2021 against Ukraine. NK KO’d Hungary quickly killing 2000+ and seeing 200,000 flee the country. Putin is still trying to figure out how to claim a W with his incursion of Ukraine.
The 1956 Olympics were held in Melbourne, Australia commencing in November in the southern hemisphere. This was approximately 60 days after the Hungarian rebellion. The Hungarian men’s water polo team were the Olympic defending champions winning the gold in1952. The Russians studied the Hungarian Water Polo teams training methods and strategies while occupying the country. Hungary and Russia would meet in the semifinals. This epic match was immortalized with Ervin Zador’s blood in the water. The Hungarian team's plan was simply to taunt the Russians and force them into fouling. The supremist Russians lost their composure in their battle against their subjugated foe. Hungary won 4-0 and won the gold medal the next day over Yugoslavia. The iconic picture of Zador standing defiant in his speedo with blood streaming down his face will forever define an Olympic hero.
The 1984 Olympics still burn brightly in Yard folklore. The Games were in Los Angeles and were forecasted to host a biblical traffic jam and financial black hole for city coffers. The Yard was a fledgling downtown sales rep watching the preparations in rapture. Lanier BP afforded us tickets to see several events. Peter Ueberroth was the chairman of the Los Angeles Organizing committee that was going to oversee this potential municipal fiasco. The 1976 Olympics left the city of Montreal with a $1.5 billion deficit that took 30 years to pay off. In the end, Saint Pete delivered the goods for the city. The Los Angeles Olympics generated a profit of over $233 million. It was the first Olympics completely funded by the private sector. The city planning for work schedules and traffic patterns was amazing. It was the easiest time ever to get around Los Angeles during those Olympics. It went right back to road rage immediately following the games.
Beyond the logistical and financial successes, the US athletes delivered feats of greatness. The Russians petulantly did not participate because the US did not attend their show in 1980. The US did not attend because Russia had invaded Afghanistan! The US had righteous indignation back then, go figure. Anyways, it was good not to have those douches there. They would always win gymnastics and volleyball gold medals. The US won Men’s and Women’s gymnastics team gold. Mary Lou Retton and Peter Vidmar lead the way. US men won their first ever volleyball gold medal with a sprinkling of Bruins and Trojans leading the charge. US women’s Olympic volleyball coach Karch Kiraly was the fierce leader of the squad. Michael Jordan led a dominant men’s team to the title. Head coach Bobby Knight famously clashed with Charles Barkley and cut the basketball HOF star from the team. The women’s team lead by Cheryl Miller would win their first Gold medal in the sport and have won every one since 1984. Flo Jo, Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner, Edwin Moses dominated the track and field when the Coliseum had a track. The US won 174 total medals, 83 of which were gold. With the gold Peter U generated, Los Angeles had a financial windfall that is still felt to this day. Bring on the games in 2028. Peter will be 90, I hope he can be a part. Was Katie Ledecky in the 1984 Olympics?
Alas, what has become of the Dodgers? It seemed that starting pitching would be a strength at the beginning of the season. Now, we are not sure who is pitching daily. Buehler is trying to work himself into form, but the current one is not for the MLB. Kershaw’s first start was a disaster. Dustin May ruptured his esophagus and is lost for 2024. Yamamoto is out for now. Muncy has been missed all season. Mookie should be back, but this pitching is not getting out of the first round of the playoffs against anyone. Then Freddie Freeman’s young son Max was stricken with a rare neurological disorder. Suddenly, baseball is not that important. #Maxstrong!
Posts
