Archives for July 28, 2024

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Just think how great it would’ve been. Instead of the Seine, we could’ve shown off the Charles. Instead of The Avenue des Champs-Élysées we could’ve shown the world that 128 and 95 are the same road. They’ll show off The Louvre but we could’ve polished up Fenway Park or the New England Sports Museum.

A studio in the sky for the Boston Summer Games could’ve looked live at Storrow Drive just as some BU kid drove his Ryder Truck into the overpass and sawed off his new Sleep by Number bed, fully Storrowed.

Face it. We blew it.

We (meaning the citizens of Boston) did what we always do. We complained. We complained about cost over-runs, we complained about traffic, we complained that the Olympics might interfere with Patriots’ Training Camp, for God’s sake. We would’ve complained about the Sox being on the road for two-plus weeks. Of course, it would’ve been the Olympics that cost the ‘24 Sox a Wild Card spot, not Kutter Crawford’s failing cutter.

Truthfully, the chances of Boston getting out of the first round of global IOC Olympic site voting was about as strong as the Bruins getting out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Paris had the deck stacked, as the ‘24 Games are the 100 year anniversary of the 1924 Games, when Paris last hosted the Summer Olympics. That’s good enough for me, but don’t blame WWYI for thinking there should be a nice new 12,000 seat stadium for the Revs and an upgraded Alumni Stadium for Boston College football and a brand spankin’ new Aquatics Center for swimming and diving that could’ve been a legacy venue for Boston to host future swim meets and world competitions. We’d have built it, but the IOC would’ve paid for it.

Just think? Boxing and Badminton at Fenway! Or maybe they’d bring back Baseball as a temporary exhibition sport, like they’re doing with Break Dancing and Skate Boarding in Paris.

For Boston, it wasn’t meant to be and that’s okay.

Just seeing semi-retired Boston Globe Olympic sports columnist John Powers’ byline from PARIS was enough for this Bostonian to be happy to kick-it-back, wake up at 4:00am (ET) or even watch the plausibly live taped turnaround coverage.

One thing enjoyed this morning was to re-program the “favorites” on the old remote, eliminating the March Madness leftovers of CBS, TBS, TNT and Tru which were replaced by NBC, USA Network, CNBC, and The Golf Channel on linear with Peacock ready for the OTT setup. No matter, the TV will be tuned in at all hours of the day.

Saturday morning, on USA Network, we had the treat of watching the US women’s water polo team defeat Greece, 15-6, in their opener. The best part was getting the play-by-play call from the great Kenny Albert who made the Water Polo sound like a New York Rangers’ NHL game. It was terrific. Maybe Albert can do double duty at Field Hockey and Water Polo?

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: There’s going to be a ton written, reported and pontificated upon to readers and television audiences around the world during the great fortnight to come. The 2024 Summer Olympics is upon us and Friday’s Opening Ceremony sur le Seine was one of the great sights sporting audiences will ever see. It was an ode to “vive la différence’ in many ways.

It seems when polled, everyone wants something new and exciting. They want something different and original. They criticize the same old, same old and want a progressive world at their finger tips. But, when they get it, they complain that “it wasn’t an Opening Ceremony the way it should be.”

Go figure.

The most important thing from this vantage point is a wish for a safe and secure Olympics for all. Let the athletes play.

In terms of great moments and memories, there are thousands of them to recall. I had the great pleasure to work on eight Olympic Games with USA Basketball and attend four of those events (Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and Athens). Without a doubt, they were the greatest experiences of my career – each and every one of them. Yes, the 1984 NBA Finals were the best basketball I’ve ever witnessed and we all care so much about our USA/Canada based pro sports results, but the Olympics and representing the United States as a member of the official delegation were – by far – the biggest thrill and most meaningful, humbling and gratifying moments of my career in sports. All the Games had incredible highs and some hit the depths of the lows (think Atlanta bombing).

And, thinking back on ’72, with the horrific terrorist attack on Team Israel in their dorms in Munich, that was the worst of it, without a doubt. On the court that same year, the USA was totally screwed out of a Gold Medal in Men’s basketball when Renato William Jones came down from his seat in the stands and decided to put three more seconds on the game clock, overruling the game officials. What a farce. Shameful. But, that was YESTERDAY.

The Opening Ceremonies, however, delivered so much hope, inspiration and promise. That ceremony started an Olympics of TODAY.

While we tend to look for the brightest of stars, the medalists, I found the Olympics to be more about a swimmer from Budapest, Hungary I was so fortunate to meet on an Olympic Village bus ride in Athens 2004. She had finished her heat in swimming and came in 46th overall. She was not expected to be in the Top 100. It was her personal best performance and she was so happy and proud. She did not advance to the next round of heats, but her team recognized the great individual effort and celebrated her accomplishment. It was a great moment for her and her team. It was the best day of her life, and she was so happy to share it with someone with USA on their shirt/jacket. She also spoke such perfect English and I was at such a loss not to be able to communicate better with her in her native language. We are so isolated in North America.

Overall, no other great shakes for this post.

My main message?

The Summer Games are here. Let’s enjoy them instead of complaining about ridiculous distractions from some non-source without a clue but with an agenda.

BRONZE TID-BITS, SILVER OBSERVATIONS AND GOLDEN NUGGETS: How cool is it to have two children of your friends compete in the Olympics? That is the case with Sam Coffey, the daughter of former New York writer/columnist extraordinaire Wayne Coffey. His daughter, who played college soccer at Boston College and Penn State, is a new member of the USWNT and a player to be reckoned with, for sure. She plays pro ball for the Portland Thorns and is part of the bright future for the USA women, whether at the Olympics or future World Cup. … Nic Fink, a swimmer, is the son of Peter Fink – a partner in crime and one of the best Events execs in NBA history. Peter was a guy who was always loyal, always respectful of his colleagues, knowing decisions made would effect a wider contingent than just the Events Department. He is experiencing the second act of his career, a bright one, but his son, Nic, is swimming (possibly for his last big time event) in Paris. Nic qualified through the various heats and will be swimming in the final of the 100m breaststroke as you read this Sunday morning. (or, if you’re on it Saturday night, set your alarm).

By the way, Nic stood out as a collegiate swimmer at the University of Georgia and earned a degree in Engineering while he was at it. Check out his career – HERE.