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SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES |
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CHINA |
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CALLING SIGNALS |
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 A staff artist's version of a news photo of Phelps heading for gold |
Phemonenal Phelps takes
his place at top of the tops
By BUCKY FOX
of TheColumnists.com
The flood of golds makes Michael Phelps phenomenal enough.
Then there’s the glittering part: He called it.
Like Babe Ruth pointing out his homer in the 1932 World Series.
And Joe Namath guaranteeing a Jet triumph in the 1969 Super Bowl.
And Muhammad Ali calling his blackout of Sonny Liston in 1964.
And Plaxico Burress promising a Giant upset of the Patriots last winter.
Phelps’ aim was passing Mark Spitz’s seven gold medals. He said it as soon as the 2004 Athens Olympics ended. Then he crossed the Pacific and pulled his tsunami in Beijing.
With his eighth gold over the weekend, Phelps did to ’72 Spitz what the Pats couldn’t do to the ’72 Dolphins--trump the record.
And man, did Phelps make it look like a cruise. OK, the relay squeaker over France and the fly speck of a finish vs. the Californian dressed down as a Serb were nerve-wracking enough to send Phelps fans overboard.
But mostly watching was like coasting. From the vantage of a sofa, it was tough to appreciate Phelps’ utter submergence in the sport. But that’s what his effort was. This Baltimore Bass--right up there in city lore with the Babe--had to work in the water like an offshore drill. Constant pumping. And so we had the P Olympics: Phelps Games, Peking Games, one and the same.
Who else stamped his/her name on the World Whirl, summer and winter?
Spitz in Munich, natch.
Franz Klammer for his upbeat downhill in Innsbruck, Austria, 1976.
Eric Heiden for his five speed skating golds in Lake Placid, N.Y., 1980.
Carl Lewis for his three sprinting golds and long jump title in Los Angeles, 1984.
Florence Griffith Joyner for running to a trio of gold medals in Seoul, South Korea, 1988.
Figure (and how) skater Katarina Witt in Calgary, Alberta, 1988.
Kristi Yamaguchi for skating America back on top in the figures in Albertville, France, 1992.
The Dream Team in Barcelona, Spain, 1992.
Tonya Harding for her Lil’ Hammer bashing of Nancy Kerrigan, setting up a skating frenzy in Norway, 1994.
Michael Johnson for his sweep of the 200- and 400-meter dashes in Atlanta, 1996.
After that it’s a blur. Kind of like Phelps in the pool.
©2008 by Bucky Fox. This column first posted Aug. 18, 2008.
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