Friday, Jul. 04, 2008

C’mon, let’s all get behind the home team

BRIAN HERNALSTEEN bhernalsteen@ star-telegram.com

It’s an even numbered year, and it has been four years since the last summer games.

That can only mean one thing!

It’s Olympics time! Finally, the one time every two years (alternating between summer and winter) that sports fans living in the United States can cheer for the same team but still flat out refuse to do so. As an added bonus, today is a national holiday where we can focus on country first.

And if you think that’s the end of the exclamation points, well, you’re wrong, because business is about to pick up.

First and foremost, we have the U.S.A. Basketball team! They did everything in their power to embarrass us the last go-round in Athens in 2004. This time, let’s hope it’s different.

The team is filled with players suited for the international game. Guards, shooters, role players and agile forwards looking for fast-break points. They have a coach that I’m only OK with (Mike Krzyzewski) and a system that I’m very disappointed in (Coach’s K philosophy of "We are here to compete at a high level").

Listen, I’m fine with competing well and giving it our all, but let’s save that for Rocky, OK?

Team U.S.A. Basketball should be shutting down competition and absolutely slaying anyone in its way. Look for the team to take over at some point and just say, "You know what? Forget Coach K. Let’s just dominate."

Swimming is another point of national pride. Our guys (Michael Phelps and the always entertaining Gary Hall) and our gals (the still very good Dara Torres and the still very attractive Amanda Beard) will be neck and neck with the Australians again. There is a very healthy and fun level of competition with the Aussies, a group that is equally skilled at swimming.

And for anyone that watched "Duel in the Pool" late last summer, you know how easily swimming can become the Olympics’ most exciting sport, especially during the relays and the sprints.

Then, there is everyone’s favorite, (even if they don’t admit it) curling! OK, just kidding, that’s a winter sport. But, we all have to be honest with ourselves: we love gymnastics. The first step is admitting it.

But come on, who can forget the madness from the ’96 games with Kerri Strug? There was the always hilarious Bela Karolyi, the very cute Dominique Moceanu and all the others.

For the first time since that magical era, U.S.A. gymnastics can hang tough in team competition. The men did it at the last Olympiad, and something tells me that they can do it again.

With all of that in mind, it’s easy to celebrate our independence on this day, as well our dominance. We need to show a little pride, and the tiniest amount of ego as we work toward the summer games.

Pride in our team sports needs to be restored, pride in our country needs to be at a fever pitch in August and we need to start it right now, today, on our most chest-pounding of days.

Get in the spirit, fire up the grill for burgers, put Bruce Springsteen’s "Born in the U.S.A." on repeat, wear the bell bottoms that look like "Old Glory," because, let’s be honest, there is still no better chant than "U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!"