In memory of Chuck Wielgus, 1950-2017…

Ryan Lochte’s public shaming – a Darwinian fall from grace…

The instantly infamous ‘Lochte Mugging’ in Rio has become an international incident spinning out of control… 

Tony Ervin wins gold at age 35, 16 years after the first one… Also – Maya Dirado is the old school throw-back as the ultimate ‘amateur’ champion; Katie Ledecky is the greatest athlete in all of Rio; and Bolles Nation rules again, with Joseph Schooling’s gold for Singapore over a trio of legends in the 100 fly… Notes on an all-time night of Olympic swimming… 

USA’s Simone Manuel and Canada’s Penny Oleksiak tied for Olympic gold in the women’s 100 Free… A case study in the bias of knee-jerk nationalism and getting so caught up in one moment, you miss the other… 

Michael Phelps has won 22 Olympic gold medals and counting… And that’s not the story. 

On the loss of Olympic faith… 

I was driving north up the New York thruway yesterday, glad to be a million miles from Rio, wishing I could be more excited by the many inspiring performances down there, when an old Kris Kristofferson song came on called “To Beat the Devil.” How apt, thought I, immersed as I’ve been with some particular devilish battles of late. Turned it up, let him lay it on me.

The truth remains that no one wants to know… 

It may take a decade or so to come to pass, but in my opinion here are the final results of a few races tonight in Rio…

16-year-old Toronto teen Penny Oleksiak already owns two Olympic medals in Rio… Her older brother Jamie is in the NHL, a defensive beast for the Dallas Stars… Making the proud Oleksiak clan Canada’s new first family of sport… 

On the first night of swimming in Rio, Aussie Mack Horton out-touched China’s Sun Yang for gold in the 400 free… He also did something that few athletes have the courage to do these days: He called his competitor a “drug cheat” and questioned why “athletes who have tested positive are still competing”… A good question. Why aren’t more athletes stepping up, stating the same, and showing the courage of their convictions? 

Longhorn Townley Haas is a newly minted Olympian and the future of the U.S. men’s 200 freestyle… He is also intimately acquainted to the epidemic of gun violence in America. Nine years ago, his sister Emily was among those shot in the Virginia Tech massacre… 

On night six of the U.S. Olympic Trials, Cal’s Ryan Murphy stepped up to a throne that has long awaited him…

Nathan Adrian, Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Held, and Anthony Ervin – Olympians in the men’s 100 free… A snapshot of collective pride and joy… 

The 200 fly is one of those races… It sets up for heartbreak. The last 50 is frequently cruel and ugly, as veterans fall apart in the closing meters and are passed by charging young upstarts… Last night in Omaha the old guys were dying, but this time they held on… 

In the water, on the field, and on the broadcast, Omaha has been overrun by Arizona Wildcats… 

If you want to be an Olympian, here is the hardest possible path: Try qualifying in the American men’s 100 backstroke… 

And that’s why she never loses… The psychology behind one of the toughest athletes on earth…

The indefatigable Gator, Elizabeth Beisel, qualified for her third U.S. Olympic Team tonight… Disregard her time. She’s going to be a player in Rio… 

In 2012, at age 11, he was a walleyed spectator. Four years later, at 15, he’s a participant. A few weeks ago he dropped a 1:03.62 in the men’s 100 breaststroke at a meet at MIT, seven one-hundredths inside the qualifying standard. He’ll be one of the youngest guys at the meet, and his eyes have gone from wide to narrow with intent. He won’t be in the mix this time, but he’ll be taking notes. He intends to be under the bright lights four years from now, and in eight years too.

His name is Dillon Hillis, of the Manhattan Makos, and he’s not alone.

Consider the source, it came from the tabloids, but is there any reason to doubt it? According to InTouch magazine, and picked up today by the New York Post, the women’s team at Stanford was well aware that there was something off about Brock Turner.