I will always remember Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor as the team that caught my attention during the 2008 Olympics and helped me realize that beach volleyball is more than something to do when you've been drinking since the early morning and you need to find a way to slow the pace. This sport has been, aside from basketball, my favorite to watch throughout the entire Olympics. It's fast, it's intense, the competitors are incredibly athletic (try jumping in beach sand without a running start and see how high you get), and the overall ambiance of the matches is one that I find endearing (see cheesey 70s and 80s music and cheerleaders running around the court; this is not your typical high pressured Olympic event).
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh have dominated Olympic Beach volleyball (and international beach volleyball in general, really) like nobody else in history. Last night, they became the first team to repeat as Olympic champions. 108 straight matches won, 14 straight Olympic matches won, and two straight Olympics without losing a single set. The Beijing games will always be remembered for the accomplishments of Michael Phelps, but I would argue that what Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor have done is equally as significant. Not only have they dominated in similar fashion, but they have helped to open their sport up to a new and much larger audience.
If there's anything that I regret about this whole experience, it's that I got on the train extremely late. Those who are in tune with the volleyball world have known about this pair for a long time. Just as I'm starting to be roped in, it looks as if Walsh and May-Treanor may be stepping out of the limelight. Fatspike reports, as have many throughout these games, that Walsh and May-Treanor are both eager to have children once these games end. At this point, there's no way for anybody to know how this will affect their careers. Have we seen the last of them in Olympic play? It's very possible
While we're on the topic of the gold medal winners, I just have to talk about Misty May's tattoo for a second. Now, it has been reported throughout the Olympics that she idolized Jason Kidd growing up. She sought him out back in Athens and the two have been friends ever since (note, she is married to Marlins catcher Matt Treanor. There have been rumors of she and Kidd hooking up, but I doubt it). She even has a roman numeral of the number 5 tattooed on her lower back in homage to Kidd. I can't decide how I feel about this. On one hand, it's sick that she watches the NBA and cares enough about it to get league-related ink. But, JASON KIDD? I hate Jason Kidd. Not only do I hate him because of his role with the New Jersey Nets and their conquest of the once-great Truth/'Toine Celtics, but he was also part of my least favorite trade in NBA history (note, some trades have affected me more, but the Dallas trade for Kidd offends me the most because of the high level of incompetence required to pull it off).
Here is the tattoo:
It kills me. Why not a green 34 or a green 5?
Here she is from the front though, not bad:
3 comments:
the olympics is still the dog and pony show of sports, notwithstanding this scantily clad pair
It is comforting to know that I am not the only one that has been watching beach volleyball because I was questioning myself at first. I had my tonsels out two weeks ago and was laid up all last week, so I got to see my fair share. It really has been fun to see May and Walsh dominate.
The big suprise is that the girls really aren't that hot. Misty is probably the hottest and she isn't that great, but none of the Beach Volleyball players were very hot. If you want to see a hot chick, google Paraguay's Javelin thrower Laryn Franco. She is also a model and I want her to have my kids. I will honestly say that this is the hottest athlete I have ever seen (except for Jacoby Ellsbury, who is dreamy). As a matter of fact I'm going to jerk off to her right now. Coming in second would be that high school pole vaulter that showed up on all sorts of random and sometimes hilarious websites last year...
One thing I have learned about Beach Volleyball is that even when the faces arent pretty, the asses are always gold medal caliber...The Jason Kidd thing aside, I would be willing to donate sperm to either of these fine young ladies in the hopes of spawning dominant mens league basketball players.
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