Every four years, gymnastics — much like figure skating — comes out of storage to capture the hearts of American women ages 14-64. Other than those three weeks of the winter or summer Olympics, who watches gymnastics or figure skating? That’s not rhetorical, by the way. Seriously, who watches this stuff?
The two sweethearts of the springboard — actually the uneven parallel bars, but feel free to substitute the apparatus of your choice — pictured here are Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin in this weekend’s Visa Championships in Boston. How do I know which is which? Why, a sequined shoulder monogram, of course. — Bryan
Hmmmm…sure hope we don’t have to start asking ourselves which is worst, logo creep or sequin creep. Considering the little “VISA” on the pink lady, this may be glittering example of both.
Kinda makes you wanna spend the day watching “ALF, the First Season”, doesn’t it? And that’s NOT rhethorical. Come to think of it, seeing the cat-craving alien from Melmac again sounds like fun. Certainly more fun that gymnastics-turned-dance-recital.
One question: Are the men’s gymnastics unis that precious? (rolls eyes)
My wife is a former gymnast so we watch whenever gymnastics is on tv. It’s the only time she gets passionate about unis. For the record she would like to see gymnasts lose the scunchies, glitter & super-tight pony tails. I don’t know all the details, but there are specific rules for uniforms. In training the girls wear sleeveless leotards, but you have to wear long-sleeves in competition. Apparently they use a sticky spray to prevent leotard wedgies & if you can believe ‘Stick It’ there is a deduction if your bra strap is showing.
Incidentally the competition/rivalry between Liukin & Johnson is fascinating & it will be intriguing to see how they relate as team-mates.
[quote comment=”274535″]…Apparently they use a sticky spray to prevent leotard wedgies & if you can believe ‘Stick It’ there is a deduction if your bra strap is showing.
[/quote]
what gets sprayed? their behinds or the leotard? I’m sure they would get an increase in ratings (esp in the males 12-25 and the prison population) if they DIDN’T use this spray.
For the record, I have nothing against gymnastics. Like any other sport, there can be moments of extraordinary drama.
I’m just not so thrilled with spangles, baubles and beads.
Then again, I suppose in a way all of sports is a “performance art,” whether we wanna accept that notion or not.
How did we let Adidas off the hook?
I spy up to four triple stripe creeps. Three white strips on Liukin’s upper chest, three glittery sleeve stripes on Liukin’s right sleeve, Johnson’s back logo, and three stripes of black electric tape on Johnson’s right forearm. (It might not be electric tape, but that’s what it looks like. It’s probably not tefillin. Darn.)
In other news, Uni Watch has an obscure SI.com spin-off in the form of Gennaro Filice’s “link.”
And in helmet/facemask related news… looks like Scott Player’s bid to wear the single bar has been rebuuffed by the league
link
[quote comment=”274536″][quote comment=”274535″]…Apparently they use a sticky spray to prevent leotard wedgies & if you can believe ‘Stick It’ there is a deduction if your bra strap is showing.
[/quote]
what gets sprayed? their behinds or the leotard? I’m sure they would get an increase in ratings (esp in the males 12-25 and the prison population) if they DIDN’T use this spray.[/quote]
A-hem… According to a friend of mine who used to compete in beauty pageants, one sprays one’s backside with “stickum” to prevent swimsuit bottoms from “riding up”. My guess is gymnasts do the same.
BTW, don’t try to make fun of male gymnasts… they’re incredibly strong for their size; the better to perform stuff like link…
There goes Bryan, picking on the kids again ;-)
/where’s my sarcasm button?!
What the hell is this? My Little Pony Live? I think there’s other reason men like women’s gymnastics if you know what I mean!
I don’t think it’s fair to pair figure skating with gymnastics. Figure skating has to be at least twice as popular as gymnastics.
#2: Yeah, right. You’re asking us to believe that these prepubescent ladies need bras?
[quote comment=”274543″]What the hell is this? My Little Pony Live? I think there’s other reason men like women’s gymnastics if you know what I mean![/quote]
This conversation grows more awkward with every post. . .
You’ll like this: the Colorado Rapids’ shorts (and only their shorts) got lost by the airline, so they wore Chivas USA’s link. Here’s link.
Well, here’s me going off topic.
Really good pic of the Chicago Cubs helmet logo being made of fabric and not just a plain sticker-like thing.
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Wait…Big Brown didn’t win the Triple Crown? Huh. That’s odd. I was led to believe he’d win the Triple Crown by people who know horse racing.
Too bad the Croatians have to wear the blue kit today. Not nearly enough checkerboards for my taste.
Braves have their Sunday alternate caps (“A” with tomahawk) but manager Bobby Cox is still wearing the standard Braves cap
Little girls in leotards. Creepy thread. Seeyatomorrow.
Orioles are wearing a black arm band for Jim Mckay I presume. Mc Kay was a Baltimore guy and a part owner of the Orioles. The band is very subtle.
I don’t have a picture, and this was probably already mentioned in yesterday’s comments, but Luis Ayala was wearing his “W” cap while his teammates wore the alternated “DC” cap last night against the Giants. Displeased, the baseball gods made him blow the game.
Another on time delivery by UPS.
Big Brown finishes last.
Florida State wearing their “champagne” pants. Kinda nice if not part of regular diet, I suppose.
One of the top stories on telegraph.co.uk right now is:
New Arsenal home kit persuades Cesc Fabregas to stay at the Emirates
link
No pictures available on the Arsenal site so far though – just the one on the telegraph link.
I actually liked Croatia’s blue. The checkerboard was nice but not overpowering.
The Poles also had a little blue rectangle on their left sleeves with “RESPECT” (in English) written on it. I didn’t see if it was on anybody else’s shirt. I wonder what that’s about.
While you can’t read it, you can see the Poles’ “RESPECT” patch here:
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Actually, now that I look, it’s possible the Jerrys had it on their shirts as well:
link
Which would mean it’s a tournament-wide thing.
And, to complete the post run, here you can see the Orioles’ black stripe for Jim McKay:
link
[quote comment=”274552″]Little girls in leotards. Creepy thread. Seeyatomorrow.[/quote]
If it makes you feel any better, the one on the right is 18 and college freshman.
[quote comment=”274557″]One of the top stories on telegraph.co.uk right now is:
New Arsenal home kit persuades Cesc Fabregas to stay at the Emirates
link
No pictures available on the Arsenal site so far though – just the one on the telegraph link.[/quote]
They wouldn’t dare. Those things are hideous. They’ve destroyed the traditional Arsenal home look.
Oh, and college gymnastics is the way to go if you’re feeling pervy about the olympic-type youngsters.
College gymnasts have, by and large, peaked and have (usually) actual woman’s bodies. Lithe, yes, but not unhealthy looking.
[quote comment=\”274564\”]Oh, and college gymnastics is the way to go if you\’re feeling pervy about the olympic-type youngsters.
College gymnasts have, by and large, peaked and have (usually) actual woman\’s bodies. Lithe, yes, but not unhealthy looking.[/quote]
I agree! You could also look at link and not get creeped out?
Colorado Caribous jersey up on eBay.
link
[quote comment=\”274563\”][quote comment=\”274557\”]One of the top stories on telegraph.co.uk right now is:
New Arsenal home kit persuades Cesc Fabregas to stay at the Emirates
link
No pictures available on the Arsenal site so far though – just the one on the telegraph link.[/quote]
They wouldn\’t dare. Those things are hideous. They\’ve destroyed the traditional Arsenal home look.[/quote]
They haven’t destroyed it at all. I agree that I’d prefer all white sleeves instead of the wide white stripe down the sleeve but the new kits look good and the low quality pics of the new away kit that I’ve seen look good also.
[quote comment=”274546″][quote comment=”274543″]“What the hell is this? My Little Pony Live? I think there’s other reason men like women’s gymnastics if you know what I mean!
“This conversation grows more awkward with every post…”[/quote][/quote]
DAMN IT CJ!
USA vs. Argetina both in light colored shirts. It’s difficult to tell them apart on TV. No photos yet, stay tuned.
[quote comment=”274535″]My wife is a former gymnast…[/quote]
you are my hero
reprinted from yesterday’s comments:
[quote comment=”274509″]A Russian scientist and a Czechoslovakian scientist had spent their whole lives studying the majestic grizzly bear. Each year they petitioned their respective governments to allow them to go to Yellowstone to study these wondrous beasts. Finally, their request was granted and they immediately flew to New York and then west to Yellowstone. They reported to the local ranger station and were told that it was the grizzly mating season and it was much too dangerous to go out and study the animals. They pleaded that this was their only chance. Finally the ranger relented. The Russian and the Czech were given cell phones and told to report in each day.
For several days they called in, and then nothing was heard from the two scientists. The rangers mounted a search party and found the scientists’ camp completely ravaged. There was no sign of the missing men.
They then followed the trail of a male and a female bear. They found the female and decided they must kill the animal to find out if she had eaten the scientists, because they feared an international incident. They killed the female and cut open the bear’s stomach and, sure enough, found the remains of the Russian.
One ranger turned to the other and said, “You know what this means, don’t you?”
“Of course,” the other ranger nodded. “The Czech is in the male.”[/quote]
i know you cleaned it up (or did you jim?)…but this is a CLASSIC joke…however, it involves a member of the chosen race in order to actually make it funny…i won’t bore you with all the details here, but the punchline is slightly different
link
[quote comment=”274556″]Florida State wearing their “champagne” pants. Kinda nice if not part of regular diet, I suppose.[/quote]
They’re part of the regular Sunday uniforms. The Sunday home uniforms are those vegas pants, and when hey’re the road team on Sunday in the tournament (at home,) they wear the pants over garnet tops. They’re wearing the BP tops instead of the regular garnet tops because that’s what they’ve worn as the road team all tournament (not unlike LSU’s gold streak.)
Domenik Hasek is expected to retire tomorrow (6/9), and Chris Chellios will soon follow.
Domenik Hasek and Chris Chellios. You know how old they both are? They’re both 206!
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or was manny keeping score
[quote comment=”274575″]link
or was manny keeping score[/quote]
1 looks very different than 0 in the 6th (that’s what they were missing)…was the operator scared by a rat?
[quote comment=”274574″]Domenik Hasek is expected to retire tomorrow (6/9), and Chris Chellios will soon follow.
Domenik Hasek and Chris Chellios. You know how old they both are? They’re both 206![/quote]
Chelios has already confirmed that if the Wings want him back as a player, he will return as a player. His retirement is not set in stone.
I think I’m just going to comment on here everytime Rajon Rondo wears his headband upside-down. This would be number three I believe.
Don’t know if this has been mentioned before (I didn’t notice it in Game 1), but what was the purple “line” going through Kobe’s number on his back? Kind of like tracing the inside of the block numbers…?
[quote comment=”274558″]I actually liked Croatia’s blue. The checkerboard was nice but not overpowering.
The Poles also had a little blue rectangle on their left sleeves with “RESPECT” (in English) written on it. I didn’t see if it was on anybody else’s shirt. I wonder what that’s about.[/quote]
on every shirt in the Euros
I don’t know if anyone noticed this or not… but in Game 2 tonight of the NBA Finals, Kobe had serious issues with the back numbers on his jersey. In the first half of the game, they seemed to be fine. But in the 4th quarter, it looked like some stitching was taken out right in the middle of the numbers.
Here is a pic of Kobe earlier in the game:
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link
Here is a pic of the weird numbering:
link
link
Please let me know if this has been discussed before, or if anyone knows what happened here.
Rondo [i]always[/i] wears his headband upside down. Don’t know why, but he does.
I would guess the “Respect” bit is part of a European anti-racism push. For all their celebrating of how progressive they are, there are a lot of bad elements still kicking around in those societies.
And Kobe’s stitching, if that’s what it was, was truly bizarre.
[quote comment=”274582″]Rondo [i]always[/i] wears his headband upside down. Don’t know why, but he does.
I would guess the “Respect” bit is part of a European anti-racism push. For all their celebrating of how progressive they are, there are a lot of bad elements still kicking around in those societies.
And Kobe’s stitching, if that’s what it was, was truly bizarre.[/quote]
Respect patch is for the Referees. There is a campaign by UEFA for the players to not call the ref a “F^$#ing C*&$” every time he blows the whistle. It won’t work.