Ramblings

• The Olympics exceeded all of my expectations. Prior to the games, I had never stayed up until 1 A.M. watching gymnastics (men’s and women’s) and women’s beach volleyball. During the last two weeks, I did it at least five times. One night, when the clock struck 1:10 A.M. and I had just stayed up for the women’s gymnastic floor exercise medal ceremony, I realized that my Olympic Fever was out of control. The top highlights for me were Michael Phelps, the Redeem Team, May and Walsh, the men’s 100 and 200 meter dashes, and the women’s all-around gymnastics. Speaking of the track and field sprints, I was correct when I wrote (in my August 8 post) that Tyson Gay would face “tough competition from a duo of Jamaican sprinters.” However, I did not know that Usain “Lightning” Bolt would by a household name by the end of the week after breaking world records in the 100 and 200 meters. If you are wondering who Tyson Gay is – he’s the American sprinter that failed to qualify for the 100 meter final.

• One of the best-kept secrets on Time Warner Cable is a channel called Fox Reality. The channel just airs bad reality shows all day – mostly ones that were canceled. On Saturday, I happened to catch the last two episodes of a “My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss” marathon. “Obnoxious Boss” is a gem of a reality show that was canceled mid-season in 2005. (Yes, the same bastards that canceled “Arrested Development”). The finale was worth the wait! If I had to sum up the show in one sentence – it is the Apprentice meets Joe Schmo. In other words, several contestants are competing to work for a fake company called Iocor. All of Iocor’s fake employees are actors, including N. Paul Todd – the Donald Trump of the show. N. Paul Todd messes with their minds, shoots them with paint ball guns, and eggs them on in ridiculous challenges. Todd's counterpart to Trump's "You're fired" is the always-hilarious tagline "Get the hell out of my office!" On the last episode, Todd breaks the news to the final two contestants that he is an actor and this competition is a joke. The contestants feel stupid, but are quickly reassured that the prize money is real. Then, a monkey in a suit and tie spins a wheel to decide the winner. Bravo, Fox Reality!

• Is it bad that I spent 4 hours of my work day researching fantasy football? The war room was tense, but the draft went well last night.

• The UVa administration announced last week that no signs will be allowed at football games. Not just offensive or vulgar signs – no signs at all. No “SportsCenter is Next,” no “Go Hoos,” no “Fire Groh.” I don’t understand the rationale behind this rule. I have sat behind jackasses with huge signs and sometimes it sucks, but I don’t think they used obstruction of fans’ view as a reason for the rule change. Why are UVa athletics turning into Vanderbilt?

• REMINDER: “90210” premieres in one week (Tuesday, September 2 at 8:00 on the CW). Will Jason Priestley appear? Will something else traumatic happen to Kelly Taylor or will she serve as more of supporting character this time around? Will the new characters try too hard to emulate the old West Beverly cast? Will I ask any more rhetorical questions?