More 2010 Winter Olympics Commentary

Apolo Anton Ohno became the most decorated American male winter Olympian in history by winning a medal in short track speed skating last night, earning a silver in the 1500-meter race. Fellow American J.R. Celski won the bronze. The silver medal win was treated as a victory for Ohno, even though South Korean Lee Jung-su won the gold. The jingoism in NBC's coverage has already begun to creep in.

So far, nothing has happened at Vancouver that demands flat-out ridicule, although that could happen once skiing (not freestyle or mogul skiing, real skiing) finally begins. Bode Miller, the biggest loser from Torino, is back. Olympics fans will recall that Miller had an excellent chance of winning a slew of gold medals at the Torino Winter Games and skied so sloppily and so lackadaisically that he ended up winning nothing. He's out to redeem himself at Vancouver.

If he skis there like he did at Torino, he may help the Canadians win an unprecedented gold medal on their own home turf.

In the meantime, inclement weather and slushy snow has prevented Miller from undistinguishing himself. Fortunately, NBC hasn't had to do local interest stories to fill time, as there are plenty of other events for them to cover. When bad weather forced the cancellation of ski events at the Winter Games in Sarajevo in 1984, ABC had to do stories about Bosnian produce cart vendors and had John Denver serenade tourists at local lodges. Vancouverites don't live any more exotically than Seattle residents, and quite frankly, I don't want to hear John Mayer sing in place of even mogul skiing, especially after what he said about not dating black women. Most black women wouldn't want to listen to him either.

I could go for Jack Johnson, maybe . . ..