Did anyone see the new Gary Hall, Jr Barbarsol commerical. It is about time swimmers get some good endorsements besides Speedo and the other swimming apparel companies. Madison Ave has really come a long way in the last few years. You would never see a swimmer in a commerical a year after the Olympics before. It is nice to know that all the endorsements aren't going to Phelps even though the boy more than deserves whatever endorsements he get. I mean Phelps is out of this world.
Originally posted by tjrpatt
Originally posted by swimrat
I think if swimming was a team sport we'd all be playing water polo.
I don't think that swimming is a team sport in any way,
Swimming is a team sport?? I didn't get the memo. I never thought that swimming is a team sport.
Compete in the NCAAs. Swim on a relay. Heck, try to stand on the sidelines and not cheer for someone that's onthe same TEAM as you. Then come back and say that swimming is not a team sport.
If you practice alone, race unattached and never swim on a relay, then you can say that swimming is not a team sport.
Actually I was trying to be sarcastic b/c I thought you were talking about the fact that I connect all those phrases (i.e. partial sentences) together with "....."....i.e.....no actual periods untill the last word......Isn't that what you were sort of suggesting as well.......knel....son?....are those what you are calling "ellipses".... I suppose?
Peace Out,
N.M.S.
Matt S
I wish you had a clue. There are certain rules that members of a national team must follow.
Uniform while on deck, Gary doesn’t.
Showing up at all evening events is another, Gary didn't.
As for his "unappreciated genius." You must have hit your head on a backstroke turn.
Those are the rules of being on the national team. THE SAME RULES FOR EVERYONE.
Swimmers are not a big draw period. If swimmers wish to get to the big endorsement levels of say track, they should follow the changes made by NASCAR. From nothing 15 years ago to pretty big bucks for drivers and they are class with the fans.
I don't have a problem with his stand. My problem is he wasn't willing to face the fire and as White Buff said felt entitled. A common problem with many in our world today, it's never our fault. Always someone else to blame and enablers to say you right it wasn't really your fault.
Why all the hostility? I can understand disagreeing with the way people handle themselves, but to so vehemently attack and judge a man as being morally deficient based upon 1% of his life is plain wrong. It is beyond misguided to think that these few incidents in Gary Hall Jr.'s life are the epitome of what is wrong with society. It goes way beyond Hall. We have become a selfish me me me society no doubt, but Mr. Hall's actions have nothing to do with the perpetuation of these problems. Especially when you consider all of the unselfish things that Mr. Hall has done. These personal attacks on Mr. Hall and those that find his antics enteraining really make the attacker look bad. Maybe some of you should reread you post to see how anger and bitter you sound. Life is too short to be that unhappy.
Hook'em
Blue
I think anchovies are an ingredient in Caesar dressing. There's a nice steak restaurant where I live that has what they call a "Greek tray" appetizer. It has meatballs, feta cheese, green onion stalks, Kalamata olives, cucumber spears and anchovies. Really good. Follow that up with a nice filet mignon and double Glenlivet on the rocks. Mmmmmmm!
Maybe Gary is also the meatball in the "greek tray."
Jeff: You have accurately described the joy of high school and college swimming, and it is indeed a wonderful thing. I recently had the priviledge of helping to coach my old college alma matter, and watching them compete at Conference Championships and soaking up the atmosphere was a treat I had not enjoyed in years. However, consider that you can also compete in a Masters meet where the coach doesn't show up, 90% of the team and 95% of the fastest swimmers don't show up, and you are scraping around to form a relay of any sort. Swimming can be a terrific team sport, but it is not one by its nature.
Dead Fish: I agree with you completely that I would like my children to behave more like the numerous well mannered, mature swimmers who never made it out of the prelims (or even made it to the Olympic Games at all) rather than Gary Hall. I think that behavior produces better human beings and more successful teams. However, don't kid yourself about popularity. Yes, it's terrific that our best swimmer, Michael Phelps, is a well mannered young man (youthful mistakes not withstanding). But Gary gives us something to talk about. Was tennis more interesting when John McEnroe was the dominant male player, or Pete Sampras? And, as Blue Horn suggests, please don't make Gary a straw man for all you dislike in modern society. Try looking at everything he does, not just his antics, and make an allowance for the private individual none of us generally see. See the whole person.
Blue Horn: this is a bit off topic, but I now understand how you cheer both your Horns and our beloved Wolverines. I went into last season's Rose Bowl wanting to dislike Texas, wanting to make them a symbol for all the stuff going on in 2004 that I objected to. Problem with that approach is that the Horns, their coaching staff and their fans conducted themselves with such class I couldn't do it. Every word out of their mouths in the run up to the game was respect for the Rose Bowl, the Big Ten and the Pac Ten, and just how lucky they were to get a chance to play in it, etc. etc. Then they went out and played a whale of a game, a clean game, with both teams bringing their A game, and won a real squeaker. I asked myself several times how come these two teams never played before? I hope devoutly their ADs will remedy that situation because this has all the makings of a beautiful rivalry.
Do I have a general point? Maybe it's an appreciation that not all people are the same; enjoy the differences.
Matt
Matt wrote:
"Maybe it's an appreciation that not all people are the same; enjoy the differences."
Mr. Moose, Ralph and I applaud that statement…..HOW TRUE!
