In 2004 there was another controversy - the men's 4x100 free. Crocker swam leadoff and swam poorly. He had a fever for several days. He deserved to be on the relay based on time but Eddie misjudged Crocker's ability at the time.
That relay was more second-guessing than controversy. As you said, Crocker deserved to be on the relay due to his second place finish at Trials. It was sort of a judgement call for Reese whether to keep Ian on the relay even though he wasn't feeling great.
Picking who swims relays can't be an easy decision for the coaches. There's always going to be someone who felt like they got snubbed. The coaches really need to put blinders on and go with the four people they feel will be the fastest.
In 2004 there was another controversy - the men's 4x100 free. Crocker swam leadoff and swam poorly. He had a fever for several days. He deserved to be on the relay based on time but Eddie misjudged Crocker's ability at the time.
That relay was more second-guessing than controversy. As you said, Crocker deserved to be on the relay due to his second place finish at Trials. It was sort of a judgement call for Reese whether to keep Ian on the relay even though he wasn't feeling great.
Picking who swims relays can't be an easy decision for the coaches. There's always going to be someone who felt like they got snubbed. The coaches really need to put blinders on and go with the four people they feel will be the fastest.
