We're Baaaaaack!

About a month ago, I wrote this diatribe against the multitudinous failings of American athletes in non-major sports. In the interim, things got worse: we let a Frenchman, a FRENCHMAN, walk away with the NBA Finals MVP (and Eva Longoria), an out-of-shape, chain-smoking Argentine held off Tiger Woods at the US Open, and the US Women's Soccer Team had adopted gold uniforms at the behest of Nike, eschewing the beloved red, white, and blue. Needless to say, the American athlete appeared to be in a state of disrepair, our physical hegemony more dubious than ever.
Red, White, and....Gold? Embarrassing.

So, imagine my glee when I found out (because I certainly didn't watch, and it's possible it wasn't even televised) the U.S. Soccer Team was stepping up out on the pitch, heeding my call for excellence in athletics. Yes, Team USA went on to win the CONCACAF Gold Cup, with (I'm told) a thrilling come from behind 2-1 victory over bitter rival, Mexico, with team captain Landon Donovan matching Eric Wynalda's record for goals in international competition in the process. Granted, this generation of Team USA always beats Mexico, but this was a big game and a big win. Hey Mexico, stop sending your undesirables across our border under the guise of being "poor, unskilled labor" when we all know it's nothing but a sinister nationalist plot to attempt to dilute the level of competition in the dominant breeding grounds that are our youth soccer leagues with your children and their soccer-deficient DNA.

Also, Tyson Gay became the newest American sprinting sensation, clocking the 2nd fastest 100m time into a headwind ever (9.84s), while winning by the largest margin of anyone in decades in the 100. Then he recorded the 2nd fastest 200m in history, 19.62s (personally, I don't think the record, 19.32s, will ever be broken. Michael Johnson was a 200m/400m deity, especially at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996). Times like that make him a legitimate contender to de-throne Jamaican 100m world record holder Asafa Powell, who has been mostly unbeatable in recent years.

Come on folks, let's keep the good times rolling and hope for some magic at Wimbeldon (which began today), the upcoming Tour de France (somebody call Lance!), and hope all accounts are correct and an American gets taken #1 at the NBA draft this year, reversing that shameful debacle of drafting an Italian #1 last year. (I'll allow an exception for the drafting of Yao Ming #1 in 2002 because I have no interest in drawing the ire of the Chinese).