Ha sido un auténtico partidazo. Una gesta lir que, si no llega a ser por el complejo de los árbitros a la hora de pitar, habría terminado en oro, aunque como dice ya algún titular, es una plata dorada.

For you people that don’t really know by now…. HE’S BAACCKK!

Miami HEAT superstar Dwyane Wade has had quite a summer. The “Redeem Team” as they are called, are in the gold medal match for the first time since 2000. The Tittle Redeem Team does not only go for the USA Basketball team but it can also go for Miami’s own Dwyane Wade. Wade is Redeeming himself after a disappointing season filled with injuries and surgeries, he has been trying to come back to the 2006 Final MVP form but until this summer it was in vain. But, With his legs as strong as ever, Dwyane Wade is again looking like the player who lifted the HEAT to the 2006 NBA title run.  Wade had knee and shoulder problems ever since he went to the FIBA world championship games after the 06 tittle run, but now, it seems as if he’s back in top form. All HEAT fans in the US are excited about this “new and improved” Dwyane Wade and can not wait to see him, Marion, and Beasley play together.

Wade also has to redeem himself of this horrible season that we saw Shaq leave us. He wants to prove that he can exist with out the big blob by his side. He is Dwyane Wade after all, why would he need O’Neal? Wade is once again explosive to the basket, once again he can shoot the ball with ease. His stroke has been great and he can shoot as far as the three point line in the international level.

This up-coming NBA season is going to be the season that the HEAT will be back on in Miami. With a Healthy Wade, Shawn Marion, and the 2nd pick in the NBA Draft, Michael Beasley, there really is nothing that can stop Miami. HEAT fans have been dreaming about this day ever since they saw Wade be shut-down with a good 2 months left of basketball. This 2008-2009 Miami HEAT squad will be back in the playoff picture and as I said before, the HEAT will be on in Miami again!

Wade has been a crucial part of the Men’s US Basketball team. Coming of the bench and being able to score around 19 points per game. or, if he’s not scoring, another part of his “new and improved game” will be in play. It could be his assists (he is not a turnover machine anymore), or it could be his up-tight Defense that helped the US squad get in the gold medal match.

Despite pledging to avoid it, I have found myself tuned into the Olympics nearly constantly whenever I am home and I have the chance. There’s something that bothers me about the Olympics, and I am not sure what I can really attribute it to. It just seems so…disposable. That isn’t at all a slight against the Olympic athletes; they definitely deserve the highest praise for essentially giving their lives to represent their country.

Let’s be honest, though. Just about 2 weeks from now, football season will be alive and well, and baseball season will just start to get interesting. Hell, NBA training will be starting soon. Michael Phelps will move back to Baltimore, driving even bigger cars than I used to see him driving around in (Personally, I’ve sighted him in an H2 and an Escalade, but that was 2004. Maybe Phelps will follow the credo of Bishop Don Magic Juan and add some Green to his Gold), Misty May and Kerri Walsh will probably start families as has been reported, and the members of the USA basketball team will go back to playing the selfish basketball they have uncharacteristically avoided over the past week. A U.S. sprinter will spend about 3 years doping, and break the 100m world record; depending on our technology, he/she will be caught, and banned, taking away our initial excitement. We love impossible accomplishments, but as long as we believe they are impossible for the unaltered human. Brazil may have even given up on Ronaldinho by that time, as AC Milan probably will in about a month.

That’s all well and good when it comes to Olympian buzzkill. But what I feel really bad about is how the US gymnasts will feel. Whether it be Nastia Liukin’s defeat in a tie to an athlete who has been all but confirmed to be underage, or Alicia Sacramone missing out on the bronze in the vault to someone who fell during their routine, or to some extent even the men’s gymnastics team who seemed to conspicuously post low numbers despite occasionally near flawless routines, it’s pretty clear that there has been bias in these games, shockingly in favor of host China.

I’m not going to get into the whole “switching in the cuter kid” move that China pulled–lord knows that image and looks are worth a lot more in America, and hey, Denise Richards has an acting career after all. Nor am I going to get into the fireworks display; what a silly controversy for a ceremony that was supposed to dazzle the viewer beyond what is conceivable. That’s just standard special effects.

I have to confess that while I definitely noticed the bias in my own viewing of the games, this post is somewhat sparked by a Yahoo! blog I recently read. Chris Chase isn’t quite as convinced as I am that the fix was in for some events, but he does raise a good point. In what he called “the REAL medal count,” in other words, sports that are decided through objective criteria and not by judges, the results bring the US much closer to China. Here’s Chase’s breakdown:

The Real 2008 Medal Count

China: 22 gold; 11 silver; 11 bronze

United States: 21 gold; 19 silver; 21 bronze

As you can see, in the events where medals are determined by competitors rather than judges, the gold medal gap between China and the U.S. is greatly narrowed, and the total medal count is an American runaway. Counting the judged events, China has a commanding lead in golds. Hmmm… Nope, nothing fishy about that!

Of course there will be many who call skeptics out for sour grapes, but just remember, our concerns aren’t unfounded. Firstly, China has tried to control everything it possibly can about these games to work in their favor; whether it be lying about the ages of their gymnasts, squashing dissent against the communist party, or restricting internet access, China has gone to great lengths to look good at the games. Secondly, this isn’t the first time a team who performed better was denied by the judges of the gold medal. In 2002 at the Salt Lake Games, a French judge knowingly graded a Canadian figure skating duo unfairly, giving Russia the win. When a conspiracy was eventually unraveled, the Canadians were awarded Gold, sharing the title with the flawed Russian team.

I can’t even imagine the dedication it takes to be an Olympian. Most of the athletes won’t receive big endorsement deals. One injury could ruin a life’s work. Your genius is only admired once every four years, giving most athletes at most two chances at glory. In the face of all of these challenges, I can’t imagine such hard work and determination being denied glory because of a government agenda. But…