Down with Plushie!

Well, our boy Evan Lysacek got it done last night, and aren't we glad? Who says the Cold War is over. Down with Russia!

I kid. I have a soft spot for some of the Russian athletes. So: down with Plushenko! I've taken to calling him Plushie. It's far less intimidating. (Unrelated, has anyone noticed how all the "official" athlete photos look like mug shots? Even the very gorgeous women look like hell.)

Anyway, I thought the men's skating was pretty awesome last night. Evan and--my favorite--Johnny Weir skated beautifully.

But. Did you see Michal Brezina of the Czech Republic? Frosted blonde hair, skated to Gershwin's "An American in Paris"? Here he is. Did he remind you of anyone? Perhaps....this fellow? With the frosted blonde hair, who skated to "An American in Paris"....but better?



That, of course, is American Timothy Goebel, who won bronze in Salt Lake City, was ALSO coached by Frank Carol (Lysacek's coach, and formerly Michelle Kwan's), and whom I adored. And while we're on this trip through Olympics past, here's one of my favorite men's performances of all time, by 2002 gold medalist (and, I should point out, Russian) Alexei Yagudin. That was the first year that I remember quads being a factor (he landed two of them, flawlessly), and it was the competition that began my loathing of Plushie.



Ahhhhhh. Love it.

And lastly, apropos of nothing, here's a response to those (who shall remain nameless) who find NBC's coverage a bit, say, sappy:

"Without patriotic fervor and feel-good stories, the Winter Olympics are just a series of options for going down a mountain. That hasn't been interesting since Moses did it." (From Sports Illustrated. Hat tip to Jules.)