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Jul 31Liked by Rodger Sherman

Sorry to be pedantic: The Japanese men's basketball team's captain's last name is Togashi, not to be confused with togarashi which is a type of delicious seasoning!

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oh no! thanks, fixed. I'm very tired and need a copy editor and have a thing of togarashi in my pantry...

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99 rings - Rodger Sherman recaps

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Now I just want SEC radio crews to call rugby matches

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US men's and women's volleyball could win in straight sets, but they're so committed to dramatic tension that they prefer to go up 2-0, dump two sets, and then eke out a nail-biter in the fifth. Brilliant scriptwriting.

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I have to admit, I was far more locked into the men's gymnastic team giving it their peak performance just to eke out a bronze than watching the women sleepwalk their way to a gold. Now, of course this means the women's team is so much better, but the lack of drama meant the US women didn't really have any go for broke moments. They were gonna win comfortably, and they performed accordingly. Even on Biles' final routine, she stepped out of bounds twice. Whatever. She's so much better, it doesn't matter, but it also meant we didn't get to see her push herself to the maximum. We're left to wonder what that would look like, or maybe our brains can't comprehend. But this week really highlighted the need for a foil to bring out peak performance. And when you're as dominant as Biles, there is no rival. How could there be?

While I'm making unpopular admissions, I'll also throw out that I tend to hate sports I see all the time in the Olympics. I know I'm basically alone in this, but I've got little interest in Olympic basketball or soccer... and the same goes for tennis. We already have a Grand Slam. But...damn. I'm locked in on the Andy Murray thing. They just seem to be having so much fun. Watching him pull a rabbit out of the hat is so cool.

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I think you’ll see them send it in the individual finals. You’re right, the margin of error was high enough in this that they didn’t need to, but they will in the apparatus finals and even the all-around where Andrade is within striking distance of Biles

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