The A2K Fantasy Olympics Beijing 2008

A general analysis:

Group A.
Chinese women are so far one of the keys to the game. Those who did NOT choose them are suffering a lot -perhaps with the exception of McGentrix, who chose Chinese men- .
Another key is Russian women. I know rythmic gimnastics and other competitions in which they excell are yet to be held, But they are doing much worse than all the other choices in group A: everyone who chose them is having a hard time.

Group B.
This is the key to alex's lead (he has the "dream team" on group B), but South Korea is typically a "first week country".
On the other hand, Spain and Rumania are totally killing Diane. Ukaine is having its usual big bronze collection, and Cuba (a big "second week" country, is lagging for the moment). The Fighting Gerbils have Romania, Ukraine, Cuba (and Russian women!) to explain for their position.

Group C
Has not meant much yet. Missing Slovakia was a general blunder. Osso is doing particularly bad on this pool, and group C performance explains markr's comeback

Group D
It makes a difference for some players. The dart throwing WIFF's (realjohnboy), have gathered 32 points from this pool (roughly the equivalent of Russian Men or the sum of Hungary and Cuba), while PDQ Geckos (Diane) and Ticolympians are yet to snatch a point from the "small olympic countries" group.

--
Finally, another key to understand the evolution of the game is that some countries are important for those who chose them, and other countries are important for those who didn't.
For example, many contestants chose USA men. If they do well, that's bad news for those of us who didn't chose them. Only Chicago2016 has Indonesia: this means that Indonesia's performance is important almost exclusively to tgordon92.

Countries chosen by at least half of the contestants (be aware if you didn't): USA Men, China Women, Japan, Brazil, Canada, Greece, New Zealand.

Key countries for some players:
Germany: wandeljw, Ticomaya
Spain: Diane
Ukraine: Foxfyre, ElStudHoncho

winnowing out Slovakia was definitely a mistake

Well I hope you're getting a well-deserved nap, Fb, but this is really fascinating. I can't wait until the next fantasy olympics in which I will put a lot more thought into my picks. However, I was able to marginally increase my position in the last 24 hours by using my Wal-mart dartboard.

Yeah so? I am just better at guessing than you are, wandel

fbaezer for gold said:


I did choose Switzerland which probably helped me to stay afloat!

My latest 24 hrs.

17:00 Go to edition meeting in order to define front page of paper. Define it.
Forget about national politics and foreign wars, go to the sports section and check the work. Phone the sports editor, who is our envoy in Beijing: he tells me he's sending a "special" on De Hoogenband, one on Mariana Avitia -14 year old Mexican archer who made it to quarter-finals-, a column on race walking and his "Chinese wall" section. Fix a badly written column on the age of Chinese gimnasts, decide the last page (counter first-page): Federer and the Williams sisters and the front story (Mexican archer Serrano), write a story about China being frustrated with their men soccer team, rewrite the story on our beach volley players, decide who's "the good" and "the bad" of the day among Mexican athletes, choose 33 as the "number of the day" (the weight in kilograms of Chinese gymnast Hu Kexin), choose photo-notes (a one-handed table tennis player from Poland, the medal a Swedish wrestler left on the podium in protest, a nice fencing scene); discuss again and again with our olympic reporter who didn't go to China, who usually wants to include more than it fits; get angry at a badly done "head" of a note; receive a phone-call from Beijing: our guy is too tired to send his "Wall" (thank God, we didn't have any more space). Check the "Mexicans in action" schedule (our olympic reporter-who-didn't-go-to China has BIG trouble with timezones, or rather "dayzones": she has 24 hour misses); give a few advices to the sports section guard.
21:10 Check briefly the paper's tomorrow first page, almost overreading. Go and drive home.
21:30 Arrive home, the swimming finals are on. Wife and daughter are watching them. Wife is making funny remarks about the new swimsuits. Watch Phelps win yet again. Change channels when the US National Anthem is played (yet again). Watch gymnastics. Find out family is divided in loyalties. Daughter loyal to the Chinese girls (hates Liukin, says she is a "huelepedos" -fartsmeller: she does look like she's smelling one), wife loyal to Liukin (says she represents the true artistic gymnastics school, not "circus acrobatics"), myself loyal to Shawn (love her preciseness, her security and her smile). Comments on Mexican TV are made by Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci (via a translator), a luxurious delight, specially because of Conner. Wife wins.
Screens go now to archery semi-final: Mexico's Juan René Serrano versus US Vic Wunderle. Extreme tension. Wunderle -former silver medalist- is having a bit of trouble focusing, Serrano is way more calm. Mexico wins, we cheer.
00:30 We are now watching female springboard preliminaries. Wife tells rival divers that it's better for them to fall on their backs: most of them don't pay attention to her. Some do. Daughter says she likes a Spanish diver, with a lip piercing and a tatoo on her back: we make fun of her lousy diving (she finished last, indeed). Mexican diver leads after round 1. (I changed to the channel with the real diving expert).
The screen splits, then focuses on judo. Mexican judoka Vanessa Zambotti, Panamerican champion, against a British girl-bloke. Zambotti is popular here, fat (almost 300 pounds) and gritty. Zambotti defeats the Brit, ranked Nº 5 in the world, but now she'll have to face the Japanese world champ.
Back to diving, our best diver is in third place; our average diver is fighting her way into the semis. And judo again: Vanessa can do little or nothing against the Japanese Godzilla.
Around 2:30 am. More diving. Daughter falls asleep. When it's almost over, the weightlifting competition starts. The Mexican girl looks strong, makes all her 3 snatch lifts, but the Chinese and the Kazakhstan girls start where she finishes. Wife is a weightlifting fan and enjoys the competition a lot. They give us the diving final results: both Mexicans in the semis.
A new screen split. Now the screen is filled by boxing. The Mexican fights the Rumanian who defeated the American (much to ogionik's dismay) and is clearly defeated now. The weightlifters have finished their snatch lifts, Mexico is 5th place. Let's hope some rivals "go blank".
I change the channel: Baseball: Cuba and the US are tied in the bottom of the 10th inning. One out, the US has a man in second, the catcher: commentators say the manager should get a pinch runner. I agree. Two outs. Wife says weightlifting should be back now. It is.
The Mexican starts with a mark over her personal best. She lifts it easily. Wife is first happy, then asleep (she just came back from visiting her ailing mother). I go to the TV room, the archery semis are announced. It's about 3:40 am. I light a cigarrette. The stadium is full of noisy Koreans (Korea has won all the archery gold). The Korean starts leading. The Mexican surpasses him. Then he throws a 7 and the Korean does not forgive. We'll have to go for the bronze. (And the weightlifter is certainly in the fight for the bronze, too).
The bronze medal match comes inmediately after. Jesus, another cigarette, my stomach is trembling. Same script of the semi, and the Russian gets the medal. Damn! Our lifter finished 6th. Better than expected, really.
It's 4:00 and I go back to bed. Fall asleep inmediately.
8:30: Wife wakes me up. A Mexican boxer on our bedroom screen. He handily defeats the Tunisian. One more victory and we get a medal. I go and make coffee for both.
8:45: 10,000 meters race. Wife asks me if the Mexican has any chance. "She's Panamerican bronze", I answer. She laughs, knows it means she has none. Daughter wakes up and arrives in time to see us discuss about who'll win. I go with the Ethiopians. Wife starts to make fun of the Mexican racer, comparing her to "Big Shorts" (a competitor from Chile in the 800 m. heats). Says we should nationalize a Kenyan. Daughter laughs a lot. I tell them fom2020 sent me an e-mail suggesting we stop spending on national athletes and nationalize Phelps. When the American makes a move forward, we start to cheer for her (cheering for an American is uncommon but -unlike most other competitions-, in long distance races Africans are the powerhouses and gringos are underdogs) and she gets the bronze.
We have breakfast, talking about the games. My wife says she's going to the gym, I say I'm going to the computer ("you should go to sleep"). I update the Fantasy Olympics, read mails (Patada Veloz writes from Cambridge, saw the archery semis), take a nap.
Back to the PC for a while, a shower, to work.
Discuss the sports section. Talk to our man in Beijing. Go to eat. Receive a phone call (comments on the Olympics for the radio), get back to the office, write this ever more fretfully (got to discuss the section again).

Ain't those 24 hours great?

Yes, they certainly are, fbaezer!
It reminds me that we don't have as much TV coverage of the Olympics here
and aside from the American athletes, the U.S. has very little interest for
the other nations, so it seems. I know that Europe always has had lots of
TV coverage, almost in all channels - not so here!

Well there's a classic summary, enjoyed every second of reading it.

So as not to get too puffy, I'll frown.

Congrats to the kiwis - finally some medal action (go Fidell). The aussies pick up a few unexpected medals in the rowing. And the poms do OK. Will Hinge move back into the breakaway group. Only FB can tell....

I was going to say how sad that the Canadians had done so poorly- a proud sporting country that seemingly lost interest post Ben Johnson 1988, when I realised that South Africa have yet to win a medal. How bizarre.

Neither has Greece which I also think is bizarre. (Canada will improve their standings I believe, however.)

I woke up this morning to hear that Canada got a bronze, silver and gold in the last 12 hours.

Watching the CBC coverage for a while. They cover everyone it seems - and all around the clock between the various channels (I love satellite t.v. at times like this).

Watched the men's 100 m and the end of the women's pentathlon.

Screamed a bit, teared up a bit.

Can you imagine if Usain Bolt ran all out? that kid is so cool and loose and charming and dance-y. There was a great interview on the CBC with him and Donovan Bailey. Lotsa respect between those guys.

happy happy

Results after Saturday August 16.

1. alex - 440 points
2. Patada Veloz (Fantasy Warriors) - 424
3. realjohnboy (WIFF's) - 417
4. markr -414
5. fom2020 (Pancho's Olympic Team) - 410
6. hingehead - 404
7. MyOwnUsername - 399
8. jpinmilwaukee - 397
9. Capitalgull (British Dreamers) - 396
10. Barneyhull - 391
11. Calamity Jane - 391
12. wandeljw - 376
13. jespah (Ring-o-leave-os) - 368
14. fbaezer - 366
15. cicerone imposter - 347
16. tgordon92 (Chicago 2016) - 344
17. EhBeth - 335
18. McGentrix - 331
19. Foxfyre (Night Owls) - 329
20. Pantalones - 320
21. fidell (Castro's Champion Kiwis) - 319
22. ossobuco (Dolphinkicking Dogpaddlers) - 306
23. MrKingsley - 301
24. Ticomaya (Ticolympians) - 290
25. George (TGIF) - 283
26. Imur (THIOS) - 265
27. Diane (PDQ Geckos) - 243
28. ElStudHoncho (Fighting Gerbils) - 220

Lots of medals, lots of movements in the table.

No movement for the mighty Night Owls but at least they're holding their own. Congrats to Honcho for breaking 200. Wouldn't it be funny if the Fighting Gerbils medaled?

Your morning updates are so appreciated Fb.

Yep...reached 200! Those rascally Gerbils..................they're just showing off in front of Diane's Geckos!

That's the spirit, ElStud!

Super Saturday, as the media have been calling it finally happened. Biggest medal haul in NZ olympic history and there are still more to come. Can't wait for all the sailing to finish, could be a gold rush there too.

I hurried up a little bit too much this time. So, the men's doubles badminton & tennis medals are not counted in the update. Those who chose Switzerland and Indonesia may not appreciate the fact. They will be counted in tomorrow's update -which, understandably, will not be posted as early-.

So the Night Owls might have moved up one spot? Probably not.....but hope springs eternal.

The dogpaddlers sink, sink, sink, in the sea. You all will understand now why I enjoyed those top spots for a time.

For a moment I was going to say that I wished I had a better grasp of week 1 and week 2 teams. Then I realized that'd be a clue of errrrrr geekdom (and I'm still living down the photo of me with a briefcase at age 9).