Jay GreesonWeekend winners
Usain Bolt. We could make almost all of these Olympics, but you have to start with Bolt, who defended his 100 meter title and made it look almost effortless. We may not know much, but we know for sure that being called "The fastest man in the world" is a very cool title. (Although being called the fastest woman on the planet seems both cool and shady, you know?)
Michael Phelps. What an exit. What a career. Hey if he wants to come back, more power to him. But if he swims into the sunset, this final chapter was every bit as impressive and awe-inspiring as all the previous ones.
Simone Biles. Wow. The excellence that is on display in these Games is staggering. History from Bolt (the only three-time 100 gold medalist) to Phelps (the all-time all-timer in terms of medals) to a ton of others. And still, Biles may be the star of the show before all is complete. She has competed in three events (all-around, team and vault) and has three gold medals.
Olympics golf. Despite a slew of the biggest names sitting this one out, Sunday's showdown between some of the biggest names in the Olympics had the feel of being a major and befitting Olympic gold. In the end Justin Rose's brilliant chip shot set up birdie on the 72nd hole to topple Henrik Stenson and American Matt Kuchar. Of course, Johnny Miller's parting zinger - "By the way, no mosquitos, that I saw" aimed at those who skipped because of Zika concerns - was the capper to a fun final round of golf.
Dak Prescott. OK, we feel obligated to go with one non-Olympics storyline. The former Mississippi State star was eye-popping good in his NFL debut in a preseason game for the Dallas Cowboys. Yes, it's preseason football. Yes, it matters as much as the lay-up line in warm-ups. Still, Prescott made several throws that were super impressive.
The NBC peacock logo.
Weekend losers
NBC coverage of these Games. C'mon NBC. Be more nimble. There have been some memorable moments - like Simone Manuel's historic trip to the medal stand - that have been skipped because of the juggled and forced replays of taped-delayed action. Also, as gripping as the swimming has been, and we understand the power of gymnastics and Simone Biles, but can we get a little more sports diversity in the main window. And how about way fewer back-stories. (And this is not even talking about the decision to delay all of the women's team gymnastics.) The viewing numbers are down 20 percent from four years ago. Some of that's digital; some of it is on NBC.
Hope Solo. Hey, keeper, why don't you worry about stopping more than half the shots you see rather than calling the other team "cowards" for a style of play that worked. Solo, after the U.S. women's soccer team's shocking loss to Sweden on Friday flew off the handle. Again. She is every bit entitled to her opinion, but her overwhelming sense of entitlement is clear. Her act is tired.
Rio. The only thing more toxic than Solo's sour grapes is the water in Rio. And that's in the diving pool. Of course the open water swim starts tomorrow, and there will be another round discussion about that disgusting failure. Now add to it the stories of vandalism and crime - four U.S. swimmers including Ryan Lochte were robbed at gun point over the weekend - that is so bad the Australian Olympic bosses are enforcing curfews and travel restrictions. Yes, we'll say it, we're blaming this on Rio.
Nadezhda Bazhina. The Russian diver got off to a fine start, but her final dive on the 3 meter springboard was historic. Historically bad, that is. She got sideways at the start and her entry into the water was way more splash than smooth. Her score was 0.0 - and as Blutarsky learned from Dean Wormer, "Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life son."
Preseason injuries. OK, one non-Olympics entry here too. Man, nothing worse than season-ending setbacks in meaningless preseason games.
Titans
OK, we all know the preseason games are meaningless, and this assessment of the Titans' dress rehearsal against San Diego on Saturday has nothing to do with winning or losing.
Nothing.
But, taken with a full 18-wheeler of salt, the Titans looked crisp and fast and physical and impressive. It looked like a completely different offense with DeMarco Murray in the backfield.
It was staggering.
(Side note: In a cool story, the Titans auctioned off the chance to call the first two plays for the preseason opener. It raised more than $20,000 for charity. The first play, called by a married couple, was misdirection pitch to Murray that went for 15 yards. The second was a play-action pass down the sideline called by a couple of dudes, including one of the members of country band Rascal Flats. Marcus Mariota hit Tajae Sharpe for 31 yards. The next three plays called by the Titans offensive staff netted 5 yards before the Titans kicked a field goal. Maybe they should auction off more plays, huh?)
As for the Titans, Murray looked great. He added a breakaway 71-yard touchdown run.
Rookie running back Derrick Henry looked really good - and in really good shape - and produced 74 yards on 10 carries.
Mariota was precise (5-for-5 in limited duty) and the defense was fast.
Yes, all of that in a preseason game and $4 will get you a cup of Starbucks coffee.
But in regard to simply the eye test, the Titans looked a lot better.
And that has to count for something, right?
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) celebrates after the second half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, in Atlanta. The Atlanta Falcons won 20-13. (AP Photo/David Goldman)This and that
- Speaking of the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons will be on ESPN 105.1 the Zone this fall. So there's that.
- Here's the schedule of Olympics today, and what to look for.
- Last Thursday, the Milwaukee Brewers scored in every inning in a win. If that sounds odd, it's because it's a feat that is quite rare. Scoring in every at-bat has happened all of 16 times in the big leagues. By comparison, there have been 23 perfect games pitched in MLB history.
- Mookie Betts hit three homers Sunday, the second time this year he has had the long ball hat trick. He is only the second Red Sox player to hit three or more homers in multiple games in the same season. The other is Ted Williams, and we may not know much, but we know for sure if you and Ted Williams are the only names on a list about hitting, you have done something exceedingly good.
- We are not a huge fan of all the uniform gyrations in college football. We're OK with the tweak here or there or the alternative uniform on occasion. (Oregon has its thing and that's cool because that's them. All the other moving pieces kind of become tired.) That said, this is pretty awesome as the Air Force players will wear helmets honoring the brave heroes of World War II on Sept. 10.
- After getting a scoring change to extend his hitting streak to 50 games on Saturday, minor-leaguer Francisco Meija went 0-for-3 Sunday to end the string.
Nathan Adrian, Michael Phelps, Ryan Murphy, and Cody Miller hold a banner during the victory lap after winning gold in the men's 4 x 100-meter medley relay final during the swimming competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Today's question
Who won the weekend and who lost it? You know what we do on Mondays.
As for a question, let's go feedback oriented:
In an Olympics filled with superstars on a global superstage, who has been the biggest star?
Go, and enjoy the day.