Check out this story on ESPN.com, even if you’re not a football fan. These are some people who have perspective.

Although I try not to gloat too much, especially on here, about the victories of my sports teams, I must give props to the Baylor Bears, who beat archrival A&M on Saturday 41-21. Admittedly, the Aggies have had a very rough year. But since this is only the second time we’ve beaten them in football since joining the Big 12, any victory over them is cause for celebration. So it’s really a sign of my respect for the Ags that I’m even mentioning it. I doubt many Ags blog about beating Baylor during a normal year. Anyway, congrats to the Bears on a memorable victory!

I have devoted a large part of the last two weeks to watching the Olympics. At home with Jenny and Brenden. With friends. At work. At Sam’s. In our apartment clubhouse. I’ve seen marquee events like Phelps’ races and gymnastics. I’ve seen weird events like table tennis, handball, and BMX racing. I’m having a blast! Here are a few thoughts:

• Phelps is amazing but somehow kept his head from getting too big. He values his teammates. He respects his competitors. He loves his mom. I like him.
• Bolt is amazing but too cocky. I hope someone beats him soon to remind him what it feels like. Then I want to see him break 9.5 in the 100 and 19 in the 200. I think he can do it. If I were that much better than everyone else in my events, I might get a little cocky, too.
• It seems there are two different approaches to any competition, or to life in general. You can either try to beat your opponents or try to chase some established standard, such as a personal best time or a world record. I think most of the athletes are focused on trying to beat their opponents since they want the medal. To me, though, it makes more sense to simply do your personal best toward the goal of the event and let the chips fall where they may. If I’ve done my absolute best, I shouldn’t be disappointed if that effort wins me a silver instead of gold. I can’t control what anyone else does. I can barely even control what I do.
• The lowlight of NBC’s otherwise great Olympics coverage is the interviewers who corner athletes after each event. Paraphrased example: “So, how does it feel to let your entire country down by not winning gold?”
• I can’t tell you how fun it is to watch the Olympics in HD after watching the 2004 games on a fuzzy picture through rabbit ears at our house.
• A wise person once said, “Some days you’re the dog. Some days you’re the hydrant.” Team USA has been both in Beijing.
• I wish I had half the discipline that these athletes possess. It’s a beautiful thing when preparation and talent meet opportunity.
• I’m still a bit upset with the IOC for giving the Games to China. I hope that all this attention will persuade them respect human rights better and give their people more freedom.
• If I could be a Summer Olympian, I’d probably be either a distance runner (5k or 10k perhaps) or a swimmer. I like the swimmer’s build. If I could be a Winter Olympian, I’d pick either ice hockey or long track speed skating. I would probably need specially made jeans to accommodate my massive legs.

What are your thoughts as you watch the Olympics? You are watching, right?

No, I’m not trying out for Survivor. Jenny would kill me. =) I picked up a tennis racket for the first time in a few months on Saturday and went to the court with a Belgian chemist friend of mine from our apartment community, actually the same floor of our building. Just five minutes from us lies an excellent tennis facility with 16 well-maintained courts, available lessons, leagues, and tournaments, and a pro shop. It’s like a country club except I paid less than $3 for the match.

Anyway, all this Wimbledon talk got me in the spirit, so when I ran into Dirik at the pool earlier this week, I suggested we go play Saturday afternoon after I woke up. We left around 5:00. The temperature was about 98. For reference, the last time I played was probably in March, with a high of maybe 75 or 80, and I haven’t done much since then except walk-jog a bit on an indoor treadmill. Dirik, meanwhile, plays at least 2-3 times per week.

I started off playing decent tennis (for me), going up a break and giving a good effort. We seemed to be pretty even in level of play. But Dirik figured out quickly that my conditioning was, to put it nicely, sub-par. We ground out a few good rallies, but most of the points didn’t last too long, and I felt myself fading quickly. Dirik felt fine, running around well, and giving himself good-natured scoldings after a bad shot. Since I didn’t even bring enough water (his first clue that this match wouldn’t last long), he generously offered me some of his in between the beatings. He emerged with a 6-3 victory, and I left with a really sweaty shirt. We plan to play again later, which means I’ll need to spend a little more time on the jogging trail.

After work this morning, I plan to sleep briefly and then wake up for the highly anticipated Federer-Nadal Wimbledon final. I predict a Nadal victory. Yep, I said it.

We went to Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals tonight thinking it would be great to win but emotionally prepared for a sweep by the mighty Red Wings. We were happy just to be there watching the Stars in the finals for the first time in so many years. A couple we met from our apartment community joined us for their first professional hockey game EVER. The Stars decided to play their own game instead of chasing the Red Wings, and the result was one of the most exciting hockey games I’ve ever attended. Regular season games are fun, but playoff games are so much better. I took a couple of pics after the game:

If by some miracle Dallas advances and we go to one of the games, Jenny promised to paint a big green star on her belly. Go Stars!