NFL Preview 2012

AFC EAST

Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, best TE
duo in the NFL
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2012/08/rob_gronkowski2c.jpg

This division is the New England Patriots to lose. The Pats have a great receiving core, even though it is a little thin. They have Tom Brady running the offense. Most importantly, they have an improved defense. In the draft, they picked up DE Chandler Jones and LB Dont'a Hightower. The Buffalo Bills might turn out to be this year's Detroit Lions.  The team that may people prediction to have a breakout season, and they do. They have a superb D-Line that will lead the team to a good season. The J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets are an interesting team. Their season will be based on QB play. They have a very good defense led by shutdown CB Darrelle Revis and the LB's David Harris, Calvin Pace, and Bart Scott. I really liked the pick-up of hard-hitting safety LaRon Landry to help the safety core, which just loss it's playmaker in Jim Leonard. Back to the QB's, if either Tebow or Sanchez can win games, this is a team to look out for. Then, there is the Miami Dolphins. They have little chance of winning the division, let alone making the playoffs.

AFC NORTH

This is going to be a very tough division. The Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers all have a chance to win the division. The Ravens are looking again like an AFC power. The defense is still top flight, even though Terrell Suggs may be lost for part or all of the season. More importantly, they have a chip on their shoulder. After coming so close to the Super Bowl last year, they want to go back even more. Pittsburgh, like Baltimore, has a top flight defense, but does have a few losses form last year. The key to the team's success will be based on how the offense performs with their new system. Cincinnati made the playoffs for the 1st time last year after a 4-12 record in 2010. To make it again, Andy Dalton will need to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. He has WR AJ Green who will look to help him by putting up another 1,000 yard season. The Browns are in another rebuilding year. Trent Richardson is going to get most of the play calls because he is the best playmaker and most explosive on offense. Their defense can't make up for the lackluster offense.

AFC SOUTH

Matt Schaub
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The Houston Texans won the AFC South for he 1st time ever last year. This year they are looking to repeat as champs of the AFC South. They did lose DE/LB Mario Williams and LB DeMeco Ryans to free agency. Their defense is still very good. They have a good corner in Jonathan Joseph leading the secondary and LB Brain Cushing leading the front 7. The Texans have a healthy Matt Schaub at QB to run a balanced offense that can beat opponents with the passing game or with rushing the ball with Arian Foster. They look like they are headed for another great season. Many people forget that the Tennessee Titans were tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the 6th seed, but didn't get in due to head-to-head record. This season, Jake Locker will be the starting QB instead of Matt Hasselbeck. Locker will have a good season, but he will turn the ball over too much. Chris Johnson will be a force running the ball. Like last year, Tennessee will be good, but not good enough. The Indianapolis Colts got the number 1 pick in the 2012 Draft and picked Andrew Luck. Luck is looking to make sure the fans don't lose hope in the post Peyton Manning era. I think he is going to have a great year. His biggest help will come from his 2 rookie TE's;  Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener. Luck and Fleener both went to Stanford. All 3 are going to through the same rookie process, which may bond them closer. The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking at a terrible year. They have a very inexperienced and inconsistent QB in Blaine Gabbert, a decent defense, and a unhappy Maurice Jones-Drew. The only bright spot might be wideout Justin Blackman, if Gabbert can get the ball to him.

AFC WEST

The Denver Broncos have Peyton Manning as their new QB, which means passing is going to become a much bigger part of the offense. WR's Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas are going to have great seasons, becoming Peyton's top targets. The defense has one of the best D-Lineman in the game, DE Elvis Dumervil. LB Von Miller is destined to have another great year On D, they still have shutdown corner Champ Bailey, who may be getting up their in age, but still is a top corner. The Kansas City Chiefs are much healthier then last season, where 3 of their top players, HB Jamaal Charles, S Eric Berry, and TE Tony Moeaki, all who had their ACL's torn by Week 2. Charles is going to have a good bounce back year, gaining at least 1,100 yards . Berry is going to led the secondary that already has top CB Brandon Flowers. They have also have a good linebacker core. San Diego has missed the playoffs the last 2 years after being the favorite to make the playoffs. Their early season struggles have hurt them in both years. This year, the division isn't theirs to lose. That might put the pressure off the Bolts. Phillip Rivers will have a good year and so will Ryan Matthews. But, they will not make the playoffs. The Oakland Raiders are going to have a full season with Carson Palmer, who knows the offense system. 

NFC EAST

The New York Giants barely won the NFC East, but that didn't effect their playoff run that ended up in a victory in Super Bowl XLVI. They have Eli Manning along with his 2 top receivers back from last year, Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. Ahmad Bradshaw is going to be the featured HB with Brandon Jacobs leaving during the off season. The defensive line is still great anchored by  Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora. They will do well this season. The Philadelphia Eagles were called the Dream Team going into last year's season. That dream resulted in an 8-8 season and missing the playoffs. The Eagles are looking to go back to the playoffs, not just for their sake, but for Andy Reid's job. They have a top RB in LeSean McCoy, who can be a dominating runner or a force in the passing game. Philly's defense improved dramatically with the upgrade at LB. It is going to be tough to pass against them with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on one side and a top 3 CB Nnandi Asomugha on the other. Every year, is called the year the Cowboys.  They will go back to the playoffs and this year Romo will have a MVP season. What makes this year different? The offense is pretty much the same, other then the fact they have new additions on the O-Line. I did like improving up the CB position by picking up Brandon Carr in free agency and Morris Claiborne in the draft. I also like Rob Ryan as Defensive Coordinator. For them to make the playoffs, they need to complete every game. The Washington Redskins are excited to see their new QB, 2011 Heisman Trophy Winner Robert Griffin III in action. That's probably the one exciting aspect of the Redskins this year. There offense is not going to score points if RGIII is taken out of the line-up. The defense is decent, but they can't win ball games.

NFC NORTH

Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings
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The Green Bay Packers went 15-1 last year, but lost their 1st game in the playoffs. The Pack are out to win their 2nd Super Bowl Title in 3 seasons. They have reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers and a great receiving core led by Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson. The defense is looking much better after being awful last year. They have moved Charles Woodson to Strong Safety. The corner position were not   depleted by the move. Clay Matthews will lead the front 7  to put more pressure on the QB. The Detroit Lions made the playoffs last year with Matthew Stafford played every game in an NFL season. Stafford has one of the best WR's in the game in Calvin Johnson who can catch pretty much anything throw near him. The defense can be great, as long as they keep their cool. The Chicago Bears were rolling, with a 7-3 record last year going into week 12. Then, they went 1-6 the rest of the way, missing out on the playoffs. This happened because Jay Cutler and Matt Forte went down with injuries. The Bears have a very good chance of making the playoffs. Their defense is getting up their in age, but is still very good. The offense can be great. The key will be if they can stay healthy. The Minnesota Vikings are looking to make improvements in Year 2 of rebuilding. Christian Ponder should make strides with his passing ability and decision making. He will have Adrian Peterson who will have another great year when he comes back from last year's ACL injury. 

NFC SOUTH

The NFC South might be the most interesting division in football. With the New Orleans Saints losing head coach Sean Payton for the whole year, how will it effect their play? How will the Carolina Panthers perform in Cam Newton's 2nd year in the NFL. Will the Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons make a move in the playoffs? How will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers do with new HC Greg Schiano? Atlanta made the playoffs for the 3rd time in Matt Ryan's 4th season. Each of the past 2 years they lost in the 1st playoff game they have played in. This might be their time to make a run in the playoffs. They are the top team in the division and can use it to their advantage. They have a team that can make it deep. They just need to perform. The Saints were embedded with controversy in the off-season. There was the bounty scandal, the eavesdropping scandal and Drew Brees' contract. Many are wondering if the season long suspensions of HC Sean Payton and LB Jonathan Vilma will effect the team's performance. I believe it depletes their win total by 1-3 games. Carolina is in the 2nd season of the Cam Newton era. The offense has 3 good backs, DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, and Mike Tolbert. The defense is very good, led by LB's Jon Beason and rookie Luke Kuechly. Both are tackle machines. They will have a good season an will be very close to the next step. The Buccaneers will do better then their 2011 season. They have a much better team. Mark Barron was a great pick-up in the draft. By drafting Doug Martin, him and LaGarrent Blount have one of the most powerful (in the way they run) RB duos in the league. I believe Josh Freeman can be a very good QB, he just needs to cut down on his INTs and be a better passer. 

NFC WEST

Patrick Willis
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2011/02/patrick-willis-49ers-idp.jpg

The NFC West was won by the San Francisco 49ers last year. They had 5 more wins then the  2nd place team, the Arizona Cardinals. This year looks to be the same. The 49ers look like they have little competition in the division. Alex Smith is coming off a career with a good receiving core. Frank Gore is still a very productive back. The defense is stout, probably the best in the league. Their starting 4 linebackers, Ahmad Brooks, Navorro Bowman, Aldon Smith, and Patrick Willis, are outstanding. They are going to win the division. The Seahawks signed Matt Flynn in the offseason to be the starting QB. However, he was out played by Seattle's 2012 3rd round pick Russell Wilson and Wilson got the job. Wilson will be a dynamic  QB. He will need to be efficient for his team to win. The Seahawks have a very good defense that will keep the scoring low. Arizona has issues, especially at QB. Kevin Kolb or John Skelton will not bring a team to the playoffs. They are too inconsistent. The Cardinals have a good defense, led by 2nd year CB Patrick Peterson. The defense will play well, but the offense will not. The St. Louis Rams were 1 game away from a trip to the playoffs in 2010 in Sam Bradford's 1st season. Last year, they won 2 games. They have a new coach this year in Jeff Fisher. Fisher will improve the team, but the Rams are still a year or two away achieving prominence in the NFC West.

College Football Preview 2012

Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead
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The Big Ten Conference has 2 favorites, Michigan and Wisconsin. Both teams have explosive play makers, Michigan's Senior QB Denard Robinson and Senior RB Montee Ball. Robinson passed for 2,173 yards and rushed for 1,176 more. Ball ran for 1,923 yards and 33 TDs and caught 6 more for a total of 39. However, there are a few other teams that can make their way into the championship game. Nebraska has a great QB-RB combination of Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead. Martinez is a great running QB and is decent at passing the ball. If Martinez improves his passing, Nebraska will be a force to be reckoned with. Michigan State just lost it's most successful QB in Kirk Cousins, but that doesn't mean they will struggle this year. They have a very good defense. Junior LB Denicos Allen was a monster with 18.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. Junior DE William Gholston had 16.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. Senior DB Johnny Adams had 3 picks and had 147 INT return yards. Junior LB Max Bullough led the teams in tackles with 89, including 7.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. If the offense puts up some points, MSU will be a scary team to face.

Arkansas can be a top team in the nation, but it is not even ranked  a top 4 team in the their conference. The loss of head coach Bobby Petrino was big. However, the fact that they have an experienced QB in Tyler Wilson makes it less painful. Wilson threw for 3638 yards and 24 TDs last year, while throwing only 6 interceptions. He averaged 8.3 yards per attempt, 63.2 completion percentage, and a 148.4 passer rating. Vs. Texas A&M last season, he threw for 510 yards and 3 TDs. RB Knile Davis, who missed all of last season due to injury, is back and going to look to top the 1,322 rushing yards he put up in 2010. They have a tough schedule (All SEC teams do), but they get to face both Alabama and LSU at home. Even with their schedule, Arkansas has a chance to be a top team. 

Utah's transition from the MWC to the PAC-12 last year was good. They had a record of 8-5, came in 3rd in the South Division, and won the Sun Bowl against Georgia Tech. This happened with their starting QB missing the last 9 games of the season due to injury. The Utes can do even better this year if everyone stays healthy.  Starting RB John White is returning.  He rushed for 1,519 yards and 15 TDs. When Utah faced BYU, White sprinted for 174 years, averaging 7.9 yards per rush, and 3 TDs. They are going to need to run the offense around him. If they get him going, he will force extra defenders into the box, setting up play action. If they don't flood the box, keep giving him the ball, he will make plays and get the ball in the end zone. 

Collin Klein
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-Klein-Scott-SewellRS.jpg

Kansas State had a great year last year, going 10-3, and participating in the Cotton Bowl. That was their 1st 10 win season since 2003. Duel Threat Quarterback Collin Klein is looking to have another stellar season, after throwing for 1,918 yards and running for 1,141 yards. To be successful again, the defense needs to do better against elite offenses. In their 2 regular season losses, they gave up 58 points to Oklahoma and 52 points to Oklahoma State. They also gave up 50 points to Texas A&M. Senior's LB Arthur Brown (101 tackles last year, 9.5 for loss), DE Meshak Williams (7 sacks, 10 tackles for loss), and DB Nigel Malone (7 picks last year) need to lead the defense. Their return game is great. Sophomore WR/KR Tyler Lockett was a monster in the return game, averaging 35.2 yards per return. If the defense isn't more productive, their season will not be as successful as last year.

There are 4 new teams playing FBS football this year. South Alabama was a FCS Independent and is now a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The University of Massachusetts-Amherst moved from the Colonial Athletic Association to the MAC. Both Texas State and Universiry of Texas-San Antonio moved from the Southland Conference to the WAC. None are expected to make a very big impact, as they are not eligible to play for a bowl game.

Notes on FCS, Division II, Division III

• North Dakota State (#2 in the The Sports Network Poll and #1 in Coaches Poll), the 2011 FCS Champs, will try to repeat as champions
• Division 2's Pittsburg State (#1 in AFCA Coaches Poll and D2Football.com Poll) and Northwest Missouri State (#3 in both polls) face off at Arrowhead Stadium on October 13th
• University of Wisconsin-Whiterwater (#1 in AFCA Coaches Poll and D3Football.com Poll) looking to win their 4th consecutive Division III chapionship and 5th in the last 6 years

MLL Championship Weekend Wrap-Up

Major League Lacrosse just finished up it's championship weekend. The weekend took place at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2 semi-final games took place on Saturday and then the championship on Sunday. 

The Denver Outlaws in a huddle
http://insidelacrosse.com/news/2012/08/25/game-photos-outlaws-13-lizards-12

In the 1st game of Semi-finals on Saturday, the Long Island Lizards faced the Denver Outlaws. However, the Outlaws' Brendan Mundorf, this seasons' MLL MVP, was out for the game due to an injury to his ankle. Denver was number 1 in the standings in the regular season, with a record of 11-3, while the Lizards were 4th at 8-6. The game started off  as all Long Island. After the 1st period, the Lizards were up 3-1. They added 5 goals to the Oulaws 1 to take a commanding 8-2 lead going into halftime. The Lizards added 4 more goals to 1 for the Outlaws at the start of the 3rd. Then, Denver's offense took off. They scored 9 unanswered goals to tie the game at 12. Then, Jeremy Sieverts, who won LL's Most Improved Player this season, broke the tie to give Denver a 13-12 lead. Chris Bocklet led the game with 6 goals.

Game 2 of the day featured the Chesapeake Bayhawks against the hometown team,the Boston Cannons. Boston took the early lead by scoring 5 goals in the 1st period compared to 2 by the Bayhawks. The Bayhawks responded well in the 2nd period, scoring 5 goals, including 2 two-pointers (from at-least 16 yards out) while the Cannons could only muster up 3. Going into halftime the score was close, after halftime was over, Chesapeake dominated. They scored 7 goals in the 2nd half to put the game out of reach. Chespeake won 16-10, led by Kyle Dixon who had 3 goals, 2 two-point goals, and an assist along with Ben Rubeor who had 6 goals.

Both participants in the championship game are not new to the stage. Chesapeake had 3 previous championships and 2 other appearances in the game. Denver had 4 previous appearances, all resulting in being  the runner-up. The Bayhawks were looking to make it their 2 championship in 3 seasons. The Outlaws looking to get their 1st championship.

The Chesapeake Bayhawks after winning the MLL Title
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Denver started off well by scoring the 1st 2 goals. However, the Bayhawks countered with scoring 5 consecutive goals to end the 1st period. Then, within the 1st minute of play in the 2nd period, Chesapeake's Ben Hunt scored a two-pointer to take a 7-2 lead. Denver scored 3 goals in the rest of the period, while Chesapeake scored 3 more. At the half, it was 10-5. The 3rd period was all Bayhawks, They shutout the Outlaws in the quarter, while adding 3 goals, including a two-pointer, to their lead. They added 2 goals in the 4th, while Denver could not come back as Chesapeake won 16-6. Hunt had 4 goals and 2 two-point goals. The Bayhawks' goalie, Kip Turner  had 12 saves in the game.  With  6 goals in the semi final game and 2 goals in the championship game, Rubeor was named the MLL Championship Weekend MVP. 

Uganda's Moment In The Sun

Uganda at the Opening Ceremonies
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This year's Little League's most inspiring and possibly best story just happened. It wasn't in an elimination game or a championship game. It didn't feature a powerhouse like a Japan or Chinese Taipei or a team from the US.  No, it featured a team from Lugazi, Uganda in a crossover game. 

This is the 1st ever team from Africa to compete at the Little League World Series. Last year, a team from Kampala, Uganda qualified for the tournament in Williamsport, PA. However, there were not allowed to play due to their visas being denied. In their spot, a team from Saudi Arabia represented the Middle East-Africa Region. 

To get to the Little League World Series, Uganda had to win the Middle East-Africa Regional Tournament. The tournament was held in Kutno, Poland. In the 1st game of the tournament, Uganda lost to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 1-2. That didn't faze them as the next day they defeated the team from Dubai, UAE, 6-0. On the 3rd day of the tournament, Uganda flattened Doha, Qatar, 13-1, and then beat the team from Kuwait City, Kuwait, 8-0. Their 3-1 record tied them with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait for 1st place. Tie-breaking rules put Uganda and Kuwait in the finals. In the finals, Uganda defeated Kuwait, 5-2, 

In the 1st game in Williamsport vs. a team from Aguadulce, Panama representing Latin America, Uganda lost 9-3. Justine Makisimu got Africa's 1st hit in the 1st at-bat of the game. In the 6th inning, Daniel Alio hit a 2-run homer. The loss sent the team to face Mexico, who also lost their 1st game. In Game 2, Mexico 10 run-ruled Uganda 12-0. That eliminated Uganda from the tournament. But, teams that go 0-2 get to play in the a 3rd game that doesn't effect the tournament.

Daniel Alio tags out the runner trying to steal home
on a wild pitch
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In the crossover game, Uganda faced off against the representative from the Northwest Region of the US, Gresham, Oregon. Oregon lost their games to New Castle, Indiana from the Great Lakes Region, 0-4, and to the Mid-Atlantic's representative from Parsippany, NJ, 10-4. No one scored through the 3rd inning. Oregon broke that in the top of the 4th when they drove across 2 runs on a Hunter Hemenway triple. Uganda answered in their half of the inning when Alio scored on a wild pitch and then Felix Enzama scored on a passed ball. Oregon couldn't break the tie in their half of the inning. Uganda had runners on 1st and 2nd when Enzama hit a ground ball to 2nd base. The 2nd baseman threw the ball to the shortstop, who got the out at 2nd, and then made a wild throw to 1st. Due to the bad throw, the runner from 2nd scored. Uganda had the lead. Oregon rallied in the 6th, but they couldn't get a run across. Alio pitched a great game going 5.1 innings with 8 strikeouts. 

In my opinion, the play of the game happened in the top of the 6th with a runner on 1st. With a 3-1  count a strike was called on the batter. The batter tosses his bat, thinking that the pitch was ball four. The runner on 1st base was half way between bases, unsure of what happened. Uganda's catcher Makisimu was heads up and walked out to in front of the plate and then fired it to 2nd base who then threw it to 1st base where they got the runner. That play showed how far baseball has come in Africa. Not every player would know what to do in this game situation. 

This might be a sign of what is coming. Soon players from Uganda may be signed by major league clubs, maybe some will make it to the major leagues.  Uganda has never been a top sports country. At the 2012 Olympics, Uganda has won 2 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals. Stephen Kiprotich won the men's marathon at the 2012 Olympics. At the Commonwealth Games, they had 12 golds, 15 silvers, and 17 bronze medals. Their soccer team, the Cranes, has never been to a FIFA World Cup and the best they have done at the Africa Cup of Nations is 2nd. This is the start of something that might make Uganda more active. Every athlete would want to go play in front of the world in a world-class facility. Athletes, and others who want to be successful in life from Uganda can know believe that it is possible to be a factor in the world. This win might end up being bigger then baseball. 

2012 London Olympics Legacies

Usain Bolt

Usain Bolt
http://www.theprovince.com/7066033.bin

Bolt has put himself into the All-Time Greats category in both athletics and Olympics history. He is my MVP of the Games. After a great performance in Beijing where he won Gold in his only 3 events, the 100, 200 and 4x100 meters, many people were selecting fellow countryman and partner in workouts, Yohan Blake, to defeat him in the 100 meters and 200 meters. At the Jamaican trials, Blake beat Bolt in both events. His 1st event at Olympic Stadium was the 100 meters. In the final, he defeated Blake by .12 of a second and got the Olympic Record at 9.63. The 200 meters was much the same, defeating Blake by .12th of a second and was .02 seconds of an Olympic Record. His last event he partnered with Blake, the 4x100 meter relay. Bolt got the baton from Blake in the final and sprinted to the World Record and 1st time ever a relay team ran the 4x100 in go under 37 seconds. He is definitely one of the best of all-time.

Michael Phelps 

Michael Phelps was looking to become the most decorated Olympian. He did that, by getting 6 more medals to make his career total of 22. He has 18 gold medals, 2 silver, and 2 bronze medals. But, the Olympics showed the Phelps isn't who he once was. He didn't medal n the 200 meter IM, no Olympic or World Records, and got his 1st 2 ever silver medals. But, he still got 4 golds to prove, he wasn't going to leave quietly. 

Ryan Lochte 

This was Ryan Lochte chance to prove he is, at the moment, better then Phelps and best in the world. However, he underachieved in London. He won 2 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and 1 bronze medal. He went 1-1 when up against Phelps, winning the 200 meter IM and Phelps winning the 400 meter IM. He won his other gold in a relay. If he wanted to be better then Phelps, he needed to medal in every event and have more golds then silvers and bronze combined.

The Fab Five (US Women's Gymnastics Team)

The Fab Five: Wieber, Douglas, Maroney, Raisman,
and Ross
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The Fab Five is a tale of many different stories. We will start with the team in the team competition. That is the big success story, where the US win by more then 5 points and their 2nd ever gold. The most successful individual is, to many people's surprise, Aly Raisman. In addition to the team gold, she won floor gold, bronze in the balance beam, and tied for 3rd in the individual all-around, but was pushed back to 4th due to the tiebreaker. Jordyn Wieber was a favorite for the individual all-around. However, she did not even make the final, despite becoming 4th overall. Due to only one country being allowed 2 participants per gymnastics final, Wieber was bumped out because Raisman and Gabby Douglas got higher scores. She was devestaed. One of the biggest shock of the games. Douglas won the individual all-around gold, but didn't medal in uneven bars and balance beam. McKayla Maroney's silver medal in the vault might have been even more surprising then Wieber. She was the heavy favorite, especially after a fantastic vault in the team final. Kyla Ross only  final was the team final. 

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings

Misty and Kerri solidified themselves as the best beach volleyball team ever. They only lost one set on their way to gold, against sisters Doris and Stephanie Schwaiger of Austria. In the gold medal match, they defeated fellow countrywomen Jen Kessy and April Ross 21-16 and 21-16 to get their 3rd gold in 3 Olympics. They put beach volleyball on the map in the United States and made it one of the sports to watch every 4 years. 

US Men's Basketball Team

The US men's basketball team will be remembered for LeBron James triple-double, Kevin Durant's tournament scoring record, and Kobe Bryant and Coach K's final game. But, it was more of the role players that made the team successful. Kevin Love was the big man who played his heart out to win. Chris Paul was clutch in the last few minutes of the gold medal match vs Spain. Carmelo Anthony was a good 6th man coming off the bench. Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams provided good energy.

The Games of the XXX Olympiad 

2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony
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This Olympics' slogan fits how the Games turned out. The slogan was "Inspire A Generation". I think these games will inspire a generation. What will inspire people the most will be women participants from every country for the first time. That will inspire more women to do sports. Also, Oscar Pistorious, the 1st double amputee to participate in athletics, will inspire people to believe that anything is possible. This Olympics also has the 1st ever athlete from South Sudan. It's athlete, Guor Marial, participated as an Independent Olympian because South Sudan does not have an Olympic Committee yet. I think the biggest legacy of the 30th Olympics will be the beginning of the China-US rivalry. The medal race was very close until the US pulled away in the final days. China wants to beat the US and US always wants to be 1st. The next few Olympics will be intense.

Notable Names Through The Olympics 1st Week

Kim Ha Na, Meiliana Jauhari, Ha Jung En, Jung Kyung Eun, Kim Min Jung, Greysia Polii, Wang Xiaoli, and Yu Yang

Wang, Yu, Jung, and Kim hear it from Torsten Berg
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These 8 badminton participants were disqualified from the women's doubles tournament. Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang were the 2011 World Champs and number 1 seed from China. Jung Kyung Eun and Kim Ha Na of South Korea faced the Chinese duo in the last match of the Group A. Both were 2-0. The winner might have to face the number 2 seed of Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei, who lost a day earlier, in the semi-finals instead of the finals. So they wouldn't have to face the 2 seed until the finals, Wang and Yu deliberately tried to loose the match. They faltered on many serves and missed easy shots. The South Koreans also performed poorly. Later in the day, Ha Jung En and Kim Min Jung of South Korea faced Indonesia's Meiliana Jauhari and Greysia Polii. All 4 players were told to play hard and after they were not, tournament referee and umpire Torsten Berg disqualified them all by giving them black cards. They were taken back after the players promised they would play harder. They Indonesia's ended up losing the match. The 2 other teams in their group made the quarters due to the DQ's.

Torsten Berg Talks To Ha, Kim, Jauhari, and Polii
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The defending men's singles gold medalist and number 2 seed in this years competition, China's Lin Dan said about the controversy that, "This situation really is not in the Olympic sporting spirt," and "I think it will definitely bring a negative impact." He also said that having a round-robin style preliminary round is also at blame, saying, "If they just had a knockout round it would all be fine. You lose and that's it," and "Why would the tournament rules people have (a format) like this?" This is the 1st time the competition has a preliminary round. In the past, it was just a regular single-elimination tournament.

Ruta Meilutyte

Ruta Meilutyte, the 15 year old swimmer from Lithuania, surprised many at the London Aquatics Centre. It all started when, in the 4th Heat for the women's 100 meter breaststroke, she came in 1st in not only the heat that include olympic record holder Leisel Jones from Australia, but also 1st of all participants. In the semi-finals, she set a European record in the event with a time of 1:05.21 and was, again, 1st overall. Swimming in Lane 4 in the finals, she won the gold medal with a time 1:05.47. In the 50 meter freestyle, she was 1st in her heat, but did not qualify for the semi's and in the 100 meter freestyle,she finished 5th in her heat and didn't make the semi's.

Natalia Partyka

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Natalia Partyka

Poland's Natalia Partyka is not your average table tennis player. She has no right forearm. That does not stop her from playing in not only the Paralympics, but the Olympics, too. The 68th ranked women's player is participating in both the women's singles and women team tournaments. For the women's singles, she had a preliminary round and 1st round byes. Partyka started play in round 2. She started by playing Mie Skov of Denmark. Partyka won 4 sets to 3. In the 3rd round, she lost to Jie Li of the Netherlands, 4-2 after being up by 2 sets. She will be playing on Denmark's women's team for the team competition. They will face Singapore in the 1st Round.

Mikkel Hanson and Aron Palmarson 

Mikkel Hanson and Aron Palmarson have been playing great in the men's handball tournament. Hanson, the 2011 Men's IHF World Handball Player of the Year, has been lighting it up for Denmark. He is tied for 6th in goals with 22 and 4th in assists with 17. The Left Back has led Denmark to a 3-1 record in Group B with 1 game to go, securing a spot in the quarterfinals. His best match so far was against Serbia when he scored 7 goals and dished out 5 assists. Palmarson has been a leader for 4-0 Iceland. He has 25 goals, which puts him 4th in goals, and 15 assists, which puts him at 6th for assists. When Iceland faced Tunsia, Palmarson scored 8 goals and had 4 assists. 

Elisa De Francisca, Arrianna Errigo, Valentina Vezzali

Ilara Salvatori, Errigo, Vezzali, and De Francisca celebrate
a gold medal in women's team foil
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Women's foil fencing was dominated this year by the Italians. Elisa De Francisca, Arriana Errigo, and Valentina Vezzali all won 2 medals and all only participated in 2 events. It all started on July 28th when the women's foil competition started. It started with a round of 64 and then dwindled down to 4. De Francisca made it to face South Korea's Nam Hyun Hee, who see defeated 11-10. Fellow countrywomen Errigo and Vezzali faced off in the other semi-finals. The 22 year old, Errigo, defeated the 3 time women's foil gold medalist (2000-2008) in Vezzali, 15-12. That set up a DeFrancisca-Errigo final. In the bronze medal match, Vezzali won to secure the bronze medal. In the final, DeFrancisca edged Errigo 12-11. In the women's team foil, Italy cruised to the final by blowing out Great Britain, 42-14, and France, 45-22. The final was better for Italy's opponent, Russia, as Italy won 45-32. 

MLB Trade Deadline Deals

Arizona Diamondbacks trade 3B Ryan Roberts to Tampa Bay Rays for IF Tyler Bortnick 
Arizona Diamondbacks trade IF Bobby Borchering and OF Mark Krauss to Houston Astros for 3B Chris Johnson

Chris Johnson on the Astros
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In two different deals occuring a few days before deadline, Arizona gets and gets rid of a 3rd baseman. Roberts had 6 homers, 34 RBIs, .250 average .309 OBP, .353 Slugging Percentage, .206 Secondary Average, .107 Isolated Power, and a 0.4 WAR for the D-Backs. Johnson had 8 home runs, 41 ribbies, 21 two-baggers, .279 average, .329 OBP, .428 Slugging Percentage, .226 Secondary Average, .150 Isolated Power, and a 0.5 WAR. The Diamondbacks get younger by getting Johnson, who is 27 and Roberts is 31. As for the contracts, both are up for arbitration after the year. Tyler Bortnick is good player. He's a big doubles hitter (35 in 2010 while playing in A and Advanced-A and 34 in 2011 while playing in Advanced-A). The D-Backs put him at Triple-A Reno. I think that Arizona made the right move in getting Johnson, who could provide to be a very good 3rd baseman for the next few years. 

Seattle Mairners trade P Brandon League to the Los Angeles Dodgers for P Logan Bawcom and OF Leon Landry

I like this pick-up for the Dodgers. League is a very good pitcher out of the pen. He was an All-Star last year as the M's closer. He was the set-up man this year. League is going to bolster an already solid bullpen. Kenley Jansen has 20 saves as the closers, and Josh Lindblom and Ronald Belisario both have 15 holds. Bawcom has played with the Dodgers Advanced-A, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, and Double-A, Chattanooga Lookouts, this year, racking up 20 saves. Landry was playing in Advanced-A (Rancho Cucamonga) and is batting .328 with 15 triples this year. 

Miami Marlins trade 1B Gabby Sanchez and P Kyle Kaminska to the Pittsburgh Pirates for OF Gorkys Hernandez and a Draft Pick

Gaby Sanchez as a Marlin
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Sanchez has been struggling this year. He has hit 3 homers, 17 RBIs, .202 batting average, .250 OBP, and .306 slugging. He has even spent time in the minors. Last year, he was an All-Star. He hit 19 homers, 78+ RBIs, 35+ doubles, and 152+hits in the 2010-11 season. Even though he has been struggling, I like the pick-up for Pittsburgh. Their 1st baseman to this point has been Casey McGehee, who hasn't been much better, was sent to the Yankees before the Deadline. What I like about having Sanchez, instead of McGehee, he has been much more consitant, more power, and has more potential. McGehee had 1 great season (2010) and that is it. Sanchez will get back to his old form very soon. 

Chicago Cubs trade C Geovany Soto to the Texas Rangers for P Jacob Brigham

The Rangers have picked up a catcher as a back-up to Mike Napoli. But, Soto isn't your ordinary back up catcher. He is a former All-Star and NL Rookie of the Year in 2008. Soto hasn't had a season like 2008 since. He is hitting under .200 and has only 35 hits in 52 games. However, in Texas he doesn't have to be a star or even a main piece. He can be the back-up who plays well when he gets the chance. And, in case Napoli leaves in free agency, they have someone who wouldn't be a bad starter. Brigham was 5-5 with Texas' Double-A affiliate, Frisco Roughriders.

2012 Summer Olympics in London Preview

2012 London Summer Olympic Logos
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The 2012 Summer Olympics are being held in London. This is going to be London's 3rd ever Olympics. The 1st was held in 1908 and the 2nd in 1948. The 1908 Olympics were supposed to be held in Rome, but due to a volcano eruption, London got to host the Olympics. The 1948 Olympics were the 1st held after World War II and the 1st in 12 years since the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. 

The selection process for the 2012 Olympics started in 2003 when London announced they were bidding for the 2012 Olympics. In 2005, they won the vote to become the host of the Olympics. Then, in 2008, the Olympic Flag went to London from Beijing. Then, from 2011 to a few months ago, test events called London Prepares were held to prepare London for the Games. 

Now, it is time for London to be on the Worlds Biggest Stage. It has been 9 years in the making  with ups and downs, highs and lows. London will shine with the light on them. Here is the Olympics Preview of sports and a look at some of Olympics uniqueness.

Basketball

The United States basketball team, for both men and women, are the favorites for both tournaments. The women's team hasn't loss an Olympic game since 1992, making them the large favorite to win. The men's team has some challengers that believe they can beat them. These teams include 2008 runner-ups Spain, Brazil, Argentina, and France. Russia also has a chance, led by former NBA Forward Andrei Kirilenko, but I don't believe they will be much of a threat to the US team. 

The US will most likely face Spain in the final. Spain has what the US doesn't, big men. They have the Gasol brothers, Pau and Marc, and Serge Ibaka coming off the bench. Their backcourt features Raptors' Jose Calderon and former NBA player and currently on Barcelona's basketball team Juan Carlos Navarro. Also in the backcourt is former NBA player Sergio Rodriguez. Rudy Fernandez, who just left the Denver Nuggets to play for Real Madrid, is also on the team. Ricky Rubio, who is out with a torn ACL, is going to missed a point guard to be a back-up or even a starter. 

Brazil also has good big men. The Wizards' Nene, Cavilers' Anderson Varejao, and Spurs' Tiago Splitter. Leandro Barbosa of the Pacers is going to be a key player in the backcourt for them. Argentina is going to be led by the Spurs' Manu Ginobili, Bucks' Carlos Delfino, and Suns' Luis Scola. Guard Pablo Prigioni, who recently signed with the Knicks, will be a key to success for the team. France is not just Tony Parker. They have Nicolas Batum at small forward, Boris Diaw, Kevin Seraphin, and Ronny Turiaf as the big men. These teams look to be very good.

The US Team Pumped Up
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I predict that the US will win. They have the best all-around roster, even with 1 true center (Tyson Chandler) and 1 power forward who has played in NBA (Kevin Love, the other PF, Anthony Davis, was drafted 1st overall in the 2012 Draft). All 3 of the big men need to be strong off the glass and be a force in the post on defense. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are the leader for this team and are going to perform very well. Those 2, and Kevin Durant, need to be consistent scorers. Carmelo Anthony needs to bring scoring as the 6th man off the bench. Andre Iguadala is going to be a big help to the team. He is probably the 2nd most veristale player on defense in the NBA, 1st is LeBron. He going to be a big help on the team. Chris Paul is going to be a great distributor. Deron Williams will do a good job also at the point. 

Football (Soccer)

The Olympic Football Tournaments for the men and women are different, but somewhat the same. For the men's tournament, each team has a minimum of 15 players that must be born before January 1st, 1989 and can have 3 overaged players play on the team. For the women's team, they can send the national team. The US women look to their 3rd consecutive Gold Medal and 4th in the last 5 Olympics (This is the 5th Women's Soccer Tournament in the Olympics history). Japan is looking to win the Olympics after winning the Women's World Cup. The Men's tournament has many good team's looking to win, like Brazil, Spain, and Great Britain.

Alexandre Pato (Wearing 17, not 9, for the Olympics) and Neymar
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Brazil is my pick to win the Men's Olympics Football Tournament. They have won 5 FIFA World Cups, but never an Olympic Gold Medal. Brazil has some of the best forwards in the world. AC Milan's Alexandre Pato, Santos' Neymar, 1 of the 3 overaged players Porto's Hulk, and Internacional's Leandro Damiao. The other 2 overaged players are Defenders Real Madrid's Marcelo and Thiago Silva, who just moved from AC Milan to Paris Saint-Germain. The front line are going to score a lot of goals and all have experience on the Brazil national team. 

Spain has won the last 2 European Championships and the last FIFA World Cup. Adding an Olympic Gold Medal would be very. 2 goal-scorers in the 2012 Euro Final are on the team, defender Jordi Alba, who recently was moved to Barcelona, and striker Juan Mata of Chelsea. In net, for the team is Manchester United's David De Gea. The 21 year old started 29 games in the English Premier League and 39 games in all of the competitions Man U competed.

Great Britain is uniting to compete in the Olympics for the 1st time since 1960. However, no players from Scotland and Northern Ireland made the sqaud. There are 13 players from England and 5 players from Wales on the team. Manchester United and Wales' Midfielder Ryan Giggs is playing in his 1st major tournament. Giggs is a Man U legend (He's 38 years old and 1st played for Manchester United in 1991 and hasn't ever left) and is well deserving of being a member of the team. Other notables on the include Man U and England's Tom Cleverly, Man City and England's Micah Richards, another overaged players, Liverpool and Wales' Craig Bellamy, the other overaged player, and Chelsea and England Ryan Bertland

Athletics

Yohan Blake and Usain Bolt
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The big debate going into the athletics portion of the Olympics is the growing rivalry between Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake. Usain Bolt won the gold medal for the 100 meters, 200 meters, and was a member of the gold medal winning 4x100 relay at the 2008 Olympics. He currently has the 100 meter Olympic Record (9.69 seconds) and World Record (9.58 seconds) and the 200 meter Olympic Record (19.30 seconds) and World Record (19.19 seconds). Bolt is trying to become the 1st sprinter ever to win two Gold Medals in both the 100 meters and 200 meters in back-to-back Olympics. Yohan Blake beat Bolt at the Jamaican trials in both events. These 2 are the favorites for the the 100 and 200 meters. They will also be on the Jamaican team competing in the 4x100 meters, also making Jamaica the favorites in that event. 

Going from the shorter track events to the longer events, Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele has 1 the last 2 Gold Medal in the 10,000 meters and won Gold in Beijing and Silver in Athens in the 5,000 meters. He has the World Record (26:17.53) and Olympic Record (27:01.17) for the 10,000 meters and the World Record (12:37.35) and Olympic Record (12:57.82) for the 5,000 meters. Bekele is looking to become the 1st person ever to win 3 straight Gold Medal in the 10,000 meters

The Men's Decathlon has 10 events that are going to be held over 2 days. On the 1st day, 100 meters, long jump, shot put, high jump, and 400 meters. On day 2, 110 meters hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, and 1,500 meters. Ashton Eaton is the current World Record holder, breaking the previous record this year with 9039 points. In the Women's Heptathlon,  the 7 events will be also be held over 2 days. The events include 100 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, and the 200 meters, which will be held on day 1. The long jump, javelin throw, and 800 meters will be held on day 2. Jackie Joyner-Kersee has both the Olympic and World Record  with 7291 points from the 1988 Olympics. Defending gold medalist, Natalyia Dobrynska of Ukraine, is back to defend her title. 

Swimming 

Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte
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Swimming is going to be about Michael Phelps vs. fellow American Ryan Lochte. Phelps won Gold Medal in all of his 8 events at the 2008 Olympics, and is 3 medals away from having the most medals in Olympics history. However, Lochte has beaten Phelps many times and could be in his way of more Gold Medals to add to his collection. Michael Phelps is swimming the 200 meter IM (individual medley), 400 meter IM, 100 meter butterfly, 200 meter butterfly, 4x100 meter freestyle relay, 4x100 meter medley relay, and the 4x200 freestyle. Ryan Lochte is in the 200 meter IM, 400 meter IM, 200 meter freestyle, 200 meter backstroke, 4x100 meter freestyle relay, 4x100 meter medley relay, and the 4x200 meter freestyle relay. That means there are 2 events where they go head-to-head and 3 where they team up. That means that every race is going to count to see who is the best. 

The US women are going to be led by 17 year old Missy Franklin. Franklin is going to be swimming in 7 events, 100 meter freestyle, 200 meter freestyle, 100 meter backstroke, 200 meter backstroke, 4x100 meter medley relay, 4x100 meter freestyle relay, and 4x200 meter freestyle relay. Franklin has never been in an Olympics, but she is expected to do really well. If the women want to do really well in swimming, they need to follow the lead of Franklin. 

The longest swimming competition is the marathon, which is 10km and is held in open water. There are no heats, just a finals in which 25 competitors compete. This is only the 2nd time the marathon is going to be held at an Olympics. It was 1st held in Beijing, where Maarten van der Weijden of the Netherlands won with a time of 1:51:51.6. He has retired from swimming. For the women, Russia's Lara Ilchenko won with a time of 1:59:27.7 at the '08 Olympics. She is not going to defend her title. 

Gymnastics 

At the 2008 Olympics, China was the top team in gymnastics. The men's team dominated by winning 7 of the 8 artistic gymnastics gold medals . The women's team won 2 of the 6 gold medals for artistic gymnastics. For the trampoline events, China won the gold for both men and women. The US has a chance to do some damage this year in London. 

The US Women's Gymnastics Team
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The US women's team is being called the best gymnastics team that the United States has ever sent to the Olympics. The team is lead by Jordyn Wieber and Gabby Douglass. Both are expect to perform very well and battle each other for the gold medals. Wieber won 2 gold medals at the 2011 World Championships. Douglass defeated Weiber at the Olympic Trials. For the US to do well, these 2 need to be leaders and win.

The Men's gymnastics team will be led by Danell Leyva and John Orozco. Leyva is a world champ on the parallel bars, making him the favorite for that event. Orozco won gold in the All-Around at the US National Championships. The US team won the bronze medal at the 2011 World Championships, as they will try to improve on that in London. The 2011 World Champion on the All-Around portion was Japan's Kohei Uchimura, who is gold medal threat in that event and a few others. 

Water Polo

Water Polo for both men and women started at the beginning of a century. Men's water polo began in 1900 in Paris, women water polo was fist held at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. The United States were the runner-up in both the men and the women's competition. The United States have never won a Gold Medal in Water Polo.

Hungary in 2008 Receiving Their Gold Medals
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The US men's team is looking to win it's 1st gold medal after coming so close in 2008. It was the 1st time they medaled since 1988. The men's team have to watch out for Hungary. Hungary is the returning Gold Medalist, having won the last 3 gold medals. Hungary has 9 Gold Medals in total and 15 medals overall. Since 2008, however, they haven't finished higher then 3rd in major tournaments. In the European Championships, they finished 4th in 2010 and 3rd in 2012. In the World Championships, they finished 5th in 2009 and 4th in 2011. Peter Biros, Zoltan Szecsi, Gergely Kiss, and Tamas Kasas are looking to win their 4th gold medal, which would make them have the most gold medals in water polo history. All 4 are going to have to be very good to win the 4th gold medal. 

The women are the favorites to win the women's tournament. They have medaled in every Olympics, 2 silver medals and 1 bronze medal. They came in 1st in 2009 and 6th in 2011 in the World Championships. They won the World Cup in 2010. At the 2011 Pan American Game, they came in 1st place. In the FINA World League, they came in 1st place in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. They are looking for the lead. Heather Petri and Brenda Villa are looking to win their 1st gold medal and 4th medal overall.

Badminton 

Badminton has 5 events, men's singles, men's doubles, women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. Badminton was 1st held in Barcelona at the 1992 Summer Olympics. All of the events, except for mixed doubles, were 1st played in 1992, mixed doubles were 1st held in 1996. This year looks to be a very good year for badminton. 

Wang Yihan
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The men's singles number 1 seed is Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia. The Beijing sliver medalist is trying to get his 1st gold medal and Malaysia's 1st gold medal in badminton. His silver medal in 2008 was Malaysia's 1st since medal 1996. Lin Dan is the 2 seed and reigning Gold Medalist. "Super Dan" has won 4 World Championships, including the most recent championship in 2011, won Gold at the Asian Championships in 2010, and won 2 Asian Championships. Lin Dan is married to 2008 Olympics Women's Singles Silver Medlaist Xie Xingfang. These 2 players are my picks to be in the final. 

For women singles, the top 3 seeds are from China. They are Wang Yihan, Wang Xin, and Li Xuerui. Wang Yihan won the 2011 World Championship in London. Wang Xin has won a silver and bronze medal at the World Championship. The 4th seed is India's Saina Nehwal, winner of the 2010 Commonwealth Games women's singles. She went to the Quarterfinals in the 2008 Summer Olympics and in the last 3 World Championships. She has a good chance of making a run to the finals. 

For men's doubles, China's Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng are the number 1 seed. They were the runner-up's in the 2008 Olympics. They have 4 Gold Medals from the World Championships for doubles. The women's doubles favorite are Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang from China. Yang won a Gold Medal in Beijing with Du Jing for doubles. The Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang won the 2011 World Championship. Mixed Doubles 1 seed and 2011 World Champions Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei are looking to win their 1st Gold Medal. 

Olympic Stadium
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Olympic Stadium 

The Olympic Stadium is a new stadium made for the Olympics. It is in Olympic Park in Stratford, London.  It has an 80,000 seat capacity, but only 25,000 of the capacity is permanent. A temporary upper tier hold 55,000 people. The permanent lower tier hold the other 25,000 spectators. The temporary and permanent mix of a stadium has never been attempted before for an Olympic Stadium. It is going to the host Athletics, the Opening Ceremony, and the Closing Ceremony. The Stadium is surrounded by water on 3 of it's side. 

Wenlock and Mandeville
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Mascot

The mascot for the 2012 Olympics is Wenlock. His partner and 2012 Paralympics mascot is Mandeville. Wenlock is named after the town of Much Wenlock which held and still holds the Wenlock Olympian Society, a forebear of the modern Olympics. Mandeville is named after the Stoke Mandeville Hospital, which was where the Paralympics were created. The two are drops of steel from mills in Britain. To tribute London taxi's, each has a taxi light on their forehead and have their initial in it. The mascots also have their own Facebook and Twitter accounts.