Track Quiz: Name the seven events in the women’s heptathlon.
Answer below.
The Greatest Race Ever?
I’m talking Monday night and the men’s 800 meters. I told you I
was psyched for it and it didn’t disappoint. In fact it was so
crazy, with 20,000 of us screaming at the top of our lungs, that I
woke up Tuesday literally with no voice.
I wrote last time about Oregon sophomore Andrew Wheating and
how cool it was to see him advance to the finals, but then you
had Eugene native Nick Symmonds, running for the Oregon
Track Club, also in Eugene, and fellow OTC member Christian
Smith. The locals, needless to say, were pumped, as was your
editor.
But the field was stacked with other great runners including
Khadevis Robinson and a truly delightful guy, Lopez Lomong.
“Go get ‘em, Lopez!” we shout as he warms up for various
events. While others properly ignore the cheers for the most part
(except Wheating) and stay focused, Lopez would turn around
and give us a big grin and a thumbs up. [More on him below.]
As much as I like the 1500 and the 5000 (the 10000 is a little too
long, though the women certainly supplied some drama the first
night), I’ve decided the 800 is the best race to watch if you’re
forced to pick just one. You get the first lap to settle in as they
stick to a pack, feeling each other out, and then…bam! Someone
makes a move on the second lap and all hell breaks loose.
And so it was that as they rounded the final turn, the Oregon
boys were in touch with the leaders but the best of the three,
Symmonds, seemed to be boxed in.
Then Nick suddenly weaved out of it, went wide, and exploded
down the stretch, followed by the 6’5” Wheating. The roar was
deafening.
Now I told you my seat was on about the 20 meter mark of the
100 meter dash, if you can picture that, so I’m looking down the
stretch at the final 80 but they have a great video screen to help
you out.
All our eyes were on Symmonds and Wheating, as it looked like
they were taking first and second, and so we were startled by a
pileup for the third spot as two bodies went tumbling across the
line. There was a long pause as most of us assumed third was
going to Khadevis Robinson.
And then the board flashed that Christian Smith, the other
Oregon Track Club runner, had literally dived across ahead of
Robinson by six-hundredths of a second…1.45.47 to 1.45.53.
For the longest time, Smith just kneeled on the track, shaking his
head in disbelief. The crowd, upon seeing his name for third,
exploded again.
Here’s what made Smith’s run so special, aside from making it a
local sweep. Smith as yet didn’t have the Olympic standard
qualifying time of 1.46.00. If he had finished third and ran
1.46.14, for example, he wouldn’t have been going to Beijing
and Robinson, despite finishing fourth, would have been selected
because he had the time in previous races. So Smith runs the
race of his life and makes the Olympic team by half a second.
Remember how the other day I said I cried twice, once over the
heptathlon and the other over Wheating’s semi race? Not this
time. No one was crying. Everyone in that crowd was just so
unbelievably fired up over what they had witnessed, as strangers
high-fived and hugged each other out of pure joy. In just that
one race I swear I got my money’s worth.
[There was a great photo in the Oregonian on Tuesday that you
may be able to find on oregonlive.com/trackandfield]
By the way, the Wheating story just keeps getting better. It’s
hard to believe this kid didn’t start running track until two years
ago.
—
The rest of Monday’s session was anti-climactic. The three
qualifiers in the decathlon had been decided before the last of
their ten events, the 1500, and at that point I’m not too interested
in how many points they wrap up. But while I know it’s said
every four years, it really is fun to watch these guys because they
are such a great fraternity and have tons of respect for each other.
The winner, Brian Clay, is now odds-on to win the gold in
Beijing and Tom Pappas became the first American to make
three Olympic decathlon teams.
In the women’s 800, Hazel Clark, born ten minutes from me in
Livingston, N.J., also made her third Olympic team and should
medal in Beijing and you had a situation in the women’s javelin
where the second and third finishers didn’t meet the qualifying
standard so the 4th place finisher, who had, gets to go.
In the men’s 400, Jeremy Wariner and new rival LaShawn
Merritt were matched against each other in the semis and their
upcoming race for the title will be great fun, as will the women’s
400 and the 200 for both.
Lastly, the great Bernard Lagat easily won the men’s 5000. As
we wrap things up the last four days, Thurs.-Sun., he’s going to
try and make the team in the 1500, which is actually his better
event, and this is going to be the premier race for the weekend as
we also get to see if Alan Webb can make the team, as well as
Lopez Lomong. Webb has had a poor year thus far and
expectations are pretty low.
Lopez
So I knew Lopez Lomong had a great story but didn’t realize
how great until reading Jere Longman’s piece in Wednesday’s
New York Times. You see Lopez was one of the so-called Lost
Boys of Sudan who was ripped from his parents in 1991 at the
age of six by the government-backed militia. But with the help
of some teenage boys who knew an escape route from where
their captors were keeping them, he was led to the Kenyan
border where he was turned over to a refugee camp. Lomong
never saw the teenagers who saved him again.
In 2001 he learned that 3,500 residents of the camp would be
relocated to the U.S. and his letter on why he should be one of
those chosen was accepted.
So Lomong headed to a town outside Syracuse, where Robert
and Barbara Rogers cared for him. The first night in their home,
Lomong slept with the lights on because he didn’t know how to
turn them off.
In high school, Lomong showed he could run and became a
three-time New York State champion. He got a scholarship to
Northern Arizona and won the 2007 NCAA outdoor
championship in the 1500 before turning professional. Also in
the past year, he was reunited with his mother, now in Kenya. It
turns out they were probably in the same refugee camp together
at some point but with 70,000 there it was easy to miss each
other. This is a guy to root for if there ever was one.
—
With Tuesday and Wednesday as off days for the competition, I
hit the Oregon coast and the quaint fishing village of Newport,
about a 1 ½ hour drive from Albany. Also took a stroll along a
beautiful beach there. Oregon’s coast, they say, has some of the
best beaches in the world and I believe it. The thing is the temps
are normally no higher than the 60s in the summer so you don’t
go there for sun-bathing but I checked out a hotel for next time I
come. $150 a night, overlooking the Pacific, with a cool town
nearby (Newport) with brew pubs…in mid-season! As Tim
McCarver or Dick Vitale would say, “Are you kidding me?!”
Then today I went back into Eugene to check out the Univ. of
Oregon’s sports Hall of Fame and Pre’s Rock. You see, during
competition days the town is locked down in parts and it’s not
easy seeing some things outside the track area so I took
advantage of the off day to do so.
The University of Oregon is better known as “UO” or just the
letter “O,” which is what you see on all the jerseys and t-shirts.
Aside from track, they don’t have the greatest athletic history
(compared to Pac-10 rivals USC and UCLA, for example), but
they’ve done a terrific job with their Hall of Fame.
So who went to Oregon, aside from Steve Prefontaine? Well,
you had football players like Dan Fouts and Bobby Moore
(Ahmad Rashad) who together in 1970 trailed UCLA 40-21 with
less than five minutes to go and won 41-40. Obviously Joey
Harrington played there, as did a good quarterback from 1960,
Bob Berry, who played some in the NFL. Mel Renfro went to
Oregon, as well, and the one and only Norm Van Brocklin.
Golfer Peter Jacobsen went to UO, former Yankee great Joe
Gordon, baseball player Earl Averill, basketball’s Steve Jones,
plus two of my more recent favorite hoopsters, Luke Jackson and
Luke Ridnour. [That was a fun team to watch, even though they
beat Wake in the NCAAs. And did you know UO won the very
first NCAA basketball championship game in 1939? They beat
Ohio State, 46-33.]
Marathoner Alberto Salazar attended UO, too, as did 1936
Olympian Mac Robinson (Jackie’s brother) who finished 2nd to
Jesse Owens in the 200 at Berlin. But this being the Olympic
Trials the focus is on “Pre.”
Steve Prefontaine
It hit me, watching a film of Pre at the Trials, that he is really the
Curt Flood of track and field, because before his death, Pre was
railing against the Amateur Athletic Union, AAU, for treating
track athletes in particular like slaves.
I realize I really need to do Pre’s story justice and time just
doesn’t allow me to get into much of it while I’m here, but for
now the basics are he was a native of Coos Bay, Oregon (a little
north of Bandon Dunes, for you golfers out there) and he
enrolled in Oregon in 1969 as a much-ballyhooed runner; one of
the best in U.S. high school history.
At Oregon, Pre didn’t disappoint, winning four NCAA outdoor
titles in the 5000 and three individual NCAA cross country titles.
Anything from 800 meters on up he excelled in.
As a 22-year-old, Pre qualified for the Olympic team and in
Munich finished 4th in the 5000 in a riveting race called by Jim
McKay. They showed a tape of it on a jumbo screen at the
festival area outside Hayward Field the other day.
Of course 4th was immensely disappointing for Pre, though most
distance runners don’t peak until they are about 30 so he set his
sights on Olympic gold in 1976 and at the time of his death he
held every American record between 2000 and 10000 meters, a
feat never accomplished since.
Pre was the man. I was running cross country in high school
from 1973-75 and it was in 1972, if I recall correctly, that Sports
Illustrated featured him on a cover that all of us runners of that
era vividly remember to this day.
Pre was a rebel, a James Dean-type, and in these parts he has
become a total cult figure. Picture a September 1974 day at
Hayward. Pre wanted to run a time trial for the mile and 1,000
fans showed up. The story goes that they were field burning in
the area then (before restrictions came into being) and the
stadium was choked with smoke but Pre decided to go for it
anyway. He proceeded to run a 3.58.3 and was coughing up
blood at the end. Pre didn’t want to disappoint his fans, as he
said after.
After graduating from UO, though, Pre had no money because of
the amateur rules of those days. [You couldn’t run in the
Olympics without being an amateur…and amateurs didn’t get
paid.] Pre lived in a trailer park in Eugene so he could keep
training at Hayward and he subsisted on food stamps, plus a $3
stipend the AAU gave him. $3 a day.
But Pre lived to run, and while over the coming month I’ll
complete his story, let’s just say for now that Pre was a guru to
tens of thousands of serious runners in this country back then and
probably far more so today. To sum up his philosophy on
running, and life, it was basically, ‘If you can’t give it your best,
you’re only cheating yourself.’ [I was such an amazing
underachiever myself in high school that I have to admit I’m
kind of ticked off looking back during this past week. But it’s
not too late for you kids out there!]
Lastly, for now, I went up to Pre’s Rock to see where he met his
demise in a sports car on May 30, 1975, following a race at
Hayward in which he defeated Frank Shorter (a terrific friend of
Pre’s and mentor, incidentally…all great parts of his fuller story).
Pre crashed on a winding road (boy, is it ever), high in the hills
overlooking town and spectacular Hendricks Park, where I took a
little hike on Wednesday. Friends marked the spot where he hit
an embankment and ever since fans have left little
remembrances. I stood there with two classic hippie types and
we kept going, “This is really cool.” It wasn’t a sad spot. It’s
how Pre would have wanted it.
Stuff
–I can’t believe I’ve already been here in Albany a full week.
Haven’t stepped foot in the bar attached to Denny’s yet, but
maybe after I post this column (Wed. p.m.). I’m going to try and
make some of the Fourth of July festivities in town before
heading down to Eugene for the track. I see in the local paper
that the Albany Timber Festival is back on for the first time since
2000. If you’re in the area, you can catch Chain Saw Carving
with Bob King.
–I continue to see some scary folks in town, but the scariest
thing is the birds in the parking lot of the hotel. I mean to tell
you, I’ve been attacked. These starlings sit in four trees ringing
the lot and dive bomb you, the freakin’ b——s. Then again I
complained to the front desk and I seem to be the only one they
go after, so I guess they figured out I’m from New Jersey.
–When I wrote of the men’s pole vault the other day, I failed to
mention Olympic team qualifier Jeff Hartwig is 40. This guy
made the team in 1996 but failed in both 2000 and ’04 yet
decided to keep going.
–I also forgot to add that while I’m staying 40 miles from
Eugene, thus far the drive has been a piece of cake. You then
park at the football stadium for UO and they have an efficient
shuttle bus system so door-to-door for me is less than 75
minutes. Hell, it’s about 45 minutes to go to a U.S. Open at
Baltusrol and that’s five minutes from where I live.
–Bet you wondered about the Oregon Duck mascot. Walt
Disney himself gave permission to the school to pattern it after
Donald Duck in 1943.
–I passed through Oregon State at Corvallis the other day. The
Oregon State Beavers, with one of the great logos of all time.
–I failed to note that Inbee Park, winner of the U.S. Women’s
Open golf title, was just 19! She was the youngest to ever win it,
needless to say.
–The global penguin population is down half in the last century.
Yet another reason to be depressed and head for the beer cooler.
–Did you see the 74-year-old California woman who plowed her
car halfway into a convenience store and then got out and tried to
buy a six-pack of Budweiser? The cashier called police instead
and the woman evidently has “issues.”
–The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir had a story on
Wednesday on the 45th anniversary of the pitching duel between
Juan Marichal and Warren Spahn that ended in the bottom of the
16th when Willie Mays homered off Spahn at Candlestick Park
for the 1-0 win. They didn’t keep pitch counts in those days but
the 25-year-old Marichal went 16 innings, allowing 8 hits, 4
walks and fanning 10, while the 42-year-old Spahn went 15 1/3,
giving up 9 hits, 1 run, 1 walk and 2 strikeouts. What I didn’t
know, however, was in 1954 there was a game where Jack
Harshman of the White Sox outdeuled Detroit’s Al Aber in
another 16-inning affair with Aber giving up the only run.
[I actually wrote about the Marichal/Spahn game in this space six
years ago and Sandomir should have pointed out that for the ’63
season, Marichal went 25-8, tossing 321 innings, while Spahn, at
42, was 23-7, completing 22 of 33 starts and pitching 260
innings. Those were the days, my friends.]
–I may miss the Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest this
year as I think I’ll be at the track festivities when this comes on.
But I’m saying Joey Chestnut takes the crown yet again with 64
wieners, two short of his record.
–Holy Toledo! A-Rod is seeing Madonna! Whenever these
stories come out about the future home run king, you always start
off by thinking, “Wonder how Mrs. A-Rod feels?” Then again,
she’s kind of a jerk herself. But Jose Canseco was right. A-Rod
does like to hit on other people’s wives.
–Through Tuesday’s play, the Phillies’ Ryan Howard is hitting
.218 with 20 homers and 68 RBI. He’s also struck out 115 times
in 84 games. Dave Kingman lives!
–Boy this is awful. For those of you who have done some
authentic whitewater rafting or kayaking, there’s a story here
locally of a California woman who was kayaking in the Rogue
River, which is near Grants Pass, if I have it right, and she
drowned. The problem is the body’s wedged in the rocks and
rescuers haven’t been able to reach her, using all kinds of
methods. It’s just too dangerous. What a way to go. The
woman, 52, was an experienced rafter and was part of a large
party wearing life jackets. I wonder if when she fell in, she tried
to walk on the rocks, which is how you get trapped and drown as
your foot gets caught. Moving right along…………….
–An Aussie paper took a survey of that nation’s first 50 years of
rock ‘n’ roll and its best album and the winner was “Mars Needs
Guitars” by Hoodoo Gurus. Can’t say I have that one but I’ll try
and get it.
–What I did do is head back to Target here in Albany to get
another CD for my drives. [The radio stations here suck.] So I
picked up Montgomery Gentry’s latest, “Back When I Knew It
All.” Man, this is outstanding! I always loved their stuff but this
is easily their best, start to finish.
And how can you not like a song like “Long Line of Losers”?
Granddaddy was Irish Cherokee
Ran moonshine from here to Tennessee
Spent half his life in the Montgomery County jail
Grandma, she got drunk and left
All her kids on her momma’s front steps
Nobody’s heard from her since she hightailed
Chorus
I come from a long line of losers
Half outlaw, half boozer
I was born with a shot glass in my hand
I’m part hippie, a little redneck
I’m always the suspect
My bloodline made me who I am
In my trip to the Oregon coast on Tuesday, I played the CD three
times. Buy it!
Top 3 songs for the week of 7/1/78: #1 “Shadow Dancing”
(Andy Gibb) #2 “Baker Street” (Gerry Rafferty…great start then
it just peters out) #3 “It’s A Heartache” (Bonnie Tyler) …and…
#4 “Take A Chance On Me” (Abba) #5 “Use Ta Be My Girl”
(The O’Jays) #6 “You Belong To Me” (Carly Simon) #7 “Still
The Same” (Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band) #8 “Love Is
Like Oxygen” (Sweet) #9 “Dance With Me’ (Peter Brown with
Betty Wright) #10 “The Groove Line” (Heatwave …back then
cool radio stations played this one back-to-back with “Boogie
Nights”…This was my depressing summer selling books door-
to-door in Oklahoma and Kansas between my sophomore and
junior years at Wake Forest……Funny what stuff you remember
but I vividly recall hearing the tunes together more than once.
For you new readers, I was the world’s worst book salesman and
still hold the record for futility. Then again, I just told you above
I underachieved in cross country. Calling Dr. Phil!)
Track Quiz Answer: The seven events in the heptathlon are…
#1 100 m hurdles
#2 high jump
#3 shot put
#4 200 m dash
#5 long jump
#6 javelin
#7 800 m
Check out NBC’s coverage on Sunday, if you get a chance.
They’ll be telecasting it appears from 7-9 p.m. eastern and during
that time you’ll get to see the men’s and women’s 200 finals, the
hurdles for both, as well as the 1500 men’s final, which wraps up
the Trials.
—
And now, our annual look at the Fourth of July; Jefferson and
Adams. But first…
The Declaration of Independence
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for
one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected
them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth,
the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of
Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of
mankind requires that they should declare the causes which
impel them to the separation.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments
are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of
Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of
the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new
Government, laying its foundation on such principles and
organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most
likely to effect their Safety and Happiness….”
The Declaration wasn’t published for the first time until July 6,
as it appeared in the Pennsylvania Evening Post under the title
“A Declaration by the Representatives of the United States of
America, in General Congress Assembled.” The Evening Post
was a four-page paper and the Declaration covered the entire first
page and part of the second. Imagine sitting in a tavern as it
came out. Oh, the Bar Chat!
Jefferson and Adams
And each year at this time, I can’t help but retell the story of
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, Founding Fathers and our
2nd and 3rd presidents, who both died on the Fourth of July,
1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Adams’s last words were reported to have been, “Thomas
Jefferson still survives.” He had no means of knowing that
Jefferson had died the same morning at 9:50 AM.
For his part, Jefferson had ten days earlier declined an invitation
to attend ceremonies in Washington marking this golden
anniversary. Barely able to hold pen in hand, he wrote his last
testament to the American people:
“All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. The
general spread of the light of science has already laid open to
every view the palpable truth, that the mass of mankind has not
been born with saddles on their back, nor a favored few booted
and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of God.
These are grounds of hope for others. For ourselves, let the
annual return of this day, forever refresh our recollections of
these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them.”
Next Bar Chat, Monday.
