My Olympic Moments: Phelps, Bindra and Vince Vaughn's Olympic bid

If watching Michael Phelps push the limits of human endurance over the last 5 days was the standout performance of this Olympics (so far, at least), Abhinav Bindra's gold medal was the cherry on top for me. As with most cakes, I am guessing there will only be one cherry for the Indians this time (or for some time to come).

While Phelps becoming the most celebrated Olympian of all time, surpassing the likes of Carl Lewis and Mark Spitz, was only a matter of time, Bindra's gold medal was a matter of "high time" for a nation of more than a billion people. For Indians who have often been embarrassed to see countries like Suriname and Zimbabwe win gold medals at the Olympics while India continued to falter at the biggest athletic stage, it is redemption of sorts. Shooting seems have become India's flagship sport during the last 6 years or so when the country has clearly fallen off the podium in Hockey. But what has surprised me is that we no longer have good track and field athletes (what happened to the good old Keralites who kept us in the hunt during the 80's? Have they all started driving their Santros to work).

Bindra's win in the Indian Olympics context is something to be cherished but it is at the same time a testament to individual achievement and not to India's sports system. Unlike China, which seems to have found a method to scout and groom Olympic champions through state-run programs, India seems to be content letting millions of dollars flow into Cricket while other sports die a slow and political death. If half the amount spent on the IPL had been spent on training talented sportsmen for the Olympics, our medals tally over the last few editions would have looked better than the beginning of the Fibonacci series.

To end on a lighter note, I was surprised to find that Baseball, a game hardly played in 5 countries, is an Olympic sport. What's next on the agenda - Dodgeball? Get ready Vince Vaughn!

Favre is a Jet

Never could I imagine Brett Favre in anything other than green and gold. So I am still pinching myself.

As Favre led the Packers to the NFC championship game last year, where they lost to the Giants in overtime, his final pass was intercepted, setting up New York's winning field goal. That pick, a blemish on an otherwise brilliant season, may have haunted him and driven Favre back onto the field.

So as Favre goes from the wilderness of Northern Wisconsin to buzz of the Big Apple to join New York coach Eric Mangini, who is a year younger than his new QB, the land of Lombardi has lost its biggest attraction. It will be left to see if the Midwesterners will still take on the wind chill and drive hours to watch the cheeseheads play.

The Jets are hoping Favre can bring them some of the magic he created at Lambeau Field, a place where the sight of him dropping back into the pocket on a frozen Sunday and rocketing a ball downfield is as etched in Packers lore as legendary coach Vince Lombardi walking the sidelines.

As always time will tell if Favre should have preserved his legacy and stayed in his ranch in Mississippi or risked it all for one final tryst with glory.