Excellent

YES!

It wasn't televised where I live (New York.) I was sweating bullets while refreshing the official website waiting for the result. I hope the taped session comes on the TV, I want to see him kick butt!

Great Olympics greatest moments for me
1.The Jamaican sprinters (men and Women
2.Felix Dia
3. Watching Cuba now in baseball waiting for results of USA vs ESP in basketball

My Favorite Olympic Moment was when it was announced that Michael Phelps signed a million $$$ contract with Frosted Flakes. Wheaties just assumed they had him.

why did i know that for anthonyc, the only glorious moment of the olympics was the one in which money was announced. not the honour of competition, the thrill of victory, the honor of the athletes in defeat. just the money. man, some of us sure are shallow!

and, now that anthonyc has distracted me from my original mission, i would like to congratulate the Dominican boxer for taking yet one more medal for the caribbean. the entire area has performed with excellence. shows what can be done with determination and discipline. now if only the politicians would take a page from the books of the athletes.

wtg

Congratulations to Felix Diaz..and to the People of the Dominican Republic. This is a day to Celebrate..Wow the Gold Medal Yesssssssssssssssssssss

estoy dominicano en mi corazón

Awesome this should give the DR a moral boost!

The worst moment in the Olympic games
"Cuba's Matos kicks referee after losing bout"

Need I say more?

When he defects we will send him back

and, Jander, that is followed closely by the Swedish athlete who threw his bronze medal to the ground in disgust, because he did not win gold. had it been an athlete from a caribbean country, the press would still be discussing how savage we are!

Arriba Villa Mella!!! Im so happy for you guys!!

ahhhhhhhhhhhh :D!!! gano !!

congratulations to feliz, way to go......this is a proud day indeed.

I just watched it on NBC. He beat the sh** out of that guy.

dread closely ? closely ?.the Cuban could have killed the poor old ref....he sucker punched him with a deadly weapon how is that close to dropping a medal on the floor

Great.

Belial cheers on violent assault of referee by Cuban thug... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR0Z9bb1PrU

And a boxer, too, the most glorious of sports.

Would you prefer a swimmer, a driver, a beach volleyball player, or a speedwalker?

Written by: dreadlocks, 23 Aug 2008 9:41 AM
why did i know that for anthonyc, the only glorious moment of the olympics was the one in which money was announced. not the honour of competition, the thrill of victory, the honor of the athletes in defeat. just the money. man, some of us sure are shallow!

I guess I am the only one who realizes what the Olympics are all about.

Congrats to Diaz BTW.

Grongratulations fro Felix Diaz, a real hero. Such a humble person, from such a poor and neglected community. That's what I'm talking about. Lets not loose sight of the article, it's all about him, forget the others, let him bask in his well deserved glory. Here is an example of some one that went against the odds to prove his worth and talent to all those riquitos and hijos de papi y mami that are good for nothing. Felicidades pues eres un orgullo y ejemplo para todos los Dominicanos en todo el mundo.....

Sajomer
Thanks, very well said.....Let's all stay focused on the the issues at hand. I myself have crossed that line.

More great talent coming out of the Dominican Republic that's what i'm talking about!!!!!!!! Hell yeah, more funds for education, extracurricular activities, and sports for the poor should be made bythe abundant numbers of dominican drug dealers and corrupt politicians.

buena .. buena .. oro .. oro .. el dorado ..

Sajomero..Well said..Congratulations to you

proud to be Dominican .. good day .. happy day ..

culo, ur right .....lol

for one such as yourself, anthonyc, who probably was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple, the olympics are all about money. for people like Felix Diaz, who was from more modest beginnings, the olympics is about sacrifice, effort, the spirit of competition, and grace under fire. you see, anthonyc, some of us have a higher calling. some people prefer to be remembered for achieving something more than just mindlessly accumulating more and more money. there are athletes who would rather starve to death than sell their olympic medals. might sound incomprehensibe to you, but there are actually people in the world to whom honor trumps money!

i just read an interesting article regarding the phenomenon called " muscular twitch response".in summary, it suggests that muscles have memory, and, if they repeat a task on a prolonged basis, the muscles " remember" the distances to expand and contract. that is what probably explains the excellence of Dominican baseball players and caribbean sprinters. dominican young fellows who excel at baseball concentrate on baseball, mainly to the exclusion of other sports. their muscles "remember" how to snap and contract when the ball is on its way. the sprinter is similar. it is this dedication and concentration upon short distances which makes caribbean sprinters so fearsome.

"Written by: dreadlocks, 23 Aug 2008 7:43 PM
From: United States
for one such as yourself, anthonyc, who probably was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple,"

You assume way too much.

i hardly believe that someone who hails from moderate beginnings would characterise his circumstantial fellow travellers as "riff-raff ", and publicise his aversion to the idea of riding with the common man in public carriages. i would like to believe that you were born on third base. if you were not, and harbor those sentiments, then you are ripe for psychiatric intervention.

dreadlocks I understand what you are saying, and I agree with you. You seem to be a very intelligent person. Don't let this guy bother you...forget him

thank you for your very complimentary assessment, Richard. i just find it really difficult to sit still and ignore the rabid musings from some of these people who have elected to post here. it is quite curious that the truly intelligent, urbane posters such as Mr Lautaro, Ladronaso, Baldoria et al are never gratuitously offensive, saying their piece with grace and dignity. conversely, the lightweights inveigh with sturm and drang, signifying nothing!

Dread ,assault and battery and getting yourself and the coach banned for life is not very close to what the Swede did, in bad taste yes, but the Swede will get his ass kicked by Ole and Sven.

I think Matos may have it a little rougher when he gets back to Cuba.

I doubt we will ever hear from him again..

The article is about Diaz and he did great. and he will be a rich man when he gets back here.

He will get a house, cash and endorsements that should make up for those humble beginnings.

i agree with you , Jander, in your contention that the physical intensity of the actions in each case is dissimilar. however, the genesis is the same; extemely bad sportsmanship, and equally bad upbringing. bad behavior is exactly what it is, and, when we start to qualify it by degree, we lose the message in the measurement. i mean, which would have been worse; for the swede to have thrown his medal to the ground, or for him to have given the middle finger to the officials?

assault with a deadly weapon is in degree more serious than bad sportsmanship.....that is how it would have been classified....Gold medal winner in olympic Tae Kwon Do kicks civilian......same as boxer punches out citizen,,,,

you are muddying the issue by introducing quantitative factors. the issue is not one of severity, but of concept. i am discussing bad sportsmanship. kicking the referee and throwing away a medal are one and the same in terms of concept. not because kicking the referee has a physical component means it is worse sportsmanship. the renditions might not be equally severe from a physical standpoint, but the gravamen is equal. it is like you trying to offer the notion that stealing a thousand dollars is worse theft than stealing a hundred. they are both theft, and the amount does not change things, except, possibly, in the courts of law! so, although one is a gesture, and one is assault and battery, you cannot say that one is more unsportsmanlike than the other. criminal, yes, unsportsmanlike, no.

well dread that is an interesting perspective...one that Matos should explore among many for his defense of the indefensible ....Personally I find it difficult to equate making a fist in your pocket to assault with a deadly weapon but but yes they are both unsportsmanlike conduct....In the first no one knows about it and in the second the person could have been maimed for life...Yes I get your point it is all nuances.....We are not talking" Chariots of Fire "here....Dread are you sure you did not actually litigate that "slip and fall" ambulance chaser stuff you used to do....because the Magistrate would be rolling his eyes on this one...{.good morning dread }

i see that you are about your daily rounds, waking up the roosters. good day to you ,too, sir.

want more nuance? try this on for size. the cuban boxer could have assaulted the referee, in different circumstances, for different reasons. he could have punched his lights out in a bar, over a woman, perhaps. even though the athlete/judge nexus remains the same, the motivation for the assault has nothing to do with sportsmanship. but, in the circumstances we are pondering, he punched him because he disagreed with, and rebelled against, a decision the referee made in his capacity as an arbiter. that is bad sportsmanship. and, in my mind, there is no such thing as bad sportsmanship, worse sportsmanship, and worst sportsmanship. there is only good sportsmanship or bad sportsmanship. kinda like pregnancy, GC. it is either yea or nay; there is no grey area!

dread sportsmanship is another way of say good behaviour ....before they threw all the money on the table that is all sports were ...they were character builders....this person of a mature age should have known better he was improperly screened ....I would bet he has a tyson like history and should have been weeded out....Now he will be famous for the rest of his life for the wrong reasons

you are so right in that assessment, Goulet. anthonyc might remind us that you do not pay for yachts and mansions with character, but i still like to think that sports should serve to do more than make some people rich.

dread the whole process Revolts those of us who remember a different way....Materialism is a sickness almost yes almost as evil as the stultifying chains of communism...Values are not taught anymore...the argument that begins with " Yes but he makes a lot of money " makes me wonder how these people keep score in their own lives ...If they excuse the worst behaviour with those words" Yes but he makes a lot of money " I never miss a chance to jump on people who say that....Pope John Paul who lived under communism was the most eloquent critic of Materialism ...his writings are brilliant on this subject and you owe it to yourself to read them there is no religous spin in thes writings..... only what you and I would consider morality

I cling to my upbringing in a sea of change for the worse

can you cite any links regarding the Pope on materialism? it is one of my favorite subjects, since i think materialism and consumerism to be the basis of depravity and devalued life

dread I will look ...because they are brilliant ...and they inspire ...let us hope the cheap shiny harlot of materialism will not seduce the best of us....

Papa is good for boxing .. si?

Papa boxing con diablo .. si?

ocho million por diaz .. quiniento mill de tricom .. carro nuevo .. es bueno.

come on sang quit playing the moron we know its you

.............. G........S.......B.....TOTAL
Jamaica 6....... 3....... 2....... 11

Brazil.. 3....... 4....... 8....... 15

Cuba.. 2.......11......11....... 24

Argentina 2 0 4 6

Mexico 2 0 1 3

DR 1 1 0 2

Panama 1 0 0 1

TT 0 2 0 2

Colombia 0 1 0 1

Ecuador 0 1 0 1

Venezuela 0 0 1

In LA/C, Jamica, first in the region, easily outshined everybody and, to a certain degree, outshined China and USA, with a phenomenal performance at track and field. Of course, track and field is the main religion in Jamaica.

Brazil is delirious because it finally beat Cuba in gold, the only medals that really count.

Cuba, ranked 11th in 2004 with 9 golds and 27 metals overall, plunged to 28th this time with only 2 golds and 24 medals overall. This is sensational for other LA/C, but for Cuba it's a calamity. The competition[China] improved greatly.

The DR jumped in nicely with a gold and silver.

TT is mad because damn Jamaicans ran away with everything TT wanted.

It's sad how some of us still dispute during these amazing events. This is a time when we forget what makes us different and remember what makes us the same. We should treasure these memories within our hearts and minds and await for what is next to happen in the next olympics.
''Oh and by the way i'm new here. Hi.

Huge congrats to Diaz! Hopefully he can carry his success to the pro ranks where we sorely need some Dominicans to root for!

Strictly for the Haters! Go ahead DR, go ahead!

Fidel today:

"Our country does not practice chauvinism or commercialize sports, which are as sacred as the people’s education and health. What it practices, rather, is solidarity. Years ago, it created a Physical Education and Sports Trainers School, with capacity for more than 1,500 students from the Third World. With that same spirit of solidarity, it celebrates the triumph of the Jamaican sprinters who won 6 gold medals, the Panamanian jumper who won a gold medal, the Dominican boxer that won the same medal or that of the Brazilian volleyball players who dealt a crushing defeat to the U.S. team and came in first."

what? no mention of the Cuban Robles, who won gold in the 110 hurdles?

Fidels colums in granma are becoming practically only for export it is now difficult to find his meanderings in local Cuban news.......analysts are not sure why this is

HAVANA (AP) Fidel Castro on Monday defended the Cuban taekwondo athlete who kicked a referee in the face at the Beijing Olympics, saying Angel Matos was rightfully indignant over his disqualification from the bronze-medal match.

Taekwondo officials want Matos and his coach banned for life from the sport. But Castro expressed "our total solidarity" for both Matos and his coach Leudis Gonzalez.

Matos was winning 3-2 in the second round when he fell to the mat after being hit by his opponent, Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov, and was disqualified for taking more than his one minute of injury time.

Matos angrily questioned the call, pushed a judge and then pushed and kicked referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden, who needed stiches to repair his lip. Matos then spat on the floor and was escorted out.

Taekwondo officials called Matos' behavior an insult to the Olympic vision. Matos' coach countered that the match was fixed and accused the Kazakhs of offering him money

Castro said the alleged bribery attempt gave Matos good reason to expect the judges to treat him unfairly..............have you ever heard such rubbish.. senility has overtaken him

"They had tried to buy his own coach," Castro wrote in his essay published in state media. "He could not contain himself."

Cuba is accustomed to winning golds in boxing, but settled this year for four silver and four bronze medals. Overall, Cuba took home only two golds, down from nine in Athens four years ago.

"I saw when the judges blatantly stole fights from two Cuban boxers in the semifinals," Castro wrote. "Our fighters ... had hopes of winning, despite the judges, but it was useless. They were condemned beforehand."

The ailing, 82-year-old ex-president also noted that defections have taken their toll, blaming "the repugnant mercenary actions" of promoters who lure Cuban boxers off the island with lucrative contracts.

I can hear Fidelito now " Raul in Athens we got nine gold ...under your leadership in Bejing only two gold ...it is the firing squad for you... business is business "

Congrats to Felix and Gabriel!!!!. The DR had so far it's best showing at the OG. Two medals in the same games, something that has never been done before and back to back gold medal peformances by Felix Sanchez and Felix Diaz. I hope to see the government give more funding and improve sports facilities in our country. So that our atheletes can compete with other atheletes from other countries on equal footing.

snoopyy, Dominican athletes do compete with athletes from around the world on an equal footing. do you not consider baseball a sport? it is going to be difficult, even with funding, to compete with jamaica and trinidad in sprinting, because track is like the religion in these countries. but try to put the achievement of the boxer in perspective; the mighty USA got ONE BRONZE MEDAL in boxing! funding is not all, or the USA would have won every medal up for grabs.

Spend the money on education ......better investment

I give congrats and props to Diaz but it seems fellow fans and pundits all agree this was a terribly administered tournament. I just hope that the upcoming London Olympics, in the UK where modern boxing was born, will assign more resources and thought into boxing. For the pro sport to thrive properly we need a functioning and competitive amateur system...one that generates skilled technical experienced warriors to face off against the tough guys, brawlers and punchers of the world. Skilled boxers are the difference between boxing and MMA and without them younger ppl will continue to gravitate towards the fresher spectacle and athleticism of MMA....