Sacramone falls, shows how to get back up.

How rough was it watching Alicia Sacramone fall twice. The aftermath was worse. It's hard to see a young lady being that hard on herself. She feels terrible. Anyone who's ever played sports knows letting your teammates down feels much worse than letting yourself down.

Head up, Alicia. You handled it all with class. First of all, you finished your routines. You know how hard that must be after feeling like you just cost your team the gold?

Alicia also answered every tough media question, even when Andrea Joyce asked about 10 more than necessary. One answer told the entire story.

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Shawn Johnson was nails. One mistake, but it came after Team USA knew the gold was about as likely as a 100 pound Chinese gymnast. Johnson has, so far, lived up to the hype, which is not easy; there's been a lot of hype. I know because we contributed to it.

I'm in awe of what these girls can do. As Erin Kiernan pointed out, even if we can't swing a club like Tiger Woods, we can still play golf. Most of us can't do any of what Shawn's doing. Her beam routine blows my mind, and makes me a nervous wreck. I don't know how her mom and dad watch.

I also appreciated the leadership and maturity Shawn showed after the team finals. Everyone knew one American gymnast had a really bad night, but Shawn refused to even hint at blaming anyone, no matter how many different ways the question was asked. Besides, it's an Olympic silver medal, not a participation ribbon at the Iowa State Fair.

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The Chinese "women" deserved the gold. They were better. But does anyone believe three of those girls are 16? Being tiny and light in gymnastics is a huge edge. It's easier to fly, spin, and twist when you weigh 67 pounds. It's well documented the girls have previously been listed as much younger than the required age of 16, but you don't need a birth certificate, just look at them! Shawn is 16, and compared to those tiny Chinese gymnasts, Shawn looks like she's ready to wear a pantsuit to Perkins for an early bird special and a game of Bridge. (For more on this, Andy and I sound off at www.dmregister.com )

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Michael Phelps is a fish. 11 career golds and counting. He's already the greatest swimmer in Olympic history, and if he finishes with 8 golds and 8 world records in these Games, I think you have to call him the greatest Olympian of all time. Maybe he's already earned that title.

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I thought I was into these Olympics, but next to Jon Miller, I don't have a TV. Jon sent me a breakdown of the women's gymnastics that looks like it was written by Bela Karolyi.

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We've all had enough severe weather for one year, but now it's serious: it's occasionally knocking off my HD! I'm so addicted to high definition, I'll watch grown men tread water for two hours (or as they call it in the Olympics, water polo).

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Gotta go, synchronized scorpion eating coming up next.