Carl Lewis

ATLANTA -- Let's hope he drops the baton.Or better yet, gets caught from behind.It's not rooting against the United States.It's rooting against Nike and NBC and all the revolting self-interest that is ruining sports.No one knows if Carl Lewis will anchor the U.S. 400-meter relay team tonight, but take it as a given.Asked to assess the chances of Lewis running, U.S. sprinter Jeff Williams said, "What are the chances of the sun coming up?"U.S. assistant track coach Charlie Greene pondered the possibility of an eclipse last night, then conceded that the sun indeed would rise again.

We'll know later tonight whether Carl Lewis will get his 10th official gold medal, which would be an Olympic record, but whether he does or not, Lewis already has copped the award for these Games for the most shameless manipulation of the media.After winning a surprise gold earlier this week in the long jump, Lewis immediately began a disingenuous campaign to get onto the 4x100 meter relay team tonight, in spite of the fact that he ran last in the Olympic trials and wouldn't participate in a pre-Olympic camp.

ATLANTA -- The U.S. Olympic track and field trials accidentally introduced a new demonstration sport here yesterday: the full-contact long jump. Or was that the hammer-jump?It happened while the long jumpers, including Carl Lewis, were warming up and the hammer throwers were in the midst of their qualifying competition. Brian Murer threw the 16-pound hammer clear across the long jump runway. Ken Norlan threw one that landed within 10 feet of Lewis."I just hooked it a little," Murer joked later.

ATLANTA -- The victory lap took forever, or about as long as Carl Lewis' career.Michael Johnson set an Olympic record last night, but his coronation had to wait.King Carl wouldn't vacate the throne.He won his ninth Olympic gold medal and four straight in the long jump, further cementing his place in track and field history.Johnson probably couldn't believe it.On the night he took the first step toward completing his unprecedented double in the 200 and 400 meters, Lewis stole the show.Two magnificent athletes, U.S. teammates reaching new pinnacles.

ATLANTA -- Next, Carl Lewis will want to play for the Orioles.He'd fit right in, considering his campaign for the anchor spot on the U.S. men's 4 x 100-meter relay team, a campaign to satisfy a personal goal at the possible expense of his team.If Lewis were a hitter, he'd refuse to DH.If he were a pitcher, he'd refuse to work on short rest.Alas, he's a sprinter -- or, shall we say, a former sprinter.And sprinters have agendas, too.Michael Johnson sounded petty when he criticized Lewis' refusal to step down as the leading figure in U.S. track and field, but this is exactly what he was talking about.

With the Olympics almost over, now might be a good time for some reflections and observations about the Games. I'll start with a controversial subject that has caused much debate the past few days.Should Carl Lewis be awarded a spot on the U.S. Olympic 4 x 100-meter relay team so he can have a shot at earning a record-setting 10th gold medal?Does Donald Trump eat Spam?On Wednesday the incomparable Lewis -- no spring chicken at 35 -- did the seemingly impossible, surging from behind to capture his fourth Olympic gold medal in the long jump.

Reading Time: Two Minutes.If and when Jim Speros of the Blue and Silvers on 33rd Street finally comes up with a good equine name for his team, will he have to clear it with the New York-based Jockey Club?* What the Riddick Bowe fight proved beyond a shadow of a doubt the other night is that what happens in the ring is of little consequence. It's what's outside that counts. Calling a fight a "no contest" after Bowe KO'd Buster Mathis Jr. as he was kneeling on the floor is absolutely unconscionable and the New Jersey Boxing Commission head, Larry (Hap)

The greatest track and field meet in the world begins today, and I dare you to find it."This is the one," Carl Lewis, holder of nine Olympic medals, was saying the other day. "This is the party."As in all good parties, you need only check the guest list of the fourth World Track and Field Championships Lewis, Sergei Bubka, Baylor's Michael Johnson,Heike Drechsler and dozens of assorted Ivans and Tatianas.But so goes the allure of the Worlds. No athlete who qualifies dares skip off to Prague to race for a bag of marks and two nights at the Hyatt.

BARCELONA, Spain -- I don't believe in the Roadrunner anymore. I loved watching his cartoons as a kid, but now I think he must have used performance-enhancing drugs.Same goes for Superman. Clark Kent was on the juice, no doubt about it.I have been at the Olympics for two weeks. It is a land of metal detectors and drug tests. Nobody is assumed to be clean. Everybody is suspect.Last night was a great night for American track. The field wasn't bad either.Americans won four gold, two silver and two bronze medals.

BARCELONA, Spain -- The first time Leroy Burrell raced against Dennis Mitchell was in 1984 during a high school meet of champions at Philadelphia's Franklin Field.Tomorrow, the backyard dispute shifts across the Atlantic, with the two expected to meet as the co-favorites in the men's Olympic 100-meter final.The winner not only will claim hometown bragging rights, he'll replace a third Philadelphia-area runner -- Carl Lewis -- as the world's fastest human.Lewis is the two-time defending Olympic champion, but he failed to qualify for the event after finishing sixth at the U.S. Olympic trials in New Orleans.

This one's pretty easy to deduce, even though it's a shame to have to diminish one person's accomplishments to elevate another's. Nevertheless ... If Cal Ripken Jr. had done what he did in the same year Michael Phelps won his eight Olympic gold medals, who would earn the SI Sportsman of the Year honors? The answer is as simple as the answer to this: Which is bigger, major league baseball or the Olympics? There is no grander stage than the Olympics, and doing what Phelps did on that stage, against the best in his sport, with the eyes of the world on him, eclipses even Ripken's record.

ATLANTA -- Let's hope he drops the baton.Or better yet, gets caught from behind.It's not rooting against the United States.It's rooting against Nike and NBC and all the revolting self-interest that is ruining sports.No one knows if Carl Lewis will anchor the U.S. 400-meter relay team tonight, but take it as a given.Asked to assess the chances of Lewis running, U.S. sprinter Jeff Williams said, "What are the chances of the sun coming up?"U.S. assistant track coach Charlie Greene pondered the possibility of an eclipse last night, then conceded that the sun indeed would rise again.

We'll know later tonight whether Carl Lewis will get his 10th official gold medal, which would be an Olympic record, but whether he does or not, Lewis already has copped the award for these Games for the most shameless manipulation of the media.After winning a surprise gold earlier this week in the long jump, Lewis immediately began a disingenuous campaign to get onto the 4x100 meter relay team tonight, in spite of the fact that he ran last in the Olympic trials and wouldn't participate in a pre-Olympic camp.

With the Olympics almost over, now might be a good time for some reflections and observations about the Games. I'll start with a controversial subject that has caused much debate the past few days.Should Carl Lewis be awarded a spot on the U.S. Olympic 4 x 100-meter relay team so he can have a shot at earning a record-setting 10th gold medal?Does Donald Trump eat Spam?On Wednesday the incomparable Lewis -- no spring chicken at 35 -- did the seemingly impossible, surging from behind to capture his fourth Olympic gold medal in the long jump.

ATLANTA -- Next, Carl Lewis will want to play for the Orioles.He'd fit right in, considering his campaign for the anchor spot on the U.S. men's 4 x 100-meter relay team, a campaign to satisfy a personal goal at the possible expense of his team.If Lewis were a hitter, he'd refuse to DH.If he were a pitcher, he'd refuse to work on short rest.Alas, he's a sprinter -- or, shall we say, a former sprinter.And sprinters have agendas, too.Michael Johnson sounded petty when he criticized Lewis' refusal to step down as the leading figure in U.S. track and field, but this is exactly what he was talking about.

ATLANTA -- The victory lap took forever, or about as long as Carl Lewis' career.Michael Johnson set an Olympic record last night, but his coronation had to wait.King Carl wouldn't vacate the throne.He won his ninth Olympic gold medal and four straight in the long jump, further cementing his place in track and field history.Johnson probably couldn't believe it.On the night he took the first step toward completing his unprecedented double in the 200 and 400 meters, Lewis stole the show.Two magnificent athletes, U.S. teammates reaching new pinnacles.

ATLANTA -- The U.S. Olympic track and field trials accidentally introduced a new demonstration sport here yesterday: the full-contact long jump. Or was that the hammer-jump?It happened while the long jumpers, including Carl Lewis, were warming up and the hammer throwers were in the midst of their qualifying competition. Brian Murer threw the 16-pound hammer clear across the long jump runway. Ken Norlan threw one that landed within 10 feet of Lewis."I just hooked it a little," Murer joked later.

Reading Time: Two Minutes.If and when Jim Speros of the Blue and Silvers on 33rd Street finally comes up with a good equine name for his team, will he have to clear it with the New York-based Jockey Club?* What the Riddick Bowe fight proved beyond a shadow of a doubt the other night is that what happens in the ring is of little consequence. It's what's outside that counts. Calling a fight a "no contest" after Bowe KO'd Buster Mathis Jr. as he was kneeling on the floor is absolutely unconscionable and the New Jersey Boxing Commission head, Larry (Hap)

The greatest track and field meet in the world begins today, and I dare you to find it."This is the one," Carl Lewis, holder of nine Olympic medals, was saying the other day. "This is the party."As in all good parties, you need only check the guest list of the fourth World Track and Field Championships Lewis, Sergei Bubka, Baylor's Michael Johnson,Heike Drechsler and dozens of assorted Ivans and Tatianas.But so goes the allure of the Worlds. No athlete who qualifies dares skip off to Prague to race for a bag of marks and two nights at the Hyatt.

BARCELONA, Spain -- Carl Lewis anchors the 4 x 100 relay today, and if no one drops a baton, and if Sergei Bubka doesn't fall from the sky, Lewis will win his eighth gold medal. For anyone else, eight golds would be a small miracle. For Lewis, they're what we expect.It should be his last Olympic gold, except who's to say what Carl Lewis might do. As Lewis has said, "I don't put limits on myself."If he is 31, already ancient by the standards of his sport, he still dominates the game. Watch the crowd whenever he enters the stadium.