Golden Girls Continue To Lead

Through two days of competition, Golden Girls are still the class of the league.

Da Nang Dynamos moved into second as USA swimming won five more medals Sunday, including Dana Vollmer's gold in the 100 butterfly.  South Korea took the 12.5 women's archery team gold medal for the Dynamos.  But it wasn't enough to come close to the Girls, who picked up gold medals in diving and shooting and silverss in fencing, shooting, and weightlifting.  Chinese shooter Guo Wenjon won Golden Girls' fifth gold of the Olympics when France's Celine Goberville (undrafted) blew the last shot of the women's 10m Air Pistol.  No one has ever been this happy to screw up the biggest moment of their career:

Los Cornballers are now languishing in last place, their victory in the Fantasy Winter Olympics long forgotten.  Cornballers manager Ellis Kunka is rumored to be investigating whether Lindsey Vonn can do the Steeplechase.

STANDINGS THROUGH SUNDAY, JULY 30

1.  Theresa Yerger, Golden Girls
57.2 Points
Fencing 22.5 (1G, 2S, 1B)
Shooting 18.4 (2G, 1S, 1B)
Weightlifting 10 (1G, 1S)
Diving 6.3 (1G)

2.  John Binz, Da Nang Dynamos
43.1 Points
Swimming 25 (2G, 3S, 3B)
Archery 15.6 (1G, 1B)
Fencing 2.5 (1B)

3.  Christina Binz, Zurich Zebras
29.5 Points
Archery 12.5 (1G)
Weightlifting 8.4 (1G, 1B)
Judo 7.1 (1G)
Swimming 1.5 (1B)

4.  Lucas Tanglen, Postmodern Pentathlon
23.4 Points
Judo 8.9 (1G, 1B)
Shooting 6.7 (1G)
Archery 6.3 (1S)
Swimming 1.5 (1B)

5.  Dave Spence, Paragons
19.5 Points
Shooting 6.7 (1G)
Archery 6.3 (1S)
Judo 3.6 (1S)
Swimming 2.9 (1S)

6.  Brian Schwartz, The Jim Thorpes
18.8 Points
Swimming 10.3 (1G, 1S, 1B)
Judo 5.4 (1S, 1B)
Diving 3.1 (1S)

7.  Craig Emmert, Craig's Team
15.1 Points
Swimming 11.8 (2G)
Shooting 3.3 (1S)

8.  Ellis Kunka, Los Cornballers
6.3 Points
Cycling 2.8 (1S)
Judo 1.8 (1B)
Shooting 1.7 (1B)

Teams By Sport

Archery
Chariots of Fire - Ukraine
Cornballers - India
Da Nang Dynamos - South Korea
Golden Girls - France
Jim Thorpes - Taiwan
Paragons - USA
Postmodern Pentathlon - China
Zurich Zebras - Italy

Athletics
Chariots of Fire - Jamaica
Cornballers - USA
Da Nang Dynamos - Russia
Golden Girls - Ethiopia
Jim Thorpes - Kenya
Paragons - Great Britain
Postmodern Pentathlon - Germany
Zurich Zebras - Cuba

Badminton
Chariots of Fire - Netherlands
Cornballers - Denmark
Da Nang Dynamos - Great Britain
Golden Girls - USA
Jim Thorpes - Malaysia
Paragons - Indonesia
Postmodern Pentathlon - China
Zurich Zebras - South Korea

Basketball
Chariots of Fire - Lithuania
Cornballers - Australia
Da Nang Dynamos - Angola
Golden Girls - Argentina
Jim Thorpes - France
Paragons - Russia
Postmodern Pentathlon - USA
Zurich Zebras - Spain

Boxing
Chariots of Fire - Ireland
Cornballers - Cuba
Da Nang Dynamos - Ukraine
Golden Girls - Nigeria
Jim Thorpes - Great Britain
Paragons - Kazakhstan
Postmodern Pentathlon - Russia
Zurich Zebras - China

Canoeing
Chariots of Fire - Canada
Cornballers - Hungary
Da Nang Dynamos - Slovakia
Golden Girls - Belarus
Jim Thorpes - Germany
Paragons - Great Britain
Postmodern Pentathlon - France
Zurich Zebras - Australia

Cycling
Chariots of Fire - Switzerland
Cornballers - Great Britain
Da Nang Dynamos - New Zealand
Golden Girls - Italy
Jim Thorpes - Australia
Paragons - Spain
Postmodern Pentathlon - Germany
Zurich Zebras - France

Diving
Chariots of Fire - Russia
Cornballers - Italy
Da Nang Dynamos - Mexico
Golden Girls - China
Jim Thorpes - USA
Paragons - Germany
Postmodern Pentathlon - Great Britain
Zurich Zebras - Australia

Equestrian
Chariots of Fire - Great Britain
Cornballers - New Zealand
Da Nang Dynamos - Denmark
Golden Girls - Sweden
Jim Thorpes - France
Paragons - Netherlands
Postmodern Pentathlon - Germany
Zurich Zebras - USA

Fencing
Chariots of Fire - China
Cornballers - Romania
Da Nang Dynamos - Russia
Golden Girls - Italy
Jim Thorpes - China
Paragons - France
Postmodern Pentathlon - Netherlands
Zurich Zebras - Germany

Field Hockey
Chariots of Fire - Argentina
Cornballers - USA
Da Nang Dynamos - New Zealand
Golden Girls - Germany
Jim Thorpes - Australia
Paragons - Netherlands
Postmodern Pentathlon - Great Britain
Zurich Zebras - Spain

Football
Chariots of Fire - France
Cornballers - Japan
Da Nang Dynamos - Spain
Golden Girls - Hungary
Jim Thorpes - USA
Paragons - Sweden
Postmodern Pentathlon - Brazil
Zurich Zebras - Great Britain

Gymnastics
Chariots of Fire - China
Cornballers - Japan
Da Nang Dynamos - Russia
Golden Girls - Romania
Jim Thorpes - Germany
Paragons - Canada
Postmodern Pentathlon - Great Britain
Zurich Zebras - USA

Handball
Chariots of Fire - Russia
Cornballers - Denmark
Da Nang Dynamos - Spain
Golden Girls - Angola
Jim Thorpes - Croatia
Paragons - South Korea
Postmodern Pentathlon - Norway
Zurich Zebras - France

Judo
Chariots of Fire - France
Cornballers - Uzbekistan
Da Nang Dynamos - South Korea
Golden Girls - China
Jim Thorpes - Japan
Paragons - Cuba
Postmodern Pentathlon - Brazil
Zurich Zebras - Georgia

Modern Pentathlon
Chariots of Fire - Germany
Cornballers - Russia
Da Nang Dynamos - Italy
Golden Girls - Ireland
Jim Thorpes - Great Britain
Paragons - Lithuania
Postmodern Pentathlon - Hungary
Zurich Zebras - Ukraine

Rowing
Chariots of Fire - New Zealand
Cornballers - Great Britain
Da Nang Dynamos - Australia
Golden Girls - Canada
Jim Thorpes - USA
Paragons - Germany
Postmodern Pentathlon - Czech Republic
Zurich Zebras - Romania

Sailing
Chariots of Fire - France
Cornballers - New Zealand
Da Nang Dynamos - Australia
Golden Girls - Austria
Jim Thorpes - USA
Paragons - Great Britain
Postmodern Pentathlon - Poland
Zurich Zebras - Spain

Shooting
Chariots of Fire - Italy
Cornballers - Serbia
Da Nang Dynamos - Germany
Golden Girls - China
Jim Thorpes - Russia
Paragons - USA
Postmodern Pentathlon - South Korea
Zurich Zebras - Czech Republic

Swimming
Chariots of Fire - France
Cornballers - Sweden
Da Nang Dynamos - USA
Golden Girls - Germany
Jim Thorpes - Australia
Paragons - Netherlands
Postmodern Pentathlon - Japan
Zurich Zebras - Great Britain

Synchronized Swimming
Chariots of Fire - USA
Cornballers - Great Britain
Da Nang Dynamos - Egypt
Golden Girls - Canada
Jim Thorpes - China
Paragons - Russia
Postmodern Pentathlon - Spain
Zurich Zebras - Japan

Table Tennis
Chariots of Fire - Russia
Cornballers - Japan
Da Nang Dynamos - Germany
Golden Girls - USA
Jim Thorpes - South Korea
Paragons - China
Postmodern Pentathlon - Congo
Zurich Zebras - Singapore

Taekwondo
Chariots of Fire - Dominican Republic
Cornballers - Turkey
Da Nang Dynamos - Iran
Golden Girls - South Korea
Jim Thorpes - China
Paragons - Mexico
Postmodern Pentathlon - Great Britain
Zurich Zebras - USA

Tennis
Chariots of Fire - Serbia
Cornballers - Switzerland
Da Nang Dynamos - Czech Republic
Golden Girls - France
Jim Thorpes - USA
Paragons - Spain
Postmodern Pentathlon - Great Britain
Zurich Zebras - Russia

Triathlon
Chariots of Fire - Great Britain
Cornballers - Spain
Da Nang Dynamos - Portugal
Golden Girls - New Zealand
Jim Thorpes - South Africa
Paragons - Australia
Postmodern Pentathlon - Switzerland
Zurich Zebras - Canada

Volleyball
Chariots of Fire - Brazil
Cornballers - Russia
Da Nang Dynamos - USA
Golden Girls - Cuba
Jim Thorpes - Germany
Paragons - Italy
Postmodern Pentathlon - Poland
Zurich Zebras - China

Water Polo
Chariots of Fire - France
Cornballers - China
Da Nang Dynamos - Italy
Golden Girls - Australia
Jim Thorpes - USA
Paragons - Hungary
Postmodern Pentathlon - Croatia
Zurich Zebras - Serbia

Weightlifting
Chariots of Fire - Ukraine
Cornballers - Turkey
Da Nang Dynamos - South Korea
Golden Girls - China
Jim Thorpes - Russia
Paragons - Belarus
Postmodern Pentathlon - Iran
Zurich Zebras - North Korea

Wrestling
Chariots of Fire - Japan
Cornballers - Azerbaijan
Da Nang Dynamos - Iran
Golden Girls - Turkey
Jim Thorpes - Bulgaria
Paragons - Georgia
Postmodern Pentathlon - USA
Zurich Zebras - Russia

Golden Girls Take Early Lead

The first time I saw Theresa Yerger, my only thought was "Clearly this girl knows a lot about women's fencing."  Sure enough, I was proven right as her Italian team captured a clean sweep of the women's Individual Foil.  This was enough to propel Golden Girls to a lead after the first day of Olympic competition.

Da Nang Dynamos are in third, but they suffered a critical blow as the heavily favored South Korean men's archery team choked and only took the bronze.  "I'm seriously starting to have legitimate thoughts about which Korea is better," commented manager John Binz.

STANDINGS THROUGH SATURDAY, JULY 29

1.  Theresa Yerger, Golden Girls
32.6 Points
Fencing 17.5 (1G, 1S, 1B)
Shooting 8.4 (1G, 1B)
Weightlifting 6.7 (1G)

2.  Lucas Tanglen, Postmodern Pentathlon
17.1 Points
Judo 8.9 (1G, 1B)
Shooting 6.7 (1G)
Swimming 1.5 (1B)

3.  Christina Binz, Zurich Zebras
14.2 Points
Archery 12.5 (1G)
Weightlifting 1.7 (1B)

4.  John Binz, Da Nang Dynamos
13.4 Points
Swimming 10.3 (1G, 1S, 2B)
Archery 3.1 (1B)

5.  Brian Schwartz, The Jim Thorpes
9.5 Points
Swimming 5.9 (1G)
Judo 3.6 (1S)

6.  Dave Spence, Paragons
9.2 Points
Archery 6.3 (1S)
Swimming 2.9 (1S)

7.  Ellis Kunka, Cornballers
3.5 Points
Judo 1.8 (1B)
Shooting 1.7 (1B)

8.  Craig Emmert, Craig's Team
3.3 Points
Shooting 3.3 (1S)

Chariots of Fire Roster

Manager:  Craig Emmert

Round 1 Pick 4 - China Gymnastics

Round 2 Pick 5 - Jamaica Athletics
Round 3 Pick 4 - Brazil Volleyball
Round 4 Pick 5 - Switzerland Cycling
Round 5 Pick 4 - Great Britain Triathlon
Round 6 Pick 5 - Great Britain Rowing
Round 7 Pick 4 - France Swimming
Round 8 Pick 5 - Russia Diving
Round 9 Pick 4 - France Judo
Round 10 Pick 5 - Italy Shooting
Round 11 Pick 4 - Ukraine Archery
Round 12 Pick 5 - Serbia Tennis
Round 13 Pick 4 - Japan Wrestling
Round 14 Pick 5 - Argentina Field Hockey
Round 15 Pick 4 - France Sailing
Round 16 Pick 5 - Canada Canoeing
Round 17 Pick 4 - Great Britain Equestrian
Round 18 Pick 5 - China Fencing
Round 19 Pick 4 - Germany Modern Pentathlon
Round 20 Pick 5 - Dominican Republic Taekwondo
Round 21 Pick 4 - Lithuania Basketball
Round 22 Pick 5 - Ukraine Weightlifting
Round 23 Pick 4 - France Football
Round 24 Pick 5 - Ireland Boxing
Round 25 Pick 4 - Russia Handball
Round 26 Pick 5 - France Water Polo
Round 27 Pick 4 - Russia Table Tennis
Round 28 Pick 5 - Netherlands Badminton
Round 29 Pick 4 - USA Synchronized Swimming

Analysis:  Craig hasn't sent me a team name yet which certainly reflects poorly on his entire strategy.  Reflecting more poorly on this team is the pick of Switzerland cycling in round 4 with the 29th overall pick.  I had them ranked sixth in cycling, i.e. they would have been available ten rounds later.

This team recovered nicely, though, with some good sleeper picks including Serbia tennis in round 12 and Ireland boxing in round 24.  It's hard to root against any team that counts Ana Ivanovic as a member.  Craig has a deep team which might score points in the most disciplines, but there's no big time point scorer on this roster and therefore no overall championship.

Postmodern Pentathlon Roster

Manager:  Lucas Tanglen

Round 1 Pick 1 - USA Basketball

Round 2 Pick 8 - Brazil Football
Round 3 Pick 1 - China Badminton
Round 4 Pick 8 - Germany Athletics
Round 5 Pick 1 - Japan Swimming
Round 6 Pick 8 - Russia Boxing
Round 7 Pick 1 - Germany Equestrian
Round 8 Pick 8 - Great Britain Diving
Round 9 Pick 1 - France Canoeing
Round 10 Pick 8 - China Archery
Round 11 Pick 1 - USA Wrestling
Round 12 Pick 8 - Croatia Water Polo
Round 13 Pick 1 - Norway Handball
Round 14 Pick 8 - Iran Weightlifting
Round 15 Pick 1 - Switzerland Triathlon
Round 16 Pick 8 - Germany Cycling
Round 17 Pick 1 - Spain Synchronized Swimming
Round 18 Pick 8 - Great Britain Gymnastics
Round 19 Pick 1 - Great Britain Field Hockey
Round 20 Pick 8 - Czech Republic Rowing
Round 21 Pick 1 - Poland Sailing
Round 22 Pick 8 - Poland Volleyball
Round 23 Pick 1 - Great Britain Tennis
Round 24 Pick 8 - South Korea Shooting
Round 25 Pick 1 - Great Britain Taekwondo
Round 26 Pick 8 - Netherlands Fencing
Round 27 Pick 1 - Brazil Judo
Round 28 Pick 8 - Hungary Modern Pentathlon
Round 29 Pick 1 - Congo Table Tennis

Analysis:  Postmodern Pentathlon got the coveted #1 overall pick and blew it.  USA Basketball may win both gold medals if the men's team starts exerting defensive effort, but they still are unlikely to compile as many points as USA Swimming.  USA Basketball was still the legit top team on the board so all was not lost, and the next few picks were solid.  In round 6, though, manager Lucas Tanglen selected Russian boxing.  You would think everyone has seen Rocky IV on TNT, and you would be wrong.

Still, Postmodern Pentathlon hasn't lost it yet.  Brazil football is a threat to win two 50 point golds, and China badminton is a lock for 30 points or more.  Great Britain diving in Round 8 is the only truly awful pick here - one that is mitigated by solid drafting in the middle rounds.  There might not be enough here for a title, but a second division finish is certainly unlikely.

Zurich Zebras Roster

Manager:  Christina Binz

Round 1 Pick 8 - USA Gymnastics

Round 2 Pick 1 - Great Britain Swimming
Round 3 Pick 8 - Russia Wrestling
Round 4 Pick 1 - France Cycling
Round 5 Pick 8 - Cuba Athletics
Round 6 Pick 1 - South Korea Badminton
Round 7 Pick 8 - France Handball
Round 8 Pick 1 - Japan Synchronized Swimming
Round 9 Pick 8 - USA Equestrian
Round 10 Pick 1 - Spain Basketball
Round 11 Pick 8 - Serbia Water Polo
Round 12 Pick 1 - China Boxing
Round 13 Pick 8 - Great Britain Football
Round 14 Pick 1 - Australia Canoeing
Round 15 Pick 8 - Italy Archery
Round 16 Pick 1 - Germany Fencing
Round 17 Pick 8 - Russia Tennis
Round 18 Pick 1 - China Volleyball
Round 19 Pick 8 - Australia Diving
Round 20 Pick 1 - Singapore Table Tennis
Round 21 Pick 8 - Spain Field Hockey
Round 22 Pick 1 - Ukraine Modern Pentathlon
Round 23 Pick 8 - USA Taekwondo
Round 24 Pick 1 - Canada Triathlon
Round 25 Pick 8 - North Korea Weightlifting
Round 26 Pick 1 - Czech Republic Shooting
Round 27 Pick 8 - Georgia Judo
Round 28 Pick 1 - Spain Sailing
Round 29 Pick 8 - Romania Rowing

Analysis:  All I can say about this first round pick is that there are no bonus points for a patriotic yet touching human interest story targeted at female viewers, even if the team manager is that female viewer.  Russian wrestling is a great value at #24 overall, but I'm a bit concerned with the chemistry in the Olympic Village between the USA gymnasts and the Russian wrestlers.  Likewise, the USA gymnasts should be concerned.

After a short-lived rebound in the middle rounds, the questionable picks continued - including the choice of a weightlifting team from a country that has no food, as well as a table tennis team from a country that has no tables.  To have any chance at all, the Zebras will need some upsets in the team sports to claim the 50 point basketball and football gold medals.

Golden Girls Roster

Manager:  Theresa Yerger

Round 1 Pick 5:  China Diving

Round 2 Pick 4:  China Weightlifting
Round 3 Pick 5:  China Shooting
Round 4 Pick 4:  South Korea Taekwondo
Round 5 Pick 5:  Ethiopia Athletics
Round 6 Pick 4:  Italy Fencing
Round 7 Pick 5:  China Judo
Round 8 Pick 4:  Hungary Football
Round 9 Pick 5:  Romania Gymnastics
Round 10 Pick 4:  Nigeria Boxing
Round 11 Pick 5:  Sweden Equestrian
Round 12 Pick 4:  Germany Field Hockey
Round 13 Pick 5:  Argentina Basketball
Round 14 Pick 4:  Belarus Canoeing
Round 15 Pick 5:  Austria Sailing
Round 16 Pick 4:  Germany Swimming
Round 17 Pick 5:  Canada Synchronized Swimming
Round 18 Pick 4:  USA Table Tennis
Round 19 Pick 5:  New Zealand Triathlon
Round 20 Pick 4:  Cuba Volleyball
Round 21 Pick 5:  France Tennis
Round 22 Pick 4:  Australia Water Polo
Round 23 Pick 5:  Turkey Wrestling
Round 24 Pick 4:  France Archery
Round 25 Pick 5:  USA Badminton
Round 26 Pick 4:  Angola Handball
Round 27 Pick 5:  Italy Cycling
Round 28 Pick 4:  Ireland Modern Pentathlon
Round 29 Pick 5:  Canada Rowing

Analysis:  It's a good thing Senator McCarthy died in 1957 because Golden Girls manager Theresa Yerger is clearly a Communist.  She picked Chinese teams in the first three rounds, and probably only picked South Korea in round 4 because she thinks it should be Communist too and has a cardboard cutout of Kim Jong-il in her living room.  Any remaining doubts were dispelled a bit later when she tried to draft the USSR.

Political ideology aside, Golden Girls a decent team.  China diving, weightlifting, and shooting are all historic powers which rank first in their sports.  China shooting is a good value with the overall #12 pick as I had them ranked eighth.  To win, Golden Girls will require Argentina men's basketball to repeat its 2004 gold medal - a longshot this time around.