Mark Spitz was not overly excited after winning his 7th gold medal

Karen Crouse of The New York Times writes about how Michael Phelps is able to block out the entire world, including his parents, as he prepares for a record 8 gold medals...“Phelps has also polished off enough pasta and pizza to feed a village, although not as much as the astonishing 12,000 calories a day he usually consumes, because he does not want to race on a full stomach." ...

Karen Crouse

Richard Sandomir of The New York Times writes about the day when Mark Spitz got his seventh gold medal in 1972 and showed very little emotion... "But while Spitz looked elated briefly, there was little celebration... "He put a towel over one shoulder. None of his relay teammates appeared to speak to him while ABC’s cameras lingered. Swimmers from other countries came by and spoke to Spitz’s teammates, but not him." ...

Richard Sandomir

Billy Witz of The New York Times writes how Manny Ramirez has been a smash hit with Dodgers fans...“This is the biggest thing since Gibson hit his home run,” said Ray Gonzales, a Dodger fan since the 1960s, referring to Kirk Gibson’s game-ending home run in the 1988 World Series opener, the last time the team won a playoff series." ...

Cindy Swirko

The Birmingham News has an update on stud high school player Anthony Orr who has already committed to Alabama...Orr is a nice guy off the field, but a monster on it... "

Birmingham News