Calling Out Michael Phelps

It'd be fair to wonder if Phelps cares one bit what this guy thinks. I'd bet not.

 

You don't end up on a Wheaties box for working hard. It's the results that count. I have no clue how Phelps trains but anyone who swims at his elite level has to be doing something right. In competition he seems to have that extra gear that normal athletes do not have. He seems relentless in his pursuit to win.

 

Phelps won eight gold medals and set how many world records in Beijing.
How much more does this snot-nose want him to do with his "natural" ability?

 

18 Gold Medals in Beijing if he tried!

Interesting read and admire the kid's pluck, but, yeah. This is like Steve Stricker saying Tiger could have accomplished so much more if only he would have worked as hard as he did.

 

This just goes to show that swimming's not a sport.

Seriously, one the primary reasons that the most elite athletes are so fascinating and polarizing is that they do amazing things often without the benefit of "trying hard."

Even if you look at someone like Michael Jordan, the poster boy for self-made superstars, there have been reports for years about his late-night escapades before big games. You think John Starks could pull an all-nighter in Atlantic City and score 35 hours later? That's the kind of amazing and polarizing thing that separates the elite from the rest of us.

This guy is gonna really be pissed when Phelps strolls over to the Olympic pool after a couple bong hits and beats him again.

 

If he's talking about that 2009 year, that seems entirely like it was part of the plan for Michael Phelps -- go pack eight years worth of fun in that one year and then come back and be a machine again. That's when the pot photo surfaced and when he was hitting the Vegas poker scene with his skanky girlfriend.

Other than that, can't tell what the guy's beef is. They had to customize the schedule just to get Phelps the eight medals, it wasn't humanly possible to go for more.

 

I liked what the kid said. I hope he can back up those words in London.

I'll be rooting for him.

 

The difference between athletes like Phelps versus all the rest is that Phelps doesn't compete with other athletes, he makes them compete with him.

Results are all that matter.

 

I can't think of one good thing that comes of this kid spouting off. If he beats Phelps, then people will assume he beat a guy who wasn't prepared. If he doesn't, then people will assume this was all sour grapes. Lose, lose.

 

Not that you can believe everything you read or see on NBC, but I remember a bunch of talk about how unbelievable Phelps' regime was leading up to 2008 and how he had to take in a ridiculous amount of calories because of how many he burned training.

If he had to take it easy for a year or two after that to keep from burning out before getting ready for London, well good for him. Let's see if this kid is able to keep it up for eight, 10, 12 years straight without letting up a little.

 

I never heard of this kid before the trials, and was sympathetic during/after the 400 IM: He just swam the third best time in the world, and wasn't going to the Olympics in that race because the two best times were just swum by Phelps and Lochte.

But I hate crap like this. Phelps is the arguably the most accomplished Olympic athlete ever.

And the limp fish "he finished third, but he had a virus" sounds so lame. Losers make excuses.