REPORTING FROM THE JOCK-OSPHERE:
BARON BREAKS DOWN REDEMPTION

Baron Davis: Redeemed Team

"Stayed up late to watch the gold medal game in Beijing last night," he writes. "What a game! I gotta shout out the 2008 Redeem Team for reclaiming the gold for the USA.

"Kobe is a phenomenon—those fourth quarter 3's were killers! Wade looks like he is seriously back for '08-09. No other team in the world would have Dwyane Wade coming off the bench except on Playstation. And LeBron is still the King. But with all the talent there, they still had to play unselfish, play defense, and play together to beat Spain."

Eli Bremer: Hold Your Head High

Our man Eli, a modern pentathlete, talks about his winning perspective:

"So I came into this competition with high but realistic expectations," he writes. "They didn't pan out this time, but at the end of the day I can look back and say I did everything I could to be ready for the Olympics. There was not a workout I missed, a sacrifice I didn't make, or a preparation I could have done better to be ready for this day. When you prepare like that, you just give yourself higher odds of succeeding, you don't guarantee it. ... Sometimes you have to walk away and hold your head high realizing that your only accomplishment was representing your country, your family, and your friends with dignity an pride despite all else. But maybe that is the most important thing anyway."

Seth Kelsey: Chwar Tastes So Good Once It Hits Your Lips

Olympic Epee Fencer Seth Kelsey fills us in on his final days in Beijing:

"The last couple of days I have been watching modern pentathlon and eating out," he writes. "The Chwar (meat on stick) last night was so good. Chile drenched and perfectly tender. They are a lot like the spicy Cheetos. If you stop eating them they get too hot."

I smell a Chwar tasting in the Mag office in the near future. That would be the perfect snack to follow up a Richard Cohen fencing workout.

Jennie Finch: Finally Ready To Talk Silver

"It's time to talk about the game, I will try to be brief as it still hurts," she writes. "It's why we play the game, there is a chance involved. It wouldn't be any fun if there wasn't a chance to win or lose. Yes, we love it as you very well know and please don't take this the wrong way. Someone has to win and lose. It was Japan's day, we have to tip our hat to Team Japan and Ueno who had a performance of a lifetime over those last few days. Coach always says it does take a little luck to win championships and on any given day anyone can win. This is why we trained so hard and sacrificed so much we knew the difficulty. We are very proud of our team and who we are. We will always hold our heads up high and be very proud and honored to be able to have the opportunity to wear USA across our chests and because we are the people we are."

Sometimes there are no words in consoling. So try some Chwar, and look ahead to London in 2012.

Mark DeRosa: Gearing Up For Fantasy Football

The Cubbies' second baseman has a big time Jones for the FFL:

"I play in four leagues, which is a little too much, I think, because I have a tendency to not want the same guys on each team, so I end up rooting for the entire league, which is no good," he writes. "There's nothing like fantasy football to make a Cleveland Browns-Minnesota Vikings football game interesting to me on a Sunday afternoon in Atlanta, Ga.

"I definitely have my eye on Tony Romo. I don't know where I'm picking. We have an unbelievable fantasy football league with the Cubs. On one of the road trips, we'll rent a banquet room and have our draft. It's one of the highlights of the year for a lot of guys."

That explains why the Cubs' post-season play is hit or miss—their dreams come true in August at a fantasy football draft! Crikey!

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