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He's a great athlete, but I'm far from saying he's the greatest, like every numbnuts in the sportswriting world is proclaiming before the Beijing Games are even halfway over. I have yet to be convinced he's a better Olympic athlete than Carl Lewis, Rafer Johnson, Wilma Rudolph, Muhammad Ali or Jim Thorpe. And the likelihood is that Tyson Gay will be the story of the XXIX Olympiad before it's all done, anyway.
But I think it's time to give props to a cat who's defying all the stereotypes, being only the second brother to make an Olympic swim team: Cullen Jones. The New York-bred tigershark was an integral part of the Men's 4x100 relay win this past weekend and is considered a world-class swimmer in the same class as Phelps. Check him out and shout him out.
Latest Olympics Pictures
Australia's eventing team members Lucinda and Clayton Fredericks share a hug after receiving their silver medals from Princess Haya, second from left, as Sonja Johnson stands at left, during the medals presentation for the equestrian team Eventing competition during the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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Japan's Yoshiaki Oiwa rides Gorgeous George during show jumping portion of the equestrian Eventing competition during the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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Gina Miles of the Unites States celebrates her silver medal in the equestrian Individual Eventing competition during the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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Great Britain's Kristina Cook celebrates her bronze medal in the equestrian Individual Eventing competition during the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008 with Princess Haya in the foreground. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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British rider Mary King with her horse Call Again Cavalier perfroms at the jumping of the Eventing Individual at the Beijing 2008 Olympics Equestrian in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
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British rider Mary King with her horse Call Again Cavalier perfroms at the jumping of the Eventing Individual at the Beijing 2008 Olympics Equestrian in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
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Germany's Hinrich Romeike receives a hug and his gold medal for the individual Eventing competition from Princess Haya during the medals ceremony at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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Gina Miles of the United States rides McKinlaigh during show jumping portion of the equestrian Eventing competition during the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. Miles won a silver medal in the individual Eventing competition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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Australia's Clayton Fredericks rides Ben Along Time during show jumping portion of the equestrian Eventing competition during the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. The Australian's won a silver medal in the team Eventing competition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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Empty seats surround fans as they watch the Rainer Schuettler of Germany against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during first round men's singles tennis action at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
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Comments: (15)
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By: alicia on 8/18/2008 10:28AM
I am loving some Cullen Jones and I did give him a shout out, thank you very much.
alicia
http://www.wifeytype.com/?p=53
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By: Jorge on 8/14/2008 1:46PM
Not to play devil's advocate or anything , but would you be a little more willing to call Phelps the greatest if he was a brotha or hell even bi-racial ? This post rides a fine line to me and almost plays to the double standard a lot of blacks have on the race card.
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By: Q on 8/16/2008 6:22PM
Props to the USA swim team!
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By: Don on 8/15/2008 12:15PM
After reading your racist article, we all know who the real numbnuts is Mr. Gray. Way to cast aside a great American because he is not a brother.
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By: tired of poor me attitude on 8/17/2008 6:04PM
Damn, if he were sickle cell prone you would love him. Racist jerk
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By: Nicholas on 8/17/2008 8:14PM
This article popped up while I was searching google. Pretty disappointed in this article. I am proud of ALL of the Americans. Give Phelps respect...he has ADHD and was always tormented growing up; however, look at him now. Congrats to Cullen Jones...I don't look at him as a black, but a human being. By the way...Cullen Jones did not beat in Phelps in the olympic trials...so please don't compare him to Phelps. And unfortunaltly, Tyson Gay did not even qualify for the finals.
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By: Q on 8/18/2008 1:48AM
It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered. ~Aeschylus
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By: The Coloured European Observer on 8/18/2008 8:56AM
Okay, this is a very bad article, because it's completely unsourced and not argumented AT ALL. You could have mentioned WHY he's not the greatest IN your article, instead of lazily providing some links.
Carl Lewis endurance on the long jump and 100 m and 200 m etc. is ONE good reason against Phelps.
And if you make the case that swimming is easier than track and field, you still have to give phelps credit for doing it so many times.
Sideways related:
On my "Beautiful things by and for black people" list:
The Fortunate 50:
Of the 50 best earning sporters, how many are Black? Ha ha FRIKKING THIRTY!!!
In the top 3, there are 2 (woods = 1 and lebron = 3), top 5 are 4. Blacks dominate every quintile (?) except the last from 41-50, only 3 sporters are black.
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By: The Coloured European Observer on 8/18/2008 8:58AM
Okay, this is a very bad article, because it's completely unsourced and not argumented AT ALL. You could have mentioned WHY he's not the greatest IN your article, instead of lazily providing some links.
Carl Lewis endurance on the long jump and 100 m and 200 m etc. is ONE good reason against Phelps.
And if you make the case that swimming is easier than track and field, you still have to give phelps credit for doing it so many times.
Sideways related:
On my "Beautiful things by and for black people" list:
The Fortunate 50:
Of the 50 best earning sporters, how many are Black? Ha ha FRIKKING THIRTY!!!
In the top 3, there are 2 (woods = 1 and lebron = 3), top 5 are 4. Blacks dominate every quintile (?) except the last from 41-50, only 3 sporters are black.
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By: The Coloured European Observer on 8/18/2008 9:07AM
Also: by writing such a badly sourced and argumented piece, you've opened it up for all these borderline racist comments you see now. This is not a good thing.
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