Monday, December 01, 2008

By RON AGOSTINI
ragostini@modbee.com

last updated: August 16, 2008 09:54:14 AM

Reading time, two minutes:

To Suzy Powell: No apologies are necessary.

To Erin Cafaro: Row for the gold, girl.

To the local band members who just returned from Beijing: You saw more of China than Michael Phelps!

Prepare the senses for Phelps on cereal boxes, murals, roadside ad signs, soft drink cans, Letterman, Leno and Saturday Night Live.

Natalie Coughlin's gold, among her batch of medals, should net an introduction at a Cal football game this fall.

I'm not saying two of the Chinese women's gymnasts appeared to be too young, but they reportedly were trained by the tooth fairy.

The Chinese age scandal won't change the outcome. Too much image, and too many sponsors' dollars on the line for the home country.

Our assumed take from the International Olympic Committee: We're perfectly willing to look like idiots.

Sorry for the brain-fade this week on swimmer Laura Siering (1976) being the last Modesto medalist in the Olympics. That honor goes, of course, to women's soccer gold medalist Tisha Venturini (1996).

Nastia Liukin's all-around gold means thousands of young gymnasts will close their eyes between events, locked in the "Nasty Zone."

The Bengals' Chad Johnson says he and a few of his friends could beat Phelps. Now we know what Ocho Cinco stands for: Johnson's IQ.

Catching up with USC tennis standout Maria Sanchez (Davis High): 18-6 in dual meets as a freshman.

Not that anyone wearing Dodger Blue cares but: Manny Ramirez's red-hot start doesn't cover the stench of quitting on the Red Sox to force the trade.

A's rookie Brad Ziegler carried his consecutive shutout innings streak to 39 innings. Oakland fans understand the consquences: Ziegler will be gone before next July's trading deadline.

No therapy for injured Raider Sebastian Janikowski will work better than his replacement, Aaron Elling, ripping a 56-yard field goal Friday night.

Developments of note in Raider Land: Darren McFadden looks great, JaMarcus Russell is making progress and Lane Kiffin is still the coach.

If J.T. O'Sullivan is the 49ers' best quarterback, Mike Nolan should update his résumé pronto.

The Little League World Series beat Major League Baseball to instant replay. Figures.

It's official: Oakdale, not Stephenville, Texas, is the Cowboy Capital of the World. So depressed was Stephenville's Ty Murray, he ended his bachelorhood and married Jewel.

About 25 percent of the USC football team has jock itch. If I'm USC, I've got my suspect: UCLA's Rick Neuheisel.

Barry Bonds returned to AT&T Park and proclaimed, "I haven't retired. And baseball answered: "Think again, pal."

NBC will not give track and field the same attention devoted to swimming and gymnastics. Why? Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery, Justin Gatlin, etc ...

Congratulations to the Modesto Senior Babe Ruth team. A playoff run, in any sport at any level, is not easy.

The eyes of 1.3 billion in China now focus on ... Olympic defending 110-meter hurdles champion Liu Xiang.

She wanted so much more, but here's the final word on Powell: When you've won two national championships and qualified for three Olympics, you bring only pride to Motown.

Bee sports columnist Ron Agostini can be reached at ragostini@modbee.com.

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