Sports

2006 Winter Olympics

Turin tidbits

Compiled from staff and wire reports
Published February 18, 2006

---

THUMBS UP

Sweden goalie Kim Martin. She was outstanding against the American women, making 37 saves and stopping all four U.S. shootout attempts. And she did it on the day the international ice hockey federation announced that it was taking steps to address concerns the tournament isn't competitive.

THUMBS DOWN

Lindsey Jacobellis. How 'bout some mustard for that hot dog!

QUOTE

"I'm not mad. It's just that I was kicked to the street. See ya. See ya later. Thanks for shopping."

Cammi Granato, longtime U.S. hockey captain, still mad about being cut from the team in August. And now a lot of other people might be, too.

BY THE NUMBERS

10 -- percent of Norway's approximately 4.6-million people who belong to a local ski association

30 -- varieties of pizza available at Vico Equense, a pizzeria in Turin

67 -- tons of marijuana authorities say was smuggled into the United States over two decades by a ring operated by Ciro Mancuso, father of U.S. Alpine skier Julie Mancuso

600 -- pizzerias in Turin

250,000 -- dollars pledged to the kid-helping charity Right to Play as of Thursday after U.S. speed skating gold medalist Joey Cheek said he was donating his $25,000 prize money and challenged others to match it

OUT OF BOUNDS

VERY SUPERSTITIOUS

Lindsey Jacobellis' shocking loss. The U.S. women's hockey team's shocking loss. The U.S. women's curling team's final biff.

For some, it really was unlucky Friday the 17th.

That's the Italian equivalent of Friday the 13th - minus the neverending string of horror movies.

You have to open your mind a bit to get how this came to be: In Roman numerals, the number 17 is XVII. An anagram of those letters reads "VIXI," which in Latin means "I have lived" or, looking at it another way, "I'm dead." The Italians have coupled this with Friday being the day Jesus is believed to have died.

They take this so seriously that it's the reason Curve No. 17 on the Olympic bobsled track is the only one without a nickname.

HE'S GOT IT ALL. WELL, SOME OF IT

As far as we know, snowboarding gold medalist Shaun "The Flying Tomato" White is still waiting for a response to his worldwide, multimedia quest for a date with figure skater Sasha Cohen. But indications are he actually might have a chance with her. Cohen likes funny men, her Olympic teammate Evan Lysacek says. Guys like Jimmy Fallon, whom she met at a movie premiere (but hasn't dated, Lysacek says). She also wants her man to be "supportive and tall" (White is 5-8). Cohen is "very picky" about men, Lysacek says.

HOPE HE TIPPED HIS STYLIST WELL

Austria's Martin Rettl was 13th in the men's skeleton Friday, but he won gold in the best hair portion of the competition.

HERE'S ONE FOR DR. PHIL

You're in a relationship you call on-again, off-again. One day at the Olympics, you watch your on-off partner win a gold medal. On-again sounds pretty good, right?

The next day, you win a gold medal, too. How tempting is off-again now that propositions from all over the world soon will be pouring in?

Such is the dilemma of Switzerland's Tanja Frieden, the gold-medal beneficiary of Lindsey Jacobellis' ego trip at the end of the women's snowboard cross. Frieden's sometimes boyfriend is American Seth Wescott, who won the men's race the day before and with whom she happily posed for pictures and fondled his gold medal in the hours after he crossed the finish line.

After her win Friday, she said, "We have been together for some years. It is on and off. We are pretty separate in our business. But it is great because we have always been saying, "Lets get a podium together.' "

INSTANT MESSAGES

I finally had my Italy moment. That memory that will linger beyond all others. After weeks of dry weather, it began snowing Wednesday night. By Friday morning, my little mountain village looked like a postcard. Snow clinging to trees and rooftops, streets turned white and the snow still gently falling. I skipped the salami/prunes breakfast at the hotel and went to a pastry shop. Then I stood outside, eating my cannoli, and took in the beauty around me. Until the bus drove by and splattered black slush up and down me.

- JOHN ROMANO

So, I took the day off. Sue me.

- GARY SHELTON

[Last modified February 18, 2006, 02:15:16]

[an error occurred while processing this directive]