|
|

Advertisement
August 17, 2008 | 11:16 pm
Posted by Brad A. Greenberg
| Tweet |

A young Mark Spitz
You’ve got to wonder whether swimming, and not chess, is the true Jewish sport. This year’s U.S. Olympic swim teams wouldn’t be the same, and Michael Phelps wouldn’t have won eight gold medals, if it weren’t for Jewish swimmers Jason Lezak and Garrett Weber-Gale. And then there is Dara Torres, the 41-year-old native Angeleno who came within 0.01 seconds of winning gold in the 50 freestyle. And, oh yeah, there was also this old swimmer some years ago, I think at the Munich games, named Mark Spitz.
Oddly, Spitz wasn’t invited to Beijing to watch Phelps break his record, and he was none to happy about the snub.
“I never got invited. You don’t go to the Olympics just to say, I am going to go. Especially because of who I am,” he told AFP last week. “I am going to sit there and watch Michael Phelps break my record anonymously? That’s almost demeaning to me. It is not almost — it is.”
But after Phelps surpassed his Olympic achievement today, Spitz offered that “Michael Phelps is the greatest Olympic athlete ever.”
No argument there. But, don’t worry, Mr. Spitz. You and Sandy Koufax are still the greatest Jewish athletes ever—or at least since Samson brought down the house.
5.25.12 at 4:02 pm | Judge Wilken held that the Defense of Marriage. . .
5.24.12 at 9:49 pm | Though Maryland does not recognize same-sex. . .

5.24.12 at 2:43 pm | Maybe the most racist job posting you've ever. . .

5.23.12 at 7:19 pm | The former MLB star is pushing 40 but isn't done. . .
5.22.12 at 10:28 am | Christianity Today reports that .... . .
5.21.12 at 9:03 pm | Harold Camping had predicted that .... . .

11.26.11 at 12:14 pm | A new book of essays provides .... . . (1189)

5.24.12 at 2:43 pm | Maybe the most racist job posting you've ever. . . (216)

12.13.11 at 12:24 pm | What was really behind Matisyahu shaving his. . . (155)


We welcome your feedback. Comments may not exceed 700 characters.
Your information will not be shared or sold without your consent. Get all the details.
JewishJournal.com has rules for its commenting community.Get all the details.
judaism christianity israel politics media islam los angeles barack obama entertainment anti-semitism america sports american jews evangelicals crime the law satire president 08 president 08 god personal john mccain holocaust sexuality war catholicism holidays jesus books europe atheism sarah palin academia science bible death middle east california music iran
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
God's Blog
God for President
Book Bits
Caption Contest
Jewish genius
Strange science
Who is a Jew?
World of Worship
Blogs
Bloggish-mobile
Foodaism-mobile
Hollywood Jew-mobile
Jews and Mormons-mobile
Keeping it Real-mobile
Keeping the Faith-mobile
Morethodoxy-mobile
Nice Jewish Doctor-mobile
Rosners Domain-mobile
Tattletales-mobile
The God Blog-mobile
The Ticket-moblie
Leisure-mobile
Multimedia-iPad
Photos-iPad
Videos-iPad
Passover Reader
| |||||||||