Olympic Cities Distance Quiz (3 of 6)- Barcelona to Beijing

Today, we head from Barcelona, Spain, where they are likely still in jubilation after defeating Italy 4-0 in the Euro 2012 Soccer Cup, to Beijing, China, where James Fallows of "The Atlantic" seems to spend a lot of time (forgive the frequent magazine reader humor).

The 1992 Barcelona Olympics were the ones which featured the Dream Team which represented the United States. The team which featured Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan beat the African nation of Angola 116-48 in one preliminary game, but hopefully the Angolans got some autographs afterwards.

In women's gymnastics in Barcelona, Tatiana Gutsu of Romania edged American gymnast Shannon Miller for all-around individual gold; Russian swimmers Alexander Popov (pictured) and Yevgeny Sadovyi won five gold medals between them.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, American gymnast Nastia Liukin (pictured here) edged out teammate Shawn Johnson for all-around individual gold; American swimmer Michael Phelps won eight gold medals?!


So, today we ask how far a part are these cities; is the answer?:

A) 5,180 miles

B) 5,480 miles

C) 5,680 miles

D) 5,980 miles

UPDATE: The answer is B

Quote the Day/Week-Charles Barkley

Ahh, yes, we could be watching the film "Man's Favorite Sport (1964, dir. Howard Hawks) with Rock Hudson and Paula Prentiss right now on TCM, but instead, we are dedicating an entry with a quote from Charles Barkley, who was not the inspiration for the 1980s sitcom "Charles in Charge" with Scott Baio of "Happy Days" fame.

Today, we are starting a month-long series of quotes from American athletes who won gold or silver at the Olympics. And, even though Barkley's Phoenix Suns lost to his friend Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls in the 1993 NBA Finals, the Auburn alum did win two gold medals in basketball at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics as part of the "Dream Team."

Barkley lead the Dream Team in scoring during the 1992 games when he scored 30 points in a 127-83 win over Brazil. Barkley was also involved in an ugly incident when he elbowed Herlander Coimbra from Angola, in a game that the Dream Team won by an overwhelming 116-48 margin. Some players from the other teams were reportedly so delighted to be on the same court with the likes of Barkley, Jordan and Magic Johnson, that that some of them actually, allegedly sought autographs from the Dream Team members after the game!

Barkley also played for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Houston Rockets during his NBA career; he is now a commentator for TNT.

Here is his quote:

"I don't think of myself as giving interviews. I just have conversations. That gets me in trouble."http://www.charlesbarkley.com

Quote of the Day/Week-Toni Kukoc

Today, we conclude our series of quotes from Olympic athletes who won either gold or silver medals at the Summer Olympics with a quip from Croatian basketball player Toni Kukoc, who was also an instrumental supporting player during the Chicago Bulls championship run of the 1990s.

Kukoc, now 43, won silver with the Yugoslavian national team at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, but just four years later, after a bitter civil war erupted which meant that Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia would each would have separate Olympic teams in every sport, Kukoc won silver again only this time it was for Croatia. Ironically, the team that defeated Croatia was the Dream Team of the United States which was captained by Michael Jordan, who would be Kukoc's teammate with the Bulls.

Here is Kukoc's quote:

"If you are physically ready to play, it's a matter of confidence. Your confidence goes down when you lose games, when shots are not going in."

SIDEBAR: Back on Dec. 28, 2010, in what has become one of our most popular entries, I professed to eating an entire anchovy pizza at the Red Rocks pizza joint in Washington, DC. Well last night, I replicated the feat by downing a whole small anchovy pizza at Amante Gourmet Pizza in Carrboro (Chapel Hill), NC. Call me insane, but it was delicious!


http://www.redrocksdc.com

http://www.amantepizza.com

Quote of the Day/Week- Michael Jordan

Today, we continue to quote American athletes who won team or individual medals, with a quip from the great basketball legend Michael Jordan.

Jordan won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, a NCAA title with the North Carolina Tarheels in 1982, and two Olympic medals for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics (as an amateur) and the 1992 Barcelona Olympics (as a pro, yes that was the Dream Team).

Here is his quote:

"I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."

Very Expensive Things To Buy Online....a Michael Jordan Jersey

Are you interested in buying an authentic Chicago Bulls jersey worn by Michael Jordan during the team's 1997-98 championship season?

Well, for $38, 461. 54, you've got a deal! (Dry-cleaning not included).

But, we're not sure if this is being offered by E-Bay or Amazon.

As for the 2009-10 Bulls, they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers by a 96-83 margin in game one of the playoffs over the weekend. I guess a jersey worn by Brad Miller (refering to a player on the Bulls team, not the North Carolina Democratic congressman by the same name) would cost considerably less!

Quote of the Week- Michael Jordan

We are posting a comment from UNC and Chicago Bulls great Michael Jordan because he hails from Wilmington, NC. He is both an African-American and perhaps the most familiar person, living or dead, to ever hail from the Tarheel State.

Today here in Greensboro, NC, the International Civil Rights Museum opened.

For full coverage, go to yesweekly.com

Here is the quote from MJ:

"My body could stand the crutches but my mind couldn't stand the side line."

UPDATE: Yes, I'm working on the missing Michael Jordan image which I just noticed!

NOTE: We posted this entry very, very late last night. But, I did want to mention that the civil rights museum is a historic moment for those of us in Greensboro, NC, and I am sure it will bring many tourists to the Gate City.