The 10 Things I Want To See More Of and The 10 Things I Want To See Less Of During The Beijing Olympics

The Beijing Games, like any Olympiad, will be a sporting enthusiast's thinly veiled platform for sick days. And despite the varied controversies surrounding the Summer Olympics, I'll be among the avid television viewers.

I'd watch any sport with Jim McKay as the announcer or host and it's the recently deceased broadcaster's voice I first remember watching the Summer and Winter Olympic through the years. It's all changed now, of course.

I've only attended the Olympics twice. In Albertville, France, in 1992, I primarily reported on speedskating for several news organizations. But I also spent time in the figureskating venue. In 2002, I attended the Winter Olympics in the Salt Lake City, but only for a few days there as a web site news writer.

Nonetheless, the Beijing Games will have its share of drama and controversy, and like the millions of others watching, I've seen enough of the Olympics in person and on television to know what I like and don't like. I've compiled two lists:

The 10 things I'd like to see, read and hear more about the competition and the 10 things I'd like view, hear or read less about during the Summer Olympics.

Here are the 10 things I'd like to view, hear or read about more:

1. Bob Costas stepping out a little. Costas is a damn good veteran network anchor — and he plays it right down the middle. Bob, you've been around long enough now, you've got a great vocabulary and you know sports better than most. So, give us a little attitude. Get rid of the coat and tie in prime time at least once.

2. Athletes thanking their parents for encouraging them to try their best, whether or not they win a medal.

3. Gold medalists making the first efforts to congratulate fellow competitors. It shows class.

4. Interviews with last place male and female in their respective marathons. The winners will be fine, too. But the duo who finished last in that air? Ever done a marathon and finished on a hot day, cold day, windy day, rainy day or when you were far from being at your best. Enough said. Those folks deserved to be interviewed.

5. Network executives deciding to make something of one of sports or singular events that usually get nothing — let's say track cycling. It's one of the best high-speed, edge-of-your-seat sports I've witnessed. It's held on an indoor banked track and you can see everything. No disrespect, but it's not too from away from being a condensed version of NASCAR but cooler.

6. Morgan Freeman's voice. The actor is great in the NBC promotional commercials. Hell, when he recovers fro his recent car accident, bring him in for chats with Bob Costas. Let him do some spur-of-the-moment play-by-play.

7. Reporters interviewing athletes by asking questions, not with the often-used approach: "Tell me about your . . . run, jump, swim, bike, routine . . . whatever.

8. Innovation. Projected lane markers in the swimming pool? Cool. A field level, side-angle camera during 100 meters? Cooler. Come on, NBC. You'll have the population of a major city working in Beijing. Bring your best stuff.

9. Dara Torres is great. She's a 41-year-old mother with a great smile and she'll likely be a media darling in Beijing. It's all good. But, hey, NBC researchers: News Bulletin . . . Jeannie Longo of France may be the best cyclist in history. She has something like 1,000 career victories. She'll be competing in Beijing at age 49.

10. Coverage of every sport at least once in prime time.

Here are 10 things I'd like to view, hear or read less during the Olympics:

1. No more camera close-ups showing Bela Karolyi hugging gymnasts. The guy and his wife are controversial enough (scary, if you ask me) and this constant obligatory affection after every routine is pathetic.

2. Video of athletes waiting in the catacombs while listening to their I-pods. Riveting, not!

3. Faze out Carol Lewis. Yup, she once was a fine Olympian. But no one can talk more on the NBC Olympic track and field broadcast team and say less. Here's a staple of Lewis' commentary prior to any track final: " (Fill in the name) ran hard in the semifinals, but he/she will have to give it all he/she's got in the final." Really. Damn. Never thought of that.

4. Columnists making fun of race walking, badminton, handball, track cycling or synchronized swimming. No doubt, all are easy fodder for criticism. But, hey, "armchair quarterback" with the free-wheeling laptop or big mouth and likely wide girth, go try a sport before you crucify it.

5. Athletes thanking God for helping them win the gold medal. I respect your faith. Right on. But you won or didn't win based on your effort or lack thereof.

6. Military references by athletes, coaches, announcers. No one participating in the Olympics is going to war or into battle or fighting for their lives. Soldiers do that. Olympic athletes are competing in sporting events unless, of course, there happens to be a war at the Olympics, which is not entirely impossible.

7. Use of term "grueling" by any member of the print, broadcast of online media. In may only be overused by two other terms and one of single-word oddity of "journalism," "grizzly murder," "brutal murder" and "indeed."

8. Tennis players arriving on the court with enough rackets to supply all contestants in a doubles match and their immediate families.

9. One less person in every NBC broadcast team. We don't need the Summer Olympics version of the Winter Olympics' decree: "Hi, I'm Dick Button. Welcome to figureskating coverage. I'll be joined by every former figureskating medalist still alive."

10. Commercials. (It's good to dream.)

James Raia is a featured writer for Xomba.com. Read the rest of his work here or visit his website www.byjamesraia.com