U.S. gymnast John Orozco endured successive disasters as the United States slumped to finish fifth in Monday’s men’s team final, two days after raising hopes of gold by qualifying in first place. Orozco, the fourth best all-round gymnast in Saturday’s qualifying, faltered twice on the pommel horse, briefly sitting down, and then fell on his vault. Read More

All eyes turn to London today for the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics, an exuberant journey from Britain’s idyllic pastures through the grime of the Industrial Revolution and ending in a contemporary world dominated by popular culture. The three-hour showcase created by Oscar-winning “Slumdog Millionaire” director Danny Boyle will be watched by a crowd of 60,000 in the main stadium built in a run-down area of London’s East End and a global audience of more than a billion. Read More

Now that the U.S. is eliminated, perhaps we can put the World Cup in perspective. For weeks, I’ve been reading and hearing critics who have derided the competition for the relative lack of scoring, which only proves their ignorance of the sport. Read More