He's night side with Dan Ray. I'm WBS. He cast in his new radio.
Now ready to go, Simon Bios.
Your Chinko double bike, biggest step back at the end, But she just needed to put it on her feet because that bolt has such a high difficulty value she can afford a big step.
Doctor Curry dancing up until all to the double Team.
Oh it's a golden.
Dog, all right, night night Curry.
Uncutches of the floor.
They're not catching Kayla Brutchell or not catching Kayla Brutcher.
Pretty amazing when you look back and after.
Nine to one here Carola Dresser is gonna have eight Olympic medals and all.
Of them are gonna be gold.
The Americans get.
A Die comes down to a twenty five year old from Worcester, mass star at Penn State, now at the highest level.
This is what he does. One thing pommel horse.
I get chills. I get chills. I could listen to that over and over again. Joining us right now on WBC's night Side is John Powers at the Boston Globe. Now, John who still looks very youthful. He's one of my favorite writers. And I'm not saying he's been doing this a long time, but he had the exclusive with Zeus at Olympus.
So but John, I and you don't you're not the.
You're not like my buddy shot U see, and Ryan, you know, you're not like on every screen. So I do want to talk about you a little bit because I find what you do fascinating. And we are going to talk about the Olympics. But your first Olympic game that was in nineteen seventy six in Montreal. If what's on the Weber's true, why do you why do you still do it?
Well, what's interesting is that every four it's actually now back then it was every four years winter and summer with the same year, right, imagine that. But the thing is that it's always new, it's always fresh. You're going a place that you haven't been before. New faces or in this case old face. I mean to see Simone Biles back and to be as good, if not better than ever. So that's the thing is that you know, you have the Super Bowl every year. You don't have
this every year. And I think every time I say, oh man, I'll never do this again. This is exhausting. Well it was the next Oh there's one going to be Paris. But that's what's going to be Brisbane. Okay, come on, I get that. I totally get that.
Right now.
When you did start though, you covered the Bruins, right, were you on the Bruins beat?
Well, you know what, I was hired to do the Bruins, and I never did them as a full time beat. I did cover them, actually, believe it or not, I covered the Celtic before before that, because Bob Ryan took kind of a break.
That when he went to TV Hollywood went to TV. Yeah, okay, yeah.
The next thing knew, I was shaking hands Chris red Hardback. I remember going to see him. He said, did you go to Boston College? Which is where Bob Bryan went?
Right?
Oh, yeah, No, I went to Harvard, he said, that's where.
Of course, of course he did. Well, there's a bust of Bob at BC. I mean, we all know that.
I mean.
So, But the thing of it is is do you enjoy You must enjoy the I was going to say the amateurism, but that's really out the window. Does it still feel the same though to you?
It does? I mean, obviously it is clearly different. I mean, to have one third of the basketball team from the Celtics, right right, that's new, right, But there's still enough of the amateurism. I mean, most of these sports we're talking, you know, several dozen, they don't make much money. I mean, certainly the breakers don't make much money. The fencers don't
make much money. So there is that. Also, you've got every every game a couple of hundred people that haven't been there before, so it is such a novelty to them, and I think that's what makes it interesting. I remember when they first had pros in the games, you know, in the various sports, tennis, basketball, The thing was, is this going to be the biggest thing in their lives to be in the Olympic Games? Because for other people it is. For example, if you are on the US
men's basketball team, you don't have to try out. They just call it you if you want to be young, yeah, absolutely lie to. You don't have to go through through trials or any of that stuff. But that is new about them.
Well, whenever the movie Miracle is on, I watched the whole thing. I mean I've seen I've seen it a million times. It will never happen again, we understand why. But that was the joy of it. What I will say as an observer this year with the bat basketball team, Lebron seemed like a kid again. It still meant something to Steph. It still means something for these professionals, it is.
And I think that's one thing that people were surprised about was once they got there, representing your country, which many athletes never get a chance to do, it changed things. And I think that was the thing. Is Yeah, I mean looking, I mean, the the the exuberance and the Americans men's basketball team, and you know they were expected to win. That was a close game, folks, My goodness.
I mean, if it weren't for Curry kneeling it, you know, by a couple of minutes, and they could have least that game.
Well, what is great about basketball?
I feel, well, my my my friends like like Bob, they don't like the three and some elements of the European game. Basketball is a true international game right now. The international players have saved the NBA in my opinion. So yeah, I just know, I mean, so when you go into international competition, you're gonna it's it's different. It's not ninety ninety, you know, nineteen ninety two, which you
know you were there. It's not nineteen ninety two where I mean so many great stories like I'm sure you could tell we're with you guys were playing against you know, Larry or Michael, and at halftime, can you sign my shoe?
You know?
You know that's not happening anymore. I don't think. Maybe it isn't some instances, but but not like that. The great story I have, which is a little inside baseball, was Ron Borger said to me because he was rooming with Ryan I think in ninety two, and Ron said, I don't see what the big deal is about the pros playing here, you know, with Larry and everybody being over and he said, Ryan went on for two weeks. He said, I never should have asked that question. I go, yes,
I understand. I do a podcast with Bob, I get it. But that's that is the great thing about about the Olympics. And I think with the hockey team too. I think once you put on the stars and stripes, so you put on the maple leaf for Canada or what have you, it changes things.
Yeah, I mean it certainly did. If you look at the NHL players, they love being in the Olympics. They do, and it is exhausting. It is the middle of the year.
Yep.
They are tired when they go there, They are tired when they come back. They may be injured. But when the NHL decided that they didn't want to go here or there, they don't want to go to Beijing, the players are disappointed. So the NHL will be back in Milan in twenty twenty six. They love that.
All right, we got a whole lot more to talk about.
I want to unpack, Get into Paris, get into Los Angeles, get into also some of the great names that we've seen. The Simone Biles story too. We're gonna we're gonna talk about that next. That's all coming up with John Powers of the Boston Globe covering the Olympics right here on wbz's Nightside.
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Well, now it is Simone Blacks.
I can't even imagine the marriage. She may be feelings, she says. Every time she does this fault, she's terrified.
Don't blink.
There, you got your own. Even she knows, she's like mm hmmm, you know that was one of the best Your Jenko double pipes.
Mind blowing.
Still, I can fall in love with some old Biles, which just amazing. John Powers our guests here. The Boston Globe has been covering the Olympic Games since nineteen seventy six, and he is the expert. He's the premier journalist when it comes to your the Olympic Games. I want to talk about Simone here. You can correctly if I'm wrong. Has anybody ever done what she's done in that she
was a favorite? We all know she had an injury, she left the Olympics, she couldn't compete, there was a physical situation, and then she came back and just a force. Because John usually like you're kind of one and done right pretty much.
I mean, what's interesting People may remember in Beijing in two thousand and eight, where Nasio Luken and Sean Johnson were won two at the Olympic Games. Didn't make the team for twenty twelve. Ali Raisman was on the twenty twelve team. She takes a year off. He told me it took her three years to get back to where she was before. Here you go, Simone Biles at twenty seven. I mean she was calling Ali granny when Ali was twenty two right to come back in a sport that,
by definition is made more difficult. The tricks are more difficult, they they're more dangerous. To literally come out after two years off, after Tokyo and be better than ever. It's astounding.
What exactly was the issue? Was it? Vertigo?
I see what it was. It's called in gymnastics terms, the twisties where you lose yourself in the air, because if you even add an extra half twist it makes it more difficult. You see this a lot with figure skaters, with girls who suddenly have a growth spurs and everything looks different when they jump, and I think that's what happened to her. And the thing is in gymnastics, if you mess up, you can break your neck.
Oh there's no joke. It's no joke. I mean absolutely, it's no joke.
Oh yeah. I remember talking Debella Coroli, who was the coach of Nadi Kamanyach at Mary Leu Redden. He said, you know, is not golf.
And that's a quote not golf.
Yeah, absolutely, John Powers, our guess from the Boston.
Do you think.
Because of technology, because of athletes, the way they take care of themselves, the way they train the knowledge of the body. Will we see Olympic athletes last longer if you will, so you won't be done at sixteen, seventeen or eighteen.
I think that's true. Also, one thing that's happening. You look at this team. This women's team was the oldest US women's team since nineteen fifty two.
Wow.
And that is when basically these were grown women doing that sport and they weren't doing what the women now are doing. It was basically almost a balatic type sport. But also what you're seeing now is these are more mature women. Their bodies are more mature. Now. You know, you're not fifteen sixteen getting injuries because your bones haven't you know, quite fused yet.
Right.
Also you're seeing a number of these women have been or going to college, so it is an older group much more and you can stay. Also, there's money in the sport now, you know, even if you're in college. You can get name, image, likeness money, right, you get sponsorship money, you know. So I think what used to be you know, for example, in an a merrily read situation, that was one I'm done because you couldn't stay in the sport right right, defensive right.
And I had my daughter was doing gymnastics. I was going to the tournaments. Uh you know with the medals everybody gets a metal leaving like eighth place, you know, And we were doing the thing.
And now.
When I say this, I don't want people to take this the wrong way. Gymnastics is good business. I was going to say it's a big business, but I mean it's good business in other words, especially on the female side of things, because as a gymnastics dat I've seen it. There's a lot of young women who are interested in gymnastics, so there are marketing opportunities. I'm not going to say it's to the degree of a Michael Jordan in the NBA, but for some of the women, like some own bis.
Yes, she can't make millions of.
Dolls because she can be used as spokesperson because guys like me will spend the money.
Yep.
Yeah, and good for her.
Thing about simone, she changed the sport in two ways. She made it a power in speed sport, partly because of who she was, you know she was she was strong. But also she opened that sport up. This used to be a sport for white females. There was an occasional black woman, you know, like like Dominique Dawes. But you look at this this year's five women of that team, only one was wife, right right, yep. So so it's also opened up because one thing the reason why people
got into gymnastics. For example, nearly Retten saw Nadia as she said, that's who I want to be. Other people saw Mary Alu, That's who I want to be. Women, especially black women. Look at sim own boss says that's me. Needs someone you can identify with. And I think that is what Simone has done. This sport is never going back to where it is. It is a lily white sports not going to happen.
And it's you know, we applaud that.
I think also the Olympics seemed to be friendlier and happier. You know, for example, you know when she I believe she got the silver or the bronze and she bowed, you know, there was yeah, there was there was a camaraderie here. Well, look, I mean the world is small now you know, the Iron curtain's gone. There are no more bad guys if you will, and I did am I wrong in getting that?
I think what was interesting about this when you looked at the all around and Rebecca Andrade, who was the woman from Brazil, right, she sees Simone nail that final pass and she was clapping for her, even though she knew it meant that she wasn't going to win a go medal, because there was an appreciation for what Simone had done. And I think, you know, conversely, when Rebecca wins, you know, on the event she got a bow. You know, you are basically saluting, and that's what the Olympics are
supposed to be. Everything was a story back in the nightineteen thirty six when Berlin Jesse Owens is in the long trip. He's clearly going to win this thing, and he files on the first two and looks long, who is the German favorite? And this is in front of Hitler tesman and he said, you know what, you know, don't file, take off about two feet in front of where you normally step and you'll be fine, which he did. So basically, who does that? Who encourages the competitive to
do something different so he might beat you? But that and I think that was lost for a long time in the Olympics. There was so much of the US Russia thing, which by the way as we know. Didn't happen this time, right, you know. I mean we've had with the Russians before, but that was because they chose not to be there. It didn't happen this time. They were banned because of.
The war, right right, Simone Biles, is she the greatest gymnast ever?
There's no doubt. I mean not just in terms of how many moves have been named after her, that's one thing, but to be able to do it at age twenty seven, I mean that is ten years older than people used to be, and to be able to do it without serious injury, to be able to do it with joy, I mean, she was just delighted to be out there and the inspiration she gave to her teammates because no matter what happened, if you had a problem, if you fell off, the being smoan was here to you know,
to give you a hug because you know, basically I've done that before I fell it. You know, I've done this before. I've missed that before. So she was a great teammate.
Having kids that have gone through the pandemic and dealing with all the social abnormally normalcies that I've seen, you know, mental health, for me, is big because I've seen it, I mean, and I've seen it in sports, and to me, that was what I found gratifying. You mentioned the smile, the happiness, because let's face it, with gymnastics, because there's some very ugly people who have now been sent away for a long time and justifiably so we needed something good.
We needed to feel safe with the people running gymnastics, is what I'm trying to say.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, And I think part of the thing is any sport where you have young women competing at at an elevated level, figure skating, swimming, gymnastics, you have predators. Yeah, and so I think it's been up to the federation to make sure these people are weeded out. It's hard to do, you know, and Simone had been through that has had many women on you know, I'm not just
on earlier teams too. But I think what was what was great about Simone was that she showed people, you know, I think so much pressure on women, especially when you are the face of the US team. I mean, that was the biggest issue for her in Tokyo was remember there was a documentary called Simone Versus Simone before those games, right, and the subtext was, well, only got to lose, right, give us the moon versus the moon. So in a way, she was competing with the simone from Rio de Janeiro
in twenty sixteen. It's almost got to lose that thing. And I think what she said was I was doing it for everybody except myself.
Right right.
You said, even before the Paris game, you says success is how I define it. And you will have a lot of athletes who will, in fact tell you that Michael Phelps said that.
Well, I was going to say Phelps.
I mean, you know, I when Phelps came out and said, look, I'm toast. I mean, I'm mentally exhausted. I've suffered depression. The poor guy. I mean, I'm not Look, folks, I'm not condoning the use of drugs.
But we know marijuana is legal now.
But you know, the guys twenty two or twenty three years old, whatever it is, I mean, you know the details, and somebody takes a picture of them, you know, getting high, and it's like that stuff takes.
A toll on you.
You know.
Even Ali Raisman, when I was working a Comcast Toys champaignon did this great thing with Ali. They did the old documentary and you saw what she gave up to do this. I mean she gave up her childhood.
She do. And plus everybody now, especially with social media, everybody has an opinion on you, and usually as a negative. For example, it was a great book like Gracie Golds who was the US SIGUS getting champion whip. It was an Olympian and she was eviscerated on social media. And you know, you tell them don't read it or read it, but everyone does. So the whole world has an opinion on you. And that's what happened to Simone at the Tokyo.
Yeah, I mean you're a quitter and blah blah blah.
Yeah you know your you know, and you go way back. You know. Naddy never had to deal with that, right. So I think the athletes need a lot more awareness that there's an enormous amount of pressure plus money. There's all sorts of people want you to do it. Stay in it, even if you're hurt, because other people are invested in you doing well.
Well.
When I saw that the Celtics are worth five billion dollars, I stopped paying attention to money because it's completely off the map for me.
I just like it. It's insane.
I have to talk about one of my Simone was phenomenal. Simone's one of my favorite favorite athletes. And I'm one of those guys that all the Olympics are coming up, but I go, yeah, you know, it's the Olympics, and then you know, I tune in once and then I'm a sucker. It's like I'm watching a Hallmark movie for the next three weeks.
You know, I'm totally into it.
Katie Ledecci, Oh my god, we're going to talk about her.
Coming up next with John Powers. I'm busy.
You're on Night Side with Dan Ray on w b Z, Boston's.
News radio carry Tangray for Dance to Night.
John Powers of the Boston Globe, talking about the Olympics just in general and looking back at what we saw in Paris, which was terrific. Not since the eighty six Bears beat the Patriots. I have I ever seen such dominance With Katie Ladecci, and it was at.
The fifteen hundred. She blew everybody away.
Okay, I've never seen I mean, I was watching this and literally that's I was thinking, Okay, let's look back.
Let's think of some games.
Okay, you know the Bears, the Patriots eighty six, maybe some boxing matches, but I have John, Oh my god, I mean that has to be the most dominant win in the history of the Olympics.
Or Yeah, and especially what is interesting if you look at the TV you see her passing people going the other way. Yeah, I know's going She's going home and you're known the other way. And again, don't think this is her fourth Olympics. She's twenty seven. And the dominance if you look at not just here, but you look at the top, like twenty times in the eight hundred
freestyle or fifteen hundred freet she owns them all. I mean, no one pizza, right, And but you know a lot of that is imagine how many hours she spends in the pool, for eleative minutes on the starting blocks. It's painful. If you ever talk to people who have done distance swimming, they go and what they call in the practice pool the d lane, the distance lane, and those people are considered crazy, right, who puts themselves with all this pain? And she enjoys that. She likes you know, that grind.
And she was talking about twenty twenty eight. Before twenty twenty four, you'll probably see her in la at at age thirty one.
I know, I couldn't believe it, and she, you know her, I'm sure she seems to be the happiest kid in the world.
She is. I think a lot of it comes from she comes from a family that is very education oriented. It was very important to her to get her college degree, to do all that. I mean, I think she did two years of Stanford, then she went pro, but she still finished Stanford. Wow. And I think she has her head on straight. That whole family does. It is in perspective. She doesn't do this to get rich, and I think she will think, you know, do I want to go
another four years? But I wouldn't rule her out. She's going for a fifth Olympic Games.
Well, I also don't think, based on my observation of her and what you're telling me now, she's not going to bow out if she feels she won't win a gold. You know, some people will say, well, I'm not going to win a gold or and I don't know if that's the case. But at thirty one, you know, maybe well maybe you know, it's not my time anymore. I think she would still go regardless or.
She would and I think clearly in her events there aren't a whole ton of people that can do that well. So certainly should make the US team, and the fifteen hundred for sure, probably the eight hundred what she has has to do. Once they added the fifteen hundred to the Olympic program, she had to cut back on some of the other events, right, So she doesn't do the two hundred free, for example, she does four hundred free. She's not the top person, but she is a medalist.
So I think she's been realistic as to how much work you know, that she's able to do, and also what her goals are. And the said swimmers have different goals that we may think they tend to be time
based becaus it's only metal based. So I think as long as she's able to meet her standards whatever they are, and she will, she'll tell you by the way they will tell you, well, I really wanted to do this, or I really want to do that, she knows, and I think if she can't meet her standard, then you'll see her just move on.
What is it about her and her ability physically? Is it a gift Obviously she works very hard, don't get me wrong. I mean I understand that. And you can just see when she's swimming, I mean, oh my god, herr. She has the swimmers for Zeke where she's just amazing. But is there something as far as her oxygen level, her air? I mean, what is it? What is that magic thing that she has and nobody else has.
I think the big thing is And I'm a big fan of what to call sporting Darwinism, where sports rule out people that aren't suited for that sport and they reward people who are. If you look at the top swimmers, for example, Michael Phelps had had an oddly shaped body, but it was perfect to this the long, long torso, big hands, big feet, and Katie is a big woman, big strong, long leggie. How tall is also how tall?
She's pretty close to succeed Yeah, okay, yeah, But what's interesting is the other woman who had been mentioned in the same breath was Janet Evans, who people remember from nineteen ninet eighty eighty and she was incredible for five years. She was five five, Yeah, she was little. Yeah, but you look at but you look at Katie. But also
Katie understands the little things. You know, when you're swimming fifty and nine meters you have to have efficiency at in each stroke, but loses your racism when you're kind of slashing around you're not clean and she and she knows that he knows how to get the dynamics going and to be able to do it when you're getting tired. I mean, it is so hard. It's from a mile and to do it, you know, with consistent laps now and you'd be able to do the pain the pain?
Did she did she get in the pool with Phelps?
Because I think when Phelps was sitting with Tarrico, he said he got in the pool with her and they did it.
I think just to kind of mess around, but you know they did different events. So but yeah, I mean, the one thing about Phelps he understands how hard it is. So he is one of Katie's biggest stands because she knows what it takes. You know, there have to be some danger and you just don't want to get out of bed and you have to do it. And it's easy to say, you know what the game was till two years off. I can No, you don't you don't skip practice. So Katie always shows up. You know.
Well, I remember when Ali, you know, we were talking about Ali Raceman when when we did the documentary she missed a graduation.
I mean, you know, it doesn't go to.
The prom all of the in the gym at six am before school alone, going through it over and over and over again.
Yeah, and even Phelps, what you know.
And I met Phelps at the garden and it's interesting you mentioned his long tourso because he was checking out the Celtics game and I was walking in the locker room area and the game was over, we had done the post game and he was walking out and he had a painters hat on and he's about six to one correct, yep. And I always had this impression that Michael Phelps was like six ' five because of the torso. Right, So I'm in the hallway and he's got jeans on.
He's really kind of chilling, and he like stands.
Next to me.
He's like hey, and I'm like hey, and I went and then he just kept going and I said, you know, great job.
And then I said, I went, oh my god, that was Michael Phelps. He does it.
He's so in the pool, he's like a giant. You know, he's just larger than life, and when you meet him, it wasn't the same thing in person. I mean, obviously he's the greatest swimmer of all time period, correct, yep, how do you compare her to him? Like, how can you make a proper analogy?
It's a little different. I mean, one thing that sets Michael apart was he could do it in different strokes. He was a great medley swimmer also, so you have to master all four strokes. Katie is a freestyler. So I think, for example, one thing that the people this year Leon Marchand who was the great French French swimmer who went to the Arizona State. He gets the two hundred butterfly and the two hundred breasts and the same night those a brutal event. I mean, I can't think
of anything more draining than the two hundred butterfly. It is an absolute shoulder killer. And they come back and beat the best in the world specialists in another stroke on the same night. I mean, Michael Phelps had his hat off to that. He said, that's impressive. That's impressive, right, yeah, I.
Mean what did you think of Paris? Now, let's talk about the background. What did you think of Paris?
I was wonderful. I think one thing, because I used to get there pretty frequently. I hadn't been there twenty years and you get back in and you say, this place is the same. It hasn't changed. The same restaurants are there, you know. But what was great about this was the city was the star of these games.
No doubt.
You looked up and you looked at all the fantastic buildings from the sixth seventeen eighteenth century, and they used it. You know, the Grand La, the Anvil lead Versailles, one of the great things. I don't know if you watch the marathon, but they went through all of those famous areas. They started at the Hotel TV, which is the old city hall, through the Plasa Loock on Cord, through all that out to Versailles, back to the Eiffel Tower. So if you've ever been to Paris or even seen it,
these places were all familiar to you. But now they were using in the sporting context.
It's just so romantic.
You know, the Summer Games in Paris, or you have the Winter Games in Zurich, Switzerland, or in the Alps. I mean, that's just to me, it lends to the magic of it when it was in the Soviet Union, that whole debacle that took away from it.
I think in.
Various spots in Asia it can be very beautiful, but there's something about Europe and the Olympics abs What I mean is it just because of the history.
A lot of it is the history, but also Paris is walkable. I wrote a story before the Games about how they're going to use all these iconic places and I could walk from one to the other. I was there when they were building the beach volleyball bleachers in front of the Eiffel Tower, and I walked across the Seine and I saw, you know, the Grand Pelais, and
I went back across and the lead. And the thing is, most Americans, if you've traveled to Europe, you're probably been to Paris at least once, right, So it was familiar. And I'm sure though when when when When when NBC was showing all these places, said yep, I've been there, I've seen that, I've been there. So I think that's what was romana, especially coming after Tokyo, which is a big, sprawling city, and of course don't forget that was during COVID. I was masked the whole time I was, I was
putting quarantine. For the first two days I was there. It was hot, there were no fans there, and suddenly to go from there to Paris, where you could go all of the city, walk, to take the metro, all the restaurants are open. I mean, it's the first Olympics. I gained weight at.
The old red wine and the old French bread.
Do you do you think the Paris Games made the Games more appealing to other cities again, because it seemed to me for a while there was some negative publicity like did you really want the Olympics in your country?
Well, that was the thing, mostly because of the cost. I mean, it was really interesting. You look at various games where you know four or five cities and then suddenly there are only one city wants it. Uh So if you look at one reason why they chose Paris and they're going to go back to La, they want places that have had the games before, right, that don't have to build and for example, uh, Paris didn't have to build a whole lot and in La has to
build almost nothing. Basically everything that was there in eighty four is till there end have added new things. So that's what they want. You know. What was happening is residents of the cities are saying, well, not it's going to spend ten billion dollars when we can afford schools, right, you know, for the for this two weak party. So I think that that is where they, you know, they want to go. So I think the days when only
dictatorships could hold these games is over the end. They don't want to keep going back to the Beijings and you know, and uh, the moscows. They want to be able to go back to the places that are welcoming and I don't have to go into debt. Well.
I remember Rio because I thought Rio was terrific on television, but then I heard the horror stories after about how the stadiums were just abandoned and the homeless, I mean, and the next thing, you know, the homeless was staying there and they had moved people out to build the stadiums. I mean, that's where the whole Olympic Games really too. And one of the reasons I think people didn't want to hear in Boston.
Well, and I think that that was that was a wise decision. I mean, I I kept thinking, can you imagine having the Athlete's village across the street from where the where the Boston Globe was at Columbia Point and searing them all around the city. Eleven thousand athletes not going to happen.
Yeah, well, you needed the room. It was a wonderful idea, but you needed the room. And then also and then you have the T John, And that's a whole other kettle fish.
H what was incredible? I road to thing come for? You know? What do we like to do is postcards in Paris and I wrote one about what it's like to go on the metro in a city that works. And they have a digital clock on every platform and it says four dex it means four minutes of the next train, and sixth of the minute's on one. After that, there is a subway stop every five hundred meters. It's
impeccably clean, it's perfect, it's clean. And then you go to the T, and then you go to the T and then you go here.
We go, you know, And now I got to go catch a bus, John, I want to look ahead to Los Angeles. Can you hang on for one more?
Break sure.
Okay.
John Powers is with us, the dean of Olympic coverage right here on WBC's Night Side. Gary Taglae for Dan Ray.
Now back to Dan ray line from the Window World night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
John Powers our guests here, Gary Tagua for Dan Ray tonight here on nights Side, talking about the Olympics and one lies ahead. Okay, Los Angeles, John, we've seen it before, eighty four, I believe correct, big time for jump onoy Samuelson? What should we expect? And are you going?
Well? That? That is my plan?
Okay? Kid? Good? Now? What should we nine?
Yeah?
Why not?
You sound great though? I mean you really do you sound great? What do you What should we expect? What do you think?
Well? One thing is that basically everything is already built. One thing that people may not remember about eighty four. The games are in terrible trouble at that point because Monsteret Montreal lost a bundle in nineteen seventy six and only two cities bid for eighty four. Tehran, Iran the bid for it at La Wow, so they went to La by deep. La made money on those games because everything was built except two things they needed a pool. McDonald's built the pool. They needed a velodrome, seven to
eleven built that. So everything that they needed was there that you Peter, Yes, So what happened is they got a found nation with the profits in LA that pays for youth sports. So what I mean basically LA checks all the boxers. You've got tons of hotels, great freeways, you know, the weather's going to be fine, all everything's built. We already know where we're going to be. We were in hotels in eighty four. The media is going to be in the USC dorms, and the athletes are going
to be up up up at UCLA. They showed the coliseum everything they did plus new stuff. And I think you're going to see a great US team because a lot of Americans athetes are going to say, you know what, next time it's in La, my home country, I want to be there. That's why people you know, you know, even Simone was saying, I want to be in La.
Oh sure there is absolutely.
And certainly NBC is going to love it. You're kidding me because he loves that everything in prime time.
It makes it easier, there's no doubt. And now with the with the world we live in. I mean before you wouldn't even think about it. You wouldn't look at your phone and see who won, right you just oh, I'm you know, I'll see it tonight, even though it was pre recorded or a different time zones, whatever. What can we look forward to? Is there an athlete, is there a competitor? Is there an event that will be new to us?
It's anywhere. You know, what's going to happen. Baseball and softball are back, believe it or not. Yep, it's going to be a bit crazy because I know, for example, they had breaking at these games. They're not going to have breaking at those games. They're still arguing about what's going to be on the program. Boxing is going to be a huge issue. The IOC has basically run that at the last two games because it's so corrupt, right, and I think that boxing has disappeared.
Well, remember it's ultimate fighting.
Now, you know. Well, yeah, you remember in nineteen seventy two, Immunich, we all watched Sugar Ray Seals and all those people. Seventy six was huge, huge, you know, you always had Howard Cosell and suddenly no one cares about it.
Well, George foreman holding's foreman holding the flag with.
His much Yes, exactly, yeah, sure.
Well bought listen boxing. Look, I've covered don King, I covered it. You know, it just got it got too It just got so bad with the setups and the personalities change. You always need a big I could talk to you forever about the whole boxing thing. But look, mma is it Will that ever be an Olympic sports.
Well, it's interesting if I told you that breaking is going to be right right? What you know? But I think one thing that the IOC is always fun as a mes fact that it's kind of funny. The last thing that the IOC president says of the coding ceremonies is we invite the youth of the world to be with us in Los Angeles eight. Well, yeah, I mean not that there aren't older people, but they'd like to
skew young Also, TV likes it. They love you know, mountain biking, they love breaking, they love stir you know, they love the stuff that the young people like.
Sure, well, you know, and why not? Right, I mean, that's the way it should be. You need to adjust with the times. Did you hang out with Snoop?
You know, I kidnap my favorite moment. But I mean he got into it. There was a thing he was in a dresiage uniform with the helmet that he used in the horse for the feeding a character a horse. Apparently he's terrified of horses.
Yeah, he's grae Yeah, I mean he was.
He was huge, he was everywhere. He's yeah, and I think what happens is he's ageless. I remember my my youngest son, who's now in his mid forties, listening to Snoop Dogg in the nineties, right, and he's still around.
Hey, he's doing cooking shots with Martha Stewart, you know. I mean, yeah, he's unbelievable. I remember seeing him at Patriot Super Bowl parties because he grew up with Willie mcguinness's right.
And you know what, You're gonna see him in LA and work in LA. He's going to be a man him in Milan for the Winter Games.
Yeah.
I mean, well, he's great. He's great for the product, he's great for diversity. It's just it's it's good all the way around. And so are you, John. Good health to you, man. I'd love seeing you covering these games. You are the dean of Olympic Writers. And thanks for joining us.
Thanks guys, how did that for me?
Okay, we'll do John Powers, one of the greats I mean on the Mount Rushmore of the Boston Globe joining us, I mean Bob Ryan, John Powers, Dan Shaughnessy, Peter Gammons, Will McDonough, Jackie McMullin, Peter May, Franny Rosa, Kevin Paul DuPont. Powers is right there with them all, with them all, and it was a pleasure to talk to him. I got into the Olympics. I didn't think I would, but something about Paris and just the whole vibe and everybody seemed to be happy. Everybody seemed to be in a
good mood. Countries were cheering for one another. It wasn't abrasive, it was a it was I just have to say it was fun to watch. It was great, and it's it's okay to cheer for other countries, you know. I mean, I think we're beyond that, you know, the whole iyon curtain thing and us against them.
Bah.
Okay, coming up next, are you a deadhead? Do you love the Grateful Dead? I got a movie for you to watch that Mickey Hart stars in, and it talks about the rhythm of music, and it talks about the rhythm of sports. You might want to have a gummy or two when you watch it. I listen, my buddy Toy Champagne directed it and Mickey Hart one of the two drummers for The Grateful Dead. He is something else and he makes a lot of sense, and he's on the same page with the Joe Montanas of the world
and Jack Nicholas, Bob Coozy and Bob Coosey. Bob Coosey and the Grateful Dead are on the same page when it comes to the rhythm of life and the rhythm of sports. And that's coming up next on wbz's Excite