Saturday, August 11, 2012

MONEY RUNS THE SHOW IN LONDON

My SmartPhone buzzes on the night table.  I open one eye.  2:15 am.
 
 It's somebody who either needs bail, or a designated driver?  If it's somebody who wants me to subscribe to the Times, I'll...

My hand jerks out, and I fall half off the bed.  I slap at it, and catch it in the air.

"Brentwood Belair here.  I'm really strapped for money at the moment, so..."

"Woody, it's me.  Aby.  And do I have a  story for you."

"Well," I say.  "As I live and breathe, Abilene Austin.  KLUK-TV Sports.  But, Aby... Sweety...can't this wait until I've had my morning..."

"Scandal at the Olympics.  Can that wait?"

I lurch up on my elbows.

"Heads will roll about this," she says.  "And I'm giving the story only to you, because...I like you Woody."

"So, how much is this Scandal going to cost me?"

"Nothing.  Like I said, 'cause I like you Woody.  We're buds, right."

"Who is  it, honey?" says Helena.  She rubs my leg.  

"You with somebody?  Who is that with you?  Helena?"

"Well, " I say.  I look over and touch Helena.  "We had some wine, it got late, and I asked her..."

"I'm not real sure what you see in her, anyway."

"She's blond."

Silence.

I swing my feet to the floor.  "Okay, Abilene.  What's going on."

"Nigel...he's  my guy...in London.  He just called me.  His sources have this story about money changing hands with the IOC.  It's scandalous.  I'll do the story first on TV, and you have to wait four hours before you can Blog about it."

"Seems fair.  This Nigel, how credible is he?"

"Honey," says Helena.  "Abilene Austin?  Why is he's calling you...at 2 am?  Woody..."  She pulls at my arm.

"I heard that," says Abilene.  "And yes, it's Nigel.  He might not be blond...but he's credible.  Hey, I can be blond too, you know."

"I like you just the way your are, Aby, you know that."

"You do."

"Aby...2 am...I've been drinking wine..."

"Okay, Nigel has his contacts.  Vice President Biden and his Dragon Tattoos.  Remember?  Nigel had a maid on his payroll at Number One Observatory Circle, where the Vice President lives. He gave me that story back when I was doing TV in Amarillo."

"That story was huge."  I remember.  "Stories like that don't come cheap.  You must have paid a lot for that one, right?"

"Well, we sort of had a history then, and he came to visit..and, well...Hey, I broke the story didn't I?  Woody, you want this Scandal story, or not?"

I smile and touch Helena again.  She is listening to every word.  Her eyes are wide.

"Aby, you're the prettiest sports lady on TV."  I wink at Helena.

"Got that right."  She breaths heavily. "Anyway, the Scandal.  South African swimmer Cameron van der Burgh, who won the gold medal in the 100-meter Breaststroke has admitted to cheating during his winning swim."

"He admitted it?" I say.

"So," she says. "Take away his Gold Medal.  He cheated.  But no.  There is a very short period of time when race results are subject to review. If that time expires, barring a failed drug test, the medal stands."

" Wait?  What? " I say.  "But he confessed?"

"According to the breaststroke rules, swimmers are allowed one "Dolphin" kick under water after they dive into the pool, and another one after each turn.

"Van der Burgh took three extra dolphin kicks during his gold medal swim.  And it was caught on camera.  But Olympic judges aren't allowed to use underwater video."

"So, he got away with it, and gets to keep his medal?"

Helena puts her arm around my middle. "Who gets away with it? " she says.

"Is that...her again?  Tell me again why she's there?"

"I told you, it's her dreamy blond hair.  Now... this Scandal.  It's crazy he keeps his medal."

"This Van der Burgh said he's not willing to sacrifice four years of hard work to somebody else who is willing to do it and get away with it."

"So he's saying they all do it, so it's okay?  Something like traveling in basketball?  They all do it?   Holding in the NFL?"

"I would think faster races would create more excitement," says Aby.  "Heck, the NBC underwater cameras could easily spot illegal kicks."

"Add sharks to the pool.  Now that would get me to watch more swimming." 

"Sharks?" says Helena.  She rubs my back.

"Is she still there?" says Abilene.  "Hey, I can be a blond."

"So, the officials won't make it right, even after the guy tells everyone he cheated?"

"Here's what Nigel says happened.  This guy Van der Burgh was so arrogant,  the USA said it would  challenge his Gold Medal.  So, South Africa, in response, is challenging Trey Hardee.  They say he stepped on a lane line in his 200 meter Decathlon run.  He should have been disqualified.

"So, here's the real Scandal.  Nigel says the IOC sat down with both sides, and took two million pounds from each, in exchange for turning a blind eye to the whole affair.  Everybody wins, it seems."

"Yeah," I say. "Everybody wins but Integrity."

Helena leans on one elbow.  "Hi, Aby," she says.

"Helena says Hi," I say.  "And thanks for the story."

"Yeah, hi...So we good on this?  'Cause I gotta go.  I need to go buy me a bottle of blond."

"You do that, my dear, at 2 :15 am."  I say. "You do that."
 .....................................

Help comes from:
washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/ashton-eaton-trey-hardee-finish-1-2
/uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/van-der-burgh-admits-using-illegal-dolphin-kick-150250668.html
readabilityformulas.com,

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