GOLD MEDAL MEL

Talking with Milorad Cavic of Serbia and Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry

I've been catching up with a few of swimmers as they've finished their swims. I caught Katie Hoff with her family on the way to the Omega House. Katie's smile sort of hid her disappointment, but she's no worse for wear. She is now a multi-medalist with at least two more Games to go, not mention more American records under her belt. Katie's only 19. At 23 she'll be much, much tougher to beat.

I got Cavic on camera, the Serbin, and 100 butterfly silver medalist who almost stopped the Phelps juggernaut. He seemed a bit miffed, and at the same time happy with his personal performance. An interesting note: Cavic told me back at the Omaha Swimvitational in June that he intended to beat Phelps. I love confidence, and I appreciated him putting it out there. I also thought he was out of touch with his own talent... Cavic proved me wrong, and I was happy to see him swim so incredibly fast. I asked him when he was going to claim the world record in the 100 fly. He said, "I will, but I can't you give you a date yet."

Talked to Kirsty Coventry outside of the Cube. She was drinking a cold beer, celebrating with her Zimbabwean  teammates. Kirsty's a huge star back in her home country. I asked her "signicificant other, " a former UT swimmer, if she was going to continue you on. He smiled and nodded, like she would.....

The US Swimmers won't be out and about until after the last day of finals. I think CLUB BUD will be their hub. I looking forward to seeing them in a more relaxed atmosphere where the congrats can go around.....

Check out the videos (below) where I talk with Milorad and Kirsty...

Milorad Cavic discusses the 100 fly

Kirsty Coventry

The Gold Medal Mel & Chris Show

Style tips with Gary Hall Jr., Bart Connor and Nadia Comaneci

Peter Carlisle, Michael Phelps' agent

Mary Lou Retton at the USA House

NBC Truce, Tom Brokaw brokered deal

The homestretch...

I had an "issue" with NBC. I vlogged about it, jokingly. It was, however, a serious snafu. NBC's Senior VP emailed me, more than once, requesting that I take certain content down. Bottomline: Anything shot inside the CUBE is NBC-owned.

The Senior Veep is an old friend. He started his career at NBC Sports back at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, when I won. He was only a lowly analyst. I'm not sure if that's the correct title, but I believe his job was researching and fact checking for the TV production, a job you get right out of college. He was 22, had semi-big hair and an open-faced expression that was so innocent at the time. Honestly, he could've passed for a senior in high school.

Not anymore. He's neat and polished. He looks the part. We've communicated some as the Games approached. He's always lightning fast! He has all the answers to any questions. In sum, he's a pro.... I'm not going to stop poking fun at NBC. They do seem incredibly tight about their rights. I know they have to protect their $3.6 billon dollar investment, but if anything, I thought my vlog only promoted their production.

An interesting side note, the Veep really is a nice guy. I do think of him fondly. His face is a part of my best memories. The interesting part, he's on FaceBook with us, among us, and he's in the Gold Medal Mel group, taking our Olympic tour... I hope, despite the "rights issue," he's enjoying it as well.

Up later, a Mark Spitz vlog about the Olympics and money, and Olympic legend costs and fees. If you didn't read the latest news, Mark's been grumbling about not being "invited" to the Games to witness Michael Phelps make history. Mark got slammed in the media. Some are calling it a hatchet job. In truth, the reporter that got the scoop on Mark's bitterness was just doing his job. I'm almost certain he simply printed exactly what Mark said. In Mark's defense, his points are all correct. Mark should be here in Beijing, up in the stands, perhaps hanging that 8th gold medal around Michael's neck.

Unfortunately Mark can be a bit of a diva. I can't blame him. If I had won 7 gold medals, my ego would be certainly be tough to keep in check. On the dollar side, getting Mark Spitz here to do the whole media thing would cost upwards of $160k. My vlog with my buddy Chris, coming up in 24 hours, will break it down to every penny... The Olympic appearance and hosting game is a high-cost, high dollar biz. It's interesting, especially since Michael's pushing everyone's fee through the roof... More to come... Stay tuned.... Swimmers are finishing their races and showing up at the USA House and Club Bud. They're be in the NBC-free zone, where I can shoot...

Hitting the Great Wall, and getting hit back...

Hit the wall a little bit today (literally and figuratively--video proof below)--took some downtime. There will be new videos and vlogs up today. Yesterday, NBC took down any video I had that showed the races--now they've started taking down anything from inside the venue--including interviews where the venue is unrecognizable. I've been doing some work with AP--links to those videos below, as well as a new episode from swimnetwork.com and CHLORINATION as "Mel Week" continues... Associated Press videos here.

Love Letter from the Great Wall

GREATEST RELAY THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN

Coming up for air...

Apologies for my being M.I.A. these last couple days. It has been crazy--the trip from our hotel to the Water Cube can take up to two hours each way, even though it's only a few miles. We're going to prelims and finals, so do the math...

So to catch up. Michael Phelps 400 IM: does it get any better? Yes, it does: Jones, Weber-Gale, Lezak and Phelps blew the roof off in the 4x100. The Cube was going nuts. Best. Relay. Ever. Ran into Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines in the lobby after finals, and they were both hoarse. Hoff: So close in the 400 free. I think we're all disappointed for Hansen, but he says "he's not going out like that" so we have more swims to look forward to from him in the future.

So much more to talk about. I'll get back with more soon--this week is a marathon and I'm trying to pace myself. I'm working for the Associated Press in between morning and evening sessions, so watch for some more video--I'll be putting them up here as I get them.

Mel out.

The Mel & Chris Show