BODE LOSES!!!

Big news! Ted Ligety won the gold medal in the Alpine combined competition at the Turin Olympics! It is the first skiing gold captured by an American since 1994, and only the 4th Alpine gold ever. Let's tune in to SportsCenter to get the inside dope!

Dan Patrick: Welcome to SportsCenter. Bode Miller was disqualified this afternoon from the men's Alpine combined competition for straddling a gate. The U.S. ski team says it will not dispute the ruling. Miller's exit left the field open for Ted Ligety, who won the gold medal in Miller's absence. Steve Cyphers reports.

Cyphers: Ted Ligety won the gold medal, but Miller was disqualified for the competition for straddling a gate. When asked for reaction, Bode made some wisecracks.

[Somber shaking of heads]

DP: Let's go to Picabo Street for some comments on Miller's abominable behavior.

PS: One of these days, Bode's going to have to grow up.

DP: Thanks, Peek. And now let's see what the PTI guys have to say about the abysmal Bode.

Kornheiser: Is Bode a bust?

Wilbon (magnanamously): Not yet, Tony. He's got three events to go. But if he doesn't take the gold in one of those, he's all hype and no substance. Back to SportsCenter.

[End transcript]

Okay, I obviously paraphrased a bit there, but that really was the substance of the report. 95% of the words delivered in the opening segment were about Bode Miller. Ted Ligety, who came out of nowhere, shocked the world, and won the first skiing gold medal for the U.S. in 12 years, was virtually ignored so that the commentators could indulge their obsession with Bode Miller.

They watch with bated breath. Should we love him? Should we hate him? Well, today he lost, so we hate him, but just in case he turns things around and wins a gold, we're prepared to swing around too and proclaim him king of the world.

Hey, guess what guys? There's a ski competition going on here! Believe it or not, they didn't cancel the whole thing after Bode went down. And just because Ligety hasn't been pre-anointed Mr. Olympics 2006 doesn't mean that we, the sports news-consuming public, aren't interested in the fact that he just won the gold medal.

The PTI guys' "analysis" was especially rich given that they are the ones who are hyping Bode! Sure, Bode goes around and says some pretty outrageous things, but who cares? It's not like the guy has guaranteed a gold or anything. Just because you're obsessed with a guy doesn't mean that he's to blame for your own feeling of disappointment when he loses.

This is Ted Ligety's day. ESPN's ignoring him in favor of the scripted star system is disgraceful.