Photo of the Weekend: US Indoors

Slow day so far, so we'll kick it off with the best part of the US Indoor Champs, courtesy our good friends over at the Associated Press.

Just as Khadevis Robinson edged out Symmonds, the above photo just barely edged out the following, for Photo of the Weekend honors:

(courtesy LetsRun.com)

Look.....at them.....go!

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What They Didn't Tell You: Feb. 25th

I know there were some other things going on in track and field this weekend, but the gaze of our site and of our nation, were fixed squarely on Roxbury Community College, illustrious site of the USATF Indoor Track Championships. What they didn't tell you about the weekend, after the jump...

To be filed under, specifically, "Things ESPN didn't tell you" -- that there was a Men's 3k championship contested, never mind that it featured the #4 5k runner in the world, and saw the victor and both world team spots decided by mere seconds.

The consolation prize for just missing out on the free trip to Valencia by placing 3rd was $500, a handsome certificate stating that you are the 3rd best in your discipline in all of America, and a no-expenses-paid trip to Boston that probably cost you well over $500 to begin with.

Contrary to what their affable, back-porch rapport might have you think, Larry Rawson and Dwight Stones actually are mortal enemies and their blood feud finally boiled over Sunday evening, as they engaged in vicious slap fights during each commercial break. Stop it! No you stop it! No you stop it! I'm telling the producer! No I'm telling!

Prior to proving it with a lackluster performance, Adam Nelson publicly denied using any illegal chicken supplements.

Speaking of the throwers, you may have heard about the flap between Christian Cantwell and Reese Hoffa, in which Hoffa declined Cantwell's invitation to "Help out a brother, dude" by bringing one of Hoffa's own implements along for Cantwell to use. The reports, however, neglect to explain that the "128 indoor" to which Cantwell refers, is actually a code word for a massive, massive cock ring.

Those big Visa Championship Series novelty gift cards are actually just props. In truth, no money is awarded to any athletes and Lolo Jones' display of joy was actually prompted by a sudden pinch in the rear from a trackside admirer.

What the Visa Championship Series is, how it's scored or why it matters.

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The Forgotten Middle Child of Track...LIVE!

LTOB is ready to get. it. on. We have our cooler, our bag of chips and are sick of college basketball. We need a little track and field in our lives. Thankfully ESPN is willing to deliver some day old scraps. The only price: Listening to Luscious Larry Rawson and Dwight "No" Stones. We're Live Blogging the highlights of ESPN's coverage, after the jump...

6:59 J - I guess we just missed the 3k? Not cool. Of course, we are not so foolish as to have expected better. Oh well... that's all from us. Until next time... so long, from The Wedgie.

6:58 J - To Adam Nelson: the gold tastes like curly fries. Just so you know. They are delicious.

6:53 J - Larry... "normalcy" is not a word. The word you are looking for is "normality."

6:48 J - Apparently, Jen Stucyzinskiwitz can bench press 200 pounds. I did not need to hear that.

6:40 B - I agree, Lola Jones is the next big T & F star.

6:36 J - Lolo Jones with a terrible start. But like I've always said -- double in her case -- it's all about how she finishes. Eh? Eh?

6:33 J - Really not enjoying seeing Lolo Jones in her sit-down interview. Hearing her talk does very little for my appreciation for her. Eh - I'd still give her the business.

6:31 B - Nelson loses, not evenmakes world team. Big news.

6:29 B - Huge news, Steve Manz fouled in the shot put, I didnt want to watch the firt 5 laps of the 3k anyway, thanks for updating us on Manz.

6:22 B - great 1500. Thought Shierer was gonna get it. Went way too early. Rob Meyers has a pretty good racket going, win indoors whenever its weak. Multiple time national champion, world team member, the James Thie of American running.

6:16 J - Insert obligatory reference to Rob Myers' incredibly hot wife here.

6:15 J - Gabe Jennings. Runner, lover, drummer... poet? Book signer at Barnes & Noble? What the fuck?

6:13 B - Nelson, losing the shot put...big upset on the horizon.

6:07 B - McWilliams giving it the old college second try. What is with Stones and Rawson's crush on Teter? I would be worried if I were Nicole.

6:00 B - This just in, Dwight Stones loves the contact in track and field. Especially when runners are fighting over "that coveted pole" in an indoor track race.

5:57 B - ESPN: How can we get "the kids" out there excited about the track and field. We should play a little of the rock and roll, but make sure to make it as generic as possible and play it throughout the some exciting 400s.

5:46 J - I think the phrase "Reggie Lewis Center on the campus of Roxbury Community College" was just uttered for the 17th time. The Final Four gets in the Superdome, the Alamodome... US track gets into a small facility named after a basketball player at a community college. Awesome.

5:44 B - Nike athlete insight...this is new. Apparently, Adam Nelson likes attention, makes sense. Heres a tip from LTOB Adam, throw with a huge boner in your spandex, everyone will try not to watch, but they will.
Also, we're calling the reggie lewis center "the reggie" now, sounds a little too much like "the wedgie" if you ask us.

5:37 J - Cross highlights: You know what would really help the sport get popular? Only let hot chicks race.

5:3 1 J - Wurth-Thomas puts on a clinic. A running clinic. She credits her coach: Lance Harder. [ snickers uncontrollably ]

5:27 B - Here come the clip shows. 'Ol Rowberry (sic) pie gives that stellar 3k field a drubbing, out of nowhere. And the 1500 is off, let's watch...
More Rawsonisms to come...

5:23 B - Ok, is there any way we could get two more square announcers for ALL of our track meets. How about we put Lawrence Welk in there. I don't think Dave Coulier is doing anything. Wait a sec, I'm on the phone with my nana right now, she suggested this guy Herm who she plays Bingo with on Wednesdays, I say give him a try.

5:17 J - Great stretch run in the 8. "KD" by a chest hair... and yes, Dwight Stones... we DO love to see great races. Your words move in time to the beating of our hearts.

5:16 J - Rawson makes his first idiot comment saying "KD" has been the top US mid-D guy for the past 6-8 years. How many races did he win in Europe during Krummenacker's heydey, again?

5:15 Jeremy - Sorry I'm late. Doing laundry.

5:15 B - Eight hundo up first in the schedule of events I care about. Wow, Oden showing some media savvy. That was a great commercial.

5:11 Ben- Apparently they have coaxed Shamiqua Holdsclaw and Rebeccas Lobo off the court in enough time to let us watch some track.

5:09 Ben- I have always said that ESPN has decided what sports are popular for about 20 years now. Is there really a market for women's basketball? I can't believe there are people out there watching this. I guess you can't account for America's love for slow transition games and no-look passes.

5:01 Ben- I've made a concerted effort this time around to avoid results and get as close to a live experience as possible, which really only means avoiding a few internet sites for a while. Still couldn't do it. I know the 3k results. Jeremy was able to avoid it.

I just switched it on to espn2 and there is a women's basketball game on...typical. They just brought out the bucket of apples, that usually means the women's basketball game is about to over right?

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This Weekend in Running: 4 Fearless Predictions

We here at Less Than Our Best are concerned with very little. One of those few interests is discovering stuff white people like. The other is acting like we have some expertise in predicting things. Since we have yet to meet anyone who knows how to correctly predict the future with any reliability, we will assume that we are the only ones who have that kind of insight. And, just as we do after every weekend no matter what we wake up in/next to, we will not hold ourselves accountable. After the jump, five things that WILL happen this weekend:

1) Ladies (who are we kidding), just gentlemen, your qualifiers for the U.S. Distance Team (in the events we care about) at the IAAF WORLD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (we figure if we capitalize and italicize, someone out there just might get excited about a world indoor championship in an Olympic year):

Men 800
Christian Smith
Nick Symmonds
**conventional wisdom has Khadevis Robinson running away with this one, but we are not conventional, and we like beards**

Women 1500
Jenelle "Deathberry Pie" Deatherage
Sara Hall
**get you a slice!**

Men 1500
Steve Scheirar
"The Angel" Gabriel Jennings
**has VHI hybrid reality show written all over it: Where/Who are they Now?**

Women 3000
uuummmmmmmm.....thought they canceled it due to lack of athlete interest

Men 3000
Christopher Solinsky
Matthew Tegenkamp
**they finish, hand-in-hand, quietly walk to the nearest Panera Bread, and order a turkey sandwich, enough said**

2) Come Sunday, as news reports from Indoor Nationals slowly leak out, humans will finally put to bed the age old question: If a track meet is held but no one knows because there's no promotion, does it make a sound?

3) One of the two LTOB crew gets arrested for running, sans shorts, on the school rec center's new Alter-G Anti-Gravity Treadmill. When reached for comment, we only will have this to say: "it's like climbing the rope in gym class, with air pressure...and without shorts.

4) Adam Nelson's inevitable domination in the shot put at Indoor Nationals prompts whispers that he's still getting a little special help:

C'mon Tyson - share the wealth!

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USATF Indoors: Au Natural?

Scott Bush looks ahead to the USATF Indoor Track Champs to be held this weekend:

With the big four (Alan Webb, Bernard Lagat, Leo Manzano & Chris Lukezic) sitting out of this weekend's 1500m championship race, this allows some fresh faces a chance to make a U.S. team. [...] With Galen Rupp dropping out, and all of the top college milers chosing not to compete, questions surround who else has a legit shot to make the team. My favorite questions [sic] is, can Gabe Jennings make the squad? I sure hope so...it will add flair to a second-tier collection of talent.

Gabe Jennings... hmmmm... An interesting option, as far as adding flair is concerned. But I can think of a much better way...

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