Paul Oberjuerge: Emily Hughes Bashing
Hey, maybe Michelle should have given herself a few more days, see if the medicos could have transplanted a groin from a cadaver or something, or maybe she could have trekked over to Lourdes and had that groin blessed ...
Because the Ring Heads are ragging on her replacement, Emily Hughes, pretty fiercely.
This really is the essence of "buzz" because it's not something anyone has really written. It's not a formal declaration. It's chit-chat in the mag-and-bag line, it's a snippet of convo in the mixed zone, waiting for Apolo Anton Ohno to drag his soul patch out of the arena and into mumbling range.
The nub: Emily stinks.
The story lines we're hearing is that she wasn't really even a very good junior. She joins the senior ranks this year, puts up a couple of fifth-place finishes in lesser events. Then she gets to the U.S. Championships in St. Louis last month and skates out of her mind in the short program. (Like, a where-did-that-come-from? event.) Then, in the free (long) program, she falls apart, falls down a lot, stinks up the arena ... but as it turns out, everyone else not named Sasha Cohen was equally as bad, or worse, and Miss Emily hangs on to third place. Putting her in position to jet over the pond as soon as The Kwanster blew another muscle.
As bad as Emily apparently is, and the serious Ringers saw her in St. Louis, maybe the IOC could have let Michelle skate with a crutch or something.
At least the expectations for Emily aren't too high. Unless you think "MAYBE top 15?" is too high.
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