Steve Dilbeck: Rats on ice
``There he is!’’
``Where?’’
``Right up there, half-way up the slope. Bending over next to that guy in the bright yellow jacket.’’
``Nah, I think that’s Chip Knight.’’
It is the Bode Miller Watch. Humbling, demeaning, frustrating, and normally at these Olympics, unfulfilling.
Millers skied five races at these Games. After participating in their event, athletes are supposedly required to walk through a fenced off mixed zone where the media await. They are not required to stop and talk to the media, but at least walk by so they know they’re
getting snubbed.
With skiing events, however, there are just too many areas for an athlete to ski off the slope and down to some chair lift.
Bode has this wired. In his five events, he did not go through the mixed zone one time. The only time he spoke to the assembled herd was when he was spotted making a quick exit left, and stopped for a few minutes for the hustling troops.
So here we are again Saturday, Bode has bombed out as usual, missing a gate one-fourth of the way down, and our eagle eyes are trained on the slopes for a skier in the U.S. uniform.
Chip Knight at least wears the right outfit.
Those of us more experienced at this, however, later spotted Bode on a ridge just off the slalom course speaking to a U.S. team official. He appeared to nod his head a few times and ski off.
There were maybe a handful of us who some him ski off. We hustled __ it is very difficult to run in icy snow __ over to the same spot we nabbed him the one time before, but Bode took a wider route, blew by and was never seen again.
Later he spoke exclusively to The Associated Press. I’m thinking they have his cell number, or a key to his RV.
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