I'm at women's basketball today, and just watched South Dakota native Becky Hammon make a driving, twisting layup and a pull-up jumper to lead Russia to a 58-53 victory over Canada.

Hammon scored 14 points. She went 0-for-5 from the three-point line, but ran the team well.

This afternoon (London time) I'll be watching the three Lynx play for the USA team against Croatia, and then I"ll be trying to make the hour-plus bus trip to the suburbs to watch the USA women's volleyball team, under the auspices of incoming Gophers coach Hugh McCutcheon.

Not to sound too much like Seinfeld, but what is up with that mascot? Have you seen the Olympic mascot? It looks like...well, my newspaper won't allow me to tell you what I think it looks like.

You're telling me London, with all of its history and culture, comes up with this as its Olympic representative?

I know it's difficult coming up with a new mascot that won't be ripping off another team's symbol, a mascot that will appeal to children and countries around the world.

I think Keith Richards should have been the Olympic mascot. Or Johnny Depp doing Keith Richards. Keef would remind the world that drugs, alcohol and tobacco will make you look like...him.

other cultures don't seem to value deod