Possible Nordique Combined Comeback?

Brian Schwartz's Nordique Combined team, which has fallen far back of the leaders, needs a big night to get back into contention. Golds from Canada women's hockey and South Korean figure skating could provide the team 75 points, and medals from USA freestyle skiing would help. Otherwise Schwartz's squad is finished.

11 AM & 3:30 PM PST - Ice Hockey
Ice hockey was covered in our medal round preview. Both women's games are important today, as the bronze medal game features our first and third place fantasy teams. Ellis Kunka, managing Cornballers (Finland) takes on John Binz's Da Nang Dynamos (Sweden). The gold medal game shapes up as a virtual elimination match between Brian Schwartz's Nordique Combined (Canada) and Paragons, managed by Dave Spence (USA). Both teams trail by nearly 100 points and need double gold in hockey to win the Fantasy Olympics.

5 PM PST - Figure Skating
The final figure skating medal is the women's individual, worth 25 points for gold. Ranking first after the short program is the favorite Yu-Na Kim (Brian Schwartz/Nordique Combined). Kim, the favorite going in and clearly the best skater during the free skate, leads by almost five points and will win gold unless she falls. She won't.

Japanese skater Mao Asada (Zach Chromiak/Banker's Club) had a very good short program and is in second, 2.5 points ahrad of the Canadian Joannie Rochette (Ellis Kunka/Cornballers). As I'm sure you know, Rochette's mother died yesterday and is on home ice, both advantages in the judging. Luckily I will not be watching so I don't have to hear NBC announcers imply that winning the bronze medal somewhat offsets her mother's death by saying that it doesn't.

Japan's Miki Ando is in fourth and the USA's Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu (Tim Lavoie/Fightin' Ovechkins) are in fifth and sixth. As always, nobody below that has a chance to pick up a medal.

6 PM PST - Freestyle Skiing
Freestyle skiing wraps up with the Men's Aerials. The only countries represented in the final are China, Canada, the USA, Switzerland and Belarus. The field is wide open after Belarus's Anton Kushnir (undrafted), aerials champion in four of six World Cups this year, fell in qualifying and did not advance.

My pick to win is Canada's Steve Omischl (Adam Claus/Ice Lugers). He took silver in the 2009 World Championships and has 40 top three finishes in his career. Take the home team in a judged sport.
Canadian Kyle Nissen is my choice for silver. He has only won two World Cup aerial golds in his career but is always near the top. Guangpu Qi of China (Ellis Kunka/Cornballers) has three World Cup silvers this year in aerials and is my pick for bronze.

The U.S. (Brian Schwartz/Nordique Combined) has a couple of veteran athletes, Ryan St. Onge and Jeret Speedy Peterson, but I don't expect either to medal.

Ice Dancing Could Extend Kunka's Lead

7:45 PM PST - Figure Skating
Russian couples have dominated ice dancing ever since it was introduced at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. This year, North Americans have the top two scores entering tonight's Free Dance - threatening to ruin Dave Spence's first overall Russian figure skating pick and keep the Paragons in the bottom of the standings. The top couple at the end of the Free Dance will win the 25 point gold for their fantasy team. As in all figure skating events, it's necessary to enter the medal event in the top five to have a real chance at a medal.

Amid complaints of biased juding, Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Weir (Ellis Kunka/Cornballers) lead the competition with 111.15 points. Ice dancing is really the only figure skating event left that depends mainly on the judges' opinion, and even the crowd reaction. So the Canadians will be hard to beat at home. A 25 point gold would be a major coup for the team that already leads Fantasy Winter Olympics.
Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White (Tim Lavoie/Fightin' Ovechkins) are second with 108.55 points. The Ovechkins are in third and really need the gold to make up some ground on the Cornballers. Another American couple, Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, are in fourth and threaten to give Lavoie two medals should the Russians falter.

Speaking of the Russians, Dave Spence's first round pick of Russia Figure Skating has to be the worst ever opening pick of a Fantasy Olympics. That pick is a major reason why Paragons are in seventh. In their manager's defense, this is the only ever Fantasy Olympics. Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin were favored for gold going into the Games but are in third now with 106.6 points.

Italians Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali (undrafted), in fifth, are the only other couple with a realistic chance to medal. France (Adam Claus/Ice Lugers) has the sixth and seventh spots now but would need some major mistakes to move into the top three.

Possible 50 Point Night for Lavoie

Only two medals are up tonight, but both are huge ones. With victories from USA Figure Skating and USA Snowboarding, the previously disgraced Tim Lavoie could manage his Fightin' Ovechkins near the top of the standings. I know you'll be watching.

5 PM EST - Figure Skating
Tonight we will see whether there's any truth to barroom rumors of a "quad-quad" combo, as well as who gets 25 points in men's figure skating.

The Dave Spence-managed Paragons really need this gold medal and I think they'll get it. Evgeni Plushenko of Russia won the short program, and considering I find men's figure skating unwatchable, I have to pick everyone to remain in the same position. Note that this is in no way a validation of Spence's choice in making Russian figure skating his first round pick. Though drafting can be a difficult exercise, EVERY TEAM ON THE BOARD was still available. As a side note, people in the final row of Legislation may be questioning my sexuality based on some of the images that came up while I was searching for a Pleshenko illustration during class.
American Evan Lysacek (Tim Lavoie/Fightin' Ovechkins) was second in the short program and Johnny Weir was sixth. The 25 point medal would obviously be huge for Lavoie and could vault his team all the way into the top three.

Japan's Daisuke Takahashi (Zach Chromiak/Banker's Club) was third. Takahashi sounds like he would be a pretty solid lefthanded set-up man with strikeout skills and good control. Another Japanese skater, Nobunari Oda, was fourth and clearly would be a slugger, batting fifth in a good lineup.

Fifth place Stephane Lambiel (undrafted), skating for Switzerland, is the only other skater with a realistic chance to medal, though the seventh place Canadian Patrick Chan (Ellis Kunka/Cornballers) could benefit from home ice advantage in a judged sport.

6 PM PST - Snowboarding
Tim Lavoie's Fightin' Ovechkins could rocket up the standings tonight with a sweep of the Women's Half Pipe. USA Snowboarding is the only thing keeping Lavoie's squad afloat, with two gold medals already. The Americans are favored to continue their dominance tonight.

My pick for the 16.7 point gold, representing Toledo, Ohio, is Gretchen Bleiler. It's pretty hard to imagine thinking about snowboarding without thinking about Northwest Ohio. She won silver at Turin and has improved her skills since then, culminating in an electrifying performance in the Super Pipe at the Winter X Games.

Burlington, Vermont's own Kelly Clark took the gold in this event at Salt Lake City at the age of 18, then finished fourth at Turin. I think she'll have a great run, I just can't pick Tim Lavoie to win gold with another Vermont athlete.

Although the Americans are the favorites and the event is scored based on two runs, we saw last night that it's very possible for even a top 6 athlete to fall during both runs. There's another group below them that could easily take the gold.

The athlete with the best chance to upset the Americans is Australian Torah Bright (Zach Chromiak/Banker's Club). She's finished in the top two in Super Pipe at the past four X Games. While she probably can't beat a perfect run by either of my top two choices, Bright is more consistent and is unlikely to be kept off the podium.

Also a threat for gold is Hannah Teter, another Vermont native, who recently took some time off to found a charity supporting humanitarian efforts in Kenya. While she just qualified for the Games in January and some are doubting her chances due to time away from the sport, remember that she won gold in Turin despite coming off an injury that threatened her chances to even compete.

Figure Skating Medals Prove Binz Is the Ideal Man

There were those among us, see, e.g., Nicole Hauptman, who doubted John Binz's attitude towards woman. No more. John Binz's Da Nang Dynamos erased all doubt by taking gold and silver in Pairs Figure Skating tonight.

Guided by the steady hand and warm heart of John Binz, who taught them what love really is, the Chinese pair of Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao took the gold. And also coached romantically and chivalrously by John Binz, Qing Pang and Jian Tong had the highest score of the night, moving up from fourth place to win the silver medal.

For the Chinese skaters, it was the culimination of a lifetime of training. For John Binz, it was a validation. These results prove that Binz is not only a gentleman, but The Perfect Gentleman.

The love between the medal-winning couples is exceeded only by the newly blooming love of all women for Binz.

"I'd definitely hook up with John Binz," said an attractive female source who wished to remain anonymous.
The medals gave Binz's Da Nang Dynamos a huge 41.7 points, catapulting him to first place - the same place he now holds in the hearts of women worldwide. Also picking up golds tonight were Tim Lavoie (USA Snowboarding, 16.7 points) and Brittany B. (South Korea Speed Skating, 8.3 points).

STANDINGS THROUGH MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15

1. John Binz, Da Nang Dynamos
69.7 PointsFigure Skating 37.5 (1G, 1S)
Short Track Speed Skating 12.5 (1G)
Freestyle Skiing 6.3 (1S)
Biathlon 5 (1S)
Alpine Skiing 4.2 (1S)
Speed Skating 4.2 (1S)

2. Brian Schwartz, Nordique Combined
52 PointsLuge 25 (1G, 1S)
Freestyle Skiing 18.7 (1G, 2B)
Cross Country Skiing 8.3 (1G)

3. Brittany B., Buck-Toothed Rabbit Bitches
50.7 PointsSpeed Skating 12.5 (1G, 1S)
Biathlon 10 (1G)
Short Track Speed Skating 9.4 (1S, 1B)
Nordic Combined 8.3 (1S)
Figure Skating 6.3 (1B)
Ski Jumping 4.2 (1B)

4. Tim Lavoie, Fightin' Ovechkins
41.7 PointsSki Jumping 16.7 (1G)
Snowboarding 16.7 (1G)
Speed Skating 8.3 (1G)

5. Ellis Kunka, Cornballers
39.6 PointsNordic Combined 16.7 (1G)
Ski Jumping 8.3 (1S)
Speed Skating 8.3 (1G)
Cross Country Skiing 4.2 (1S)
Alpine Skiing 2.1 (1B)

6. Adam Claus, Ice Lugers
30.1 PointsFreestyle Skiing 18.8 (1G, 1S)
Biathlon 5 (1S)
Snowboarding 4.2 (1B)
Speed Skating 2.1 (1B)

7. Zach Chromiak, Banker's Club
18.8 PointsBiathlon 12.5 (1G, 1B)
Luge 4.2 (1B)
Cross Country Skiing 2.1 (1B)

8. Joy Sadaly, Olympic Ring Worm Wood Stock Market District Attorney
16.6 PointsAlpine Skiing 8.3 (1G)
Snowboarding 8.3 (1G)

9. Dave Spence, Paragons
8.4 PointsCross Country Skiing 6.3 (1S, 1B)
Speed Skating 2.1 (1B)

Figure Skating Highlights Evening Action

Three more gold medals will be given out this evening, as our Fantasy Winter Olympics league hopes to keep up its collective streak of flawlessly picking the gold and silver medal winners.

2:53 PM PST - Snowboarding
Snowboarding opens with the Men's Snowboard Cross. Frenchman Pierre Vaultier is a huge favorite to take this big 16.7 point medal for Adam Claus's Ice Lugers. He's won the cross in four of five World Cup events this season, finishing second in the other one. He's an obvious pick for gold in Canada.
Xavier De La Rue took silver in this event at last year's World Championships and is a threat to take a second French medal. But I'm taking a couple of Americans (Tim Lavoie/Fightin' Ovechkins) for the other medals. The USA's Nate Holland, the only athlete to beat Vaultier, is my choice for silver. I expect Seth Wescott, from the snowboarding mecca of Durham, North Carolina, to win bronze.

3:30 PM PST - Speed Skating
While the distance events belong to the Dutch in this sport, the 500 meter, 1.25 lap sprint is the forte of the North American and Asian nations.

Race 1 is at 3:30 PST and Race 2 is two hours later.

I'm picking Jeremy Wotherspoon (Dave Spence/Paragons) to take Canada's second gold medal, and South Koreans Lee Kang-Seok and Lee Kyou-Hyuk (Brittany B./Buck-Toothed Rabbit Bitches) for silver and bronze.

Japan's Keiichiro Nagashima (undrafted) and the USA's Tucker Fredericks (Zach Chromiak/Banker's Club) also have a good chance to medal.

5 PM PST - Figure Skating
Finally, the event that brings tears to our eyes yet warms our hearts. The Pairs Figure Skating free skate.

The Chinese, and of course John Binz's Da Nang Dynamos, are looking great in this one. Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao turned in the best short program of all time last night and of course rank first. Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang are fifth and Qing Pang/Jian Tong are fourth going in.
Sorry everyone else, but there's just no way Shen/Zhao can be dethroned. I also think Pang/Tong will move up to silver. The love between these two couples was so apparent, that even eating Wendy's with John Binz while watching it made for a romantic Valentine's Day. The longer and less constrained free skate will allow for even more of this love to bloom in the judges hearts, manifesting itself in high scores written in ink warmed by romance.

Russians Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov (Dave Spence/Paragons) also had a beautiful short program to place third. I think they'll hang on and get the bronze.

The Germans Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy (Brittany B./Buck-Toothed Rabbit Bitches) really scared me with their opera outfits and Sharpie eyebrows, so despite placing second last night I'm predicting they move down to fourth.

Men's Moguls & Figure Skating Previews

2:30 PM PST - Freestyle SkiingQualification for the Men's Moguls begins at 2:30 PM PST with the final at 5:30 PM PST.

It's not quite "Xavier Nady returning to PNC Park" but there's a homecoming storyline with Australian Dale Begg-Smith (John Binz/Da Nang Dynamos). Apparently he skied for Canada in juniors but quit the program and moved to Australia because the Canadian coaches objected to him pursuing outside interests other than skiing. He refused to talk to Canadian reporters before the event, but I think he'll do his talking with a gold medal.
Other contenders are Canada's Alexandre Bilodeau (Adam Claus/Ice Lugers) and Jesper Bjornland of Sweden (Zach Chromiak/Banker's Club). I think Bilodeau, a former World Cup champion, will take the silver and Bjornland gets the bronze.

Guilbaut Colas of France (undrafted), with seven World Cup gold medals - including one less than a month ago in this event - is another strong contender.

4:30 PM PST - Figure SkatingFigure skating junkies and Fantasy Olympians are no doubt looking forward to tonight's Pairs Short Program which is the first appearance of the sport at Vancouver.

The scores will be combined with the free skate to determine a 25 point gold medal, huge in the Fantasy Winter Olympics. Some of the top teams have the extra motivation of proving commentators wrong, such as the asshole at fantasywinterolympics.blogspot.com who criticized some early figure skating draft picks.

During the Pairs Short Program, couples must execute eight required elements in two minutes and 50 seconds.
1. Lift
2. Double or triple twist lift
3. Double or triple throw jump
4. Solo (side-by-side) double or triple jump
5. Solo (side-by-side) spin combination with one change of foot
6. Pair spin combination with one change of foot
7. Death spiral on a specified edge
8. Spiral or step sequence

The program is set up like a Journey concert. Open with a favorite and then close with five songs everbody knows.

Two-time Olympic bronze medalists Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China (John Binz/Da Nang Dynamos) will skate first in the short program. Then there's a huge break before any of the other favorites.
European champions Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov of Russia (Dave Spence/Paragons) skate 16th. Skating 17th are Canadian champions Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison.

Two more Chinese couples - Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao, silver medalists in Turin, and Pang Qing and Tong Jian, the 2006 world champions - are strong contenders and will skate 18th and 19th. Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany (Brittany B./Buck-Toothed Rabbit Bitches, winners of the last two world titles, will skate last.

Don't stop believing, but I'm picking the Germans to take the gold with the Chinese taking silver and bronze.