When it comes to sports in Baltimore, 2008 was a hot (Michael Phelps, the Ravens) and cold (the Orioles, Terps hoops) year. But whether the past year in sports left local fans cheering or screaming, there are many highlights to remember — including these 10:

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Following in the footsteps of John Madden and Tiger Woods, Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps wants to start his own video game empire. But curiously enough, swimming might not be the main event.

European publisher 505 Games is hoping its new U.S division can make a splash with games, due in 2010, built around the swimmer and local native. The Olympic hero looks at the deal as “a tremendous opportunity to help continue my quest to raise the profile for the sport of swimming.”

“Swimming will be a part of it, but it won’t be set in an Olympic pool going back and forth,” said Adam Kline, president of 505 Games, the company releasing the series. “This is a pure action game.”

More details will emerge closer to the first installment’s planned release in spring 2010. The game should be available on consoles and the iPhone. But the lack of specifics hasn’t stopped video game experts from speculating.
{THE BALTIMORE SUN AND AP}

When Michael Phelps left his mother’s house in Rodgers Forge four years ago, he was — despite his six gold medals and his 19 years on Earth — still a boy in almost every sense.

Last week, he returned to Baltimore a 23-year-old man, not to his mother’s house in Baltimore County but to a condo in Fells Point that he bought for $1.7 million. In addition to eight more gold medals, he’s brought with him a longing for what he once left behind: family, old friends, NFL football and the familiar sound of Baltimore accents.

He concedes life will be different. How different, he isn’t sure. Read the rest of this entry »

If you thought some of China’s gymnasts looked like they were about 10 years old, you’re not crazy.

The International Olympic Committee now says they’ll investigate the age of China’s gymnasts after virtually everybody laughed at the idea that they are all at least 16 years old.

According to the Associated Press, the IOC is not saying why they waited for the gymnastics events to end before opening an investigation, but nevertheless they are opening one up.

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TMZ is reporting that record-shattering Olympic champion Michael Phelps will settle down in Fell’s Point.

They say he’s purchased a condo for $1.7 million on the waterfront in Fell’s Point. Take a look at some of the pictures posted on that complex’s website and one word comes to mind: gorgeous.

Here’s a snippet from the condo’s website describing the building’s facilities: Read the rest of this entry »

Now that Phelps Fever has come to an end and the closing ceremonies of the Summer Olympic Games, you better make sure you watch as much Olympic action as possible over the weekend. Remember, you can watch the Orioles lose to the Yankees several times a year, but your next chance to watch one of the greatest spectacles in sports will be in 2010. Read the rest of this entry »

Sure, the “Baltimore Bullet” has his eight gold medals. But, Michael Phelps will get something else just about as notable: the payday of a lifetime.

CNN reports some analysts are predicting that Michael Phelps stands to make between $30 and $50 million a year in endorsements. That’s a marked improvement over the not-too-shabby $5 million he’s been making since the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Is this too much money for the best swimmer in the world? I’d say it’s not enough.

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As if he hasn’t broken enough records already, Phelps did it again and reached his goal of winning eight gold medals in one Games.
I have only one word for this.
Wow.

Do you think Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer alive? Ever? Or is it all just hype?

Let us know your thoughts on the Baltimore swimmer.

The Opening Ceremony at the Olympics was breathtaking. Wasn’t it? Sure, but not everything was as it appeared.

By now, you’ve probably heard about the little Chinese girl who sang in the Opening Ceremony but wasn’t seen. Instead, another girl — who Olympics organizers thought was prettier — lip-synced as the other girl’s voice was piped into the stadium. An Associated Press article explains that.

We’re also learning now that some of the fireworks shown on TV, exploding over the stadium, were pre-recorded.

Oh wait, there’s more.

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It’s great seeing a fellow Baltimorean, Michael Phelps, smashing everyone in his path in Beijing. But, if you think you’re happy — just imagine what the executives at NBC are feeling.

As Broadcasting & Cable reports, the first four nights of the Olympics averaged 30.4 million viewers. They scored a 17.1 rating and a 30 share. That means roughly one-in-three televisions that were turned on were tuned in to the Olympics. It’s a 16 percent increase over the first four nights in Athens in 2004. (According to E! Online, the only show close to the Olympics was NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” which brought in 12.6 million viewers.)
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