Gymnastics on television(???)

Shouts. Fists against walls. Cell phones tossed to the floor. Grunts and slammed doors.

Then an eerie silence falls.

Just the aftereffects of the Mets/Yankees losses.

..

I'm not too interested in watching television, though I'd rather catch a baseball game than yet another silly reality show. But at around 3:00 on Sunday afternoon, word came out: gymnastics would be on NBC at 4.

As a sport that draws little public interest besides during the Olympics, finding gymnastics on television is an exciting surprise for the diehards. The broadcasts never fail to show only a few athletes, put in far too much filler, make useless commentary, and end too quickly. But we won't stop tuning in.

I hightailed it home. I brought my laptop into the den so that I could "work" and watch at the same time. "Turn on NBC now," I commanded several friends via Instant Messenger. It could never hurt to bring the ratings up a tiny bit.

The world championships had taken place in the middle of September, and video footage had been available on the Internet since then. The camera angles on the television broadcast were awkward, such as staying in the same spot for entire uneven bar routines. Even the film itself was different throughout the competition, as if there had been several cameras meshed together. Of course, Al Trautwig made his usual idiotic remarks. Of course, the men's side of the competition was summed up in about three minutes.

But there were highlights: a Russian gymnast stopping on her vault, 25-year-old Yelena Zamolodchikova still busting out elite gymnastics, a Romanian who did five (!) tumbling passes, and of course American Shawn Johnson, who will be my hero until she becomes an obnoxious sell-out (let's hope that doesn't come to pass).

The next broadcast? Likely the American Cup in early 2008. Will I be watching? As long as I know when it's being aired.

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And as an aside, I'm always fascinated by figure skating whenever it's on TV. Sure, we snicker at the men, and the costumes can get a bit ridiculous. But for anyone who's not a hockey player, it's no small task to maintain your balance on skates while skating forward and backward, much less jumping, landing, and spinning on one foot.

So as you roll your eyes and prepare to switch the channel, ask yourself: Could you do that for four minutes without stopping?