Five things I will be looking out for in the Olympics

Well, the much-anticipated (and in some cases, dreaded) Beijing Summer Olympics has arrived, and I am sure everyone will have their favorite athletes and sports they'll watch (if they happen to occur at a reasonable hour). Here are a few things I am looking out for.

1. Shawn Crawford, of course. The Van Wyck native is going for gold in the 200 meters. Predictions I have seen on the wires don't have him winning a medal. I don't know if he Shawn knows that or not, but if he does, I hope that's enough incentive for him to stand on the top of the medals podium.

2. Michael Phelps. In his quest to win eight golds, Americans will get to see him and many top American swimmers in prime time an awful lot -- a good move by the networks.

Swimming is my second favorite Olympic sport behind track and field, and Phelps can lead an American cornucopia of medals.

3. Men's soccer. OK, I know that's going to draw groans from some of my colleagues, but the U.S. has assembled a pretty good team — one that even the AP predicted would win a bronze medal. It probably won't happen, but you are going to see the current and future stars of a sport that's gaining traction in this country.

4. Dara Torres. She's 41, and she's still kicking butt in the pool. I'm four years older than her and I can't swim a lick. This one's for the old fogies.

5. BMX. Yes, people, BMX is an Olympic sport now. I'll watch it just for the potential crashes and aerial moves. Hey, it's got to be better than rhythmic gymmastics.

Here are five things I hope I do not see:

1. Incessant coverage of protests. We already know they are going to happen. Let's not make every one of them a major event.

2. "The best Olympics ever." This hackneyed phrase is uttered by the IOC chairman at the closing ceremonies of every Olympiad in almost the past three decades. Perhaps Jacques Rogge will conveniently leave it out -- whether the Beijing games deserve it or not.

3. Cycling. Sorry, given the sorry state of the sport, the chances of someone getting caught for doping are good. Even Rogge said he expected 30 to 40 total doping cases to occur in all sports. Cycling is certain to have a few. Sad.

4. Making too much of the medal count. OK, all the experts are proclaiming China is going to rack up, and the U.S. isn't supposed to do as well as years past. Doesn't that kind of sound how it used to be in the 1960s and 1970s, when East Germans and Russians were our chief competition?

5. Athletes making political statements. There's no room for that here. This Olympiad, more than anyone I remember in my lifetime, including the boycotts — is sitting on a powder keg. We don't need people holding matches.