Open Mic Response: What's The Best Olympic Event?

With only 10 days until the start of the smoggiest Summer Games since 1968, we figure that it’s time for some good old-fashioned sentimentalism.

Prior to the opening ceremony in Beijing on August 8, we’d love to hear all about your favorite Olympic events and what makes them so enjoyable to watch:

• What's the event you most badly want your home country to win?
• Who are some of the past athletes in this event who you remember most fondly? Is there anyone whose performance you're anticipating this year?
• Are you a bigger fan of artistic, subjectively judged competitions like gymnastics and diving, or do you like the clear cut aspects of swimming and track & field? Where does volleyball fit in?
• What about the more mainstream sports that have made it into the Games like basketball, tennis and soccer? Do you like watching them more or less in their Olympic format than the normal circuits?

1. I would like to see my country win gold in basketball because our team is so stacked that I don't know how anybody can beat us. Yeah, people have been saying that Lithuania is a good team with a lot of weapons or Argentina is good because Manu Ginobili can make anything happen. I think that America will be victorious and will be back on the gold medal stand this summer.

2. I remember Michael Jordan being on the 1992 Dream Team with Bird and Magic. I would like to see Kobe's performance, especially since he won the NBA MVP title this year.

3. I like the clear cut aspects because I really can't sit and watch gymnasts perform or watch a diver do a ton of flips and then being deducted points because their big toe was shaped a different way. I like to watch volleyball because it's entertaining to me. I like seeing the big spikes.

4. I like watching basketball because we have great performers like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, and Jason Kidd. I'm not a big fan of tennis, but I could watch soccer because it is the Olympics and the whole world is watching them.