The last time the United States won the medal count at a Winter Olympics was in 1932. After a quick start in Vancouver catapulted the U.S. to the top of the tally (four medals on the first day of competition), hopes have been high that the 2010 Games would give the nation an unexpected victory in the medal race. But with Germany just three medals behind in the overall count, can the U.S. hold on to the top spot?

The three-medal lead is more tenuous than it seems, but there's an excellent chance the U.S. can hold off the Germans to make history at the Winter Olympics. If it happens, it would be just the second time in history that any country other than Norway, Germany or Russia took home the biggest haul. (And — it goes without saying to people with any sense of geography — a U.S. win would also mark just the second time ever that a non-European country ever won the winter count too.)

At first glance it might appear that the U.S. would be likely to relinquish its grasp of No. 1.

RICHMOND, British Columbia — One of the best things about being a veteran Winter Olympian is that you can trick younger colleagues into crazy pranks.

Just ask long-track speedskater Ryan Bedford, who was duped into shaving and dyeing his hair to resemble an American flag by older teammate Chad Hedrick.

Hedrick came up with the idea of both men sporting matching cuts but backed out after seeing the bizarre results of Bedford's follicle surgery.

"Chad is one of the senior guys on the team, so he can get away with it," said Bedford. "We were joking around last night and he said: 'Let's do something crazy.'

"He came up with the idea of the shave. We weren't really thinking that it would end up like this. I'm the one who gets to look weird."

The 23-year-old Bedford, from Holland, Mich., finished 12th in the 10,000-meter event Tuesday.

Follow Martin Rogers on Twitter at @mrogersyahoo

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It's tempting to phrase it thus: One way to have more French in the Olympics' Closing Ceremony would be to designate Alexandre Bilodeau Canada's flag bearer.

A journalist friend suggested that Canada's choice to carry the flag Sunday couldn't be anyone other than Bilodeau (right photo), who became the first Canadian to win an Olympic event on home soil when he captured men's moguls Feb. 14.

Bilodeau should be picked for the significance of that accomplishment rather than being turned into a political football. It's just that this being Canada, the political-football part always comes into play. It's a matter of to what degree.

The point is, though, that Bilodeau should be selected for the right reasons. The emphasis before the Games was that a Canadian would finally win a gold medal on home soil. Bilodeau went down as history as the man, so following that thread, he would be a great pick.

For the record, the Canadian Olympic Committee typically observes an English-French rotation with

Next time you're in the Winter Olympics, if you can't win gold, go for the bronze. It sounds counterintuitive, but according to new research, you'll be way happier than if you come in second.

After studying athletes' reactions and body language on the podium and interviewing Olympians, researchers have found that, on average, those who take home bronze are happier than silver-medal winners. USA Today reports:

"When you come in second," said Thomas Gilovich, chairman of Cornell's psychology department and one of the study's co-authors, "it's the most natural thing in the world to look upward. 'I got the silver and that's what it is, but what is it not? It's not the gold.'

"With the bronze, the natural place to look is downward. 'I got the bronze. That's what it is, but what it isn't is off the medal stand.'"

Cheer up, silver medalists! You're still better than literally every other person in the world at your sport, except one. That's pretty good. Of course, there are exceptions.

We here at Fourth-Place Medal like Shaun White. We also like Stephen Colbert. So when Shaun White visits with Stephen Colbert, it's like the peanut butter and jelly of Winter Olympic coverage — two great things that go great together. Have a look.

That's a pretty good figure skating zing! With his amazing snowboarding skills and surprisingly good sense of humor, White continues to prove that he is among the chillest of chill bros.

It seems the Bode Miller ski renaissance has been temporarily disrupted as Miller failed to finish his first run in Tuesday's giant slalom race. Miller is one of only three skiers ever to win three medals in a single Winter Olympics, and he's hoping to become the first with four. Saturday's slalom is his last chance to set the record.

After nearly crashing in the first half of the race, Miller's line was off coming through a gate on the second half of the course, causing him to ski off course. Only skiers who complete their first run get a shot at a second attempt.

It's not surprising that Miller won't medal, and it's not even that surprising that he didn't finish. Miller has skied in only two giant slalom races this season. Suffering from a lingering ankle injury, he failed to finish in Colorado, and then wasn't fast enough to qualify for a second run in Italy.

In fact, Miller didn't even qualify for a spot on the United States team; he was added later as a coaches' selection in the

The women take the ice Tuesday night. From left, Canada's Joannie Rochette, Japan's Mao Asada, South Korea's Yu-Na Kim, and American Rachael Flatt

As the women's short program begins in figure skating, here are the questions to ask.

1. How will Joannie Rochette skate? This young lady from Canada has the skating bona fides to get attention – she won silver in the 2009 World Championships – but she has a heavy burden on her shoulders. Her mother passed away suddenly Sunday morning, and Rochette is going for gold Tuesday night. No matter how she skates, she will have the support of all those watching.

2. How will the young Americans fare? Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu are both 16, inexperienced, and unlikely to medal at these Olympics. But wait! They are also both fun to watch, aggressive in adding difficulty to their routines, and the future of American figure skating. They will win medals in Sochi, so you may as well get to know them now.

3. Will Mao Asada complete her triple axel?

Bidding for the American broadcast rights for the 2014 and 2016 Olympics is set to begin within the next year, and a recent article in the Sports Business Journal suggests that network interest has been tepid, at best.

NBC only has rights to the Games through the 2012 London Games. A fierce bidding war has been expected between NBC, FOX, ESPN and Turner for the exclusive rights to the Sochi and Rio de Janeiro Olympics, but now that NBC is reportedly set to finish Vancouver $200 million in the red, the eagerness to air the Games has waned.

As SBJ points out, all of this could be a negotiating ploy by networks. However, the broadcasters should have legitimate concerns about laying out $2.1 billion (the price NBC paid for Beijing and Vancouver) in rights and countless more in production fees for what amounts to less than 5 percent of their prime-time schedules. The interest will certainly pick back up, but the IOC shouldn't be surprised if it nets less than what NBC paid. It's a