A few links for Sunday ...

If you want to know more about Michael Phelps, read this story from The Baltimore Sun's Kevin Van Valkenburg. [Baltimore Sun]

A silver medalist at the Athens Games in '04, Rebecca Romero of England now looks to become a gold medal winning cyclist in Beijing. She's also made headlines by posing nude for an advertising campaign. [Telegraph]

The U.S. men's basketball team had no problems defeating Russia earlier this morning. [AP]

If you want to protest about something in Beijing you better get ready to fill out some paperwork. [AP]

U.S. men's gymnast Jonathan Horton has been busy this summer. He made the Olympic team and proposed to his girlfriend. [The Oklahoman]

Inspired by my FPM colleague Chris Chase, and MJD at Shutdown Corner, I began to wonder about some of my favorite athletes and how they would fare as Olympians. Immediately, I thought of my favorite athlete of all time - Walter Payton.

Mike Ditka once called Payton the greatest all-around football player of all time. His athleticism and work ethic are legendary. He didn't really consider his workout a success until he was puking. To me, the question isn't whether he could win Olympic gold, it's in what sport.

Payton once competed in a Soul Train dance competition, and he flipped into the end zone on more than one occasion, so he had the grace and strength to be a gymnast. I often saw his relatively tiny 5'10" frame hop over linebackers, and his speed was incredible, so he could have been a hurdler. He clearly had the power, flexibility and body control to be a wrestler.

But no, if Sweetness wanted to be an Olympian, he would have won gold as a decathlete. The football player who could

The United States will send 596 athletes hailing from 47 different states to the upcoming Beijing Games. This immediately brings to mind one question: Which are the three loser states without an Olympian?

Not surprisingly, two of the three Olympian-less states are also among the least populous in the nation -- North Dakota (#48 in population) and Montana (#44). On the other hand, West Virginia can't make that, or any, excuse. The state is 37th in population which, while not huge, is still bigger than 11 other states that managed to produce an Olympian. Plus, there's also, like, 15 Olympic events that feature prominent usage of guns. The table was set, West Virginia. You just didn't sit down for the meal.

But, we're not here to make fun. Instead, here's a list of things residents of each non-Olympic state can be proud of during the two weeks of the Beijing Games:

North Dakota:

• Is not South Dakota.
• Northern-most of the Dakotas.

Montana:

• Boasts 60%% of entrances to Yellowstone National

It seems that the people in Denver are really trying to get everyone involved in the Olympic spirit. Tomorrow they will be hosting the city's first-ever Doggy Olympics.

While many of the "events" are as simple as tail wagging or catching a tennis ball, there are a few creative challenges in the bunch:

Dunking for Dogs: The first dog to eat all 5 pieces of hot dog wins.

T.P. Dog Walk: Owners have to walk dogs with T.P. as a leash without ripping it.

Michael Jordan High Jump: Clearance over the highest point wins.

Babe Ruth Obedience Baseball: Owners run base to base with their dogs while tagging each base. Fastest time to tag home wins.

Jackie Joyner Kersee Fastest Quick Draw "Tongue": Who can empty the spoon of peanut butter the quickest?

Denver is not the first city to host such an event for our four legged friends, just the latest.

In fact, the Purina Dog Challenge occurs once a year and brings "dog athletes" together from all over the country.

After the jump, check out a cliip

Do you dream of Olympic glory? I have good news for you. Two 14-year-olds believe they have found the key to success as Olympic athletes, and they are kind enough to share it with you. My only question is how did these two miss the cut to be on Team USA? The system is broken!

Former Washington Redskins CB Darrell Green, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame tonight, is best known for the blazing speed that enabled him to become one of the NFL's premiere cornerbacks and return men. The most famous clips on Green's highlight reel -- chasing down Tony Dorsett on Monday Night Football, returning a punt return at Soldier Field after tearing rib cartilege to put away a 1987 Divisional Playoff game for the Redskins, winning the NFL's fastest man contest four times -- all demonstrate the quickness that made Green one of the fastest men in NFL history. But being quick in the NFL is one thing. Was Darrell Green fast enough to have run in the Olympics?

Absolutely, and he probably would have a gold medal to show for it. When he was drafted in 1983, Green had the fastest 100 meter time in the United States. That time would have earned a silver in the 1984 Olympics and certainly would have put Green on the U.S. relay team which won gold. But Green chose

Whoa.

This has got to be one of the most creative hairstyles in history.

The picture was taken recently before an opening ceremonies dress rehearsal. After seeing how detailed each woman's costume is, I can't imagine how long it must take each performer to get ready. I mean the hair designs alone must take several hours to construct.

What is making me laugh about this picture is that the girl on the left is laughing at the girl on the right, despite the fact that she is the proud owner of the exact same hairstyle.

If the rest of the costumes are as outlandish as this one, I can't wait to see what else is in store during the opening ceremonies.

Put your best caption ideas down below ...

All the week's winners will be revealed tomorrow.

Let's get it out of the way - yep, Ben Askren is the guy with the crazy hair. He wrestled his way to two national championships for the University of Missouri with his hair styled in a large afro. At the Olympic Trials in June, it was in cornrows. Though you might notice him because of the bizarre hair, you should remember him because of his wrestling.

Askren is not the strongest or the fastest guy in any wrestling room. His technique in college was known as "the funk" because no one knew how to describe it. The flexibility, the stubborn refusal to get taken down and unorthodox moves were all things that the wrestling world had not seen before. As he became a four-time national finalist, many in the wrestling community were impressed, but said that his style would never translate to freestyle wrestling, one of two styles in the Olympics. If he wanted an Olympic gold medal, he would need to wait until 2012.

Then, he won a U.S. senior national championship in April, and had no trouble at