During Michael Phelps' races, camera shots of his mother Debbie were a fixture on NBC. The network showed endless replays of her falling to her seat after that memorable 100 butterfly finish. She even watched one race on camera with Cris Collinsworth, squeezing his knee the entire time. And after her son won his eighth gold medal, Debbie was all over NBC getting interviewed by Bob Costas, Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera. Michael's sisters, Hilary and Whitney were also in Beijing cheering on their little brother. All this coverage of the Phelps family led to one obvious question from our readers: Where was Dad?

It's been well-documented that Debbie and Fred Phelps divorced when Michael was 9. Beyond that, little else has been publicized about Michael Phelps' father. Enter: Fourth-Place Medal's Investigative Unit. Today the FPMIU looks into the mystery of the whereabouts of Michael Phelps' father.

Fred Phelps is a retired Maryland State Trooper, lives in a suburb of Baltimore and has remarried since divorcing Debbie Phelps in 1993. According to the Baltimore Sun, he watched the Olympics from his home, saying he was "on pins and needles" every time Michael dove into the pool. But, the New York Post reported that Fred has yet to call his son to congratulate him on his Olympic accomplishments.

Following the divorce, Fred Phelps had little contact with his son. Prior to the 2004 Olympics, Michael told a reporter that his father hadn't even called to congratulate him when he set his first world record. However, the two reconciled prior to the Athens Games and Fred even made the trip to watch his son win six golds and two bronzes. Since then, however, the relationship has reportedly fractured.

Fred Phelps declines most interview requests, citing a desire to have the focus remain on his son.

Mystery: solved.

The FPMIU doesn't usually delve into such serious subjects, but when help is requested, we fly to the rescue like Batman. Send us a bat signal by leaving your unsolved Olympic mysteries in the comment section. Thanks to The New York Post and Baltimore Sun for assisting in our investigation.

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Baseball and softball will be removed from Olympic competition following the Beijing Games, the first sports to be thrown out of the Olympics since polo in 1936. Fourth-Place Medal readers are clamoring to know what these sports ever did to the IOC in order to get unceremoniously dumped from the world's biggest sporting event?

Unlike the previous cases taken on by our top-notch Investigative Unit, the questions about the removal of baseball and softball have no definitive answer. The dumping of the sports was done by a secret ballot and the IOC felt no need to justify its actions afterwards. But, we have come up with the four most likely reasons, which we'll rank in order of importance.

4) The American softball team is too dominant

The U.S. won every single men's long jump competition from 1968 to 2000; the men's basketball team from 1932 to 1972. The U.S. women's softball team is 28-4 since the sport was introduced at the Atlanta Games. Over the same span, the U.S. women's basketball team is 28-0. And nobody is suggesting that basketball be taken off the Olympic slate. 

3) Baseball and softball aren't played all over the world

As opposed to team handball? (No knock on team handball, by the way. We love ourselves some team handball here at the FPMIU.)

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When it comes to loving honey, Winnie the Pooh ain't got nothin' on Olympic gymnasts. Eagle-eyed viewers of NBC's gymnastics coverage have noticed the consistent presence of a honey bottle in, or around, the gymnast's chalk bucket. Collectively, they'd like to know what a kitchen staple is doing amongst pommel horses, uneven bars and Martha Karolyi.

Knowing where to turn with Olympic-related queries, the inquisitive readers flooded the comments sections of Fourth-Place Medal's Investigative Unit requesting -- nay, demanding -- an answer. As usual, we exist to serve. So without further adieu, FPMIU solves the mystery of the honey-toting gymnasts.

Contrary to an apparent widely-held belief, the honey is not consumed to provide a quick energy boost. There are virtually hundreds of better energy boosting options that exist (and aren't as sticky) and, frankly, somebody who is about to execute precise movements while holding onto a thin, reinforced composite plastic bar probably doesn't need to be hopped up on sugar.

The honey is actually used like Stick-um; to provide a better grip on certain elements in "hanging" events. We always see gymnasts chalk up both their apparatus (to make it easier to swing on) and hands (to prevent cracks in the skin). By placing a little honey on either their fingertips or palms (or both) gymnasts can get an even better grip on the rings or bars while swinging.

Mystery: solved. (Still unsolved; why it appears to be a German bottle of honey.)

Fourth-Place Medal's Investigative Unit likes a little honey on our English muffins. If you have an Olympic mystery you would like solved, please leave a comment below. 

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In the long, storied history of Fourth-Place Medal's Investigative Unit (founded: Monday), one question has been asked by our readers more than any other. Today, on our five-day anniversary, we will attempt to tackle the biggest Olympic mystery of the Beijing Games: what is Michael Phelps listening to on his iPod?

In nearly every camera shot of Michael Phelps on dry land, he can be seen with iPod headphones dangling from his ears. The earbuds are a ubiquitous presence in the ready room and on the starting block; they're just as much a part of Phelps' 'uniform' as goggles and a swim cap. About two minutes prior to the start of a race, Phelps sheds the iPod along with his warm-ups. So, what is he listening to?

Podcasts of NPR's This American Life and Dylan live at The Supper Club. No wait, that's my iPod. Phelps listens to hip-hop music on his. He says it helps motivate him before a race.

While his pre-race tracklist varies, Phelps has said that "I'm Me" by Lil' Wayne has been on his playlist in Beijing. The track, off Weezy's EP "The Leak" features the line:

Yes I am the best/and no I ain't positive I'm definite/I know the game like I'm reffing it

Other artists that populate Phelps' iPod include: Jay-Z, Young Jeezy, Eminem and Outkast. (What, no 'Pac?) Occasionally, he'll throw some techno into the mix, but usually keeps things rap-centric. Phelps doesn't speak much about the specific songs he's listening to, but he did tell NBC in 2004 that Eminem's "'Til I Collapse" was on his most-played list at Athens. In 2005, he created a playlist for the website Rhapsody that included the songs "Roses" by Outkast, "Burn" by Usher, "Overnight Celebrity" by Twista and  "Smile" by G-Unit.

Mystery: solved.

The Investigative Unit takes weekends off to watch that 'Saved by the Bell' where they go to the murder mystery theater and Lisa is on it. But we'll be back Monday, so if you see a mystery that needs solving, leave a note in the comments section and we'll get to it soon.

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"My friend said she's covering up a tattoo."

"The black tape might be a tribute to somebody."

"It IS a tattoo."

"Tape. It's some sort of medical tape."

"That's actually a Nike swoosh."

Everyone has an opinion about what that black stuff is on Kerri Walsh's shoulder: some are right, most are wrong. But that's why we're here, to separate the fact from the fiction. After some Phelps-like domination in solving our first three mysteries, Fourth-Place Medal's Investigative Unit (FPMIU) will today tackle the mystery of the black stuff on Kerri Walsh's shoulder.

If you've watched any beach volleyball so far during the Olympics, you've surely noticed it. Spread across American star Kerri Walsh's right shoulder is a distinct black marking that sort of looks like a cross between a tribal tattoo and a Rorschach test. (I see a butterfly.) So what is it?

As is usually the case in instances like this, the most mundane explanation is also the correct one. The black markings on Walsh's shoulder are a sort of medical tape. Specifically, it's called kinesio tape, a special elastic material designed to support muscles while offering an unimpeded range of motion. Walsh had shoulder surgery last fall to remove bone chips, bone spurs and scar tissue that had built up over a lifetime of setting and spiking. The tape, and taping method, help stabilize the shoulder during the match and aids in circulation.

Mystery: solved.

Tomorrow, Fourth-Place Medal will tackle our biggest mystery yet. We're watching old Murder, She Wrote reruns to prepare. If you have an Olympic mystery you'd like solved, leave a comment below.

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Over the last three nights, NBC has led its primetime Olympic coverage with synchronized diving. According to the stacks of letters that have poured into the Fourth-Place Medal Investigative Unit Headquarters, you've all been watching but are baffled by one facet of the competition. In that case, you're in the right place. After successful forays into the cases of Cullen Jones' disappearance and the identity of the hot Paraguayan, Fourth-Place Medal will today tackle the mystery of the showering divers.

After completing a dive, competitors swim to a ladder, climb out of the pool and head immediately to a bank of showers that sit adjacent to the diving boards. Then, in full view of the crowd and NBC cameras, they shower off. Divers keep their suits on, of course, usually appearing only to rinse off their hair and arms. Oftentimes, the divers will receive their scores while still showering off. What's the purpose of this?

Theories have ranged from 'to get the chlorine off' to 'they want to have fun' -- seriously, that last one is a direct quote from NBC's diving analyst, Cynthia Potter. Neither are the reason.

Divers shower in between each dive to keep their muscles warm after getting out of the pool. The temperature of the pool water and the air are usually different (the pool is usually around 80 degrees, with the air temperature between 68 and 72 degrees). This difference can cause muscle tightness. To combat this, divers warm up in either the showers or a hot tub.

Mystery: solved. (Although we're still a bit unclear as to why the showers are out in the open.The water cube cost over $200 million to build. They couldn't have put a privacy wall in?!)

If you have an Olympic mystery you'd like solved, leave your question in the comments section. For regular mysteries consult your nearest library and head to the children's mystery section. The selection of Hardy Boys books will provide all the guidance you need.)

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The pictures of Michael Phelps and Garrett Weber-Gale celebrating their improbable win in the 4x100 freestyle relay were splashed across newspapers and websites around the world yesterday. But there was somebody conspicuous in his absence from all the immediate reaction shots.

Where was Cullen Jones? The third swimmer in the United States' world record setting 4x100 team, Jones was nowhere to be seen in the aftermath of Jason Lezak's stunning anchor leg. Every picture and video shot includes only Phelps and Weber-Gale; Jones was AWOL. Eventually, he joined the celebration, but where was he during that thrilling finish? I've heard that question three times over the past 36 hours, so this morning, Fourth-Place Medal's crack investigative unit, which yesterday uncovered the mystery of the hot Paraguayan, got on the case.

After breaking down the last moments of the race like the Zapruder film, it becomes clear that Jones wasn't with his teammates because he had run to the side of the pool to get a better angle to view the touch. Look for Jones at the bottom-left of the picture, leaning over at the finish line. He's immediately to the right of the WR/OR graphic.

During an interview on the Today show, Jones said that he didn't remember walking away from the starting area, only that he was so dizzy after his race he could barely stand up. After looking at the finish, Jones stared at the scoreboard for a few seconds to confirm what he had seen. When he realized he and his relay teammates had just capped one of the most improbable comebacks in Olympic history, he began celebrating... alone. 

Mystery: solved.

If you have an Olympic mystery you'd like solved, let us know in the comments section. If you have a regular mystery you'd like solved, call Scooby Doo. 

During Fourth-Place Medal's award-winning* live blog coverage of the Olympic Opening Ceremony, one question haunted our panel and reading audience, and it wasn't whether the fireworks were real or how they managed to do that cool display with the blocks. No, we didn't care about that stuff. All we wanted to know was, who was that gorgeous woman who marched into Beijing National Stadium with the Paraguayan delegation?

After an exhaustive investigation by 4PM's crack investigative team, the mystery woman has been identified as Leryn Franco, an athlete with the Paraguayan delegation. Ms. Franco represents her native country in the javelin throw. 

The 26-year old Franco is competing in her second Olympics, thanks to a burgeoning modeling career that gave her the financial support to continue competing in javelin competitions. Since finishing 42nd in Athens, Franco has balanced her athletic career with both the modeling and pageant work (she was runner-up Ms. Paraguay in 2006 -- no word on whether throwing a javelin was her talent).

The javelin competition begins August 19 in Beijing.

* It didn't technically win an award, but a commenter told us it was the best live blog ever, so that's gotta count for something.

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