By Jose M. Romero / @RomeroJose M

For FOX Deportes

I turned on the TV around 11 a.m. Monday morning and the channel was still on NBC. The Olympics channel.

What a sad feeling it was to not see runners at the track and field stadium. To not see swimmers at the pool, the world’s best at Wimbledon playing for tennis medals or hearing that little trumpet at the beach volleyball venue, the Horse Guards Parade. Was that the greatest venue of all or what? People were partying at that stadium with the deejay and the cheerleaders and the sand. I even downloaded the trumpet sound as my iPhone ringtone.

The Olympics just ended, and I miss them.

I really got into these London Olympics. Part of it was that I had been to London only a year ago, so it was great to see so many places my wife and I had visited when we were there. The London Eye, Westminster Abbey, the Horse Guards Parade, Wimbledon, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, etc., etc., etc.

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By Jose M. Romero / @RomeroJoseM

For FOX Deportes

I celebrated Mexico’s historic 2-1 Olympic gold-medal victory like countless (OK, maybe hundreds) of Americans of Mexican descent did: over some cold pizza.

What’s more American than that?

I skipped the menudo con tortillas parties at the crack of dawn at local restaurants and stayed home to watch Mexico v. Brazil. I watched the second half by myself. And on Saturday, like every day, it was a good day to have Mexican blood.

Mexico’s win, you see, wasn’t just for Mexico. It was for Mexicans and those of Mexican descent everywhere. It made those of us in the multi-generational Chicano category proud, too. For those young men on that medal stand in London, bouquets of flowers in their hands and gold around their necks, it was the moment of a lifetime. And whether you’re Mexican from Guadalajara or Portland, Ore., it was a beautiful moment, too.

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By Eduardo Maisonet, IIIi / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

The Americans took care of business on Wednesday afternoon in their 119-86 quarterfinal victory over Australia and proceeded to the semifinals of the Men’s Basketball tournament in the 2012 Olympics.

The 33-point victory was a testament to the team play that Coach Mike Krzyzewski has instilled in his 12 superstars, the will of 12 teammates sacrificing and playing for each other, and most importantly…

…the fact that the LeBron Raymone James redemption tour is in full effect in 2012.

The world’s best basketball player? Check.

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By Jose M. Romero / @RomeroJoseM

For Fox Deportes

They will come home to the United States with medals, and they will be the pride of their respective communities. They will also be sources of pride for the diverse Latino communities of the nation.

American Latinos are making their mark everywhere else, so why not at the London Olympics?

New York’s Felix Sanchez, of Dominican descent, tops the list. Competing for the Dominican Republic, the former USC Trojan won gold in the 400-meter hurdles (Puerto Rico’s Javier Culson got the bronze), then let the tears flow as he stood on the medal stand.

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Por Luis Miguel Morales / @3luismiguel

Para FOX Deportes

Confirmado.  Giovani Dos Santos no estará en el partido de la final del fútbol olímpico frente a la ‘verdeamarela’.

El jugador de raíces brasileñas no tendrá la oportunidad de hacer historia y disputar el partido más importante, puede ser, de su carrera como futbolista.  Pero no importa, lo más relevante ya lo hizo.

Entró como relevo en los primero partidos de la eliminatoria olímpica y fue un revulsivo para la escuadra mexicana.  El entrenador del ‘Tri’, Luis Fernando Tena, mencionaba después de cada juego, que la estrategia le había funcionado y que le gustaba que ‘Gio’ entrara de cambio.

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By Jose M. Romero / @RomeroJoseM

For Fox Deportes

Amazingly, Mexico is going to receive an Olympic men’s soccer medal for the first time in its history.

It’s not amazing because Mexico has a talented Olympic team that has come up with huge plays in five games in Great Britain this summer. That part is fact. Nor is it miraculous or completely unexpected given the quality of players coach Luis Fernando Tena is working with. This is clearly a good group with some players that have bright futures with the senior national team.

If a team doesn’t unite with arms around the shoulders of the players during the playing of the national anthem, does it mean the players aren’t on the same page? Maybe. On Tuesday, Japan did it, the Mexicans did not. No big deal, Mexico won the match 3-1 and advanced to the gold-medal game of the London Olympics at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

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By Eduardo Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

Team USA went ballistic in the third quarter after Argentina played the Americans especially tough in the first half of their final pool A game, thus opening up a huge lead en route to a 126-97 victory.

The lead was just 60-59 as both teams went back to the locker rooms at halftime, however, a 42-17 outbreak by Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s squad in the third period ruined any chance at Argentina trying to stay in the game. LeBron James and Kevin Durant carried the torch for the USA in the second half, as James scored the first seven points in the third quarter for the United States, and Kevin Durant just kept raining threes from beyond the arc. Durant scored 17 points in the third quarter (including 5-of-6 from range) and led all scorers with 28 in the game. James chipped in with 18 points and 5 assists.

Of course, the two biggest plays of the third quarter had nothing to do with Kevin Durant and LeBron James, but rather a nut punch and an emphatic slam dunk.

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By Jose M. Romero / @RomeroJoseM

For Fox Deportes

LAS VEGAS – This week, journalists of color are gathered in Las Vegas for a convention, Unity 2012. It’s an event that happens every four years.

Ideas are exchanged, there’s a lot of networking and reuniting with friends in “the biz” and informative workshops led by experts in their fields and professionals.

Typically there aren’t any, or very few sessions, that deal with sports topics. But one on Aug. 3 dealt with the topic of former New York Knicks-turned-Houston Rockets guard Jeremy Lin.

Lin, of course, is the basis for Linsanity, the brief-but-widespread craze that swept the NBA and particularly, New York, when he burst onto the scene as a high-scoring point guard that few had ever heard of. 

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By Eduardo Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

Team USA gathered up a total of 35 rebounds on Saturday afternoon in their 99-94 victory over Lithuania. They out-rebounded their opponent by just two. Their leading rebounder was an obvious one in Kevin Love, but their second-leading rebounder and the one who grabbed the most important deflection off the rim was much more compelling.

That would be Chris Paul, with 7 rebounds on his ledger (along with 7 points and 6 assists), along with a huge rebound late in the 4th quarter that prevented Lithuania from possibly taking the lead, and allowing the Americans to score on their next possession to put the game out of reach.

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By Eduardo Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

It’s an analogy I’ve heard pundits and prognosticators lean on all the time when analyzing a team’s chances in an upcoming game…

“If (insert favored team here) players their ‘A-Game’ then they’re sure to win.”

Other than being a lazy analysis, its also problematic to thoroughly comprehend what in the heck exactly is someone’s A-Game. It reminds me of when Bobby Knight used to talk about showing a “gameface” then making funny contortions of his face. Cracks me up every time.

You know what didn’t crack me up? USA’s offensive explosion on Nigeria, as their 156-73 victory was as preposterous as the final tally looks. Here’s “The Five” from Thursday’s trouncing.

1. That Might Be The Greatest Shooting Performance From A Team Ever: Sometimes there’s nothing that needs to be said. This is one of those times. I’ll just let the stats tell the story.

Team USA’s field goal shooting: 59-83 (71.1%)

Team USA’s three-point shooting: 29-46 (63.0%)

Team USA’s free-throw shooting: 9-14 (64.3%)

Only 9-14 free-throwing shooting? That’s just unacceptable USA. *kicks an empty soda can in anger*

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