Sixteen days, 28 sports. That's a whole bunch of ways to look at a Summer Olympic Games.

Thanks to CBC and TSN, Canadians have been taken to a huge majority of those bases during the Athens Games.

You've got your favourites, no doubt. Maybe you saw enough of it, maybe you didn't.

Rationing all of it out in a balanced way is the delay dilemma for the folks behind putting on the television show.

"No matter what we show, we have people who are really happy with what we do," Terry Ludwick, CBC's Olympics executive producer, told the Sun during a break from his duties in Athens. "We have others who never see enough of the sport they're interested in.

"The Summer Games are so large. There are 3,000 hours of television produced by the host broadcaster, and it's very difficult to serve all masters."

We'll use those thoughts as a preamble into what's become a Games tradition in this space -- our picks for the most enjoyable venues from a viewer's perspective.

Remember, it's one man's opinion, so feel free to disagree. The favourites here:

- ATHLETICS: Olympic Stadium once again provided some of the signature moments of the Games. We won't soon forget Fani Halkia's 400-metre hurdles win for Greece, or the sight of a sobbing track legend Hicham El Guerrouj finally striking Olympic gold.

- SWIMMING: It wasn't a great Games for Canada in the pool, but it was a treat for viewers. Broadcasters fretted when a roof planned for the venue was scrapped, but the pictures were superb, as usual.

- WATER POLO: One-hour matches and a fabulous array of cameras, including an underwater look that told the other half of the story.

- CANOE/KAYAK: Schinias was also the rowing venue -- and how can we forget that wondrous men's fours race? -- but I'll take the shorter, faster strokes those paddlers churned out.

That's it for this list.

One more to go. Tomorrow is medal day for the best on the airwaves. Stay tuned.

GAMES GAB: Now here's what every broadcaster wants to hear. During a studio interview with CBC's Ron MacLean, kayak gold medallist Adam van Koeverden talked about being able to inspire kids to become more active by joining his sport. "There are so many things that are more important than television," he said. After a bit of a pause, MacLean replied: "Well, let's not go that far." Yes, van Koeverden laughed heartily ... Ludwick considers these Games a success for CBC. "It has been, to any extent we could control," he said. "We covered the stories we think Canadians wanted to see, and put a Canadian voice to international stories." It says here the job was done best in the second week, when non-stop action kept viewers hopping between numerous venues. "That's the Olympics," said Ludwick. "There are more than just the traditional sports."

HIGHS: Few in Athens have supplied stronger opinions at these Games than former Ottawa Lions track coach Andy McInnis. He was at it again yesterday, telling Scott Oake he would have dumped Nic Macrozonaris from the Canadian 4x100-metre relay team and run Ottawa teen hotshot Richard Adu-Bobie instead ... You don't get much more in the way of a genuine response than CBC's Chris Cuthbert pulled from van Koeverden in a post-race interview. The kayaker sounded incredulous when Cuthbert informed him of his margin of victory. "Over half a second?" said van Koeverden. "That's amazing."

LOWS: CBC boxing analyst Russ Anber went from the ring to the livestock pen during one bout last night. After one convoluted reference that combined matadors with bulls dining on steers, he likened taking a heavy punch to "eating half a cow." To which play-by-play man Bruce Rainnie asked "have you been saving that one?" Maybe he should have ... Biggest low: This fun all ends today.

TODAY'S BEST BET: Men's marathon -- Just to see the stunning overhead view of ancient Panithinaiko Stadium one more time.

rob.brodie@ott.sunpub.com