Day 14: Canadians took medals in kayaking and mountain biking to push the national total to nine. Good thing because it would've been embarrassing to finish behind such national Olympic bodies as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Michael Phelps.

THE GREAT UNKNOWN

According to Canadian Olympic Association standards, Charles Allen shouldn't have even been competing in the 110-metre hurdles.

Yet, he set three personal bests and, as the CBC's Don Whitman noted yesterday, comes home as one of the world's top eight hurdlers.

"I'm happy," said Allen, sixth in the final.

He should be -- he's one Canadian who went from a nobody to a somebody in Athens.

TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES

Argentina beat the U.S. basketball team 89-81.

Shocking? Only in America.

"It's not about a blame game," assistant U.S. coach Gregg Popovich said. But, that's all it will be about.

We've been there; done that -- and, had the Royal Commission to prove it. This scenario is eerily familiar to the one 25 years ago when Canada realized there were other nations where people had learned to hold a hockey stick and spit at the same time.

Like Canada then, there will now be yelping in America to fix this insulting performance by the U.S. Creamed Team. Truth is, this American team was ripe for the picking from the outset. This wasn't a Dream team, not when they had guys named Boozer but nobody named Shaq or Kobe. The rest of the world has improved to the point where the U.S. can no longer send a second-tier team and be assured of victory. Then there's the international game; the U.S. never adjusted to the ball movement -- just as our hockey teams failed to adjust to bigger ice and picky officials who thought a whistle was a musical instrument.

The U.S. has more game -- and more guys who have game -- than any other country; it just no longer has all the game.

IN THE SWEAT BOX

Tim Long, a research scientist for Old Spice deodorant, analyzed 23 sports at the Olympics and determined that men's singles tennis players -- at 3.37 litres per match -- produce the most sweat.

Of course, that was before Brown had to face the U.S. media in the solo grilling competition.

GAMES PANORAMA

Telemundo's Edgar Lopez, on a Cuban player being ejected for cursing at the umpire: "He forgot the umpire spoke Spanish."

Michael Ventre of MSNBC.com: "After Yao Ming blasted teammates on the Chinese basketball team, some of his countrymen wondered whether he had become too Americanized. In fact, they wanted to pose that question to Yao himself, but they couldn't get past his posse."

PEED OFF

The IOC is demanding Hungary's hammer throw gold medallist, Adrian Annus, give a fresh urine sample or lose his gold medal. Annus tested negative after his win Sunday, returned home and announced his retirement. Yesterday, the IOC said it had asked Hungarian officials to find Annus.

The Hungarians, and Annus, have refused and are expected to announce a motorcycle accident any day now.

PARTING SHOT

As the Olympics draw to a close this weekend, Greece has 14 medals, one riot and a couple of doping fiascos. I guess $16 billion doesn't buy as much as it used to.

Fade to black. Everybody go home; there's nothing to see here anymore.