the buzz log

Let the models sashay down the catwalks at New York Fashion Week. We prefer this parade of exuberant male facial hair from sports site InGameNow.

See Oakland A's relief pitcher Rollie Fingers show off his daring curly-cue of a 'stache. Glimpse White Sox closer Bobby Jenks and his shock of bright pink chin hair. Gaze in wonder at hockey legend Lanny McDonald and his display of shaggy whiskers.

These guys may specialize in wielding hockey sticks or baseball bats, but they certainly know their way with a razor, too. And many of their efforts have not been forgotten. Besides the popularity of the InGameNow posts, we continue to log queries each week for "oakland a's mustache gang." Now, that's fan respect.

The show continues tomorrow when the "Full Beard Division" takes to the field. The ZZ Toppers will be followed by the beguiling "I Have No Idea How to Classify That Division." Go, teams! And boys, let that facial hair grow!

Filed under: Sports, Hair

Forget the fountain of youth. People want to know what's with Beijing National Aquatics Centre, better known (and searched on) as "water cube beijing" (+962%). In other words, what kind of alchemy is happening at the Cube to produce world record-breaking gold medalists?

The controversial influence of the Speedo LZR Racer suit has long been known, although the New York Times has looked over that outfit again as an explanation for faster swim times. Slate waded into the theory that the pool's responsible, and does find that the design—from its depth, width, gutters, and lane dividers—all helps to reduce resistance.

Radar Online dismisses those points as horse droppings. The magazine interviewed pool designer John Bilmon, who thinks the wins are due to the contagious nature of competition... that and the fact that the site's just darned purty.

He may have a point. Xinhua News Agency, the official Chinese government media, reports rave reviews about "awesome" pool temperature, a bright atmosphere, and water as "smooth as honey." Before the records started falling like dominos, American swimmer Garrett Weber-Gale called the Cube the "coolest thing I've ever seen in my life."

Better aesthetics leading to better performance is an ancient idea. After all, the environmental design psychology known as feng shui originated in China, and literally means "wind water." Now if only the designers could do kiddy-pool versions for the rest of us.

Filed under: Sports, Architecture, China, Swimming, Design, Olympics

Can you handle more than 3,600 hours of Games of the XXIX Olympiad? You don't even have to cut caffeine and get pedicures, as some Olympiad hopefuls have done. Instead, oil up the remote control and the mouse, and try these sit-down techniques instead.

Practice staring. Don't miss the action. The difference between gold and silver can be measured by a 1,000th of a second, which How Stuff Works says says is 40 times faster than an eye blink.

Visualize the surroundings. Understanding an event's setting may give you an advantage. Try scanning the BBC Sport map.

Tune in. Pump yourself up by listening to the Olympic songs... all of them.

Memorize all 596 American athletes. From the track-and-field competitors to the team members of soccer, volleyball, and B-ball.

Learn to talk big. If you can't memorize the athletes, talk about grand visions, like the boxing's great reform, America's immigrant athletes, Olympic artistry, environmental algae monsters, and if a Chinese tactical force can possibly look intimidating riding Segways.

Dress the part. What's the point of being a capitalist if you can't buy Olympic spirit? Pay $2,000 for an official torch, or $38.20 for a Speedo Team USA brief. If you get the swim trunks, don't forget to make that Brazilian wax appointment.

Filed under: Sports, Summer, China, Olympics, 2008