As most of you know, I like the Olympics. A lot. Always have, as it appeals on both the athletic and international fronts. Which is why NBC's coverage of the Olympics has always annoyed me, as it doesn't focus on either. There were times during coverage from Atlanta and Sydney that NBC's Olympic coverage looked more like a marathon of Lifetime's Intimate Portraits.

And then there's the tape delay. I won't harp on this, other than to note during last night's opening ceremonies for the Salt Lake City Winter Games, Bob Costas was brimming with glee when he finally got to use the words "Australia" and "live" in the same sentence.

I have better hopes for these Olympics, as their location in the Mountain time zone would suggest that everyone in the US could see events live at times not too far off from prime time. My fear is that all the live stuff will get relegated to MSNBC and CNBC, and NBC will program as usual. But we've got two weeks and change to see how that'll work, so I'll reserve judgement.

What I will comment on, though, is the opening ceremonies. I have to admit a certain impatience with opening ceremonies in general, as they sometimes seem to work at cross-purposes. Everyone wants to see the athletes come in, and then see the flame get lit, but then there's all this Up With People stuff mixed with nods to the locals and their history to keep everyone happy.

Last night was no exception, as the ongoing theme of "the fire within" ran throughout the "artistic" portion of the ceremony, which included skaters representing the fire, icicles, eagles, choo-choo trains, bears, buffaloes, and some stuff which I think was left over from Albertville. It made precious little sense, but that's by and large how these things go.

I did like that much of this stuff took place while skating, keeping at least a tangential relationship to the sports that brought everyone there. Some of the artistic/cultural stuff wasn't so bad, either. The bear and buffalo that I refer to were done sort of like Chinese New Year dragons, with many people inside. Representatives of the five local native tribes got together for the first time (apparently ever) to play the flute and commiserate on casino location. And there were people dancing to Aaron Copland's "Rodeo," which most folks know from the beef commericals.

But then there were the Dixie Chicks playing along with them. And Sting and Yo-Yo Ma apparently paying tribute to the anterior cruciate ligament by playing "Fragile." R. Kelly did his usual proto-gospel stuff, dressed like Apollo Creed's stand-in. And LeAnn Rimes, who I didn't even know was in the music business anymore, came out and sang something. Couldn't tell you what, as by this time I had flipped over to The Simpsons to watch the episode where Sideshow Bob hypnotizes Bart to kill Krusty a la The Manchurian Candidate.

There were good parts, of course. The parade of nations is always fun, even if NBC felt the need to cut away from it three times for commericals. The group carrying in the Olympic flag was pretty damn impressive: John Glenn, Lech Walesa, Desmond Tutu, the Japanese guy who won the 500 meter speed skating event at Nagano, Cathy Freeman from Australia, Steven Spielberg, Jean-Claude Killy, and Jacques Cousteau's son.

That reminds me: when did the environment become a pillar of the Olympics? I mean, I'm all for trees and stuff, but something's funny here.

Which reminds me of another discordant note: the prominence of the doping issue in the Olympic Oath and in IOC President Jacques Rogge's remarks. I know it's been a huge issue, and I'm glad that the IOC recognizes that, but it was odd to hear references to not doping right in there among the usual words about competition and whatnot.

Back to the teams for a second: did you notice that the US got their hip togs from Roots, a Canadian outiftter? After the Canadians looked all hip at Nagano in their letterman's jackets and Kangol-style hats, it was clear that the US had to dtich the Levi's inspired jeans, wool-lined jacket, and cowboy hat look. That this change took place when the Olympics were finally in the West adds to the irony. Even with the change, the Canadians still outpaced the US sartorially, with their (maroon? cordovan? ) leather jackets and wide scarves.

The torch lighting was great. I'd head that Mike Eruzione was going to light the cauldron earlier in the week in a sort of extended grapevine fashion that also said he'd light it with the captain of the 1980 Soviet hockey team. That didn't happen, but having the whole team up there to do it was tremendous. They're like the New England Patriots of Olympic hockey (or is that the other way around?).

I think I would have enjoyed the whole thing more if NBC's coverage team wasn't so annoying. Bob Costas continues to believe the hype that he's the next Cosell or something, as he (a) couldn't shut up, and (b) didn't find anything too stupid to voice. Katie Couric (who is now apparenly blond) did her Today show best, but often lapsed into Macy's Thanksgiving Parade mode.

I felt the worst for Jim McKay, though. For people my age and above, McKay is the voice of the Olympics just as Keith Jackson is the voice of college football or Vin Scully is the voice of baseball (can someone PLEASE get him back on network coverage?). NBC got him on loan from ABC to provide his perspective, and add weight to coverage that may, if the past is any indication, be as light as the snow that covers the Wasatch Range.

That being said, his work from the booth was awful. Right out of the gate he couldn't even get through his introduction and greetings without losing place. His work on the pre-taped opening was vintage, giving some hope that his performance in set-pieces will be up to his normal standards. I fear that continued live work, either in studio or at venues, will present the same challenges as the opening ceremony did.

Oh, one incredibly tacky moment from the coverage that I almost forgot. In the middle of coverage on ski jumping practice runs, NBC throws in a promo for pole qualifying at some NASCAR race. Unless the cars are running down a 90 meter hill, I don't give a damn!

I would also like to note that the hour or so of "pre-game" coverage was by and large a waste. Jimmy Roberts asking softball questions to Michelle Kwan and Apollo Ohno is not entertaining.

Comment should probably be made about the level of nationalistic fervor on display during the opening. I don't think there was an easy way to deal with this issue. Soft-pedal things and you risk looking insensitive to everything that's happened since September 11. Drape everything in red, white, and blue, and we get the usual accusations of jingoism.

I'd have to say that the Salt Lake folks did the best they could with this. At times it seemed laid on a little thick (like the NYPD singing cop doing his medley of patriotic songs), but generally the level of pro-US sentiment didn't make me think we were forming new enemies.

So kind of a mixed bag for the opening. I was really hoping to see the Osmonds reunite for an all-star Mormon tribute to polygamy, but no such luck.