I came into these Games 0-6 for Opening and Closing Cermonies and sort of proud of the fact. All those Games, all that effort, all that coverage and not a second spent in a seat in a stadium with the fireworks going off and the athletes crying and the flag being passed and the flame being doused and the crowd enraptured and the cameras rolling
for billions around the world. I've always been able to say, grumpily but with pride, that "I was working" when people asked me if I was there for the Opening or Closing gala. Now I can't. (Click here to view the pictures.)

I broke the string...