I don't know how many hours of Olympics coverage there has been on NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, Oxygen, USA, online and on the digital cash registers in the checkout lane at Pick 'n Save.

I do know I've watched the Olympics like never before, especially in quantity, and that's true of everyone. The ratings for these games are surprisingly huge. And so many things have stuck out, both good and bad.

Let's start with China. I think a big part of the huge ratings for the Olympics is because of China.

The country, which is such a power, is intriguing to those of us in the West. We are fascinated by the history and mystery of the country. NBC has helped our fascination by airing countless feature stories on food and the Chinese people while largely ignoring rigid Communism and human rights violations.

Normally, I'm not a big fan of those human-interest features, but Mary Carillo has been outstanding. Her feature on the guy who designed the log was an absolutely amazing piece of journalism.

The two studio hosts, Bob Costas at night and Jim Lampley during the day, both are great at what they do. They are clear, concise, good-humored and as smooth as silk.

Another thing you can't help noticing is the Redeem Team, the men's basketball squad from the USA.

Watching them gives you the clear feeling that this is the way basketball is meant to be played. They hustle after every ball. They play defense like pit bulls. They share the ball like pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.

Granted, they are not really playing against NBA competition. But, if they played like this, there would be no competition for them.

Whenever somebody talks about the thug-like NBA, just pull out some tape of this team and show it to them. These are not thugs. These are the best athletes in the world playing a game that is absolutely beautiful. When they game ends, they all stay on the court, raise their hands and wave to the crowd. Hell, some of them even bowed.

You can't help but wonder how much coaching has to do with this. Mike Krzyzewski has won three national titles at Duke. He does it by telling his team that if they play defense, he will give them immense freedom on offense. He and Jim Boeheim of Syracuse obviously have instilled a college mindset with these players and it shows on the court.

While I love the NBA story, I think the most compelling story so far has been women's gymnastics.

First of all, there was the matter of just how old those Chinese girls are. I've got two daughters and I know what young girls look like. If those Chinese girls are all 16, then I'm the Flying Nun.

The best part of the gymnastics was the victory by Nastia Liukin in the all-around. What a story. A family of immigrants and a girl who was not given much of a chance to beat this year's gymnastic darling, Shawn Johnson, a good American kid from Des Moines.

Liukin was absolutely beautiful during the competition. While Johnson was the spunky fireplug, Liukin was the graceful ballerina, combining strength with a grace that was breathtaking. Plus, any father who has a daughter couldn't help getting a little choked up over Nastia and her dad.

There is also the Michael Phelps factor. We are witness to what may well be one of the greatest athletic achievements of our time. All of this from a geek with big ears, short legs and a wingspan of your average king bat. Phelps, though, does seem like a really nice and graceful man and we all feel good rooting for him.

And finally, can anyone tell me why the Olympic folks are dropping baseball and softball from the games and keeping synchronized swimming? I mean, really.