Last night (or whenever it was.  I never got this time difference thing down), history was made twice.  Not only was it the first time a Pro beach Volleyball team won back-to-back Gold medals at the Olympics when Misty May and Kerri Walsh were victorious, but it was also the first time anyone actually cared about Pro Beach Volleyball.

And they did it in the rain, no less.  What kind of beach volleyball match takes place in the rain?  And why did the men's team get to play inside?  And most importantly, why do I care?

Well, I care because, for my money, Misty May is probably one of the best athletes I have ever seen.  I'm not a great judge of athletes or anything, but she is clearly some kind of volleyball savant.  She just seemed to have this innate ability to always be in the right place at the right time and also instinctively know where her oppoents would not be.  It was like some kind of second sight, like a Jedi or Professor X, or perhaps something less nerdly.  That's when you know that she is not just a great athlete but one of the greatest, because you can't teach that kind of instinct.  In all sports, there are players who do their particular task well (David Ortiz is a great hitter, but not exactly a picture-perfect athlete), and there are some that are blessed with great abilities (Jeter is his prime was probably one of the best at everything), but rarely do you see someone like Misty who puts it all together.  She's even much better-looking than Jeter.

Her partner, Kerri Walsh, is not far behind, plus she has the added edge of the suspect shoulder brace, which some feel is only there to psyche her opponents into thinking she has a weakness.  It's an odd thought, since we can all see that she does not.  The amazing thing however is the way these two work as a unit, always knowing where the otehr is what she is capable of.  And if I may say so, she's even hotter than May.

I had never watched Women's Pro Beach Volleyball before.  It just seemed like a game that drunken college kids played on Spring Break.  And when I was forced to play it in Gym, I was always the kid in teh front who would get hit in the head by my own teammate's serve.  yet, watching these two women, I was mesmerized.  Watching them made me care about this sport.  And they actually won every time  (Well, the last 108 times at least).  Even when the other team would get a point, it was almost like May and Walsh were toying with them, letting them think they had a chance in hell.  Seriously, some of these teams were so over-matched, It was like that Seinfeld episode where Kramer was sparring with children in his karate class.

I guess the saddest thing is I'm just catching on now, and their post-match interview seemed to indicate that this may be the pinnacle for them.  Walsh talked about settling down and starting a family, and both women are in their early 30's, so a three-peat is probably not in the offing.  I mean, I'm in my early 30's, and I can barely get out of bed in the morning (I guess I'm not quite the athlete that May is.)  However, I feel priveliged that I was able to see them now, and see this history-making event, and I was really glad that I saw and cared about it.