ARTICLE: "China's Pride: A 24-Karat Olympic Machine; Host Nation Invests in Athletes, Aiming for a Return in Gold," by Juliet Macur, New York Times, 1 June 2008, p. A1.

How crass! China hires other nations' great coaches in a money-fueled attempt to win more gold medals..

America would never ... never mind. That list is too long to contemplate.

Center of story is rowing coach, Igor Grinko.

Wanna guess where thr Chinese found this "hired gun"? This sports mercenary?

Uh, that would be America, which stole him from the Sovs after the Wall came down.

It's a free agent world, baby.

In the future, you'll see much wider competition among states for the best and the brightest--and not just in sports.