Bode Miller

You have to be somewhat crazy to ski 90 miles per hour.

And what kind of a name is Bode anyway?

Have you heard about this guy, Bode Miller? Some say he is the best all around skier that has stepped into bindings for the US ever. He is also a guy who is not afraid of a little controversy. His recent remarks on 60 minutes (that show is still on? I thought CBS was all CSI all the time) got him into a spotlight his coaches didn’t like. It seems Bode likes to party hearty and then break records on the slippery slopes. “Definitely. There’s been times when I’ve been in really tough shape at the top of the course,” says Miller.

“Talk about a hard challenge right there. I mean, if you ever tried to ski when you’re wasted, it’s not easy.”

I have tried to ski stone cold sober, emphasis on cold and I often end up looking like a yard sale exploded on the slope, Poles here, gloves there, hat there, me in several spots. And I was skiing for fun.

This guy is our best hope to get gold in the Turin Olympic Games which start next month. He is not a textbook skier by any measure, in fact watching him ski is watching someone who seems completely out of control, yet somehow he makes it down the hill and in the process beats everyone else. He once lost a ski at 80 mph and finished the race.

And if he’s a little hung-over when he does it, who are we to judge?