I've tried, I really have. But, as much as I'd like to, I just can't work up any enthusiasm for the Winter Olympics. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a number of the events. I think it's the coverage that's throwing me off. NBC and its many affiliate networks aren't happy unless they can provide a story line that is either tragic or triumphant. And they're so formulaic in the way they present these stories. What's so strange to me is all the footage they have of some of the athletes. For example there's the American figure skating pair of Meryle Davis and Charlie White and their heartwarming tale of growing up skating together. Their parents must have foreseen the need to video tape the duo from an early age, no doubt banking on the future of their progeny as Olympians. How else can you account for the seemingly endless hours of tape of the pair. And it's not just Davis and White. Is there an American athlete in the games whose early life wasn't documented by their parents? If, on the odd chance, there isn't any archival footage, NBC has done us the favor of going out to get some. In many cases they have traveled to the athletes' homes and taped interviews with their parents, cousins, neighborhood grocers, mail carriers, teachers and anyone who may have known the athlete in their youth. And the bigger deal you are, the bigger the name doing the interview. If you're really something, they sic Tom Brokaw on you. The point of all those interviews is always the same. The goal is to make the athlete cry. That's what makes for good television in their view, I suppose. Once upon a time I was a reporter and I can recall the first time I made someone cry with my prying questions. I had witnessed a girls high school basketball team play its final game of the season. They lost in the district tournament in spite of being a very talented team. The team, dominated by sophomore talent, had just one senior. After the game, I asked her if she had thought about the fact that she had just played her final high school game. “Not until you asked me,” she said as she burst into tears. I felt horrible. From then on I tried not to make people cry, if I could help it. But not those intrepid NBC reporters. Nope, that's their goal. The other night American skier Bode Miller had just won a bronze medal in Super G when an NBC reporter cornered him. Viewers had already been made aware of the fact that Miller's brother Chelon had died last year. The reporter, Christin Cooper, asked a few too many personal questions. She asked Miller about his emotions. His answer was somewhat vague but passable. She asked again about what he was thinking about. Again Miller responded vaguely. So Cooper did what NBC Olympic reporters do, she asked yet again. Finally, Miller dropped to his knees and broke down in tears. Television gold, that is. Why doesn't NBC send Cooper over to the hockey arena and see if she can't make some of the hockey players cry. That would be good television. Some random other thoughts on the Olympics: Until the other night, I had never before seen snowboard cross. That is some seriously wacky stuff. If you haven't seen it, check it out. Where the hell is the curling? After the sports' popularity the last two Winter Olympics, why aren't they showing any this time around? I like curling for one simple reason. It looks like something I could do. As opposed to snowboard cross.