Monday's Olympic thoughts

1) Is it always this painful to watch the women's -- er, girls' -- gymnastics team? My recollection is "yes," and Sunday's coverage was no exception: The athletes are so young, the pressure so enormous, the mistakes so gasp-inducing, the announcers so unforgiving. ("Ohhh, that was unfortunate," they always seem to say, as dreams are crushed.) But last night's NBC broadcast gave us one redeeming image: the teammates, sans coaches, gathered in a huddle after their trials were over, sharing a group pep talk. With their high voices, their pert ponytails, and their refrain of "Oh my God, I'm so proud of you guys," they looked and sounded like the teenagers they are. They're going to need all of the support they can get, so I'm glad they have each other.

2) Whether it's fascination with China, the thrill of competition, or the hype of 24/7 coverage, NBC's ratings are up compared to past Olympics.

3) Several readers have asked if NBC is planning to re-air Friday night's Opening Ceremony. The answer appears to be no, but NBC notes that you can watch the proceedings in streaming video on www.nbcolympics.com. Navigation hint: on the "Video" tab, scroll down to "NBC Encores," then look for the Opening Ceremony, which appears in a few large chunks.