None of the glory, but all of the hardware

You might still be searching in vain on TV for the gold-medal ceremony for Bremerton's Nathan Adrian, following the U.S. men's 400-meter freestyle relay team's stunning win over France Monday morning in Beijing.

Or the one for Emily Silver's silver medal in the women's relay.

Well, as they say when you call NBC and ask them how to find something on TV live: Good luck with that.

Unfortunately, the only way you'll see Bainbridge swimmer Silver, or Adrian, or many other people who win medals at any Olympics, actually receive their medal is if you happen to be standing nearby when they get them well after the event — sometimes, even after the Games.

The reason: Both Silver and Adrian were "prelim" swimmers, meaning they swam only in the early heats for their event. It's a common practice for large contingents such as the U.S. to have swimmers — usually a little slower and a lot greener than the team superstars — swim only in the early heats, essentially saving a spot for the "A" team that swims the final.

Note: It's not always two completely separate squads: Often, one or two prelim swimmers will look so good in the process that they'll swim the final, as well, as America's Cullen Jones did Monday.

So when it's all said and done, as many as eight swimmers from any relay will be in line for the event medal. The prelim swimmers deserve one, too, because they, after all, qualified the team and put it in the position to win. But they don't get the benefit of the medal ceremony and all the other hoopla that comes with swimming in the final.

There's a visibility factor, as well: Prelim swims often aren't shown on TV, meaning athletes can win medals in performances few people ever see. It's just the way it is.

And it's not limited to swimming. The same rules apply for sports with other multi-member relays, such as track and field.

That's another interesting thing about a relay medal: Once you win one, you are forever linked to your three to seven teammates — for better or worse. As recent history reminds, if one of your relay teammates should test positive for a doping offense later on and be stripped of his/her medal, there's a strong chance that the International Olympic Committee might come calling for yours, too.

It happened just last week, when the IOC stripped all medals from the U.S. 1,600-meter relay team from Sydney after Antonio Pettigrew confessed to doping in the aftermath of the BALCO scandal. And it happened to two other relay teams that included a woman named Marion Jones in Sydney.

Moral: Choose your relay teammates wisely.

(In truth, that's not really an option. Relay members are chosen by coaches, who consider competitors' recent times, their level of rest, their competitive fire and other factors. They get little credit when it works out right, and all the blame when it goes wrong. Recall the incident in Athens when U.S. men's coach Eddie Reese left veteran swimmer Gary Hall out of the final for the men's 400 free relay in favor of one of his own swimmers, Ian Crocker, who had been sick. Crocker floundered like an ill whale, and the U.S. team swam to what, for it, was an embarrassing bronze medal.)

The bottom line is that a medal is a medal, and you don't get one at the Olympics without earning it. Well, unless you're Marion Jones. And she had to give hers back.

Relay medalists like Silver, Adrian and another Bremerton swimmer, Tara Kirk (silver, 400 individual medley relay, Athens) may not have a video of a medal ceremony to cherish. But they can log into www.olympic.org at any second of any day, pop their name into the athlete database, and up it will come.

Admit it: If it was your name, you'd be doing it at least daily.

TV commercial sweepstakes leader

We're voting for the McDonald's spot in which athletes from different nations are pummeling one another in competition, then sit down at the same table for burgers as the jingle "The More We Get Together" plays in the background. Reason it's cool: This stuff really happens, all the time, at the Olympics.

Wimp? Maybe. Gentleman? Yes.

George Bush, the elder, was congratulating the U.S. women fencing medalists on the arena floor. Upon seeing silver medalist Sada Jacobson in tears, he slipped her his handkerchief. We saw that. Nice move, 41.

Oh, say can you ... huh?

We're still wondering what might have become of the poor audio geek in China responsible for playing that bizarre rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" — right in front of George W. and everybody — at Michael Phelps' first medal ceremony Sunday morning.

In case you missed it, the recorded music included at least one extra bar of the song's opening, then cut off abruptly before the finish.

Phelps laughed. Bush, if he noticed, pretended not to. International incident averted. Wars have started over dumber things.

Check her ID, please

I've never typed these words before and may never again, but: Bela Karolyi was right.

If those gymnasts are really 16, I'm Bette Midler.

Bulletin from Chinese Dept. of Propaganda/Meteorology

Today's Beijing Air-Quality Rating: Good!

Ron Judd: 206-464-8280 or at rjudd@seattletimes.com. Read his blog at www.seattletimes.com/Olympics.