Gold Medal Is Priceless, But Metal Is Worth $215

Speed skating, hockey and Tanith Belbin makes Esquire list

(NEWSER) - If, like many, your interest in the Vancouver Games is lukewarm (kinda like the weather keeping the ski slopes snow-free), Esquire provides a list of the don’t-miss Olympic moments. Some highlights:

• Friday: Opening ceremonies. Vancouver’s spending less than half the $100 million Beijing did in 2008. Or you can rent Strange Brew.
• Saturday: See Apolo Anton Ohno go for a US-record sixth winter medal—as he and his fellow speed skaters sport the Stephen Colbert logo.

(NEWSER) - Michael Phelps’ suspension ended today, and the swimmer is back in the pool preparing for a tourney next week in Charlotte, the AP reports. The Olympian said he was actually unaware of the end of the 3-month ban, imposed after photos emerged of him hitting a bong. “I had no idea,” he said. But he’s happy to be competing again, for the first time since his stunning success at the Beijing Olympics. More»

Swimmer backs mom in NYC, up-ends bottle of Grey Goose

(NEWSER) - Michael Phelps, well on his way to reclaiming his All-American image, was spotted at a New York hotspot “drinking straight from a bottle of Grey Goose,” a source tells the Daily News. At one point, “he got up, started dancing like a loon and kept on yelling, ‘Shots!’” Phelps—who ordered four bottles of vodka—was in the city “to be with his mama, of course,” said Debbie Phelps. More»

Regulations limit suits' bouyancy, coverage

(NEWSER) - World competitive swimming organization Fina has outlawed certain high-tech swimming suits to keep the playing field even, reports the BBC. Suits cannot cover the neck, nor extend past the ankles and shoulders, and are limited to a certain thickness and buoyancy under the new rules. An astonishing 108 swimming records were broken last year, 79 of them by swimmers wearing the Speedo LZR Racer, including gold-medal blockbuster Michael Phelps. More»

Swimmer hides from cameras, tints windows

(NEWSER) - It’s understandable that Michael Phelps is a little camera-shy after the fallout from his bong portrait. But he’s started “hiding out at strip clubs” to avoid having his picture taken, the New York Post reports. The Olympic champ has also tinted the windows of his Baltimore home in a bid for privacy from the paparazzi. More»