Bungled Handoffs Derail U.S. Relay Hopes

-Beijing - It was the worst thirty minutes of the Olympic Games for Team USA. The rain probably didn't help matters much and neither did the limited practice time typically committed to relay handoffs before the Olympics.

Somebody needs to find Tyson Gay and give him a hug. His Olympic Games were officially labeled a nightmare for the 2007 World Champion at 100 and 200-meters. Doc Patton's handoff to Tyson Gay on the anchor leg ended up bouncing around the track.

The bobbled exchanged between Torri Edwards to anchor leg Lauryn Williams was met the same result. Williams picked up the baton and finished the race, but it didn't count. Both U.S. teams were disqualified from their respective races.

This makes back-to-back Olympic Games that the women have dropped the baton. These results are a continuation of past errors that beg for a look at restructuring the Olympic team process.

USA Track and Fields needs to take a page out of the USA Basketball book because the current Olympic system dates back to the Cold War era and fails to represent the best that the country is capable of delivering.

By Jay Hicks.