Note: I do apologize for my absence these last two weeks … if, of course, you’ve noticed. I spent last week in Denver for the DNC, and I’ll have plenty to blog about that soon. I wrote this post a little while back; I hope it doesn’t bother anyone to take a step or two back before pushing forward.

As the worldwide games have drawn to a close, and tests and examinations of birth certificates and such draw out potential cheaters from the pantheon of champions, I'm reminded of the unknowns in competition, the things beyond a competitor's control that might eventually lead me to discourage Maddie from certain arenas of sport.

I refer to judged competition: Gymnastics, figure skating, synchronized water dancing (which on its face is ridiculous, but is very enjoyable to watch) and the like. Things that aren't decided on the field, but by a cohort of funny-colored jacket wearing "experts" schooled in the art of scoring a triple Salchow.

Of course, even in sports where the winner should be obvious — Phelps touches before Cavic, case closed — officials can weigh in on the matter. The most obvious of these offenses to the spirit of the games is the gold medal tilt in Munich '72 between the United States and Russia, where the USSR was afforded as many do-overs as it required to score the last basket and steal victory from the American hoops squad.

In fact, that is the only egregious example I can produce in a non-judged sport, though I suppose there are others.

I can stomach cheating competitors, if only because their transgressions invariably come to light and they tend to live their final days in ignominy. Marion Jones and Ben Johnson eventually lost their medals, and though the record books currently place Hank Aaron second, I've little doubt many ardent baseball fans view Barry Bonds as the true home run king.

He Kexin, too, could possibly lose her gymnastics crown.

My fear, though, is that Maddie could devote herself to one of these sports of beauty and grace, only to have her greatest athletic moment ripped from her hands, and her heart, by some fool too ignorant or biased to dole out a proper score.

Now, I'm not saying I envisage Maddie as a 2016 Olympian. I'm just sayin'.

I'm no gymnastics connoisseur, but I know failure when I see it. The vault competition between Alicia Sacramone and Cheng Fei was one of the two most ridiculous examples of judging injustice in these latest games, the other being the uneven bars debacle that should have awarded golds to both Nastia Liukin and Kexin instead of resorting to a convoluted and absurd tie-breaker system that would just as fairly be done by a coin flip.

In the vault, Sacramone, though not flawless in her execution, stuck her landing. Fei took her turn and, with her first attempt, landed on her knees! If you missed it, I'll let you take a guess at who took finished ahead.

I have great respect for Sacramone and Liukin. They were both screwed in favor of the Chinese and still comported themselves with dignity and honor, representing their country far better in defeat than many do in victory.

But I'd far rather Maddie get the hit to push across the winning run than perform her heart out, then pray that some rube gets the score right.