SYDNEY, Australia -- Rhonda Craig stood in the stands, throwing punches into the air and screaming at her brother, Dante, who was fighting a tough Egyptian in a first-round bout.
"The power! He's gonna feel the power! The power!"
The crowd came alive. So did Dante. In the third round, the referee stopped the fight, and 22-year-old Dante Craig's unlikely pursuit of Olympic glory continued.
"He's going to be the miracle man of these Games," Rhonda said after the fight. "He wasn't supposed to be here."
A former Gold Gloves champion, Dante Craig was working in a Cincinnati dry cleaners last year when an older brother had a dream. In the dream, Dante's deceased mother, Mary, instructs his brother to tell Dante to start boxing again. When he heard this command, Dante went to the gym.
Just before going to the U.S. Trials this year, where he was seeded eighth out of eight boxers in the 67kg weight class, Dante faced another crisis. His infant son died of a respiratory illness, Rhonda said.
Now, Dante Craig is motivated by the memory of his mother and son. He is trying to feel their power -- and inflict it on opponents.
Their house in the Olympic Village low on mirrors, members of the U.S. softball team went out to buy some. Pitcher Lori Harrigan tripped coming off the team bus and broke the mirror she was carrying. She insists it's good luck, though, noting that she once before broke a mirror and pitched well.
The Dream Team, Version Y2K, starts its roll toward the gold medal by taking on China in a first round game Sunday. Although China calls its towering front line The Great Wall, the quicker U.S. players shouldn't have any trouble scaling it.
Busts …
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, who had hoped to come to Australia -- where Kidman is from -- for the Games, had to cancel their trip and give away their tickets. They have to stay in Spain, where Kidman is filming a movie being produced by Cruise.
U.S. swimmer Gary Hall, Jr., who after promising to "smash the Australians like guitars," was caught from behind in the men's 4 x 100 relay … by Aussie swimming sensation Ian Thorpe.
The full-body suits that the Australian women's basketball team is wearing. Although the uniforms looked rather uncomfortable, the Opals still beat Canada by more than 40 points.
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The Water Wars continue between the United States and Australia. U.S. swimmers - who lost the men's 4x100 relay for the first time ever on Saturday - will look toward breaststroker Ed Moses and defending individual medley champion Tom Dolan to restore their pride.
Ian Thorpe . The Aussie swimmer won two gold medals and set two world records. Not bad for a first day’s work.
Beauts …
Time to thrown in the towel on the sweet science? Sports Illustrated's Richard Hoffer says boxing at the Olympics is 
With its thrilling 
Getting the adrenaline going is different for everyone. Find out how American cyclist Christine Witty gets 
Aussie pride engulfed all of Sydney following the Opening Ceremonies with The Daily Telegraph’s front page headline typical of the feeling sweeping the city: Our finest hour.
U.S. medal hopefuls in beach volleyball Jennifer Johnson Jordan and Annett Davis were pressed by a tough Australian duo and barely avoided first-round elimination.
NBC television coverage of the Games. Will the time delay allow for well-paced, exciting pre-produced shows? Or will it sap energy from the broadcast?
