Zhang Hongliang, some sort of badge-wearing China gymnastics official at the Games, insists it's a mistake and that He's age in the paper ain't nothing but a number:

"It’s definitely a mistake,” Zhang said of the Xinhua report, speaking in a telephone interview. “Never has any media outlet called me to check the athletes’ ages.”

Asked whether the federation had changed their ages to make them eligible, Zhang said: “We are a sports department. How would we have the ability to do that?”

“We already explained this very clearly. There’s no need to discuss this thing again.”

Thank you for your time!

So...how far do you press this issue? If the U.S. starts prying into this isn't this going to further embarrass the Chinese IOC who've already been hoodwinking the crap out of everybody along the way with this spectacle? Does China even care that this is cheating? Probably not. In their minds, they won. None of their golden competitors got spooked and fell off the balance beam when it mattered.

Tonight: remember to watch the Philadelphia Eagles undrafted free agents shuffle around aimlessly against the Carolina Panthers.

Tomorrow: the second part of the Salisbury transcript and the merciful end to this awful, awful week.

Thnk y fr yr cntnd spprt f Ddspn.

Stunning. I Would Have Never Guessed He's Still Prepubescent, But Does It Really Matter? [Fan IQ]

Be well tonight and sorry for the glitches again today, especially during Sussman's spirited live-blog extravaganza. Hopefully, all of that stuff will get worked out. Eventually.

Anyway...the usual sign-off.

'Til tomorrow.

NBC Seeks Green From Phelps Gold [LA Times]