HARD TO ARGUE A BAD CALL, THOUGH

Jerod Swallow got very good marks from the judges after the American ice dancer and his partner, Elizabeth Punsalan, performed a compulsory routine.

Why were the judges so kind when they punched in those scores?

“I have no control over the fingers of the panel,” Swallow said. “I guess we’re skating for a more divine judge than the nine judges who are out there.”

Here’s hoping for more 5.8s and 5.9s from the Judge Upstairs.

JUST ONE QUESTION: WHY A YELLOW ROCK?

“We just couldn’t rub Japan’s top yellow rock. Otherwise, it would have spun out and it would have been shot rock. It was one of those things. You just have to hope your guy in the house is calling the angle right, because if it comes up too far, it will roll out, and if it stays out too far, it rubs the yellow one and we lose.”

--Tim Somerville of the United States, after a victory over Japan in curling.

I think that explains it.

TEMPLE, NOT TAMPA

The Zenkoji Temple in Nagano is legendary, and has been featured constantly on TV. One of its myths is, if you do not visit the temple in your lifetime, you will never go to heaven.

Rob Zamuner, 27, of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, paid a visit, during a break from practice with the Canadian hockey team.

“How was it?” Zamuner was asked.

“Oh, OK. You know, nice,” he replied. “Nothing to blow your socks off.”

More Zamuner: The big news is, Canada is trying to avenge the U.S. victory in the World Cup of Hockey, right, Rob?

“I’m down there in Tampa,” Zamuner said. “We don’t care much about World Cups down there.”

BUT DOES HE LIKE MOJO?

According to the official Olympic biography for Japanese speedskater Hiroyasu Shimizu, he:

“First put on skates at the age of 3, in snowy Hokkaido. The national champion in 500 and 1,000 meters of Shirakaba Gakuen High School, he specializes in a quick start and skates with an unusually low posture.

“His blood type is A.”

These bios are thorough.