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The Olympics Sap-o-MeterJust like Michael Phelps: another day, another record.

By Josh Levin, Derek Thompson, and Chris Wilson Posted Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008, at 10:55 AM ET

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On Wednesday morning in Beijing's Water Cube, it seemed that no Olympic swimmer could touch the pool without setting a world record. So it is with the Sap-o-Meter. For the third consecutive night, NBC's coverage has set a new standard for sentimentality. The record, if only for today: a whopping 42 Sap Points.

Tuesday was a tale of two arenas for American squads. In the Cube, Michael Phelps, freshly crowned the "greatest Olympian of all time," added two more golds to his war chest. NBC padded the achievement with a nostalgic chat with Mama Phelps, a series of profiles flush with violin crescendos, and record-high utterances of proud and overcome. In women's gymnastics, however, the commentary was syrupy but not always sweet. The grueling showdown between the American and Chinese teams featured falls, slips, and rough landings, eliciting top scores for battled (six mentions) and challenges (four).

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Sappiest Line of the Day: "You done good, Mom."—NBC's Cris Collinsworth to Michael Phelps' mother, Debbie. (Emphasis on sap words is ours.)

The Sap-o-Meter Tag Cloud

adversity battled cancer challenges courage cry death determination dream emotion glory golden heart hero inspiration journey magic memory miracle mom mother overcome passion proud sacrifice spirit tragedy triumph

For a primer on how the Sap-o-Meter works, check out our first entry. Did we miss your favorite moment? Send your Sappiest Line of the Day suggestions to .

Sap-o-Meter History
(click on any bar to read that day's entry)

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Josh Levin is a Slate associate editor. You can e-mail him at . Derek Thompson is a Slate intern. Chris Wilson is an editorial assistant at Slate in Washington, D.C.

Illustration by Nina Frenkel. Interactive feature design by Matt Dodson.

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