Danny Kass, a Jersey guy and the silver medalist in the half pipe four years ago in Utah, backed up White with another silver medal.

But even that one-two finish was tarnished, because the American snowboarders have been predicting all along that they would sweep their event, just as they had in Utah. Gold and silver are great. But an added bronze would have been perfect.

Team USA will recover if only because this kind of luck can’t last forever. But the damage to the team’s medal hopes is already done, and there’s nothing anyone can do to make up for it.

If the Olympics were a baseball or football game, the team could fall behind early and still hope to rally. But when you lose a medal you were counting on in the Olympics, it’s gone forever.

The United States can’t go out and win a cross-country or Nordic combined event. It isn’t going to steal a medal in ski jumping. Even if the team performs to peak expectations, it’s not going to get 34 medals.

Slide show   Emotional Moments Feb. 26: See photos of athletes' highs and lows from Sunday.

There will be more heroes. Hedrick has much more work to do in speed skating. Figure skating can produce more heroes. The women’s hockey team is an underdog to Canada, but it, too, could do something big.

There are still nine events in Alpine skiing – four more men’s and five women’s – nine more shots to make some sort of amends for the downhill debacle.

So there’s as much reason to watch as ever. After all, part of the fun of the Olympics is watching the giants get upset – even if it’s your giant taking the fall. From my perspective, seeing the French upset the Austrians in the biggest skiing race is pure magic.

I doubt the USOC is looking at it that way, though. From their perspective, Monday can’t arrive soon enough.