Bob Cook

With apologies to Edwin Arlington Robinson:

Whenever Bode Miller schussed downhill,
We people in the gall’ry looked at him;
He was a daredevil from boot to crown,
Speed-freaky; a crazy, breathtaking thrill.

And often his mouth ran quick as his skis;
He cared not if we thought him right or wrong,
He fluttered pulses as he said:
“That Bonds is on the juice, and so is Lance Armstrong.”

And he was rich — well, not as rich as Trump
— But seemed satisfied after subpar work;
We thought his great talent he let fall slump,
We wouldn’t do the same — drunk-skiing jerk!

So our teeth we gnashed, as if he should care
His bad slalom shouldn’t affect our pride!
It’s a cross for Bode Miller to bear
If he should commit career suicide.

Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem “Richard Cory” — or, if you will the Simon & Garfunkel recasting on their 1965 “Sounds of Silence” album — is one of the most succinct works in describing, in sympathetic terms, how we in the hoi polloi have no understanding of what goes on in the heads of the rich and famous. Certainly, we can’t figure out what is going through the head of Bode Miller, whose coronation as greatest male U.S. skier ever has been interrupted by a diffident performance so far in Turin, Italy.

Perhaps this statement from his Web site (with syntactical errors intact) should give us a clue: “There is a lot of things I love to do and sometimes my skiing gets in the way of those things… .”

It just may be that the reason Bode Miller is not skiing like Bode Miller is because he’s sick of being Bode Miller. Not Bode Miller the person; Bode Miller the champion skier.

WINTER OLYMPICS More on Bode Miller Miller fails to finish slalom, denied any medals Vote: What do you think of Miller’s Olympics? WP: Ski? Bode was busier getting fat on beer Commentary: Bode says ‘I did it my way’   Slide show: Photos from Bode’s bad Games Commentary: Miller lives life on his terms MORE ON ALPINE SKIING

And who could blame him? He’s been skiing for 25 years — and he’s 28. Miller is the defending World Cup champ — the first American in 22 years to hold that title. He already won two silver medals in the 2002 Olympics. That’s a lot of accomplishment for one lifetime.

Sure, he might be blowing a chance to be named in the same, cold-steamy breath as a Jean-Claude Killy. But if Miller is really interested in other things, what’s wrong with that? What is it we say when a tragedy makes a sporting event seem not quite as important? “This really puts things into perspective.” So if we believe sports in the end isn’t that important, why get upset when an already accomplished performer decides maybe he wants to pull back a little?

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

It’s like how when Bob Dylan got sick of being “Bob Dylan,” he’d spit out a musical loogie like “Self Portrait” or “Live at Budokan,” convert to Christianity, or reveal in his autobiography that he always wanted to be a suburban dad. Dylan had already established himself as one of the greatest songwriters ever. He already had a lot of money. What else did he need to prove? Plus, it kept fans a little off-kilter, making it clear that while he appreciates them, he was dictating the terms of their relationship.

Also like Dylan, Miller is going through this phase while not actually outright quitting what he’s done all his life. It appears Miller, with one fifth-place finish, one sixth, one disqualification and one did not finish, is making this Olympics is his “Self Portrait.”