The about-face has left Miller so confused that he can’t get his stories straight. In one breath, he talks about giving it his all, and in the next, he talks about how hard he drank during the Games. “I just did it my way. I’m not a martyr, and I’m not a do-gooder. I just want to go out and rock. And man I rocked here.”

Or: “My quality of life is the priority. I wanted to have fun here, to enjoy the Olympic experience, not be holed up in a closet and not ever leave your room.”

Miller’s act has clearly worn on his coaches, and Bill Marolt, president of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, suggested that officials would have “a heart-to-heart” talk with Miller at the end of this season regarding his behavior. Nor would Marolt speculate if Miller would be back on the team. “I don’t believe we should have conversations like this in the media,” Marolt said. “But clearly it will be something we will address at the year’s end, and I don’t know where that will go right now.”

What they should tell Miller is this: Everyone can sympathize with his struggle to meet unrealistic expectations. And everyone respects what Miller has done on skis, from his two silvers at the Salt Lake Games, to the overall World Cup title last season. But nobody respects the Bode Miller who showed up here — maybe not even Miller himself — and unless he can compete respectably, he shouldn’t return to the team. There are few things less worthy of respect than the athlete who pretends not to care about the outcome. It’s a bail out position, a protection, and an excuse. If you pretend not to care, then no one can say you really lost. Miller never committed to these Olympics, never put his ante on the table. He sauntered around the Games as if he was just here to watch.

Which is mostly what he did.

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