Phelps got eight in Beijing.

Spitz was in Detroit, watching live on satellite with the 11 p.m. news team, when Phelps raced for his seventh in the 100-meter butterfly.

"I was scheduled to be on the camera with Phelps if he won," Spitz said.

After Spitz watched the first lap, he told the fellow viewers in the studio that Phelps was too far behind Milorad Cavic, and "out of phase."

"And remember that old commercial, E.F. Hutton, and if E.F. Hutton says it, everybody (cups their ear) in the restaurant?" Spitz said. "There was complete silence. Somebody says, 'What's out of phase?' I go, 'He'll all off on his strokes, he's not going to finish right.' So the guy in Sports says, 'How do you know?' And just off the top of my head, 'Because I'm Mark Spitz.'"

That's what happened: Phelps had a half-choppy stroke.

"And I thought the race was lost," Spitz said. "I mean, all the other guy had to do was keep his head down. He lifted his head up. And what he saw was Phelps go right by him."

That helped Phelps eventually go by Spitz in the history books.

"Phelps of course wins by one-hundredth of a second," Spitz said. "Listen, I won a race by a hundredth of a second in my career and in the process broke a world record. And I'm not giving the gold medal back, and I'm definitely not giving the world record back. So if it was good enough for me, it was good enough for him. And I commend him on the fact that he challenged himself. He deserves the accolades."

Which records become imperiled in team sports?

Often, longevity — or lack of it — is a result of technological, athletic, legislative and strategic evolution.

Take the case of Wilt Chamberlain, who was such an anomaly in his era that he retired with his name atop most lists, where it has largely remained. Chamberlain's statistics, including his 50.4 scoring average in 1961-62, were cartoonish, with only Michael Jordan coming within 14 points. Chamberlain's most memorable feat (100 points in one game) has survived nearly half-a-century, with Kobe Bryant coming reasonably close (81) in 2006. The most admired record in pro basketball may actually be Bill Russell's 11 championship titles, and free agency (and greater parity) may have put that out of reach.

NFL passing records have become susceptible as the game has opened up, with a series of rules designed to aid the offenses. Just ask Dan Marino, who has seen a slew of records fall, either to Brett Favre (career touchdown passes) or Peyton Manning (single-season touchdown passes). Marino might have lost another in 2008 if Drew Brees had been more aware. Brees entered the Saints' season finale within striking distance of the single-season record of 5,084 yards. But, as Brees later admitted, "I had no idea we were only 15 yards away going into that last play. I thought we were maybe 50 to 100 yards away." His final pass skipped incomplete off the turf; with the Carolina defense in prevent mode to protect a lead, a simple screen might have done it, though that wouldn't have seemed right.

NHL scoring records, many set by Wayne Gretzky, have become unattainable as the game has tightened up, largely due to a neutral zone trap that the league has tried with mixed success to abolish. Gretzky scored 92 goals for the Edmonton Oilers in 1981-82, and posted the second-highest total (87) two seasons later. Mario Lemieux is fourth on the list, with 85 in 1988-89. No one has scored 76 since 1992-93, and only Alex Ovechkin has scored as many as 60 this decade (65 in 2007-08).

Ninety-three? By anyone?

"Never," Lemieux said. "It's not going to happen. Players are much better now. Team play, team defense, parity, all of these things. If you score 60 goals, it's a huge season. Everybody can skate now in the NHL. If you're not a good skater now, you're not going to make it. And the goalies are so much better than they were 20 years ago."

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