Cute as a Button

The thing I will miss most about these Olympics, even more than curling, is figure skating announcer Dick Button. The 1948 and 1952 Olympic gold medalist is 76 years old and was actually born a few towns away in Englewood.
Dick is like an old, sometimes bitter, sometimes warm and always hilarious uncle.
During the Olympics he praised some skaters as "delightful" or "pleasant," while some were "pleasing" to him.
He had several comments about the ladies. He said about one girl, "the trousers really help her physique." Another was described as a "lovely figured lady" and after one particularly elegant performance he said "that's a lady skating."
He called one pairs team "a nice couple, you'd like to have them over for dinner. They wouldn't spill wine on your table cloth."
But there was a dark side to Dick Button. He said some positions were "unattractive" while others were just plain "ugly." He criticized many skaters for lacking "passion" or "fire" and pointed out that several teams were lacking "romance." Not sure if that included the brother and sister duo.
He also tended to harp on the things he didn't like for a long time.
My favorite Buttonism though was when he described Barbara Fusar-Poli's behavior to her partner after their fall as "the biggest hissy-fit of all time."
To punctuate the flash of Dick Button into my life I will now share with you all the questions from Sports Illustrated and the answers from Dick Button, in this week's SI "Pop Culture Grid."

Michelle Kwan is...a great friend, champion and thoughtful lady

Favorite website? No answer (I think that's because "I grew up in a simpler time, before the internet, before e-mail, before the telephone even. If you wanted to talk to someone, you went to see them in person. Or you sent them a telegram. It was a much more elegant and graceful way to interact" wouldn't fit on the page.)

What did you eat for breakfast this morning? Prunes to keep my timing regular

Would you go on Dancing with the Stars? As the star or the klutz? I'd be a better klutz.

Song that pumps you up? The U.S. national anthem (I sense a note of phony patriotism there, I imagine his real answer is Ruff Ryderz Anthem.)

Dumbest thing you ever did in the snow? Piddle my name in the snowbank in Chinese.

Most interesting thing you brought to Turin? An appetite for Italian cooking. (That's actually not that interesting.)