Yelena Isinbayeva is the greatest female pole vaulter her sport has ever seen.  The first and only woman to clear 5 meters, she has dominated her field for the last five years, a feat that continues this summer.  She needed just one jump in the rain on Friday to win the Golden League meet in Paris and keep her in the hunt for a $1 million dollar prize (the Golden League Jackpot goes to whichever athlete or athletes can win their event in six straight European meets — Isinbayeva is one of four athletes in the running after four meets).

Pictured below is Isinbayeva at the Golden League event in Rome earlier this month, which she also won (obviously).  Pictured above?  Well, that one’s from a couple years ago, but it’s one of my favorite shots of her.  It’s a flattering angle, I think.

Buttocks connoisseur Trent sent With Leather this gallery from NBC's Olympics website, and I must admit, I enjoy NBC's hard-hitting exposé on hand signals in women's beach volleyball.  Each of the twenty photos in the collection was accompanied by this inside look into the sport:

Hand signals are frequently used by beach volleyball players to communicate to their partners. The signals — one or two fingers down, closed fist, etc. — generally let their partner know who should attempt a block at the net on their opponents' return.

I'm guessing hand signals are only used in women's volleyball, because the entire gallery is pictures of women players flashing the hand signals.  It's a valuable addition to the serious discussion of women's beach volleyball, one that will only be defiled and defamed by villainous bloggers and blog commenters who talk about the women's buttocks that were accidentally captured in the photographers' lenses. 

I say, those photographers and the mainstream media are journalistic heroes just trying to pass along information!  It's a shame the way blogs denigrate the majesty of online journalism!