Disappointment. That seems to be the theme for the Americans so far in the Olympics.

With all the hype that goes into the winter games, you would think that some of these “unbelievable” athletes would produce.

Hardly.

Bode Miller, for example, was supposed to be the golden boy for the United States. Didn’t happen. Instead, fans see a lackluster performance and hear a lot of excuses. Miller has yet to medal.

But he’s not alone when it comes to losing in Torino.

The men’s figure skating was horrendous. What ever happened to the days when the United States was a favorite in this category? Johnny Weir had a chance to at least get a bronze but came up short. There seemed to be more talk than substance when it came to Weir.

The U.S. women seem to be in good shape, with Sasha Cohen in first place. But that could be in jeopardy with the way things have been going in Italy. The Russians have been dominating ice skating, and with all the drops and injuries incurred by skaters in 2006, nothing is sure thing. Michelle Kwan had to go home before she even had a chance to compete. If that’s not a bad sign, what is?

And what about Apollo Ohno? He was one of the favorites to win gold for the United States. Again – didn’t happen. He was outskated and outsmarted by two Korean speed skaters in the finals of the 1,000-meter race and failed to even qualify for medal contention in the 1,500-meter race.

What else could go wrong for the United States?

Well, how about Lindsey Jacobellis? The talented snowboarder was winning the cross final when she decided to be cool and do a trick. It cost her, leaving her with the silver.

Fantastic stunts are a major part of snowboarding, but in that particular event no style points are awarded. Jacobellis, a trained athlete in the Olympics, should have used better judgment.And what about the concept of team?

Shani Davis decided not to compete in the pursuit event because he wanted to focus on the 1,500, in which he won gold. The United States consequently ended up without a medal. What ever happened to American pride? Davis showed selfishness rather than sportsmanship.

And last, but not least: What about the hockey team?

The way the United States has been playing, I’d rather root for the Canadians. They have more Lightning players on the team, such as Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards.

The United States lost again to the Russians on Tuesday and barely made it into the quarterfinals. The team will soon be eliminated. No miracles this year; the team just doesn’t have the heart – or NHL talent – that the neighbors to the north do.

The Olympics are usually a time to feel proud to be an American and root for the United States. The way these Winter Olympics have been going … well, I’d rather go to bed and read about it in the morning.