Phelps is getting serious for 2010 - or so says 'AP News'

When Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player ever, had the ball and stuck out his use tongue you knew a dunk or a great shot was coming.

Michael Phelps is more or less the the opposite: When Michael Phelps has facial hair and looks silly at a meet, he is just showing up and swimming through it.

Michael Phelps has practically defined every beard and mustache combo there is: There was the Frank Zappa "horseshoe" mustache with a "soul patch." The Wyatt Earp "handle bar" extending into the side burns. The George Michael "I slept in till 2:00 PM shadow beard," or the bad episode of cops mustache where a man somewhere in the Bayou with the trailer on cement blocks is in handcuffs and the fat lady; (presumably the woman who called the cops), is yelling at the peace offciers, "don't take my baby!" - I hated that mustache.

However AP says he is getting serious so i am betting that the facial hair is gone. That is when I will know that he's serious!

From AP:

"This year is the big year to prepare yourself for the next two years," Phelps said Friday, as he prepared for USA Swimming's Southern California Grand Prix at Long Beach.

"Those are the two most important years that are coming up for me, being able to have a good World Championships next year to set up hopefully a good Olympics."

Phelps's schedule will include US Grand Prix meetings in Missouri and Charlotte, a meeting near his training base in Baltimore and a trip to the Paris Open in June.

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