Just days after Michael Phelps competed in his last Olympic race EVER (!), every media outlet was like, “Damn, we forgot how much we like this dude, I wonder what he’s up to other than swimming?” Thus, Phelps got caught up in the brief post-Olympic storm where Olympic athletes get the full-on celebrity/gossip treatment. Unlike Ryan Lochte – who went ALL Hollywood – we soon found out that Phelps had been quietly dating a cocktail waitress/model named Megan Rossee. The girl gave me bad/weird vibes, but I can honestly say that I completely forgot about her soon after I learned who she was. And now Michael Phelps has forgotten about her too.

Michael Phelps is once again a single man. The 22-time Olympic medalist swimmer has split from his model girlfriend of nine months Megan Rossee, TMZ reports. Phelps, 27, pulled the plug on their romance when he felt that the relationship wasn’t going anywhere, sources tell TMZ.

Phelps first stepped out with Los Angeles-based model Rossee, 25, in August at a London Olympic event, but the couple had officially dated since March 2012.

Though he retired from swimming after his success at the London Games, Phelps isn’t going to spend 2013 just hanging around. The newly single athlete will appear on the Golf Channel’s Haney Project in February.

“I have traveled the world through swimming, but really haven’t had an opportunity to experience the world through my travels,” Phelps — whose golf game will get some pointers from host Hank Haney — has said. “As I enter this next chapter of my life, I think I will be able to shift my competitiveness to anything I put my mind to and golf is one of the things I want to focus on.”

[From Us Weekly]

TMZ also says that Phelps broke up with her because he wanted to see what else is out there. You know Phelps is big into the Vegas scene, right? He loves to gamble and he loves everything about Vegas. Which means that there will probably be more cocktail waitress/models in his future. Some dudes just like that. I checked Phelps’ Twitter and his last tweet on New Year’s Eve was “Things happen for a reason… #notme”. Which seems kind of pointed and probably about Megan?

Also – guess where Michael spent NYE? In CABO! With every other celebrity. Stacy Keibler tweeted this photo of a game of Beer Pong. Keibler is his type, don’t you think?

Photos courtesy of Twitter, Instagram and WENN.

Michael Phelps has had a girlfriend this whole time. Okay, maybe not the WHOLE time, but he’s definitely had a girlfriend for most of this year. Her name is Megan Rossee and most legit outlets are referring to her as a “model”. That’s backed up by the fact that I could actually find some model-y shots of her, so maybe it’s for real. Apparently, the whole relationship has been very under-the-radar, but people saw them hanging out together in London over the weekend. It’s also weird that people are only putting it together now, because I glanced through her Twitter, and she’s been tweeting about him a lot, and she just started posting photos of Phelps on Instagram. Some selected tweets: “Michael Phelps this probably will get lost in your tweets but since I can’t text I miss you and cant’ wait to spend time with you for real xo” and “Good luck tonight bear.” Yes, she calls him “Bear”. Because apparently they’re Casper Smart and Jennifer Lopez.

But of course there’s already a scandal. Sort of. Radar is trying to make a big deal out of the fact that Megan doesn’t really work full-time as a model. Radar describes her as “a cocktail waitress” and “a bottle server at Blok nightclub in Hollywood.” A source told Radar that Phelps and Rossee met at Blok:

“Michael and Megan have been an item since January. He met her in Blok nightclub – and despite advances from Paris Hilton’s ex Doug Reinhardt, she chose Michael. Megan thinks Michael is very funny, kind-hearted, loves hanging out with him and is just as athletic. She loves to keep in shape, so they have a lot in common. She was with him in Omaha, cheering him on at the Olympic trials and has been playing the part of devoted fan and girlfriend. Michael was desperate for her to see more of the world, so he decided that she should join him in London for the Olympics. He’s also hoping that eventually she quits her nightclub job to go full-time on her modeling career. He hates that she still works at Blok. Michael is completely besotted with Megan and now that he’s retired is even thinking of popping the question,” the source revealed.

[Via Radar]

Sounds like wishful thinking on behalf of Megan and her friend, but who knows, really? I think Phelps does tend to go for the model/waitress types, right? And why not? If it’s good enough for George Clooney, it’s good enough for Michael Phelps. Except that Radar has OTHER sources who claim that Rossee might be a user. *clutches pearls*

Friends fear that Michael Phelps’ new girlfriend Megan Rossee is only in it for the fame, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting. The Olympic swimming champion is besotted with the leggy, blonde aspiring model – but has been warned that she’s just using him to climb the showbiz ladder. Worse still, pals are concerned that he will be left heartbroken if things don’t work out between them.

“Michael is like a puppy dog around Megan – he’s completely in love with her,” a close source said. “However, like any young girl hoping to make it in Hollywood, she’s ambitious and knows that by associating herself with Michael she will get a lot of press herself. She’s desperate for her own fame – her career has been a slow-burner but this will certainly accelerate it.

“Megan supplements the little money she makes through modeling by working as a cocktail waitress at Blok nightclub – but neither she nor Michael want her doing that forever. Now that people know who she is, Megan is hoping that she will get more offers for photoshoots and her modeling and acting career will finally take off,” the source revealed.

Despite supporting Michael at the Olympic trials in Omaha and the London 2012 Olympics, friends are wary that Megan will leave the Olympic swimming champ heartbroken if their relationship was to ever end.

“He took her to the Olympics at a time when he was trying to become the most decorated Olympian of all time – that’s how much she means to him,” an insider divulged.

“Michael adores everything about Megan, she’s athletic, makes him laugh and she’s obviously drop dead gorgeous. But what happens when the buzz of the Olympics dies down and life goes back to normal? Will she want to date a retired swimmer?”

As RadarOnline.com exclusively revealed, the mystery blonde Phelps was spotted celebrating with in London was cocktail waitress, Megan.

The pair have been serious since January – but wanted to keep their relationship under wraps as Michael concentrated on becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time at the 2012 London Games.

[From Radar]

FFS. “But what happens when the buzz of the Olympics dies down and life goes back to normal? Will she want to date a retired swimmer?” Oh, I don’t know, “source”. Will a struggling model/waitress/famewhore want to hang out with a completely ripped, famous, and beloved millionaire with nothing but time on his hands? Rossee is definitely pushing this WAY too hard.

Photos courtesy of Instagram, WENN.

Let’s talk about the Olympics. You’re going to have to excuse me preemptively for not always using the right terminology and stuff – I’m not a sports writer, obviously. And I don’t have the time to go as in-depth as I’d like to about some of this stuff, especially since I’m suffering from a pretty bad Olympic hangover right now, having stayed up late (late for me) to watch all of NBC’s dragging coverage of yesterday’s Olympic events. So, let me just do some highlights:

*Michael Phelps won gold and silver yesterday! Team USA won gold in the Men’s Relay (so, Phelps and Ryan Lochte won), and Phelps took silver in the 200m butterfly. Chad le Clos, a South African HOTTIE, won gold over Phelps. I’m including photos of Chad because, you know, HOT HOT HOT. I was really proud of Chad too! He looked so happy to win. Princess Charlene of Monaco was there, cheering him on too. As for Phelps… he got his game face on in a hurry after failing to place in his first competition, and after Lochte bungled the anchor leg of the relay of the 400m Freestyle a few days ago, losing first place to the French. That French swimmer, Yannick Agnel, is really bringing it. Yannick is a BEAST.

*GOOOOOOoooo Missy Franklin! The cutest, most adorable sweetheart of Team USA’s swim team got her first gold! I love her. She’s the cutest thing.

*I’m seriously worried about Team USA’s defending gold-medal champions, Kerri Walsh, Misty May-Treanor, Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers. Kerri and Misty’s first match was pretty rough – although they still won, they just seemed lethargic. They improved in their last two matches, though. I’m still worried – Kerri just announced that she has pinkeye!!! That’s a big deal. But really, let’s talk about Dalhausser and Rogers. I was RIVETED by their game yesterday against Spain – Phil and Todd won, but their win was tainted by a bad call and a complete and total hissy fit thrown by the Spanish players – you can read more about it here. The lesson: keep playing until you hear the whistle, for the love of God. Plus, Big Man Dalhausser is playing like he’s hurting.

*Now, let’s talk about what happened in gymnastics last night. USA! USA! USA! I’m so happy and proud for those girls. Unlike the men’s gymnastics team, the girls knew how to perform under pressure. I cried as they nailed routine after routine, pushing themselves and showing off just what a cohesive unit they are. I think Ali Reisman and Gabby Douglas are the biggest gymnastic stars in the world!!!

*Have you ever seen a Russian gymnastics team have a meltdown like that? I cannot remember the Russians ever being THAT emotional. Of course, I can’t remember ever seeing a Russian team screw up so badly. When those little girls were crying, I just wanted to give them all hugs. But really: the Russian girls = the American boys’ team. I’ve never seen the American men have a total meltdown like they did on Monday either.

*The girls’ gymnastics leotards were AWFUL. I don’t even want to speak about what that unflattering leotard did to poor Gabby.

And that’s all I’ve got. I’ve been watching other events, of course – who knew that archery was so compelling? – but I just wanted to talk about some of the big events.

PS… Don’t yell about the photos! We don’t have access to any of the photos from the gymnastics events, so I just went with the swimmer dudes. You’re welcome!!

Photos courtesy of WENN, Pacific Coast News.

Does anyone else feel like this whole “Michael Phelps-Ryan Lochte: THE COMPETITION” media invention is a bit overblown? Before all of the stuff for the London Olympics began, I always heard that Ryan and Michael were friends – or, if not friends, then friendly and nice to each other. Now it’s like everyone is trying to make this into the biggest rivalry ever. Anyway…

Phelps and Lochte went head-to-head in their first competition yesterday. Long story short, Lochte won gold and Phelps didn’t even place. I know a lot of people are “over” Phelps for being over-hyped and for seeming like he doesn’t even want to be there, but I still believe in Phelps. I think not even placing in the 400 meter individual medley was just the ass-kicking Michael needed to get his head in the game. Phelps isn’t going to win eight golds this time around, but he’s going to win some, and Lochte is going to win some, and it’s going to be fine.

As for Lochte… he’s incredibly cute. Did you see the video thing of what Lochte was doing to train for London? That enormous tire?!! Good God. But he’s a beautiful swimmer, he has a gorgeous body, a sexy smile and he’s a winker. I love a winker. However, I am not a fan of his diamond grill.

Lochte and Phelps will be in the 4 X 100 relay later today – so they’ll be on the same team. Isn’t this event where they won gold the last time? Phelps pulling out all of the stops and winning the gold by a hundredth of a second? Maybe it will happen again. And then Phelps and Lochte go head-to-head again on… Wednesday, August 1.

PS… Did anyone else watch girls’ beach volleyball? We don’t have any photos from that event, but I’m concerned about Misty and Kerri. I love those girls with all my heart, and that Aussie team almost kicked their asses.

Photos courtesy of PCN.

Only three more weeks!!! Three weeks until the Olympics. For some reason, I’m super excited this year. Although… maybe that’s not so weird for me. I was really excited for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 too – I can’t wait to see the swimming. And the beach volleyball! And don’t even get me started on the gymnastics, probably my favorite event. Anyway, Beijing’s reigning king Michael Phelps covers the August issue of Details Magazine as a way to preview his game for the London Olympics – which will definitely be his LAST Olympics ever, according to him. Phelps has done a lot of growing up over the past four years – I tend to think that after he took home eight gold medals in 2008, he just didn’t know what to do with himself. Still, I believe he’s a good kid. I want him to be victorious this year too. Anyway, you can read the full Details piece here, and here are some highlights:

Not taking a day off for six years before the 2004 Games: “I used to have a thing—coach Bob [Bowman] and I couldn’t talk to each other before 8 a.m. because I was in a terrible mood. I don’t like getting up that early. Getting into the cold pool just isn’t fun. It sucks. But during those six years it was a sacrifice that I made to try to become my best. So yeah, in bed at 10 or earlier every night. Waking up at 6:30 every day. When I was a kid, I would do anything. Whatever Bob told me to do, I would do about 10 times better. I wanted to be the best. I still do.”

His life post-Beijing, being “fat”: “At that point, I just didn’t have anything. It was weird going from the highest of the high, the biggest point of your life—winning eight gold medals—and then saying, “All right, where do I go from here?” I wasn’t motivated. I did nothing, literally nothing, for a long time. I gained 25 pounds. A friend of mine and I were playing football on the beach in Miami, and somebody got a picture of us and put it all over the place. And he’s like, “Bro, you gotta start working out, man. You are fat.” So I started going through the motions again. I would go back for a week or two and then stop. I’d show up for dry-land practice and then just sneak out the back door so nobody saw me. I was watching Rocky II the other day—the one where he’s fighting Apollo for the second time and he’s just going through the motions. It reminded me of how I was.

Being photographed smoking mary jane: “It was a learning experience. I’m the kind of person who has to go through the learning experiences myself. Somebody could tell me, “If you eat this much you’ll be fat,” and I’d be like, “Yeah, okay, let me try it.” Growing up, my mom taught us to make our own decisions, but also that you have to pay for the consequences of those decisions. I’m thankful for that. I’ll be the first to say I’ve made thousands of mistakes, but I’ve never made the same mistake twice.”

Coming back: “I realized that I probably hadn’t reached my full potential. There was still more in the tank. As I come to closure on my career, am I going to look back in 20 years and say, “What if?” That’s something I don’t want. This is it. I’ve always said I wouldn’t swim past 30. I don’t want to be that guy who’s hanging on, but I want to reach my max potential. I don’t care how much pain I have to go through or the sacrifices I have to make. I’ll get it.”

Being older, and it’s harder to recover: “It’s harder to recover. Going into the weight room three times a week, it can be harder to swim, it can be harder to hit all the times I hit back in the day, just because I’m older now. My trainer, Keenan [Robinson], uses Graston tools, these little metal crowbars. He carves them into my shoulder blades, my back, my knee, my hamstrings—wherever I’m really tight—to loosen things up. It’s pretty intense. Obscenities fly out of my mouth the whole time, and I’m usually bruised for two days after it. I also use ice tubs. And when I’m back home, I sleep in an altitude chamber set to about 8,000 feet. All these things help me to be close to my best every time I jump in the water.”

The rumor that he eats 12,000 calories a day: “ No. People make a big deal out of what I eat, but it’s not that crazy. I had a three-egg omelet and three pieces of French toast and coffee this morning. For recovery, I think it’s a big deal to eat within a half-hour after you exercise. Otherwise I just try to put carbs into my system before I swim and then load up on the protein after. I don’t count calories. Whether it’s Sour Patch Kids or Reese’s or a bag of chips, if I feel like eating it, I’m going to eat it.”

Swimming after retirement? “I don’t know what I’m going to do, exercise-wise. A lot of my friends are all into Insanity and P90X. I like playing basketball and golfing. I’ll stay involved in the sport through the [Michael Phelps] Foundation. We’ve been able to help almost 3,000 kids be water-safe, to teach them lessons like goal-setting and making the right decisions with healthy, active living. It’s always been a passion of mine to show these kids that if you put your mind to something, you’re gonna be able to get there.”

[From Details]

Details also mentions that Phelps’ coach says that Michael’s greatest asset as an athlete is his mind – and I think you can see that here. When Michael is training heavily and preparing for something big, he’s clear, focused and calm. It’s when he doesn’t have anything to train for that everything goes to hell.

Oh, and DEAR GOD I LOVE SWIMMERS’ BODIES. Phelps has a beautiful physique. It’s exquisite.

Photos courtesy of Details.

I understand that Olympian Michael Phelps isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But I can’t help myself! I was obsessed with him before, during and immediately after the Beijing Olympics, and I genuinely find him attractive. He’s got that tall, lanky, broad-shouldered body that I love. He’s got a mix of goofy sweetness and the supremely focused sportsman. I don’t know… I can’t describe it in actual words, all I know is that I’m hot for him and I’m looking forward to seeing him at the London Olympics. And Phelps is going to compete! After Beijing, Phelps spent a few years just hanging out, being a dude in his 20s, smoking some weed and not keeping up with his training. But a year ago, Phelps decided to start training again and actually focus on preparing for London.

And now the press machine around Phelps has begun anew. Phelps did an interview with 60 Minutes last night, and he really does seem more mature, quieter, more reticent. He’s also HOT. His hair has grown out a bit and… I just like him so much:

Phelps says that FOR SURE he will not do the 2016 Rio Olympics, and that London will definitely be the last time he competes, and after that he‘s retiring for sure. He also discussed his hyperbaric sleeping chamber, and how he’ll totally win some gold medals in London. YAY! Who is excited for the Olympics, y’all? I am.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Michael Phelps was beaten for the first time in an individual race since 2005. Has Phelps been slacking or lost his edge? Probably not. He was trounced at the at the world swimming championships by Paul Biedermann of Germany, who was wearing a buoyant polyurethane suit, the Arena X-Glide. There’s a feeling that these suits give swimmers an unfair advantage, and that’s the real reason Biedermann won over Phelps, who stuck with his tried and true Speedo. In fact, in the first three days of the championship, 15 world records were beaten. Rather an astounding feat.

Biedermann acknowledged he had an edge in his Arena X-Glide, an exceptionally buoyant polyurethane suit that has surpassed the Speedo LZR Racer worn by Phelps. All those suits are on the way out, to be banned by governing body FINA by May. But at this meet, the bodysuits are legal and Biedermann is the world champion.

“The suits make a difference,” he said. “I hope there will be a time when I can beat Michael Phelps without these suits. I hope next year. I hope it’s really soon.” Phelps, who has won a record 14 Olympic gold medals, sounded eager for a rematch. “It’s going to be fun next year,” he said, “when swimming is back to swimming.”

Biedermann [said he] competed in the best suit he could find. “It’s not my problem,” he said. “It’s the problem of FINA. They should handle it really fast.”

[From the Seattle Times]

Well they are – FINA banned the suits after Phelps’ coach said he wouldn’t swim in any races where the buoyant suits were allowed. According to USA Today, a “majority” of the swimmers at the world’s competition were wearing the suits, which is how so many records fell.

To try to get there, the FINA bureau, the organization’s decision-making board, decided Tuesday it agrees with a resolution passed last week by FINA members that restricts swimsuit material to permeable “textiles” (the full definition of which will be decided by the scientific panel) and outlaws full-body suits, which came into vogue in 2000.

Men’s suits will no longer be allowed to extend past the navel or knees. Women’s suits can’t go past the knees or cover the neck or shoulders.

[From USA Today]

In equally exciting swimming news, US swimmer Ricky Berens tore the back of his swimsuit right before his race World Swimming Championships on Sunday, baring his butt for all to see. “I kind of freaked out for just a second,” Berens said. “I felt like [the hole] was almost down to my knees. I felt like I was putting on a pretty good show.” And some great pictures.

Michael Phelps would rather suck on a bong than make out with Miss California. Phelps is denying Carrie Prejean’s non-denial denial that she and the Olympian are an item. Phelps confirms that he’s single, and that’s all – he wants to maintain a modicum of privacy, so I’ll respect that. He also doesn’t confirm or deny his support of Miss California’s anti-gay marriage stance.

Michael Phelps is denying rumors that he is romancing controversial Miss California contestant Carrie Prejean.

“I’m not dating anybody,” he told Usmagazine.com Wednesday at the opening of the Omega flagship boutique in NYC. “I’m single. My private life stays private.”

(Prejean, 21, was coy earlier this week when asked about rumors they’re an item. “He is a great man. Wouldn’t you like to know?” she said on The Billy Bush Show Monday.)

As for Prejean’s anti-gay marriage answer during the Miss USA competition, Phelps tells Us, “That’s the cool thing about America – everybody has their opinion.”

“I’m not saying I support her,” Phelps then added. “I’m not saying I don’t support her.”

[From US Magazine]

That sucks for Miss California – Michael Phelps shot down that rumor pretty hard. Chuckle. I’m sure everybody has already said this, but why would Michael Phelps want a Miss USA runner-up? The boy could get a Miss USA. Or even better, a girl with beauty-pageant looks and an education. I know Phelps has been seen with multiple strippers and random party girls, but I’d like to think that’s just a phase. He’ll settle down with someone nice, I know it! Someone he could bring home to his mom Debbie!

Here’s Michael Phelps opening the new OMEGA Flagship Boutique in New York City yesterday. Images thanks to WENN.com .

By now you’ve undoubtedly heard about the controversy over Miss California Carrie Prejean’s comments against gay marriage at the Miss USA pageant over the weekend. Prejean answered a loaded question from judge Perez Hilton about whether she thought states should legalize same sex marriage. She said, that for her and her family, she thought marriage “should be between a man and a woman.” Prejean stumbled a little at the beginning, saying that you can chose “same sex marriage or opposite” in our country, but it wasn’t that bad and considering some of the incredibly stupid and muddled things pageant contestants have said in the past it was adequately stated and to the point.

At least Prejean answered the question
Prejean ultimately was declared runner up, and believes she lost the crown because of her politically polarizing answer to that question. It probably did cost her the crown, and pageant owner Donald Trump confirmed that low scores in the question and answer phase affected the outcome. Meanwhile second runner up Miss Arizona gave a memorized nonsensical answer to a question about universal healthcare. She said “I think this is an issue of integrity regardless of what I think and what end of the political spectrum I stand on. I was raised in a family to know right from wrong and politics, whether you fall in the middle or the left or the right. It’s an issue of integrity whatever your opinion is, and I say that with the utmost conviction.” That makes absolutely no sense. [Thanks to Michael Buck of great YouTube show What the Buck for that quote]

Prejean: 1, Perez: 0
In an appearance on the Today Show yesterday, Miss California defended her statements on gay marriage, saying they were “biblically correct.” Perez Hilton spewed venom in his Skyped interview with Matt Lauer, making Prejean seem like much more of a sympathetic character despite her exclusionary politics. While I don’t agree with her at all on this issue, I feel she had the right to state her opinion when asked. It doesn’t matter if I disagree, she was asked a question and she answered it. She calmly and rationally defended herself to Lauer and she was thoughtful about it. At least she answered the damn question and tried to think about it instead of giving some BS answer. She should have been judged on the quality of her answer, not whether the judges agreed with her politics or not. There are all sorts of opinions in this world and we don’t get anywhere when we can’t talk through our disagreements.

People are pointing out that Prejean is getting a lot more mileage out of her controversial answer than the pageant winner and this is ultimately working out well for her. She seems to be aware of the publicity, and told Lauer that she wouldn’t change a thing, that winning wasn’t what God wanted for her, and that “I wouldn’t be here with you if I was Miss USA.”

After this controversy dies down we may still be hearing about Prejean. According to RadarOnline, who spoke with her grandmother, she’s been dating record-setting Olympian Michael Phelps:

Miss USA runner-up Carrie Prejean is set to make headlines with something other than her anti-gay marriage comments. Her grandmother Jeanette Coppolla confirmed to RadarOnline.com exclusively that the beauty queen has been casually dating Olympian Michael Phelps.

“Carrie and Michael have been out to baseball games and lunch,” Coppolla said. “He always calls her when he is in town and they go out.”

Not just a pretty blonde, Prejean is fully aware of Phelps’ lothario reputation and is taking the flirtation with the swimmer in stride.

“Carrie knows that he has dated a lot of girls but she enjoys going out with him and isn’t serious about being in a relationship with him,” she added. “He’s a nice guy and she likes him.”

Earlier in the week, she played it coy when first asked to address the rumors of a relationship with Phelps, dodging Miss USA host Billy Bush’s questioning by saying, “That’s not appropriate to answer right now. He’s a great man…You can call me on a later day and we can talk about that.”

[From Radar Online]

Prejean is not Michael Phelps’ style, she’s a co-ed at San Diego Christian college and she’s obviously very devoted to her Christian beliefs. He’s been linked to multiple girls recently including a Vegas cocktail waitress and I bet that Prejean is frustratingly unattainable to him.

I don’t agree that marriage is only between a man and a woman and I find it baffling that same sex marriage is still an issue in 2009. Why don’t all couples have the same basic rights? It seems ridiculous that this is something we’re still talking about as somehow controversial. It must be incredibly difficult and disheartening for the couples who have struggled to have their unions recognized for years. That said, I’d rather hear someone say they disagree with me respectfully than yell at me or call me stupid or a bitch for having a different opinion. Prejean told Matt Lauer that she was asked her opinion and she gave it. Integrity and graciousness are what we look for in a pageant winner and Prejean has those qualities, even if a lot of us don’t agree with her politics at all. She’s not enough of a skank for Michael Phelps, though.

Meanwhile Prejean’s grandmother had some barbs for Perez Hilton. She told Radar Online “I don’t know why that gay guy Perez was even judging a contest with a bunch of girls. That doesn’t make any sense. He should be judging a Chippendale’s contest.” At least Prejean’s sister is a gay rights activist, although her grandmother claims “Her sister Christy is not gay, she just has her own mindset. But she’s not gay, we just feel sorry for them.” A lot of us feel sorry for ignorant people too. That doesn’t mean we should get in a fight with them though, that doesn’t solve anything.

Michael Phelps is back in New York for training and “to be with his mama of course,” according to his mother Debbi Phelps. And, judging by his actions on Tuesday night, to party. The Olympic swimmer had a great night on Tuesday at Marquee, drinking Grey Goose vodka straight out of the bottle and making out with his cocktail waitress girlfriend, Caroline Pal. The two were very touchy-feely while Michael ordered two bottles of vodka and danced around shirtless to MIA’s “Paper Planes.”

“Michael was definitely having a good time,” an eyewitness tells us. “He was drinking straight from a bottle of Grey Goose, and when the deejay started playing M.I.A.’s ‘Paper Planes,’ he got up, started dancing like a loon and kept on yelling, ‘Shots!’”

Phelps definitely had enough alcohol on hand for several rounds — he’d ordered four bottles of vodka.

In addition, the athlete skeeved out onlookers when he persisted in PDA-ing with his girlfriend, cocktail waitress Caroline (Caz) Pal.

“They wouldn’t stop making out! They were literally sucking face, and not caring that anyone was watching,” says our snitch, who added that Phelps danced up such a storm that he briefly went shirtless, changing out of his T-shirt in the club and putting on a zip-up hoodie with nothing underneath.

But the night wasn’t all fun and games for Phelps. During the course of the evening, the champ recognized UConn basketball player Hasheem Thabeet and went over to introduce himself.

“Hasheem had absolutely no clue who Michael was, and [Phelps] walked away looking a little embarrassed,” says the onlooker.

[from NY Daily News]

After the much-publicized and debated picture of Michael smoking a bong in January, he apologized for his actions to Matt Lauer. Many of his endorsement deals were also canceled, including Kelloggs and Subway. Michael was clearly embarrassed and sorry for his actions – maybe not for what he did exactly, but he’s young and everyone thought he had learned from his mistakes.

Especially now that he is in training, you’d think he would be careful where he’s seen out . He’s 23, and there’s no problem with him drinking at a club, but he could tone it down a little. “Michael Phelps seen sipping martinis and chatting with girlfriend” isn’t exactly newsworthy. The best part is that his mother Debbie was across town at a “Dressed for Success” event gushing over her son. (In case you were wondering, Dressed for Success is a non-profit organization that provides interview suits to low-income women.)

After he grew tired of the party scene at 2:30, he said that he was going to a friend’s place to “chill.” Hopefully there weren’t any college students around to catch on camera whatever went down.

Michael Phelps is shown signing copies of his book in Westwood, CA on 12/10/09. Credit: Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos