Landis on Larry King

I caught Floyd Landis' interview on Larry King Live. It confirmed my gut feeling about him - he can be confrontational, and headstrong. Common traits in the sport. But a cheater? I don't think so.

He and Lance Armstrong have apparently made up, too. Suddenly Landis understands why Armstrong was so tense for 7 years.

Of course, you do wonder just a bit, but if nothing else, this clearly confirms that Armstrong has always been clean. They practically crawled up his urinary tract and never found a thing...

Oh, yeah - I've gotten a lot of e-mail/comments to the effect that I'm a nasty American who just thinks our cyclists can do no wrong. Uh-uh. I feel badly for Jan Ullrich, too - he may be innocent, but he sure never got a chance to prove it. And Ivan Basso, too...

Chain of Events

1. Bush is elected, and we disengage from the Mideast peace process.
   
2. Iran starts to thaw, under a moderate president.
3. 9/11 happens.
   
4. We invade Iraq, because of 9/11 to stop wmd to spread freedom to fight terrorism to stay the course.
   
5. Iran drifts back to fundamentalism and anti-Israel, anti-US rhetoric.
6. Hezbollah and Hamas gain new momentum.
7. Hezbollah and Hamas kidnap Israeli soldiers.
8. Israel retaliates.
9. Six people get shot at the Jewish Federation in Seattle.

Naveed Afzal Haq is a sad, sick individual. I do not blame our country's policies for his crime. And I don't think the Democrats have a better solution, by the way. But every action has consequences. We are not safer than we were before we started the war on terror. This is just one more indication that we've only made the world an angrier, unhappier place.

Technorati Tag:seattle politics George Bush

Shootings in Seattle: Where is the President?

Dear President Bush,

I know you're really busy these days.

But since someone walked into the Jewish Federation in my home town yesterday and shot six people after announcing he's 'angry with Israel', do you think you could say a word or two? Maybe just a "That's a bummer", or some other typically pithy remark?

Thanks! Appreciate it!

Technorati Tag:seattle politics George Bush

Cycling Drug Testing and Going Public

Some great comments from my last post about Floyd Landis.

Wouldn't it make sense to actually, I dunno, verify test results before you take them public?

Call me crazy.

I dunno...

Floyd Landis, Doping? No Way.

I'm sure you've seen that Floyd Landis is now accused of doping.

Sorry. I don't buy it. I don't want to buy it. No one can tell me that this guy was that painfully, unbelievably stupid.

I watched him win the Tour of California. I saw him go dutifully to the drug testing van after every stage where he held the yellow jersey.

He's never cheated before. Why would he cheat now? Using something as easily detected as a steroid? It's nuts. This is a guy who was sheepish about drinking a beer. He's so unimposing that his mouth barely moves when he talks to the press. And he's consistently passed drug tests throughout his career. As well as throughout the Tour this year. Until stage 17.

Of course, it doesn't matter much what the truth is, when people like Greg Lemond say stuff like this:

“If there’s any positive outcome on this, I hope, for the sport’s sake, that Floyd has the courage to come clean on everything. He needs to say everything about the sport, what’s happened in the past, what’s happening right now. We need to be transparent about it, so we can look at the sport and say, ‘How do we fix it?’ ”

Um. What if he's innocent?

Sorry, no way. No how. He didn't do it. Right?...


Quick update: I did a bit of research. The steroid he allegedly took can improve recovery time. Floyd's turnaround from stage 16 to 17 was amazing. But I'm still unconvinced.


Technorati Tag:floyd landis