Teammates Tyler Hamilton (L yellow jersey) and Lance Armstrong compete in the last stage of the Dauphine Libere cycling race in Sallanches in this June 11, 2000 file photo. Hamilton, who was allowed to keep his Athens Olympics gold medal despite failing a doping test, has finally confessed to cheating and accused other top cyclists, including Lance Armstrong, of doing the same. In an interview to be aired by “60 Minutes” on Sunday, Hamilton, ended years of denials by finally admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs but insisted he was not alone. REUTERS/Files (FRANCE – Tags: SPORT CYCLING)
In an interview that was shot for “60 Minutes” and broadcasted on “CBS Evening News” on Thursday, Tyler Hamilton said he used performance-enhancing drugs with his former teammate Lance Armstrong.
“I saw (EPO) in his refrigerator…I saw him inject it more than one time,” Hamilton said. “Like we all did. Like I did, many, many times.”
Hamilton told “60 Minutes” reporter Scott Pelley that Armstrong “took what we all took…the majority of the peloton.” Hamilton went onto say that there was “EPO…testosterone…a blood transfusion.”
EPO is a drug that boosts endurance by increasing the number of red blood cells in the body, which obviously would help cyclists like Hamilton and Armstrong. This is now the second time that a former teammate of Armstrong’s has accused him of taking drugs to improve his performance on the bike, as Hamilton’s accusations come one year after Floyd Landis made similar allegations.
People are going to believe what they want to believe, but the fact of the matter is that Armstrong has never tested positive for PEDs. The question in my eyes is do we care?
The thing about performance-enhancing drugs is that they allow an athlete to perform at the absolute best of his abilities. Granted, if I were to juice for a year and tried my hand at professional football, I’d probably get killed – same as I would if I didn’t dope. If your skill level was low to begin with, sorry, but drugs aren’t going to turn you into a professional athlete.
But they will turn a special athlete into a superhero, which is where the problem lies. Barry Bonds was already one of the most gifted baseball players to have ever played the game, which people tend to overlook when his name is brought up. People forget just how good he was before he started taking PEDs, which only made an incredibly gifted athlete perform to the max of his abilities. He could already hit major league pitching, but thanks to the steroids his bat speed never decreased, he was able to hit the ball harder and farther, and was able to keep playing into his 40s.
It’s the same concept with Armstrong. He was already a gifted cyclist. If he took them, all PEDs did was make an already gifted cyclist max out his abilities on the bike (which includes being able to ride faster, longer, etc).
Here’s my take on PEDs: I actually don’t have a problem with athletes using them. I have a problem with the fact that they create an uneven playing field. Guys like Bonds and Armstrong are already special and if they use drugs, then they’re creating an even bigger gap between them and the next guy.
I don’t mind the alpha male when it comes to sports. Tiger Woods has been great for golf for over a decade. Lance Armstrong has been great for cycling. The pure act of watching Barry Bonds hit a home run every 10 at bats in 2001 was fun.
But in the end, I want to see athletes go toe-to-toe with only their God-given abilities and their dedication to their craft at their backs. If Tiger puts on an amazing display to win a major, I want to know that what I watched was an athlete performing at his best not because he was on drugs, but because he was more special than the next guy on that given day. The same goes for Armstrong, Bonds or whomever.
So if Armstrong did dope, he was wrong. Again, I don’t care that the best cyclist in the world used drugs to make himself superhuman. I care that what I witnessed wasn’t natural. I want my sports to be 100 percent pure.
The Japanese Olympic Committee is still outraged over the way snowboarder Kazuhiro Kokubo wore his Vancouver Olympic uniform in “hip hop” style last month and proceeded to scold Japan’s skiing officials about tightening up its morals.
From Yahoo! Sports:
Dreadlocked boarder Kazuhiro Kokubo narrowly escaped being kicked out of the Games after arriving with his trousers pulled low on his hips, shirt hanging out and his tie loose.
The 21-year-old with double nose piercings was banned from attending the opening ceremony and forced to apologize at a news conference before finishing eighth in the men’s halfpipe.
A senior Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) official said on Monday apologies were not enough.
“All members of the (Ski Association of Japan) must provide strict guidance to the athletes,” JOC secretary general Noriyuki Ichihara told reporters on Monday.
“The JOC will also try to lend its weight to the moral education of the athletes.”
Wow, I couldn’t imagine what the JOC presided over all American athletes if they’re upset over how Kokubo dressed. They probably would have petitioned our government to shut down the entire freaking country after Pacman Jones’ fourth arrest.
As the Buffalo Sabres visited the Pittsburgh Penguins last night, Team USA/Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller got a strong ovation (along with chants of U-S-A, U-S-A) while Canadian/Penguin Sidney Crosby drew boos from the crowed when the jumbotron showed footage of his gold-medal winning goal.
Miller’s ovation is at the start of the video, while Crosby is introduced at around the 1:10 mark. Pittsburgh won, 3-2, but Miller didn’t play.
Posted by Christopher Glotfelty (02/28/2010 @ 7:44 pm)
Yes, after Zach Parise of the United States tied the game at 2-2 with 24 seconds left in regulation, Sidney Crosby scored in overtime, securing the gold more Canada.
But you already know this. You watched the damn game. Everyone watched. But perhaps someone you know went with the Lakers taking on the Nuggets instead. That person will never like hockey or appreciate the thrill an Olympics can create.
The Americans were not supposed to medal; some of the players even had to cancel flights they had previously booked in preparation for a quick elimination. Nevertheless, they went out there and authoritatively beat a couple teams that were supposedly more talented — teams like Canada.
One couldn’t ask for a better hockey game. While the feeling of dejection produced by Crosby’s finisher will linger for some time, the rush of excitement that followed Parise’s goal is proof of why I love sports.
I hope you all enjoyed the game. I know I did. Now start watching the NHL again.
An impressive run for the USA hockey team fell short at this year’s Winter Olympics, as the Americans lost to Canada 3-2 in overtime in Sunday’s gold medal round. Sidney Crosby beat Ryan Miller 7:40 into overtime to allow the Canadians to become the first host nation in 30 years to win the gold medal in men’s hockey.
The win certainly didn’t come easy for Canada, however, which led 2-1 for most of the game.
After pulling goalie Ryan Miller late in the third period, Jamie Langenbrunner redirected a Patrick Kane wrister off Roberto Luongo’s body and Zach Parise gathered up the rebound and snuck it past Luongo to tie the game with just 24.4 seconds remaining. But after seizing the momentum thanks to the thrilling goal, USA couldn’t get the job done in overtime and the heavily favored Canadians (who were 1/2 to win the tournament at the start of the Winter Games) seized the gold.
Even though they lost, USA’s push for the gold was arguably the most exciting part of the Winter Olympics. It would have been nice to see them go undefeated and complete the underdog story, but there’s no shame in beating Canada once and nearly knocking them off on their home ice in the finals. Gold would have been fine, but there’s a lot of pride for USA in taking home the silver.
The hockey teams for USA and Canada both won in the semi-finals round last night in Vancouver and will now play for the Winter Olympic Gold medal on Sunday.
From the Washington Times:
The United States is the only unbeaten team in this year’s tournament, having outscored their opponents 22-6 in five straight wins — the longest an American team has gone without a loss or tie in an Olympic tournament since the 1960 squad.
Few people expected this kind of success out of this particular squad, as unlike some of the other teams in the tournament, the U.S. has only three players with previous Olympic experience, and had to rely on its young talent like Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane.
But standing in the way of perfection and the gold medal is the host Canadians, who were heavy favorites coming into the tournament and feature three Hart Trophy winners on their talent-laden roster.
The theme of this year’s gold-medal game is also one of revenge, as the two neighbors have supplanted Russia as each other’s top rival in the past decade. The U.S. and Canada now have met in two of the last three Olympic finals — not to mention splitting the last seven World Junior Championship titles.
Personally, the hockey tournament has been the most exciting part of this year’s Olympics and I love USA’s story. While it wouldn’t quite be another miracle on ice, watching Team USA spoil Canada’s run at a gold medal would highly entertaining.
Forget that old bromide about “no sex before a game.”
Vancouver all-news radio station CKWX is reporting today that an “emergency airlift” of 8500 condoms is on the way to the Olympic Villages in Vancouver and Whistler for the libidinous athletes.
The first shipment of 100,000 – that’s not a misprint — rubbers provided by the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research apparently wasn’t enough. CKNW’s report says the original shipment worked out to an average of 14 condoms for each visiting athlete.
It’s well known by now that sex and the Olympics go hand in hand. If a gold medallist in cross-country skiing isn’t getting it on with a bronze luger from another country, then damn it, they’re just not trying.
At least the Olympic Committee understands that its event is the breeding ground for orgies and is trying to keep thing safe. Along with the five-ringed logo, the Olympics should carry the motto: Don’t be a fool, wrap your tool.
The International Olympic Committee will investigate the Canadian women’s hockey team after a number of players celebrated their gold medal victory on Thursday night by tossing back a few cold ones and smoking cigars on the ice in Vancouver.
From Yahoo! Sports:
A number of players, including 18-year-old superstar Marie-Philip Poulin, were drinking alcohol on the ice following the team’s 2-0 defeat of the United States. (The legal drinking age in British Columbia is 19.) Players lingered for more than 70 minutes after the awards ceremony reveling in the arena, which was empty except for media and arena staff.
Gilbert Felli, the IOC’s executive director of the Olympic Games, said that drinking in public was “not what we want to see” from athletes at an Olympic venue. The organization will investigate the actions and will speak with the international hockey federation and Canadian Olympic Committee and ask them to “act accordingly.”
The Olympic Committee is wound a little tight and I find it amusing that an event that essentially introduced steroids to athletic competition is so image conscious now. I don’t condone underage drinking, but if the Committee decides to send these girls home or ban them from the Closing Ceremony after this, then it would be ridiculous and a gross overreaction.
