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Saturday, August 25, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
US Anti-Doping Agency strips Armstrong of titles for cheating
(Reuters) - Lance Armstrong was stripped of his record seven Tour de France wins and handed a lifetime ban by the United States Anti-Doping Agency on Friday, but he remained defiant as supporters rallied around the American cyclist.
Saying that "enough is enough," Armstrong issued a statement late on Thursday indicating that would not challenge USADA charges he had doped throughout his career, although he continued to deny he had ever used performance-enhancing drugs.
While the USADA can remove Armstrong's titles, such a decision could ultimately rest with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, should the International Cycling Union challenge the USADA's ruling.
But weary from years of denial, legal battles and skirmishes with former teammates and anti-doping chiefs, Armstrong said it was a fight he no longer had the stomach for.
"Today I will turn the page," Armstrong said. "I will no longer address this issue regardless of the circumstances."
Less than 24 hours after issuing that statement, Armstrong was planning 'business as usual' with a weekend bike ride in Colorado, tweeting: "Excited to be racing the #poweroffour tomorrow here in @AspenCO. 9000 vert in just 36 miles!"
Armstrong may have turned the page but the story is far from over.
One of the sporting world's most polarizing figures, Armstrong remains a hero to millions of cancer survivors for beating the disease and coming back to win the Tour de France seven times. To others, he is a drug cheat and fraud.
World Anti-doping Agency chief John Fahey said Armstrong's decision not to contest the allegations added up to nothing more than an admission of guilt.
"He had the right to rip up those charges, but he elected not to. Therefore the only interpretation in these circumstances is that there was substance in those charges," Fahey told Reuters in a telephone interview on Friday.
Bill Stapleton, Armstrong's agent for 17 years, strongly disagreed.
"This is not an admission of guilt, this is a rebuke of a process that is disgusting and unfair," Stapleton said. "We believe they're completely out of bounds.
"We've been clear that we don't think they (USADA) have the authority to do that and we'll see what the people who run the Tour de France and the International Federation of Cycling have to say about that."
The debate over Armstrong's guilt will now rage, with some heavy hitters like longtime sponsor Nike, the world's biggest sportswear maker, lining up alongside the disgraced cyclist, while anti-doping crusaders claim victory.
Since 2004, Nike has helped Livestrong, Armstrong's organization to help cancer survivors, raise over $100 million for cancer research and created the Livestrong yellow wristbands that became a global phenomenon with over 84 million bands distributed.
CONTROVERSIAL CYCLIST
"Lance has stated his innocence and has been unwavering on this position. Nike plans to continue to support Lance and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a foundation that Lance created to serve cancer survivors," the company said in a statement.
Armstrong, 40, has been one of the most successful and controversial cyclists of all time, returning to the sport after beating cancer to win the Tour de France seven straight times, from 1999 to 2005.
Livestrong takes its inspiration from his achievements and recovery from testicular cancer that made him a hero to many and boosted the sport's popularity in the United States.
The Lance Armstrong Foundation, which raised $51 million in 2011, said it received 400 donations totaling $75,000 on Friday, 20 times more than the amount donated on Thursday.
Armstrong also made many enemies throughout his career, with several of his former teammates and colleagues allegedly ready to testify that he doped.
Former teammate and deposed Tour de France winner Floyd Landis accused Armstrong in 2010 of using performance-enhancing drugs and teaching others how to avoid being caught.
In a bizarre coincidence of timing, Landis appeared in federal court in San Diego, California, on Friday and entered a deferred prosecution agreement in which he admitted defrauding 1,765 individuals who donated money to the Floyd Fairness Fund. The cyclist agreed to pay $478,354 in restitution.
Armstrong also has his loyalists, such as Jim Ochowicz, director of the BMC cycling team and a longtime friend who helped him when he was an amateur rider and young professional.
"As a friend of Lance's, I support his decision to call it an end," said Ochowicz. "He has done so much for our sport over the years, and I am sad at what has transpired.
"I love him. I know he still has a big fight ahead of him and his battle of trying to find a cure for cancer and help survivors and carry on with the Lance Armstrong foundation.
"I think he has earned every victory he's had," he said.
The USADA believes, however, it has enough compelling evidence to prove Armstrong did not claim his victories fairly.
A quasi-governmental agency created by the U.S. Congress in 2000, the USADA formally charged Armstrong in June with doping and taking part in a conspiracy with members of his championship teams.
EVIDENCE AGAINST ARMSTRONG IN HAND
The agency said in a letter to Armstrong that it had blood samples from 2009 and 2010 that were "fully consistent" with doping.
Michael McCann, an expert in sports law at Vermont Law School, said Armstrong's decision not to contest the USADA charges in arbitration might have been the cyclist's best option in the face of mounting circumstantial evidence.
"This gives his supporters reason to support him," McCann told Reuters. "If he had gone to arbitration and lost - which I think almost definitely would have happened - from a public relations standpoint, that would have been much more harmful."
In losing his titles, Armstrong joins Canadian Ben Johnson and American Marion Jones as the highest-profile athletes to lose championships as a result of doping sanctions.
Johnson was stripped of the 1988 Seoul Olympics 100 meters title after testing positive for a steroid. while Jones lost her 2000 Sydney Olympics 100, 200 and 4x400 meters relay gold medals when she confessed she had been taking drugs at the time.
Armstrong faces the possibility of legal action from promoters and race organizers looking to recover prize money.
It also remains to be seen what impact the USADA's action will have on his endorsement potential and ability to keep raising funds for his foundation.
Despite having his reputation tarnished, Armstrong's triumph over cancer and fundraising efforts make him a valuable pitchman, marketing experts said.
While Nike was quick to stand by Armstrong, his other sponsors, including RadioShack, exercise bike maker Johnson Health Tech, sunglass maker Oakley, owned by Italy's Luxottica, and Michelob, made by Anheuser-Busch InBev, have not leapt to his defense.
Robert Boland, professor of sports management at New York University, said Armstrong's extensive work on cancer would help blunt the impact of the lost titles.
"His story has not been diminished. Here's a guy who essentially was at death's door with cancer and came back. That example still makes him very compelling," he said.
Still, Boland said it would be difficult for Armstrong to continue to endorse bicycles or bicycle equipment, since he is now banned from competitions.
"If he can't show up at certain events, how do you use him?"
With the possibility each of his seven Tour de France crowns could go to other riders, Armstrong maintained that no matter what the USADA had ruled, those he competed with would always know he was the true winner.
Spain's Fernando Escartin, who will rise to second from third in the 1999 Tour de France after the USADA's decision, said the American would always be the champion.
"For me, Lance Armstrong remains the 1999 Tour winner, second (Alex) Zulle and third, me," the now-retired Escartin told Reuters at the Vuelta a Espana race on Friday.
"It's 13 years now since this all happened. It seems completely illogical and unreal. I don't want to even think about it."
(Additional reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne, Brian Homewood in Berne, Catherine Bremer in Paris, Martinne Geller in New York, Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles and Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Editing by Philip Barbara and Peter Cooney)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-anti-doping-agency-strips-armstrong-titles-cheating-001923437--sector.html
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Beckham lifts Galaxy past Isidro Metapan in CCL
CARSON, Calif. (AP) -- David Beckham sent in crosses that led to two first-half goals and then curled home a corner kick for a goal of his own to help the Los Angeles Galaxy open CONCACAF Champions League play with a 5-2 victory over El Salvador's Isidro Metapan on Thursday night.
Nicolas Munoz gave Metapan the lead in the 17th-minute following a defensive breakdown, but Beckham's crosses led to Ricardo Alvarado's own goal in the 20th minute and Robbie Keane's go-ahead header in the 22nd.
Beckham added the third in first-half stoppage time, bending in a corner kick off goalkeeper Fidel Mondragon's hands, and Juninho scored in the 82nd minute and in stoppage as Los Angeles took the Group 5 lead.
Munoz converted an 87th-minute penalty kick for Metapan (1-1-0).
"It's a game we could have won by a larger margin, for sure," said Galaxy coach Bruce Arena, whose team missed a half-dozen good chances in the first half. "We could have had a couple goals in the opening minutes of the game."
Keane was sent off in the 70th minute. Mexican referee Alfredo Penaloza cautioned the Irish striker after he was tripped above Metapan's box, then pulled out the red card as Keane stormed away, signaling for a substitution.
"The referee missed the call," Arena said. "And, typical, we've seen in these competitions, the referees think they're bigger than the game itself. And they've got to put themselves ahead of everything.
"I don't know, Robbie spoke, said something, whatever. But when a referee misses a call like that, he's got to be big enough to kind of ignore it and let the game go on."
Keane will be suspended for the Galaxy's Champions League game Wednesday night against the Puerto Rico Islanders (0-1-0), who play in the North American Soccer League, the second division in the U.S. The Islanders, who knocked the Galaxy out of the competition two years ago, lost 3-1 at Metapan three weeks ago.
The Galaxy were without Landon Donovan, who suffered a hamstring strain in last week's U.S. victory against Mexico.
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/si_soccer/~3/bNOKQQFG03s/index.html
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Video: Tracking Hurricane Isaac
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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/48768636/
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Thursday, August 23, 2012
Illegal Immigrants: The Saga Continues ? sistervative
My sister?s post from yesterday got me so worked up that I had to continue the discussion today on illegal immigrants reaping United States benefits without doing a darn thing to deserve them.
?and I have them thinking I care!
For a President who has preached ?fairness? from day one, he clearly doesn?t understand the meaning of it, or perhaps, and probably more likely, he subscribes to the ?selective fairness? school of thought. In other words, Obama will fight for fairness and equality when it suits him, otherwise, he can and will be unfair in other ways. How, you ask? Allow me to explain.
Recently, the President granted amnesty to millions of ?young? illegal immigrants. Mind you, these folks did not follow the United States process for formal immigration but will be rewarded with America?s opportunities and benefits as though they did. According to the President:
It is the right thing to do for the American people ? and here?s why? here?s the reason? because these young people are going to make extraordinary contributions and are already making contributions to our society. I?ve got a young person who is serving in our military, protecting us and our freedom. The notion that in some ways we would treat them as expendable makes no sense. If there?s a young person here who has grown up here and wants to contribute to this society? wants to maybe start a business? that will create jobs? for? other folks who are looking for work? that?s the right thing to do. Giving certainty to our farmers and our ranchers. Making sure that in addition to border security, we?re creating a comprehensive framework for legal immigration. These are all the right things to do. We have always drawn strength from being a nation of immigrants as well as a nation of laws. And that?s going to continue. And my hope is that congress recognizes that and gets behind this effort.
So, in essence, he?s telling United States citizens that illegal immigration is the right thing for America? Furthermore, he?s telling America that breaking the law is permissible in some cases. So, to make it fair, we should all be allowed to break a law that suits our family, as did our new neighbors. Let?s now take a moment to examine how ?right? this is. According to one estimate, approximately $7B worth of tax credits (via the Additional Child Tax Credit) will go to illegal immigrants this year alone. This is essentially a loophole in the law that allows illegal immigrants to receive, on average, $1800 in tax credits while paying $0 to Uncle Sam. The funniest (or saddest) part of the whole system is that the law requires those who are not authorized to work in this country to still file a tax return. Why would we even bother putting this into the law and have additional IRS agents/employees dealing with undocumented workers? tax returns rather than putting that money into border security? Seems a little backward, don?t you think? We?re basically allowing these folks to easily enter this country and then incenting them to file a tax return so they can get tax credits. I mean, can legal Americans sign up for this program? Not pay into the system but get a return at the end of the year? If so, where do we sign? Interestingly enough, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala) co-sponsored a bill earlier this year that would prohibit illegals to benefits from this tax credit loophole but none other than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid blocked the bill from ever reaching the floor. Obviously, Harry Reid and his fellow corrupt Democrats have something riding on being kind to illegals. What could it be??
So, circling back to fairness, does any of this scream fair? Probably not, as you?re probably a law-abiding, tax-paying citizen. Obama and friends? special treatment to CRIMINALS is just maddening and it must stop. So many people are hurting financially and this continued misuse of taxpayer dollars is absolutely ridiculous. Mr. President, while you devotedly support giving people something for nothing, and you, yourself were catapulted in such a way, that?s not the American way. Although you attempt to disguise your anti-American views through your preachings of ?fairness,? your inability to understand, let alone carry out, American principles continues to be a glaring flaw in your presidency.
-M
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Source: http://sistervative.com/2012/08/22/illegal-immigrants-the-saga-continues/
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NFL notes: Panthers' Smith sidelined with foot infection
BEREA, Ohio --
Smith sidelined with foot infection
Steve Smith was on crutches after being treated for what the Carolina Panthers described as a left foot infection.
Coach Ron Rivera said Smith is being treated with antibiotics, but the wide receiver's status for the rest of the preseason is unknown. Smith was seen walking around the stadium on crutches, but was unavailable for comment Wednesday.
Panthers middle linebacker Jon Beason was also held out of practice with a strained hamstring.
Kromer to lead Saints during Vitt's suspension
The New Orleans Saints designated offensive line coach Aaron Kromer as the interim head coach for the first six regular-season games, when assistant head coach Joe Vitt will have to serve his suspension in connection with the NFL's bounty investigation.
Vitt has been overseeing head coaching duties since Sean Payton's full season suspension began in mid-April, but the Saints initially held off on a decision concerning who would become the figurehead for the coaching staff when Vitt had to step aside in Week 1.
Kromer, 45, is in his fifth season with the Saints.
Shurmur kicks Haden off practice field
Joe Haden's training camp ended before any of his teammates were finished. Cleveland's best defensive player, Haden was kicked off the practice field by coach Pat Shurmur, who felt the third-year cornerback was being too physical with rookie wide receiver Travis Benjamin during a passing drill on the final day of workouts open to fans.
Haden was ordered to leave roughly an hour into the practice by an angry Shurmur, who declined to provide details of the incident during his news conference.
Elsewhere
JAGUARS: Jacksonville will be without four starters tonight at Baltimore. Coach Mike Mularkey said left tackle Eugene Monroe (Virginia), linebacker Daryl Smith, cornerback Derek Cox and guard Will Rackley will sit out the exhibition game.
Monroe is recovering from a concussion sustained in practice last week. Smith has been out since early this month with a groin injury. Cox injured his left hamstring in the preseason opener and has been sidelined since. And Rackley suffered a high ankle sprain late last month and has yet to return.
COLTS: Indianapolis acquired cornerback Josh Gordy from the St. Louis Rams for an undisclosed draft pick in 2014.
SEAHAWKS: Wide receiver Sidney Rice will make his preseason debut for Seattle on Friday night against Kansas City. Coach Pete Carroll said Rice is ahead of schedule in his recovery from offseason surgery on both shoulders and will get some playing time against the Chiefs. Rice has not played in a game since Week 12 of last season when he suffered a concussion and was placed on injured reserve.
GIANTS: Veteran Sean Locklear seemingly is no longer an insurance policy in case one of the New York Giants' offensive tackles is hurt. With Will Beatty struggling because of back issues, Locklear is the projected starting left tackle for the Super Bowl champions
TEXANS: Reserve defensive tackle Ra'Shon Harris is out for the season after tearing his right triceps. Coach Gary Kubiak said the 6-foot-5, 300-pound Harris was hurt in practice Tuesday and will be placed on injured reserve.
BILLS: Buffalo waived defensive backs Josh Nesbitt and Cris Hill. Both players have been recovering from injuries and were designated as waived/injured.
Nesbitt opened last season on the Bills practice squad before being promoted to the active roster in mid-November. He did not appear in a game.
Hill was signed by the Bills in April as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Virginia Tech.
DOLPHINS: Guard Eric Steinbach, 32, has decided to retire after sitting out all of last season because of a back injury.
The Associated Press
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