Lance Armstrong: The Cheater

7 times. That would be the amount of Tour de France victories that Lance Armstrong had in a row. But those are all void now. He cheated the race by using PED's for all of his 7 wins. He robbed the second place winner each time, who was truly better than him. Sure, you still have to train with PED's, but what about that person who trained ten times harder, still could be suspected of doping as well, but still absolutely should have beaten you and become internationally famous? How can this one man be so selfish, so ignorant, and so careless that he took so much pride away from others only because of cheating? Taking money away from others through cheating... Does he not have a conscience?

Here is a list of the second place finishers that should've won each of Lance Armstrong's wins...

1999: Alex Zülle (confessed to EPO use)

2000: Jan Ullrich (suspended from 2006 Tour; banned this year and stripped of all results from 2005 on)

2001: Jan Ullrich

2002: Joseba Beloki (kept out of 2006 Tour while under doping investigation, later cleared)

2003: Jan Ullrich

2004: Andreas Klöden (accused of illegal blood transfusion in the 2006 Tour)

2005: Ivan Basso (confessed to attempted doping, suspended)         \

Found on: http://deadspin.com/5937591/all-seven-of-lance-armstrongs-tour-de-france-wins-would-now-go-to-cyclists-with-doping-scandals-of-their-own

All of these people who came in second committed violations as well... but after these races. Cycling is far more than just tainted by drugs and PED's, but these 2nd place finishers were cleared of no wrong doing at the time of each race. And while these people came in second fair and square, the person who beat them out for the top spot was cheating and only admitted to it once he was found absolutely guilty. Even after being accused of cheating, Armstrong made poor excuses for his failed drug tests.

Initially, probably due to lawyer consent, Lance Armstrong said that the source of his failed tests came from under cooked steak. Are you kidding me? Did you really try and say all the drugs in your system came from a bad piece of meat. That is a ridiculous excuse, and nobody bought it. Nike decided to cut all ties from Armstrong with endorsements. His world famous campaign through Nike, Livestrong, which was made due to his insane comeback from cancer became tainted. Everything about Armstrong, including his comeback from testicular cancer was tainted. It's good that he is alive and well, but everything about this man is terrible and he deserves almost no respect. 

Seabiscuit Reflection

Seabiscuit was more than just a horse to the Americans at this time in history. He was more than a moneymaker and great racing horse. He was an icon that in more than one way represented hope and optimism for the people in America during the Great Depression. The public related to this horse because it was a small, lowly regarded animal that had not yet had any success. After tons of hard work however, Seabiscuit was gaining popularity and rising in stature. The gain in popularity, fortune, and overall happiness of the horse and its team enlightened the public and made their spirits and their hope for things improving much better. Although this horse was once so popular, I do think it would have the same poularity today as it did then. These are much different times, but Seabiscuit was an inspiration to so many people. He gave the lower class hope that things would get better if you worked hard and today it could have a similar effect.

Lessons that can be drawn from Seabiscuit's successes are how the values of hard work, perseverance, and patience can help you through tough times. Seabiscuit was all but given up on before Howard came into play. Once Howard's horse trainer showed patience and brought the horse back to nature, it regained its peace and normal horse's aggression. After true hard work and perseverance, Seabiscuit trained and trained and became a race winning horse despite its size. People who are low on the social ladder should be following these same concepts. Nothing in this world is free and nothing is just handed to you, you have to earn everything and Seabiscuit exemplified this better than most during his time.

Reaction to Sandusky Article

I think that there is no chance that Jerry Sandusky is innocent. Sure, he might have been a good husband and family man to his wife and others, but he did terrible things behind the scenes. One case of him sexually abusing a little kid, is enough to know he did this more than once, along with all the other evidence piled stacked up against him. I do think money was a contributing factor in the families, and now grown men, stepping forward and admitting to what happened, but that does not mean their claims are fake. I think Mrs. Sandusky may just be so in denial that her husband would do such bad things, that she refuses to believe any of it. Professional athletes and coaches are above the law in a way; they could care less about any fines because they have the money to pay for them. They are so much less cautious a lot of the time and make awful decisions because they have the security of the best, and most expensive... lawyers in the country. When it all comes down to it, there are many noteworthy exceptions to this, but the ones who commit the worst crimes, end up in jail.

Top Eastern Conference Teams Reeling

With the Pacers on a 4 game losing streak, the heat on a three game losing streak, and both teams star players struggling, does any Eastern Conference team have a chance to win the NBA Championship? Paul George scored only two points in a game against the Bobcats; Lebron scored 61 points against them. Lebron has been held under 25 points every game since, and under 20 twice. Along with the top East teams struggling, the top at the West are looking stronger than ever. The Houston Rockets in particular are 25-6 in their last 31 games, and James Harden has been on fire. Do any Eastern Conference teams have a chance?

An Interview on Sports With Andrew Steele

I also interviewed Andrew Steele about sports in class on Thursday. Andrew likes to play basketball, and also watches and follows basketball and football. Although Andrew plays basketball, his favorite sport to watch is football. His favorite team is the Seahawks because his dad used to work for the team. He told me that there is not a moment where he ever stops praising the team. I also asked him what his greatest sporting achievement was while playing in a game, but he could not think of one. So I then asked what Seahawk's accomplishment he was most proud of, and of course he said their victory in this past season's Superbowl.

I was curious how long Andrew had been playing basketball and he told me his whole life. Since he has such a passion for watching football, I asked him if he had ever played and he told me he never has. I also learned that he used to play baseball. I asked if any of the baseball or basketball teams he has played on ever won any championships, and he said one of his elementary school baseball teams won the rec league championship. I then asked him who his biggest professional sports role models is, and he said Kevin Durant because he is "nasty at basketball and seems like a good guy". Kevin is a good choice as a role model because even through all the "too skinny" criticism and constant comparison to Lebron, Kevin Durant still continues to succeed. My final question for Mr.Steele was which teams were his favorite in all of professional sports. He told me the Oklahoma City Thunder, Seattle Mariners, and Seattle Seahawks. I think Andrew really loves Seattle, especially since the Thunder used to be the Seattle Supersonics.

Sports Interview With Richie Donofrio

Today in Sports Reading and Writing class, I interviewed Norton High School sophomore Richie Donofrio. I asked him some questions about sports; sports that he plays, and others that he watches. Richie's main sport to play/ favorite in general is definitely baseball, so most of my questions were centered on baseball. He told me that he plays Baseball for the Norton High JV team, and plans on playing basketball and football next season. Although his favorite sport to play is baseball, Richie told me that he loves watching football because there is always something happening on the gridiron. I also asked him how long he has been playing these sports, and even though he has taken years off from football and basketball, he's been playing those along with baseball ever since he was old enough to sign up. 

Richie was asked, "What is your greatest achievement in any of the sports you have been involved in?". For this, Richie thought back to when he was nine years old on an all star baseball team where in a game he pitched 5 innings giving up no hits. At the plate may have been even better where he hit 3-3 with a triple, double and a single, this was definitely a game to be proud of for him. Richie also told me that he has hit three home runs in games, which is a pretty solid number for a sixteen year old. From a team success stand point, Richie has been a part of four baseball championships and two other sport championships. Richie told me his motivation through sports has always been Michael Jordan because he was the constant model of success. He is the best player ever and exemplified the importance of hard work throughout his exemplary career. The last thing I asked Richie was his favorite sports team, and being from Massachusetts, he said the Boston Red Sox. A great team to love as they just won the world series this past season.

Patriot's Top Free Agent Priorities

At the very top of this list is shutdown, soon to be free agent, cornerback, Aqib Talib. With the Patriots already having other needs in their secondary, Bill Belichick would love to keep Talib and not create a new problem for the defense. Being one of the top corners in the NFL, Talib will be looking for a lucrative contract as he is in the prime of his career. The Patriots need to bring Talib back for 2014, or longer. The top priority on offense is wide receiver Julian Edelman. By far Tom Brady's favorite target without Rob Gronkowski, Edelman raked in over 100 receptions, caught 6 touchdown passes, and had 1,056 yards receiving. Edelman's best traits at wide receiver aren't his speed or size, but his elusiveness, ability to make great catches, and extreme talent at gaining yards after the catch. Much like Talib, if Edelman were to hit free agency, many teams would love to acquire a talented receiver like him. Being younger than Talib, Edelman will probably be searching for a long-term deal. The Patriots have many more defensive needs such as a new starting safety as they released former starter Steve Gregory for cap purposes. Jamie Collins proved last year that he was the athletic linebacker that Belichick loves, and with a healthy Jerod Mayo, the linebacking corps should be greatly improved. As the Patriots beloved Vince Wilfork is aging and had a major injury with a torn achilles last season, extra defensive tackle/ defensive line help is much needed. The Patriots could also use some more help at tight end with no guarantees that Gronkowski will be ready for the upcoming season. In all, the patriots have many needs, with the majority of them being on defense.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/transactions/free-agents