I don't post here much anymore due to work related scheduling issues. Basically I work all the time now. Five years back I worked at a place that was overstaffed and days went by before I had anything to do. Those days are over. Now I go from Chicago to Portland every week. Back and forth. Back and forth.
Anyway, I used to post here twenty times a day and this Armstrong house-of-cards coming down... I called it more than once. Called on many occasions. Okay, I didn't foresee the FDA getting involved but who saw that one coming? But I knew one day all the stories about Armstrong doping his ass off would come out. Because? Because there were just too many people who knew who also hated the guy. And for good reasons. Stephen Swart? Can you believe his treatment?
Now, hindsight, being what it is, it's easy to make the above statement like some tool boasting about foresight. But think about it. Think about the pattern that likely started well before Swart? Think of all those irate people who Armstrong took a leak on over the years ending with Landis. That's what I was looking at.
Landis. I'm not surprised Armstrong had him babysit his refrigerated blood. I'm telling you, despite Armstrong's charisma in front of the cameras, this guy ain't bright. My wife put his first book down halfway through because, her words: "He's got a testicle the size of a grapefruit and he doesn't seek medical attention? I can't empathize with a dumb ass." And there were other things in It's Not About The Bike, like never contemplating death. I mean, who doesn't doesn't think about death, right?
Anyway, back on topic. The refrigerated blood didn't surprise me. He showed Landis the ropes relative to doping. And yeah, he's a dumb ass for that. (Must've been one hell of a man crush.) But when Landis tested positive the obvious move was to take him back into the fold immediately after his ban ended. Give him a desk job. Let him answer phones for a six-figure salary. Hamilton too. Armstrong can afford it. Easy. And as for the media fall out? F*ck'em. Isn't that what he does anyway? All he had to say was, "There's just something fishy about Floyd's positive." He wouldn't even have to go into mind numbing detail. Landis (and Hamilton) already did that for him. Follow his above statement with, "These are my friends. What can I say? I've got their back. It's what friends do."
And the follow up question by a reporter would be? "Even if they did..." Answer: "Yeah, even if they did... if they did. They strayed from the righteous path. I practice forgiveness. They work for me now." Americans eat that **** up.
But instead he essentially said, "Floyd, Tyler, enjoy trailer park living." That's not right. You don't just look-on why someone you know is getting the shaft. Not if you're in a position to do something about it. It's like watching your redneck neighbor drown a litter of kittens in a half filled 50-gallon drum. At some point you've got to get up off the porch and tell Jebediah (read UCI) to leave the cats alone.
Now of course, had Armstrong tried to save his friends, this forum and forums like it would've gone Hiroshima. But remember, for every Lance-hating-cheapshot-artist on forums like this (and I proudly count myself as one) there are hundreds, if not thousands, of Lanceophiles who will engage in sexual relations with the guy no questions asked. They don't care who he's been in bed with. Doesn't matter. He beat that German dude over and over. He beat cancer. Had sex with the Olsen twins. Drinks American light beer... The list goes on and on. And doping? Doesn't everyone do that anyway? it's this kind of Americanized ends-justify-the-means-thinking that might just save and eventually resurrect Armstrong... but that's a different thread.
So, just asking: did anyone else see this coming?
Anyway, I used to post here twenty times a day and this Armstrong house-of-cards coming down... I called it more than once. Called on many occasions. Okay, I didn't foresee the FDA getting involved but who saw that one coming? But I knew one day all the stories about Armstrong doping his ass off would come out. Because? Because there were just too many people who knew who also hated the guy. And for good reasons. Stephen Swart? Can you believe his treatment?
Now, hindsight, being what it is, it's easy to make the above statement like some tool boasting about foresight. But think about it. Think about the pattern that likely started well before Swart? Think of all those irate people who Armstrong took a leak on over the years ending with Landis. That's what I was looking at.
Landis. I'm not surprised Armstrong had him babysit his refrigerated blood. I'm telling you, despite Armstrong's charisma in front of the cameras, this guy ain't bright. My wife put his first book down halfway through because, her words: "He's got a testicle the size of a grapefruit and he doesn't seek medical attention? I can't empathize with a dumb ass." And there were other things in It's Not About The Bike, like never contemplating death. I mean, who doesn't doesn't think about death, right?
Anyway, back on topic. The refrigerated blood didn't surprise me. He showed Landis the ropes relative to doping. And yeah, he's a dumb ass for that. (Must've been one hell of a man crush.) But when Landis tested positive the obvious move was to take him back into the fold immediately after his ban ended. Give him a desk job. Let him answer phones for a six-figure salary. Hamilton too. Armstrong can afford it. Easy. And as for the media fall out? F*ck'em. Isn't that what he does anyway? All he had to say was, "There's just something fishy about Floyd's positive." He wouldn't even have to go into mind numbing detail. Landis (and Hamilton) already did that for him. Follow his above statement with, "These are my friends. What can I say? I've got their back. It's what friends do."
And the follow up question by a reporter would be? "Even if they did..." Answer: "Yeah, even if they did... if they did. They strayed from the righteous path. I practice forgiveness. They work for me now." Americans eat that **** up.
But instead he essentially said, "Floyd, Tyler, enjoy trailer park living." That's not right. You don't just look-on why someone you know is getting the shaft. Not if you're in a position to do something about it. It's like watching your redneck neighbor drown a litter of kittens in a half filled 50-gallon drum. At some point you've got to get up off the porch and tell Jebediah (read UCI) to leave the cats alone.
Now of course, had Armstrong tried to save his friends, this forum and forums like it would've gone Hiroshima. But remember, for every Lance-hating-cheapshot-artist on forums like this (and I proudly count myself as one) there are hundreds, if not thousands, of Lanceophiles who will engage in sexual relations with the guy no questions asked. They don't care who he's been in bed with. Doesn't matter. He beat that German dude over and over. He beat cancer. Had sex with the Olsen twins. Drinks American light beer... The list goes on and on. And doping? Doesn't everyone do that anyway? it's this kind of Americanized ends-justify-the-means-thinking that might just save and eventually resurrect Armstrong... but that's a different thread.
So, just asking: did anyone else see this coming?
