Cheats and Injuries

So this post is going to be a little different. Due to me being out of town this weekend, I basically caught next to no sport, though I did get through all the results. So, instead of doing my "weekly rundown", I am going to go through the biggest story of the week: The findings of the Lance Armstrong case. On top of that, I will also be assessing how the Baltimore Ravens can cope with the season-long loss of two key defensive players. Hope you enjoy!

Armstrong - Now I just want to put out there that for me, the focal point of my youth while watching the Tour de France was Armstrong. Regardless of the allegations bought against him, I will always accredit him with keeping me hooked into the sport, as will many other people of my generation. I think it is also important to separate the doping allegations from his work that he's done for cancer awareness and prevention. This week I have seen numerous "hashtags" on Twitter and words in the press from journalists I respect playing on the name of his foundation: Livestrong. These include "LieStrong" "LiveWrong" etc. The man may be a cheat/liar whatever, but to tar his foundation which has actually helped to save people's lives with the same brush is nonsensical and unjust.

Back to the story at hand then. For Armstrong to say that he wasn't going to contend the charges was an admission of guilt in it's own right. Though he never failed a drugs test (without being able to back it up with a doctor's prescription) during his career, doping allegations followed Armstrong around like a bad smell. So when the USADA (the US anti-doping agency) bought the charges against him earlier this year, it seemed that they'd finally "got their man". But I think this is the whole problem with the case.

I'm not going to use this forum to say that I don't think Armstrong is guilty or use it to throw out a wanton or controversial opinion. But I do think, and will say, that the way the USADA went about their findings into Armstrong are backhanded and unjustifiable. Much like the US Postal Team that they dubbed "ran the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program sport has seen", they have come undone by their own flaws. 

First of all, I want to take this away from cycling, and bring it to athletics. Justin Gatlin, American 100m sprinter, and bronze medal winner at the London 2012 Olympic games, has failed not one, but two drugs tests during his lengthy career, and as a result been banned twice. First in 2001 for two years for testing positive for amphetamines. Secondly in 2006 due to a positive test for "testosterone or its precursor". After both cases, he point blank denied the allegations, and looked for ways to blame anyone but himself. Instead of receiving a life-time ban for his second doping offence, he initially was served an eight year ban, which eventually was halved in 2007 to just four years. A small price to pay if you ask me for a man that knows the rules, yet broke them multiple times and then looked for scapegoats when he was caught ashen-faced and red-handed. The amount of leniency the USADA showed to Gatlin was remarkable and incredulous. It's no wonder that to this day, many American athletes are still knowingly pumping themselves full of illegal drugs to enhance their abilities. Some of you reading this might go now then "Ah, but Armstrong has received a life-time ban, surely that's the USADA learning from their mistakes and making their punishments more severe". Yes, Armstrong has been banned for life. But let's look at the other dopers mentioned in the case that all come under the USADA's jurisdiction:

Floyd Landis - Winner of the Tour de France in 2006, subsequently stripped of title after posting an "abnormally high rate of testosterone" in a urine sample after Stage 17 of that Tour. Banned for two years from 2007, but denied all charges until 2010, when he admitted to cheating, and stated that other members of USPS, including Armstrong, continually doped. No further action has been bought against Landis to date.

Tom Danielson, Levi Leipheimer, George Hincapie, Christian Vandevelde and David Zabriskie- All banned for 6 months from September 2012 for admitting to doping while on the USPS team, again saying that Armstrong doped while there. 

So the differences are then that if you dope, but tell on someone else for doing the exact same thing as you, you will receive a far less severe punishment, even if you tried to feebly maintain your innocence for years before hand, then suddenly had a change of heart... Makes perfect sense right? Phil Liggett, ITV's long-term Tour commentator, though daft is his fierce maintenance that Armstrong didn't dope, has somewhat of a point when he accused the USADA of putting Armstrong on a "pedestal high above all the other riders". Not only this, but again it shows that the USADA is far too lenient when it comes to handing out suspensions for doping. It should be black and white, so much so that I'm going to give what I'm about to say a whole line to itself:

If you dope, regardless of the circumstances, and you get caught, you should be banned from your profession for life.

Armstrong deserves his suspension, and all the abuse that he is getting from all corners of the world for lying and deceiving his way to multiple Tour wins. But so do the rest of the riders who dope/have doped. One man that is not a rider, but deserves all the fury that is directed his way is the recently departed Team RadioShack-Nissan boss Johan Bruyneel, who cowardly didn't show up at the 2012 Tour due to the forthcoming allegations. He was the mastermind behind the doping program at not only USPS, but later the Discovery Channel team. If Bruyneel is not convicted for his involvement, then the sport will be in an even greater state of disarray than it is now. 

So to sum up then. Armstrong is a cheat, yes. The lifetime ban imposed on him as well the stripping of all his race results is a just punishment for his years of deceit. But the USADA have let slip a chance to really solve the doping cloud that hangs over cycling by not taking harsher action on those riders who have not only been caught cheating, but also admitting their guilt. The fact that the report also called those riders "courageous" is an insult to all the riders who are clean, and have never needed EPO to make it to the top of their profession. Lets just hope they don't put their feet in it even more by giving Armstrong's wins away to other riders who have been caught cheating as well (Ivan Basso, Jan Ullrich etc). This was a chance for a real corner to be turned in the history of pro-cycling. However, I fear that incompetence by the anti-doping bodies has ruined the real chance for all sports, not just cycling, to be drug-free.

Baltimore Ravens defensive woes continue - So this was the big news for me of the weekend. Though the Ravens are 5-1, and top of their division, the performances of late have left a lot of people, me included, cause for concern. Now the latest turn of events could really determine what kind of team the Ravens are. Coming off the back of a lucky (according to Joe Flacco) win against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday was the news that the main man in the middle of defense Ray Lewis is out for the season with a torn tricep. On top of this was the almost as bad news that in the same game, starting cornerback Ladarius Webb is also out for the season with a torn ACL. 

Now in terms of form, Webb's injury on paper looks to be the biggest concern for the Ravens. Already this year, he had achieved one forced-fumble, one interception and 25 tackles. With questions raised over second stater Cary Williams and whether or not he would be replaced by first-round pick from 2011 Jimmy Smith, suddenly they're both going have to step up their game. Williams responded after a mauling against the New England Patriots with a pick-six against the the Cleveland Browns, but he will have to improve his consistency with Webb now gone. Smith on the other hand has not quite seen his draft potential flourish yet, having seen the third-round pick from 2009 Webb keep him out. This is his chance though to stake a starter spot in the future with the Ravens still seemingly headed for the play-offs at least. Third choice now is going to be Corey Graham, who was signed from the Chicago Bears in March after a Pro-Bowl season last year. This again provides him with an ample opportunity to see more defensive game time, as well as trying to push for a regular starting spot next year. 

As well all know, games aren't played on paper, and for me, the biggest concern is seeing THE best middle linebacker in the history of the game Ray Lewis gone. After 17 years, you have to wonder if this could have been his swan-song, and whether or not he will return. When he was drafted in 1996, he didn't just become a member of the Ravens, he became the Ravens. He embodies everything that the team try and fight for, and is the emotional leader on defense. Though this year it seemed that father-time might have been catching up with the veteran, having seen him lose weight over the off-season and in turn not having the same devastating power he has had, it is still no question that his loss is about as bad as it could have got for the Ravens. Dannell Ellerbe and Brendon Ayenbadejo will now fight it out between them to fill Lewis' big boots, but it might be a job that both of them combined won't be able to do. Though there is no doubt that Lewis will be there pumping up the team for game-day, his presence on the field will be sorely missed. One has to wonder if it is the end of an era for the Ravens, but as the great man himself will tell you, he'll never say never.

Next week should bring about the return of the more normal format of my blog, so until then, I hope you all enjoyed reading, and thanks for your continued support.  

The Blues

I am currently writing this with a head full of Lemsip/flu tablets/coffee and a tissue box within reach. Seems like the flu can reach us all eventually. Baring that in mind, I was hoping for an exciting Sunday in which I could settle down in my room, and be entertained from the start of the Japanese Grand Prix at 7 am, which I just about managed to wake up from my comatose state for, until the end of the Ravens vs Chiefs game a full  14 hours later. Needless to say, things didn't quite go to plan...

F1 Japanese Grand Prix - Okay we shall start here, although this wasn't technically the start of my sports viewing week. Having pulled myself out of my bed, I trudged downstairs and made a Lemsip before the start of the parade lap. Hoping for more excitement than the Singapore Grand Prix, I was not disappointed. Yet again, Romain Grosjean was in the thick of the action on the first-lap, taking out Mark Webber with an ill-judged sweep into turn 2, clattering into the Aussie's Red Bull. After the race, the pragmatic Webber came out with another golden quote, this time labelling Grosjean a "first-lap nut case". He has a point though, it was the 7th time that Grosjean had been involved in a first-lap collision, and it appears that even his one race ban from the insane move he pulled at Spa has not changed his reckless, gung-ho mentality. Nico Rosberg also was an unfortunate victim of this battle, his race lasting just 22 seconds, something he humorously pointed out in his video blog after the race. However, the first-lap's biggest talking point was from an incident far less controversial, but far more significant in terms of the championship. Fernando Alonso retired after seemingly collecting a puncture from a passive Kimi Raikkonen's front wing, and as a result span on the very first corner. How no-one managed to plow into his prone Ferrari pays testament to F1 drivers' lightning reactions (unless you're Rosberg...), but for Alonso, the damage had already been done. With Vettel inevitably winning from pole, the Spaniard's lead now stands at just 4 points. With a car that isn't in the same league as the Red Bull's, McLaren's, and dare I say the Lotus', he will struggle to top the standings for much longer I feel. For once, it was the other Ferrari driver left to reap the rewards of Alonso's failure to finish. Felipe Massa, along with Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi, produced drives yesterday that might just secure their seats going into 2013. Massa finished second and on the podium for the first time since Korea in 2010. To be fair, it was the end result of a renewed  sense of belief in the Brazilian, having seen his performances improve dramatically since the mid-season break. Kobayashi also gave his home fans something to smile about, coming home third after a tough battle with Jenson Button, just holding him off before the finish. It was Japan's third driver to be on the podium since Takuma Sato at Indianapolis in the 6 car race in 2004 and Aguri Suzuki at the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix. With his team-mate Sergio Perez performing well enough over his two seasons in F1 to earn a drive at McLaren next year, and in the process outperforming Kobayashi, questions were being raised over his future. Nevertheless, I feel he has done enough to warrant a drive next year, and this podium finish should put to bed any doubts over his continued participation at Sauber.

Oh and just a word on Lewis Hamilton moving to Mercedes, and Michael Schumacher retiring. The move is good for both McLaren and Hamilton. Why? Hamilton became too big for his boots at McLaren, and has not been consistent enough to warrant such a lucrative contract that he was demanding. Also, he needed a change of scenery, and should feel more settled at a team that can cater more to his needs to be the number 1 driver (poor Rosberg... again). As for Schumi, he leaves (for good?) with his reputation still intact, and will still go down as the most successful F1 driver to date. Though I thought maybe he would go to Sauber, which Sauber wanted to happen, stepping out of the game now probably is the sensible course of action for a man that has been there and done that multiple times in his career. So we bid you adieu Michael, and long may your legacy live on.

Liverpool FC - It seems we're playing two games every week at the moment, this time a Europa League clash with Udinese on Thursday before playing our Premier League match against Stoke on Sunday. The Udinese game really encapsulated Liverpool's season to date. Great performance marred by several defensive lapses in concentration. Yet again our young players shone where our experienced individuals were found wanting. The best performance of the night belonged to Udinese's Antonio Di Natale however. His touch was impeccable, his finish for the first goal sublime, his work-rate unstoppable. He can be compared to a fine wine or a strong cheese: he has gotten better with age. How he remained at Udinese, who he effectively carried on his own for the whole match, for so long defies belief. Stick him at a league winning club, and he would still be the best player. I have a feeling that AC Milan may be enquiring into his availability before too long. Another loss at Anfield will only dent the confidence that the win at Norwich bought, but we had a chance to rectify that on Sunday...

Yet things never go to plan. The less said about the Stoke game the better. It was boring, tepid (insert similar adjectives here). For all our possession, we bought just two half decent saves from Asmir Begovic, both being 25-yard attempts from Gerrard and Johnson. Suarez's embarrassing dive in the box further made the game a farce, whereas Stoke seemed content with a point from the first whistle. 0-0, two points dropped at home, what more can I say?

Baltimore Ravens vs Kansas City Chiefs - And the afternoon didn't get much better. After a tight win vs the Browns, I expected a rejuvenated Ravens to capitalise on a weak Kansas City team. Even though the Chiefs turned the ball over 4 times, including a hilarious fumble 1-yard out from the Ravens end-zone, the Ravens failed to capitalise, with Joe Flacco throwing an interception of his own. In the end, both sides were limited to field goal attempts with the Ravens prevailing 9-6. It was the first time this season that the Ravens failed to get going on offense, and it bodes badly for us with sterner tests to come. This being said, a win is a win, and with us topping our conference with a 4-1 record, the playoffs become more and more realistic with every passing week. However, Ravens fans expect this as a minimum requirement, realistically, only a Championship game appearance will satisfy their needs. Coming into week 6, I rank the Ravens as the 3rd best team in the AFC, behind the Patriots and the Texans. Therefore, the Championship game would be a good achievement, though again I think the SuperBowl will be a step too far.

For me now then it's back to bed, hopefully I'll be back to full fitness by Wednesday! Thanks for reading, and hopefully next week will provide more entertainment.

The Good, The Greater and The Ugly

Hello sports-fans! Thanks for all the comments regarding last week's post. The main point I have taken into consideration is to make the blog a bit less like a commentary, and have more of a comment style going on. Again, all comments (barring offensive ones) are welcome, and feel free to suggest ways in which I could improve this for all! Anyway, lets crack on shall we?

Liverpool FC - So again, two games for Liverpool this week, starting with the Worthington Carling Capital One Cup tie against West Bromwich Albion. After being thumped 3-0 by them on the first day of the season, I was impressed how well our team of youngsters played against them. We recovered well from a dreadful start, and showed great maturity in hauling ourselves back into the game, albeit with a great hand from WBA 'keeper Ben Foster. Rodgers continues to put great faith into our young players, and it's paying dividends, with Suso, Oussama Assaidi and Andre Wisdom all knocking on the door for regular first team places, joining the likes of Raheem Sterling and Jonjo Shelvey. However the stand-out performer of the game for me was Nuri Sahin. I was heavily critical of him on his debut against Arsenal, saying that he had no right foot, and looked extremely short of match fitness. However, he's gone some way to proving me wrong since then, picking up two goals to help us seal our place in the next round of the cup. His vision and distribution was spot-on, and he manages to be in the right place at the right time to either pick up an assist or a goal. With Gerrard not getting any younger, surely if Sahin keeps this form up Rodgers should be looking to sign him at the end of the season?

On Sunday came our Premier League tie at Carrow Road against Norwich City. Searching for our first win of the domestic campaign, we couldn't have had it much easier. It looked like our sterling performance mid-week had served as a real confidence boost, and had injected even our senior players with a belief that we could still have a good season. Sahin, who now has three goals and three assists in four games, and Gerrard were dominant in midfield, barely putting a foot wrong. With Martin Kelly unfortunately being ruled out for six months with a torn ACL, Andre Wisdom also came in and put in a great performance at right-back. However, star of the match was the much maligned Luis Suarez. In securing his second hat-trick in as many games against Norwich, he showed that he can finish with as much aplomb as Van Persie or Torres (when on his game). One thing that will continue to haunt him is his reputation for going down softly in the penalty area, having been denied a clear stone-wall spot kick for the second game running. Even so, scoring five goals will certainly do a previously goal-shy Liverpool less harm than good, and the performance may be the catalyst to get our season finally up and running.

Ryder Cup 2012 - Wow, just wow. I tweeted with the scores at 10-10 that this could be a comeback of Istanbul 2005 proportions, and it didn't disappoint. After being provisionally 10-4 down on the Saturday, to think Europe won by 14.5 to 13.5 is almost unfathomable. There were some terrific performances on the final day, but to single one player out would be unfair on the others. It was team game, yet it was in the singles performances where Europe really excelled. Now I'm no "golfist", but this had me hooked all evening. I would defy anyone to say that they were bored while watching this, because it had everything that is required in a drama: Tension, hope, jubilation, and emotion. What did disappoint me most though were the USA fans in attendance. I feel that it is right to cheer your team on, it is the done thing. However, you should also be respectful to your opponents, something that the USA has a reputation for not being (Olazabal/Leonard 1999 anyone?). The booing at the end after Kaymer sunk the cup winning putt for Europe was nothing short of disgraceful. Fortunately, this did not carry to the players of the USA, who held themselves with grace and dignity. Bubba Watson and captain Davis Love III particularly were role-models in how to deal with defeat. As the USA dealt with the defeat, Europe's players were jubilant. The emotion at the end was something else, and I think that's why this Ryder Cup will live long in the memory. As a common theme, I think that that one was for you, Seve.

Baltimore Ravens vs the Cleveland Browns - First of all, I have to say it was great to see the real referees return for this match, the first after their lockout had ended. I was worried after Sunday and Monday's game that with the replacements not having any control on the games, something nasty was going to happen. Thankfully, after Monday's botched call between the Seahawks and the Packers (Google it if you don't know what it is), this was put right, and the reception they received at the M&T Bank Stadium was one of relief and heartfelt appreciation that they were back. Now for the game itself. So this was not a pretty win for the Ravens by any stretch of the imagination. Coming off an emotional and hard fought victory against the Patriots just 4 days previously, it was always going to be a lethargic performance, but the expectation of victory was still there. The Browns were very physical, going some way on defense to tearing apart the Ravens O-line. That said, when it mattered, the Ravens got it done, both on offense and defense. Joe Flacco looks more and more like a top tier quarterback with every game he plays, and with receivers like Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith, it makes his job look even easier. At the end of the day, even if the Browns aren't one of the better teams we're going to face this year, it was still going to be one of our hardest test, and we came through it. Also at 3-1, our record looks very good heading into week 5, with some of the top teams around us faltering at the moment. Up next, the Kansas City Chiefs.

So there we have it for another week, I hope you enjoyed reading, and stay tuned for another post next week, where I will have more Liverpool and Baltimore Ravens coverage, plus another Grand Prix to cover!