Doping

Today it's Lance Armstrong throwing in the towel. Professional Cycling has been after Armstrong since he was a Junior. When he started winning the Tour de France the French press lead the charge to discredit him. Chauvinism pure and simple.

Hat Tip: Dictionary.com
1865-70 Origin: French chauvinisme, equivalent to chauvin jingo (named after N. Chauvin, a soldier in Napoleon's army noted for loud-mouthed patriotism) + -isme -ism

I joined Twitter specifically to follow @lancearmstrong. He used Twitter to go around the European Cycling Press to speak directly to cycling fans and cancer patients and advocates. I can't tell you how many times Armstrong's first tweet of the day from the TdF began: "Good morning Doping Control! Now for some coffee and stage..."

Armstrong has been tested 1000+ times and never failed a test. That hasn't stopped the accusations. Cyclingnews.com has an index of Armstrong's Doping Allegations Over the Years online. That's some list!

Frankly? My mind is too fatigued to dig in to the story this week...doping's hit my San Francisco Giants hard this season too, and my "Doping Allegation Receptors" are just a little...overstimulated.

Giants left fielder Melky Cabrera was given a 50 game suspension from baseball after testing positive for testosterone.

In early May, Giants' long reliever Guillermo Mota was handed a 100 game suspension by MLB for his second failed drug test. Baseball found Clenbuterol in Mota's system. Clenbuterol was also the substance that caused the 2010 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador to be stripped of his title.

Don't misunderstand me. I'm against doping in all sports. But I'm also against witch hunts that trample personal liberties and due process. Armstrong seems to be in a "guilty until proved innocent" situation...under fire from an American Association in America where jurisprudence is governed by the United States Constitution. What's wrong with this picture?

That's it...I don't have the appetite for anything more on this today...