Lob & Kritik » hletes handbook for what to do whe

Hands-up to those surprised to learn Alex Rodgriguez confessed back in January to doing business with Miami steroid dealer Tony Bosch and using performance-enhancing drugs just as Major League Baseball alleged? Anyone? We didnt think so. Twenty-six years after Ben Johnson professed his innocence to a nation that desperately wanted to believe him. It doesnt take a cynic to roll their eyes in the face of busted athlete drug cheats who profess their innocence. We all know the script of the busted athlete who tries to position him or herself as the victim in a performance-enhancing drug witch hunt. It goes a little something like this: I have always prided myself on my ability to compete clean, I would never disrespect the game, my teammates, the fans and most of all my family. You know the rest. With a parade of all-stars from Marion Jones to Lance Armstrong to Ryan Braun, it was almost laughable that at this stage of things Alex Rodriguez thought he could convince anyone of his innocence, never mind the people who were out to get him. What we need to understand is that taking performance-enhancing drugs is a simple risk-reward proposition for a lot of athletes, during which time they understand the public plea they will have to make if they are accused or caught. So while we might wonder how athletes can so easily compromise their integrity by flat-out lying to the very people who have made them what they are, this part of the equation is settled long before the gotcha moment. Former Canadian sprinter Angela Isajenko said it more than two decades ago during the Dubin Inquiry into drugs in sports when she described the athletes handbook for what to do when you are caught: deny, deny, deny. The few who have deviated from that script are far and few between. Years ago, I wrote a piece in The Globe and Mail which suggested it was difficult to know whether to cheer for Lance Armstrong, purely for the reason that he was so dominant in a sport that was well-known to be dirty. The vitriol I received in response from Armstrong fans, many of them cancer survivors who considered him a real-life hero, was unlike anything I have received before or since in my career. They were simply horrified that I could even entertain the idea that someone of his character and accomplishments might be a cheat. And besides, hed already faced-down his accusers in public and pledged his innocence. Did I really think he would let down the legions of people to whom he was nothing less than a superhero? We all know how that story ended. Im sure there are athletes who test positive or are accused via investigation of using performance-enhancing drugs and it all turns out to be a mistake. I just cant think of any. Alex Rodriguez lying and then eventually confessing to performance-enhancing drug use hardly qualifies as disappointment. And he may truly be as detestable as he seems. But in this case, hes not the worst of the worst. He was merely travelling down the same well-worn path of those who came before him. Cleveland Browns Greedy Williams Jersey . "Well over 50 (per cent)," coach Claude Noel said Tuesday after practice, where the Jets were looking at ways to cut down the scoring chances theyve been giving away. Cleveland Browns Jerseys Outlet . Its the games against the leagues struggling franchises that have proved to be an issue. http://www.cheapbrowns.com/180u-cheap-au...y-browns.html.S. womens soccer team to a 2-0 win over China in Colorado in the afternoon. Cleveland Browns Jerseys China . Before that, Rousey needed a total 23 minutes and 26 seconds to take care of her last eight opponents - and one of those fights lasted 10 minutes and 58 seconds. Cheap Cleveland Browns Jerseys Online . CHAUNCEY BILLUPS (Pistons): Yes they got Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings in the off-season and Andre Drummond is a beast (teams are kicking themselves for passing on him - he rebounds and block shots every game - thats two more discernable and significant skills than most guys in his draft class), but dont for a second discount the impact of having a savvy veteran like Billups on your team.Rome, Italy (SportsNetwork.com) - Roberto Mancini will hope a win at second- place Roma on Sunday can provide a launching point for Inter Milans Serie A campaign. Mancinis return to Inter started with a 1-1 draw against AC Milan last weekend, while the Nerazzurri claimed a 2-1 win over Dnipro in the Europa League on Thursday to secure the top spot in the group. But with Inter sitting in ninth place in Serie A entering the weekend having won just four times in 12 league games, Mancini must find a way to improve his teams league form. The club has not had a great deal of success in this fixture recently as Inters last win at the Stadio Olimpico in league play came in 2008. Roma has won its last two games in Serie A since dropping a 2-0 result at Napoli at the beginning of the month, and the capital club comes into this weekend three points adrift of leaders Juventus. Juve is eyeing a 25th successive league win at home on Sunday as the Old Lady hhosts bottom-half side Torino with Juve having earned a 2-0 win over Malmo in the Champions League in midweek.dddddddddddd Mondays clash between Sampdoria and Napoli sees two of the top four teams in Serie A square off at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium with the two sides separated by one point. AC Milan has dropped to seventh place in the league after a five-match winless streak, and the club tangles with Udinese, which is level on points with the Rossoneri. Fiorentina travels to bottom-half Cagliari on Sunday after the Viola secured a place in the knockout round of the Europa League on Thursday thanks to a 2-1 win over Guingamp, while Sassuolo and Hellas Verona square off in a battle of mid-table sides. Lazio has lost back-to-back games and tries to snap that skid on Saturday at Chievo, which sits in the bottom three. Other matches in Serie A this weekend include Genoa traveling to Cesena, Empoli entertaining Atalanta and Palermo taking on Parma. 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