Tour de WTF!!

I know my 2 readers have been eagerly awaiting my Tour de France wrap-up with baited breath since the race ended on Sunday. Well, without further ado, here it is.

One of the most controversial Tours in some time saw two prominent riders and two teams kicked out of the race for doping related problems. Surprisingly(Not!!) the anti-doping agreement signed by all riders before starting the race didn't keep anyone from doping. First Vinokourov won stage 13 and also stage 15, before finding out that he had tested positive for a banned blood transfusion after stage 13 and being kicked out of the tour. His team, Team Astana, withdrew shortly after. Vinokourov has since hired Floyd Landis' lawyer to defend him.

Prior to stage 16, several teams, including Team Confidis, protested the doping in the Tour by holding up the start of the tour. At the end of the stage, Confidis rider Cristian Moreni was arrested for doping while still wearing his red team jersey. Team Confidis withdrew from the race as well. Moreni confessed to using testosterone boosting drugs.

But then the big turd hit the fan. Team Rabobank kicked their team leader, and the overall Tour leader, Michael Rasmussen off the team and thus out of the tour. Rasmussen had been accused of lying about his whereabouts during missed drug tests earlier in the year. It was only the second time in Tour history the overall leader
had been kicked off by his team.

Because of the scandals in this years Tour and the last few years, Tour director Christian Prudhomme is considering going back to national teams. The Tour used national teams between 1930 and 1961, and then were brought back in 1967 and 1968 before they were abandoned for the current corporate sponsored teams we see now.

In one of the more controversial articles I've read, Oxford ethics professor Julian Savulescu called for the Tour to allow restricted doping, claiming it's "part of the spirit of Le Tour." While he makes some interesting point, but fails to explain how exactly allowing some doping would prevent riders from continuing above and beyond to still illegal levels. The riders that dope now do so to gain a competitive edge. If everyone else is doping, some riders will still find ways to push it farther in order to regain that competitive edge.

Despite the doping scandals, the Tour was still an exciting one this year, with the narrowest margin of victory in nearly 20 years. Fellow Montanan Levi Leipheimer was finally able to finish on the podium and he also picked up his first career stage win. The fact that it was his first ever stage win came as a bit of shock to me, since Levi has been one of the strongest and consistent riders for the last 5 years. Nonetheless, the Tour was probably a bit bittersweet for the Butte native. He entered the race one of the favorites to win and as leader of one of the strongest teams he's ever ridden with. In the Pyrenees however, teammate Alberto Contador (a favorite to win the young rider classification) proved himself to be riding stronger in the mountains and Levi relegated himself to a position of "super domestic" in order to give Discovery Channel the best chance for a Tour win. After overall leader Michael Rasmussen was kicked out, Contador was in an excellent position to win. Although Levi nearly pulled into the lead in the final time trial, he fell just short, 31 seconds behind Contador. Contador's 23 second lead over second place Aussie Cadel Evans was the narrowest margin of victory since 1989 when American Greg LeMond won by a mere 8 seconds.

In the end, Alberto Contador won both the overall and the young rider classification, while the Discovery Channel Team took home the team victory. Levi finished in 3rd, and a third Discovery rider, Yaroslav Popovych, finished in 8th. Contador and Popovych also finished 2 and 3 in the king of the mountains classification, while Leipheimer was also in the top 10 at 9th.

Longtime Discovery Channel rider George Hincapie, who goes back to the Lance Armstrong days when the team was the US Postal Team, also set a record by riding for his 8th winning team. In addition to this years Discovery win, Hincapie was a member for all 7 of Armstrong's Tour wins.

Comcast is a bunch of whores!!

As many of you may have discovered recently, Comcast, Time Warner and many other cable companies recently made the decision to remove the NFL Network from their standard digital lineup and instead want to charge subscribers an additional monthly fee for a small sports package that will include NFLN. As many cable subscribers already know, when NFLN premiered last year, cable subscribers were required to upgrade to the more expensive digital package in order to get it and the NFL games that were aired on it. Now, barely a year later, we are being asked to pay even more for it. Meanwhile, NFLN is still offered as part of Dish Network's and DirecTV's standard package.

For current cable subscribers, I urge you to call and/or write your local cable company and voice your displeasure at their continued greediness and lack of concern for their customers. Even if you don't watch NFLN, do it anyway. It is quick and will benefit you as well as you won't have to deal with embittered NFL fans who no longer get the several games scheduled to air on NFLN, including this weekends Hall of Fame Game. Besides, it may not be a channel you care about now, but what about next time when they try to make MTV and VH1 a part of a premium music pack, or the Food Network and Home & Garden a part of the cooking package, or whatever. Before long, we'll be paying $50+ a month for CBS, TVGuide, and 17 home shopping channels. Speak up now before it is too late. For more information, check out the NFL's Comcast Update Questions. You can also go here to get your cable companies phone number to call and have the NFL send a fax to your cable company on your behalf. I personally will be faxing at least once per day until these bastards change their minds or I get bored with it all.

A few more quick headlines

Alberto Contador made it through the final stage without incident to become the first Spaniard to win the Tour de France since 1995. American Levi Leipheimer finally made it to the podium and finished 3rd. Aussie Cadel Evans made it across the line in second. I'll write more about the tour later.

The Penguins' Jordan Staal and his brother Eric who plays for the Hurricanes, were arrested for misdemeanor disorderly conduct and obstructing the legal process early Saturday morning. The two brothers were among 14 arrested at Eric's party at a Minnesota resort. The charges are mostly related to several noise complaints received during the party, and Jordan, who is only 18, was also charged with underage drinking. Nothing too serious, I think I'd be more concerned if 14 college age guys having a bachelor party didn't get a little out of control. Shit man, there weren't even strippers involved. What kind of professional athletes are these guys.

Cal Ripken Jr, and Tony Gwynn were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. In an era when baseball is continuously embroiled in steroid controversies, it's refreshing to see two beloved class acts enter the shrine.

Speaking of steroids, Jose Canseco has a new book coming out. In it, he claims to have something to say about Alex Rodriguez. When asked if he was going to accuse A-Rod of using steroids, Canseco just said "wait and see." Perhaps Canseco is simply trying to drum up some publicity for his new book, but he certainly won't make any friends accusing A-Rod of juicing. Unlike some of the other players Canseco has implicated, he and A-Rod were never teammates, so if he intends to accuse A-Rod of such, he better have some damn convincing evidence.

Barry Bonds finished the Giants homestand Sunday without another home run, meaning he'll enter a 6 game road trip still one shy of tying Hank Aaron. We'll see how much he plays on the road trip. The Giants need him to play, but the fan response he'll get on the road won't be good for Bonds, the Giants, or baseball. Selig was not in attendance Sunday, as he was in Cooperstown for the Ripken and Gwynn induction ceremonies.

Potential Kevin Garnett to the Celtics trade talks going on. Should make Bill Simmons happy, but since he's too busy writing another book to write any articles, we don't know.

Holy Crap!!

I leave for a week and the sports world goes all to hell. First, an update on today's just finished Tour stage.

Leipheimer rode the time trial of his lifetime to win his first career Tour stage. He nearly overtook Cadel Evans for second place, but finished only 9 seconds behind Evans. Interestingly enough, Leipheimer had a 10 second penalty earlier in the Tour that looks to be a much bigger deal now. Who woulda thunk it, a 2200 mile race, and a 10 second penalty proves vital to sorting out the top 3 riders. This should make tomorrow more interesting though, as a first or second place in tomorrow's stage by Leipheimer would give him a big enough time bonus to get second place. Discovery Channel teammate Alberto Contador appears to have wrapped up a Tour de France win. Leipheimer has said after the stage that Discovery Channel would not attack tomorrow, but this team is notoriously good at deception and mind games so I'll be sure to be tuning in tomorrow morning.

OK, now for some of the crazy shit that went down this week.

Alexander Vinokourov, a Tour favorite before being hurt earlier in the race, tested positive for a banned blood transfusion after winning last Saturday's stage. Before the results of the test came back, Vinokourov also won Monday's stage.

Before Stage 16, several teams(including Team Confidis) protested the lax attitude of Tour officials towards doping. At the end of the stage, Confidis team rider Cristian Moreni of Italy was kicked out of the race for testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone. Team Confidis withdrew from the race.

Overall leader Michael Rasmussen was kicked off the Tour and his team (Team Rabobank) for violating team rules relating to reporting his location during missed drug tests.

NBA official Tim Donaghy was implicated with the mob in a betting scandal in which he allegedly made calls to affect the spread of NBA games.

Michael Vick was indicted and plead not guilty to charges relating to dog fighting on his property.

Padraig Harrington won the British Open to claim his first career major victory.

Pittsburgh Pirates have continued to lose.

Barry Bonds hit HR number 754, Selig has been in attendance for games this week in order to be present when the record is tied and/or broken.

NFL training camps opened, and Steelers first round draft pick Lawrence Timmons hurt his groin again and is out indefinitely.

Steelers signed Troy Polamalu to a huge $30 million plus contract extension that will keep him in Pittsburgh through 2011.

Kenny Lofton was traded to the Cleveland Indians in the biggest trade deadline move so far this year. The deadline is Tuesday I believe.

Nicole Richie was sentenced to 4 days in jail for a DUI.

Lindsey Lohan was arrested for drugs and DUI.

Rock of Love contestants Brandi C and Brandi M have done porn. Shocking!!

George W. Bush got a camera stuck up his ass, and for two hours Cheney was POTUS.

I'm sure I missed plenty of good stuff, but I'm still trying to absorb all of this. I'll be posting this week after a great trip to the homeland for fishing and drinking.

See ya on the flip side

The Bandit will be taking a reprieve from posting while slacking off at work in order to not post while not even attending work at all as I fish and drink my way through the homeland. I will return in 10 days, hungover and sunburnt, to the following news items:

• The Pirates will have halted their losing streak(currently at 6 games) and won 9 straight. Jason Bay is currently the worst hitter in the majors since June, and Zach Duke is the most hit pitcher in the same time period. Being a Pirates fan is fun.


• Levi Leipheimer will have won the Tour de France(likely followed by the French trying to frame him for performance enhancing drugs)


• Alberto Contador will have won the young rider classification at the Tour de France


• The fallout from Japanese nuclear reactor leaks will have created a new Godzilla, Mothra, or other kick ass monster


• The release of a Jessica Biel sex tape...hey, a guy can dream

Tour de France: Stage 9 update

Impressive ride by the Discovery Channel Team. Alberto Contador showed why he is a favorite to win the white jersey in the young rider classification. Although Levi Leipheimer is the Discovery Channel leader, Contador is currently sitting in 5th place overall, 0:45 ahead of Levi who is riding in 9th.

An attack on the later part of the ascent of Col du Galibier by the Tour favorites cracked the injury weakened Alexandre Vinokourov and sent him to more than 8 minutes back from the leader. Astana Teammate Andreas Kloden, also injured, managed to stay with the group of favorites and may take over as Team Astana's leader.

Columbian rookie Juan Mauricio Soler, riding for Team Barloworld picked up his first ever stage win after a superb ride up the mountain. Barloworld is also in its first year on the Tour.

This was the last day in the Alps, and the riders will be riding mostly flat stages until stage 14 on Sunday when they enter the Pyrenees.

Tour de France: Stage 8

Mildly disappointing day for Discovery Channel Team and Levi Leipheimer. Leipheimer's chain became tangled in his derailer and he ended up having to switch to his spair bike, losing valuable time and preventing the team from being as aggressive as they would have liked. Currently in 13th place, 3:53 back, Levi isn't out of the race by any means, and is well within striking distance when the riders enter the Pyrenees where the steep mountain climbs and uphill finishes cater more to Leipheimer's and Team Discovery's strengths. Leipheimer will also have to ride well in the time trials. Poor performances in the individual time trial stages cost Leipheimer likely podium appearances the last two years.

"I was just following and trying to stay steady," Leipheimer said afterwards. "It's a long race. I was OK today, but I wasn't super. I think I'll be better in the Pyrenees. Today I had to limit my losses on guys like (Christophe) Moreau and (Iban) Mayo, the guys who are riding better than me right now."

Teammate Alberto Contador finished the stage in 8th, and is currently in 8th overall just over 3 minutes back. Contador gained some ground in the young rider classification and is currently sitting in second among young riders behind yesterday's stage winner Linus Gerdemann riding for the T-Mobile team.

T-Mobile had a much worse stage today as team leader and Tour contender Michael Rogers crashed and was forced to withdraw.

Always good in the mountains, but rarely a contender, Michael Rasmussen won the grueling stage. The Danish rider for team Rabobank took over the overall lead and will wear the maillot jaune in another mountain stage Tuesday after Monday's rest day.

Tour de France: Stage 7

Linus Gerdemann won stage 7 with an impressive ride through the mountains and took over both the yellow jersey for the overall lead and the white jersey for the lead in the young rider classification. The T-mobile rider built an overall lead of 1:24, but will lose the yellow jersey tomorrow as the riders who conserved their energy in the peleton today power through the mountains in a brutal stage 8. A great victory for the young German who will now be riding to support the T-Mobile leader Michael Rogers in his quest for a Tour win.

Discovery Channel Team kept their riders in contention as Levi Leipheimer, Yaroslav Popovych, Alberto Contador, and Vladimir Gusev all finished safely in the main peleton 3:38 behind the winner. Leipheimer, a perennial contender in the tour is now in 16th place just over 4 minutes back. George Hincapie struggled in the heat and finished 7:04 back. Gusev and Contador fell sightly in the youth rider classification, but both remain in the top 5, 3:51 and 4:01 back respectively.

Team Astana riders, Andreas Kloden and Alexandre Vinokourov, who were both involved in a serious accident in Stage 5, stayed in the race. There were concerns they might have to withdraw, but they look to be recovering just fine. After taking it easy at the back of the peleton yesterday and nursing their injuries, they both stayed in the main pack without too much trouble. Vinokourov is a serious contender for the tour win, and will only get better as he recovers from the wreck. Watch to see if he can stay in contention through tomorrows difficult ride.

The top 20 currently looks like this:

1. GERDEMANN Linus T-MOBILE TEAM
2. LANDALUZE Inigo EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI + 00:01:24
3. DE LA FUENTE David SAUNIER DUVAL - PRODIR + 00:02:45
4. LEFEVRE Laurent BOUYGUES TELECOM + 00:02:55
5. SOLER HERNANDEZ Juan Mauricio BARLOWORLD + 00:03:05
6. KLÖDEN Andréas ASTANA + 00:03:39
7. GUSEV Vladimir DISCOVERY CHANNEL TEAM + 00:03:51
8. KARPETS Vladimir CAISSE D’EPARGNE + 00:03:52
9. ASTARLOZA Mikel EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI + 00:03:55
10. DEKKER Thomas RABOBANK + 00:03:57
11. CONTADOR Alberto DISCOVERY CHANNEL TEAM + 00:04:01
12. KASHECHKIN Andrey ASTANA + 00:04:01
13. EVANS Cadel PREDICTOR - LOTTO + 00:04:02
14. ROGERS Michael T-MOBILE TEAM + 00:04:03
15. PEREIRO SIO Oscar CAISSE D’EPARGNE + 00:04:03
16. LEIPHEIMER Levi DISCOVERY CHANNEL TEAM + 00:04:06
17. MENCHOV Denis RABOBANK + 00:04:06
18. VALVERDE Alejandro CAISSE D’EPARGNE + 00:04:09
19. POPOVYCH Yaroslav DISCOVERY CHANNEL TEAM + 00:04:14
20. KIRCHEN Kim T-MOBILE TEAM + 00:04:14

The Best Fight Scene Ever!

An absolutely unbelievable fight scene from the 1994 movie 'Undefeated.' Words can't even begin to describe this thing. If you didn't know differently, you think this came from a cheesy 80's Van Damme movie.

Best Athletes by Jersey Numbers

Sports Illustrated has released a list of the Best Athletes by Number. Pittsburgh teams had a pretty good showing with 8 top finishes (Roberte Clemente, Barry Bonds*, Rod Woodson, Mel Blount, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr), 12 runner-ups, and 12 'Worthy of considerations'. Every Pittsburgh title team since 1960 is represented by at least one player.

#0 Runner up: Al Oliver - Pittsburgh Pirates (1968-77), 1 World Series title (1971)
#12 Runner-up: Terry Bradshaw - Pittsburgh Steelers (1970-83), 4 Super Bowl titles (1974, '75, '78, '79)
#16 Worthy of consideration: Len Dawson - Pittsburgh Steelers (1957-59)
#21: Roberto Clemente - Pittsburgh Pirates (1955-72), 2 World Series titles (1960, '71)
#22 Worthy of consideration: Bobby Layne - Pittsburgh Steelers (1958-62)
#24 Worthy of consideration: Kirk Gibson - Pittsburgh Pirates (1992)
#25: Barry Bonds* - Pittsburgh Pirates (1986-92)
#26: Rod Woodson - Pittsburgh Steelers (1987-96)
#28 Worthy of consideration: Bert Blyleven - Pittsburgh Pirates (1978-80), 1 World Series title (1979)
#32 Worthy of consideration: Franco Harris - Pittsburgh Steelers (1972-83), 4 Super Bowl titles (1974, '75, '78, '79)
#36 Runner-up: Jerome Bettis - Pittsburgh Steelers (1996-2005), 1 Super Bowl title (2005)
#37 Runner-up: Casey Stengel - Pittsburgh Pirates (1918-19)
#39 Worthy of consideration: Dave Parker - Pittsburgh Pirates (1973-83), 1 World Series title (1979)
#47: Mel Blount - Pittsburgh Steelers (1970-83), 4 Super Bowl titles (1974, '75, '78, '79)
#48 Runner-up: Sam McDowell - Pittsburgh Pirates (1975)
#52 Runner-up: Mike Webster - Pittsburgh Steelers (1974-88), 4 Super Bowl titles (1974, '75, '78, '79)
#54 Runner-up: Rich Gossage - Pittsburgh Pirates (1977)
#58: Jack Lambert - Pittsburgh Steelers (1974-84), 4 Super Bowl titles (1974, '75, '78, '79)
#59: Jack Ham - Pittsburgh Steelers (1971-82), 4 Super Bowl titles (1974, '75, '78, '79)
#63 Worthy of consideration: Dermontti Dawson - Pittsburgh Steelers (1988-2000)
#66: Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins (1984-94, 1995-97, 2000-06), 2 Stanley Cup titles (1990-91, 1991-92)
#68: Jaromir Jagr - Pittsburgh Penguins (1990-2001), 2 Stanley Cup titles (1990-91, 1991-92)
#68 Runner-up: L.C. Greenwood - Pittsburgh Steelers (1969-81), 4 Super Bowl titles (1974, '75, '78, '79)
#70 Worthy of consideration: Ernie Stautner - Pittsburgh Steelers (1950-63)
#75 Runner-up: Joe Greene - Pittsburgh Steelers (1969-81), 4 Super Bowl titles (1974, '75, '78, '79)
#76 Runner-up: Marion Motley - Pittsburgh Steelers (1955)
#82 Runner-up: John Stallworth - Pittsburgh Steelers (1974-87), 4 Super Bowl titles (1974, '75, '78, '79)
#86 Runner-up: Hines Ward - Pittsburgh Steelers (1998-present), 1 Super Bowl title (2005)
#87 Worthy of consideration: Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Penguins (2005-present)
#88 Worthy of consideration: Lynn Swann - Pittsburgh Steelers (1974-82), 4 Super Bowl titles (1974, '75, '78, '79)
#90 Worthy of consideration: George Webster - Pittsburgh Steelers (1972-73)
#91 Worthy of consideration: Kevin Greene - Pittsburgh Steelers (1993-1995)

* No, the asterisk for Barry Bonds isn't for his alleged steroid use. Bonds was elected the best player to wear #25, but he wore #24 while playing for the Pirates. When he left Pittsburgh for San Francisco in 1992, he switched to #25.

The Future is Now!

Who hasn't been in this situation? You're in the bathroom stall, ready to finish up, but goddammit if you're not too tired to pull out the toilet paper on your own. Until now you only had two choices: You could say the hell with it and pull up your pants dirty, or drop your ass into the bowl for a little wet clean up(make sure and flush first). But now, thanks to the geniuses over at Kimberly-Clark, you've got a third option; just wave your hand in front of their new automatic toilet paper dispenser, summon the strength to tear the the 5 sheets of tissue off and wipe away(focus groups determined that 5 sheets was the optimum amount).

That's right, we now have automatic toilet paper dispensers. I guess now scientists are going to have to waste their time working on frivolous tasks like curing cancer.

News Updates

Blazers will buy out the contract of recently acquired guard Steve Francis for $30 million. This is much higher than the $20 million price tag that had been flying around since the Blazers received Francis in a draft-day trade with the Knicks. The $30 million accounts for almost all of the $33.6 million that he was due under his contract. Francis is on the waiver wire as of 12:01 AM this morning, which could allow another team to claim him for his current contract. Otherwise, he will become an unrestricted free agent in 7 days.

The Penguins have signed team captain and NHL MVP Sidney Crosby to a 5-year $43.5 million extension.

After reports last night that MLB Commissioner Bud Selig would be in attendance for Barry Bonds record setting home run, Selig reported that he had made no decision as of yet. "All of this will have to be played by ear," Selig said. "I do have a day job." Ummmm, your day job is the commissioner of Major League Baseball. This will be one of the most historic moments in baseball history, for many reasons. Isn't THIS your day job?

Norwegian Thor Hushovd won Wednesday's Stage 4 of the Tour de France. Hushovd got his fifth Tour de France stage victory by beating South African Robert Hunter by less than a single bike length. Discovery Team riders Levi Leipheimer, George Hincapie, Vladimir Gusev, and Alberto Contador all finished in the main peloton with the same time as the leaders.

...and They're Off!!

Let the accusations begin. The 94th Tour de France began today with the 7.9km prologue in London(yes, the Tour de France started in England this year) with Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara, riding for Team CSC winning this years first yellow jersey. Americans George Hincapie(Discovery Channel Team) finished third.

In this years race, here at the Copperhouse, we'll be rooting for fellow Montana native Levi Leipheimer from the town of Butte where our namesake, the actual Copperhouse still stands at the corner of West Copper St and North Henry Ave. Leipheimer finished the the prologue in 26th place. Leipheimer, also riding for the Discovery Channel Team has finished in the top ten 3 times in the Tour de France, and last year finished 13th. He comes into this years race after already winning the Tour de California earlier this year. To track results and stories, check out the Tour website

The story of the race the last 8 years has been the 7 straight wins by American Lance Armstrong followed by the contested win last year by fellow American Floyd Landis. During this time, as with most other professional sports, the Tour has been desperately trying to control the growing performance-enhancing drug use.

Landis became involved in a heavily debated drug scandal last year after he tested positive for synthetic testosterone following an amazing ride on the 17th stage that put him in the yellow jersey for good. Landis' case is currently in arbitration. Lance Armstrong was also often accused of drug use during his reign as champ, but despite their best efforts, the French were unable to falsely prove anything against him. Both Armstrong and Landis have fiercely defended their innocence.

The French anti-doping lab at Chatenay-Malabry handles the drug testing during the Tour and is the source of much of the controversy surrounding the American riders. The lab has mishandled and mislabeled drug tests. They have also leaked names and test sample information(including Landis' tests last year) to the notoriously anti-American sporting newspaper "l'Equipe." This is even more scandalous when you consider that as part of the drug testing process the Chatenay-Malabry lab is not supposed to have access to what samples belong to what riders. The lab is so embroiled in scandal and apparently inept at what it does, that during this years French Open tennis tournament, drug samples were sent to a lab in Montreal, Canada for testing rather than being tested in France.

The French paper l'Equipe has gone after Lance Armstrong several times as well, even printing allegations that Armstrong's urine samples from 1999 had later tested positive for the drug EPO. The International Cycling Union investigated the claim and accused the rporters of underhanded methods and said there was no case.

McClatchy Steps Down

It was a difficult decision, but in the end I felt the time was right to step down as the day-to-day leader so the organization can move forward with a fresh perspective.

Pittsburgh Pirates CEO Kevin McClatchy announced today he is stepping down from the position at the end of the season after 11 years.

The Reign is Over!!

On America's 231st birthday, American Joey Chestnut brought the title of Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Champion back to American soil for the first since 1999 when Steve Keiner took the title. Since then, the Japanese have reigned supreme over the "sport" with Takeru Kobayashi dominating the sport by winning the last 6 contests while setting 4 world records. This year, after a supposed jaw injury in the weeks leading up to the event, Kobayashi ate 63 hot dogs and buns(HDB's) in 12 minutes, beating his previous best by nearly 10 HDB's and also beating Joey Chestnut's recent world record of 59.5 by almost 4 HDB's. It was not enough to beat Joey Chestnut though, who pushed his world record mark even higher with an astounding 66 HDB's.

American female eating extraordinaire, Sonya Thomas, placed 5th while beating her own female world record by stuffing 39 HDB's into her petite, 105 lb body.

Hank Aaron Juiced?!?!

This may just be getting out of hand. Protrade, an online sports equipment journal, has suggested that perhaps Hammerin' Hank Aaron, the current MLB home run record holder, may have used performance enhancing drugs during his career. As you know, Barry Bonds is expected to break Hank Aaron's home run record sometime this summer(he is currently at number 750), much to the dismay of MLB and baseball purists everywhere because of Bonds' suspected use of the drugs. Former MLB pitcher Tom House is quoted as saying that steroids, amphetamines, and HGH were rampant in baseball, even back in the 60's & 70's. In addition to the quotes by House, Protrade also does a statistical analysis of Hank Aaron's home run numbers during this time and found an impressive spike between the age of 36 and 40. A similar late career spike in home runs is one reason why Bonds has been so mercilessly pursued in relation to baseballs steroid scandal.

The San Francisco Chronicle, in a May 3rd 2005 article quoted former Major League pitcher Tom House of the Atlanta Braves as saying that steroids were rampant in the game in the late '60s and throughout the '70s.

House, perhaps best known for catching Hank Aaron's 715th home run ball in 1974 in the Atlanta Braves bullpen, said he and several teammates used amphetamines, human growth hormone and 'whatever steroid' they could find in order to keep up with the competition.

"I pretty much popped everything cold turkey', House said. "We were doing steroids they wouldn't give to horses. That was the '60s when nobody knew. The good thing is, we know now. There's a lot more research and understanding."

House, 58, estimated that six or seven pitchers per team were at least experimenting with steroids or human growth hormone. He said players talked about losing to opponents using more effective drugs,

"We didn't get beat, we got out-milligrammed", he said. "And when you found out what they were taking, you started taking them".

According to Rep. Henry A. Waxman in his March 17,2005 opening statement before the House Government Reform Committee:

"Congress first investigated drugs and professional sports, including steroids over 30 years ago. I think perhaps the only two people in the room who will remember this are me and Commissioner Selig, because I believe he became owner in 1970".

In 1973, the year I first ran for Congress, the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce concluded a year-long investigation that found--and I quote--"drug use exists...in all sports and levels of competition...In some instances, the danger of improper drug use--primarily amphetamines and anabolic steroids--can only be described as alarming". Bowie Kuhn, and the powers that be at the time, quietly squashed the entire tawdry episode and with good reason: it would cast suspicions on an African-American slugger who was challenging one of baseball's most cherished records: The career record for home runs.

Compare Hank Aaron's stats at the beginning of his career and then notice how his HR% began to increase beginning when Hammerin' Hank was 37 years old.

HR% is defined as being the number of HRs per 100 ABs.

Age HRs HR%
33 44 7.3
34 39 6.5
35 29 4.8

Nothing unusual about these statistics; it is a typical profile of a slugger in decline as he ages. But then Hank began to undergo an 'enhancement.'

Age HRs HR%
36 44 8.0
37 38 7.4

What explains this spike at a latter age? Expansion? Perhaps. But then what happens?

Age HRs HR%
38 47 9.5
39 34 7.6

Hank...What's going on buddy? Aaron's HR% were TOPS in the NL in both 1971 and 1972. Hmm.

Age HRs HR%
40 40 10.2

Which leads us to 1973 when at age 40 in just 392 at bats, juiced 40 HR's for a HR% of 10.2. Once again TOPS in NL for the THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR and the HIGHEST HR% in the ENTIRE 23 year career of Hank Aaron.

Hank Aaron at 40 was not the only Atlanta Brave to hit 40 Hrs that season. Teammates Darrell Evans and Davey Johnson blasted 41 and 43 HRs respectively.
Darrell Evans

Year HRs HR%
1971 12 4.6
1972 19 4.5
1973 41 6.9
1974 25 4.4
1975 22 2.8

Notice a statistical anomaly? Let's see what Davey Johnson did.
Davey Johnson

Year HRs HR%
1971 18 3.5
1972 5 1.3
1973 43 7.7
1974 15 3.3
1975 Played 1 game
1976 Did not play MLB

Notice a statistical anomaly? It would be one thing for Hank Aaron to undergo an 'enhancement', but what are the odds that not one but TWO teammates would both have career years in HR's and HR% in the SAME YEAR as when a Congressional Committee issued its final report saying that anabolic steroids were rampant in the game? Why did Darrell Evans and Davey Johnson both experience career spikes in HR's only to return to earth the following year? And how did Hank finish up?

Age HRs HR%
41 20 5.9
42 12 2.6
43 10 3.7

So what happened? Enquiring minds want to know.

The 1996 Baltimore Orioles set at the time the team HR record for one season. Brady Anderson's 50 HR season was viewed suspiciously.

The manager of the 1996 Baltimore Orioles? Davey Johnson.

The only question remains: What did Bud Selig know and when did he know it?

Fay Vincent circulated a draft steroids policy in 1991. Selig knew that if the scab of steroids was picked off, the puss of the 1973 Atlanta Braves would be oozing all over the game. The scandal of Hank Aaron's HR record being tainted by steroids use would have been a PR disaster at the time and. personally, extremely painful to Bud Selig who, after all, is a long-time friend of Hank Aaron.

Hence the boardroom coup which ousted Fay Vincent and made Bud Selig 'Acting Commissioner', while still maintaining his position as the owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, a blatant conflict of interest.

So long as Bud Selig remains in charge of Major League Baseball, the American public will never get to the bottom of the steroids scandal which has sullied the game. He has too much of a personal vested interest in Hank Aaron.

Besides, after this season, Barry Lamar Bonds will BE the HR KING.

Perhaps even more alarming is the statement by Rep. Henry A. Waxman in 2005 that Congress investigated the link between professional sports and drugs in 1973 and the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce found "drug use exists...in all sports and levels of competition...In some instances, the danger of improper drug use--primarily amphetamines and anabolic steroids--can only be described as alarming." This is especially interesting since Bud Selig became an owner in 1970(and acting commissioner in 1992), yet continued to ignore the drug problem in the league until just a few years ago. According to Protrade, former Commissioner Fay Vincent was apparently aware of the growing steroids problem as he actually proposed a steroids policy in 1991. After becoming commissioner, Selig claimed ignorance through much of the 1990's before finally giving into pressure from the media and public and implemented a drug testing policy in 2002. Even by conservative estimates, the drug problem in baseball was out of hand at least 5 years prior to this, but if the reports are true, Selig waited nearly 30 years from the time he likely became aware of the growing problem of performance enhancing drugs in baseball and other sports.

We'll have to see what, if anything comes out of this. I'm certainly not going to assume everything in this report is true just because I read it on the interwebs, but it is an interesting story nontheless.

Man Up and Walk Out You Pansies!

Irate Pittsburgh Pirate fans staged a pregame rally on Saturday before their game against the Washington Nationals. In an attempt to show principal owner Bob Nutting their displeasure in the teams unwillingness to make the economic sacrifices needed to field a successfull baseball team. The disgruntled fans urged spectators to walk out following the 3rd inning and wear green as a sign of the owners greed. They were unable to garner much support though, as only a few thousand of the more than 26,000 fans walked out, with many of the protestors being booed as they left. The demonstration was likely hurt by the rare Pirate offensive rally in the second inning that left the Bucs leading 6-1 by the time the arranged walkout rolled around.

Pittsburgh baseball fans may be the most lackadaisical fans in the majors. Even during the midst of their last quality days in the early 1990's, they seemed to just not care. My uncle and Pittsburgh native disgustedly tells stories from the 1991 NLCS when he was able to go the Three Rivers Stadium an hour before a deciding Game 7 and purchase tickets at the window. This was for a game that could send the Pirates to their first World Series since 1979, and Pittsburgh couldn't even field a sellout crowd!

I'm not sure what it would take to get this town upset about the ownership. The Pirates are ranked 27th out of 30 teams in total payroll, and are one of only 4 teams with a payroll under $50 million. They haven't had a playoff appearance or even a winning record since 1992. Their hot start at the beginning of this season marked the first time they'd had a record above .500 since 1992 as well. The MLB revenue sharing agreement that was ratified in 2002 has led to more available money for the Pirates, yet their payroll is nearly $20 million lower than it was in 2001, even though MLB requires that all revenue sharing income be spent to "improve performance on the field". Since 2001, when Pirate ownership convinced Pittsburgh to build a $216 million PUBLICLY FINANCED stadium, the Pirates haven't finished higher than 4th in the NL Central division.

A 2005 article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette found that the team is profitable, but it is unclear where those profits are going since ball clubs are not required by MLB to publicly disclose finances. The article also noted that ball clubs in similar markets were increasing payrolls. In 2005, the Milwaukee Brewers were also in a 12 year stretch of losing seasons, but had been increasing their payroll from a lowly $27.5 million in 2001, to just over $40 million in 2005, and, after opening their finances up to public audit have since increased it to more than $70 million this year. The results are clear, as the 2007 Brewers have the best record in the NL and are currently 14 games above .500 and 7.5 games in front of the Cubs for 1st place in the NL Central. Meanwhile the Pirates, with a payroll of $38.6 million(just over half of the Brewer's), are 10 games under .500 and 12 games behind the Brewers.

It's long overdue for the Pirate ownership to take responsibility for the quality of their baseball team. They have consistently refused to pay quality players, instead opting for a strategy of trading the good players. As long as Pittsburgh sits back and doesn't question the way they are running this once great team into the ground by allowing 14 consecutive losing seasons(and counting), they will not improve. So next time you have the opportunity, man up and walk out for an inning. You don't even have to leave the game, but do everything you can to tell Bob Nutting that you don't like watching a team lose year after year after year. Especially when they're doing it in a stadium built with 216 million of your hard earned dollars.