I Want to Believe Floyd
I really wanted to believe that Tyler Hamilton did not use homogulous blood transfusions to win bike races. However, when the defense became that the cyclist had absorbed a twin in his mother’s womb, my skepticism dramatically increased. The fact that Hamilton has been further implicated in the recent Spanish doping scandal (for blood doping) only confirms that Tyler is not a chimera. It does, however, indicate that he may be part vampire.
After hearing about excuses such as cortizone shots, beer, whiskey and dehydration, I am anxious for Landis to either prove his innocence or admit guilt. The worst case scenario, in my mind, is that he is found guilty and continues to deny doping — not that he might not really be innocent (e.g., a frame job), but that it would be detrimental for our perception of both the trustworthiness of athletes and the reliability of laboratory testing.
And so Floyd Landis came out today firing on all cylinders, giving exlusive interviews to USAToday and ABC’s Good Morning America. Robin Roberts interviewed Landis, who spoke about his previous explanations, his changing defense strategy and the multiple media leaks.
“That is where I got into trouble from the beginning,” he told “Good Morning America.” “All of these reasons that have come up we need to forget about that and let the experts figure it out.”
“I was forced into that situation because of leaks and announcements by the UCI [Union Cycliste Internationale] themselves, against their own rules, by the way,” he said.”
On whether or not he took steroids, Floyd told USAToday:
“I put in more than 20,000 kilometers of training for the Tour. I won the Tour of California, Paris-Nice and the Tour de Georgia. I was tested eight times at the Tour (de France); four times before that stage and three times after, including three blood tests. Only one came back positive.
“Nobody in their right mind would take testosterone just once; it doesn’t work that way.”
Amber Landis, the wife of the embattled Tour champion, joined her husband on ABC.
“It has been such a roller coaster,” she said. “During the tour the last week, he had his bad day, we thought that was a low-point. Then he won and you couldn’t get any higher than that. Then this came, and I don’t think you can get any lower than this. It’s very difficult.”
Landis was raised in a Mennonite community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, not too far from where I grew up. Floyd had this to say to Roberts about his mom.
“She’s the one that no matter what happens, to me or to anyone else in life, she will remain unchanged,” he said. “When she spoke to me, she said ‘Look, tell me the truth, doesn’t matter to me what it is, I’ll see you the same regardless.’ And I think if you saw any of her interviews on television she believes.”
Floyd, I am not your mom, but I want to believe, too. You have my support for now. However, if you claim to have high levels of testosterone because you are part satyr, then only Tyler “Chimera” Hamilton will trust you again.
I am glad you think that it was good not to invite them in. that and I couldn’t have because my mom would have spanked me all the way from GA for letting two strange men into my apt:). have you ever read the book of mormon? I was thinking about reading it just to have a better arguing stance. what do you think?
Floyd Landis was a Mennonite, not a Mormon. The last thing a Mennonite would do is come knocking at your door!
Just kidding…I know what you’re talking about. Not the post above, but rather the post on your blog about the Mormons that came to your door. For the benefit of the audience, and since it would not work to link to your Xanga post (only Xangaians on your subscription list could access it), I’ll reiterate the situation at a high level.
So basically these two sweaty Mormon guys come knocking at Joanna’s door and give her a bunch of literature and ask if they can talk with her. Joanna, not about to be swayed from her true religion, politely, but matter of factly, denies them entrance and wishes them a good day. The question on the blog was basically whether or not she did the right thing and perhaps passed up a missions opportunity.
I think it was perfectly acceptable for Joanna not to invite them in, because the reality is that those guys are highly trained and are not really interested in real dialogue (at least the way you and I see it) and are just there to proselytize. That said, I do not think it would be foolhardy for a Christian to invite a Mormon into his home, providing that he felt secure in his own knowledge of the faith, as well as where they (Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc.) were coming from.
As for Joanna’s question about whether or not she should read the Book of Mormon, I think it would be better to pick up any number of easy to read booklets that outline the history of Mormonism, what they believe, what’s contained in their book, etc. I do not think it would be worth taking the time and effort to read and understand the Book of Mormon, unless you were going to be a full time missionary to Mormons.
Okay, here’s an interesting theory that one of my coworkers presented today…
Hey Scott, I like this theory!
I’ve never thought of that.
But your coworker surely knows that there is almost no professional athlete who doesn’t take testosterone and use steroids. It’s just a matter of dosage and timing…