A-Rod's Press Conference - Alex Rodriguez on Steroid Abuse

Thank God A-Rod did not get acting tips from Madonna. That would have made yesterday's press conference even more amusing. Alex Rodriguez decided it was time to respond to the Sports Illustrated article which stated that he tested positive for steroids in 2003. This was only after his attempts to discredit SI writer Selena Roberts, by claiming that she was a stalker and a liar, backfired.

I enjoyed watching A-Rod at work. He was coached well by his PR team. If I took a shot for every time he said "young", "stupid", "24 or 25", or "sorry", I'd need to go to that special place where Amy Winehouse desperately needs to be - Rehab not St. Lucia.

A-Rod provided us with some great quotables, and instances where you really had to wonder if he thought you were that gullible. Here are a few examples:

"I knew we weren't taking Tic Tacs"

"I'm here to take my medicine" (Bad time for that analogy!)

"I didn’t think they were steroids. That’s again the part of being young and stupid. It was over the counter, it was pretty basic. And you know, it was really amateur hour." (Over the what? Really Alex?!! LOL. )

"You know, I’m not sure what the benefit was. I will say this: when you take any substance, or anything, especially in baseball, it’s half mental, and half physical. If you take this glass of water and you say I’m gonna be a better baseball if you believe it, you probably will be. So I certainly felt more energy, but it’s hard to say. It’s hard to say." (C'mon Alex. You knew what the benefits were )

"We went outside team doctors, team trainers. It was two guys doing a very amateur and very immature thing. We probably didn’t even take it right; like I said in my statement, we used to do it about two times a month. I don’t even know if that’s proper. (You let your cousin inject you with a foreign substance you knew nothing about? Give us some credit, Alex! You're handsome, but not that handsome! We are actually listening to what you are saying, not just being mesmerized by your looks!)

The best part of the conference for me was that 1 minute pause, where Alex got so choked up thanking his team for their support. We had several seconds of silence as Alex bit his lip, looked away, and tried not to cry. As you admired his tan, you also wanted to comfort him. It was that believable! A-Rod could teach Madonna a thing or two about an Oscar winning performance.

Overall, A-Rod played a good game. Even as he stretched the truth, he did it in such a way that we did not feel like complete morons, although we would have to be to accept some of what he was spinning. His team took a week to rehearse, and A-Rod recited his lines well, and was able to appear credible most of the time. Nice work.

Michael Phelps Bonged it Up

He lost the Kellogg's endorsement deal.

Subway was next, allegedly, but the sandwich giant decided to keep him.

Poor Michael Phelps. The bong is indeed powerful.

Ever since his awe-inspiring Olympic victory in Beijing, all the 23-year old Phelps has done -if you rely on press stories - is party it up and hang out with a series of beautiful, pneumatic women. Who could blame him? After training non-stop for years, having no life but swimming, it was time to relax, grow a beer belly and enjoy the female attention.

But Phelps got careless. He forgot how special he was, how much of a celebrity, and unfortunately how to hide before that incriminating photo gets taken. Phelps probably trusted the people he was with, or more likely they were all too high to care - and now Phelps suffers the consequences.

After pics of Phelps and the bong emerged, I wondered to a friend what the repercussions would be. I suggested that if Phelps worked with his PR team to give a good public apology and if he were then pictured swimming vs.partying, sponsors would stay with him. I felt people would forgive bong-gate, if the offender acted sorry enough.

Then Kellogg's dropped Phelps, and I ate some humble pie. He was suspended from competition and financial support for 3 months by USA Swimming, the sports national governing body. Subway was rumoured to be the next sponsor to leave, and although I was sorry for Phelps, I was pleasantly surprised by a world that still taught that good judgement is best and even a simple lapse can have significant consequences. It can be a scary lesson, but shows us the importance of pondering our pathway and that sometimes "sorry" just isn't enough.

You'll be alright, Phelps. Party is over. Back to swimming and the discipline that provides.

And I am Back...and Going for the Duo

I committed.

It's been a year overdue.

But, Keri Smith has signed up for her first duathlon event - scheduled for Oct. 2008. 3.1 Mile run followed by a 14 Mile Bike ride and ending with a 3.1 Mile run.

I have a date. I have a location. I am registered. I am meeting with a coach next week.

It's on.

I am SO OUT OF MY MIND WITH EXCITEMENT!!

Let's do this thing!

Inspired by Lindsey Vonn - Skier Extraordinaire & History Maker

Lindsey Vonn (nee Kildow), 23, has made history. She is the only American woman in 12 years to receive a World Cup crystal globe when she won the downhill title on Friday in Whistler, British Columbia. Lindsey shared that "this has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. I feel like my childhood dreams are coming true and you can't get any better than that. That's a big check off on my lifetime goals."

Lindsey has an interesting story. She was inspired in grade school by Olympic great - Picabo Street. Picabo was Vonn's idol and Vonn recounts about their first meeting years ago that "meeting her, it was pretty much all over for me. I wanted to be just like her." Street recalls telling Lindsey, "Don't hunch over. Stand up straight. Stand tall. Be proud." At that time, Picabo was in her early 20s, an extremely talented skier and an emerging Olympic star.

Time has shown the truth of Lindsey's words. Two weeks ago, she won the 9th World Cup downhill race of her career in Sestriere, Italy, tying her with Picabo Street and Daron Rahlves for the most in U.S. history. Fast forward to Friday, February 22 and Lindsey has entered the history books again as the first American woman to claim the downhill title since Picabo Street in 1996.

Lindsey has impressed many around her. Her mother, Linda Krohn, says about Lindsey, "when she was 8 years old, she wrote something for school and she said, 'I want to win more medals than anyone ever did. She's always been that way. Really nothing she does surprises me." Her husband, ex-racer Thomas Vonn, says that "she's been a really good skier for a long time, and now she's learning how to dot the I's and cross the T's. She's getting better and smarter ever year." Thomas travels with Lindsey as an unofficial coach and equipment technician. Others are equally bullish about Lindsey. Patrick Riml, U.S. Head women's coach, says that Vonn "is very determined. She wants to be No.1 in the world, and whatever she can do to make that happen, she will."

Growing up, Vonn received a lot of support from her parents. They saw that she was a talented skier and moved the family from Minneapolis to Colorado, in order to give Lindsey access to more challenging downhill courses - 3,450 ft vertical drops vs. 310 feet available in Minneapolis.

Vonn's career has been filled with many inspiring moments. One such episode culminated in her winning the individual U.S. Olympic Spirit Award in the 2006 Torino Olympics. It all started when Vonn crashed during a downhill training run and had to be taken by helicopter to a hospital. She was uninjured, i.e. nothing broken, but was in extreme pain. While in the hospital, Lindsey was visited by Picabo Street and was told bluntly by Picabo that "a real champion would get up and race." Days later, Vonn heeded the tough love and raced, finishing 8th in the downhill. Working through her obvious pain, Vonn ended up finishing 7th in super-G and 14th in slalom. Lindsey didn't win a medal, but inspired many with her courage and determination and went home with the U.S. Olympic Spirit Award.

Lindsey - you are impressive and inspiring. Thank you for your great example. Stay strong. Cheers to the extraordinary!

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2008-02-20-vonn-1c-cover_N.htm

Rich Hill Quoteables

"M.A.G.I.C Today - Make a Greater Individual Commitment Today"

"We rise to great heights by a winding staircase."

"Rankings are so the experts can validate what you've done in the past. They help you attract recruits, but they don't help you play better, and that's what we're after."

"They have one responsibility: Be great today. We demand maximum effort on the field, in the classroom and in regards to character."

Rich Hill is the unorthodox college baseball at the University of San Diego. Rich, 45, has dramatically improved the Toreros - moving them from never winning a conference championship to a national power player, recently ranked as the #9 team in the USA TODAY/ESPN Baseball Coaches Poll.

For more on Rich Hill see:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/baseball/2008-02-20-sandiego_N.htm
http://www.sportsmediainc.net/usdtoreros/index.cfm?func=showarticle&newsid=1429

Mum, when I grow up I want to run around naked

Mark Roberts is one of the world's most famous serial streakers. He has streaked at the FA Cup Final. Streaked at a Mr. Universe Contest and a Miss Word contest. Streaked at the bull run in Pamplona. Streaked at the Royal Ascot. Streaked at Wimbledon. Even streaked at the Super Bowl where Janet Jackson had her infamous wardrobe malfunction. Mark has streaked his way into stardom, sharing what his 'mama gave him' over 300 times to International audiences.

Mark's passion is to bring laugher to the world. "I don't have much going for me down there, so when I run out on the field, people think I'm a woman with small breasts," Roberts said. "But I'm not even conscious of it. We are what we are. I just want to make people laugh."

So, how does one end up becoming a full-time serial streaker? Mark started in 1993 as part of a drunken bet. After seeing a female streaker at a rugby match in Hong Kong, Mark told his friends that anyone could streak. They dared him, and in a drunken stupor he agreed and streaked twice. And he continued to build dramatically from that point on. Mark's mother says that he "was a normal kid but all of the sudden got a little crazy. I think I must have dropped him on his head or something."

Mark's "job" is not without its risks. He has had to pay fines and court costs. "It's the only job where I have to pay to go to work," Roberts said. "But every time you plan on doing something like this, you're going to get caught." In addition, Mark is banned from attending any soccer game in England and Wales. He needs to surrender his passport and important documents before football games and his passport forbids him from ever entering Hong Kong.

Mark is still motivated by having a laugh and so retirement may not come for some time. In the interim, Mark is enjoying his popularity and is able to support himself based on corporate donations and funds from his friends.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Roberts

http://www.thestreaker.org.uk/main.htm

http://espn.go.com/page2/s/drehs/030306.html

Congratulations to the NY Giants!!!!

The NY Giants are out of this world. Warm congratulations to the team on their stunning defeat of the Patriots 17-14 in tonight's Super Bowl.

NY should declare tomorrow a public holiday...this is history in the making! Let's celebrate!

http://expalot.blogspot.com/2008/02/super-bowl-champs-new-york-giants.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/scoreboards/2008/02/03/2873_viewcast_recap.html?cnn=yes

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02032008/sports/giants/giants_win_617333.htm

Congrats to the NY Giants!

Congratulations to the NY Giants on their historic win!

The NY Giants beat the Packers in a 23-20 overtime victory on an extremely cold, Sunday night at Lambeau Field. The Giants are the 3rd team to move on to the Super Bowl by way of a wild card, winning three road playoff games to advance to the Superbowl.

The Giants are the clear underdogs as they gear up to play the unbeaten Patriots, who have an 18-0 record. However, this record has been marred ever since the team was caught videotaping the New York Jets' hand signals last September. Subsequent to that revelation, the NY Post has been using an asterisk after the "18-0*" to indicate that the Patriots' record is suspect. Other media outlets have followed suit.

Either way, we are bound to have a really exciting Super Bowl this year. Maybe the game will finally outshine the commercials. It's a toss up.

Who are you backing?

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/football/other_nfl/view.bg?articleid=1068242&srvc=rss

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Giants

http://www.giants.com/

Feeling it for Marion

What a sad period for such a legend. Marion Jones pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about using performance-enhancing drugs. I can only imagine how hard this is for Marion, her family and her many, many fans. Marion is retiring from her career because of her dishonesty and may have to give up her 3 Olympic gold medals.

Marion, this too shall pass. Thank you for being honest. Stay strong.


http://www.nypost.com/seven/10062007/news/worldnews/roidrunners_tearful_exit.htm

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/05/jones.doping/index.html

Going for the "Duo" - Part 1

Since we last spoke (see Going for the "Duo" - Part 1/2), I have made good progress re: achieving my goal of completing a duathlon in 2007. Here's the latest update:

Target Date: Changed from Summer 2007 to Fall 2007 (It's too hot in the summer! Also, it's already summer and I need more time to train!). I still need to pick the actual event date

Equipment: Bought the bike, a Specialized Dolce Vita bike for women, which I love. This bicycle is good for triathlon events and can also be used as a road bike. I also purchased a matching helmet, tools to adjust the bike, a spare inner tube, a heart rate monitor and watch

Training: I signed up with Cadence, a center for cycling and multi-sport training, for a 3-month coaching package and was assigned a great coach, Dianna. We have had 3 challenging one-on-ones so far and I will be getting daily training routines this week

I feel great about my accomplishments to date. Stay tuned for Part 2!

Going for the "Duo" - Part 1/2

This is one of my better years in terms of following through on New Year's Resolutions. Started the blog - have been fairly regular with posts. Executed on move to NY. Now, I am pushing forward on another goal: complete a duathlon in 2007.

My cousin Karyn and I are joining forces to achieve this goal. We started at the triathlon level - but she loves running, I love biking and swimming, and so we compromised on a duathlon. We have a target date of Summer 2007, but need to finalize the exact timing and location(s). I am contemplating whether to do a bike/swim or bike/run. Karyn will do the bike/run.

I need to buy a bike! Who has pointers? I love cycling and buying a bike will be a great way for me to move this from ad hoc activity to practice.

I also need to start training! My commitment is to start on 4/23. Do you hear that, Karyn? I know you have been itching to start and you probably have already started :)

Wish us luck. This will be a pretty cool life milestone for me.