Change is good
1. Doped up Ricco tried to flee dope testers. (Can you blame him?) (SI)
2. University of Utah improves testosterone dope testing. (Daily Utah Chronicle)
3. Arizona might not let you dope up your greyhounds. (KOLD)
4. On-going task of finding the golden witness in the Roger Clemens investigation. (NY Times)
5. Big stash of drugs uncovered in Bakersfield. (KERO 23)
6. Louisville man and wife indicted for steroid sales. (her unfortunate name: Krystal Knuckles) (WHAS)
Several weeks after many Texas newspapers decried high school steroids testing, Louisiana law enforcement uncovered a huge distribution ring including several high school athletes. (To the Daily Advertiser)
News of a St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Department bust of an alleged steroids ring that identified approximately 100 users - including several high school football players - caught area coaches by surprise Tuesday as they were preparing to head to Baton Rouge for the annual Louisiana High School Coaches' Association clinic.
"I'm floored," Opelousas High coach Mickey Autrey said. "I'm caught off guard. I think it's been suspected that some kids do it, but I think it was wishful thinking on our part that it wasn't happening in our schools.
"I hope it's not any of our kids. That could be devastating for any program."
Actually people should be surprised that coaches are surprised that cheating goes on. If there is an edge to be gained, legally or illegally, athletes are not isolated in grabbing any advantage, even -- gasp -- steroids.
Port Barre coach Mac Mistric was startled to hear about the investigation, but said it doesn't come as a big surprise.
"In this age, it's all about instant gratification," Mistric said. "For a lot of kids, it's about getting bigger, faster and stronger the easiest and quickest way. They want results now, and you don't see those kind of quick results by jogging three miles, or putting the time in the weight room.
"As far as wondering if anything like that is taking place (at our school), you never say never. I strongly stand against any of that stuff and every chance we get we warn the kids about the dangers."
Lafayette Parish athletic director James Simmons said investigations like this involving high school athletes will only grow until state-wide steroid testing is implemented in high schools.
"You know what, it doesn't surprise me," Simmons said. "I had an idea that it was going on, but I didn't know it was this widespread. Until we start drug-testing student-athletes for steroids, that's going to always be lingering out there.
"If the legislature really wants to do something good, do what Texas did, earmark some money and test these kids (for steroids)."
Ya'all listening Texas?
Westminster coach Tommy Badon has coached on the collegiate level as well as prep and said the temptation for kids to use steroids is very real.
"In this day and age with the accessibility, you can talk until you're blue in the face, but you'd have to have your head in the sand to not know if they want it, they'll get it," Badon said. "There's always the fear that your kids are trying to take shortcuts. This is a right-now generation. I was raised by a World War II dad, you had to earn everything.
"It's instant gratification, sometimes things aren't happening fast enough. And if someone comes up to you and offers you an opportunity to have those instant results, most kids will take it."
1. Marion Jones wants to be forgiven for her sins; asks President Bush for pardon. (AP)
2. Editorial says media only cares about character if someone like Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens is involved, but not themselves. (Red Orbit)
3. New book on Don Catin's sleuthing out of Aranesp in 2002: The Night Olympic Team. (Market Watch)
4. Inhaler helps triathlete breathe easier. (NY Times)
5. The Media figured out Katerina Thanou on Greek Olympic team (SI)
6. Despite the taint currently over track, Gay, Powell, and Bolt look to pour excitement into the Beijing 100M. (RTE Sport)
7. Ex-White Sox slugger Eric Soderholm, ex-Cubs catcher Randy Hundley and pitcher Bill Campbell spoke to a "History of Baseball" class at Harper College: say no asterisk for Barry Bonds's Hall of Fame baseabll. (Daily Harald)
8. Ukrainian boxer given the boot after doping violation. (Independent ie)
9. Tour de France leader Frank Schleck and his CSC team surprised by dope tested. (Dallas Star-Telegraph)
1. Heptathelete Kelly Sotherton says Lyudmila Blonska may be a doper, but she will still beat her. (The Independent)
2. Juiced cockfighting in Minnesota, you have got to be kidding. (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
3. Swim News says doping outlook is very grim: gene doping, designer steroids, and other unsavory things.
If the news isn't about Brett Farve it's about Dara Torres. Good review of her career. (Orange County Register)
2. South Africa remember a drug-riddled Marco Pantani, Ricardo Ricco's idol. (IOL)
3. Ricco remembers Floyd Landis; doubts the validity of the EPO test. (The Guardian)
4. The New York Times picks up on suspicions about Jamaican runners. (NY Times)
5. Missouri's swimmer Max Jaben could be in trouble with the NCAA because of positive drug test. (Swimming News)
A Spanish physician appears to be implicated in the Spain-gate Tour de France 2008 doping scandal. Dr. Jesus Losa was named by riders as a source of the juice -- likely EPO. Tour rider David Miller (pictured) may also have consulted with Losa for doping expertise. Losa was suspended in that episode. To Cycling News:
Two riders who have withdrawn from the Tour de France confessed to using EPO, the Spanish daily El Pais reported Saturday. The first, Moises Dueñas, a Spanish rider who was the second to test positive for EPO at the Tour de France, confessed to using the drugs after testing positive. After police uncovered doping products in his hotel room, Dueñas told investigators in Tarbes that he had purchased the products from a Spanish Doctor named Jesus Losa.
Losa, a former team doctor for Euskaltel-Euskadi, was quick to deny he had any involvement. "I have never given banned products to Moises Dueñas," Losa told El Pais. "In fact, I have worked with Dueñas, but only in matters of nutrition, diet and training. And indeed, I have received money from him, I do not know how much, but there are bills around."
Four years ago Losa was named by David Millar as providing him with EPO, but while he was suspended from Euskaltel-Euskadi after that revelation, Losa said he never was charged. "I was never called by a judge to testify as a witness or even less as a defendant," said Losa Saturday. "And if they call me to Tarbes I shall have no problem in going to testify."
The 4th Tour rider nailed with dope -- Leonardo Piepoli -- kneeled to confess today:
In the same article, El Pais reported that Italian Leonardo Piepoli, the winner of stage 10, confessed to his directeur sportif Joxean Fernandez Matxin to using EPO. After his team-mate Riccardo Riccò was taken away by police after testing positive for EPO, Piepoli reportedly said to Matxin, "I have done the same as Riccardo."
No positive doping control has been announced yet for Piepoli, but the team's manager, Mauro Gianetti, pulled the entire squad out of the race. Riccò was indicted on the same charges as Duenas in a court in Foix, but denied using EPO.
Italian cyclist Riccardo Ricco's claim of a high blood count not withstanding, became the third rider to test for dope at the 2008 Tour de France. Following reports of a high hematocrit last week (blood level) Ricco said the Tour knew he was naturally loaded with blood. Looks like he was unnaturally loaded with EPO too. The Tour de France is a race simply addicted to performance enhancing drugs.
Riccardo Ricco, the wearer of the polka dot jersey at the Tour de France, has tested positive for EPO, according to French sports newspaper L'Equipe.
The 24-year-old Italian, won two mountain stages in this year's Tour, at Super-Besse and Bagneres de Bigorre, and holds a 12-point lead in the King of the Mountains competition.
Ricco also came second in this year's Giro d'Italia, and is considered the next great climber in the sport.
Looks like the French police will be busy too:
The Italian rider, who has been detained by French police after being removed from the Saunier-Duval team bus, becomes the third rider to test positive for EPO at this year's Tour after Moises Duenas Nevado and Manuel Beltran.
The French anti-doping authority confirmed Ricco's positive test related to the fourth stage of the Tour, the Cholet time-trial.
"It's for the same product as the other two," Pierre Bordry, president of the French anti-doping agency, said in quotes reported on the BBC Sport website.
Ricco's team packed up the suitcases to head home after the positive test.
Ricco's Saunier-Duval team later announced their withdrawal from the race in the wake of his positive test.
The move will come a surprise to many after Beltran's Liquigas team and Duenas Nevado's Barloworld team continued despite the transgressions of their riders.
Ricco's team-mate Juan Jose Cobo told L'Equipe: "If this [Ricco's test] is confirmed, it is terrible news for the team."
Saunier-Duval's withdrawal will spell the end for the likes of Cobo and Leonardo Piepoli, who won the 10th stage from Pau to Hautacam.
1. Simon Vroemen tested positive on the B test too. Says D-bol doesn't benefit Steeplechase. (Dutch News)
2. Kentucky horse racing committee wants ban on steroids. (Kentucky.com)
3. Morgan Hamm's use of Triamcinolone acetonide, prescribed by his doctor will not bar him from Beijing in 2008. (AFP)
4. Vancouver to build new WADA doping lab. (Globe and Mail)
5. Judge delays decision on Chambers until Friday. (The Guardian)
Trevor Graham, the man with the dope plan, the man with the binge on a syringe, received a lifetime ban from track activities from the USTAF, the USADA, and the IAAF. Graham fits into the BALCO puzzle of drug cheats.
Graham, the once leader at Sprint Capital USA, not only led sprinters like Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery down the dope and steroid path, he mailed Victor Conte's syringe with THG (the clear) to the USADA as a tip-off (that sure didn't buy him mercy). Graham also testified at the BALCO grand jury, only not so truthfully; for his testimony he received a perjury conviction. Today's lifetime ban appears very harsh. (here the NY Times says a 2 year ban was considered for Graham in 2006)
Athletics coach Trevor Graham received a lifetime ban from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency Tuesday for his role in helping his athletes obtain performance-enhancing drugs.
Graham has been banned from participating in any event sanctioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee, the IAAF, USA Track and Field or any other group that participates in the World Anti-Doping Agency program.
He was convicted in May of one count of lying to U.S. government investigators about his relationship to an admitted steroids dealer. He's still awaiting sentencing and has asked a judge to toss out his conviction.
Graham already was banned from all USOC-sponsored facilities and had essentially become a pariah in his sport, connected with too many athletes involved in doping — including Marion Jones and former 100-meter world-record holders Justin Gatlin and Tim Montgomery.
The USADA lectured Graham on stiff penalties and deterrence. Why then are 3 ex-dopers on the USA Olympics team? Just asking.
"While drug use by athletes is a serious wrong to be addressed with stiff penalties, involvement in doping by a coach is even more reprehensible and must be dealt with through the most severe of all sanctions," USADA CEO Travis Tygart said in a statement. "It is truly disgraceful when a coach uses his position to assist athletes under his care in doping."
Graham was nailed with these offenses:
Most of the BALCO athletes moved on after the scandal, and many were found guilty of other legal offenses too, including the imprisoned Marion Jones.
Few of Graham's former athletes are still in athletics. Montgomery, who was banned for life, was sentenced in May to nearly four years in prison for his role in a New York-based check-kiting conspiracy and pleaded guilty July 3 to distributing heroin. Gatlin is serving a four-year doping ban, and Jones is serving a six-month prison sentence for lying to U.S. government investigators about a check-fraud scam and her doping.
The most notable survivor is Shawn Crawford, the defending Olympic 200-meter champion. Crawford will run the 200 in Beijing and now trains with Bob Kersee, who also coaches sprinter Allyson Felix.
Though Crawford wasn't ever involved in the doping scandal, his name came up because Graham was a key player.
One might question if marijuana (or THC) really can enhance performance. However, one group of athletes that should stay away from that substance would be archers. No want stoned archers shooting arrows in the air for fun.
Czech archer Milan Andreas tested positive for THC; he may be munching down snacks rather than aiming at bulls-eyes in Beijing. (NY Times)
HARSH BUZZ KILL Speaking of drugs, 19-year-old Czech archer Milan Andreas has tested positive for marijuana use, the CTK news agency reports, and may be dropped from that country’s Olympic team. The decision will be made on Wednesday.
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