"Say It Ain't So, Lance; Say It Ain't So"

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  5 days ago

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When Shoeless Joe Jackson, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, was caught up in the 1919 Black Sox scandal, a young worshiper, according to legend, begged him, "Say it ain't so Joe."

In fact, Shoeless Joe was probably not all that involved in the scandal, but the words from the young man apply today to cycling legend Lance Armstrong.

"Say it ain't so, Lance; say it ain't so."

I would claim to be one of Armstrong's biggest fans, but I'm sure millions idolized him even more than I did.

His autobiography "It's Not About The Bike" was an inspiring tale of beating cancer and getting back on the bike.   I also lived his follow-up book "Every Second Counts".

When Lance was winning those seven Tour De France titles, many is the day that I would watch the day's race and then head out on my bike for extended trips from my home in south Manchester down through Litchfield, Londonderry, even into Nashua, Derry, and one time, I even found myself in Pelham.

I would pack the bike in the back of the car on trips to Montreal and bike to every corner of the island, eight or ten hour excursions at time.

Of course, I never went very fast, but I came to love the bike because I came to love Lance Armstrong.

How could he be guilty of doping?  Had he not passed scores of drug tests through the years?

"Say it ain't so Lance."

Until the last few weeks, I continued to cling to the idea that Lance Armstrong is innocent of these charges, but it's impossible to believe today.

Lance Armstrong is a hero for beating cancer and inspiring millions, but he's also a common cheater.

"Say it ain't so Lance."

But of course it is so.

But you know what?

As disillusioned as I am about Lance The Cheater Armstrong, I'm mad as hell about the sport and those who pursued him.  How many years has it been since he won the first Tour?  More than a dozen.  And it's been at least six or seven years since he won the last Tour.

Certainly there should be some statute of limitations when it comes to catching a cheater.  They didn't find anything for years and years, but they kept trying.

It just doesn't seem right.  Should dig up Babe Ruth's corpse and see if we can detect any foreign substances in his body?

Of course not.

Or Cy Young?

Of course not.  Or any of thousands of athletes who've turned in exemplary performances through the years?

Of course not.

Even though I now know that Lance Armstrong cheated (only a fool could deny it), I will always think of him as the winner of seven Tours, author of two great books (with ghost writers to be sure), an inspiration to millions, and the man who turned me on to biking after decades away from it.

I actually received somewhat of a reputation early in my political career not by walking door to door, but by biking door to door (I even had a bike stolen up in Ward 5 back in 1997!),

I don't ride as much as I once did.  Most of the time I walk door to door, but you know what....houses on Bodwell Road and Corning Road are spaced rather far apart.  In honor of Lance's glory days, I'm going to dig the bike out and use it as I go door to door this weekend.

"Say it ain't so Lance?"

But of course it is.

In the overall scheme of things, who to hell cares. 

We still love you Lance.

Comments

[C. dog]

"I'm shocked, shocked to find that performance drugging is going on in here!" Wonder how all Tour de France participants the past 4 decades would hold up under the hot white light of a lie detector test. Probably not quite as well as baseball players since about 1995.
– C. dog