Rich Men Want to be King

If you’ve been reading this blog since this summer, you’ve read my roller-coaster relationship with Floyd Landis. If not, here’s a summary:

July: Holy Shit! Go Floyd Go!
August: Anger. Remorse
September: Saddness
October: But wait . . . Hmmm.
November: Bring the system down!!! (I haven’t shifted from this. Test? Yes. Get rid of cheaters? Yes. Are we doing it the right way? No.)

Now, here in December, I’ve had quite a bit of time to digest the whole thing. I would go back and forth between did he, didn’t he? Would he, wouldn’t he? Why? Why? Why? If you don’t care, skip to the end and check out the music mix I’ve made.

I’ve decided that, after nearly half a year of this, it’s time to take a definitive stance. After reviewing the evidence, the constant PR battle, and posturing from Floyd to the lab, to the aptly named Dick Pound to seemingly brain-dead Australian teens, I’ve decided on my stance.

Using the basic legal tenet of “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” I have decided that I’m in the Free Floyd camp. I have decided that I support Floyd 100% in his battle to clear his name. I have more than reasonable doubt. If this were a criminal case, it would have been thrown out. But it's not. It seems more like Woody Allen's Bananas.

Am I naive? Probably. However, if you follow the story, maybe not so much. There’s a lot more going on than A and B samples here. For example, if you lined up the WADA labs and looked at their criteria for a positive test for Testosterone levels, they would all agree right? Regardless of where Floyd was tested, he would have been drummed out of the sport no matter what, right?

Not so much. But I won’t go into that. Instead I’ll send you to the sources:

Trust But Verify
LandisCase Wiki
LA Times Series of articles on WADA/USADA. Pt. 1, Pt. 2 (troubling stuff here)

From those sources, you will be able to find everything you need to know about Floyd’s case. The good, the bad, the ugly. If you follow through you’ll find yourself going through the same stages I have gone through and you may realize Floyd has gotten the shaft. Take the time and inform yourself between what you've read on SI.com and saw on Bryant Gumbel. There's a lot going on here.

Will he be found innocent? No. There’s not a chance in hell. Gandhi would have been found guilty for eating on a hunger strike in this system. Even if they could prove he hadn’t eaten, the arbitrators would have ruled him “Hungry, but still suspended.” But I like an underdog.

So, since I’m an official Floydinista now, I’ve made a Floyd Landis musical mix on RadioSFT*. On it you will hear songs meant to spur Floyd on in battle. He’s on a suicide mission and so the songs are all about that. Angry, worried, and defiant. It begins with the song Floyd sang to himself on the disputed stage to Morzine and ends with a rallying cry.

And yes, copies are available on request to select individuals. (Hey, it’s the holidays. I can’t spend my days sending everyone a CD.)

For those not familiar with The Negro Problem, please go here before you call the PC police.