Armstrong, Schmarmstrong

Fio doesn't care if Lance Armstrong doped.  As she's said before, she would guess that most of the other contestants were also upping their chances pharmaceutically--and she would also guess that most of the effect was psychological.  But the basic reason she doesn't care is that, while she liked seeing a US team win, she never regarded Armstrong as a hero.

People make too much of athletes, and then turn on them when they can't live up to the hype.  Lighten up--sports personalities are entertainers more than anything else, and we know all about Hollywood.

Pedal Probs

Fiorella is on a hobby horse, but it's a bicycle this time.

Leave Lance Armstrong alone.  He's past history, no matter how pathetically he tries to prep his aging body for competition again.  Maybe he was a myth all along, but so what?  Although, he passed years of drug tests, he's been indicted by supposed witnesses. Again--so what?  What about all the other contenders who passed the drug tests, the losers?  How about a decade-long persecution of them?

As Fio has said before, she thinks most of the the effect of so-called performance enhancers is psychological, like a lucky rabbit's foot.  But if something gave ol' Lance a second or two's edge, so what?

So what if a baseball player used steroids?  They might have allowed him to hit a couple of balls out of the park, but they also carried out their own punishment on his body and relationships.  So what if Olympic contenders ingested something they thought might make them come out on top?  Isn't Gabby Douglas's drive and self-confidence something that puts her a notch up on her opponents? Should we outlaw adrenaline, focus, and spunk?

Anyway, we're talking about sports, which aren't that important in the long run of things.    Let's spend more time and money fighting poverty, ignorance, and real crime.

Trio

Fio's no Lance Armstrong fan, but it's so long in the past that she really doesn't care whether he was was doping or not. Besides, she bets everyone else in the race was doping too. Actually, she's wondered whether illegal substances have any real effect on athletes than psychological.
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Fio's also been thinking about Charlie Sheen, who's also finally drifted off the public radar. It was exciting while it lasted--he was like a supernova, growing bigger and bigger until he finally exploded. But when the stardust cleared, Sheen was nothing but a burnt-out dwarf.
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Another headline-grabber Fio doesn't care about is Arnold Schwarzenegger. What a sleaze.

Riding the Record

Fiorella doesn't care whether Lance Armstrong doped or not. It's too far in the past to register with her. Besides, if he did, so did everyone else. And Fio suspects the effect was more psychological than physical.

Not that Fio's that much of an Armstrong fan. Yeah, she cheered him on for America's sake while he was riding, and she thinks his foundation work is great, but she doesn't like the way he dumped his wife and kids for the bachelor circuit. Also, Daughter reported that he tried to strike up an acquaintance with her in a downtown bar once, which Daughter thought was smarmy since she's quite a bit younger than he is.

Besides, sports records are just not the important to Fio. Here today, gone tomorrow.

Recycled

Fiorella is fascinated by the spectacle of Lance Armstrong once again hitting the cycling circuit, and he seems to be coming up fast in the Tour de France.

As everyone knows, after our hometown hero retired, he divorced his wife and kids (the same woman who was steadfast and supportive during his bout with testicular cancer) and hit the local wildlife scene with pals like Matthew McConaughey, dating big name cuties like Sheryl Crow and trying to hit up local cuties, like Fio's daughter.

After a couple of years, Fio figures the playboy life began to dull--and he missed the headlines. So it was back to the bicycle again.

He may win the Tour de France or he may not. But Fio thinks whatever happens, he loses: if he loses, he loses--and if he wins, so what? Been there, done that.