Monday, May 21, 2007

Early Monday Roundup

Now that the weekend rest day is behind we will go back to two "roundups" a day.

News
The VeloNews announces that Will Geroghegan is entering rehab today, partially as a result of a threatening phone call made to USADA witness Greg LeMond last week during the Landis hearings.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports, in an AP story, that former Landis manager Will Geoghegan will enter a rehab program today. This action was precipitated by last week's revelations that Geoghegan had made a perceived threatening call to Greg LeMond the night before LeMond was to testify against Landis at the USADA hearings.

SuperCycling has the Reuters version of the above story reporting that former Landis manager Will Geoghegan is entering rehab.

Bicycling succinctly recounts Saturday's testimony by Floyd Landis in preparation for what is expected to be a tough day on the stand for Landis today as he will be cross examined by USADA.

USAToday has a short Sal Ruibal piece this morning about the tough questioning Floyd Landis will face today, in the wake of his testimony last Saturday, from the cross examination by USADA. Landis had a tough week last week when after scoring some scientific points, he suffered a major PR hit due to the fallout from the Greg LeMond testimony, after which LeMond refused to answer defense questions.

WGAL an affiliate from Landis' home area in PA, notes that today Floyd will be cross examined on the testimony he presented Saturday afternoon.

Inside the Bay Area posts an Eddie Pells AP story on Michelle Collins a sprinter accused of doping, who has finally come clean and is glad she did. Pells relates her admission to that of Joe Papp a former cyclist who testified that he too was guilty of doping last week at the Landis hearings.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer's "Ask the Slouch" column uses shorts to ask burning sports questions. The only answer he came up with for in the Landis case is a new reality series.

ESPN Page 2 has some advise fro Floyd Landis as he faces cross examination today.

The CyclingNews notes that yesteday was a rest day, and that today Laidns will comtinue his testimony under cross examination.

ic Newcaster.co.uk briefly summarizes Landis' day on the stand in his own defense Saturday, and notes that when he returns today it may not be so easy as the cross examination of Landis should begin.

Procycling reviews the Landis testimony for the defense from Saturday, and notes that he will be on the stand again at today's hearings at Pepperdine and will be cross examined.


Blogs
The RoadBike.com is thinking that after today's delays in the Landis hearing those who contributed to the FFF are not getting their monies worth as far as the defense team is concerned.

GoFasterJim has changed his mind and is posting about Floyd Landis again, hey it's his blog. Anyway he is full of questions from this weekend's ride and has come to some conclusions, maybe it's all a mirage.

Dugard also get a letter from Dr. Brent Kay, longtime friend of Floyd Landis, that Dr. Kay will be assuming the position of Landis' manager after the firing of Will Geoghegan last week:

Got a letter from Dr. Brent Kay this morning, telling me that he's taking over as Floyd Landis's business manager and that Will Geoghan is entering rehab to deal with his "problems." Floyd was cc'ed, and the form letter went out to everyone who has had business dealing with Landis over the past year. Dr. Kay is a very fine individual, and a dedicated cyclist, but he's hardly the guy to be running Landis's business affairs. Maybe this is just a temporary sea change, but the reason Landis had that problem with Will is that he appointed a friend, not a professional, to handle a highly professional aspect of his life. I recognize that right now Floyd is in a hunkered down, insular frame of mind, but this is a time for serious damage control. Needs to get top-flight help in their to make things happen.


Steroid Nation asks many of the questions that are on Landis hearing observe's minds, and is hoping they will, if they can, be answered. He also is thinking that there might be some kind of an arbotration compromise? Thanks for the continuing plugs SN.


Rant gives us a preview of what to expect today when the Landis defense starts the first full day of their case presentation. He cites several good sources who reference what has happened in the past week, and what we might expect this week and they include TBV and Judge Bill Hue's perspectives on the case. In his first update of the day Rant notes that USADA may be taking valuable time and daylight away from Team Landis, and they need all the time and daylight they can get.


Whatever(on fire) gives us a new one, a description of Floyd Landis that includes the term " homophobic."

Chester Cheetah and the Kool-Aid Gang wonders what last week's testimony by Greg LeMond, who has been a vocal critic of both Floyd Landis and Lance Arnstrong, has to do with doping in cycling? Still he thinks that Floyd's reputation has been permanently trashed.

Think you know Sports? says cycling has hit an all time low.

Malibu Surfside looks at the Landis hearings from the locals' point of view, and is amazed at all of the journalists and attention from across the world that is focussed on this usually quiet place. The irony is that the hearing of a world class cyclist is occurring in an area that would not tie up its streets for the Amgen Tour of California.

AJForin.com wants to know where our Floyd has gone and will stick with Landis until the end, but wants that end swift and merciful in light of the adolescent behavior of Floyd's former business manager.

Veloguy notes that on Saturday Floyd Landis finally took the stand in his own defense. He does not know if Floyd can ever erase the black eye his defense suffered due to the LeMond debacle last Thursday at the hearings.

Urukewutap writes the most confused blog entry of the past several weeks in that he states that as Floyd Landis was crisscrossing the country to proclaim his innocence he denied his team ever wanted to trade him?

The Argus Leader writes about hip resurfacing and Floyd Landis' very successful procedure from last September is cited.

Rant writes about yesterday's rest day, and how we all needed a rest from the Landis hearings. Then he gets into the science of the testimony on Saturday that is still being eclipsed by last week's bizarre twists and turns that have defined the Landis case.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I didn't realize that LeMond didn't answer any of the defense's questions.

Wouldn't that make his testimony, moot?

How come the USADA hasn't focused 100% on the science to prove that Landis is guilty? That's the big question mark for me.

I guess they know a 'guilty' when they see it....

Anonymous said...

Just have the felling that no one will win in this case. True, it will (should) have far-reaching ramifications on testing methods/protocol/procedures but everyone is dragged through the mud.
Floyd will lose on a 2-1 and may not race again (if he took vountary suspension last July then he's banked a year of suspension already so could be back in 2008 but may just be too bitter - he's voiced always that he hates the system - UCI and WADA).
USADA/WADA will have to reform (thank god there's a Presidency change coming because it never would happen with Pound at the helm).

Lemond is forced to admit something extremely personal in public and Joe Papp gets absolutely scorched (he was a low-level pro (why everyone keeps saying mid-level is beyond me), he fessed up for USADA and they still gave him the same 2-year suspension he would've got if he hadn't played witness, plus he opened himself up to a lot more punishment.

While interesting to see this process, it's all very sad and no one wins (except the lawyers and witnesses getting paid by the hour!)

Anonymous said...

By chance...do you have any stats on how many people have been watching the internet courtroom sessions? Was there a large spike when Floyd took the stand?

~Paul