Thursday Roundup

News
The San Francisco Chronicle posts an AP piece by Eddie Pells which points to the fact that the upcoming release of the Floyd Landis book,"Positively False" violates the gag order that was established after the recent Landis/USADA hearings. The arbitrators are still in the deliberation process and lawyers for Floyd Landis notified the panel that the book was being released next week, and that the final five chapters discuss the hearings:

The gag order was widely viewed as a method to prevent either side from holding news briefings outside the hearing room — not so much to prevent them from talking long after the hearing was closed.

The North County Times.Com publishes an AP story in which IOC president Jacques Rogge states that cycling should remain an Olympic sport, despite all of its' "troubles". Rogge colorfully said that we should not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

The Glenwood Springs Post Independent interviews retired pro cyclist Ron Kiefel who comments on the amount of work and dedication it takes to compete in top level cycling, and who feels that thus far Floyd Landis has gotten a bad rap and a total lack of due process in his fight against doping charges.

SI.Com has Lance Armstrong fighting back against the most recent allegations from author David Walsh in his new book, "From Lance to Landis". LA feels that Walsh is cashing in on recent doping scandals such as the one Floyd Landis is currently fighting.

Hartselle Inquirer columnist include Landis in a rundown of sport cheats, frauds, and pretenders. He admits Landis continues to deny the charges.

Blogs
RAAM 2007 catches up with one of the participants in the Race Across America, George Vargas, who loves to climb. He doesn't care what people say about Floyd Landis, he is George's hero. No wonder drug, according to George, could make anyone do what Floyd did on stage 17 in last year's Tour de France:

"Floyd Landis, stage 17, 2006 Tour de France, he dominated and whether he doped or not, no drug could make him that much stronger. He's my hero"...that's what is getting him through this stage of RAAM, right here, right now. He's laughing, he's joking, he's smiling, and damn it...he's kicking the ass of these Maryland summits

Finger Food thinks that both Jim Furyk and Floyd Landis get it. They still give support to and get support from those who are old hometown friends.

ItsTheBlog was in the mood to write about whether cheating is OK, and ruminates about the use of PEDs pro and con with Floyd Landis getting an obligatory mention as someone who used steroids.

Who Sport What attacks Lance using techniques learned against Bill Clinton: go for the golf game.

Armstrong commented on the allegations from a golf tournament being run in aid of his charitable work. His approach to shortcuts on the golf course may be the most telling sign yet of how we won those Tours at record speed: "I'm a big believer in mulligans. I'll use as many as they give me."

Digression of the Day
Speaking of testosterone, Simon Baron-Cohen (yes, related to Sasha of Borat), an english neurologist, writes of the influence of in-utero hormone levels and their correlation to later behavior. He even speaks of a "longitudinal study", which was gibberish to most of us all of a year ago.