Lance Armstrong's Place in history

[uncle_wiggily]

First off -- muscle is NOTHING if you don't have the mechanics and hand eye coordination, as well as bat speed. Those 3 things are FAR more important than strength in terms of hitting. Second off, how many of Barry Bonds' home runs just manage to scrape over the wall? Very few. I've heard steroid experts say they don't matter, I've heard hitting coaches say they don't matter.

There is a certain level in baseball in which you can be 'too strong' and steroids would merely help a player get to an ideal strength a little bit quicker. With, what is noted as some of the best work ethic in the game, it can be argued that Barry Bonds could easily get to that point with only the help of legal supplements.

And here's a description of a book about Lance Armstrong's involvement in doping.

Abt outlines the charges Emma O'Reilly, formerly Armstrong's personal masseuse, makes in the book:

Armstrong told O'Reilly his hematocrit was 41, nine percent below the permitted maximum, and that he was "going to do what the others do" to enhance it.

In July 1999, Armstrong asked her for makeup to cover bruises on his arm from injections. The authors maintain that legal injections are generally injected in the buttocks.

In May 1998, Armstrong asked her to dispose of syringes after the Tour of the Netherlands.

In May 1999, she ferried 24 pills from Johan Bruyneel, the USPS team director, to Armstrong near his home in Nice.

She provides details of Armstrong's 1999 positive test for steroids, claiming Armstrong told her he had used a steroid around the time of the Route du Sud that he thought would have cleared his system before the Tour. O'Reilly says doctors backdated a prescription for a legal cream containing the steroid, and organizers allowed it, even though the cream wasn't listed on Armstrong's mandatory medical form.

Next time you post, think first .... muscle can greatly improve bat speed, it also allows you to use a heavier bat. Power = force, the greater the force exerted on the ball by the bat, the further the ball will fly.

[uncle_wiggily]

I think trying to lisyt a top 10 athletes, multi disciplinary like this is worthless frankly!! Sorry!! How can anyone say babe Ruth was a better athlete than well goddammit anyine who has been a top ranked say basketball player or whatever! its impossible!

I did notice that all the names were American! Is it designed that way?? if not, then how about Don Bradman or Rod Laver or Daley Thompson or steve Redgrave or pele or diego Maradona or paavo Nurmi or Emil Zatopek etc etc etc etc.

Oh and there has been plenty of debate about how good Armstrong is compare dto Eddy Merkcx, Bernard Hinault etc etc by the way

How about Roger Bannister, the first person to break the four minute mile!! That was a huge accomplishment!

[Saintsfan]

I think trying to lisyt a top 10 athletes, multi disciplinary like this is worthless frankly!! Sorry!! How can anyone say babe Ruth was a better athlete than well goddammit anyine who has been a top ranked say basketball player or whatever! its impossible!

I did notice that all the names were American! Is it designed that way?? if not, then how about Don Bradman or Rod Laver or Daley Thompson or steve Redgrave or pele or diego Maradona or paavo Nurmi or Emil Zatopek etc etc etc etc.

Oh and there has been plenty of debate about how good Armstrong is compare dto Eddy Merkcx, Bernard Hinault etc etc by the way

How about Roger Bannister, the first person to break the four minute mile!! That was a huge accomplishment!

Absoluttely! I am sure there are loads of others who deserve recognition, which is partly wjhat makes the list so fatuous! fine compare Armstrong to other great cyclists, and acknowledge that he is a great athlete, but don't try and say he is better than any number of others who dominated there own games in there own ways.

[IronChefShark]

Also -- if Bonds did pass a 'meaningful' steroid test, NOBODY would be off his case. Everyone's just on his case cuz' they hate him.

exactly. also its because he plays for a San Francisco team.

for some reason, people like to hate players on San Francisco teams. If Bonds played for say, the St Louis Cardinals, there wouldnt be as much hate torwards him this I know for sure.

if you need further proof, look at Mark McGwire. If he played for the Yankees or the Giants everyone would be hating on him. Unlike Bonds it has been proven that McGwire did indeed use performance enhancing substances, although legal at the time. But because he played in St. Louis, everyone loved Big Mack

[DEAD!]

I don't know about Armstrong's place in history, but I think I know his place in Sheryl Crow