Radio Free Kirkopolis

Well it seems like everything’s falling into place. We’ll be closing on the house soon, which’ll be welcomed since I’m making a handy ill’ profit- not a gold mine by any means, but houses in this area appreciate well. Got all the papers signed for the big “D” so now I’m just waiting for the decree to come in the mail, and lastly I gots me a new truck yesterday.
I’ll have to admit, I will miss the old truck. There’s something about a big ol’ 4x4 with a 5.2 Chevy Vortec monster of an engine that did a fine job of instilling me with a heightened, yet false, sense of self-esteem. But alas, both the loan and the registration were in Jennifer’s name. I tried to re-finance but it seems like local banks aren’t in the business of making money. First off, they’ll only finance for like 36 months, and when they do it’s based on the lowest Kelly’s Blue Book rating, plus give you an interest rate that doesn’t bother to grease itself up before sticking it in. So, I would have gone from paying $375 a month to just around $450 a month. Around here that’s damn near a house payment.
This makes no sense- if they would have made themselves accessible, or at least to any financially reasonable customer, they could have made a crapload of money off me.
After going from bank to bank with my extremely patent father I finally got frustrated enough to go to plan B (from what I gather, home loans are much different which is good ‘cause the international banking cartels don’t need to get any higher on my ‘list’) and just trade in on something else.
So, long story short is I traded in my extend-a-penis for particularly un-phallic, yet highly perfect for me, Ford Ranger. In case you didn’t know the Ranger is Ford’s version of a light truck.
Vehicle history is pretty good. It’s a 2001 with 50k miles (just right, you want about 10k per year). One owner who was an elderly man who lost his leg a while back and can’t drive a stick shift ‘cause the clutch an all. The interior is flawless, which is a good sign that it has been well taken care of throughout. 2 wheel drive, 2.5L, 4cy, manual, XLT, air, CD, bed liner. Really, it’s kind of a base model. Other than steering it has power nothing, but since I can unlock and roll down the window on the passenger side by just leaning over, it’s no big deal.

Here’s what I’ll miss-
4wd- Great to have in the winter, but a few pounds of sand and chains should cover for that.
Cruise control- Used it only about once a month, but really liked it when I did. If I start traveling more I can get one added on for a few hundred bucks.
Extended cab- This thing has NO room. Just a window behind the seats. But hey, I’m only one guy anymore so I really see no issue. But my bike fit neatly in the back seat so now I’ll have to get a rack for the bed of the new truck (FYI, you never lay a bike down in the bed of a truck, unless you want all those fragile gears ‘n stuff messed with).
Here’s what I won’t miss-
Payments- Went from $375 a month to $250. And that’s with a 3 yr, 30K mile drive train warranty.
Gas- When you chop your engine size in half you tend to save a little at the pump. The Chevy has a combined rate of 16 MPG while the Ford weighs in at 24 MPG. Plus the tank’s a lot smaller so it’ll seem like less to my sub-noggin (I usually dumped about $70 into the Chevy at each fill-up). These figures BTW, courtesy of fueleconomy.gov - an interesting page that I suggest you check out.
The inabilty to park- For whatever reason the Ford can do a u-ie in my driveway, the Chevy on the other hand..
Not so red-neckie- For whatever reason trucks in Southern Illinios are more of a status symbol than a necessity. This just gives me an air of self-confidence.

So basically it’s a decent looking truck that will haul my crap (I’m not sure if I’ll ever own anything other than a truck) and will get me from A to B in a reliable manner. About 5 years ago I traded in a Chevy S-10 (the Chevy version of my new Ford) and regretted it ever since, especially a few months ago when I found the old payment book and realized I would have paid it off long ago. More than likely I’ll drive this thing ‘till the wheels fall off. It shouldn’t take me to long to pay it off, and when I do…..

So, in the downsizing summation-
Replacing a big truck with a small truck.
Replacing a big house with a smaller house (sometime soon at least).
Replacing a wife with a dog (well, had the dog anyway but that reads funnier).
Replacing wallet with a clip.
Replacing slightly chubby physique with a leaner, more cut version.

Man, if I keep this up my entire life will be outsourced to Bangladesh.

So former boy-bander, dancer, producer, singer and teen heartthrob Lance Bass has finally come out of the closet. Those surprised at this announcement are the same who were surprised with similar announcements by Rosie O’Donnell, Ellen DeGeneris and George Michael.
Lance made his announcement in People, and revealed that not only is he in a very happy relationship with someone of note, but also eluded that he was just waiting for the right moment to come out.

He is in a "very stable" relationship with model-actor-Amazing Race winner Reichen Lehmkuhl, 32, and is developing an Odd Couple-inspired sitcom pilot with Fatone in which his character will be gay.

Really, a sitcom where you’re gay- and with you publicly coming out of the closet and all. What are the chances?
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of the guy for coming out, but not to the public. Let’s face it, he’s not a driver in the NASCAR circuit, he’s not a lineman for the Raiders, he’s an entertainer. Not exactly uncharted territory for a homosexual. I don’t think his career is in any real danger.
No, I suppose I’m proud of him, and the rest of the gay community for that matter, for coming out to his friends and family. Really, that’s an announcement that I’m glad I’ll never have to make. Fans are one thing; friends and family are something else.
But in summation, it’s a good sign. Not that long ago homosexuals had to hide it all lest the public deny them everything for being no less than themselves. Rock Hudson, James Dean, you name it. Now it’s old hat. We still got a long way to go, but I suppose we’re getting there.
So good luck to ya Lance, and to all the former Jr. High, screaming girls who used to get mad at their boyfriends when they would look at Lance’s picture in your copy of “Tiger Beat” and say “What a fag,” well, I guess an apology is in order…

From my Dad-

A man walked into a very high-tech bar. As he sat down on a stool he noticed that the bartender was a robot. The robot clicked to attention and asked, "Sir, what will you have?"
The man thought a moment then replied? "A martini please."
The robot clicked a couple of times and mixed the best martini the man Had ever had. The robot then asked, "sir, what is your IQ?"
The man answered "oh, about 164."
The robot then proceeded to discuss the 'theory of relativity', 'inter-steller space travel', 'the latest medical break throughs', etc.......
The man was most impressed. He left the bar but thought he would try a different tact. He returned and took a seat. Again the robot clicked and asked what he would have? "A Martini please."
Again it was surpurb. The robot again asked "what is your IQ sir?"
This time the man answered , "Oh about 100". So the robot started discussing NASCAR racing, the latest basketball scores, and what to expect the Dodgers to do this week end.
The guy had to try it one more time. So he left, returned and took a stool.... Again a martini, and the question, "What is your IQ?"??
This time the man drawled out " Uh..... bout 50".
The robot clicked then leaned close and very slowly asked , "
A-r-e y-o-u-r p-e-o-p-l-e g-o-i-n-g t-o n-o-m-i-n-a-t-e H-i-l-l-a-r-y?"

Anyone remember a guy named Greg Lemond? Yeah, think back to that cover of Sports Illustrated when he was the Athlete of the Year. ‘Member? He’s was he first American to win the Tour de France. Oh, and he did it three times.
But there’s something you may not remember about him…
Anyone remember a guy named Lance Armstrong? Sure ya do. He was that guy that was bangin’ Sheryl Crow while selling a gazillion yellow wristbands for cancer research. You may also recall that he had testicular cancer.
But there’s something else you may not remember about that cancer.
Anyone ever heard of a guy named Floyd Landis? Well, you soon will. He’s the American who just won the Tour de France.
But there’s a bunch of things you might not know about him.

Greg-
Excerpts from his webpage-

In 1986, Greg LeMond, despite being constantly threatened by his own teammate, Bernard Hinault, became the first American to win the largest single annual sporting event in the world, the Tour de France…

…In the midst of his run of success he was involved in an appalling accident which almost cost him his life and left him in serious danger of never being able to ride again, let alone compete and win at the top level of the sport. This tragedy struck on April 20, 1987, when his brother-in-law accidentally shot Greg while hunting in California. Over forty shotgun pellets ripped through Greg's body, lodging not only in his back and legs, but more critically in his small intestine, liver, diaphragm, and heart lining. While waiting for rescue, his right lung collapsed and he lost three quarters of his blood supply. A cell phone, a police helicopter and nearby hospital that specialized in gun shot wounds saved his life. Because of the dangerous locations, surgeons were forced to leave over thirty of the pellets imbedded in his body.After the horrific shooting accident, LeMond put together a comeback, which went beyond the limits of the average man. Greg's long rehabilitation process was both painful and frustrating. He had lost over twenty pounds, most of it pure muscle, and his level of fitness had decreased dramatically. Ever determined, he set a goal for himself to win the Tour de France again! …
…That LeMond did make it back to winning ways says volumes about his determination and skill, characteristics which had become evident when he won the 1986 Tour de France… Greg went for it all in the 1989 Tour de France. He fought to stay competitive through the grueling 21-days of racing, which ranged from 100-155 miles each. Right out of a Hollywood movie, Greg overcame a seemingly insurmountable lead by Frenchman Laurent Fignon to win by a mere 8 seconds, the narrowest margin of victory ever in the Tour de France's 87-year history! The incredible resurrection of LeMond's career was capped by victory a month later in the 1989 World Championships. Many awards followed, including being named the 1989 "Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year".
To prove his return to the top was no fluke, Greg won another historic Tour de France for the third time in 1990, before retiring from competitive cycling.

So, this guy gets shot in the chest (the x-ray by the way, is that picture under ‘my profile’) almost dies, then with only his sheer determination and will, claws his way back to win the most physically grueling competing on the planet- two more times.

Lance-
Yeah, yeah, we all know he had testicular cancer- but did you also know he had advanced stages of cancer in his brain and lungs as well? Yup- it’s just that no one knew that at the time of his press conference. Then, using his sheer determination and will, he claws his way back to win the most physically grueling competing on the planet- seven times.
Now there’s Floyd-

A few years ago Floyd, a former Mountain Bike champion, broke his hip in a particularly nasty way, needing three screws to hold it together. Since then the bloodflow to his bones has been reduced, causing a serious deterialtion of the bone itself, the result of which is an arthritic hip so painful I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone. The man cannot sleep due to the excruciating pain yet refuses to take any type of painkiller. The pain of the arthritis is enough to make most men unable to walk, yet he used that same hip to win a bike race that was over 2,000 miles long. (As a matter of fact, Floyd will soon have his hip replaced with a titanium hip, the results of will be unclear. It is uncharted territory- he may be a better man for it, or he may never ride a bicycle again).
Think this guy is tough? Well, here’s more
Excerpts from The New York Times-

Perhaps that is the best way to characterize Landis, 31, a man who, like many professional cyclists, keeps fighting even while keeping many of his true feelings hidden away, unwilling to share them with an intruding world.
When Landis is on his bike, he is usually stone-faced, failing to show even a hint of emotion — the product of a conservative upbringing and an intense discipline to keeping his true feelings under wraps…
… Landis said he believed that certain aspects of his upbringing, in a strict Mennonite family in eastern Pennsylvania, with no television and many expectations about what constituted proper behavior, contributed to his rise to the top of his sport…
… Landis frequently stresses the importance of the role of parents, even in discussing what cyclists can do to influence young fans who watch their terrific exploits and yet hear that illegal doping is practiced by some riders.
“I think it’s up to every child’s parents to explain to them while they’re watching the race what the best decisions in life are about,” he said. “That’s the way my parents raised me and I think that’s not a bad way to do it.”

Throughout the Tour, French newspapers have been blasting Landis for this and that, much like they did with Greg and Lance. During stage 13 Landis fell apart, loosing a seemingly insurmountable 8 minuets. The French papers had a field day- only to see Landis, on the very next day, make up a spectacular 7 ½ minuets in what many believe to be the single greatest one-day performance in Tour history.
The papers were very quiet on his comeback.

For the last two weeks of the race, after Landis first took the race leader’s yellow jersey in the Pyrenees mountains, there were plenty of people who doubted Landis: for example, the headline writers for the French newspaper whose summary of Landis’s collapse on the climb to La Toussuire the day before — “Landis Out! — sparked in him a fire of anger. And the journalists and commentators who said Landis, though he had led the Tour for several days, lacked panache, the style that characterized the great Tour champions like Armstrong, Eddy Merckx, and Bernard Hinault. And the competitors who said Landis did not have a strong enough team around him to fend off the attacks of rivals.

You see, here’s what the French can’t seem to wrap their heads around, despite the constant examples we keep feeding them- to be successful at something one must have the convictions which contain loyalty, hard work and dedication. A concept which is completely and utterly foreign to them.
At the risk of sounding off like an over-zealous, truck driving, gun shootin’ , redneck- the simple fact of the matter is this:
We as Americans kick a shitload of ass.

This just in-

NEW YORK - The group Human Rights Watch said in a report released Sunday that U.S. military commanders encouraged abusive interrogations of detainees in Iraq even after the Abu Ghraib scandal called attention to the issue in 2004
Between 2003 and 2005, prisoners were routinely physically mistreated, deprived of sleep and exposed to extreme temperatures as part of the interrogation process, the report said.
"Soldiers were told that the Geneva Conventions did not apply, and that interrogators could use abusive techniques to get detainees to talk," wrote John Sifton, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.

OK. Uhumm (clear throat). Cough, cough- stand on soapbox….
“HEY HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH- WHERE THE F**K ARE YOUR REPORTS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN IRAQ FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS!!!!!!!!??????? CALL ME CRAZY, BUT THERE WERE A FEW MORE VIOLIATIONS BEING COMMITED, IN BOTH NUMBERS AND SHEER VERSOITY OF THE ACTS- YOU OVERBLOWN BUNCH OF POLITICO F**KHEADS!!!
Whew, I gotta go hop in a cold shower.

Remember just before the last presidential election when Bill O’Reilly was slamming Alec Baldwin for his statement that if Bush won the presidency he would move to France? He then challenged Baldwin to come on his show. Baldwin said ‘fine, but only if you produce definitive proof that I said such a thing.’ Remember that? Well, if not than just imagine that it happened ‘cause it did.
You see, Baldwin never said it. It’s like that ‘quote’ by Mariah Carey when she supposedly said that she was jealous of all those starving kids in Africa because they’re so thin. It’s an urban legend. Only an idiot would believe such a thing- a group which includes one Bill O’Reilly- media whore and cowardly automaton.
So, O’Reilly (or should I say, his people) search and search yet can’t come up with anything (because their isn’t anything). Baldwin (whom by the way I also consider a whiney, propaganda-ridden, idiot) says ‘ok, so we know I didn’t say it, but I’ll still go on your show given you make a public apology for not checking your sources and slandering me without due cause.’ A reasonable request, even from Alec Baldwin.
Anyhoo, Baldwin never heard a thing back from O’Reilly. Nada, nothing, zip. Seems ol’ bill can’t quite admit that he’s nothing more than FoxNew’s version of Katie Couric and basically just reads what he’s handed.
So, back to my point.
Within the last few years Bill has been at feud with my favorite former Sportscenter anchor and current favorite all-around commentator, Keith Olbermann. Although, Keith consistently calls him out to challenge Bill’s perpetual backtalk and yadda yaddas, Bill can’t seem to grow enough balls to meet up with him. Perhaps he’s aware that there may not be a chance to wear an earpiece and be under the guise of a remote conservative think tank telling him what to say, how to look, which is the fork, which is the spoon, etc….
From Yahoo News

PASADENA, Calif. - Keith Olbermann was eagerly anticipating his first meeting with Bill O'Reilly. It didn't happen.
The feuding cable TV personalities both attended a charity fundraiser thrown by New York Yankees manager Joe Torre last November. Olbermann picked up his name tag and spotted O'Reilly's tag on the table.
"He never got within 20 feet of me," Olbermann told the Television Critics Association's summer meeting Saturday. "I swear to God, every time I looked up, he would suddenly look down. He was staring over at me. But we're about the same height, so I really don't think he's going to come talk to me. If I were about a foot shorter, I'm sure there would be a confrontation of some sort."

“If I were about a foot shorter, I'm sure there would be a confrontation of some sort." Now that’s good stuff.

Men Think Clearly Only If They Sleep Alone
According to a study conducted by the researchers at the University of Vienna it was found that sharing a bed diminishes the man's ability to think clearly.
The lead researcher Professor Gerhard Kloesch analyzed about eight unmarried, childless couples in their 20s. They were asked to share their beds and on the next day they were asked to perform a simple cognitive test. It was found that women were fresher than men even when both slept the same number of hours. The researcher said that sharing a bed with a partner temporarily confuses men’s brains and increases the stress hormone levels. On the other hand women do not suffer from this problem. (my emphasis)

Now everything seems to make more sense, and on sooooo many levels.

There’s a lot of stigmas that I’m proud to say don’t apply to me- recovering meth addict, former inmate, voted for Gore, the list goes on and on.
Regardless I’ve been pining lately over my supposedly created stigma of ‘recently divorced guy’.
You see, everything is rallying to a head- just accepted an offer (a very nice one as a matter of fact) on my (our) house, and I should be signing divorce papers within the next week or so. But, it’s got me thinking again of the future.
Even though dating again should be the last thing on my mind, I can’t help but to think that I’m now more un-desirable than ever. I have this vision in my head of the following converstaion-
“Oh, who’s the cute guy talking to your boyfriend, and why am I so strangely attracted to his shaved legs?”
“Well, he shaves his legs because he thinks he’s a cyclist and yes I find it oddly erotic as well, but his name is Kirk. He’s smart, funny, has a great job, nice guy, and your timing is good- he’s newly single.”
“Just broke up with his girlfriend huh?”
“Nope, just divorced his nutcase of a wife.”
“Divorced? Hummm. Oh, who’s the cute guy with the prison tattoo and crack pipe?”

Now everyone I know, including my own head tells me that this is just ignorant. Young divorced people are (unfortunately) pretty common, and most potential mates could really care less. As a matter of fact, as my friend Tiffany put it- it’s so common people just think of it as a ‘starter marriage.’
None the less it’s driving me crazy. I suppose it’s normal, but I just hope I can get over it. I guess its one of those things that will just go away with time.
...at least I hope so.

So I signed up at the local Gold’s Gym and have been going pretty steady since, about two months now.
It’s a nice place, and the people are friendly and helpful. I was kind of half expecting a bunch of uber-looking, rock solid, super freaks who wouldn’t give an average (well, OK- slightly above average) Joe like myself the time of day, unless of course they could flex while looking at their watch.
During my initial visit I did notice that the um, ‘view’ alone was worth the price of admission. However, for every eye-friendly female (who by the way does not want to be bothered by would-be muscle head Casanova’s- more on that later) there are at least 4 guys who look like they were just sculpted by Michelangelo. I suppose it really doesn’t pay to be King, especially when you’re King of the Dipshits.
But enough self-deprecating humor- here’s a few things I’ve observed and would love to pass on.

• Why are you wearing flip-flops at a gym? I mean really. I know they’re all the rage and all the kids are wearing them, but try not to be too upset when you see me pointing and laughing hysterically when you drop a dumbbell on your un-protected foot. Better yet, when you trip over your own ‘shoe’ and fall into a weight rack. Morons.
• Although I am glad to see pregnant women at the gym, I must respectively ask that you not wear the half-shirt. I’ll be the first to admit that the pregnant belly creeps me out a lot more than it should, but none the less I think we can all agree that it should not be exposed to the general public unless completely necessary. But please, continue to exercise during your gestational time.
• Stop talking to me. I’m on limited time here people. Not only do I have a schedule to keep but one’s testosterone and adrenalin levels only last for so long. Most people’s physiologies only allow for about one hour of good levels and beyond that you’re just not getting much out of your lifts (or whatever it is you’re doing). I’ve seen people that I know spend like 2 or more hours a day in that place. What’s the point? You’re just spending a lot of money to annoy others around you- ‘cause they don’t want to talk to you either. (Oh, by the way- an easy way to avoid this is to wear an iPod, since you’re listing to music the opportunity to not listen to Cap’n Ramblesabout and not seem rude becomes much more accessible).
• I don’t care how good looking you think you are- don’t hit on the hottie workin’ the treadmill. Ask around to female friends of yours, most women really don’t want to get hit on at the gym, and it’s because of knuckleheads like you that 1/3 of my gym is a dedicated “women’s only” workout area. Without you this could instead be a dedicated “I don’t want to talk to you” area.
• Fifty plus year old guy with earring… yeah, you. The one I saw getting out of his convertible while smoking a cigarette in the parking lot- STOP FLEXING!! Oh, and the spray-on tan aint doing it for you. The reasons why you can’t get a date have nothing to do with the fact you’re over fifty, it has to do with the fact that you are pathetic.
• Fat, overweight, out of shape, elderly- keep on truckin’. I’ll have to say that most the clientele seems to be very acute to the fact that if you wanna look good, you have start somewhere. I think the whole “what are you doing here?” is kind of a gym urban legend. However, if you’re not in the best of shape, please dress accordingly. Think about that halter-top as sort of a goal to aspire to.

Um, it’s at this point I’m supposed to think of a summation that contains the same amount of attempted wit shown in the above. But, nothing seems to be coming to mind so I’ll just go ahead and cut my losses by wrapping it up with nada.

…and I’m newly single.

DENVER - A date with Jessica Biel will be up for bid next week to help raise money for a teenager who lost her leg in a prom night limousine accident…
The event dubbed "Mollypalooza" to help Molly Bloom's family with medical expenses is scheduled for Tuesday at the Rock Island Club, organizers told The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News. The News described the date as a lunch date.
In an audio message posted on the Internet, Esquire's "The Sexiest Woman Alive" urges listeners to support the event and says: "I intend to submit a very special auction item as my contribution to the evening."

Sure, I know it’ll be fruitless, sure it's just lunch, but it’s for a good cause and keep in mind the most important thing- IT’S JESSICA FREAKIN’ BIEL!!!

From Rolling Stone-

Syd Barrett, the original frontman of Pink Floyd who wrote much of their early material, died July 7th in Cambridge, England, from complications related to diabetes. He was sixty.
Born Roger Keith Barrett in Cambridge, the son of a renowned pathologist, Barrett changed his name to Syd at age fifteen in honor of local drummer Sid Barrett. In 1965 he joined up with bassist Roger Waters, drummer Nick Mason and keyboardist Richard Wright in a new band Barrett dubbed Pink Floyd -- in honor of blues artists Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. Barrett quickly became the group's primary songwriter and guitarist, composing their breakthrough singles "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play."
In 1967, the band released its first LP, the psychedelic masterpiece The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Ten out of the eleven songs were written by Barrett.
The next year, following a highly successful tour with Jimi Hendrix, Barrett's mental state began to deteriorate, most likely related to his heavy LSD intake. Guitarist David Gilmour was brought in to aid the band as Barrett became increasingly unreliable. Gilmour and Barrett both played in the group for a few months, but Barrett's onstage behavior became so erratic he was forced to leave the band.
Amid reports that he was suffering from schizophrenia, Barrett managed to release two solo albums in 1970, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett. The bulk of the material from these albums, which have gained a huge cult following over the years, was written during Barrett's brief productive period of 1967-68. An independent career proved impossible: His one live solo gig was aborted after five songs.
In 1971, Barrett spoke to Rolling Stone about his absence from the music scene. "I'm disappearing, avoiding most things," he said. "Mostly I just waste my time . . . I've got a very irregular head." Around the time of this interview, he sold the rights to his solo music and moved into his mother's basement in Cambridge, where he lived out the rest of his life.
Short of a brief appearance at Abbey Road Studios in 1975 as his former bandmates were recording Wish You Were Here (a tribute to Barrett), he hasn't had any contact with Pink Floyd in recent decades. Barrett's mental health had reportedly improved in recent years, and he spent a good deal of time painting and gardening.

For Gene-

Granted, it’s a long race, about a month and over 2,000 miles long but after stage one of Le Tour-
George Hincapie, USA- 1st Place
Dave Zabriskie, USA- 3rd Place
Floyd Landis, USA- 9th Place

Despite the fact the The Tour De France is the largest spectator spot in the world; the U.S. seems to widely ignore it. For now. I mean, now that Lance is gone there’s not a lot of the Red White and Blue in professional cycling- right?
Humm, give it a few weeks.
You see, somewhere a New York Yankee blew his nose, or a Los Angeles Laker ordered a cheeseburger, or Tiger Woods decided that “Repo Man” was a pretty good movie after all- so therefore ESPN completely (or almost completely) missed what may be the biggest sports story of the year.
From VeloNews.

Friday's "cleansing" of the Tour de France continued to resonate as the reduced peloton of 176 riders lined up for Saturday's opening prologue.
The doping controversy continued to broil below the surface following the unprecedented expulsion of pre-race favorites Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile), Ivan Basso (CSC), Francisco Mancebo (Ag2r) and the entire Astaná-Würth team.
The riders were taken out of the Tour just 24 hours before Saturday's start after excerpts from some 500 pages of court and police documents of Spain's ongoing doping investigation were presented to UCI and Tour officials late Thursday evening…
…Because the reduced Astaná-Würth was down to four riders, it fell short of the six-man requirement to start Saturday. That meant Alexandre Vinokourov, fifth overall last year and one of the top favorites to succeed retired champion Lance Armstrong, was out of the race despite not being implicated by the damning documents.

This is big.
Really big.
If you were to ask me who would finish in the top six this year I would have told you (in no particular order)- Ivan Basso, Jan Ullrich, Alexandre Vinokourov, Floyd Landis, Levi Liepheimer, and George Hincapie.
Here’s the thing. Of those six, three are out- and the three that are left (Floyd, Levi, and George) are all Americans. In addition with Basso out that leaves American Dave Zabriski the head of team CSC, which is probably the strongest team on the planet and therefore puts him in podium potential as well.
Yup, it is completely possible that we could see a 1,2,3 (and maybe even 4) podium showing at this year’s Tour De France. In a sport where most believed that the exit of Lance would surely lead to the demise of American Cycling, well this kind of showing would certainly do so much as to squash any notations of such. In addition we’ll seriously piss off the French something awful.
So about this doping scandal…
Well, I’m not real sure about it at this point. At least no so sure as to comment on it with any real insight, but here’s a quick synopsis-
On one hand most, if not all the cyclists banned the Tour have been so based upon documented evidence and not necessarily any documented facts. I still stand by the ethic of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ but from what I understand the evidence is pretty strong. Besides, this is not a court of law but a self governing body that presides over a sporting event. Frankly, being the baseball fanatic that I am I would love to have seen MLB grow these types of balls back in the early 90’s.
I am also a little weary of the timing. Really, banning guys the night before the start of Tour? Trust me, that wasn’t just coincidence. This way no one had a chance to grab some quick lawyers and litigate their way back into the race.
I’m kinda wondering how this will all turn out for me. Sure, I’ll still continue to ride (matter of factly as I write this I’m recovering from a 40mile early morning jaunt from Marion to Royalton) but my viewing of the sport will change. My pick to win this year was Italian Ivan Basso, who also happens to be my favorite rider (I have white bar tape ‘cause that’s what his team uses) with Floyd Landis coming in a close second. Now, I dunno know. Looks like Floyd may have just gotten my vote and support.

Until we know what really happened-
Say it aint so Basso, say it aint so.