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In 1973, my country was heavily divided and tired of a war that was dragging into what seemed like infinity.  Our president was locked in an ominous political scandal that eventually led to his humiliating resignation from office.  Americans were in need of some sort of a spiritual lift.  Or, maybe a pleasant distraction … or better yet, a true hero we could look up to.

Secretariat’s look and personality had to come from his parents.  His father was called Bold Ruler; his mother was a long distance specialist named Somethingroyal which, I believe, is where he derived his superior endurance and uncanny ability to make a 1.5 mile race look short sprint.

And, it was only fitting that a renowned sports writer William Nack would be the lucky person who lived and wrote about Secretariat’s amazing journey into history, up close and personal.

Nack was there from the very beginning of Secretariat’s rise to fame, until the day of his death at Claiborne Farms, at the relatively young age of 19.  When you think about it, it made perfect sense that, arguably, the greatest horse racing writer would be paired with, arguably, the greatest race horse of all time.

Nack sensed that this horse was special, with a very unique personality.  It was in his eyes, people often said.  He would stop and look at airplanes passing by.  He paid attention to those around him.  He would steal Nack’s notebook and tease him with it.  He was playful with those around him.  Sportscaster Dick Enberg said there was a regal look about him; Enberg would tell him how good he was and he’d snap his head around and look straight at him as if to say, “you better believe it.”

What made the story about this horse so unique was that people who could care less about horse racing stopped to take notice of the incredible feats Secretariat performed in such dramatic style, in winning the coveted Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing.

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It seems like yesterday, but it’s now been almost 37 years ago.

He came from last place, halfway through the Kentucky Derby, to first place and set a new record that still stands.  At the Preakness, again, from last to first, setting a new record at the Preakness, though the official track clock was broken, later recorded at 1:53 2/3.

And finally, an astounding 31 length win and new record at the 1.5 mile Belmont, shattering the previous record by almost 3 seconds.  As his jockey, Ron Turcotte, came whistling down home stretch, looked behind him to see no one was anywhere near, while creating maybe the most famous racing image of all time, “A Look Back.”

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Secretariat made the cover of Time magazine that year and was the talk of the nation.  Everyone wanted to get close to him and he didn’t mind it a bit.

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Eventually, the U.S. Post Office honored the great champion by issuing a stamp of him.

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But, there were races he lost.  Going into the Kentucky Derby, he lost a significant prep race, the Wood Memorial; finishing third.  Later, it was discovered he had a boil in his mouth the size of a quarter that hurt him every time jockey Ron Turcotte pulled on the reins and dug the bit into the sore inside his mouth.  If Turcotte knew, he said he could have let up and the great horse may have finished first the day when some people took the opportunity to label him an overrated phony.

But, even if I was there, and wrote for a lifetime, I could never describe these events the way William Nack did it; the ultimate wordsmith of description and eloquence.  Here are Nack’s own words, describing how he would go to visit Secretariat every year in his retirement from racing:

“On the long ride from Louisville, I would regale my friends with stories about the horse—how on that early morning in March ‘73 he had materialized out of the quickening blue darkness in the upper stretch at Belmont Park, his ears pinned back, running as fast as horses run; how he had lost the Wood Memorial and won the Derby, and how he had been bothered by a pigeon feather at Pimlico on the eve of the Preakness (at the end of this tale I would pluck the delicate, mashed feather out of my wallet, like a picture of my kids, to pass around the car); how on the morning of the Belmont Stakes he had burst from the barn like a stud horse going to the breeding shed and had walked around the outdoor ring on his hind legs, pawing at the sky; how he had once grabbed my notebook and refused to give it back, and how he had seized a rake in his teeth and begun raking the shed; and, finally, I told about that magical, unforgettable instant, frozen now in time, when he turned for home, appearing out of a dark drizzle at Woodbine, near Toronto, in the last race of his career, 12 lengths in front and steam puffing from his nostrils as from a factory whistle, bounding like some mythical beast of Greek lore.”

Sadly, Secretariat’s jockey, Ron Turcotte, was injured later in his career in a race that left him in a wheel chair.  In interviews, he was asked what he called Secretariat.  It was simply, “Big Red” or “Handsome.”  Turcotte said he didn’t need a whip as Secretariat was a “push button” horse.

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Secretariat was given the high honor of finishing number 35 of ESPN’s 100 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century.  Some people objected that horses didn’t belong in what should be only a group of people.  I believe those critics should take the time and read “Pure Heart” by William Nack.  (Google it and you’ll understand what I mean.)

Many heroes often do not live up to our expectations, nor are they obligated to do so.  However, at a time when America needed a hero, this magnificant creature, with a magnetic personality, lived up to our expectations.

Rest in peace, Big Red!

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Jack Dempsey was a rough-house fighter and a crowd-pleaser. He was from an impoverished background and had learned to fight to survive on the mean streets of his hometown of Manassa, Colorado. He didn’t use the ring, he went looking for his opponents. He liked nothing more than to fight and get that early knockout, and the crowd loved him for it. 

Dempsey was to remain undefeated World Heavyweight Champion for the next 7 years. His two most notable defences were against the big-hitting Argentinian Luis Firpo, ” The Bull of the Pampas,” which Dempsey won in 2 Rounds of what was a stand up fist fight, during which at one point Firpo punched Dempsey out of the ring. The other fight was against the Frenchman Georges Carpentier. Carpentier was little more than a middleweight but was considered by many to be the best boxer of his generation. Unquestionably talented and skillful the ” Little Frenchie, ” known also as ” The Orchid Man, ” was a war hero and admired on both sides of the Atlantic. They fought on 2 July, 1921, before a crowd of over 83,000 and the takings were a staggering $1,789,236 more than twice as much as for any previous prizefight. Some even thought that Carpentier might win but despite using all his ring-craft and rocking the champion in the early rounds he was unable to stay clear of Dempsey’s incessant onslaught and was finally overwhelmed in the 4th Round by his stronger and more powerful opponent. It would be another five years before Dempsey would meet his nemesis, a man so different to himself that it would divide American society into almost two hostile camps.

James Joseph Tunney, known as Gene, was a sophisticated New Yorker. Polished and erudite, he counted the likes of F Scott Fitzgerald and George Bernard Shaw among his friends. He believed the art of boxing was not to get hit and preferred literature and art to the brutality of sport. Though the Dempsey-Tunney fight had only come about because both boxers refused to fight the No 1 Challenger Harry Wills, a black man, it was to be a classic match-up, between the fighter and the boxer. 

The pre-fight support had all been for Dempsey. The American sporting public hated Tunney’s intellectual pretensions and what they perceived as his superior attitude. He was for them a smart-ass. But then he was smart. Prior to the fight he had taken the then unprecedented step of studying Dempsey’s previous fights on film and had, he said, detected certain weaknesses. When they fought on 23 September, 1926, in Philadelphia Tunney was to give Dempsey a boxing lesson. Dempsey, who had not fought in the previous three years and must have been ring-rusty had nevertheless been confident of victory. So also were the American public who had made Tunney a 10-1 underdog. But using his jab to keep Dempsey at bay the champion was unable to land a glove on him and it was to be the unheralded Tunney who was to leave Dempsey on the seat of his pants as he progressed to an overwhelming unanimous points decision.

It was to be a year to the day before Dempsey got opportunity to regain his title in what was to be one of the most controversial fights of all time. In the intervening period, however, much had changed for Dempsey. He had been accused of dodging the draft during the First World War. He was to be cleared of these accusations but they had damaged his reputation immensely. Tunney, on the other hand, had been a Marine, and though he had not seen action patriotic sentiment was now firmly on his side. When they fought on 22 September, 1927, at Soldiers Field in Chicago, the crowd were hostile towards Dempsey. But he couldn’t care less, he was determined to let his fists do the talking and answer his critics. Yet again Tunney fought superbly but in the 7th Round a furious assault by Dempsey sent Tunney to the canvass. Tunney was genuinely hurt and seeing this Dempsey stood aggressively over his prostrate opponent as he had done with Jess Willard eight years before. However, a new rule had been introduced that ordered that a boxer must be made to remove himself to a neutral corner following a knockdown. The referee interrupted his count to ensure that Dempsey did this. When he returned he started his count again from the start. Tunney, who was cleverly determined to take every second available to clear his head remained down. When the referee counted ten Tunney rose to his feet. He had in fact had just over 14 seconds to recover. The bell for the end of the Round came soon after. When Dempsey renewed his assault in the following round it was Tunney’s turn to send him to the canvass. He had fully recovered and was to go onto another unanimous points victory in what was to become known as ” The Long Count.” 

Following his victory Tunney made one more successful defence of his title before announcing his retirement in July, 1928. He had fought 86 times and lost only once. His retirement caused some controversy as no previous champion had ever retired undefeated, they were expected to lose their titles. Having relinquished the title, however, a new champion had to be found. 

The No 1 contender was Jack Sharkey, who despite his Irish pseudonym was born Joseph Paul Zukauskas, and was of Lithuanian descent. Like Tunney, he was a native New Yorker though he now fought out of Boston. The amiable and popular Sharkey, who had the unfortunate soubriquet ” The Boston Gob, ” did not fight shy of dangerous opponents or choose them according to race. He fought and defeated the highly-rated Harry Wills before facing Jack Dempsey in a title eliminator on 21 July, 1926. A stylish boxer like Tunney, it was, however, Dempsey who had been his hero. Easily out-pointing the ageing ex-champion, in the 7th Round he turned to complain to the referee about yet another of several low blows, as he did so, Dempsey knocked him cold.

Four years later, Sharkey would again get the opportunity to win a shot at the World Title. Having defeated the Light-Heavyweight Champion Tommy Loughran in an eliminator bout, in early 1930, he fought the German Max Schmelling in a World Title Decider. A short-priced favourite to win he blew his chance when, ironically, he was disqualified for landing a low blow. On 21 June, 1932, in a re-match he controversially won the title on a split decision which prompted Schmelling’s manager to coin the famous phrase, ” We wuz robbed.”

Max Schmelling, known as ” The Black Uhlan, ” was a controversial figure throughout the 1930’s, though through no making of his own. In 1936, in a non-title bout he had surprisingly defeated the great black sporting hero Joe Louis with a 12th Round knock-out. He returned to Germany a National Socialist hero. It was not something he was comfortable with. As film footage of him reluctantly, and with some embarrassment, giving the Nazi salute testifies to. Despite this he had become an icon of Nazi Germany. Returning to his country on the other icon of The Third Reich, The Hindenburg, he was greeted by cheering crowds and driven through Berlin like a returning Messiah. Pictures of him being lauded by leading Nazi’s in uniform were relayed around the world. It played badly, and even more so when the German press emphasised that his victory was proof of the superiority of the White Aryan Race. Never a Nazi, Schmelling had refused under intense pressure to sack his Jewish manager, Joe Jacobs. The association nonetheless stuck. Later in the year he was battered to defeat by the half-Jewish Max Baer, wearing the Star of David on his shorts, and fighting like a man possessed.

On 29 June, 1933, Jack Sharkey put his tiltle on the line against the giant Italian Primo Carnera. Standing at almost 6′7″, Carnera was 40Ibs heavier and at least 6 inches taller than most of his opponents. He is still one of the heaviest boxers in history. Known as the ” Ambling Alp ” just four months earlier he had knocked-out Ernie Schaaf in a title eliminator. Two days later Schaaf died. Like so many boxers of his era Carnera had to endure the thought that he had killed someone in the ring. Doubt has always dogged the validity of Carnera’s career because of his Mob connections. Though this is probably in large part unjust. Mostly uneducated and naive, it is unlikely if any of his fights were fixed that the gullible Carnera would have been aware of it. Even so, people have cast doubt that Sharkey did not throw the fight against Carnera. Sharkey always vehemently denied this and film footage of the fight shows that the upper-cut that knocked him out was genuine enough. Whatever, the world had a new Heavyweight Champion.

Much like Schmelling later, Carnera’s success was co-opted by the regime. Mussolini milked the propaganda value of Carnera for all it was worth. Made to wear the black shirt when he was in Italy, he was regularly seen to give the fascist salute whenever the cameras were upon him. Just like Schmelling was no Nazi, Carnera was never a fascist, though unlike Schmelling he probably did not understand the implications of what he was doing.

Carnera went on to make two successful defences of his title, against the Basque, Paulino Uscudun, in a fight that took place in Rome and was turned into a fascist jamboree, and Tommy Loughran, before he met Max Baer in a fight that was to become one of the comedic hits of its time. Knocked down 11 times, film footage of the fumbling, stumbling, giant Carnera, his legs gone, desperately clinging onto the ropes for support and imploring the referee for assistance as he was chased around the ring by the much smaller Baer, made audiences in cinemas around the world guffaw with delight. It was an undignified end to his reign though few could doubt his courage in not going and staying down.

Max Baer, was a concussive puncher and a dirty fighter for whom rules existed for other people. Already responsible for two deaths in the ring, he was Jack Dempsey with attitude. Though not the brute of popular mythology, he wept tears over the death of his opponents, there was little he wouldn’t do to win a fight. Something of a playboy and a ladies man, Mad Maxi, was the perennial prankster. Always ready with a quip and a joke for the reporters he even sometimes took his fooling around into the ring with him. But when he was serious he was a mean, tough, and dangerous opponent.

With the reputation as a killer in the ring, Baer’s up and coming title defence against the former light-heavyweight contender James J Braddock was seen as nothing more than a formality. Braddock who was born and lived his whole life in New Jersey had seen his career go into freefall following his failed attempt to win the Light-Heavyweight Title from Tommy Loughran. Known as ” The Bulldog of Bergen ” for his well-known grit and determination, he was to become famous as ” The Cinderella Man.” He had lost all of his money in the Great Depression and had been reduced to lining up with the rest of the unemployed for daywork in the docks. At one time he had even had to claim welfare, this he later paid back.

Braddock had seriously injured his hand and this had hampered his effectiveness in the ring. His reputation suffered as he ceased to be value for money but a series of surprise victories in yet another comeback had earned him one last big opportunity. He had only been chosen by Baer’s handlers, however, to afford their fighter an easy payday. Braddock was, after all, all but washed up. They could not have been more wrong.

They fought at Madison Square Garden on 13 June, 1935. Though many had voiced concern for Braddock’s health, if not life, in the run up to the fight, Mad Maxi himself had been in a playful mood, clowning around for the news reels and his fans. There were no such shenanigans from Braddock, however. He was in deadly earnest and was determined to give this one last chance everything he had. Whether it went one round or the distance, he said, Baer will know he has been in a fight.

The bout was far from a classic and soon developed into a war of attrition as Braddock determined to take the fight to Baer. On occasions Braddock had to endure some fearful punishment in pursuit of his opponent, but it was sporadic and intermittent. Baer, despite being bigger, six years younger, and the better boxer, was simply unable to subdue Braddock. In the Final Round Baer went for Braddock, but it was too late. When the decision came in it was a majority decision to Braddock by 8 Rounds to 6. Baer, who had fatally underestimated his opponent nevertheless took the decision well and congratulated Braddock with genuine warmth. His career, however, never recovered from the loss. Mad Maxi remained the joker, but he was never the same fighter. Three months later he was knocked out in the 4th Round of a fight against Joe Louis.

Though Braddock remained champion for 2 years he never made a succesful defence of his title. He had been contracted to fight Max Schmelling but broke this to defend his title in a far more lucrative match-up against the new star of world boxing, ” The Brown Bomber ” Joe Louis and a purse of $250,000. On 22 June, 1938, in Chicago, Louis handed out a fearful beating to the ever-courageous Braddock whom he stopped in the 8th Round.

Joe Louis, had defeated three previous world champions, Braddock, Baer, and Carnera, but there was one he wanted more than any other. On 22 June, 1938, he would get his chance to avenge his shock defeat to Max Schmelling. With World War looming the fight was to take on a significance well beyond the confines of sport. It was about race, it was about politics, it was about opposing world visions. It was democracy versus totalitarianism. But in the end it was just a contest between two men neither of whom wanted to be the fulcrum of such things but could do nothing about it.

From the first bell, a fully focused and grimly determined Louis forced Schmelling onto the ropes where in 2 minues and 4 seconds of sustained brilliance and controlled power-punching he pummelled Schmelling to defeat. As the German slumped unconscious onto the canvass it seemed to the world that light had triumphed over darkness. It was a defining moment, the moment when sport transcended the confines of its own existence and reached and spoke to the world beyond. It was a fight that in hindsight Schmelling would be glad he lost, though perhaps not in the manner in which it happened.

For the next decade the World Heavyweight Championship would be dominated by one man, Joe Louis, possibly the greatest champion of them all. He remained undefeated champion finally relinquishing his title on 1 March, 1949. A year after announcing his retirement he was back in the ring losing on points in his bid to regain his title to Ezzard Charles. He fought on however, and following a string of unconvincing victories, on 26 October, 1951, the ex-champion, a shadow of his former self, was knocked  unconscious from the ring by the man who would dominate the heavyweight division for the next decade, Rocky Marciano.

Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney were to become the unlikeliest of friends, but were to remain so for the rest of their lives. Both had successful careers outside of the ring. Jack Dempsey opened his famous restaurant in New York and became a successful boxing trainer. To disperse the rumours of draft-dodging that had for so long dogged him he enlisted in the U.S Coastguard and was present at the invasion of Okinawa. He died prosperous in his bed on 31 May, 1983, aged 87.

Jack Dempsey

Having made his money, Gene Tunney walked away from boxing. A few months later he married the wealthy socialite Polly Lauder. He was to go on to to make even more money outside of the ring as a successful businessman and director of several companies. When he died on 7 November, 1978, aged 81, he was very rich indeed.

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Gene Tunney

Jack Sharkey upon retirement opened a bar and supplemented his income as a boxing referee and by making personal appearances. He never aquired the great wealth or achieved the same level of fame as either Dempsey or Tunney, and is in many respects the forgotten Heavyweight Champion of the 1930’s. He died on 17 August, 1994, aged 91, just weeks after being inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame.

Jack Sharkey

Following his defeat to Joe Louis, Max Schmelling, once the hero of the Third Reich, was conscripted into the German parachute regiment. After fighting in the bloody Battle of Crete where so many paratroopers died it was decided not to risk such a German sporting icon to possible death or capture, and he was withdrawn from the front-line. After the war he became CEO and part-owner of Coca-Cola Germany. He and Joe Louis later became good friends and he would frequently return to America to visit him. In later years Max paid Joe Louis’s medical bills, and in 1981 he served as a pallbearer at his funeral, which he also partially paid for. He died in Hamburg on 31 January, 2005, aged 99.

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Max Schmelling

Primo Carnera was robbed of most of his earnings in the ring and not long after retirement was forced to make a comeback to make ends meet. It wasn’t a success. For a time he became a bit part actor in low-budget Hollywood movies before turning his hand to wrestling with modest success. He became an American citizen and started up a number of businesses but by this time the alcohol had taken hold. He died a pauper in his native Italy of liver failure on 26 October, 1967, aged 60.

Primo Carnera

Following his retirement from boxing Max Baer remained as playful and teasing as ever. He made a few Hollywood movies, as a boxer inevitably, and became a regular on light-entertainment shows. Always ready with a quick quip and never afraid to send himself up, everybody loved Maxi. Staying in Los Angeles to make some television commercials he phoned down to the front desk of his hotel to complain of chest pains. When the receptionist asked him if he required the services of the House Doctor, he replied, No, I need a People Doctor. Joking right up to the end, but he’d had a massive heart-attack. Not long after he passed away. Madcap Maxi was dead, aged just 50.

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Max Baer

Jimmy Braddock, The Cinderella Man, who had given hope to so many at a time when there seemed so little, retired soon after his loss to Joe Louis. Though in typical fashion he insisted upon one more fight so he could go out a winner. He served in the Pacific Theatre during the Second World War and rose to the rank of Lieutenant. Returning to the house he had bought in Bergen he started up a business supplying heavy equipment to the very docks where he had previously worked as a labourer. He then proceeded to devote the rest of his life to his wife and kids. The decent, hard-working family man he had always been

James J Braddock

Despite serving in World War II, and performing in recruitment campaigns that did not come easily to the shy and diffident Joe Louis, and personally donating the purses from 2 of his fights to the War Bonds Drive, he was pursued relentlessly by the Revenue Service for unpaid taxes for the rest of his life. It had prompted his original disastrous return to the ring and once he had retired for the second time he was never again in a position to pay what he owed, and it must have been difficult for a proud man to be reliant upon friends and the largesse of others. He also had to endure during the time of the civil rights movement and changing race relations the accusation of being an Uncle Tom. It was unfair and unwarranted. Louis, as the first black sporting icon, had carried the hopes and aspirations of his race on his shoulders merely by his achievements. To be in such a position at a time of strict segregation must have been difficult. Hs later life was blighted by drug and alcohol problems. He ended his life as a meeter and greeter at a Las Vegas Casino. This at least allowed him to live his last few years in comfort. He died on 12 April, 1981, and was buried with full military honours at Arlington National Cemetery.

Joe Louis – The Brown Bomber

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Chitradurga Fort

As you see, Jyothi Raja has become a favorite with the tourists, and their patronage has helped ease the poverty that had driven him away from his home and at one stage had driven him to commit suicide. He recounted his childhood days in a recent interview on Sun TV. Jyothi Raja wasn’t interested in leading a “normal” life like his friends, and it was frustrating for his mother to make him understand that his passion for climbing trees and every hill in the vicinity won’t feed hungry mouths at home. He couldn’t stick to the odd jobs he often landed into for his family. He ran away from home and finally reached Chitradurga. Life here too wasn’t easy without regular work, and one day, he quickly climbed the steep ramparts of the fort contemplating suicide. But when he went up, a group of people clapped and cheered from below. They had watched Raja climb up. Deterred by the crowd, Raja gave up temporarily the idea of leaping down.

One day, Raja was sitting in a desultory mood when his attention was caught by a group of monkeys that were climbing the steep rocks clinging on to every crevice and protrusions on the rock. Raja was mesmerized by this. From then on, he started watching every move of the monkeys very closely – how they flexed their bodies and balanced their weights while hanging on one hand. Soon rock climbing became a passion with him, and he developed his own style, absorbing every technique the monkeys used.

Raja has now made many fans for himself and he teaches free rock climbing techniques to young aspirants thronging to him. The moves are similar to Parkour, a new genre of sport that’s getting popular in many western countries. His mother is understandably proud of him.

Yes, with determination and hard work no height is unscalable.

The 2010 Vancouver Games could not have had a more unfortunate start. Just a few hours before the opening ceremony, Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed in a tragedy with which these Games might forever be associated. The 21-year-old Georgian luger died in a horrific training crash at the Whistler Sliding Center when his sled went off the track and struck a steel pole.

Although investigations concluded that it was the driver’s error that caused the death and not due to any track deficiencies, international luge officials decided to move the starting point of all luge events farther down the track, thereby, resulting in a 10 percent reduction in the maximum speed. In addition, the walls were raised at the exit of Curve 16, the last on the course, where Kumaritashvili lost control.

Canada Strikes First Olympic Gold At Home

Canada has never won an Olympic gold medal on home soil, having been shut out of golds in two previous Olympics—the 1976 Montreal Summer Games and the 1988 Calgary Winter Games.  The country is desperately waiting for someone to break the Olympic curse, to see who will finally climb to the top of the podium and to hear “O Canada” as the Maple Leaf flag rise during the medal ceremony. And they were not disappointed.

On Sunday night of Valentine’s Day, Alexandre Bilodeau, became the first ever Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal for the host nation in the men’s mogul competition. The 22-year-old from Quebec was instantly a household name across the nation and was hailed as “Alexandre the Great” in the headline of one of Vancouver’s daily newspaper. Canada Post and the Royal Canadian Mint promptly publicized plans to issue commemorative stamps and coins in his honor.

Canada ultimately landed on top of the medal standing with 14 golds, 7 silvers and 5 bronzes including the final gold in the men’s ice hockey competition where the Canadian team dealt a crushing blow to medal favorites Russia in the quarterfinals and the United States in the finals.

Chinese Pair Seals Golden Comeback

Shen Xue, 31, and Zhao Hongbo, 36, proved that the third time’s truly a charm. The married couple came out of two-year retirement to claim gold after winning bronzes at two previous Olympics. Despite being disadvantageously drawn first to skate in the pairs short program, the Chinese pair was able to set a world record score of 76.66 points, a 0.70 lead over of two-time world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany.

Shen and Zhao went on to earn the second highest score in the long program after committing a few minor errors in their Adagio in G minor routine—she tumbled onto his back during a lift—but it was sufficient to secure the gold.  Their score of 216.57 points was more than 3 points ahead of fellow teammates Pang Qing and Tong Jian with Germany’s Savchenko and Szolkowy dropping to bronze position due to flawed free skate. The victory of Chinese pair effectively ended Russian or Soviet dominance in the sport that began in 1964. Unexpectedly, the Russians are leaving without any medals in the event.

Ammann Creates Olympic History

Simon Ammann earned his place in Olympic record books by winning the large hill competition to claim his fourth individual gold medal. The 28-year-old Swiss ski jumper shrugged off complaints by an Austrian coach against his ski bindings to sweep golds in both the normal and large hill competition for the second time, eight years after double victories at 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

Ammann garnered the top score after soaring 144 meters on his first jump and nailing the landing on his second at 138 meters for a total of 283.6 points. With the triumph, Ammann became only the second ski jumper to win the normal and large hill events since Matti Ensio Nykänen of Finland did it at the 1988 Calgary Games. The international ski federation eventually rejected the protest over Ammann’s equipment bindings, which supposedly gave him an unfair aerodynamic advantage.

Ohno, the Most Decorated US Winter Olympian

At the tender age of 19, short track speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno made his Olympic debut at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, winning a gold and a silver in the 1,500 and 1,000 meters respectively.  He won three more medals at the Torino Olympics four years later—a gold in the 500 meter, and bronzes in the 1,000 meters and 5,000 meter relay.  In Vancouver, he clinched a silver in the 1,500 meters and a bronze in the 1,000 meter, first tying and then surpassing long track speed skater Bonnie Blair for the most Winter Olympic medals ever won by an American. Blair attained her six including five golds in three successive Olympics (1988, 1992 and 1994).  Ohno would subsequently add medal number eight, a bronze in the 5,000-meter relay. It could have been a record ninth medal in the 500 meter final, where he finished second but was disqualified after impeding Francois-Louis Tremblay of Canada around the final turn.

Kim Wins Gold; Rochette Wins Hearts and Bronze

During the ladies singles figure skating short program, 19-year old reigning World champion Kim Yuna (South Korea) rose to the occasion in her Olympic debut by setting a world record score of 78.5 points, which is almost five points ahead of her perennial rival, Mao Asada (Japan).  Though Joannie Rochette (Canada) could not match the brilliant leaps and spins of Kim and Asada, she embodied the true Olympic spirit, displaying true courage as she fought back tears—her mother died of heart attack two days earlier–to place third with a personal best score of 71.36 points.

Already one of the top earning Olympians, failure was not an option for the popular Korean sports superstar.  Her endorsements, most of which expire this year, may not be renewed if she fails to live up to expectations.  Known as “Queen Yuna” in her homeland, she reigned supreme with one of the greatest performances in figure skating history. Kim dazzled on ice without the slightest miscue, stumble or wobble, shattering her personal record for the long program with a score of 150.06 points and giving Asada a devastating loss by more than 23 points. And if it was any consolation, Asada did make history as the first woman to land two triple axels at the Olympics. Asada could have challenged Kim on those axels alone, but made a series of mistakes including singling a planned triple toe. 

However, the true inspiration of the competition was Joannie Rochette, who won hearts as she fulfilled her mother’s dream of her making the Olympic podium. Everyone had initially wondered whether she would even skate following her mother’s sudden death.  But she triumphantly battled through emotional pain, pulling herself together to skate a near-flawless program to earn the bronze, which was worth pure gold to all who watched on that memorable Thursday night.

It all began on January 6, 1994 when figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, who was highly favored to win the 1994 US Figure Skating Championships and America’s best bet for a medal at the 1994 Lillehammer Games, was whacked on the knees by a metal baton-wielding assailant following a practice session. The event quickly developed into a scandal of Olympic proportion when authorities traced the attack to Jeff Gillooly, ex-husband of Kerrigan’s closest rival, Tonya Harding.  Harding, who went on to win the US championship in Kerrigan’s absence, denied any active role in the plot despite suspicions. Although actions were initiated to remove her from the US team, Harding retained her place after threatening a $25 million lawsuit.

The Tonya and Nancy saga would continue through to the Olympic Games as Kerrigan recover just in time to compete, garnering the highest television ratings in Olympic history. Kerrigan went on to win the silver medal, missing the gold to Ukraine’s Oksana Baiul by the slimmest of margins, while Harding performed relatively poorly finishing in eighth place. Harding eventually confessed that she knew of the attack after the fact but failed to come forward, and was subsequently banned for life from international competition.

Jiminy Tickets (1988 Calgary)

A ticket scandal broke out in Calgary in 1988 when it was discovered that James McGregor, ticket manager of World Tickets, was charging American ticket buyers of Olympic passes at face value (listed in Canadian Dollars) in US Dollars and then pocketing the difference in the exchange rate against the lower-valued Canadian Dollars.  “Jiminy Tickets,” as he came to be identified, was found guilty of theft, fraud and mischief; and ultimately sentenced to five years in prison. With this scandal in mind, organizers of the 2010 Vancouver Games vowed to scrutinize their ticket distribution process.

Skategate (2002 Salt Lake City)

Placing first and second after the pairs figure skating short program, Russians Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, and Canadians Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, needed clean long programs to take the gold. However, a controversial decision would extend Russian dominance in Olympic pairs figure skating that began in 1964. Despite stumbles in their double axels, Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze were awarded higher scores and the title by five of the nine judges ahead of Salé and Pelletier, who skated a flawless program though with less complex choreography.

In the days following the event, cries of foul play erupted as the shocking story of vote trading emerged. French judge Marie Reigne La Gougne was immediately suspended, having confessed that she had succumbed to pressure to vote for the Russians in exchange for Russian votes for the French team in the ice dancing competition. The conspiracy forced the International Skating Union to implement an entirely new and more objective judging system that will somehow prevent such a disgrace for happening again. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) eventually decided to hold a new medal ceremony declaring both the Canadians and the Russians as gold medal winners.

One Team Too Many (1948 St. Moritz)

The ice hockey tournament was in danger of being cancelled before the 1948 Games even began when two rival teams representing the United States showed up. The IOC initially ruled that neither the Amateur Hockey Association (AHA) nor the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) teams could compete. The International Ice Hockey Federation (LIHG) was so enraged by the controversy that they threatened to boycott the Olympics, effectively ending the event altogether. The Swiss Olympic Committee, dreading this possibility, overruled IOC’s decision by allowing AHA team to take the ice but the results of their games would not count. The AAU team, on the other hand, were permitted to march in the opening ceremonies as consolation.

The Killympics (1968 Grenoble)

Image source

Debonair French superstar Jean-Claude Killy so dominated the Olympics in his home country that the 1968 Games became known as the “Killympics” but not without what IOC bills as the “greatest controversy in the history of the Winter Olympics.”

Killy won the downhill and giant slalom with relative ease, but experienced some anxious moments in his final race, a slalom run held in poor visibility due to thick fog. He snatched his third gold when two of this rivals with better times were disqualified for missing gates, becoming the second man in Olympic history to sweep the three alpine skiing events contested at the time.

With all the attention on the winter Olympics, I thought it was time to introduce a new winter sport.  It’s a little event my brothers and I invented years ago, when I was 14 years old, and they were 11 and 10.  It combines the balance of ice skating, the speed and grace of water skiing, and the abject fear of being in the midst of stampeding horses.  How can it not be a hit?

                                 
In truth, we didn’t set out to invent a new sport.  It was one of those fortunate accidents that result in something new and exciting being born.  Our family used to board horses on a 200 acre farm in mid-Michigan.  The property was adjacent to a medium-sized all-sports lake.  There was a gate at the edge of the property bordering the lake, through which hikers, riders, and the occasional snowmobiler could pass through to cross our property.  In those days people were generally friendly and trusting.

Unfortunately, somebody left that gate open one February day, and about 20 horses escaped.  Ordinarily, our horses would avoid any potentially scary obstacles like snakes, mailboxes, and huge frozen bodies of water.  For some reason though, on this day, they decided that wandering out onto the middle of the ice would be fun. Maybe they were planning an impromptu game of hockey.

A neighbor of ours who lived on the lake called us up. “Are you missing any horses?” he asked.

“Not that we know of. Why?” asked my mother.
“Because theres a herd of them out on the lake.  The ice fishermen are complaining ’cause they’re scaring the fish.  I think the real problem is that they’re scaring the fishermen.”

My mom sent me and my two brothers out to bring them back.  We took along a little grain.  Most horses are suckers for grain, and we didn’t want to try to chase the horses around on ice.  Sure enough, we had no problem whatsoever, the horses crowded around us as soon as they recognized what we had.  Each of my brothers took one horse by the halter, and I – fancying myself a fearless cowboy, took two, one in each hand.  We knew that if we walked the lead horses home, the rest would follow.

We started for home, and everything was going according to plan.  My brothers led the way with their two horses in hand.  I followed with two more.  The other 16 horses moseyed along behind us.  Then we heard the first crack.  Every horse jerked it’s head up, pricked up it’s ears, and picked up it’s pace.  We had to step pretty quickly to keep from being pulled right off our feet.

Then we heard a second, louder crack.  I believe these were just surface cracks, affecting only the top layer of ice, but I couldn’t convince the horses.  They were sure we were all about to die a horrible death in freezing water, and they weren’t about to wait around for it to happen.  Whatever nervousness the fishermen had felt about the horses before was nothing compared to the their reaction next. A thundering herd of 20 horses came galloping, slipping, and sliding through their cluster of ice shanties and tip-ups.

My brothers both lost their footing.  For a few moments they hung on, and were dragged along dangerously under the horses pounding hooves.  Fortunately they had the good sense to let go, and both escaped without being trampled.  I, on the other hand, had the advantage of balancing my weight between two horses, and still entertained the foolish notion that I could bring the horses under some semblance of control.  I tried to utilize the Fred Flintstone system of braking, and then reflected on the fact that Fred never had to stop the Flintsonemobile on ice.

I was holding on for dear life as the horses I was leading – make that the horses that were leading me – shot through the ice shanties and scattered fishermen in every direction.  I was terrified, but still had several thoughts flash through my mind.  First was how funny the situation would have looked if viewed by non-participants.  Second, that if I hadn’t been so scared, this method of ice skiing would have been a blast.  Third, I prayed that no fish would choose an inopportune moment to strike one of the tip-ups – that being one of the 3 or 4 times the horses shot by them, one on either side and me gliding across them a-straddle.  Thankfully, that didn’t happen.

So, using this experience to lay out the rules of the new sport of horse-drawn ice skiing, I’ve come up with the following suggestions.  Simulating the scattering fishermen, the judges and referees have to start in a loose gathering at the beginning of the competition, amid a series of shanties and tip-ups.  In the judged event, each competitor must drag under and / or behind one horse (randomly drawn from a herd).  They are judged on skill, style, artistic interpretation, and their ability to avoid the flying hooves.  The longer the contestant hangs on to his horse, the more points he can accumulate.

The second part of the competition consists of a race to the finish gate.  In this part, each competitor hangs on to 2 horses, also drawn randomly.  The goal is to stay afoot for 100 yards while weaving through obstacles.  An athletic cup is mandatory for the tip-ups, which are programmed to trigger at random intervals.  Having 20 horses funnel through a gate that only allows 1 or 2 through at a time adds another dimension of danger and excitement to the contest.  In the original experience, the gate was on land, but in my design for the race it is erected on ice.  If people want to see competitors dragged on land, they can watch a wild horse race.
Image Credit: Stock Exchange
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Only 12% of these people said that they would consider hurting someone if they were in the street wearing an opposition shirt, and only 1% said that they would injure them if they didn’t know which team they supported.

Another part of the study, where a man wearing a football shirt had to pretend to fall over in front of a Manchester United supporter, found that in almost 100% of cases, if they were wearing the shirt of the team supported by the onlooker they would help them, but if they were wearing a shirt belonging to a rival team, they would not.

This stunning research helps to explain football violence, and football related violence in everyday life.

Would you help somebody, even if they supported another team to you?

The FMG stands for folding machine gun. What this is is basically a semi-automatic handgun (in the video below the MAGPUL representative uses a Glock) that is encased in a rectangular case about the size of a large book. This collapsible case can fit in the back of your pocket, and a small flashlight can be attached to the top of the case so it appears as if you’re just carrying a flashlight with one of those big battery packs attached. This FMG is a weapon for concealment that would draw little if any attention from anyone who happened to see the thing, that is until you swiftly unfolded it. But even then, it might not appear to be a firearm except maybe by someone who is familiar with guns and/or trained to spot them. Even though the MAGPUL FMG is technically a handgun, for handling purposes it looks as if you’d use it more like a mini-submachine gun, think Mac 10 or Mini Uzi.

As of 2008, MAGPUL was not selling their FMG, and I couldn’t find it on their Web pages. Perhaps it will be available in the future. However the Web site FullAutoClassics.comis purporting to sell a folding machine gun marketed as the UC-M21 (to my knowledge not affiliated with MAGPUL) available in 9mm, taking Uzi magazines and comes in full auto.

Interestingly enough, the Magpul FMG isn’t the first such device ever created, though it is the most recent one. Gun manufacturer ARES created one back in the early 1980s, though it was not a handgun, but more of a true mini-submachine gun, and was never sold on the market. And, of course, there’s the UC-M21 mentioned above.

Coilguns

Technically, coilguns aren’t firearms. There’s no fire. Without getting into a bunch of science, it’s difficult to explain how a coilgun works, but basically it’s a projectile weapon (often similar in shape and size to a handgun or small rifle) in which coils of electromagnets are used to launch a magnetic projectile.

Apparently no one has perfected a coilgun as of yet, so they’re not very common nor popular. To my knowledge, after much research, no company professionally manufacturers coilguns. Instead, most coilguns are created by hobbyists, those with a love of coilguns. If you’d like to know more, and to see a whole bunch of different designs for coilguns, check out the World’s Coilgun Arsenal.

The video below shows a weak coilgun at work and gives a little detail on how the device operates.

Miniature ring pinfire revolver

This one is an antique apparently built in London back about 1870. It’s literally a ring you wear on your finger, and it’s a miniature revolver with sevenshots. Built for the ladies, this weapon was dubbed the “Femme Fatale.” It fires .06 caliber pinfire projectiles. Comes with its own, engraved case. To be honest, I’m not sure I’d feel safe firing this thing off, especially seven times. I’d be afraid my hand would blow up. And considering this thing would have a relative distance of only … oh, a foot! … I think I’d just stick with a trusty knife if I needed a weapon at such a close range.

Neostad shotgun

Look at the image below. At first glance, it looks like a short semi-auto rifle or maybe even a paintball gun. It’s not. It’s a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun meant for law enforcement and military applications and not for sporting. Made by the Truvelo Armorycompany out of South Africa, this shotgun sports dual top mounted magazine feeds. That’s right, those big round things atop the barrel (where the pump grips can be seen) are actually removable magazines. Looks awesome, too, in my opinion.

Gyrojet weapons

A gyrojet firearms are simple to describe. They fire a miniature rocket instead of a traditional bullet. Because of the high spin rate of the projectile and the lack of recoil, modern gyrojet weapons are supposedly quite accurate.

An organization known as MB Associates originally began to develop gyrojet pistols and rifles in the 1960s, and eventually a few of these firearms were placed on the market and even tested by United States military. Probably the best known of these early gryojets was an MB Associates pistol called the Mark 1 model B, which fired a 13mm rocket projectile. As pictures below will show, there were even carbine versions made. Unfortunately the weapons never caught on for a variety of reasons, including a lack of accuracy and firepower in these early gyrojet projectiles.

Still, today, there are manufacturers and hobbyists looking at the potential of gryojet weapons. One of these modern projects can be found online as The “Deathwind” Project.

Palm Pistol

The modern Palm Pistol isn’t available for sale just yet, but Constitution Arms is gearing up to place this interesting little weapon on the market.

And what exactly is a Palm Pistol? It appears to be a single-shot firearm you trigger by pushing a button on top with your thumb. See the images below for a better idea.

This would seem to be a concealed-carry weapon, and/or perhaps a last-defense weapon.

Also, while this particular Palm Pistol is quite modern looking, the basic idea of a roundish one-shot firearm that can fit in the palm of your hand is an old idea going back at least as far as the mid-1800s. Still, the new Palm Pistol appears interesting and to be a major improvement over older, similar weapons.

The following image is of an old palm-like pistol from the 1800s. This particular version was made in France.

TKB-022

Looking like something out of an old Flash Gordon movie, the TKB-022 was an experimental Soviet assault rifle back in the 1960s. It fired a 7.62 mm round and its housing was a hard plastic, unusual for the times.

The Soviet military tested various versions of this rifle for several years, but eventually passed on the design. Why? Who knows? Perhaps the weapon was just too unusual looking for the Soviet brass. Or maybe it was because the traditional Soviet weapon of choice, the AK-47, was just too good a weapon to let drop. The answer probably lies in some secret Russian files somewhere.

COP .357 Derringer

This handgun is a four-shot derringer chambered for .357 magnums, which means it should also be able to fire .38 rounds. Manufactured by COP Inc., which no longer exists, this firearm was meant to be a concealed carry gun no bigger than many of those cheap .25 semi-autos you can find in most pawn shops.

Besides its looks, what makes this derringer unusual? For one thing, it had a floating firing pin. As you can tell in the image below, the COP has four chambers. You load each one separately. Then as you pull the trigger, the firing pin moves internally so it is over each chamber before firing. This handgun was also double action, which didn’t give it a very easy trigger pull.

Unfortunately for gun lovers, the COP is no longer being manufactured, so it’s not easy to find one. Still, every once in a while one will pop up at a gun show or online.

Borchardt C-93

Before the famous Luger, there was the Borchardt C-93. For all its impracticalities, this ungainly-looking sidearm was actually the first semi-automatic pistol marketed in Europe and one of the first semi-auto pistols made in any numbers throughout the world in the 1890s.

Chambered for a 7.65X25mm Borchardt cartridge, this handgun had massive recoil and just wasn’t very easy to use. All that bulk also added to difficulties of handling and storing, even simply holstering.

However, without the Borchardt there might never have been the Luger or the Mauser pistol. George Luger made a study of the Borchardt, improved upon it drastically and came up with the now famous Luger pistol. As for the Borchardt and the Mauser, the 7.65X25mm Borchardt cartridge played a big influence on the Mauser C96 pistol which fired a 7.65X25mm Mauser cartridge.

Jarre Harmonica Pistol

This oddity can bring a hefty collection at auction houses nowadays, usually at least $10,000 if the gun is in decent condition. Originally this handgun was built in the 1800s in the hopes of being one of the first multi-round weapons. It was, but it’s obvious just looking at the gun that it wasn’t very practical. The revolver stood out. Thank Sam Colt. The Jarre wasn’t the only harmonica pistol of its day, but it’s probably the best-known. It fired .38 rounds.

Related links

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You’ve just finished a tough workout and it’s time to let your muscles – and your body recover. If you worked hard, you burned through your muscle glycogen stores, broke down fat and even some muscle if you exercised for a prolonged period of time. Not only that – you also lost critical electrolytes such as sodium, chloride, and potassium. To recover, some people reach for a sports drink to replenish those all important carbs, protein, and electrolytes. But are these expensive drinks the best choice when it comes to a sports recovery drink? You may be surprised at the answer.

After working out, hold off on the fancy sports drinks and reach for a glass of chocolate milk instead. A study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism showed that chocolate milk was as effective as sports recovery drinks like Gatorade for replenishing fuel stores and replacing electrolytes after exercise. They tested this on cyclists by giving them either a sports recovery drink, Gatorade, or low-fat chocolate milk after they had cycled for four hours. When they did a second round of cycling, the group that drank the low-fat chocolate milk was able to bike fifty percent longer than those who drank the sports recovery drink – and about the same amount of time as those who drank Gatorade.

There are lots of advantages to using low-fat chocolate milk as an exercise recovery drink. Not only does it have a carbohydrate-protein ratio that rivals that of sports recovery drinks, but it’s also a good source of calcium that many people don’t get enough of. Chocolate is also a good source of flavonoids – natural antioxidant compounds that help repair the free radical damage that occurs with high intensity or prolonged exercise. On top of that, it also contains vitamin D – which up to seventy-five percent of Americans are deficient in. Chocolate milk is also much less expensive than most sports recovery drinks which is a big help if you’re on a budget.

The only real drawback to using low-fat chocolate milk as an exercise recovery drink is the lactose it contains. Many people have problems digesting the lactose found in milk. When lactose isn’t broken down properly, intestinal bacteria have a field day with it which causes bloating, cramping, and diarrhea – symptoms most people can live without. If you have problems digesting lactose, look for lactose free chocolate milk which is now available at many grocery stores.

The bottom line? Skip the expensive sports recovery drinks and sip on low-fat chocolate milk after you exercise. It tastes good – and it’s even better for you after a tough workout.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Over the course of a few days, Mark made several admissions to his steroid use. He said he first used steroids between the 1989 and 1990 seasons, after helping the Oakland Athletics to a World Series win, when he and Jose Canseco formed the Bash Brothers.

“I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989-1990 offseason and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again,” McGwire said in his statement.

He further added. “I used them on occasion throughout the ’90s, including during the 1998 season.”

When asked why he started using performance enhancing supplements, Mark was quick to point out that he had no intention of cheating. “I did this for health purposes. There’s no way I did this for any type of strength use.”

He further added, “I did it to heal nagging injuries.”

Mark reminded everyone of how he began to deteriorate physically in the 1990’s.

“During the mid-’90s, I went on the disabled list seven times and missed 228 games over five years,” McGwire said. “I experienced a lot of injuries, including a ribcage strain, a torn left heel muscle, a stress fracture of the left heel, and a torn right heel muscle. It was definitely a miserable bunch of years, and I told myself that steroids could help me recover faster. I thought they would help me heal and prevent injuries, too.”

Mark even posed the possibility that steroid use could have actually contributed to the injuries that forced him to retire at age thirty-eight in 2001.

Most experts are giving Mark credit for finally coming clean. The consensus is that Mark has always been a very likable, genuine, and caring guy. It has only been the black cloud of steroid use that has shed darkness over his career and integrity.

However, most are giving pause when they hear his replies about what steroids did for him. Several reporters, including Bob Costas, asked Mark point blank if he felt the supplements improved his game or helped him hit more homeruns. He did not hesitate in claiming that the steroids did not help him at all, and that he did not need supplements.

He insisted, “I was given a gift to hit home runs”.

When Costas pushed on and asked if he still would have broken the record without the use of steroids, Mark replied “I truly believe so.”

In support of Mark, Ralph Houk, who was Roger Maris manager with the Yankees in 1961, when he broke the then single season home run record of 60 held by Babe Ruth, recently lent ESPN his thoughts on the whole Mark McGwire / steroid controversy. He said that he did not think the legitimacy of McGwire’s home run totals is changed by his admission of using performance-enhancing drugs and that the effects of such drugs — whether pills (amphetamines) taken in the 1960s or steroids in later years — are questionable.

            If Mark is being one-hundred percent honest about what he thinks steroids did or did not do for his performance, then he is being a bit naïve. Although no one can really quantify exactly how much steroids help athletes, especially baseball players, they for sure increase strength, quickness and endurance. This is why they are referred to as performance enhancing drugs.

Mark’s justification for using PED’s and what he truly believes they did for him is almost irrelevant at this point. The real question is, what prompted Mark to come clean after all this time, and why did he pass up the opportunity to admit his steroid use during the 2005 Senate Hearing on steroid use in baseball?

For starters, Mark has been hired as the new hitting coach for his former team the St. Louis Cardinals. He realized his reentrance into professional baseball would leave him wide open for a daily barrage of questions about his supposed steroid use that would not stop until he told the truth. He knew he would be a distraction to the team and organization. He did not want that to happen.

Next, he claimed that he had to wait until the statute of limitations expired from his 2005 senate hearing. Prior to those hearings his lawyers requested immunity for Mark, but were denied. Therefore, he did not want to put himself at risk of being charged with a crime. As he stated, “I wanted to protect my family and myself.”

Photo courtesy of Associated Press

Since 2005, Mark has also been dying to clear his conscience. He describes the days of the senate hearing as, “the worst forty-eight hours of my life.” He seemed sincere and broke down several times in describing how difficult it has been to live with the guilt of not being able to talk. He needed the timing and opportunity to be right, and this was it.

These are all legitimate reasons to justify the why and when of Mark’s decision to bear his soul. However, let’s be honest here. What this is really all about is Marks legacy and the Baseball Hall of Fame. As much as Mark wants to regain the respect he once had in the world of baseball, what he really wants is his integrity restored and a ticket into the Hall of Fame.

This is very apparent in the amount of time and energy Mark has spent on justifying and explaining why he decided to take steroids, and what he truly believes they did for him. In a nutshell he claims: the only reason he took steroids was to heal and avoid injuries; he had no intention of cheating or gaining artificial strength; steroids did not help him hit homeruns and break the homerun record; steroids could have possibly caused his body to break down.

The point he is trying to make, in very subtle way, is that his statistics are legitimate and he deserves to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Unfortunately, his underlying plea is not working. As most baseball historians, writers, experts are still claiming Mark should still never be voted into the hall of fame. This is where the controversy and hypocrisy continues, because the sad truth is, Mark shouldn’t have to try to explain away what he did, and the baseball experts, writers and historians are wrong for continuing to deny his legacy and possible entrance into the hall.

As stated in my previous article, (Steroids, Spitballs & Greenies: A Baseball Hypocrisy), this whole Hall of Fame banishment is bull, and there are several reasons why.

First off, no one can possibly quantify statistically the positive effects that steroids have on a baseball player’s performance. Any attempt to throw out numbers shear conjecture. No such test has ever been conducted to prove exactly what these substances amount to on the field.

Mark was quick to point out that he had great seasons while not using steroids. The greatest support of this in Mark’s case is his rookie season, when he hit forty-nine homeruns, without taking PED’s.

He even had some horrible campaigns while on them, including the seasons late in his career when his body began to break down, possibly from the negative side effects of taking steroids. Some of these negative side effects, which no one seems to talk about, are torn muscles and ruptured tendons, all of which can easily decrease a player’s performance and ultimately end their career.

Second, the decade of the nineties can easily be regarded as the steroid era. Besides all of the big stars who are linked to steroid use like McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and now Alex Rodriguez, there were undoubtedly numerous other players who were juicing up as well.

Who is to say there weren’t pitchers on steroids who either gained an advantage over those not on the stuff, or leveled the playing field for hitters on it? What about fielders who chased down balls they probably wouldn’t have been able to get to, or made miraculous throws that they may not have been able to make without PED’s?

The bottom line is we have no way of knowing how many other players were also taking steroids, but we know for sure there were probably hundreds at least.  This has been proven by the 2003 baseball investigation that yielded a list of one-hundred and four players that admitted they used steroids, which is for sure only the tip of the iceberg. So, to say only the famous players had the advantage is ridiculous. By the time 1998 season rolled around, steroids had been around for a long time and the number of players on it was probably pretty high. Therefore the playing field was probably pretty even.

Third, up until 2002, steroids were not a banned substance in baseball. So, technically taking them was not illegal in the eyes of the baseball world. So, did players who took PED’s actually cheat? No, they did not. It may have been immoral, and gone against the competitive spirit of the game, but it was not against the rules. Anyone who gets caught taking them now is for sure cheating, but according to the baseball rulebook not before 2002. Only baseball is to blame for this. Steroids have been around for a very long time, and the higher ups in baseball had to know about it, but they did nothing. When they are looking for someone to blame, they should look in the mirror and ask themselves, why they waited so long.

Lastly, and most importantly, which is where the real hypocrisy lies, if you condemn users of steroids as cheaters then you have to condemn every player who ever cheated, in any way shape or form, including throwing doctored baseballs or taking amphetamines, which are now labeled as a performance enhancing drugs. There are hall of fame players who openly admit to these dastardly deeds, but most experts, the same ones who condemn the steroid users, turn the other cheek. Why? This is flat out hypocritical.

Hall of Fame pitcher, Gaylord Perry, with his 314 victories, 3,534 strikeouts and two Cy Young Awards, is not primarily regarded as one of the greatest pitchers of all time, like his numbers and achievements would indicate. Instead, he is regarded as the greatest spitballer in the history of baseball. This openly admitted cheater received a one way ticket to the hall of fame and no one seems to care. What makes it worse is that doctoring a baseball has been illegal since the baseball rulebook was written. How much more of a cheater can you be? Why isn’t anyone petitioning to throw him out of the hall of fame? After all, he cheated.

Amphetamines are on now the list of banned substances in the baseball rulebook. Greenies, as they are referred to, are regarded as performance enhancing drugs. Any player who is caught taking them now will be punished with a long suspension, as mandated by the commissioner of baseball. They will also be deemed a cheater, and rightly so. So, what is the difference between taking them now and taking them in the 1960’s or 1970’s?

Just like players who took steroids before they were made illegal are condemned, so should players who took amphetamines before they were deemed illegal. That just makes sense. Because, if we are saying that the use of steroids, even before they were made illegal, is cheating, then players who took amphetamines before they were made illegal cheated too.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. Hall of famer Mike Schmidt, arguably the greatest third basemen to ever play the game, with his 548 homeruns and 1,595 runs batted in, openly admitted to taking amphetamines throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s. Yet no one, not even the experts who are condemning the steroid users, are claiming foul. This is downright disturbing.

Schmidt not only admitted to using them, he flat out said that they gave players a boost and jolt in energy helping to enhance their performance. Besides that he admitted that greenies were readily available and lots of players used them. Yet, no one is on the war path to kick Schmidt out of the Hall of Fame, or to identify any other Hall of Famers who used them. Why not? These guys cheated didn’t they?

In this scenario, what most baseball writers, experts and historians are telling us, is this. Anyone who takes steroids (a performance enhancing drug) regardless of when (even before they were banned) is a cheater. Therefore, any player who was caught or admitted to using them should suffer the consequences like having asterisks put next to their records or be banned from the hall of fame. 

However, anyone who took amphetamines (another proven performance enhancing drug) prior to 2002 when they were banned from baseball as an illegal substance, is not a cheater. However, anyone who takes them now is.  

If this is not a living breathing hypocrisy, nothing is.

In the end, here is what we are left with.

1.      Yes, steroids are performance enhancing drugs that can possibly increase muscle mass, strength, speed and endurance. However, there is no possible way to quantify what the use of these drugs can do on the baseball field. They also can cause the body to break down quicker than usual, with torn muscles and ruptured tendons. So, the positives can very well be balanced out by the negatives.

2.      The 1990’s was no doubt the steroid era. Besides all of famous baseball players who have admitted to using or have been linked to using them, there were undoubtedly hundreds of others doing the same thing. Therefore the playing field could be regarded as even; the steroid pitcher vs. the steroid hitter.

3.      Up until 2002, steroids were not illegal in the eyes of baseball. Steroid users were probably gaining an advantage, but in the eyes of the game there were not cheating.

4.      Cheating is cheating, whether it’s throwing spitballs or taking performance enhancing drugs. If a heavy punishment is levied on steroid users, then it needs to be the same for other players who cheated in other ways, like pitchers who doctored the baseball. But, it isn’t.

5.      Amphetamines, which are now on the banned substance list due to being a performance enhancing drug, were used openly by hundreds of players throughout the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s. Mike Schmidt openly admitted this. Yet, no one is holding this against him or questioning whether or not he is a bonafide hall of famer.

This whole situation just does not pass the common sense test and stinks of hypocrisy.

There is no crying in baseball. And there should be no hypocrisies either.  Let the records stand. Give credit to players who put up big numbers regardless of when and how. Put the players in the hall who have the statistics warrant it, and let’s move on. Enough is enough.