The IOC had a message on Tuesday for Marion Jones' relay mates on the medal winning 4 x 400 and 4 x 100 relay teams: turn 'em in.
The fallout continues...it looks like the IOC will ask for the medals back from her teammates---the thinking being, if one medal is tainted, then they all are.
I have a problem with that.
It's a little something called "due process." Her fellow relayers aren't getting that. One of the people that ran with Marion is a university administrator and is mad as blazes.
There are innocent victims of Marion's lying. By all accounts, they ran clean. It isn't fair to them that they are presumed guilty, all because one person decided that they could bend the rules, and thinking she could get away with it.
Everyone wants heads to roll. But we're all forgetting one thing: there ARE athletes who compete clean, who have trained for years for this one moment, and now are caught in a situation they had no knowledge or control over. Shouldn't their rights be preserved? Not everyone is tainted, but according to the USOC and IOC, they all are if they ran with Marion.
Let's step back, take a deep breath, and do this the right way. The aftermath could be a lot more damaging in years to come versus one dirty athlete who thought the rules didn't apply to her.
I am not defending Marion or what she did. But the USA's reputation in international athletics is on the line here, and that will still be around, many years after Marion is long gone on the scene.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
USOC to Marion Jones: we got the medals, now we want the money
According to a report in Around the Rings, an attorney for Marion Jones voluntarily surrendered the medals to a United States Olympic Committee representative in Austin, Texas (where Marion lives.) Next up according to various sources: going after the $100,000 in bonus money that was paid.
My message to the USOC: good luck trying to get it.
By her own admission, she is broke, with less than $2000 in the bank. It's going to be a tough go. I used to do collections myself for seven years for MasterCard and Visa years ago. I saw some pretty weird things in the credit business. Many times, I would hear "you can't get blood from a turnip", which many times, followed a letter from an attorney saying my debtor had filed bankruptcy.
The IOC, in a statement to me said: "This is a sad day for sport. The only good that can be drawn from (today's) revelations is that her decision to finally admit the truth will play we hope, a key part in breaking the back of the Balco affair. The IOC has since 2004 wanted to ascertain the extent to which the case has had an impact on the Olympic Games. Our disciplinary commission, which has been working on this file over the past years, will now glean now what it can from her comments, and work with the IAAF and the USOC on how to finally get to the bottom of this sorry case."
What Marion did was wrong, no doubt about it. But for her to turn the equivalent of "state's evidence" and roll on other athletes is going to take a huge amount of "give" from the USOC and IOC. Marion can be a valuable resource, especially in terms of what she knows about Balco. But it's not going to happen unless she's offered a deal.
I am not saying she should escape punishment. But the value of what she knows is far greater than $100,000 and she's going to want something out of this before she talks.
Deal...or no deal?
My message to the USOC: good luck trying to get it.
By her own admission, she is broke, with less than $2000 in the bank. It's going to be a tough go. I used to do collections myself for seven years for MasterCard and Visa years ago. I saw some pretty weird things in the credit business. Many times, I would hear "you can't get blood from a turnip", which many times, followed a letter from an attorney saying my debtor had filed bankruptcy.
The IOC, in a statement to me said: "This is a sad day for sport. The only good that can be drawn from (today's) revelations is that her decision to finally admit the truth will play we hope, a key part in breaking the back of the Balco affair. The IOC has since 2004 wanted to ascertain the extent to which the case has had an impact on the Olympic Games. Our disciplinary commission, which has been working on this file over the past years, will now glean now what it can from her comments, and work with the IAAF and the USOC on how to finally get to the bottom of this sorry case."
What Marion did was wrong, no doubt about it. But for her to turn the equivalent of "state's evidence" and roll on other athletes is going to take a huge amount of "give" from the USOC and IOC. Marion can be a valuable resource, especially in terms of what she knows about Balco. But it's not going to happen unless she's offered a deal.
I am not saying she should escape punishment. But the value of what she knows is far greater than $100,000 and she's going to want something out of this before she talks.
Deal...or no deal?
Friday, October 5, 2007
Friday's Random Thoughts
The end of another week. Hope yours was as productive as mine was. AND, finally, some much needed rain!
Hockey season has resumed---go Thrashers and Red Wings.
Since the Braves are out of the playoffs, I'm pulling for the Phillies to go all the way and win the World Series.
Another passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight was told to change his clothing or get off the plane. The guy was wearing a t-shirt that said "Master Baiter." What is the problem with Southwest? Especially after it's president emailed employees a SECOND time reminding them they don't have a passenger dress code. Go fish.
Just what was it with people this week (both in-person and on line.) Did the Cranky Gene Store suddenly have a major expansion? As the Queen would say, I am not amused.(Nor am I impressed.)
Greetings to the CANADIANS who are reading me---thanks for the support! It's much appreciated!
The Simply Vera Vera Wang clothes that are at Kohl's---I'm getting some! My favorite is the purple skirt that is featured in the November issue of Glamour.
I am saving time (and frayed nerves!) by doing all my Christmas shopping on-line this year. To heck with the malls.
We're back on Monday! Have a great weekend.
Hockey season has resumed---go Thrashers and Red Wings.
Since the Braves are out of the playoffs, I'm pulling for the Phillies to go all the way and win the World Series.
Another passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight was told to change his clothing or get off the plane. The guy was wearing a t-shirt that said "Master Baiter." What is the problem with Southwest? Especially after it's president emailed employees a SECOND time reminding them they don't have a passenger dress code. Go fish.
Just what was it with people this week (both in-person and on line.) Did the Cranky Gene Store suddenly have a major expansion? As the Queen would say, I am not amused.(Nor am I impressed.)
Greetings to the CANADIANS who are reading me---thanks for the support! It's much appreciated!
The Simply Vera Vera Wang clothes that are at Kohl's---I'm getting some! My favorite is the purple skirt that is featured in the November issue of Glamour.
I am saving time (and frayed nerves!) by doing all my Christmas shopping on-line this year. To heck with the malls.
We're back on Monday! Have a great weekend.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Marion Jones: What Happened?
I'm speechless.
Never in a million years did I think she was involved.
Now she stands to lose 5 medals she won in Sydney.
If you've seen the news today, there's a good chance you heard Marion Jones admit to using performance enhancing steriods and lying to a federal grand jury. She stands to get up to one year in jail on the charges stemming from the Feds.
In the 7 years since I have been commenting on various issues regarding the IOC and the Olympics, never did I hear anything that would implicate Marion even getting near doping. I heard plenty about the ex-husband. Marion was the last person I would have suspected of such a thing.
What should be her punishment? Certainly the Feds will have something to say and I am sure some kind of jail time is in her future. As to the medals, she should do the right thing and voluntarily surrender them to the IOC so they can be awarded to the second-place finisher in Marion's events.
I wonder how many other "squeaky clean" Olympic athletes are hiding deep dark doping demons from the world.
Why, Marion, why?
Never in a million years did I think she was involved.
Now she stands to lose 5 medals she won in Sydney.
If you've seen the news today, there's a good chance you heard Marion Jones admit to using performance enhancing steriods and lying to a federal grand jury. She stands to get up to one year in jail on the charges stemming from the Feds.
In the 7 years since I have been commenting on various issues regarding the IOC and the Olympics, never did I hear anything that would implicate Marion even getting near doping. I heard plenty about the ex-husband. Marion was the last person I would have suspected of such a thing.
What should be her punishment? Certainly the Feds will have something to say and I am sure some kind of jail time is in her future. As to the medals, she should do the right thing and voluntarily surrender them to the IOC so they can be awarded to the second-place finisher in Marion's events.
I wonder how many other "squeaky clean" Olympic athletes are hiding deep dark doping demons from the world.
Why, Marion, why?
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Romney Redux---and why you don't want him to be your next President
Mitt Romney scares me. Really, he does. I grew up in Michigan, where his dad George, had several successful terms as governor of Michigan and sadly, his political career went down in flames when he made the infamous "brainwashing" comment on the Lou Gordon Show (local Detroit talk show in the 1960s.) His Mormom religion didn't even enter into his politics and it wasn't until I was an adult, did I know he practiced that religion, as his policies were devoid of any faith-based initiatives, that are so common in today's politicians.
Sadly, his son doesn't share the same values. His term as the head of the Salt Lake Organising Committee and it's subsequent scandals put a black mark on what could have been a great Winter Games. In my dealings, with SLOC, I said to my Aunt one day: "never again!"
I guess it was SLOC's legacy of discrimination that turned me off. One of their personnel representatives said to me that she "couldn't understand why I hadn't had an offer for a job interview" despite my application being looked at over 30 times. They said it was because I "didn't have a local Salt Lake City address." Never mind that I offered to pay for my accomodation and transportation to the interview myself---there would be no out-of-pocket expense to SLOC. No deal, they said. Didn't matter to them that I had x number of years experience, including (at the time) 10 years being successfully self-employed. The message was clear.
One of the strange things I found out was that there was an increase in the amount of applications for Salt Lake City post office boxes. The local PO's went wild---they loved the extra business but it was quite a head-scratcher for them as to why there was all of a sudden demand for these items. Then SLOC got smart---and started checking addresses more carefully.
I've never had a potential employer or client make issue of where I lived. Mostly, it was "can you get to work on time?" I could have lived in a hut in Timbuktu for all they cared so as long as I showed up on time and got the job done on budget.
Now he's wreaked havoc in Massachusetts, doing the same in as in SLC, and now he wants to take this to the nation.
Over my expired IOC and Olympic creditial badges.
My Aunt (who has nothing to do with sports but has a great sense of philosophy) said to me at the time that maybe it "was a blessing in disguise. Maybe you would have uncovered something that they didn't want you to know that would have embarassed them."
The SLOC scandal hadn't even been whispered about at that time.
I think back to that whole time and realise how silly it all was. How everyone was out for themselves and for what they could get. Tom Welch and Dave Johnson esentially got off scot-free with SLOC's insurers paying their legal fees. The bribes, gifts, free trips, college tuitions, it goes on and on.
Now Mitt Romney wants to unleash his policies on the nation. Look what he's done in Massachusetts. Enacted legislation to require all residents to have health insurance. I don't know about you, but I sure as hell don't want the government telling me how I should pay for my health coverage. I took care of my husband for two years while he battled a cancerous brain tumor. I had enough on my mind. I sure don't need the government to tell me how to pay for it.
We can't let the legacy of corruption and discrimination rear it's ugly head again in the next presidential election. It was already dealt with once, with a varying degree of success in 2002.
We sure don't need eight more years of it in Washington,DC.
Sadly, his son doesn't share the same values. His term as the head of the Salt Lake Organising Committee and it's subsequent scandals put a black mark on what could have been a great Winter Games. In my dealings, with SLOC, I said to my Aunt one day: "never again!"
I guess it was SLOC's legacy of discrimination that turned me off. One of their personnel representatives said to me that she "couldn't understand why I hadn't had an offer for a job interview" despite my application being looked at over 30 times. They said it was because I "didn't have a local Salt Lake City address." Never mind that I offered to pay for my accomodation and transportation to the interview myself---there would be no out-of-pocket expense to SLOC. No deal, they said. Didn't matter to them that I had x number of years experience, including (at the time) 10 years being successfully self-employed. The message was clear.
One of the strange things I found out was that there was an increase in the amount of applications for Salt Lake City post office boxes. The local PO's went wild---they loved the extra business but it was quite a head-scratcher for them as to why there was all of a sudden demand for these items. Then SLOC got smart---and started checking addresses more carefully.
I've never had a potential employer or client make issue of where I lived. Mostly, it was "can you get to work on time?" I could have lived in a hut in Timbuktu for all they cared so as long as I showed up on time and got the job done on budget.
Now he's wreaked havoc in Massachusetts, doing the same in as in SLC, and now he wants to take this to the nation.
Over my expired IOC and Olympic creditial badges.
My Aunt (who has nothing to do with sports but has a great sense of philosophy) said to me at the time that maybe it "was a blessing in disguise. Maybe you would have uncovered something that they didn't want you to know that would have embarassed them."
The SLOC scandal hadn't even been whispered about at that time.
I think back to that whole time and realise how silly it all was. How everyone was out for themselves and for what they could get. Tom Welch and Dave Johnson esentially got off scot-free with SLOC's insurers paying their legal fees. The bribes, gifts, free trips, college tuitions, it goes on and on.
Now Mitt Romney wants to unleash his policies on the nation. Look what he's done in Massachusetts. Enacted legislation to require all residents to have health insurance. I don't know about you, but I sure as hell don't want the government telling me how I should pay for my health coverage. I took care of my husband for two years while he battled a cancerous brain tumor. I had enough on my mind. I sure don't need the government to tell me how to pay for it.
We can't let the legacy of corruption and discrimination rear it's ugly head again in the next presidential election. It was already dealt with once, with a varying degree of success in 2002.
We sure don't need eight more years of it in Washington,DC.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
They're baaackkk! A Denver 2018 Bid? You've GOT to be joking!
At least that is what I hope the IOC will say if and when the time comes.
The Colorado governor is hoping the IOC won't...if various reports are to be believed, you just might see Denver jump into the race for another Winter Olympics bid.
What's the old saying...something like "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me" or somthing to that effect.
Denver's voters actually threw out the 1976 Games. Innsbruck, Austria graciously saved the day, and it was one of the most memorable Games ever. Now they want to possibly bid for another Winter Olympics, 31 years after they rejected the bid they actually won.
I once asked an IOC offical about this many years ago. He said it "would be a cold day in h***" before Denver was awarded any Olympics, and that a Denver bid "would be dead in the water" even before it started.
The IOC has quite a l-o-n-g memory for such antics. One of the factors taken into any bid (Summer or Winter) is the degree of financial risk the IOC and the host city would have to assume if the Games were cancelled or postponed or even moved to another area, apart from the original winning bid city. Even with insurance, it's a major factor that bid cities need to address. It took Montreal almost 30 years to pay off their debt from 1976. The IOC is determined not to have such a situation happen again and you can bet the financials will be carefully examined for any bid, because local taxpayers have said enough is enough and many don't even want the Games in their city, let alone the possibility that they will be paying off a debt for years to come. You've got to guage what the populace may think and factor that into wheather or not you will go forward with a bid.
Tell THAT to the fools up in Denver who think they can successfully bid again.
The Colorado governor is hoping the IOC won't...if various reports are to be believed, you just might see Denver jump into the race for another Winter Olympics bid.
What's the old saying...something like "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me" or somthing to that effect.
Denver's voters actually threw out the 1976 Games. Innsbruck, Austria graciously saved the day, and it was one of the most memorable Games ever. Now they want to possibly bid for another Winter Olympics, 31 years after they rejected the bid they actually won.
I once asked an IOC offical about this many years ago. He said it "would be a cold day in h***" before Denver was awarded any Olympics, and that a Denver bid "would be dead in the water" even before it started.
The IOC has quite a l-o-n-g memory for such antics. One of the factors taken into any bid (Summer or Winter) is the degree of financial risk the IOC and the host city would have to assume if the Games were cancelled or postponed or even moved to another area, apart from the original winning bid city. Even with insurance, it's a major factor that bid cities need to address. It took Montreal almost 30 years to pay off their debt from 1976. The IOC is determined not to have such a situation happen again and you can bet the financials will be carefully examined for any bid, because local taxpayers have said enough is enough and many don't even want the Games in their city, let alone the possibility that they will be paying off a debt for years to come. You've got to guage what the populace may think and factor that into wheather or not you will go forward with a bid.
Tell THAT to the fools up in Denver who think they can successfully bid again.
Monday, October 1, 2007
The Gentleman of Mexico City has died
Over the weekend,we lost one of our Olympic greats, when the shot put athlete Al Oerter died over the weekend in Florida. It was rumored that he suffered from heart problems and other health issues for many years. Besides being a great athlete, he was also a very successful abstract artist.
Al was of the old school. Someone who knew the responsibility of being an Olympic athete, and a role model to others, long after his competition days were over. This was in sharp contract to his teammates Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who tarnished their medals with the infamous raised fist actions on the medal stand and in 1998, being honored (?!?!?!) on the 30th annivesary of their actions.
The death of Al got me to thinking that maybe we should rethink just who we allow to compete. Perhaps it's time to go back to what the Olympics originally were for, the amateur athlete, and not the pros we see dominating the Games now.
It certainly would be a step in the right direction and just maybe, cut down on some of the issues that seem to crop up around every Olympic year.
You hear a lot about cities' "Olympic Legacy" as part of their bid documents. It's an important issue that the IOC takes into consideration on who to award the Games to.
But this Legacy doesn't take a bid, or an IOC Commission visit to enact--it just takes one person.
Besides, if you don't believe in something, you'll fall for anything.
Al was of the old school. Someone who knew the responsibility of being an Olympic athete, and a role model to others, long after his competition days were over. This was in sharp contract to his teammates Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who tarnished their medals with the infamous raised fist actions on the medal stand and in 1998, being honored (?!?!?!) on the 30th annivesary of their actions.
The death of Al got me to thinking that maybe we should rethink just who we allow to compete. Perhaps it's time to go back to what the Olympics originally were for, the amateur athlete, and not the pros we see dominating the Games now.
It certainly would be a step in the right direction and just maybe, cut down on some of the issues that seem to crop up around every Olympic year.
You hear a lot about cities' "Olympic Legacy" as part of their bid documents. It's an important issue that the IOC takes into consideration on who to award the Games to.
But this Legacy doesn't take a bid, or an IOC Commission visit to enact--it just takes one person.
Besides, if you don't believe in something, you'll fall for anything.