ON THE MARK.

WAS THIS OUR MOST EMBARRASSING SPORTING MOMENT?

"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in again"  Michael Corleone.

I had pretty much given up on soccer after Canada's heartbreaking defeat to the U.S. in the Olympics.  That was the women's team, led by the amazing Christine Sinclair.  The ref cost them a shot at gold.  The ref was corrupt.  FIFA was corrupt.  Canadian soccer just wasn't worth my time.
But with all the hype surrounding our men's team, and the chance that Canada might actually be good enough to perhaps qualify for the World Cup, well I just couldn't stand it.  They sucked me back in again.   And for what?  To be humiliated?  To be defeated 8-1 by tiny Honduras, a country of 8 million?   It's not worth it anymore.  I'm ashamed, I'm embarrassed and I feel like I got taken.

It's the same feeling I had when Ben Johnson was stripped of his gold medal at Seoul.  Oh, you're Canadian, eh?  Too bad about Ben.   Remember how we tried to pawn Ben off on Jamaica, claiming since he wasn't BORN in Canada, he wasn't really CANADIAN.   What about Canada's hockey loss at the 1998 Olympics to the Czechs?  Remember the humiliation when coach Marc Crawford elected to sit Gretzky and Yzerman for the shootout and used Ray Bourque instead?   I mean, we finished 4th, losing to Finland in the bronze medal game.  In Men's hockey!   Today, I'm suffering through it again.   The hell with Canadian (Men's) soccer.

I'm getting used to hearing about athletes who achieved greatness through cheating, and I don't like it.   The aforementioned Ben Johnson started all this back in 1988, but since then it's been a long line of big-name athletes including Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, sprinter Marion Jones and now the perceived Mother Teresa of the sporting world, cyclist Lance Armstrong.  It brings into question the achievements of ALL athletes, especially those exceptional ones.   The question will always be there:  Are you on drugs?  Are you a cheater?  Ask any baseball player that hits 50 homeruns (Jose Bautista)  Ask MVPs (Ryan Braun) Ask gold medalists (Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps).   Armstrong, however, is the saddest story because he used his 7 Tour De France victories to bring awareness to his "Live Strong" charity, which benefits cancer research.  He was a cancer survivor.  A leader.  A mentor.   Someone to be trusted.
And now we find out he was a cheater.   And he got caught.   Thanks a lot Lance.   I used to like you.   Now, you're a disgraced ex-athlete who needed performance enhancing drugs to chase your athletic dream.  Pathetic.

I saw some of the Romney-Obama debate last night, and wondered what would happen if they actually put on the gloves, got into a boxing ring and actually HIT EACH OTHER.   Tell me that wouldn't be a great Pay per View event.   I see Romney as a plodding warhorse, maybe like George Chuvalo.  He can take a punch and never go down, but he's somewhat clumsy.   Mind you, if he ever landed a haymaker, it would be all over for Obama.   The President, however, could be a young Cassius Clay.  Sticking and jabbing and dancing around the issues (I mean the ring)  Maybe getting in a combination here and there, but mostly trying to make Romney look foolish and awkward.   The fight would end when Romney hits Obama with a low blow, forcing the President to go down clutching his "dangling chad", not unlike George W Bush's Florida victory over Al Gore.   Talk about humiliating....