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Stripping Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles at this late juncture doesn't seem to accomplish much, except to brand him as a cheat among cheats. With so many cyclists either accused of doping or caught doing it, the question is, How far down the order of finish do you have to go to find a clean rider?
Ray Phillips, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Judgment Calls
Bravo to Austin Murphy for his essay, which neatly wrapped up Armstrong's doping charges (SCORECARD). To see that 60% of those surveyed in your Instant Poll do not believe Armstrong is guilty, despite USADA's stockpile of damning testimony, just shows how passion for sports can cloud judgment.
J.Paul Zoccali, San Francisco
Armstrong's failure to enter an arbitration hearing with USADA is an admission of defeat, not guilt. If it can find an athlete guilty without any physical evidence, then no athlete is safe from persecution, which is daunting when you consider USADA is charged with protecting athletes' rights.
Rhea Morgan, Walland, Tenn.
Mixed-Up Priorities
You chose the wrong Sign of the Apocalypse (SCORECARD) last week. At a time when schools across the country are struggling, Carthage (Texas) High's new $750,000 JumboTron seems far more outrageous than an Oklahoma City school district's rules barring non-Oklahoma sports teams' apparel.
Richard Temkin, Farmington Hills, Mich.
Numbers Game
Peter King left out a key factor in his argument for why a 6,000-yard season is inevitable for a quarterback (The Joy of Six ... Thousand): rule changes. In recent years, the NFL competition committee has made changes that focus on elevating the offense by favoring both quarterbacks and receivers. Thanks to these new rules, big numbers are now the norm.
Herbert Connor, Landenberg, Pa.
No Laughing Matter
Binge drinking is one of the most dangerous social behaviors among young adults. For Rob Gronkowski to shamelessly glorify it (The Last Happy Man), and for his father, Gordon, to explain away his son's immaturity as "good, clean-cut" fun, is reprehensible.
Matthew McEvoy, Bryan, Texas
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MIKE TROUT
AUG. 27
ROB GRONKOWSKI
SEPT. 3
SCORECARD: LANCE ARMSTRONG
SEPT. 3
LOCKED-OUT NFL REFS
AUG. 27
TWEET OF THE WEEK
"THE NEW KNICKS UNIFORMS HAVE A 'ONCE A KNICK, ALWAYS A KNICK' INSCRIPTION. IT IS NOT FOLLOWED BY AN IMAGE OF ISIAH THOMAS'S SMILING FACE."
ROBIN LUNDBERG (@ROBINLUNDBERG)
FEEDBACK
Do you think the appeals panel was right in overturning the NFL's suspensions of the four Saints players punished in the bounty scandal?
Teresa Teague: They should have never been suspended. The NFL felt it needed to make an example out of these guys, but it underestimated the amount of pushback from Jonathan Vilma and the other suspended players.
Dave Snay: I thought the players involved, (Vilma, Anthony Hargrove, Scott Fujita and Will Smith) should have been banned for life. It seems trying to injure someone is considered a serious offense everywhere except in the NFL.
Paul Kalka: It's one of the worst decisions ever against the league. It's sad because the NFL is being sued by former players over concussions and injuries, yet the league can't punish players who intentionally attempt to harm others.
Jo-Ann Amantea: So basically these guys fulfilled the terms of the bounty, got caught and then were punished for their actions, only to have the punishment rescinded. Something is seriously wrong with NFL politics.
Moultrie D. Roberts: While I do not agree with the bounty system, I thought this was a fair ruling. It's like [commissioner] Roger Goodell was leaning over the plate with his punishments, and he finally got brushed back.
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WALTER IOOSS JR. (COVER)
FOR Sept. 3, 2012
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JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (VILMA)
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