Prosecutors close Lance Armstrong investigation

"Common sense," whatever the hell that's supposed to mean in this context, doesn't prove jack shit.

 

Sure you are. And others are allowed to ignore a common-sense-rendered verdict.

"Common sense" is the catch-all around here when you don't have factual evidence to back something up.

And now I KNOW you're right.

 

The only way that it's common sense that Lance Armstrong doped is if it's also common sense that all elite cyclists dope. And if that's the case, why should we care that he doped, too? There was no uneven playing field.

I'm not saying I don't think Lance Armstrong doped. I don't honestly care, and I'm well aware of the mountains of evidence suggesting he did. My issue is that if it's unfathomable that someone could dominate without doping, then it must be true that everyone dopes. And if everyone dopes, again, who cares that this guy did? He was following protocol for his sport.

 

Except that by the rules of his sport, he's cheating.

 

I don't care that he doped, I'm just not naive enough to think he didn't.

 

No he's not, Az. What you offered as evidence actually supports the counterpoint. And according to how his sport operated, even if he was cheating, it was SOP. In that demimonde, what the rules say would be irrelevant, as it was when Mercyx was competing, in case you were gonna get nostalgic.

 

I don't care if Armstrong doped. But if you're not going to actually BE better than the rest of the riff-raff, don't put yourself out there as a role model and all that bullshit. Just admit you doped and most people would shrug their shoulders and go, "Duh ... they all do it."

Yet another similarity between Paterno and Armstrong: When you allow yourself to be elevated to a mythical status far beyond that of your peers, it makes for a mighty steep fall when you are revealed to be merely human.

 

But you haven't revealed diddly. You used common sense.

 

I understand the level playing field argument, Dooley, believe me.

That doesn't change the fact that the sport has clear rules against doping - however ridiculous and hypocritical those rules may be.

 

Shotglass, your insistence on seeing only the best in people is truly admirable.

Many people cast aside their naivete in favor of cynicism at some point, but not you.

I am in awe.

 

Well, you are what it's all about.

 

Well, I'd rather not be cynical. But you're missing the point again.

If you said Armstrong never doped, and you didn't have any proof, just were going by what you think is "common sense," that would be just as bad as what you're doing now.