Reporting on Cycling by People Who Think a Derailleur is Something That Happens to a Train
Joseph Horn ESPN's Lester Munson is apparently shocked by US Attorney Andre Birotte Jr.'s decision to drop the investigation into Lance Armstrong. And he smells a rat. Why? Because the announcement came on the Friday before the Super Bowl.
The U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, Andre Birotte Jr., decided that the best possible time to make a major announcement about the federal investigation of Armstrong was late on the Friday afternoon before the Super Bowl. Is there a better time to hide news you don't want anyone to notice?
Great point Lester! How dare they bury key information about the Armstrong trial in the Super Bowl news cycle!
Wait... What's that you say? He's not on trial? It was a supposedly secret grand jury investigation that the US attorney was under no obligation to announce had come to an end?
Look, if Andre Birotte Jr.'s goal was to hide the fact that the investigation had come to a close without filing any charges, all he had to do was refuse to prosecute and never explain himself to anyone. The fact that he announced it at all, let alone on Super Bowl weekend, is proof that he's not trying to hide anything.
Plus, where was Lester Munson, suspicious-timing-expert, when Floyd Landis let loose his original allegations during Lance's appearance at the 2010 Tour of California? Or when The Wall Street Journal ran their expansion of Landis's claims on the eve of the 2010 Tour Prologue? Or when Sports Illustrated ran their "The Case Against Lance Armstrong" article during Lance's last professional race at the 2011 Tour Down Under? Or when 60 Minutes and Tyler Hamilton decided ever so randomly that the best time to air their interview was while Lance's team was ripping up the roads in the 2011 Tour of California?
This really sticks in my craw. These mainstream sports "journalists" will harp on decade-old allegations against Armstrong forever, but not a one of them could pick Tejay Van Garderen out of a lineup.
At least Munson nails Armstrong on one point:
Consider, for example, Armstrong's gift of $100,000 to Planned Parenthood. The fact that the gift came on the same day as the U.S. attorney's announcement about the investigation is likely a coincidence, but it likely isn't a coincidence that the donation came in the middle of the flap over the decision by the Susan G. Komen Foundation to end its grants to Planned Parenthood.
Well you got me there Munson, you gumshoe you. That Lance. Always donating money to things. What a bastard.