Skeleton crew: If Lance has secrets, hopefully they stay that way

Into the light For some time now, I’ve been a huge supporter of Lance Armstrong. I’ve worn one of those yellow bracelets for six years – long after it stopped being trendy – because I truly believe in the things he stands for.

That’s why it’s always been so awkward internally for me to suspect this whole time that he was on illegal performance enhancers during his times of greatest glory.

I just hope if that’s the case, that nothing comes out during ace PED investigator Jeff Novitzky’s upcoming investigation, ignited by Floyd Landis’ explosive accusations.

Too much is riding on it, and not just for Armstrong.

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The Summer of LeBron: Let’s just get this over with

Profile of a would-be billionaire

As someone who’s been following every move LeBron James has made since before he had a high school diploma, I’ve eagerly anticipated for years the most spectacular free agency in the history of sports. I thought it’d be a basketball Christmas in July.

But then his season ended, I was bombarded by news about it, and I was surprised to find myself nonplused by the whole thing – despite the fact that my beloved Knicks are one of the main contenders for his services.

I’m not sure exactly what I expected, but this isn’t it.

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Missing the point: Blame directed at King should fall elsewhere

Note: This is courtesy of SportsAngle executive editor Frank Pepe, also of Trumbull Island. I could not have said this better myself.

Moment of truth

After turning in the worst playoff performance of his career, LeBron James might only have one more game of basketball left this season. Problem is, the most talented and accomplished young player on the planet famously has aspirations beyond athletics.

A celebrity and an outsized personality, the small forward has traditionally been selfish and petulant after his Cleveland teams’ eliminations, a fate he’s met with since first reaching the playoffs in 2006. Of course, until Tuesday, he’s been mostly excellent in these losses. So what happened early this week? Was he injured, defended well, or was he simply thinking about his dinner reservations?

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Get with The Program: Cushing epitomizes steroids double-standard

Looking like Puck from Glee
The least shocking sports news in recent memory came across the other day, when NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Brian Cushing was suspended after testing positive for hCG, which is a female fertility drug that’s often used post-cycle to stimulate testosterone levels. It’s the same one Manny Ramirez tested positive for.

This was unsurprising for a lot of reasons, but primarily because I’ve heard explicit stories about Cushing’s proclivity for using steroids for quite some time.

Five years, to be exact.

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