Is Chris Horner the next George Blanda?
Mike Jacoubowsky
more Lance, but there's some real entertainment out there-
======
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/horner-speaks-of-tour-disappointment
"I didn't have the legs to go with Andy [Schleck] and [Alberto] Contador,
and [Denis] Menchov had a fabulous time trial in the last TT stage, so I
don't think I could've done top three," he said, admitting that sixth place
would have been the summit of his ambition in any case.
That said, the 38-year-old Horner already has an eye on next year's race and
fired an early blow in the race to lead RadioShack next time around.
"Hopefully, I've earned a position on the team to be riding the Tour as one
of the favorites, and I'll be a guy who's being looked after," he said.
======
Who else could get away with saying stuff like that? You gotta love that
guy. He's deluded, but in a good way.
--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA
Victor Kan
wrote:
...
> "Hopefully, I've earned a position on the team to be riding the Tour as one
> of the favorites, and I'll be a guy who's being looked after," he said.
> ======
>
> Who else could get away with saying stuff like that? You gotta love that
> guy. He's deluded, but in a good way.
If not Horner for the tour GC for Radio Shack next year, then who,
Kloden, Leipheimer or Brajkovic? I think I recently read a quote from
Zubeldia that he's not going to be the guy. Or is Taylor Finney going
to be The Shack's Andy Schleck?
Mike Jacoubowsky
news:43969a07-7b23-49ec...@v41g2000yqv.googlegroups.com...
On Aug 11, 4:18 pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky" <Mi...@ChainReaction.com>
wrote:
...
> "Hopefully, I've earned a position on the team to be riding the Tour as
> one
> of the favorites, and I'll be a guy who's being looked after," he said.
> ======
>
> Who else could get away with saying stuff like that? You gotta love that
> guy. He's deluded, but in a good way.
=====
If not Horner for the tour GC for Radio Shack next year, then who,
Kloden, Leipheimer or Brajkovic? I think I recently read a quote from
Zubeldia that he's not going to be the guy. Or is Taylor Finney going
to be The Shack's Andy Schleck?
=====
Has Levi yet had a GT where he didn't have a bad day (or two or three) that
knocked a promising performance out of contention? At this point in his
career, I think that becomes more likely, not less. Kloden? He's had his
day; 3rd place in the GC a few years back was more than respectable, but I
suspect that was the apex of his riding. Jani Brajkovic has great potential
and hopefully wasn't too discouraged by the way this years' TdF turned out.
Bruyneel may be right in bringing him up slowly. Taylor Phinney... does
anybody really think he's got the right build for a GT contender? I'm
thinking he'll be a great classics rider. Taylor Phinney is going to be a
winner, for sure. Incredible talent. But there's just too much of him to get
over the mountains. I *could* be proven wrong.
Right now, The Shack doesn't have anything in its stable to contest the GC
of a GT with. If the rumors came true and they signed the Schlecks, it would
be another thing entirely. Bruyneel has had great success with improving
time trial capabilities, and he's pretty good with the mental games too.
Andy could potentially win the TdF with Bruyneel calling the shots.
But for Chris Horner to be one of the "protected" riders would be difficult
to imagine under any circumstances. He'd have to really get serious about
time trialing (he's not bad, but not great), and a lot of the fun stuff he
gets away with now (because he's not a GC guy) couldn't happen. He would
have to all but give up on his dream of a TdF stage win, for example. As a
super-domestique, that could still happen.
And he'll be 39 years old. I think the one thing we can all agree upon is
that Lance proved that it's easy to ride "a Tour too far."
RicodJour
wrote:
> more Lance, but there's some real entertainment out there-
>
> "I didn't have the legs to go with Andy [Schleck] and [Alberto] Contador,
> and [Denis] Menchov had a fabulous time trial in the last TT stage, so I
> don't think I could've done top three," he said, admitting that sixth place
> would have been the summit of his ambition in any case.
> That said, the 38-year-old Horner already has an eye on next year's race and
> fired an early blow in the race to lead RadioShack next time around.
> "Hopefully, I've earned a position on the team to be riding the Tour as one
> of the favorites, and I'll be a guy who's being looked after," he said.
> ======
>
> Who else could get away with saying stuff like that? You gotta love that
> guy. He's deluded, but in a good way.
Hey! Some fan boy you are! I've never read anything, or heard
anything, from Horner that wasn't hopeful. He's hopeful, so so am I.
I'd love to see him get towed up some mountains and see how he does.
I know it's unlikely, but hope springs eternal, eh?
R
bar
I'm with Ricoud here. I want to see Horner have a real shot at the
Tour before he retires, and I think next year is it. Sure, bring
Taylor along, but he ain't going to do anything in his first TdF.
Let Chris Ride!!!
-b-
p.s. this is all assuming that johan and company aren't all in jail by
then. maybe when this LANCE thing blows up, RadioShack decides it's
not interested in cycling anymore ...
Horst Schnellinger
>
> Has Levi yet had a GT where he didn't have a bad day (or two or three) that
> knocked a promising performance out of contention? At this point in his
> career, I think that becomes more likely, not less.
Absolutely right, continuing story if bad days and no success in GTs.
And this will never change.
> Kloden? He's had his
> day; 3rd place in the GC a few years back was more than respectable, but I
> suspect that was the apex of his riding.
Klöden was 2. in the GC 2004 and 2006, 6. 2009 thats a little bit more than
Leipheimer ever reached there.
Kurgan Gringioni
"Horst Schnellinger" <schnel...@nurfuerspam.de> wrote in message
news:7e0cj7-...@algol.home.sge.kicks-ass.org...
:* Mike Jacoubowsky <Mi...@ChainReaction.com> [11-08-10 21:58]:
: >
: > Has Levi yet had a GT where he didn't have a bad day (or two or three)
that
: > knocked a promising performance out of contention? At this point in his
: > career, I think that becomes more likely, not less.
:
: Absolutely right, continuing story if bad days and no success in GTs.
: And this will never change.
Dumbass -
Mr. Gunn has had some success in GTs. However, he's never gonna win one.
thanks,
Kurgan. presented by Gringioni.
Frederick the Great
"Mike Jacoubowsky" <Mi...@ChainReaction.com> wrote:
> And he'll be 39 years old. I think the one thing we can all agree upon is
> that Lance proved that it's easy to ride "a Tour too far."
The only way a champion athlete can retire
from the sport mentally is to get thoroughly beaten down.
It is the only thing he knows as an athlete;
the only thing that will get through the defenses.
--
Old Fritz
Kurgan Gringioni
"Frederick the Great" <rub...@pacbell.net> wrote in message
news:rubrum-AB7B2C....@news.albasani.net...
: In article <rOqdnUF2fKqCgP7R...@earthlink.com>,
Dumbass -
That's not true. There are exceptions.
Sandy Koufax quit on top. So did Jim Brown and Barry Sanders.
Ryan Cousineau
wrote:
> "Frederick the Great" <rub...@pacbell.net> wrote in messagenews:rubrum-AB7B2C....@news.albasani.net...
> : "Mike Jacoubowsky" <Mi...@ChainReaction.com> wrote:
> :
> : > And he'll be 39 years old. I think the one thing we can all agree upon
> is
> : > that Lance proved that it's easy to ride "a Tour too far."
> :
> : The only way a champion athlete can retire
> : from the sport mentally is to get thoroughly beaten down.
> : It is the only thing he knows as an athlete;
> : the only thing that will get through the defenses.
>
> Dumbass -
>
> That's not true. There are exceptions.
>
> Sandy Koufax quit on top. So did Jim Brown and Barry Sanders.
>
> thanks,
>
> Kurgan. presented by Gringioni.
I've said it before: boxers and football players who retire "at the
top" are understandable, considering how brutal those sports can be,
and how cumulative the damage is.
But while I don't think I get a vote in athlete's retirement date, I
don't think there's anything especially honorable or admirable about
quitting on top.
Aside from the example of Lance, we have a local one in hockey player
Trevor Linden: was a first-line forward at the peak of his career, but
spent his last year or two playing in Vancouver at near-minimum
salaries, contributing as a 4th-liner, and apparently having fun all
the way. He pretty much retired the moment before he would have been
cut from the team, I think.
Mark Messier is a slightly less wonderful example of staying to the
end, but he was still an able, NHL-grade player in his final season.
Just not a first-liner.
The thing about sports is the time limits are hard and come quickly.
I'm not sure what purpose is served, for athletes who still want to
play, to retire before they get cut from the team: maintaining high-
average career stats doesn't seem like enough.
Kurgan Gringioni
"Ryan Cousineau" <rcou...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:ff786971-7913-431b...@i4g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
:: The thing about sports is the time limits are hard and come quickly.
:: I'm not sure what purpose is served, for athletes who still want to
:: play, to retire before they get cut from the team: maintaining high-
:: average career stats doesn't seem like enough.
Dumbass -
Another guy who quit on top was Howie Long.
He said he didn't want to wait until it was too late because he'd seen it
happen to other guys and not only did they get dominated in games, they'd
get dominated every day in practice.
Howie said he didn't want to get dominated. He retired with one year left on
his contract.
Frederick the Great
"Kurgan Gringioni" <soulinth...@gmail.com> wrote:
So did Joe DiMaggio. He retired early so he could get
at the money various "restauranteurs" had given him to
show up at their places. NTTIAWWT.
--
Old Fritz
Frederick the Great
<ff786971-7913-431b...@i4g2000prf.googlegroups.com>,
Ryan Cousineau <rcou...@gmail.com> wrote:
Yes. Play out the string.
--
Old Fritz
K. Fred Gauss
Eric Dickerson.
Fredmaster of Brainerd
wrote:
> Kurgan Gringioni wrote:
> > "Frederick the Great" <rub...@pacbell.net> wrote in message
> >news:rubrum-AB7B2C....@news.albasani.net...
> > : "Mike Jacoubowsky" <Mi...@ChainReaction.com> wrote:
> > :
> > : > And he'll be 39 years old. I think the one thing we can all agree upon
> > is
> > : > that Lance proved that it's easy to ride "a Tour too far."
> > :
> > : The only way a champion athlete can retire
> > : from the sport mentally is to get thoroughly beaten down.
> > : It is the only thing he knows as an athlete;
> > : the only thing that will get through the defenses.
>
> > Dumbass -
>
> > That's not true. There are exceptions.
>
> > Sandy Koufax quit on top. So did Jim Brown and Barry Sanders.
>
> Eric Dickerson.
Nelson Rockefeller.
Kurgan Gringioni
"Fredmaster of Brainerd" <bjwe...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1510895b-b77d-4d52...@i19g2000pro.googlegroups.com...
:: Nelson Rockefeller.
Dumbass -
If that's the reasoning, then: Richard Nixon!
Fredmaster of Brainerd
wrote:
> "Fredmaster of Brainerd" <bjwei...@gmail.com> wrote in messagenews:1510895b-b77d-4d52...@i19g2000pro.googlegroups.com...
That's a good example, though I was thinking of the
manner of Rockefeller's death.
Fred on a stick
>>> Sandy Koufax quit on top. So did Jim Brown and Barry Sanders.
>>
>> Eric Dickerson.
>
> Nelson Rockefeller.
How do you know Marshack wasn't on top?
Mike Jacoubowsky
p.s. this is all assuming that johan and company aren't all in jail by
then. maybe when this LANCE thing blows up, RadioShack decides it's
not interested in cycling anymore ...
Have you seen evidence that RS is interested in cycling in the first place?
All I've seen are commercials featuring Lance. I don't see this going
anywhere good for RS. Whether innocent or guilty, Lance carries a lot of
baggage right now just because he's under investigation. How do you build a
PR campaign around someone that could put you in the Tiger Woods/Accenture
situation?
http://www.penn-olson.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/accenture-tiger-woods.jpg
Best bet is to lay low and see how it plays out. If Lance comes out clean,
he's back in business, and who knows, maybe with a bit of spin better than
ever. But I don't see a historical example of where somebody derived benefit
from sticking with someone through thick & thin, as opposed to those who
just came along for the ride during the good times. Innocent people whose
reputations were tarnished by McCarthy didn't get those reputations back
until after they were dead, if even then.
Fredmaster of Brainerd
wrote:
Figuratively, Rockefeller was on top, regardless of
the actual situation. Anyway, you can't disagree that
he retired at the top of his game.
That you remember Marshack's name is disquieting
(unless you just now looked it up on wikipedia,
as I did.)
Fredmaster Ben
Fred on a stick
> Figuratively, Rockefeller was on top, regardless of
> the actual situation. Anyway, you can't disagree that
> he retired at the top of his game.
Though I suppose one could say he died un-Happily.
DA74
wrote:
> "Horst Schnellinger" <schnellin...@nurfuerspam.de> wrote in message
This is a correct analysis
DA74
wrote:
> =====
> p.s. this is all assuming that johan and company aren't all in jail by
> then. maybe when this LANCE thing blows up, RadioShack decides it's
> not interested in cycling anymore ...
> =====
>
> Have you seen evidence that RS is interested in cycling in the first place?
> All I've seen are commercials featuring Lance. I don't see this going
> anywhere good for RS. Whether innocent or guilty, Lance carries a lot of
> baggage right now just because he's under investigation. How do you build a
> PR campaign around someone that could put you in the Tiger Woods/Accenture
> situation?
>
>
> Best bet is to lay low and see how it plays out. If Lance comes out clean,
> he's back in business, and who knows, maybe with a bit of spin better than
> ever. But I don't see a historical example of where somebody derived benefit
> from sticking with someone through thick & thin, as opposed to those who
> just came along for the ride during the good times. Innocent people whose
> reputations were tarnished by McCarthy didn't get those reputations back
> until after they were dead, if even then.
>
> --Mike Jacoubowsky
> Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReaction.com
> Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA
Big Jabowsky,
Good points. Cofidis actually played it right back in '98 from the
perspective of making a business decision. What do you think the Vegas
odds would have been on some guy who is riddled with cancer to A)
survive and B) to come back and win 7 tours. Slim but unfortunately
for SCA they learned that one the hard way;-).
But RS Corp isn't necessarily known for being over savvy so they
probably won't make the best bet here. I actually think the all the
ads featuring Lance are really part of a PR ploy to help sell the
company. I don't really see any other real benefit. But the problem is
that the widespread anticipation of an LBO has brought speculative
investors into the stock, bumping it up to a per-share-price-level
that is above what any Private Equity firms are willing to pay. Bottom
line: They're screwed.
Fredmaster of Brainerd
>
> But RS Corp isn't necessarily known for being over savvy so they
> probably won't make the best bet here. I actually think the all the
> ads featuring Lance are really part of a PR ploy to help sell the
> company. I don't really see any other real benefit. But the problem is
> that the widespread anticipation of an LBO has brought speculative
> investors into the stock, bumping it up to a per-share-price-level
> that is above what any Private Equity firms are willing to pay. Bottom
> line: They're screwed.
Oh man, wait till Novitsky gets LANCE for
insider trading and stock manipulation. He
is so screwed. At least now we know why
Johan sold all those shares the day before
LANCE had his jour sans.
I see the fingerprints of Tommy Weisel in all of this.
Sincerely,
Brian Laff@me
A. Dumas
> ;-)
I don't know this DA74.