Brian Ecker
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Be offended by the poor writing and inconsistent argument,
not the content of the message. When one expresses an
argument on such thin terms, they hardly dignify a response.
This is substandard, lowest common denominator journalism with
the end goal to get a rise out of people.
"Don't believe the hype."
~be
-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff Layton [mailto:in-@site-designs.net]
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2004 8:17 AM
To: ob-@topica.com
Cc: mim-@dailyherald.com
Subject: [OBRA Chat] TOP ATHLETES DON'T RIDE BIKES - Reply to article
Dear Mike Imrem,
This is my comment on your article "TOP ATHLETES
DON'T RIDE BIKES " - you don't have a clue. I mean a clue what the sport of
cycling is, what it means to win the Tour de France, or even an Alpine
cycling stage.
Best advice - don't compare sports or athletes, stick to comparing apples to
apples, and get your what ever size rusty-dusty behind on a bike and ride
100 miles (don't worry about riding peleton pace). I think around the twenty
mile mark you will already be re-writing your column. If not, then at 90
miles throw in a 10 mile hill climb and ride that at 18 mph pace, then you
will.
Sincerely,
Jeff Layton
TOP ATHLETES DON'T RIDE BIKES
Daily Herald
July 26, 2004
How thought-provoking over the weekend that the paths of Lance Armstrong and
Ricky Williams crossed halfway around the world from each other.
In France, Armstrong won the Tour de France for a record sixth consecutive
time. From Hawaii, Williams announced his retirement from the NFL.
What this started me thinking about again is the claim Armstrong is the
world's greatest athlete.
I have said this before: Even if Armstrong is the world's most dominant
athlete ever, he's nowhere near the world's greatest athlete.
What does Williams have to do with the equation?
Well, to me the suddenly former Dolphins running back was a better athlete
than Armstrong is. So is anyone who can hit Kerry Wood's curveball or
execute a crossover dribble in Kobe Bryant's face.
Wayne Gretzky was skinny enough in his prime to win the Tour de France.
Dennis Rodman could have if it wouldn't have bored him to death. Alex
Rodriguez would have if there were more money in it.
This isn't personal on my part. A half-hour on a stationary bike is about my
limit. I'd have trouble riding around France for three weeks in a Porsche
unless it was chauffeur-driven.
Back to Williams, the point being anybody who ever carried the football once
in the NFL is a better athlete than even cycling's best ever.
Put it this way: Williams could peddle a bicycle for a couple hours in the
Tour de France but Armstrong couldn't survive a single hit in the NFL.
That doesn't minimize Armstrong's accomplishments. His training regimen
suggests he's superhuman and his cycling record confirms the notion.
But I'm sorry ... neither makes him more athletic than an NFL running back.
Like, it's no surprise Williams announced his retirement the week NFL
training camps begin, because few football players want to go through that.
Nor is it surprising Williams quit after five seasons, because that's as
long as any human being should have to endure the punishment.
It's one thing to tolerate physical agony while sitting on a bicycle. It's
another while angry 300-pounders are slamming into you.
Just imagine the speed, agility and muscle - the athleticism - it takes to
navigate past, around and through people like Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher and
Warren Sapp.
Walter Payton did it for 13 seasons. After a couple, he indicated he would
play five total, then go teach hearing-impaired children. Unlike Williams,
however, Payton just kept on keepin' on.
Now, don't you think if Payton applied himself to cycling the way he did to
football - and if it were as financially and emotionally rewarding to
Americans - that he could have become Armstrong?
I mean, if Payton could run up and down that Arlington Heights hill to get
in shape for NFL beatings, don't you think he could have withstood a
cyclist's workouts?
If Ricky Williams stays retired he will be the rare football player - along
with the likes of Jim Brown, Barry Sanders and Robert Smith - with the
strength to both play that brutal game and to leave us wanting more.
Williams wants to explore other interests, fulfill other ambitions and
experience other sensations.
Who knows, he might even take up cycling just for the fun of it and win the
Tour de France just for the heck of it.
If so, he won't be the athlete he was as an NFL running back.
By Mike Imrem
Email: mim-@dailyherald.com
To respond to the whole group send to ob-@topica.com.
To respond to the list manager send to cmur-@obra.org
To unsubscribe send to obra-uns-@topica.com
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=906524016-27072004>Be
offended by the poor writing and inconsistent argument,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=906524016-27072004>not
the content of the message. When one expresses an</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=906524016-27072004>argument on such thin terms, they hardly dignify a
response.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=906524016-27072004></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=906524016-27072004>This
is substandard, lowest common denominator journalism with</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=906524016-27072004>the
end goal to get a rise out of people. </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=906524016-27072004></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=906524016-27072004>"Don't
believe the hype."</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=906524016-27072004></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=906524016-27072004>~be</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=906524016-27072004></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left><FONT
face=Tahoma size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> Jeff Layton
[mailto:in-@site-designs.net] <BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, July 27, 2004 8:17
AM<BR><B>To:</B> ob-@topica.com<BR><B>Cc:</B>
mim-@dailyherald.com<BR><B>Subject:</B> [OBRA Chat] TOP ATHLETES DON'T RIDE
BIKES - Reply to article<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>Dear Mike Imrem,</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>
This is my comment on your article "TOP ATHLETES DON'T RIDE
BIKES " - you don't have a clue. I mean a clue what the sport of
cycling is, what it means to win the Tour de France, or even an Alpine cycling
stage.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Best advice - don't compare sports or athletes,
stick to comparing apples to apples, and get your what ever
size rusty-dusty behind on a bike and ride 100 miles (don't worry
about riding peleton pace). I think around the twenty mile mark you will
already be re-writing your column. If not, then at 90 miles throw in a 10 mile
hill climb and ride that at 18 mph pace, then you will.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sincerely, <BR>Jeff Layton<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>TOP ATHLETES DON'T RIDE BIKES <BR>Daily Herald <BR>July 26, 2004
<BR><BR>How thought-provoking over the weekend that the paths of Lance
Armstrong and Ricky Williams crossed halfway around the world from each other.
<BR><BR>In France, Armstrong won the Tour de France for a record sixth
consecutive time. From Hawaii, Williams announced his retirement from the NFL.
<BR><BR>What this started me thinking about again is the claim Armstrong is
the world's greatest athlete. <BR><BR>I have said this before: Even if
Armstrong is the world's most dominant athlete ever, he's nowhere near the
world's greatest athlete. <BR><BR>What does Williams have to do with the
equation? <BR><BR>Well, to me the suddenly former Dolphins running back was a
better athlete than Armstrong is. So is anyone who can hit Kerry Wood's
curveball or execute a crossover dribble in Kobe Bryant's face. <BR><BR>Wayne
Gretzky was skinny enough in his prime to win the Tour de France. Dennis
Rodman could have if it wouldn't have bored him to death. Alex Rodriguez would
have if there were more money in it. <BR><BR>This isn't personal on my part. A
half-hour on a stationary bike is about my limit. I'd have trouble riding
around France for three weeks in a Porsche unless it was chauffeur-driven.
<BR><BR>Back to Williams, the point being anybody who ever carried the
football once in the NFL is a better athlete than even cycling's best ever.
<BR><BR>Put it this way: Williams could peddle a bicycle for a couple hours in
the Tour de France but Armstrong couldn't survive a single hit in the NFL.
<BR><BR>That doesn't minimize Armstrong's accomplishments. His training
regimen suggests he's superhuman and his cycling record confirms the notion.
<BR><BR>But I'm sorry ... neither makes him more athletic than an NFL running
back. <BR><BR>Like, it's no surprise Williams announced his retirement the
week NFL training camps begin, because few football players want to go through
that. Nor is it surprising Williams quit after five seasons, because that's as
long as any human being should have to endure the punishment. <BR><BR>It's one
thing to tolerate physical agony while sitting on a bicycle. It's another
while angry 300-pounders are slamming into you. <BR><BR>Just imagine the
speed, agility and muscle - the athleticism - it takes to navigate past,
around and through people like Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher and Warren Sapp.
<BR><BR>Walter Payton did it for 13 seasons. After a couple, he indicated he
would play five total, then go teach hearing-impaired children. Unlike
Williams, however, Payton just kept on keepin' on. <BR><BR>Now, don't you
think if Payton applied himself to cycling the way he did to football - and if
it were as financially and emotionally rewarding to Americans - that he could
have become Armstrong? <BR><BR>I mean, if Payton could run up and down that
Arlington Heights hill to get in shape for NFL beatings, don't you think he
could have withstood a cyclist's workouts? <BR><BR>If Ricky Williams stays
retired he will be the rare football player - along with the likes of Jim
Brown, Barry Sanders and Robert Smith - with the strength to both play that
brutal game and to leave us wanting more. <BR><BR>Williams wants to explore
other interests, fulfill other ambitions and experience other sensations.
<BR><BR>Who knows, he might even take up cycling just for the fun of it and
win the Tour de France just for the heck of it. <BR><BR>If so, he won't be the
athlete he was as an NFL running back. <BR><BR>By Mike Imrem <BR>Email:
mim-@dailyherald.com </DIV><PRE>To respond to the whole group send to ob-@topica.com.
To respond to the list manager send to cmur-@obra.org
To unsubscribe send to obra-uns-@topica.com</PRE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
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