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Politics : Sioux Nation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (29749)	7/22/2005 4:38:00 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Respond to of 361830

I saw someone slamming Larry Johnson for his bush ties...although I did read that letter the other day. are there two Larry Johnsons? hard to keep track.

To: American Spirit who wrote (29749)	7/25/2005 4:49:01 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 361830

Quite a ride for Armstrong miami.com TOUR DE FRANCE BY LINDA ROBERTSON The Miami Herald Posted on Mon, Jul. 25, 2005 PARIS - With each pedal stroke, Lance Armstrong got closer to the end of his epic journey, one spanning seven years and more than 14,000 miles. Sunday's 89.8-mile final stage of the Tour de France amounted to a victory parade for the Texan who conquered cycling's grueling spectacle for the last time. Along the way, Armstrong sipped champagne, held up seven fingers and reminisced with his fellow riders. He flashed across the finish as part of the peloton, which is where he began his career. He completed it as the greatest cyclist of his generation and a superstar who transcended sports because of his storybook comeback from cancer. As he rode through the streets of Paris and down the Champs-Elysees in the yellow jersey, spectators shouted ''Allez, Lance!'' and ''Merci, Lance!'' He has even won the grudging admiration of French fans, who have not had a champion since 1985. Armstrong's seventh consecutive victory enlarged the record he set last year. He won with a 4:40 margin and with such unflinching control of the last two-thirds of the race that it would appear he could beat his demoralized opponents for No. 8. But Armstrong, 33, emphasized that his retirement is irreversible. ''I've been blessed to ride 14 years as a pro, to win some big races before the illness and the Tour seven times after the illness,'' he said. ``But I have no reason to continue. I'll live vicariously through the other riders.'' Armstrong's goals were to fulfill an obligation to his Discovery Channel sponsor to ride one more Tour, to finish his career as No. 1 and to make his final ride down the boulevard in front of his three children. ''I wanted to ride into Paris for them,'' he said. ``To have those three precious little people remember their dad in the yellow jersey -- that was a strong incentive for me.'' Armstrong brought 5-year-old Luke and 3-year-old twins Grace and Isabelle onto the podium as former champion Bernard Hinault zipped up Armstrong's yellow jersey. Armstrong held back tears as The Star-Spangled Banner played, but girlfriend Sheryl Crow could not. He saluted his yellow-clad friends and family in the stands before riding the traditional victory lap. His teammates wore brand new jerseys trimmed in extra yellow, which means they will be fined for changing jerseys. Presumably, Armstrong will pay. He always gives his $400,000 prize to his teammates, and Sunday night he was hosting a party at the Ritz. The celebration started as Crow's tune All I Want to Do (Is Have Some Fun) echoed along the Champs-Elysees and spectators whooped and clapped. American and Texas flags were everywhere; the deluxe Hotel de Crillon flew the Texas flag as usual. Sen. John Kerry, who had Crow and Armstrong at his campaign headquarters on election night, was in the stands. ''I came to see one of the most phenomenal accomplishments in sport history,'' Kerry said. ``His country is very proud of him.'' Crow said Armstrong is eager to spend more time leading his foundation and being a father. ''He's ready to give the same kind of dedication to his regular life that he gave to his sporting life,'' Crow said. ``Not only with cancer survivorship but with his children. He wants to make up for lost time.'' Armstrong's cycling colleagues said they had mixed emotions about his retirement -- joy at his triumphant exit but resignation about the inevitable letdown. ''It's the end of an era,'' said Chris Carmichael, Armstrong's coach. ``I'm not sure what life will be like without Lance in the Tour.'' Armstrong won only one stage -- Saturday's individual time trial -- as opposed to the five he won last year. But it was his ability to counter every attack in the Alps and Pyrenees that that kept him ahead of the only riders who could threaten him. His Discovery Channel team also won the team time trial. Unlike Miguel Indurain, who faltered during a mountain stage in his final Tour, or Eddy Merckx, who was punched in the kidney by a fan, Armstrong didn't run out of gas or luck. ''If you attack too much they say you're arrogant and hogging too many stages, and if you don't they say you have no panache, so which is it?'' Armstrong said in defense of his conservative strategy. ``I came with one intention, and that was to win the overall classification.'' Armstrong, who said his victories in 1999, 2001 and 2004 were his most memorable, expects the two men who stood next to him on the podium -- runner-up Ivan Basso and third-place finisher Jan Ullrich -- to battle for the blue porcelain trophy next year. Said TV commentator Phil Liggett: ``An awful lot of cyclists can't wait to get rid of Lance Armstrong. I think the sport will be as exciting as ever but will probably take a knock down without Lance. There's not another man who has come back from near death to win seven Tours. It's incredible, unbelievable, incomparable.'' Armstrong said he won't ''sit around and be a fat slob'' -- he will probably enter the occasional mountain bike race or triathlon or 10K. But he's ready to leave the Tour de France behind. ''If Sheryl needs me to string a few guitars -- I can't play them, but, look, I'm retired now,'' he said. ``Why not go on a rock-and-roll tour?''