Jones To Sit On The Couch For An Image Makeover

In case you have been locked in a closet, Oprah Winfrey’s televised talk show has become the perfect vehicle for celebrities and other well-known figures to salvage their reputation or to fight a controversy.

A quick review of the previous guests, we see that the Queen of Television has interviewed stars from Madonna to Jennifer Anistron, so why not Marion Jones?

The point is that Oprah brings her moneymaking and star power in everything that she does and all those big names that featured as guests on the talk show had nothing to lose from it. To the contrary, one might say. In the light of all this, no one could possibly blame Jones for wanting to be on Oprah's show.

What is next for the fallen star? Marion will probably embark on writing a book and then hit the road on a speaking tour to tell kids how to not ruin your life?

The trouble-prone former Olympian is said to appear on Wednesdays episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show”in no doubt to clear her name of all the negative attributes that have accompanied the six month jail term after denying for lying about previous drug use.

Jones's tell-all interview on Wednesday's episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is to be her first interview since she was released September 5 from a Texas federal prison after completing most of her six-month sentence for lying about steroid use.

The sprinter admitted last October that she used a designer steroid known as "the clear" from September 2000 to July 2001. Her admission came after years of denials. Marion is on probation and had to get permission to appear on the show, which devoted its full hour to the interview.

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.com.

Others Sports Have a Drug Problem, Too

The National Football League is a prolific money maker. It generates millions in revenues, sells millions more in apparel, and most every form of media benefits from the top professional sport.

Listening to the mainstream media would lead one to believe track and field is full of drug cheats, and that NFL is squeaky clean.

The dirty little secret is that the NFL most certainly has a performance drug problem so big that it that makes Sarah Palin look competent.

The league’s linebackers weigh a whopping 270 pounds and nearly all run close to 4.5 in the 40-yard run.

Denver's FOX-31 dropped a bomb shell that Deuce McCalister and Will Smith of New Orleans are reportedly tested positive under the NFL’s steroid policy as a result of taking water pills to lose weight, according to a report from Fox 31-Denver reporter Josina Anderson.

He reportedly said, “There are about six to ten overall positive tests. Three to four of them are from the Saints organization alone including McAllister and Smith.

When used as a masking agent a diuretic dilutes the urine, which results in lower levels of the banned substance being excreted from the body. That can make it more difficult to detect banned substances.

The NFL boasts of its drug-testing program that nets a few players here and there. Sure, those offensive lineman are blowing up to 350 pounds on eating right and lifting weights. Right. That’s believable.

The NFL drug testing policy is soft and been criticized by the World Anti-Doping Agency, but the league has rejected any talk of meeting WADA standards.

But there have been clear signs of a drug problem. Some recall the 2006 federal conviction of Dr. James Shortt, who supplied the steroid and human growth hormone prescription to four players of Carolina Panthers.

One of these players was punter Todd Sauerbrun, who was taking steroids. The punter had obtained syringes and injectable Stanozolol, the same chemical Ben Johnson used before the 1988 Olympics. If a punter is taking steroids, common sense tells us that others are using as well.

Cut Track and field some slack, as it has a comprehensive drug testing program and the worlds toughest penalties. The sport is ahead of the curve on the drug issue compared to the likes of the NFL.

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.

Trevor Graham Sentenced For Pack of Lies

The final chapter is closing on a story that many would agree has turned into a nightmare for track and field.

Former coach Trevor Graham has been sentenced to a year of house arrest and five years probation for lying during the BALCO doping investigation.

Is the sentence fair? Sure. The Jamaica-born coach was not convicted of steroid distribution but he knowingly concealed doping activities.

Coaches have a significant influence on the lives of young athletes. The judge went to great pains to give the proper sentence without going over board.

I am no Trevor Graham sympathizer.

But is there a conspiracy? After the Mitchell Report and confirmed doping in so many other sports, I find it odd that for the most part individuals connected with track and field are the only ones to see jail time.

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.

Better Left Unsaid?

In a recent interview with SI.com Carl Lewis finally spoke his mind about the Jamaican success at the Beijing Olympic and the Michael Phelps phenomenon sweeping the globe.

The outspoken nine-time Olympic gold medalist said the following:

"I've never been one to compare eras in sports and you can't compare swimming to track and field because there's no way in the world you can get as many medals in track and field as you can in swimming. We can run one or two relays; they can swim five. I didn't realize that of Spitz's seven gold medals in Munich, three were relays. Five of his nine golds were relays. I thought, "If I could run the 4x100, 4x200, and so on, I'd have this many medals." To me, it's not a matter of saying I'm better. It's not even worth comparing. We should just celebrate who he is and leave it at that."

Ummm…interesting is this real talk or does it come off like sour grapes from arguably the greatest Olympic athlete to ever lace up sneakers?

“I'm still working with the fact that he [Usain Bolt] dropped from 10-flat to 9.6 in one year. I think there are some issues. I'm proud of America right now because we have the best random and most comprehensive drug testing program. Countries like Jamaica do not have a random program, so they can go months without being tested. I'm not saying anyone is on anything, but everyone needs to be on a level playing field,” said Lewis.

Is this the line of conversation to take, when in fact, the U.S. has been one of the biggest violators of drug abuse (Justin Gatlin, Marion Jones, Tim Montgomergy..etc) ?

Some of what Carl said is quite accurate but at this point do you think this is helpful to the sport?

By Jay Hicks.

Marion Jones Is Free!

It's official. Marion Jones the only person jailed so far for doping was released from a halfway house in San Antonio, after serving a six-month sentence for lying for years about steroid use. Doping helped her win five medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the sports governing bodies have wiped her existance from track and field.

Jones served most of her six-month sentence for lying to federal investigators about her use of performance-enhancing drugs.

I wonder if Jones will take a page from Jose Canseco and write a tell-all book about the doping game.

By Jay Hicks.

Marion Jones Enters Federal Prison!

On Friday, Marion Jones surrendered to authorities shortly before noon in Ft. Worth, Texas to begin serving her six-month sentence. The former Olympic stand-out will also serve 400 hours of community service in each of the two years following her release while on probation.

The judge sentenced her to the maximum sentence under her plea deal to set an example to other athletes who might have messed up in the same fashion. Marion has admitted that she juiced up for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and has returned every single one of the five medals that she won there. Three of them were gold medals.

Marion Jones is the first professional athlete to serve jail time in this doping scandal. She got drugs from the same place, Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO), as Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi. So why aren't they in prison and she is? Misogyny! Someone get Martha Stewart on the phone, she knows how it goes.

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist

Justin Gatlin Can’t Outrun Ban

Sprinter Justin Gatlin

Earlier this week, Justin Gatlin lost his bid to return to the sport, which means he’s likely lost his career in track and field entirely.

Can we all say it out loud: “Who cares?” Justin Gatlin’s sentence was reduced to four years from eight years for testing positive in April 22, 2006. That seems like about as much as he should try to expect from a sport that he willfully disgraced.

The 25-year-old sprinter will not be able to defend his 100-meter title gold at the Beijing Olympics. Too bad, so sad. He maybe should’ve thought twice before greedily using performance-enhancing drugs for short-term gain. Oh wait – he did think twice – it was his SECOND infraction! He’d been banned from international competition for two years in 2001 for testing positive for a stimulant in his ADD meds at his first major U.S. meet.

You can’t blame U.S. arbitrators for taking a hard line in their decision. They explained that they could not go easy on Gatlin because this was his second drug offense.

Gatlin’s rather bizarre legal defense was that he was the victim of sabotage when a massage therapist rubbed testosterone cream on his leg in revenge for not getting a bonus in 2005. Ummm, right.

A second offense could have meant a lifetime ban. Justin was given a reduced sentence for secretly-tape recording his former coach, Trevor Graham, to aid a federal steroid investigation.

His coach, Trevor Graham, is at the center of the BALCO steroid storm as several of the athletes he’s been associated with have been involved in recent doping scandals. Most notable of these is Marion Jones, who confessed to using drugs before pleading guilty in October to lying to federal investigators.

The world is to believe that this is all some terrible mistake. Gatlin’s positive test was not his fault. His masseuse was pissed off and spiked the massage oil. He was coached by the architect of track doping, but he wasn’t involved. This sounds very similar to the Marion Jones defense, except she finally stopped running from the truth and admitted her guilt.

The story does not add up. Justin failed to meet his burden of proof—maybe he should start telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Remember today's lesson– always tip your masseuse generously!

By Jay Hicks, aka Track Evangelist

Silly Barry Bonds Trial

Barry Bonds at the Federal Building in San Francisco

You could care less about baseball, steroids or Barry Bonds, but the sight of the government charging a famous individual with perjury is a farce. At the very least, it is desperate. It doesn’t take a Harvard law degree to know that perjury is difficult to prove – even for the government, who, of course, never lies.

I get it – Barry Bonds is not popular. His “I have a recliner in the clubhouse because I can” routine, abrasive personality and failing to show up for team pictures has proved beyond a reasonable doubt that he’s a jerk.

That’s fair.

But on this blogsite Barry Bonds is innocent until proven guilty. Barry has never tested positive and publicly denied taking drugs. Barry Bonds isn’t a sympathetic figure—but he at least deserves equal treatment under the law.

Prerace Jitters has covered the MLB steroid issue that has been brewing below the surface for more than two decades. Baseball owners sat back and cashed their fat checks knowing the steroids issue needed to be addressed. The home run record chases and nightly ESPN highlight brought attention back to the sport as it suffered under post-1994 lock-out fan apathy.

Shame on the owners. They failed miserably. They are charged with protecting the game on the way to depositing their cash in the bank. At least track and field took away Marion Jones’ Olympic medals and has a long track record of punishing anyone else that tests positive.

The Barry Bonds perjury case is thin. The government’s two witnesses are an ex-girlfriend—who we must note knowingly dated a married man – and a disgruntled business partner who feuded with Bonds over memorabilia sales figures.

You’re kidding? Five years of investigating and tens of millions of dollars down the drain, and that is as good as it gets?

My only questions is: Where are Rafael Palmeiro and Jason Giambi? Everyone from the Steroid Era should go down—not just the high-profile "Bad Guys."

The problem, of course, is prosecutorial bias. The original BALCO investigators have themselves admitted that the case was spurred by their hatred of Bonds. The Feds – and a lot of the baseball public – don’t like Bonds, so Bonds was the one to take the fall.

The silly Barry Bonds trial must end soon. All bets are off the table when the legal system becomes a forum for personal grudges. Who's next?

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist

Major League Disappointment

Roger Clemens

Major League Baseball got away with one. The Mitchell Report on the widespread drug use in MLB by former Senator George Mitchell was more hype than the Spice Girls reunion. It was an even bigger letdown.

The biggest surprise is the small number of names, and big names in particular. The report was not intended to be exhaustive. And it is not. Mitchell lacked subpoena power, and ultimately, only had access to players who cooperated.

Outside of Roger Clemens and Andrew Pettitte, who cares about the other names? The others were guys who have already retired or have already been the target of speculation and rumor.

It seems most of the report is based primarily on the testimony of former New York Mets' clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski and Brian McNamee, the former New York Yankees strength and conditioning coach. All Mitchell did was collect some old articles, television stories and admitted use by retired players and put it in one report.

If the feds didn't bust Radomski and force him to cooperate with this "investigation," the whole report would be recycled information.

In Mitchell's defense, it seems like he got very little cooperation throughout the investigation. Shocker, huh? One thing came across very clear to those in denial, MLB is as much to blame as anyone in this. Major League Baseball did nothing to curb the steroid issue that was already a problem for football and track. I thought Mitchell would hammer Commissioner, Bud Selig, and MLBPA head, Donald Fehr, more than he did, but he got his point across, I guess.

Obviously, the guy with the big L on his forehead is Clemens. He was the one no-brainer Hall of Famer on the list that you didn't know about for sure. For Bonds-haters that wanted to keep Barry Bonds out of Cooperstown, you better feel the same way about Clemens.

Bonds has to have a big Kool-aid smile on his face. It is kind of vindication for him in a Barry Bonds sort of way. He was by far not the only one taking performance-enhancing drugs, nor was he the only record-breaker that was taking them either. He now has some company as the poster boy for this era.

Bottom line, baseball and Bud Selig got the outcome sought from the beginning – to show Congress that baseball is tough on steroid crime. But, baseball did not take as big a hit as everyone thought it would.

There were some names in there, but outside of Clemens, there were no real bombshells. Baseball will go on, and this will all be forgotten once the season starts again.

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist