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Look, I'm doing it again

And again. this one is a real classic- Cantona's Au Revoir at the end pleases me to no end.

The news just broke and many questions, of course, follow.

The biggest for me is- who will they bring and what will their intentions be?

Are they going to hedge their bets and hold back the Contadors, Klodens and Leipheimers of the world from a full-on GC push (so as to save them for Le Tour) or are they going there to take home the Maglia Rosa? There are no guarantees that they're going to get into the Tour, so this might be their biggest stage of the year.

Of course, there's also the question of fitness and form. One can't just turn it on for a three week stage race. Is anyone ready for such a thing? Have they been prepping "just in case?" So many questions and so little time to sort it all out in time for the start of the race.

Astana given place in Giro field

Organisers of the Giro d'Italia have invited the Astana team to compete in their tour at just one week's notice.

Astana, thrown out of last year's Tour de France for doping violations, were originally excluded from the event.

Astana given place in Giro field

In other Giro news, Petacchi is skipping the race due to bronchitis. Petacchi basically owns the Giro, so that might give some other people a shot at some stage wins. Sad to see him miss out though, as he really is a joy to watch when he's on form.

Bronchitis will keep Petacchi out of Giro d'Italia

[update]

Here's Astana's team for the race:

• Assan Bazayev
• Antonio Colom
• Alberto Contador
• Vladimir Gusev
• Maxim Iglinskiy
• Andreas Klöden
• Levi Leipheimer
• Andrey Mizurov
• Dmitriy Muravyev

Think they're going there to win? I do. That's a strong team. Whatever way you slice it, three guys who have finished on the podium of the Tour de France is a pretty solid foundation and Iglinsky and Gusev have shown me a lot over the past couple of years.

I do wonder who will be their main rider. It might be whoever ends up being on best form. Which is tough to judge in advance since "the big three" have all had pretty solid spring campaigns.

Being the cycling nerd that I am I added the Lance Armstrong one, but there are a ton of great new themes.

Here's the Livestrong one in action:

Some on-topic options:

Os Gemeos:

Shepard Fairey:

Check out the whole list:

iGoogle Artist Themes

First there was the Mitchell Report and now there's the unquestionably sleazy accusation that he had an affair with country singer Mindy McCready that begain when McCready was 15. FIFTEEN! I don't have a high opinion of Clemens as a person or a great belief in his intellect, but this surprises me.

Roger Clemens carried on a decade-long affair with country star Mindy McCready, a romance that began when McCready was a 15-year-old aspiring singer performing in a karaoke bar and Clemens was a 28-year-old Red Sox ace and married father of two, several sources have told the Daily News.

Sources: Roger Clemens had 10-year fling with country star Mindy McCready

Still months away from his return to competitive cycling (October 24th, for those of you keeping track), Ivan Bass today signed with Liquigas. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the deal is for one million Euros over two years. The contract is for 2009-10, but there's no news on exactly when he'll make his return to racing.

Photo of Basso, Bettini and Cancellara (c) Ken Conley kwc.org/cycling/photography/

English coverage from VeloNews:

VeloNews | Ivan Basso will return to racing on the Liquigas team | The Journal of Competitive Cycling

Italian coverage from La Gazzetta:

Basso torna con la Liquigas

More coverage from La Gazetta (an exclusive interview):

Basso: "Grazie Liquigas Rinasco e torno a vincere"

"I am reborn and return to win"

Nothing major, he just talks about why he chose Liquigas (they're an Italian team, they've been competitive, they have a grand plan for the next couple of years) and some slightly philosophical stuff- based on the question "Who, today, is the man Basso, rider and father? "

Lance Armstrong

4 time winner Robert K Cheruiyot on Heartbreak Hill

Winner Dire Tune duels Alevtina-Biktimirova on Heartbreak Hill

Khalid El Boumlili

Fun times.

The David Ortiz jersey buried in the new Yankee Stadium is up for auction on eBay. There are 198 bids and the price is at more than $69,000 (as of this writing), with the proceeds going to The Jimmy Fund. I'll be interested to see where it ends up. It's a fantastic story and this is a great piece of oddball memorabilia related to one of the great rivalries in sports.

Ortiz "Yankees Curse" Jersey to benefit the Jimmy Fund

In the next ten or so days we have:

• The Boston Marathon One of the world's great sporting events takes place in my back yard I love the Marathon and this year my girlfriend and I are going to watch it from the course together, which is a first. We're heading to Heartbreak Hill to watch the elites and hopefully catch sight of Lance Armstrong before heading home for a little relaxation. Should be an awesome day.
• The Red Sox playthe Texas Rangers on the very same day. The annual Patriot's Day game has an early morning, 11:00 AM start time. Since the Marathon course goes right through Kenmore square the convergence of the two events is occasionally serendipitous- the game getting out just as the elite runners are hitting the square.
• The Boston Celtics, truly great again for the first time in twenty years, open the NBA playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks. I know the NBA is hoping for the return of the dream match up to end all dream match ups- a Celtics/Lakers NBA Final.

  I'd be pretty happy with that result too <- understatement.

• Over in Europe, the spring cycling calendar continues with The Amstel Gold Race on the 20th, La Flèche Wallonne 2008 on the 23rd and Liège-Bastogne-Liège on the 27th. While they don't possess the grand drama of the grand tours, the spring classics are dependably great racing and this week of back-to-back-to-back action is an annual highlight.
• Closer to home the top American riders will all be on the start line of the Tour de Georgia. Folks like George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer, Tom Danielson, Dave Zabriskie, Chris Horner, and Bobby Julich will be vying for top honors in this challenging race through the state of Georgia.

  Of special interest, as always, will be the premier stage in all of North American cycling, the mountaintop finish atop Brasstown Bald. The nearly mile high peak brings the best out of the American climbers and adding a win atop Brasstown Bald is one of the most impressive victories a cyclist can earn on North American roads.

• Women's Marathon 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials will be held in Boston the day before the Marathon (the 20th.) I'm not sure if I can make it out but it might be a lot of fun if I'm able. How often can one say they've seen two marathons live in two days?
• The Bruins? Heck, they might even be able to pull of an upset of Les Habitants. Not that I pay much attention to hockey anymore, but I know some people that do, so I've got to shout out the Bs
• Chelsea play Manchester United on April 26th. A game which could decide the Premier League. Fun times.

Did I miss anything? Even if I did that's enough to keep me entertained and my DVR in good shape for a while. Good times.

From VeloNews:

Rumors are flying in Spain that Giro d’Italia organizers are reconsidering their decision and might welcome Astana to the season’s first major stage race. Vuelta a España officials reiterated Wednesday that Astana will be welcome, but warned that any hint of scandal could see the team lose its spot.

I'd obviously be excited to see Astana in the Giro, if just to see them win both the Giro and the Vuelta (are you betting against Contador in his home race? Me? I've already got his name engraved on the trophy.) as part of their "revenge against Le Tour tour."

Speaking of Castilla y Leon- a snowy, mountaintop finish? Contador vs. Colombian climber Mauricio Soler? Sounds like a fun stage. I would love to have seen it.