- 11:38 AM
- 11/05/24
| Name: | vince williams |
|---|---|
| Member since: | June 21, 2005 |
| Last visit: | June 01, 2012 |
vewill1 has posted 0 links and 7 comments to SportsFilter and 0 links and 0 comments to the Locker Room.
One more thing Sal... and I'll say this with a wink. There are not a lot of French (especially Parisianers) that I know that would be happy being defended by a Brit ;). Truce ehh? To the point...one of the posters was correct when saying that you can never defend/prove innocence....only guilt. Armstrong's dilema.. he's basically in the middle of a lose/lose situation. Oh well, maybe he'll ride the Giro or Vuelta for a couple of years. Shunning Le Tour.......THAT would really rain on a lot of people's parades.
posted by vewill1 at 11:22 AM on September 08, 2005
Sal, I think that you miss my point. What I wanted to convey is that the French media represent a small slice of French society and not the nation in its entirety. You are correct, I should have inserted SOME before the statement regarding Parisians. You are also correct in saying that the same could be said of most places in the world. Unfortunately, we seem to have a slice of our population that has taken obnoxious behavior to new levels and are proud of their ability to offend others. They are world renowned for this ability. They are the loudest so their voice gets heard. As a result, 95% of the French population get saddled with a reputation that was earned by 5%. I'm not condemning 2 million people, I'm defending 58 million. When going to France, get away from the airport and tourist traps. You will find a wonderful group of people that are open and warm and actually LIKE Americans and Brits.
posted by vewill1 at 11:59 PM on September 07, 2005
salmacis.... I am French (born in Paris) and have lived in Normandy for over twenty years... I have a right to say what I believe. By the stupid expletives that you include in your comment I can tell that you are yet another ignorant poster to this site. Learn manners and proper protocol for a web posting and you may be taken seriously.
posted by vewill1 at 03:44 PM on September 07, 2005
I lived and raced internationally for seven years. For the past 4 years I have been at the TDF as a reporter. I can tell you that the French press do not like LA. I can also tell you that the French public have a love/ hate/ respect relationship with LA that is not reflected in the press. For me, I'm torn about him making a comeback. Part of me would like to see him go out on top and stay retired. With the latest issues however, I would like him to come back, test clean, and win number 8. I think that a majority of the French public would like to see him race again as well. The Parisian French are slimy and spineless, but contrary to what many believe they did not sit around all day dreaming of ways to slam America. Separate the public from the press, cut out a portion of the Paris population and what you have is a great country filled with exceptional people. And by the way, travel just outside of France, visit the war memorials dedicated to US soldiers that gave their life in WWII, and you will understand that the French have never lost their gratitude for what America did for them in the past.
posted by vewill1 at 02:01 PM on September 06, 2005
My last input into this issue...... Michelin did not pitch up to the race with equipment that was safe for the race conditions. Bridgestone did. Everyone had ample time to do their homework and familiarise themselves with the course and with the effect it would have on tire life. How could Michelin mess up on something so basic then have the audacity to point the finger at everyone else? We all realize that F1 (all racing in general for that matter) is highly political and borderline unethical in practice, but that does not negate the fact that Michelin screwed up on this one. Thanks to the teams that raced. Although only marginally entertaining, it was a race nonetheless. I hope the Americans get their money back and hope they give F1 another chance. I will now bow out to ergos, god of racing and tires.
posted by vewill1 at 08:25 AM on June 21, 2005
Ferrari has raced all season long by pushing their equipment to its limits. They have seen their success evaporate as the "limits" of Michelin tires have proven to exceeed the "limits" of Bridgestone tires. At Indy the roles reversed and Ferrari finally had an andvantage. Everything in racing is about gaining an advantage, through either car, equipment, or driver. Why would they volunteer to make track alterations that would negate their advantage? Why couldn't Michelin put their cars out and race to the limits of their equipment (ie slower into turns)? The built in telemetry could have been used by the teams to limit revs into corners and maintain safety limits with regard to the tire limitations. When Michelin shod teams were wiping out Ferrari in earlier races I never remember anyone asking for or offering a solution to "even the field" between the teams. Why is it different now? Ferrari as cheats....I won't argue for or against in an overall light, but will vehemently dispute it in this case.
posted by vewill1 at 04:34 AM on June 21, 2005
Times Reporter Wishes She Could Boycott Masters
Great! Skip the Master's and don't cover it. No one really cares!