(Personally, I believe Lance should be admired for winning seven Tours, for his "beating" cancer, and for all he did to raise funds to fight cancer. I have no idea if he doped or not. Apparently he passed hundreds of drug tests -- many of them random -- but the rumors persisted and it sounds as if there is evidence of his cheating. Thus, he is not a hero, nor is he a villain. Sound familiar?)

Buzz Bissinger was one of many who completely trashed Joe Paterno, and who emptied a tanker truck full of gasoline on the flames that immolated Joe, Nittany Lion football, and Penn State in general. How does he feel about Lance Armstrong, who was recently stripped of his seven Tour titles and banned for life from competitive racing? In an EIGHT-page spread (including pics) in the 3 Sep edition of Newsweek, ol' Buzz cites Lance as a "hero" who still deserves that recognition.

Here are some of Buzz's quotes about Lance's drug use:

"But even if he did take enhancers, so what?"

"If Armstrong used banned substances, he was leveling the playing field. He was still the one who overcame all odds." (This said after claiming that "at least a third of the top finishers (Armstrong included) have either officially admitted to using performance enhancers or been officially suspected of doping." Gee, Buzz, that means that TWO-THIRDS (two-thirds > half, Buzz) did not cheat or are not suspected of cheating. But Lance "leveled the playing field"?!?!?!)

Buzz claims that he was ready to consign Lance to the ash heap of fallen sports idols, "so many at this point they could fill the national cemetery." but that he was convinced of Lance's continued sainthood after talking with his (Buzz's) 21-year-old son, who is an ardent Armstrong admirer. Gee, Buzz, how many 21-year-old sons and daughters of Penn State did you talk to, before pissing on Joe? Maybe if you had talked with the young man who so eloquently articulated the anger and hurt of Penn Staters on the night of the "riot" you would understood something larger than your own myopic viewpoint.

Buzz closes his article by calling out Travis Tygart, head of the US Anti-doping Agency: "And perhaps Travis Tygart, before trying to destroy Lance Armstrong for his own job security, should get his ass out of the chair in his office and try it (winning the Tour) himself." Wow, Buzz, perchance did you have any thoughts of substituting your fat ass for Tygart's in that sentence? What would YOU have accomplished in Joe Paterno's place?

Oh, you answered that in your last sentence: "Even if (I) doped, (I) wouldn't last a mile."

Ass-hat.