I've seen lots of great interviews on television over the years, but last night's interview on "60 Minutes" with Tyler Hamilton set a new mark.
Hamilton, of course, is the former teammate and friend of Lance Armstrong, and in the interview, which was clearly difficult for him, Hamilton became another nail in the illegal doping coffin being built against Armstrong.
Hamilton detailed specific dates and times and sights of Armstrong doing something illegal in his successful quest to become the greatest cyclist of all time.
When the interview came to an end, I sat back in my chair. And I mumbled.
"Who gives a hoot?"
I mean in some quarters, it sure seems like the whole "did he" or "didn't he" thing with Armstrong is a big deal.
But really. This is bike riding we are talking about. No training wheels, but it's still getting on a bike and going fast for as long as you can. Obscure doesn't even begin to describe bike riding.
Once a year they have the Tour de France, which people have heard of. The rest of the year, bike riders rank somewhere just below the kid at your Open Pantry on the know-their-name scale.
We all know Lance won seven of these races in a row. Who won the last three? Huh? Anybody here? Huh?
See what I mean?
The problem with this whole thing is the same thing that causes problems all the time: the government.
There is a federal grand jury in Los Angeles that has been probing this scandal for years. I couldn't begin to figure out how many millions of dollars have been spent on this thing. We've got lots of things to investigate in this world. Like the massive fraud in Wisconsin's day care system or whether we really have any voter fraud.
But we are spending untold amounts of money to find out if some guy from Texas took drugs to make him ride a bike faster than other guys who were also taking drugs to make them ride faster.
Why in the world do we need the government to prove stuff for us that we already know, just by using our own common sense. Hmmmm. Did Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire use performance-enhancing drugs? Seen them lately?
Hmmmm. In a sport where everybody takes drugs is it likely that the guy from Texas also took them when he won the toughest race in the world seven consecutive times? Really.
There are two points here.
One is that Lance Armstrong is a liar and a cheat and somebody should make him give back the seven cups or badges or hats he won for those races. And we should also be glad that he isn't hanging around with Sheryl Crow anymore. And we should hope that the grand jury winds up issuing lots of indictments and we have trials that last for years so that we can also send him to jail for 34 months (and release him after 11 for good behavior).
The second point is, who really gives a damn?
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.
