UPDATE 1-Baseball-MLB, players agree to expand drug testing

* HGH and testosterone testing to be used this season
* WADA-accredited lab hails toughness of new MLB testing (Adds details, quotes)
Jan 10 (Reuters) - Major League Baseball and the players' union have agreed to expand their drug program to include random in-season blood testing for human growth hormone and a new test for testosterone, they said on Thursday.
The advanced testing will start this season, in what will be the sternest doping program in major North American professional sports.
"This agreement addresses critical drug issues and symbolizes Major League Baseball's continued vigilance against synthetic human growth hormone, testosterone and other performance-enhancing substances," MLB commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement.
The new steps moved baseball well ahead of the National Football League, which does not test for HGH or testosterone.
"Players want a program that is tough, scientifically accurate, backed by the latest proven scientific methods, and fair," said Michael Weiner, MLB Players' Association executive director in a statement.
"I believe these changes firmly support the players' desires while protecting their legal rights."
The announcement came one day after the players' union criticized results of the balloting for the Baseball Hall of Fame, in which no one received enough votes for enshrinement in what appeared to be a referendum on widespread doping during what has become known as the game's 'Steroids Era'.
All-time home run king Barry Bonds and seven-time Cy Young winning pitcher Roger Clemens, have resumes that would have ordinarily made them certain Hall of Famers.
But both players have been linked to performance enhancing drugs and punished by voters, receiving about half the ballots votes required for election.
Major League Baseball, striving to remove the taint of doping, was the first major sport in the United States to test for HGH in an agreement with the union in November 2011.
MLB has been conducting random blood testing for the detection of HGH among minor league players since July 2010 and had previously been testing major leaguers during spring training and off-season.
To detect testosterone use, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited Montreal laboratory will establish a program in which a player's baseline testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio and other data will be maintained in order to enhance its ability to detect use of the drug and other banned substances.
Christiane Ayotte, the Director of the Montreal Laboratory, praised the steps baseball has taken.
"The addition of random blood testing and a longitudinal profiling program makes baseball's program second to none in detecting and deterring the use of synthetic HGH and testosterone," she said in a statement.
Doping in baseball has not disappeared.
In the last year, Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants, who was leading the league in batting average, and Oakland A's pitcher Bartolo Colon tested positive for testosterone and were suspended.
"I am proud that our system allows us to adapt to the many evolving issues associated with the science and technology of drug testing," Selig said. "We will continue to do everything we can to maintain a leadership stature in anti-doping efforts in the years ahead." (Reporting by Larry Fine, Editing by Gene Cherry and Steve Keating)

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MLB to expand blood testing for HGH

PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. (AP) — Major League Baseball will test for human growth hormone throughout the regular season and increase efforts to detect abnormal levels of testosterone, a decision the NFL used to pressure its players.
Baseball players were subject to blood testing for HGH during spring training last year, and Thursday's agreement between management and the Major League Baseball Players Association expands that throughout the season. Those are in addition to urine tests for other performance-enhancing drugs.
Under the changes to baseball's drug agreement, the World Anti-Doping Agency laboratory in Laval, Quebec, will keep records of each player, including his baseline ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone, and will conduct Carbon Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) tests of any urine specimens that "vary materially."
"This is a proud and a great day for baseball," commissioner Bud Selig said following two days of owners' meetings. "We'll continue to be a leader in this field and do what we have to do."
The announcement came one day after steroid-tainted stars Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa failed to gain election to the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.
Commenting on the timing, Selig noted the drug program changes had long been in the works "but it wasn't too bad, was it?"
Selig reflected on how far baseball had come on performance enhancing drug issues.
"This is remarkable when you think of where we were 10, 12, 15 years ago and where we are today," he said. "Nobody could have dreamed it."
Baseball began random drug testing in 2003, testing with penalties the following year and suspensions for first offenders in 2005. Initial penalties were lengthened from 10 days to 50 games in 2006, when illegal amphetamines were banned. The number of tests has gradually increased over the past decade.
Selig called the latest change a "yet another indication how far this sport has come."
Rob Manfred, baseball's executive vice president for economics and league affairs, said each player will be tested at least once.
"Players want a program that is tough, scientifically accurate, backed by the latest proven scientific methods, and fair," union head Michael Weiner said in a statement. "I believe these changes firmly support the players' desires while protecting their legal rights."
Selig praised the cooperation of the players association, once a staunch opponent of drug testing, in agreeing to the expansion.
"Michael Weiner and the union deserve credit," Selig said. "Way back when they were having a lot of problems I didn't give them credit, but they do."
Christiane Ayotte, director of the Canadian laboratory, said that the addition of random blood testing and a "longitudinal profiling program makes baseball's program second to none in detecting and deterring the use of synthetic HGH and testosterone."
She said the program compares favorably with any program conducted by WADA.
HGH testing remains a contentious issue in the National Football League. At a hearing last month, U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, accused the NFL players' union of trying to back out of HGH testing.
"Other professional sports leagues, including the National Football League, must also implement their own robust testing regimes," Cummings and committee chairman Darrel Issa said in a statement Thursday. "Major League Baseball's announcement increases the pressure on the NFL and its players to deliver on pledges to conduct HGH testing made in their collective bargaining agreement that was signed two years ago."
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Thursday "we hope the MLB players' union will inspire the NFLPA to stop its stalling tactics and fulfill its commitment to begin testing for HGH. If the NFLPA stands for player health and safety, it should follow the lead of the MLB players' union and end the delay."
NFLPA spokesman George Atallah says the union is not backing out of anything but was looking to resolve scientific issues surrounding the tests. HGH testing is part of the 10-year labor agreement reached in 2011 but protocols must be agreed to by both sides.
"If the league had held up their commitment to population study, we could have been first," Atallah said.
At the time of last month's congressional hearing, NFL senior vice president Adolpho Birch called the union's insistence on a population study to determine whether current HGH tests are appropriate a delay tactic that threatened that league's leadership in drug testing matters.
"Major League Baseball and the players' union have moved a long way from the inadequate policies that were in place when Congress first addressed ballplayers' use of steroids." said Henry Waxman, ranking Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
NOTES: Owners approved the transfer of control of the Cleveland Indians to Paul Dolan, son of owner Larry Dolan. Paul Dolan is the team's chief executive officer.

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UPDATE 2-Baseball-MLB, players agree to expand drug testing

* HGH and testosterone testing to be used this season
* WADA-accredited lab hails toughness of new MLB testing (Adds USADA comment in paras 5-7)
Jan 10 (Reuters) - Major League Baseball and the players' union have agreed to expand their drug program to include random in-season blood testing for human growth hormone and a new test for testosterone, they said on Thursday.
The advanced testing will start this season, in what will be the sternest doping program in major North American professional sports.
"This agreement addresses critical drug issues and symbolizes Major League Baseball's continued vigilance against synthetic human growth hormone, testosterone and other performance-enhancing substances," MLB commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement.
The new steps moved baseball well ahead of the National Football League (NFL), which does not test for HGH or have a similar test for testosterone.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) challenged the NFL Players' Association (NFLPA) to follow suit in agreeing to such tests.
"This is a strong statement by the players and the league not only confirming the scientific validity of the HGH blood test and the benefit of longitudinal testing, but also the importance of clean athletes' rights and the integrity of the game," USADA said in a statement.
"This agreement, following the recent Congressional hearings on testing in the NFL, leaves no reason for the NFLPA not to step up and implement the same to give its players an equal level of protection and confidence that they deserve a level, drug-free playing field in the NFL."
Michael Weiner, executive director of the MLB Players' Association, said Major League players supported the expanded program.
"Players want a program that is tough, scientifically accurate, backed by the latest proven scientific methods, and fair," said Weiner in a statement.
"I believe these changes firmly support the players' desires while protecting their legal rights."
The announcement came one day after the players' union criticised results of the balloting for the Baseball Hall of Fame, in which no one received enough votes for enshrinement in what appeared to be a referendum on widespread doping during what has become known as the game's 'Steroids Era'.
All-time home run king Barry Bonds and seven-time Cy Young winning pitcher Roger Clemens, have playing records that would have ordinarily made them certain Hall of Famers.
But both players have been linked to performance enhancing drugs and punished by voters, receiving about half the ballots required for election.
Major League Baseball, striving to remove the stain of doping, was the first major sport in the United States to test for HGH in an agreement with the union in November 2011.
MLB has been conducting random blood testing for the detection of HGH among minor league players since July 2010 and had previously been testing major leaguers during spring training and off-season.
To detect testosterone use, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited Montreal laboratory will establish a program in which a player's baseline testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio and other data will be maintained in order to enhance its ability to detect use of the drug and other banned substances.
Christiane Ayotte, the Director of the Montreal Laboratory, praised the steps baseball has taken.
"The addition of random blood testing and a longitudinal profiling program makes baseball's program second to none in detecting and deterring the use of synthetic HGH and testosterone," she said in a statement.
Doping in baseball has not disappeared.
In the last year, Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants, who was leading the league in batting average, and Oakland A's pitcher Bartolo Colon tested positive for testosterone and were suspended.
"I am proud that our system allows us to adapt to the many evolving issues associated with the science and technology of drug testing," Selig said. "We will continue to do everything we can to maintain a leadership stature in anti-doping efforts in the years ahead.

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Manning puts winning streaks on line against Ravens

(Reuters) - Peyton Manning, who has mounted a remarkable comeback with the Broncos, will be aiming to extend two big winning streaks when Denver hosts the Baltimore Ravens in the National Football League playoffs on Saturday.
Manning and the Broncos are gunning for their 12th win in a row this season in the divisional round against the Ravens, a team he has beaten nine consecutive times, with eight of those coming with the Indianapolis Colts dating back to 2002.
The 36-year-old quarterback added to his winning streak against the Ravens with a 34-17 victory last month with a Denver team he joined after missing the entire 2011 season with the Colts after a series of neck surgeries.
Manning picked up where he left off as one of the NFL's preeminent quarterbacks after joining the Broncos, producing a vintage season with his second most touchdown passes (37), second most yards (4,659), second best completion percentage (68.6) and just 11 interceptions.
"Peyton Manning is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history," Baltimore defensive lineman Haloti Ngata told reporters.
"He has bounced back from injury. He has done a lot of great things for Denver. Hopefully, we can have a good week of practice and stop him."
Denver (13-3), as the top-seeded team in the AFC, is coming off a bye, while the Ravens (11-6) defeated the Colts 24-9 last week in their wild-card playoff game.
Quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns against the Colts and is the only quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game in his first five seasons but he is still striving to get all the way to the Super Bowl.
Flacco made many of his biggest throws to veteran wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who had 145 receiving yards in the second half against Indianapolis.
"We're looking forward to this," said Boldin. "I was hoping we'd get Denver again. This time we'll make it different."
The Broncos have speedy pass rushers on one of the fastest defenses in the league, featuring linebacker Von Miller (18.5 sacks) and Elvis Dumervil (11 sacks), on a team that tied for the NFL lead in sacks.
Baltimore has developed a strong one-two punch of runners in all-round back Ray Rice and rookie Bernard Pierce, who emerged late in the season and powered his way to 103 yards last week against the Colts, though in their last game against Denver, they combined for less than 60 yards.
While the Ravens are rallying around soon-to-be retiring linebacker Ray Lewis, Denver can see Manning, who does not take his comeback for granted, hit new heights.
"I remember opening day against Pittsburgh — I remember one year ago I was in a hospital bed watching opening day so ... there's a little reminder of how far I've come," Manning told reporters.
"And then certainly in the month of December, that's when I first got cleared to start throwing. So certainly I have had those checkpoints along the way and...reminders of where I was a year ago.

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Jaguars no longer want hometown hero Tim Tebow

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Tim Tebow won't be playing for his hometown team.
The Jacksonville Jaguars made it clear Thursday that they have no plans to pursue the popular and polarizing New York Jets backup quarterback.
The Jets are likely to release the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and Jacksonville native during the offseason, and many believed Tebow would land with the Jaguars.
But new general manager David Caldwell nixed that idea at his introductory news conference.
"I can't imagine a scenario in which he'll be a Jacksonville Jaguar — even if he's released," Caldwell said.
And Caldwell won't get any pushback from his new owner.
Shad Khan, who made a run at Tebow last year, said it was Caldwell's call.
"It's not my decision," Khan said. "I want to do whatever to help this team win. Who the players are is really the general manager's and coaches' — it's a football-side operation decision. It's really not my decision."
What has changed for Khan in the 10 months since he wanted Tebow?
"I'm telling them to take a look at Tebow and they're saying, 'We're going to go in a different direction,'" Khan said. "That's the difference."
Tebow starred at nearby Florida, helping the team win two national championship, and created buzz that he would be a huge hit with the Jaguars. He would sell tickets and merchandise, many said, and bring the small-market franchise national recognition and Super Bowl rings.
Despite all the hype, the Jaguars passed on drafting Tebow in 2010 because former general manager Gene Smith didn't view him as a franchise quarterback.
But after Khan took over last year and the Denver Broncos started quietly shopping Tebow, Khan told Smith to look into acquiring the left-hander.
The Jaguars increased their offer several times. By the end of negotiations, Jacksonville had offered a fourth-round pick and agreed to pay $3 million of the $5 million in advance salary the Broncos had already paid Tebow. The money the Jaguars offered was better than the little more than $2.5 million the Jets agreed to pay, and the draft pick was nine spots higher than New York's fourth-round selection.
But it never really got down to the details.
The Broncos told the Jaguars they were allowing Tebow to choose between the teams, and the Jaguars believe Tebow picked the Jets because he felt he would have a better chance to compete for the quarterback job with Mark Sanchez than Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne.
Still, the Jets failed to find a way to effectively use Tebow this season.
Apparently, the Jaguars don't want to try now, either.
"We plan to address the quarterback situation, obviously," Caldwell said. "Blaine is the second-youngest quarterback in the NFL, but we're going to have open competition. Whether it's through draft or through free agency, we'll bring in some more people to compete at the quarterback position. We're going to let the best player win that position."

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Steelers cut Rainey after domestic violence arrest

(Reuters) - The Pittsburgh Steelers have cut rookie running back Chris Rainey following his arrest for a domestic battery, the National Football League team said on Thursday.
"Chris Rainey's actions this morning were extremely disappointing," said Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert in a statement on the team's website. "Under the circumstances and due to this conduct, Chris will no longer be a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers."
Rainey was charged by Gainesville, Florida police with a single count of misdemeanor simple battery following an incident with his girlfriend, according to media reports.
A fifth round selection of the Steelers in last season's draft, Rainey was used primarily on specialty teams during his rookie campaign, returning 39 kickoffs for 1,035 yards while filling in at running back.

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American Football-Alabama crush Notre Dame to win championship

MIAMI (Reuters) - Alabama's 'Crimson Tide' swept aside Notre Dame in the BCS Championship game on Monday, dominating the 'Fighting Irish' 42-14 to win their third college football title in four years.
Notre Dame, 12-0 in the regular season, had been looking for their first national title since 1988 but were all at sea against irresistible Alabama, who set the tone of the game with an utterly one-sided 28-0 first half.
Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron threw four touchdown passes and finished with 264 yards through the air, while running back Eddie Lacy and receiver Amari Cooper had two scores each as the Crimson Tide claimed back-to-back titles.
The victory confirmed Nick Saban as the most successful active coach in college football with four national titles, taking him within two of Alabama great Bear Bryant.
The one-sided nature of a game featuring the top ranked Notre Dame will inevitably lead to further criticism of the ranking system, though a new system is to be introduced in 2014 that will see four teams battle it out for the crown at the end of the regular season.
Regardless of the system, few would argue that Alabama, beaten only by Texas A&M in the regular season, are worthy national champions - a status acknowledged before the game by Las Vegas bookmakers if not the rankings.
The matchup had been described as a return to the pinnacle of college football for Notre Dame but it ended in embarrassment for the team in shiny golden helmets, who have won 11 ‘consensus' national titles but endured some lean years of late.
The chance of a first title since the introduction of the BCS championship game in 1998 drew a huge Notre Dame following to Miami where they made up the bulk of the record 80,120 crowd at the Dolphins' Sun Life stadium.
PULSATING ATMOSPHERE
After marching bands had whipped up the atmosphere, it was quickly apparent that the smaller but wildly enthusiastic Alabama support would be heading home happy.
Alabama's first drive ended in a 20 yard touchdown run from the powerful Lacy, ably assisted by an imposing offensive line that swiftly establish supremacy.
McCarron then found tight-end Michael Williams with a three yard pass as Alabama took a 14-0 first quarter lead.
The second quarter saw a one yard rushing score from T.J. Yeldon and then Lacy collected a pass from McCarron and ran into the end-zone for an 11 yard score.
Alabama's power in the running game was evident in the yards put up by their two main backs - Lacy rushed for 140 yards and Yeldon 108.
Receiver Amari Cooper was left wide-open to score on a 34 yard McCarron pass in the third before Notre Dame gave their fans something to cheer with quarterback Everett Golson running the ball in from two yards out.
McCarron and Cooper combined again for a fourth quarter score before Notre Dame's Golson found Theo Riddick with a six yard pass to make the final score 42-14.
With the game already won and three minutes left on the clock, Saban sent out back-up quarterback Blake Sims and other reserves to get a taste of the glory.

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American Football-Saban completes Crimson dynasty

MIAMI, Jan 8 (Reuters) - University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban secured his status as one of the greats of college football on Monday, guiding the 'Crimson Tide' to their third national title in four years with a crushing 42-14 victory over Notre Dame.
In the same Sun Life Stadium where he endured a brief, fruitless and unhappy experience as an NFL head coach with the Miami Dolphins, Saban tasted college football glory for the fourth time having won earlier in his career with Louisiana State University (LSU).
For the second year in a row, Alabama dominated the national championship game, following up their 21-0 win over LSU last year with an even more convincing display.
Since the BCS Championship game was introduced in 1998 no team has won back-to-back titles but Saban was wary of talking in historic terms.
"I don't think words like 'dynasty' are really words I'm much interested in," said Saban after the game.
"We are interested in accomplishment and consistency in performance and we want to continue to try to do that in the future. Those (words) are for other people to talk about," he said.
"I think it is pretty special what we've accomplished, what the players accomplished and the coaches. One of these days when I'm sitting on the side of a hill watching the stream go by, I'll probably figure it out even more.
"But what about next year's team? You've got to think about that too".
Those are ominous words for Alabama's rivals and it would be a brave person who bets against Saban constructing a third consecutive championship team.
As always Saban was visibly passionate throughout a game in which, as usual, his team was superbly drilled and physically and technically superior to opponents who were unbeaten in their 12-game regular season.
The win is sure to prompt speculation about whether Saban, who had two seasons with the Miami Dolphins, in 2005 and 2006, might now try a second spell in the professional game.
While there will be NFL owners wondering how they might tempt Saban away again from the remarkably successful program he has developed in Tuscaloosa, for now Saban was content to reflect on just what an outstanding team he coached this year.
"I feel great for our players, fans, administration and the people of Alabama," he said.
"Our guys maintained their focus and played through the adversity of winning during a tough season and difficult schedule," he added.
"People talk about how the most difficult thing is to win your first championship. But really the most difficult is to win the next one, because there is always a feeling of entitlement," he said.

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Saban completes Crimson dynasty

MIAMI (Reuters) - University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban secured his status as one of the greats of college football on Monday, guiding the 'Crimson Tide' to their third national title in four years with a crushing 42-14 victory over Notre Dame.
In the same Sun Life Stadium where he endured a brief, fruitless and unhappy experience as an NFL head coach with the Miami Dolphins, Saban tasted college football glory for the fourth time having won earlier in his career with Louisiana State University (LSU).
For the second year in a row, Alabama dominated the national championship game, following up their 21-0 win over LSU last year with an even more convincing display.
Since the BCS Championship game was introduced in 1998 no team has won back-to-back titles but Saban was wary of talking in historic terms.
"I don't think words like 'dynasty' are really words I'm much interested in," said Saban after the game.
"We are interested in accomplishment and consistency in performance and we want to continue to try to do that in the future. Those (words) are for other people to talk about," he said.
"I think it is pretty special what we've accomplished, what the players accomplished and the coaches. One of these days when I'm sitting on the side of a hill watching the stream go by, I'll probably figure it out even more.
"But what about next year's team? You've got to think about that too".
Those are ominous words for Alabama's rivals and it would be a brave person who bets against Saban constructing a third consecutive championship team.
As always Saban was visibly passionate throughout a game in which, as usual, his team was superbly drilled and physically and technically superior to opponents who were unbeaten in their 12-game regular season.
The win is sure to prompt speculation about whether Saban, who had two seasons with the Miami Dolphins, in 2005 and 2006, might now try a second spell in the professional game.
While there will be NFL owners wondering how they might tempt Saban away again from the remarkably successful program he has developed in Tuscaloosa, for now Saban was content to reflect on just what an outstanding team he coached this year.
"I feel great for our players, fans, administration and the people of Alabama," he said.
"Our guys maintained their focus and played through the adversity of winning during a tough season and difficult schedule," he added.
"People talk about how the most difficult thing is to win your first championship. But really the most difficult is to win the next one, because there is always a feeling of entitlement," he said.
"I've never been prouder of a group of young men for what they were able to do."

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Investigation into Chiefs LB killing complete

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher apparently was worried he would lose his baby and money to his longtime girlfriend before fatally shooting her and killing himself, according to newly released police reports.
Belcher also complained about Kasandra Perkins, the mother of the couple's 3-month-old daughter, in conversations and text messages sent to a woman he was dating on the side, the reports show.
In one text message sent in late October or early November, Belcher wrote he "would shoot" Perkins "if she didn't leave him alone." The girlfriend told police that Belcher said "his child's mother threatened to take all his money and his child if they split up" and "knew exactly how to press his buttons and make him angry."
Belcher shot Perkins multiple times in their home on Dec. 1 and then drove to team headquarters, where he killed himself in front of his coach and general manager after telling them he "wasn't able to get enough help."
The Jackson County prosecutor's office reviewed the police reports, which first were obtained by The Kansas City Star, before closing the case Friday. It formally ruled the deaths of Belcher, 25, and Perkins, 22, a murder-suicide, prosecutor's office spokesman Mike Mansur said Tuesday.
The reports provide new details about the final days and hours leading to the tragedy.
The night before the killings, Belcher went to a club with the woman he was dating while Perkins attended a concert with her friends, the reports said. A friend of Perkins has told The Star that the couple argued around 1 a.m., about Perkins being out late, although it wasn't clear whether the argument happened in person or on the phone. The police report, which doesn't mention this dispute, said that after Belcher kissed his girlfriend and she went inside her apartment, he fell asleep in his car.
About two hours later, police roused Belcher after someone called 911 to report his idling Bentley as suspicious. The report said Belcher was legally parked and didn't smell of alcohol, but officers asked if he could stay inside the apartment for the night.
Belcher tried to call the girlfriend, but she didn't discover the missed calls until the next morning and didn't hear him at her door. Two women who were up late invited Belcher to wait inside their apartment after he explained his plight. They said Belcher "appeared to be intoxicated" but "seemed to be in good spirits . laughing, joking."
After taking him to a gas station to buy a sports drink, they gave him a pillow and blanket and he slept on the couch for a couple hours, leaving at 6:45 a.m. so he could make it to a team meeting planned for later that morning.
Upon arriving at the home he shared with Perkins, the couple began arguing over "one or both of them going out as in to a club or partying," said Belcher's mother, Cheryl Shepherd, who had moved in with them about two weeks earlier.
When Shepherd heard multiple gunshots, she ran to the bedroom and saw Belcher kneeling next to Perkins' body, saying he was sorry. After kissing Perkins, his baby daughter and his mother, Belcher drove to Arrowhead Stadium, breaking off his Bentley's rear-view mirror on the way, the police report said.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli saw Belcher holding a gun to his head and jumped out of his vehicle so he could find out what was happening.
"I've done a bad thing to my girlfriend already," Belcher told Pioli, according to the report, adding that he wanted to talk with Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel and defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs.
When Crennel arrived, Belcher said, "You know that I've been having some major problems at home and with my girlfriend. I need help! I wasn't able to get enough help. I appreciate everything you all have done for me with trying to help ... but it wasn't enough. I have hurt my girl already and I can't go back now."
Belcher asked that Pioli and team owner Clark Hunt take care of his daughter. The Chiefs staff pleaded with Belcher to put down his gun, but he only lowered it to load a round. "You're taking the easy way out!" Crennel told Belcher, according to the report.
As a police officer approached, Belcher knelt behind a vehicle, saying, "Guys, I have to do this. ... I got to go, can't be here and take care of my daughter." He made the sign of the cross on his chest and fired a bullet into his head, the report said.
Crennel said Belcher had blamed Perkins for missing a team meeting a few weeks earlier, saying he had to watch the baby after Perkins didn't come home the night before. Crennel said he thought the couple had "trust issues" and Perkins expected "a better life" with an NFL player.
Crennel said Belcher, whose base salary this season was more than $1.9 million, "didn't live outside his means." He said he thought Belcher was talking to an attorney about getting custody of his daughter.

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What It's Like to Be a Steelers Fan in Cleveland

The ratio of Browns fans to Pittsburgh Steelers fans in Cleveland has to be close. Retail stores in the area carry an even split of fan merchandise, and there always seems to be a black and gold bumper sticker, Steeler Pride flag, or Pittsburgh jersey-wearing fan in practically any Cleveland-area crowd. Although the Cincinnati Bengals are also considered rivals of the Browns, nothing really compares to the heated battles between Browns and Steelers fans.
It has been said that there is no such thing as a former Browns fan, and from what I have seen, there is also no such thing as a former Steelers fan. You either are, or you are not, regardless of where you are from, what city you live in, or what the people around you say.
Family Ties Play a Part
Due to the close proximity of the teams -- there are roughly 135 miles via turnpikes between the rival towns -- many fans have strong family connections with their team of choice. For example, Michelle Amoroso Lutz, cooking instructor, aka The Italian Mama Chef, grew up in Pittsburgh, so she simply assumed being a Steelers fan was a part of her heritage. "I thought the Steelers were all Italian, because my family is," Lutz said. "I know better now, but I guess since I would hear my grandpa, uncles, and dad all rooting for them and saying stuff in Italian, I thought it was part of being Italian."
Beyond the cultural connection, Lutz learned the game from her dad. "My dad was a huge fan, and we watched every game together. He taught me about football, and it was a bond we shared. I think I enjoyed the game more than my brothers!"
Dina Mott Harvey was born and raised in the Cleveland area, but has strong family roots in Pennsylvania. She proudly admits that she is a diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Game day was a special time in her home. She recalls Sundays spent together eating a big meal and watching football. "My dad would talk about how back in the '60s, he and his buddies would take a bus up to Cleveland to watch them play Pittsburgh," Harvey shared. "And how the Steelers always lost!" She was quick to add, "Doesn't matter -- when you're a member of the Black and Gold, win or lose, you still love them."
Others chose sides at a young age like John Elias from Wadsworth, Ohio, who has been on the Steelers season ticket waiting list for 17 years and makes a point to attend at least two or three games at Heinz Field per season.
"I've been a die-hard Steelers fan my entire life," said Elias. "As a child, I started watching football in the 1970s. The Steelers were the best; I loved their black and gold uniform. The Steelers were the team of the decade, winning four Super Bowls."
Unlike a lot of kids, he was not swayed by his parents' choice. Elias said, "Because my parents weren't sports fans at the time, I wasn't influenced or brainwashed to like the Browns. I was free to root for any team." With that said, once he made his choice, his mom had a little say in the matter. Elias explained, "My mom always stressed that you should never be a fair-weather fan and you should stick with your team no matter what. I've been a loyal die-hard fan ever since."
Disappointing Dealings With Rival Fans
Unfortunately, Elias does not have a good history with rival fans. "I've seen and experienced extremely bad and classless behavior from Browns fans," he said. "I've had complete strangers come up to me at a store and tell me that the Steelers suck. So have my wife and children. Sad. They weren't joking, either; there was a lot of hate in these people."
In fact, Elias added, "I think they hate the Steelers more than they love the Browns!" Due to these encounters, he decided, "I will not go to Cleveland Stadium anymore for a Steeler/Browns game. I haven't been there since 1986."
But that does not stop Elias from showing Steeler Pride. "I wear my Steeler gear proudly everywhere -- even in Cleveland."
Since moving to Cleveland 18 years ago, Lutz has also encountered nasty fans, but she doesn't return the sentiment. "Some people have a deep hatred for the Steelers, which I don't get. I have never hated another team, especially those who are our rivals."
Harvey said, "I agree with John on some points. Some Browns fans (not all) just have no class when it comes to the rivalry." She then went on to share this story: "I took my dad to the game about five years ago in Cleveland. At the time, he was in his early '70s, proudly wearing his Rocky Bleier jersey I had bought him. There were several people who came up and made extremely derogatory comments to my father."
Raising the Next Generation of Fans
Lutz, Pittsburgh born and raised, lives in a divided household. "In my own home, we are split -- two root for Cleveland and two for Pittsburgh. I am saddened that we have lost a few games to the Browns over the years, but it's all in fun in my mind," she said.
Harvey also shares a roof with a rival fan. "I proudly wear my Steeler gear every Sunday," she said. "And now have my 3-year-old wearing hers, much to the dismay of my Browns fan husband!" She is confident that her little girl will make up her own mind when she gets older, and assured, "I have to tell you, I'm not worried."
The Elias family, though, is a one-team troop. After taking his 9-year-old daughter to her first Steelers game recently, Elias said, "She was amazed by all the people wearing black and gold. She loved it. We were with our own kind!"
After listening to the experiences of Steelers fans in Browns town, it is clear that we all ought to listen to the advice of Harvey: "Regardless of who you root for, show some class." And due to her disappointing experience at the Browns stadium with her dad, she added, "And at the very least, show respect for your elders."

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Penn State voted AP sports story of year again

NEW YORK (AP) — The Penn State child sex abuse scandal was selected as the sports story of the year by U.S. editors and news directors in an annual vote conducted by The Associated Press.
The news broke in November 2011, with a grand jury report outlining charges against Jerry Sandusky, and the outrage that followed led to the firing of Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno. But the aftershocks were felt long into 2012: Sandusky was convicted in June of assaulting 10 boys, and the NCAA handed down brutal sanctions in July.
In both years, the scandal was picked as the top sports story, the first time since the AP began conducting its annual vote in 1990 that the same story was selected twice in a row. The results of this year's tally were announced Wednesday.
Even before the Sandusky trial, the State College community had absorbed another huge blow as Paterno died Jan. 22 at age 85 of lung cancer.
The year ended with a small step to normalcy — joy on the football field. Under new coach Bill O'Brien, the Nittany Lions won eight of their last 10 games to finish 8-4, capped by an overtime victory at home over Wisconsin.
There were 157 ballots submitted from U.S. news organizations. The voters were asked to rank the top 10 sports stories of the year, with the first-place story getting 10 points, the second-place story receiving nine points, and so on.
The Penn State saga received 1,420 points and 109 first-place votes. The No. 2 sports story, Lance Armstrong stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, had 10 first-place votes and 1,008 points.
Football's popularity, college and pro, was unmistakable with seven of the top 10 stories. But only two of them involved the action on the field.
Here are 2012's top 10 stories:
1. PENN STATE: Sandusky, the former defensive coordinator whose crimes led to such devastation for his victims and for his former employer, was found guilty on 45 of 48 counts. In October, the 68-year-old was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison. His conviction provided some closure, but a messy aftermath remained. Former FBI Director Louis Freeh released the results of his investigation July 12, saying Paterno and other top school officials covered up allegations against Sandusky. The NCAA used that report as a basis for its sanctions announced later that month, which included a $60 million fine, a four-year bowl ban and scholarship reductions.
2. LANCE ARMSTRONG: In February, federal prosecutors closed an investigation into whether the star cyclist doped. That turned out to be only a temporary reprieve for a once-revered figure. In June, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency accused him of using performance-enhancing drugs, and in August, when he dropped his fight against the charges, USADA ordered his record seven Tour titles wiped out. A report released in October laid out vivid details of the evidence. The year ends with Armstrong dropped by many of the companies he endorsed and no longer formally involved with the cancer charity he founded, Livestrong.
3. NFL BOUNTIES: This much is clear: Saints coach Sean Payton was suspended for the entire season and New Orleans started 0-4 to quickly fall out of playoff contention. Much else about the bounty scandal remains in dispute. Players deny the NFL's assertions of a pay-for-injury program. On Dec. 11, former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue overturned his successor's suspensions of four players but endorsed the findings of the investigation under Roger Goodell.
4. FOOTBALL CONCUSSIONS: The deaths of NFL greats Alex Karras — who suffered from dementia — and Junior Seau — who committed suicide — were grim reminders of the angst over head injuries in the sport and their possible consequences. Thousands of retired players have sued the league, alleging the NFL failed to protect them from the dangers of concussions.
5. LONDON OLYMPICS: Michael Phelps retired from swimming after setting an Olympic record with his 22nd medal at a Summer Games bursting with memorable performances. Usain Bolt became the first man to successfully defend both the 100- and 200-meter dash titles. And the host country racked up 65 medals in an Olympics so successful for Britain that it barely even rained.
6. COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS: Instead of complaining about the BCS, soon we can moan about the selection committee. After years of carping, fans finally got a playoff system, which will debut after the 2014 season. The four-team bracket will feature semifinals and a title game to determine a national champion.
7. REPLACEMENT OFFICIALS: Fans and pundits predicted a blown call would decide a critical game when the NFL started the season with replacement officials. Sure enough, in Week 3, on the national stage of "Monday Night Football," a missed offensive pass interference penalty and a questionable touchdown catch handed the Seattle Seahawks a win over the Green Bay Packers. Two days later, the league resolved its labor dispute with the regular refs.
8. SUPER GIANTS: A team that had been 7-7 upset the top-seeded Green Bay Packers on the road in the playoffs, needed overtime to beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game, then came from behind to defeat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, 21-17, an outcome strangely similar to their matchup four years earlier. Eli Manning won his second Super Bowl MVP award.
9. SUMMITT RETIRES: Pat Summitt, the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history, retired from the Tennessee bench in April at age 59, less than eight months after revealing she had early-onset dementia. Longtime assistant Holly Warlick took over the Lady Vols. Summitt was 1,098-208 with eight national titles in 38 seasons.
10. MANNING'S RESURGENCE: Peyton Manning was released from the Indianapolis Colts in March after missing last season because of neck surgery, the future uncertain for the four-time MVP. John Elway and the Broncos gambled that he still had some championship play left in that right arm, and so far it's looking like a brilliant move as Denver won the AFC West.

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Notre Dame's Kelly wins AP coach of the year

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — After two seasons as Notre Dame coach, Brian Kelly decided he wasn't spending enough time doing the best part of his job: coaching players.
Kelly changed that in 2012, and he shuffled his staff. Then, with Kelly more in tune to his team and the assistants in sync with the head coach, Notre Dame went from unranked to top-ranked.
For leading the Fighting Irish to the BCS championship for the first time, Kelly was voted Associated Press college football coach of the year.
"When you're talking about the coach of the year, there's so many things that go into it," Kelly said. "I know it's an individual award and it goes to one guy, but the feelings that I get from it is you're building the right staff, that you've got the right players and to me that is a validation of the program. That you put together the right business plan."
Kelly received 25 votes from the AP college football poll panel. Penn State's Bill O'Brien was second with 14 votes. Stanford's David Shaw (four), Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin (three), Kansas State's Bill Snyder (two) and Alabama's Nick Saban (one) also received votes.
Kelly is the first Notre Dame coach to win the AP award, which started in 1998.
Of course, the Irish haven't played for a national championship since 1988 and spent much of the past two decades trying to find a coach who could restore a program that was becoming a relic of its proud past.
It turns out Kelly was the answer.
He arrived in 2010 after two decades spent climbing the coaching ladder and winning big everywhere he worked. But in the world of college football, Notre Dame is a long way from Grand Valley State — where Kelly won Division II national titles — and Cincinnati, his previous stop, for that matter.
"I think the job tends to distract you," Kelly said earlier this week. "There are a lot of things that pull you away from the primary reason why you want to be head coach of Notre Dame, and that is graduate your players and play for a national championship.
"Now, to do that you have to have the pulse of your football team and you've got to have relationships with your players. If you're already going around the country doing other things other than working with your football team, it's hard to have the pulse of your team."
Kelly said he made a point of spending more time with the team this year.
"That's why I got into this. I want to develop 18 to 21 year olds. My development as the head coach at Notre Dame this year has been about getting back to why you would want to coach college players. You want to learn about them; you want to know their strengths and weaknesses; you want to help them with leadership skills; you want to help them when they're not feeling confident in their ability.
"For me, that is why it's been the most enjoyable year as the head coach at Notre Dame, is that I got a chance to spend more time with my team."
The first step, though, toward a successful 2012 season for Notre Dame can be traced to Feb. 10. On that day Kelly announced his coaching staff. The most notable change was moving Chuck Martin from defensive backs coach to offensive coordinator to fill the hole left when Charley Molnar became the coach of Massachusetts.
Martin was defensive coordinator for Kelly at Grand Valley State, then replaced his boss as head coach of the Division II power when Kelly was hired by Central Michigan after the 2003 season.
The move might have seemed odd to some, but Kelly, who built his reputation on offensive acumen, wanted a right-hand man who understood exactly what he wanted.
To replace Martin on the defensive side, Bob Elliot was hired from Iowa State to coach safeties. Harry Hiestand was hired away from Tennessee to replace offensive line coach Ed Warinner, and co-defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, who had been with Kelly at Central Michigan and Cincinnati, was promoted to assistant head coach.
"The voice of your coordinators has got to be in lock step with the head coach," Kelly said. "Now both of these guys have been with me a long time.
"Chuck Martin on offense, I wanted a voice that went back with me to Grand Valley State. And with Bob Diaco someone that goes back to Central Michigan with me. So yeah, it was important to get that voice right."
The last change Kelly needed to make involved Xs and Os. Kelly wanted to win now, but with a first-year starter and redshirt freshmen at quarterback. He had to adjust his style.
Out went the push-the-pace offense that had helped him reach two BCS games at Cincinnati. In came a more deliberate approach.
"We conduct the game differently," Martin said. "We set out how we thought this team could win with the personnel we had and with the young quarterback. Most people say 'OK, you're going to play the young guy, you're playing for the future.' We just went 12-0 with the young guy and he got yanked four times.
"The rest of the world wants 12-0 with no warts. We have plenty of warts. Somehow we're 12-0. Just goes to show the job (Kelly) did that we made it work week in and week out with what we have."
Kelly's ability and willingness to adapt have been his greatest strengths.
"He made some of his biggest changes ever in the last year. Going away from some things that really were his bread and butter, and 12-0 later, the guy did it again," Martin said.
"He saw what Notre Dame football needed in 2012 and he got to know this university."

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Kicking Coach Eric Fritz Has Been Selected to Coach at the National Camp Series (NCS) Super Camp VII Being Held February 16-17, 2013, in Orlando, FL, According to NCS Founder Michael Husted

Florida Kicking Coach Eric Fritz, owner of RealKickers, has been selected to coach at the National Camp Series (NCS) Super Camp VII being held February 16-17, 2013, in Orlando, FL, according to NCS founder kicking coach Michael Husted.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) December 19, 2012
Florida Kicking Coach Eric Fritz, owner of RealKickers, has been selected to coach at the National Camp Series (NCS) Super Camp VII being held February 16-17, 2013, in Orlando, FL, which will feature some of the country’s best high school kickers, punters and snappers.
The NCS Super Camp, which is one of the premiere kicking camps in the country, is a two day high school kicking camp for kickers, punters, and long snappers seeking high level kicking instruction and the knowledge to play at the college level.
Fritz, who is a new NCS Kicking Coach Associate, says he values the the opportunity to be an associated with NCS.
"I was asked just the other day what I value most about being an NCS Associate,” says Fritz. “Being an NCS Associate is a big responsibility. Parents, players and coaches put their trust in me to help develop and foster successful outcomes. I value the opportunity to help student athletes set goals and realize their dreams by helping them reach the next level of life. When I help student athletes hone skills on and off the playing field, I know deep down we are working on skills that will bring lifelong success.”
Fritz says he is looking forward to coaching at the NCS Super Camp VII.
"I am so ready for Super Camp VII so that I can learn with an empty cup. There are so many people to see and new people to meet. As iron sharpens iron we will all become stronger at Super Camp VII."
Michael Husted, who founded NCS after kicking in the NFL for 9 years, and who is now a kicking coach in San Diego, CA, says Super VII is about great coaches, great instructions and great evaluations . He says he is looking forward to having Fritz coaching at Super Camp VII.
"All of our NCS coaches are eager to get down to Orlando in February to help teach as well as evaluate the top kickers, punters and long snappers from all across the country and outside the US,” says Husted. "This is the only camp where high school specialists will have a chance to work with some of the best kicking coaches in the world."
"The quality of instructors for our Super Camp is outstanding and continues to grow every year,” says Husted. “The NCS Network is committed to helping young athletes learn proper technique as well as to help them navigate through the recruiting process so that they can leverage their sport to get a college education.”
Husted says that by utilizing its Kicking IndeX (KIX) Player Rating System, NCS provides an objective evaluation platform for student-athletes who want to showcase their capabilities to colleges and universities for recruiting purposes.
By sorting through over six years of historical event data, the KIX system determines a kicker’s rankings by cross-referencing player data to determine how the athletes stack up against others, both presently and historically.
"The NCS levels the playing field for those who don't want to get caught up in all of the 'politics' that occurs in the kicking industry,” says Husted. “If you can kick, punt or snap, the NCS KIX system will let a young kicking specialist’s skills speak for themselves. No excuses. No explanations."
Go here for more about Super Camp VII.
Go here for more about Eric Fritz and RealKickers.
Go here for more about kicking coach Michael Husted.

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Zelinka has strike for missed drug test;athletes have mixed feelings on protocol

Jessica Zelinka had flown to Ontario for the Olympic Heroes Parade in September when drug testers knocked on her door in Calgary to find her not home. Her absence was considered a missed doping test, the first strike for one of Canada's top track and field athletes. Three strikes is an anti-doping violation, and can come with a suspension of up to two years. Some athletes are quietly complaining that they've become slaves to what they call a draconian anti-doping system desperate to keep up with the cheaters, saying they have to sign away their dignity and privacy to prove they're clean. Few are keen to talk openly about it. "It's really a system that's flawed on so many levels," says Zelinka's husband Nathaniel Miller, an Olympian in water polo. "It has nothing to do with athletes trying to avoid testing, but everything to do with athletes trying to just be normal human beings and have their own dignity and freedom respected. "I don't think the current system does that." Canada's top athletes must provide a schedule of their daily whereabouts in three-month blocks to the country's doping watchdog, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport. In the days following her bronze medal run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, hurdler Priscilla Lopes-Schliep and husband Bronsen Schliep took a road trip to the Grand Canyon. They pitched a tent in a national park. Lopes-Schliep emailed the longitude and latitude of the campsite to her manager Kris Mychasiw, in case the drug testers needed to find her. "The longitude and latitude, that's hardcore to expect an athlete to do that," Mychasiw said. "Thank God for smart phones. She sent the update in: 'We're in a tent, somewhere along the road, and here's the longitude and latitude.'" Athletes are also required to designate a specific hour each day — any time between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. — when they're available for unannounced drug testing in their home. "If you're a regular employee in Canada, this entire policy and procedure is illegal," Miller says. "You're not allowed to do random testing in a person's place of living, they can't send a drug tester to your house to test you for privacy reasons. And yet, because you represent your country as an athlete, those rights go out the window." Athletes must notify the CCES of any scheduling changes. Zelinka forgot to do that. She argued she was caught up in the stresses of a move to Connecticut, last-minute plans to participate in the Olympic parade in Toronto, and the added demands on her schedule that come with being a mom. Zelinka, whose daughter Anika is three, appealed the missed-test ruling. Her appeal was recently denied. Two more strikes in 18 months will be an anti-doping violation. "It's not like you're trying to hide something or trying to throw them off, which of course was absurd because she was at a very public celebration of Olympic sports," Miller said. "Her actual whereabouts were well-known to everybody, and anyone." The CCES was formed in the fallout from the 1988 Ben Johnson scandal. Jeremy Luke, director of the Canadian anti-doping program, says the organization is complying with the World Anti-Doping Code. "That code outlines the length of sanctions that can be imposed on athletes, the testing protocols, and then included in that, is what we call 'athletes whereabouts requirements,' which is an international standard that's implemented in Canada but also implemented around the world in other countries," said Luke. Athletes unhappy with the testing protocol know their point of view might not be a popular one, especially coming on the heels of revelations of widespread doping in cycling, and the downfall of Lance Armstrong. "You're kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place because if you speak out loudly against it, the immediate perception is: oh well, they're trying to hide something," Miller said. "Canadian athletes for the most part are strong advocates for drug-free sport, so you don't want to be criticizing an agency that you support — even though you don't support their methods." Andreanne Morin, a rower and a member of WADA's athletes council, said Armstrong is the best argument for unannounced testing at home. "It's not because (anti-doing officials) want to be complicated, or they want to be annoying," she said. Morin, a member of the women's eight that won silver at the London Olympics, referred to the 202-page report on Armstrong's doping investigation, and evidence that the fallen U.S. cycling star used the blood-boosting hormone EPO. "These guys would do EPO at night, and it's only detectable in your first urine sample in the morning. They would literally go into their hotel rooms, lock the door, and not answer it to absolutely anyone until they'd done their first urine in the morning," Morin said. Many athletes complain the testing is excessive. Mychasiw said Lopes-Schliep and teammates Nikkita Holder and Phylicia George were tested more than 50 times last season between them. Miller noted that the 31-year-old Zelinka was tested four times in the span of six days at the Olympic trials last summer in Calgary — the day before the trials started, the day of each of her victories in the heptathlon and hurdles, and blood tests the day after the meet. "That is not just overkill, it's a huge waste of funding that makes no sense," he said. A test costs between $500 and $800. What bothers the heptathlete and her husband most is the unannounced testing in their home. Protocol demands that from the moment an athlete answers the door, they're not allowed out of the tester's sight. "So you're in your pyjamas, they have to come with you into your bedroom if you want to get changed, you have to get changed in front of them, you have no privacy," Miller says. "Then with women's monthly cycles, if you're caught in the middle of your monthly cycle and there's the desire to freshen up, you don't have that right, you have to do that in front of this complete stranger in your home in your bathroom — what is supposed to be your private domain." Collecting a sample requires a doping control officer watching an athlete urinate into a bottle. Some officers demand athletes "drop their pants to their knees and pull their shirts up to their chests," said sprinter Justyn Warner. Others are slightly more discreet, and "will watch over my shoulder." Warner found it tricky to provide his whereabouts to the CCES in the months leading up to his recent marriage to Holder, a hurdler. "We were kind of at both places, so she would be at my house, I would be at her house, and it made it hard to kind of pick that hour when you always had to be home," said Warner, who anchored Canada's 4x100-metre relay team that crossed third at the London Olympics but was then disqualified for a lane violation. Warner said there were plenty of mornings of rushing home before sunrise. "It's just the way they go about it, something needs to change in that aspect," Warner said. "But I don't complain about it. I wouldn't care if I got drug tested every week just to show people that I'm a clean athlete." Holder once received a strike for a missed filing because she didn't properly click "submit" on the CCES online form athletes use to report their whereabouts. "It's incredibly onerous and doesn't work on all devices," said Miller, pointing out that Zelinka has been using a computer at a local library since their move to Connecticut because the program doesn't work on her iPad. The CCES website has a video tutorial on using the program, and once offered prizes such as gift certificates as incentives for athletes to submit their forms quickly. Morin said there have been suggestions of tracking athletes by GPS. "But I think that's even more invasive than what currently exists," Morin said. Three-time world boxing champion Mary Spencer said unannounced testing might be intrusive but it's necessary. She's has had postpone plans to produce a sample, including one Saturday night she was on her way out with her roommates. She made a pit stop in the upstairs bathroom, and didn't hear the knock of doping control officers at her front door. "They all screamed up the stairs at the same time 'Don't pee!' because they heard the bathroom door shut and the drug testers had shown up. I'm like 'What the heck? Is there something wrong with the plumbing?'" Spencer said laughing. "Seriously, this is what I think: If one of my competitors was doping, I would want them to do everything they could to catch a cheater. So for that reason, I am willing to break up a Friday or Saturday to accommodate them." There are about 400 elite athletes in the Canada's registered drug testing pool, according to Luke. In the quarterly period between July and September of 2012, there were 1,321 urine tests conducted as part of the Canadian Anti-Doping Program, plus 208 blood tests. There were two anti-doping violations in that time — one for testosterone and one for marijuana. Athletes complain that testing protocol isn't as strictly enforced in other countries as it is here. At the London Olympics, Canada's former WADA chief Dick Pound pointed to Jamaica and Belarus as two countries where tests are not rigorous enough, saying it's often difficult to track down athletes to test them. Catriona Le May Doan estimates she's been tested "thousands" of times, and jokes about it now. But the two-time Olympic speedskating champion believes there's no alternative when it comes to keeping sport clean. "It makes me adaptable to pee anywhere," she said. "If I ever get stuck in my car, I have no problem. I can pee in a cup." "People say, 'Oh the system is skewed,'" she added. "But for athletes who are in the system, you have to trust it. Because that's all you have. It's always been a situation where you do it because you want to be part of it. You want people to trust you and you want to trust others."

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Former Lance Armstrong teammate banned for 2 years

JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- David George became the latest former teammate of Lance Armstrong to be banned from cycling for doping on Wednesday, receiving a two-year suspension after he chose not to give evidence at a hearing before South Africa's anti-doping body. George did not attend Saturday's disciplinary proceedings and claimed that he had taken the blood-booster EPO in isolation and there was no doping infrastructure in his case, the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport said in a statement. The two-time Commonwealth Games medalist and former Olympic cyclist had been given a chance to speak at the hearing, where his punishment could have been reduced if he provided information on how he obtained the drug. ''George claims his EPO doping was isolated to himself and he could not provide us with information in terms of an infrastructure of doping,'' SAIDS chief executive Khalid Galant said. ''Hence he received the standard two-year ban as there were no grounds for a reduction in this sanction.'' The South African rode on Armstrong's U.S. Postal team in 1999 and 2000. Armstrong was banned for life and stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping following a report by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which largely hinged on evidence from Armstrong's former teammates, including Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton. The 36-year-old George admitted last month that he used EPO, or Erythropoietin, after failing an out-of-competition test in August. ''He (George) admitted guilt prior to the hearing and preferred the sanction to be determined as soon as possible,'' Galant said Wednesday. ''The athlete has the right to waive his participation in a hearing without prejudice.'' In a statement admitting his guilt, George said cycling had been ''a confusing space'' for him. ''Although it has given me incredible moments it has also given me experiences that no person or young athlete should have to go through,'' George said in November. SAIDS said George had agreed to help South Africa's anti-doping body with its test planning in an ''attempt to atone for the doping offense to the cycling community.'' George was required to forfeit any prize money or competition points gained after Nov. 5. Galant said his victory at this year's Cape Pioneer Trek mountain bike race with riding partner Kevin Evans was rescinded and the results would be ''re-issued.'' George was caught after his biological passport - an analysis of an athlete's blood profile - showed suspicious activity and triggered a urine test. EPO is a hormone that artificially increases the red blood cell account and enables athletes to carry more oxygen in their blood, improving their endurance.

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Former Lance Armstrong teammate David George banned for 2 years for doping with EPO

JOHANNESBURG - Lance Armstrong's former U.S. Postal Service teammate, David George, was banned for two years for doping after choosing not to give evidence at a hearing, South Africa's anti-doping body said Wednesday. George did not attend Saturday's disciplinary proceedings and instead claimed that he had taken the blood-booster EPO in isolation and there was no doping infrastructure in his case, the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport said in a statement. The two-time Commonwealth Games medallist and former Olympic cyclist had been given a chance to speak at the hearing, where his punishment could have been reduced if he provided information on how he obtained the drug. "George claims his EPO doping was isolated to himself and he could not provide us with information in terms of an infrastructure of doping," SAIDS chief executive Khalid Galant said. "Hence he received the standard two-year ban as there were no grounds for a reduction in this sanction." The South African rode on Armstrong's U.S. Postal team in 1999 and 2000. Armstrong was banned for life and stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping following a report by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which largely hinged on evidence from former teammates of Armstrong. The 36-year-old George admitted using EPO, or Erythropoietin, last month after failing an out-of-competition test in August. "He (George) admitted guilt prior to the hearing and preferred the sanction to be determined as soon as possible," Galant said Wednesday. "The athlete has the right to waive his participation in a hearing without prejudice." In a statement admitting his guilt, George said cycling had been "a confusing space" for him. "Although it has given me incredible moments it has also given me experiences that no person or young athlete should have to go through," George said in November. SAIDS said George had agreed to help South Africa's anti-doping body with its test planning in an "attempt to atone for the doping offence to the cycling community." George was required to forfeit any prize money or competition points gained after Nov. 5. Galant said his victory at this year's Cape Pioneer Trek mountain bike race with riding partner Kevin Evans was rescinded and the results would be "re-issued." George was caught after his biological passport — an analysis of an athlete's blood profile — showed suspicious activity and triggered a urine test. EPO is a hormone that artificially increases the red blood cell account and enables athletes to carry more oxygen in their blood, improving their endurance. "We will continue to aggressively target EPO dopers and we will be increasing out-of-competition testing of cyclists for EPO," Galant said.

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IOC strips 4 medals from 2004 Athens Games for doping, postpones decision on Armstrong medal

LAUSANNE, Switzerland - The IOC has stripped medals from four athletes caught doping at the 2004 Athens Olympics — including one gold medallist — and postponed a decision to revoke Lance Armstrong's bronze from the 2000 Sydney Games. The IOC on Wednesday disqualified four athletes whose Athens doping samples were retested earlier this year and came back positive, including shot put gold medallist Yuriy Bilonog of Ukraine. The others are hammer throw silver medlist Ivan Tskikhan of Belarus and two bronze medallists — women's shot putter Svetlana Krivelyova of Russia and discus thrower Irina Yatchenko of Belarus. The case of a fifth bronze medallist , weightlifter Oleg Perepechenov of Russia, remains pending. The IOC put off a final decision on stripping Armstrong of the bronze medal he won in the road time trial in Sydney. The IOC wants the medal back following the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's report that led to Armstrong being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. But the IOC said it will wait for cycling's governing body UCI to formally notify Armstrong of the loss of all his results since August 1998.

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IOC not ready to move on Armstrong's Olympic medal

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - Lance Armstrong will hold on to his 2000 Sydney Olympic bronze medal a little longer after the International Olympic Committee said it would wait for the international cycling union to inform him before moving to strip him of it. The 41-year-old had his seven Tour de France victories nullified and was banned from cycling for life in October after the International Cycling Union (UCI) ratified the United States Anti-Doping Agency's (USADA) sanctions against him. USADA published a report that said the now-retired rider had been involved in the "most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen." The IOC decided after its Executive Board meeting it would wait for the UCI to inform the athlete and give him the right to appeal. "The IOC today will not move because we need to have the situation whereby the UCI notifies officially Mr Armstrong of the fact that he will be disqualified and declared ineligible and that he should hand over his medal," IOC President Jacques Rogge told reporters. "When he will be notified Mr Armstrong will have 21 days to launch an appeal. It is only after that period that the IOC can legally take action." Armstrong, who won the medal in the individual time trial, has repeatedly denied doping and never tested positive for drugs. His accusers, however, said Armstrong - one of the world's most famous athletes who also is well known for his cancer-fighting charity work - was not only a willing participant, but the ringleader, ordering team mates to cheat. In addition to financial payments, emails and laboratory test results that the agency said proved the use of performance- enhancing drugs by Armstrong and the U.S. Postal Service team, 26 people gave sworn testimony, including 11 former team mates.

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