The Silly Season

In pro cycling, this time of year is referred to as the "silly season". There is still a lot of racing to be done, including the Vuelta a Espana, the third Grand Tour, but it is also the time of year for transfers to be negotiated. Riders whose contracts are up this year are hoping to prove their worth to their current or prospective teams, teams are having quiet conversations with top riders who they know to be without a contract or that are unhappy with their current team, while trying to retain their own stars. News of these quiet talks usually hits the cycling journal websites in a matter of hours, accompanied by such rampant speculation that teams have taken to making annoucements reminding rivals that their riders are under contract and going nowhere.

http://velonews.com/article/96670/astana-intends-to-enforce-contador-s-contract

Of course, that doesn't really mean that the riders are going nowhere. It probably does mean that poaching will be expensive. With new teams being formed (RadioShack, Sky), big spenders like Katusha throwing cash around and an uncertain future for Alberto Contador at Astana make for more hustling than usual. Here's some information on Astana that is typical of the depth of fact in the news right now:
Astana



In:
Alexandre Vinokourov

Out:
Lance Armstrong
Sérgio Paulinho
Alberto Contador (rumoured)
Levi Leiphemer (rumoured)
Andreas Klöden (rumoured)



Other articles have Contador locked in and Leipheimer already signed with RadioShack. If you pay attention to this stuff, it is fun to follow and makes the next racing season much more interesting. The riders currently under contract are forbidden from discussing their transfers until September 1, so they have to remain coy and noncommittal though you can almost perceive the nudges and winks that go with the silly season.

Heard it on the radio...

The sports guys were discussing comebacks of sports stars in a conversation about Brett Favre's signing with the Vikings. Regarding Lance Armstrong, it went something like this, "Lance Armstrong, yeah, he came back and proved he could still compete at the top of his sport. He might have won if he'd had his own team. Instead he just gave up with five days left in the race......"
Huh?