"For me, Williams is the classic ballplayer of the game on a hot August
weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin
difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill."
- John Updike, “Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu”
Things used to be different. In a simpler time, Lance
Armstrong only elicited one emotion in me: boredom. It was like Tiger Woods at
the height of his powers. There was no competition, no suspense, no sport. For
seven straight years, Lance went out from wherever the le Tour de France
starts and ended up with a large enough lead to spend the last day coasting
through Paris and sipping champagne.* It was amazing the way he won for seven
years straight, but it wasn’t very exciting.
