Gaylord Perry and Joe Niekro doctored baseballs. The 1919 Chicago White Sox fixed the World Series, and Diego Maradona scored a goal with his hand. But as badly as these guys broke the rules, they didn?t even rank among the worst cheaters in sports history.
Examiner Sports Editor Jon Gallo and staff writer and Dave Carey acknowledge the list of sports figures who cheated is long, but we needed something to do during halftime of the Ravens-Browns game, so instead of shouting at each other, we?ll let you decide which writer knows what he?s talking about.
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1 JG: Lou Holtz, former College football coach: Anybody who knows anything about college football knows Lou Holtz, especially the folks at the Universities of Notre Dame, Minnesota and South Carolina. Holtz coached at all three schools, and almost as soon as he arrived, began pulling victories out of his hat like he was Houdini. But when he left, he pulled the ultimate vanishing act: He disappeared, and left all three teams on probation for major infractions by the NCAA that occurred when he was the head coach. Dave, there is only one problem with your No. 1 choice: Who cares what some crazy Spaniards did? Really?
DC: SPANISH PARALYMPIC BASKETBALL TEAM, 2000: Not only did they cheat, they abused a system set up for disadvantaged individuals to claim the gold medal in Sydney. Registered under the “intellectually-disabled” category, the team was stripped of their medals when the International Paralympic Committee discovered that 10 of the 12 members of the team had no mental deficiency. It also was determined Mexico allegedly sent the athletes to the games hoping to gain notoriety and profit from it. And I thought Gallo would do anything for a quick buck.
2 DC: ROSIE RUIZ, Former Boston Marathoner: The 23-year-old Ruiz gained national attention when she ran the third fastest women?s time ever at the Boston Marathon. However, Ruiz gained notoriety when it was found she skipped out shortly after the beginning of the race, and came back for the last half-mile. What makes the scandal even worse was Ruiz allegedly cheated at the New York Marathon – rode the subway – in order to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
JG: BEN JOHNSON, Former Canadian Sprinter: I don?t know about you, but the only thing I remember from the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul is how the best sprinter Canada has ever produced needed steroids to beat the best American at the time ? Carl Lewis. In track, the 100-meter dash is the crown jewel, and all Johnson needed to become the “World?s Fastest Man” was a good pair of running shoes and a syringe filled with Stanozolol.
3 JG: Ruiz: I laugh every time I see her story because it?s the only way I?ll ever win a marathon. I?ve got the number for a local taxi service stored in my cell phone, and with the Baltimore Marathon in two weeks, I think if I played it just right, I could make history by winning the race in record time. So if you see a guy jump out of a cab a few hundred yards from the finish line ? please, pretty please ? just look the other way. I could really use the prize money.
DC: JIM HARRICK, Former college men?s basketball coach: Move over Jerry Takanian, sit down Sweet Lou; You guys have nothing on Harrick. Sure he has a national title, but was fired from UCLA (lied to investigators and allegedly falsified expenses), had a brief stint in Rhode Island (Lamar Odom in New England? And let?s not forget the allegations of sexual misconduct and lack of institutional control) and the mess he left in Georgia (had his son provide easy exams for players to enhance their grade-point averages and paid for a player?s phone bill).
4 DC: TONYA HARDING, Former figure skater: In order to put herself in position to win the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championship, Harding allegedly had her ex-husband hire a hit man to take-out her chief rival, Nancy Kerrigan. Following an attack on Kerrigan, Harding?s plot was discovered. Gallo?s lucky that I don?t have an ex-wife to set up my hits.
JG: RAFAEL PALMEIRO, Former major league baseball player: Repeat after me, everyone: “I have never used steroids. Period.” Now, repeat after me: “I have never intentionally taken steroids.” And finally repeat after me: “I?m going to get into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.” Did I make you laugh? Why do you think Dave was able to sack Jordan Steffy when he competed against him in a Pennsylvania high school game in 2002?
5 JG: DANNY ALMONTE, Little Leaguer: This kid was 12, the only way this kid was 12 is if I am dyslexic. Did you really believe Almonte was a 5-foot-8, 12-year-old when he was presented the key to New York City by Mayor Rudy Giuliani for his heroics in leading his team to third place in Little League World Series? That?s because nobody really knows for sure. My guess? He was 18 ? I?ve seen college freshmen with less facial hair.
DC: SAMMY SOSA, Baseball player: The luster came off of Sports Illustrated?s 1998 Sportsman of the Year when he was found to be using a corked bat. Suspicion has followed Sosa ever since, including allegations of steroid use and that coincides with a sharp decline in his production over the latteruears of his career. In testimony before Congress, Sosa even acted like he did not understand English, a language he fluently speaks to reporters and at press conferences. Here?s a little culture for you Gallo, Slammin? Sammy is an “actuador,” which is Spanish for “cheater.”
FIRE BACK!
Think you have a better list? E-mail [email protected] and if you include your name and city of residence, we might run it Tuesday. Next week?s topic is: Best on-field sports brawls. E-mail your list by Oct. 5, and if we run it, we?ll send you a prize.
