Lance Armstong Finally Confesses

Cyclist Lance Armstong finally confessed to blood doping and his use of performance enhancing drugs last week on the Oprah Winfrew show. If you missed the exclusive interview click here to see his confessions of guilt. From hero to zero, what a shame.

Hall of Shame

Not one Major League Baseball player received enough votes on the 2013 MLB Hall of Fame ballot to be inducted. Steroid linked players Roger Clemens (37.6%), Barry Bonds (36.2%), Mark McGwire (16.9%), Sammy Sosa (12.5%) and Rafael Palmeiro (8.8%) were all well short of the 75% of votes needed to be enshrined. Did MLB voters make the right decision or risk being called the Hall of Shame? I see both sides of the argument and will leave that up to the public. I am still waiting for Pete Rose to be reinstated for eligibility but that doesn't look like it will ever happen.

Lance Armstrong Might Admit to Doping

Cyclist Lance Armstrong is reportedly going to make a public admission that he used performance enhancing drugs and blood transfusions during his career. The New York Times reported Armstrong had been in contact with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. If Armstrong does come forward with this confession he is doing this to restore his eligibility for his sporting pursuits. To me it sounds like he could care less that he cheated or disappointed fans and just cares about himself.

Leonard Garcia Robbed of Victory at UFC 155

Did the Nevada State Athletic Commission institute its own form of karma for past ridiculous decisions for MMA fighter Leonard Garcia? Garcia has seen some crazy decisions in recent years fall his way but this past Saturday he clearly was the victor against Max Holloway at UFC 155 but ended up losing on the judges score cards via a split decision. Fixed karma?

Also on the card was a horrible score from judge Adelaide Byrd who scored the fight between Jamie Varner and Melvin Guillard as 30-27 in favor of Guillard. Varner clearly won this fight and did get the split decision nod but this score in particular lit a fire under UFC president Dana White when he went off at the post fight presser saying, "It's unbelievable. 30-27 for Guillard? Crazy, right? You could never watch a fight in you f---in' life and not score that 30-27." If you're sick of seeing these clowns from the Nevada State Athletic Commission ruining MMA judging please contact them via the contact information at the bottom of their website.

Italy's Latest Match-Fixing Scandal

Europe's latest soccer match-fixing scandal comes from Napoli of the Italian Serie A League. According to the Italian Football Federation Napoli was handed a two-point deduction, fined €70,000 and had three players banned over bets placed in 2010 on a match with Sampdoria which they lost 1-0. Defenders Gianluca Grava and Paola Cannavaro were banned from play for six months for their knowledge of the activity without reporting it while former goaltender Matteo Gianello was banned for 39 months after confessing to prosecutors that he attempted to fix the match.

FIFA Executive Mohamed bin Hammam Receives Second Lifetime Ban

Already fighting a separate lifetime ban, FIFA executive committee member Mohmad bin Hammam of Qatar was handed another lifetime ban from all organized soccer events and activities earlier this week. Facing corruption charges, allegations he offered bribes and tampering with bank accounts during his presidency of the Asian Football Confederation all of which are violations of the FIFA Code of Ethics led to his lifetime bans. These allegations prompted Hammam's resignation from all his positions in soccer effective immediately. Not too often will you see executive members being caught but this is a step in the right direction for soccer which has been embroiled in corruption over the past few years.

Four 2004 Olympians Stripped of Medals for Steroids

Last week the International Olympic Committee officially stripped medals from four 2004 Olympians after new analysis confirmed traces of steroids. Yuri Belonog of Ukraine was stripped of the shot put gold medal, Ivan Tikhon of Belarus was stripped of the hammer silver medal, Svetlana Krivelyova of Russia stripped of the shot put bronze medal and Irina Yatchenko of Belarus was stripped of her discus bronze medal. The IOC recently had a laboratory reanalyze 105 tests from the 2004 Athens Olympic Games which has the most failed dope tests in Olympic history.

Luck of the Irish?

Love them or hate them, the Fighting Irish are headed to the BCS National Championship football game on January 7, 2013. For those who watched most of their games this year you might recall a close game against Stanford and a mythical comeback against Pitt. I recall watching some ridiculous calls by the officials at these two games but the guys at "The Fix Is In" lay it out perfectly. Click here to see the luck of the Irish or the fix. What do you think?

Speed Skater Sergei Lisin Failed Test for Blood Doping

Russian speed skater Sergei Lisin recently failed a drug test for blood doping with the use of the blood booster EPO. Lisin is currently facing a two-year ban if found guilty but has the option for a B sample or appeal. Seems like every sport has someone using the juice or messing with their blood.

World Discus Champion Darya Pishchalnikova Tests Positive for Steroids

2011 world discus champion and 2012 Olympic silver medalist Darya Pishchalnikova recently tested positive for an anabolic steroid and now faces a lifetime ban if found guilty. Already suspended once before for almost three years after Pishchalnikova and six other female Russian athletes manipulated drug samples prior to the 2008 Olympics. Currently Darya has the right to have her B sample tested and appeal the findings. The list of Olympic athletes using steroids and other banned substances continues to grow. Who will be next?

Youth Football Gambling Ring Busted

A gambling ring in South Florida has recently been shut down by authorities. This gambling ring wagered on youth football in the South Florida area, yes you read that correctly youth football. Guess you can gamble on anything these days. Nine men pictured above were arrested including several coaches. Coaches met prior to games to set point spreads while parents were gambling in the stands. This was  not your friendly wager of five dollars between parents who know each other but rather full on gambling with the youth football championship game bringing in a total of more than $100,000 wagered on this game alone. There was no evidence that players were encouraged to play one way or another or even knew about the betting. If the coaches set the lines who is to say they didn't influence play calling. It was reported that several of these coaches have criminal histories so I wouldn't be surprised if they swayed things one way or another depending on the money being bet from side to side to further their own winnings. Hope this serves as a lesson to the kids, parents and coaches, gambling does not belong around children!

Rookie Padres Catcher Yasmani Grandal Suspended

San Diego Padres rookie catcher Yasmani Grandal burst onto the scene this past June which included two home runs in his first career start. Grandal tested positive for testosterone and has been banned for 50 games which will begin with the start of the 2013 season. Grandal accepted responsibility for his actions. Someone was in a rush to make the bigs and make a statement but unfortunately he got caught.

MMA Fighter Stephan Bonnar Fails UFC 153 Post Fight Drug Test

MMA fighter Stephan Bonnar has reportedly failed his post fight drug test from UFC 153 on October 13th. Sources state Bonnar tested positive for the anabolic steroid drostanolone. Bonnar also failed a post fight drug test for boldenone back in August 2006 at UFC 62. Bonnar lost both fights and recently retired from the sport of MMA following his loss at UFC 153.

Boxer Erik Morales Fails Drug Test then Passes on Third Attempt

Boxer Erik Morales, a former four weight class champion failed two drug tests prior to his super light-weight title fight against Danny Garcia last weekend but then passed on a third test. Morales failed the drug tests for clenbuterol which is classified as a performance enhancing drug which he claimed he ingested through contaminated meat. Some question if he should have been allowed to compete but the fight went on as planned and Morales lost via fourth round knock out.