Fine him. Suspend him.
That’s what American swimmer Ryan Lochte and his other partners in “crime” deserve.
Lochte’s antics gave the USA swim team and the whole U.S. contingent a black eye with his behavior. Gold medalists are awarded by the United States Olympic Committee. I’m told it’s $25,000 for a gold medal.
If I’m the USOC, I keep the money. If I’m the USOC, I suspend Lochte for a year. Michael Phelps got a six-month suspension for a DUI, and what Lochte did was worse.
Lochte left the country quick to avoid possible prosecution, leaving his U.S. teammates to deal with the mess. What a guy. All four should be punished, but all reports indicate Lochte was the leader of the group.
His story of the events constantly changed, and he lied on national TV to NBC’s Matt Lauer of the Today Show. Obviously he’s not the sharpest guy around. I heard the apology, and it was hard to tell if he really regretted his actions.
Maybe they need to have team members leave the Olympic venue when they are done competing. Maybe that would solve the problem. That’s harsh because I know many of the athletes like to watch their U.S. teammates in their specialties.
•••
The Pacific Coast League season is winding down, and the Reno Aces are battling to overtake the Tacoma Rainiers. Reno trailes by 4.5 games with 19 left, and have a nine-game homestand starting on Monday night against Fresno.
Nine of Reno’s final 13 games will be against Tacoma, and obviously those games will determine whether the Aces win the division or not. It starts with Sacramento for four and then Tacoma for five.
The series against Tacoma brings back fan favorite Mike Freeman, who went up briefly with the D-Backs and was then designated for assignment. Tacoma scooped him up quickly.
I applaud the Aces and manager Phil Nevin because the Diamondbacks have raided their farm team all year. The latest guys to go have been Braden Shipley and Mitch Haniger, who has terrorized pitchers at Double-A and Triple-A this season.
Shipley is 2-2 with a 4.30 ERA while Haniger is 3-for-8 with a double, triple and eight RBI. You might not see either guy in Reno next year. Haniger has been Reno’s best outfielder this year. He hits for average and power, and that’s what you want.
Kyle Jensen and Peter O’Brien probably have more power than Haniger, but both have struck out a lot this season.
It has been tough for Nevin to keep a stable 25-man roster in Reno. When guys get hot or the D-Backs have an injury, an Aces player gets called up.
Nevin will be the first to tell you that’s life in Triple-A. Nevin himself could be with the D-Backs next season depending on what happens with current Arizona manager Chip Hale.
•••
Noah Giron, local ski cross racer, is gearing up for his second season with Team USA.
Giron competed in the semipro North American Cup circuit in the United States and Canada. He will head to Australia where he will train with other international skiers, and he will compete in International Ski Federation events.
Giron, a junior, is ranked in the top 10 in the United States. His goals are to compete in the World Junior Championships, the X-Games and the 2022 Olympics. After that, he hopes to race professionally.
Giron studies online in the winter and trains at Squaw Valley five days a week. Training days are 7 to 13 hours a day and include skiing, weight lifting and conditioning. He maintains a 3.7 GPA. He welcomes sponsorships to help fund his training expenses, travel costs, and competition fees.
If you want to help, e-mail his mother, Monique Giron, at magiron1957@icloud.com.
