Alan Webb slated to race the 800m in Indianapolis on 6/14

shizzy wrote:

...Also, I can't stand Lagat, he is as American as Toyota.

He's also dirty as hell. That 'false positive' story is crap. Impossible. He's as dirty as they come.

Lagats sample probably got tampered with when word spread he really was set on becoming a U.S citizen.

The Nike bigwigs had to step in and say enough was enough.

Lagat is clean.

In what world does a guy who can double a 1:47 and a 2:53 not have a chance to make a 1500m team????

Jeez.

Webb looked great. I know he only ran 1:47, but it looked smooth. Then he ran a really relaxed 1200 in 2:53.

He will be fine at the OT’s

Is Sanya Richards American then? She was born in Jamaica.

Is Alberto Salazar American? He is Cuban.

Is Abdi American? He was born in Somalia.

Is Leonel Manzano American? He was born in Mexico.

At what point are people Americans?

I have a feeling shizzy and ppoppop you have lived very nice and cozy lives and wouldn't have a clue about what life really is. Lagat knows how he wants his family to be raised and in grand children to be raised and he is planting a seed for them to be lucky enough as you and I to be raised in the USA. Yes he came here a great athlete but he became a great athlete in the states where all of the rest of the people he is racing against has gotten the same chance to train. He isn't home grown? That is some backwards anti-american shit. This country was based on immigrants. At all ages and capabilities. This is truly said that you dislike him because he isn't "homegrown" and it gives you a sick feeling in your tummy. Aww poor shizzy

Bob Kennedy is just as much Kenyan as Bernard Lagat. He trained with the kenyans and ate there food. Lived at high altitude and did all of the workouts with them. Why is he not consided a traitor for doing such things? How dare him come back from kenya after training with them and stomp the Americans that have lived and trained here all summer long?

And how American is Toyota? Last time I checked they had factories in the US and was using American workers to sell and produce a lot of the American sold vehicles of theres. What are most American companies doing, outsourcing.

And Shizzy when you can't stand the guy are you a miler by any chance? If he threw the Javelin would he still bother you? Is he taking your ticket away from you for the olympics? because you said he is a nice guy and likes how he runs but you still can't stand him. I see your dislike towards him is much more immaturity and selfishness then anything.

sxedx I believe Lagat came here for an education and a scholarship to attend. He came here no faster then Mr Fernandez, Webb, Hall, Ryun, Rupp, Liqouri, and the rest and became a 3:26 1500 in the US.

Dorian Bates wrote:

He's also dirty as hell. That 'false positive' story is crap. Impossible. He's as dirty as they come.

You don't know much about Western Blots do you?

Isn't this the American way? Do what you can to win and get wealth? Isn't that why we Americans went into Iraq? Lagat did what he was taught to do here in the US. GO into other places and take what you want. What we have here in American as far as Distance running SUCKS! With the exception of Lagat, is there really anyone else who could and would have a chance at medaling? HELL NO! The only thing that the 2nd and 3rd places are doing, are getting a chance to travel to China.

And for al of the rest of you haters out there, can you all say OBAMA? The Mr. President to you all!

You dumb mother f@##er, Bernard Lagat has two degrees from WSU in Management Information Systems and Decision Science. Im guessing he could eek out a pretty good living off of that--likely better than from running--if he wanted to. So I don't think it is just about the money.

Have you noticed how everyone else that gets named in a drug scandal ends up either admitting to it, or simply disappearing, but yet Bernard Lagat is still around and is actually getting better? Do you think they just stopped testing him? Does that make any sense to you at all?

No, I get it, you are one of these people that hates America because you don't like to work. You just want some president to come along and take money from the people that earned it and give it to pieces of shit like you so you can sit in your armchair and point fingers at everyone that is better than you.

Lagat is a great American story, the type of story that will no longer exist after Obama gets done socializing us into a bunch of government dependent finger pointing pansies that aren't capable of taking responsibility for our own actions (Barack OBama=Rev Wright= blame aids on the US Gov.=dumb mother f@#%ers). But god he is so handsome and charismatic! He should be on American Idol or something! Hell, forget Obama, Tyson Beckford should just be president. Or maybe Tyra Banks...

Georgie Icebag wrote:

Webb's remarkable successes have been despite Raszco, and his failures shared with Scott.

not that i know what raczko's coaching of webb is like (and, might i add, neither do you), but...

wouldn't ANY coach sound bad if you put it like that?

"his success is in spite of the coach, and his failure is because of the coach!" it's unprovable, and ill-informed.

For one, Andrew Wheating is clearly in better form going into Trials than Alan Webb. And that is just one example..

Webb is in trouble. I wish we knew what the real deal was, and I wish he had dumped his coach a while back. If he fails to make Bejing, its time for Coach to go. And go he must.

well, not a bad coach to get him to 3:53 in highschool...

then to 3:46 as a pro.

I believe the coach in question also produced a 1:48 runner in highschool, and another 4:12 highschooler.

so by letsrun standards he's a horrible coach.

The runners ran those times, not the coach. AW was coached by SR in HS. SR was getting considerable information and guidance from other established coaches and the college and professional level. Hopefully you would have done the same and sought out sound advice if suddenly AW popped up on your HS XC team. And, AW himself was a quick student of the sport who was very (too?) involved in his own coaching. Ever seen SR coach, or work 1:1 with his athletes? Let's just say it's less than memorable. Let's just say he has had a difficult time keeping a HS coaching job (fired, let go, asked to leave), and doesn't have a huge stable of professionals either.

Portland, let's just say I know of what I speak.

Didn't Ratzcko win several events at Penn for like 3 years straight?

I know Webb helped in that, but I mean darn, thats really really amazing once you think about it.

Think how good many mid distance runners in college would be right now if Ratzcko was their coach. I think tons of athletes could stand to learn a thing or two from him, Lomong, Lukezic, not saying their coaches are bad but maybe coaching should be more socialism than capitalism, so training philosophies are sorted out. Wouldn't that be best for the athletes?

You know, a communal system to train under so any problem is addressed and question answered. Pool our knowledge right? Wouldn't that be best?

I strongly believe Webb is fine. Give the guy a break. This is his first outdoor 800m of the season and second race on the track. A lot of people have had a full season (college athletes) and the pro's have had more races than him. Let him get a little race sharp and its a whole new ball game. I'm excited that he is going to peak at the right time this year. When the trials come by he will be ready to do what he has to in order to make the team. I put all my faith that there is one available spot in the 1500m because Webb and Lagat are taking up two spots for sure. I think that third spot is wide wide open.

shizzy wrote:

Also, I can't stand Lagat, he is as American as Toyota.

You mean the Toyotas that are manufactured in the US, as opposed to the For Escorts that are 80% manufactured in Mexico?

There's one thing that has been can consistently true about Webb, and that I can say without fear of contradiction: the unevenness of Webb's performances through the years have led to a quite remarkable amount of sniping, second-guessing, dissing, writing-off, and sneering.

A philosopher would find this interesting, and worth thinking about.

I think most of what's going on is structured by an underlying schadenfreudistic narrative logic: many non-elite (read: HS and talentless post-collegiate) runners feel a thrill when they're able, on the basis of whatever they construe as evidence, to jump up and down on the apparent grave of a guy who is plainly, some of the time, not the God people would have him be.

Webb is just a runner. Take all the high points of his career, string them together, and you've got one of the best American runners of all time. But that's not good enough. Children want perfection. Children want superheroes. Webb is not a superhero. When our superheroes fail us, we whine.

That's a childish thing to do.

I'm not proposing that we remain Pollyanna-ish about Webb. I'm merely suggesting that to direct hate, anger, and corruscating sneers in his direction says more about infantile anger at failed superheroes than it does about Webb himself, who keeps trying to get it right and manages to get it right a fair share of the time.

Has led, not have led.

I saw, with my own EYES!!! wrote:

Webb looked great. I know he only ran 1:47, but it looked smooth. Then he ran a really relaxed 1200 in 2:53.

He will be fine at the OT’s

Yes, it's all part of his master plan. Get your ass handed to you at every event from a road race to a 1500 and what do you Webb jock lickers say?

He's right on target for the Trials. This belongs on the delusional runner thread.

Webb has brought my record this year to 5-0. You Webb nut lickers are now 0-5. But, keep rooting for him. He's sooooooooooo awesome!!

Paul wrote:

I strongly believe Webb is fine. Give the guy a break. This is his first outdoor 800m of the season and second race on the track.

Yaeh, give him a break, everyone. It's not like he got his ass handed to him at Carlsbad. Or he dropped out at the 8k championships. Or he wouldn't run at Drake. Or he finished next to last at Pre. Or finished 5th in a b rated 800.

Come on, he's every bit as good as advertised. Just give him until his next race. Or the next. Maybe the next. Or next year.