Bleacher Bits: From the negatives, a positive

A lot went on in the world of sports this week and there is plenty I could talk about, but a lot of it would be negative.

First, cyclist Lance Armstrong, who for years vehemently denied any involvement in a wide-spread doping scandal and fought others who linked him to it, came clean and admitted that he was using performance-enhancing substances while winning seven Tour de France championships.

I can call him a liar because he admitted he lied during a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey. We're all taught from very early on that lying is bad and eventually comes back to bite you in the area you sit on when cycling.

Armstrong's admission in a negative.

Then there is the weird and confusing story of Notre Dame linebacker and Heisman Trophy runner-up Manti Te'o.

It was revealed this week that a large part of his backstory - mainly that he had a girlfriend who died from leukemia on the same day his grandmother died - was a hoax.

There is not enough information at this time for me to know where to point my finger, since his level of knowledge and involvement in the hoax has yet to be determined. Maybe he was duped, or maybe he had a part in it to possibly bump up his resume for the Heisman. In either case, somebody was lied to, either him or us.

I've always tried to make it a point to mix some positives in to cancel out negatives, so my last topic is a little bit of both. It seems that what's a positive and what's a negative might depend on which side of the desk you're sitting on.

Emily Saint-Evens, who came to Tri-County Newspapers approximately two years ago, is embarking on a new career path.

This is a big negative on the sports department because her skills will certainly be missed. Emily was the first person to throw herself into an unfamiliar area to determine if she would sink or swim. If it was a sport she was not as familiar with as others she would tackle it head-on, and she "swam" like a champion.

She brought a unique and fresh perspective to the sports section and the department as a whole.

Many is the night we shared emails or texts about what happened at that night's football game, how cold we got or how much of the sideline "aroma" had permeated our clothing.

Kirk Barron and myself will miss Emily and her many contributions to the quality of the sports coverage in the area. Her absence is the negative.

I have no doubt if she tackles her next endeavor with the same passion she did for being a sports reporter, that she'll be making a valedictorian speech in no time.

That's the positive.

CONTACT Craig Purcell at 824-1036 or cpurcell@tcnpress.com.