The Fine Art of Smack

While I am generally opposed to all the showboating that goes on in the world of sports, I do occasionally appreciate some good trash-talking. Take Larry Bird, for example. He was a master of the art. Before the 3-point shooting contest one year, he reportedly asked the rest of the competitors, "Okay, who's playing for second?" What made this a special gem was the fact that he then went out and won the contest easily. I believe it was Dizzy Dean of my mom's Cardinals who said, "It ain't braggin' if you can back it up."

Having said all that, I saw this weekend what I consider one of the great smack-talking episodes of recent years. And best of all, the guy didn't have to say a word. On Sunday afternoon in Paris, Lance Armstrong claimed his record sixth consecutive Tour de France victory. In addition to wearing the familiar yellow jersey, Lance also wore a gold-colored helmet and rode a gold- plated bicycle. That's right, his bicycle was covered with 24-karat gold leaf. (Here's a picture of Lance on the bike; note the front spokes.)

If there's a better example of a good smackdown than riding into Paris on a golden bicycle, I haven't seen it.