After taking a lengthy break from writing to catch up on much needed sleep during the summer break, I have returned for yet another semester.Yes, that’s right, time to gather up supplies and cry over the cost of books for another four months.

We all need time off, but I am thrilled to have the opportunity to write once again for all of my fans, or the lack thereof.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my time spent playing with backgrounds on myspace or looking at photos on facebook, but even I need a life.

During the break I kept my television on ESPN and watched sports all day long until I had to go to my secondary job at Lowe’s. Being in college isn’t cheap, so I had to make extra cash. And since walking the streets isn’t legal, I figured Lowe’s was a better choice.

When I wasn’t working I was glued to my television watching ESPN or on the internet getting the latest updates on my beloved New Orleans Saints and their contract talks with Reggie Bush.

I even found myself hooked on the World Cup, cheering for the underdogs, who didn’t fare too well.

Yes, that’s right, soccer. I was hooked on soccer like a professional baseball player on steroids.

Ouch. That last comment was harsh, but it has sadly started to become the truth.

When I did get to sit down and watch SportsCenter, I noticed how many “positives” happened over the break.

Normally a positive is a good thing, but in sports sometimes being positive can have its downside.

However, we have been surrounded by good positives, and lots of good things can be said about this past summer in sports. Things such as Nicholls State picking up three televised games this football season and the Saints returning to the Dome in September and drafting Reggie Bush can all be considered good news for locals.

With the good positives, however, come the bad positives, and yes, in sports there is a thing as a bad positive.

As most sports fans know, summertime is the time for the Tour de France, the multi-stage cycling race.

Throughout the Tour, I tuned in to see the results, hoping an American could win the Tour for a seventh straight year. I knew with Lance Armstrong retired our chances were slim, but I still kept high hopes.

Once American Floyd Landis emerged from the pack, I was in awe of his amazing ride until I heard the shocking news of his positive test for a banned substance the following Thursday. Landis tested positive for a substance that caused him to have an unusual level of testosterone and epitestosterone in his system.

Although I’m not fully clear why having testosterone is a bad thing, the bottom line is that in sports, too much isn’t allowed.

What became the sports story of the ages suddenly became one of the biggest lies in the history of sports.

One second ESPN is outside Landis’ parents’ home interviewing them on how proud they were, and the next, they are interviewing them on how disappointed they are.

Only in sports can a moment of sheer joy turn into one of complete agitation for sports fans alike.

Sure, I still applaud Landis for being able to compete despite two bad hips, but I have much less respect for him knowing it took a banned substance in order for him to win. I would have had much more respect for him had he finished dead last and simply finished the race.

Landis’ controversy will leave a sour taste in the mouth of those who’ve ever watched the Tour de France. And I’m sure cycling will lose a lot of credibility from all in the sports world.

Another bad positive was that of Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Jason Grimsley just months before the Landis incident came about.

We are now positive, as sports fans, that many professional baseball players are using human growth hormones (HGH), which are undetected in urine tests.

After federal agents raided Grimsley’s home, they discovered evidence that he was a distributor of this substance to many of his fellow players.

I believe an asterisk should be placed next to every record until that athlete is cleared.

I don’t know who or how many athletes cheat by using performance enhancers, but I now watch sports with a bit of skepticism. With every record that is broken will come the question of whether or not that athlete cheated.

At one time I was standing up for these athletes, thinking maybe the system is flawed, but as more and more of today’s sports “heroes” test positive, the less I tend to believe them.

As the credibility of these athletes decreases, so does the interest in the sport each athlete plays.

For me, what was maybe a little interest in the Tour de France is now non-existent. Only in sports can someone hear the word positive, and it carry a totally different meaning than was originally intended.

That is the one and only thing I am positive about.