Spying on the Enemy

Just how nasty was Ted Saskin, the former executive director of the NHLPA who was fired several weeks ago? An article in this week’s Sports Business Journal recounts a report that details allegations of an electronic spying program at the NHLPA that targeted 45 players and was nicknamed “Big Brother.” The spying program also extended to Saskin monitoring e-mails to see which individual players voted in the secret ballot to ratify the NHL labor deal. According to anonymous sources close to the report who were interviewed for the story, Saskin read personal e-mails of staff members for more than a year, stopped briefly when the Hewlett-Packard corporate surveillance scandal broke, then resumed when he learned that several players, led by former Blackhawk Chris Chelios, wanted to authorize an investigation into his hiring.

How desperate and insecure must a man be to use these tactics to protect his job? And how is it possible that he and his business director Ken Kim were able to access players’ personal e-mails, not just on NHLPA.com, but other e-mail accounts as well? Maybe guilt was a factor. It seems to me that anyone who is suspected of acquiring a job by dishonest means is going to be looking over his shoulder. In other words, what goes around comes around.

Does The World Need Another Football League?

A group of investors, including Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban, is considering the formation of a new football league to begin playing as early as next summer, according to Reuters and the New York Times. Wall Street investor Bill Hambrecht came up with the plan along with Cuban and Google Inc. exec Tim Armstrong. The United Football League would consist of eight teams located in markets that currently do not have teams, such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Mexico City. Games would be played on Friday nights, so they would not conflict with NFL games. The new league would compete with the NFL for players drafted below the second round in the NFL draft. Free agents and players who were cut from their NFL teams would make up the remainder of the roster.

“We think there is more demand for pro football than supply,” Cuban was qhoted in the Times. That may be true, but new leagues have formed in the past with little success. I doubt the UFL will get past one or two seasons, if they’re lucky. Besides, what’s wrong with the NFL that we have now? If fans need a football fix when the NFL season ends, they can tune in to the CFL (Canadian football), the AFL league, which plays its games through the spring, and several women’s leagues — the Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL), National Women’s Football Association (NWFA) and the Women’s Professional Football League (WPFL). Okay, so maybe the women’s leagues aren’t exactly in the same, well, league, as the NFL, CFL and AFL, they’re still football. In any case, there seems to be enough football leagues already. Does the world really need another one?

Roddick Makes Early Exit at French Open

Some athletes have the worst luck. No matter how good they are overall, they can be spooked by a certain competition, foe or locale.

American Andy Roddick may be one such athlete who can’t seem to find his rhythm at the French Open, which began over the weekend. For the second consecutive year and the fourth time in his career, Roddick was eliminated in the first round at Roland Garros, courtesy of Igor Andreev, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. Roddick is ranked third in the world while Andreev is number 125. According to the New York Times, the match was highlighted by Roddick’s temper tantrum, in which he shook his fist, bounced his racket off the red clay court, and shouted to the rain-soaked clouds above him “Andy, just give yourself a chance on some of these points!”

Roland Garros is also a bit of a mystery for the world’s number one, Roger Federer, who has yet to win the French Open. It is the only Grand Slam title that the Swiss champion has yet to win. That could change this year, but it will mean getting past two-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal of Spain, who excels on the clay court. Federer finally beat Nadal on clay during the Hamburg Masters 10 days ago

The Race Is On for Indy Women

For the first time in the Indy 500’s 96-year history, three women will be among the 33 drivers racing this Sunday. That alone may make this year’s race worth watching, even for non-fans like myself. But if you ask any one of the three female drivers, they’ll tell you the same thing: while the attention is nice, they just want to win.

Danica Patrick is the most recognizable name of the bunch, having started her first Indy race in 2005. But she has yet to win a race in 34 starts in the IndyCar Series.

Sarah Fisher has raced in five Indy 500s but has never finished higher than 21st. At age 35, Venezuelan Milka Duno is making her first start at Indy this weekend. The three ladies follow in the footsteps of Janet Guthrie, who was the first woman to race at Indy in 1977, and Lyn St. James, who raced the course seven times and last participated in 2000.

Most of their male counterparts don’t seem to mind that these ladies are entering the male-dominated world of auto racing. Two-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves, told the New York Times that he doesn’t care who’s racing in front of him. “If it’s in front of me, I need to pass it.”

Sam Hornish, Jr., the defending champion who used to race go-karts with Patrick and Fisher when they were all kids, thinks the women are good for the sport and have proven, at least to him, that they belong. “They got here because they’ve got talent,” he told the New York Times. “I don’t care how good looking you are, or what sex you are. The only way you stay in racing is if you have talent.”

Ohno! Another Victory for Apolo

So Apolo Anton Ohno won Dancing with the Stars Tuesday night with his dance partner Julianne Hough. What's next for the Olympic short-track speed skater? Ice dancing?

Preakness Outdraws NHL Playoffs

While I was watching the Cubs-Sox interleague match up on Fox Saturday afternoon, another battle was brewing on NBC. According to the Hollywood Reporter, hockey fans who had tuned in to watch the NHL playoff game between the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators were left high and dry at the end of regulation and the score tied. At that point, NBC switched to its scheduled Preakness Stakes telecast while the overtime period of the hockey game was carried on the sports cable network Versus, which is not carried in all markets. NBC told the entertainment publication that its contract with the Preakness superseded that of the NHL, and NHL officials also knew that there was a risk that this situation could arise. While hockey fans are crying foul, the reality is, the Preakness Stakes is one of the most watched horseracing events next to the Kentucky Derby. NBC’s ratings for pre-race coverage of the Preakness more than doubled the last half hour of the playoff hockey game.

More evidence of just how far hockey has fallen in terms of national coverage and respect. It all reflects poorly on the league and management. The NHL is in disarray, and until it can get its act together, it will remain near the bottom of TV ratings.

Reinstatement of Baseball as an Olympic Sport in Doubt

According to an article on MLB.com last week, the International Olympic Committee has made it clear to MLB that if baseball is to be reinstated as an Olympic sport, MLB players will have to participate in the Summer Games. MLB president and CEO Bob DuPuy says that Commissioner Bud Selig would like to see baseball return to the Summer Games, but it presents logistical issues for the league. While the Games are taking place in late July or August, divisional races are heating up. At this point, the league has two options. Either shut down the season for two weeks while players participate in the Games for their respective countries, just as the NHL did for the 2006 Winter Games, or allow just a few of the top players to participate while the regular season continues on.

I see problems with both scenarios. If you shut down league play for two weeks in August, teams in the divisional races could lose momentum, and it’s difficult to regain it when the teams resume play. And if you do shut down the season for two weeks, do you make up the games at the end of the season, thus extending the season well into October? The season is already long enough. On the other hand, if only the top players participate, they risk getting injured, which especially hurts those teams that are in the playoff hunt. I understand Selig’s reluctance to commit players to the Olympics. Unless MLB can come up with an alternative plan, it may be wise to say “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Guilty as Sin

If I had any doubts about Floyd Landis' claims to innocence in doping allegations, they were quickly confirmed with the damning testimony of two witnesses during Landis’ doping hearing which started last week in Malibu, Calif. Last Friday, former triple Tour de France champion Greg LeMond revealed he had been abused as a child and Landis’ manager had used that information to prevent him from testifying. LeMond said he confided the abuse to Landis last summer with the hope that sharing the story would convince Landis to come clean about his doping. According to Landis in a Reuters’ news story, Landis replied that coming clean “would destroy a lot of friends and hurt a lot of people.”

Early today, a little-known cyclist named Joseph Papp explained how he and other cyclists applied a testosterone gel on their bodies to recover more quickly during competitions. According to Papp, “it’s something you can use in small quantities that doesn’t trip any of the scanning…Immediately after the race, you would rub it [the gel] on your chest or your abdomen because within 30 minutes you would experience an increase in your testosterone level. And within four hours you would be back to your normal base line level.” Papp is currently serving a two-year ban from cycling for testing positive during a race last year.

Regardless of what happens during the rest of the hearing, and regardless if the French lab screwed up the testing of Landis’ samples as Landis claims, the testimonies of LeMond and Papp convince me that Landis is guilty of doping. This entire hearing was never about the testing process. It was all about getting Landis off the hook. If the arbitrators have any brains at all, they will waste no time in delivering a two-year suspension and stripping away his Tour de France title. I am hoping that cycling officials will learn something from this case that MLB has not – don’t let one of your “stars” off the hook.

Chicago’s Olympic Logo is a No-Go

Chicago’s Olympic Committee has made another faux pas, this time involving its Olympic logo. It seems the logo design uses Olympic-related imagery, such as the torch and flame, which is a big no-no according to the IOC, reports the Chicago Tribune. The Committee now must come up with a new design. In the meantime, the city isn’t sure what it will do with all the Olympic signs and merchandise spread throughout the city.

Last fall I wondered if the Chicago Committee had gotten way ahead of itself by introducing the logo so early in the bidding process. Generally the logo unveiling is reserved for the city that has been named as the host city for the Olympic Games, not a city that is bidding on it. That suggests that Chicago’s logo should have been introduced to the public in late 2009 at the earliest and only in the event that it had been chosen as the host city for the 2016 Games. It seems rather presumptuous of Chicago’s Olympic Committee to introduce any kind of logo design three years before the host city is officially announced. In its haste, the Chicago Committee obviously did not do its homework by checking out USOC and IOC rules beforehand. That’s sloppy planning and not a good start for Chicago’s Olympic Committee.

Rivalry May Kindle Sox Bats

The White Sox are a very lucky team. With a 19-17 record going into today’s action, the Sox find themselves only four games out of first place behind the Detroit Tigers in the middle of May. Most of their games have been played on the road, and two home games have been postponed due to inclement weather. Their starters have been nothing short of terrific and have kept them in the division race. Their hitting, well, that’s another story. The team is ranked last in the American League with a batting average of .200. With Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye and Joe Crede in the lineup, you know the Sox will start hitting one of these days. But when? What will it take to wake up their snoozing bats?

The solution to the White Sox ice-cold hitting may be just around the corner. Round one of the cross-town rivalry between the Sox and the Cubs takes place this weekend at Wrigley Field. If recent memory serves me, the Sox always seem to rise to the occasion when these two teams meet. This weekend’s series against the Cubs could be just the thing to get Sox bats swinging

Saskin Fired; Who’s Next For NHLPA?

While the NHL playoffs are picking up steam on the ice, the NHLPA made headlines last week off the ice when its player reps voted unanimously to fire Ted Saskin. The executive director was ousted after an attorney’s report revealed Saskin may have snooped through players’ e-mails. No interim director has been named, which makes you wonder who is running the asylum.

But seriously, whoever is hired as the new NHLPA director will have his (or her) hands full trying to rebuild a more amicable and trusting relationship between the players and owners. He’ll have to be a good listener, a tough negotiator, an astute business person, and a tactful and patient diplomat. Know anyone like that? The NHLPA may be interested in talking to them.

It’s Miller’s Time

Former World Cup Ski Champion and world-renowned boozer Bode Miller quit the U.S. Ski team last week after a meeting with team officials, a team representative told Reuters. For the last few seasons, Miller has been increasingly critical of the team’s restrictions, including one that required Miller to stay in hotels with his teammates rather than in his mobile home. But the 30-year-old skier may pay a hefty price for his freedom. Without support from the U.S. ski team, Miller will have to pay for his own training and racing expenses. No word yet on how he plans to do that. Hopefully, it won’t have anything to do with all-night drinking.

Coaching Changes for Federer, Hewitt

With the French Open set to begin in less than two weeks, world number one Roger Federer announced on his Web site that he split with his part-time coach Tony Roche, citing communication problems. The decision follows several weeks of poor play by the Swiss champion who has participated in four tournaments without winning a title.

For the time being, Federer says he plans to go it alone at the French Open and Wimbledon. “I’m not going to take a coach because I know what it takes to win,” he said. “I don’t want anyone interfering with my preparation.”

In the meantime, Roche may soon land himself another coaching job, this time with former world number one and fellow Australian Lleyton Hewitt, according to Hewitt’s manager, David Drysdale in a Reuters’ article. Hewitt has been without a coach since Roger Rasheed quit in January before the Australian Open. He has struggled with his form this season and is recovering from a back injury. Hewitt, who was the world number one for 80 weeks from 2001 to 2003 has not won a grand slam title in five years and is currently ranked 22nd.

Bulls Overmatched by Pistons

So the Chicago Bulls lost again to the Detroit Pistons Thursday night at the United Center and are now poised to be eliminated when the two teams square off in Game 4 Sunday. I don’t think there’s a single fan in Chicago who expected this team to play as poorly as they have in this series — two blowout losses to Detroit by 26 and 21 points respectively and a loss last night after blowing a 19-point lead early in the third quarter.

It seemed the Pistons were toying with the Bulls during the first half last night before flipping a switch on their zone defense halfway through the third quarter. In a blink of an eye, the Pistons closed to a one-point deficit at the end of the quarter. The Bulls have no answer for Detroit’s zone defense, and obviously, the Pistons see some weakness in the Bulls that they are easily exploiting. At this point, a series loss is inevitable and disappointing considering how well the Bulls played against the Miami Heat in the first round.

In a post two weeks ago, I suggested that the Bulls might have put forth more energy into defeating the Heat and may not have much left for the Pistons. Apparently I was right because the Bulls just have been overmatched by the Pistons in just about every phase of the game. Just as last year’s brief playoff run gave the Bulls the incentive to beat the Miami Heat this year, this series against Detroit may be the very thing the Bulls need to push themselves further next season.

Is Televised MLB Draft Worth Watching?

ESPN recently announced that it will be televising the baseball entry draft on ESPN2 on Thursday, June 7th beginning at 2 p.m. The NFL and NBA have had live draft coverage on ESPN for years with much success. But can MLB match that success? Are baseball fans willing to sit around for four hours watching each team make their first-round selections?

According to ESPN SportsNation poll, nearly 80 percent of fans said they would not watch the MLB draft. It seems to me that fans have better things to do with their time than to watch the draft live — like watch an actual game.

Is Schilling’s Apology Necessary?

Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling got himself into hot water Tuesday when he criticized Barry Bonds during his weekly spot on WEEI-850 AM in Boston. During the interview, Schilling said that Bonds “didn’t deserve to break Hank Aaron’s home run record,” among other things. In fact, it makes you wonder how many other MLB players and coaches share Schilling’s feelings.
Certainly his comments made a lot of people uncomfortable, including Red Sox manager Terry Francona who discussed the matter privately with his ace before Tuesday’s game.

Schilling apologized to Bonds through his blog, 38pitches.com, saying “The question I was asked and the answer I gave yesterday affected a lot more people than he [Bonds] and I.” He also indicated that he would not apologize to the Giants’ slugger directly.

It seems a shame that Schilling has to apologize at all. The opinions he expressed during the radio show are probably no worse than what fans have been thinking all along: that Bonds is a cheat. And Bonds isn’t exactly the type of guy who gets hung up on what anyone else thinks of him. People are entitled to their opinions, just as Schilling has a right to his. Since when do people have to apologize for being honest?

NFL Considering 17- Game Schedule

The NFL says it is considering adding one more week to its already lengthy regular-season schedule, bringing the total number of games to 17, according to the Associated Press. The extra game, which would replace a preseason game, would be played outside the United States either in England, Germany, Mexico or Canada. Every team will play one game abroad without affecting its regular home/away schedule.

While one game is already set for the 2007 season — Miami vs. the New York Giants at London’s Wembley Stadium -- the new schedule won’t go into effect until 2009 or 2010. The scheduling logistics could be affected in one of three ways:

1) Open the season on Labor Day weekend, which for some reason, the league has avoided in recent years.
2) Push the Superbowl to the second week of February.
3) Keep the Superbowl in its regular place in the schedule but eliminate the week between the conference title games and the Superbowl.

Interesting concept. The NFL has been considering international expansion for several years, but I worry that the season is already too long. On the other hand, it makes sense to eliminate one of the preseason games though. By the fourth preseason game, the players are anxious to start playing games for real and the coaches have a good idea which players will be on their squads. I say start the games Labor Day weekend and take advantage of the warmer weather.

MLB “Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer”

Once again, Major League Baseball and its 30 clubs are teaming up with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to raise funds and public awareness to fight breast cancer. The initiative begins this Sunday, May 13 (Mother’s Day) and continues through May 19, and incorporates several activities on and off the field for fans and players alike.

Some of the highlights:

Fans can make monetary donations by logging onto www.komen.org/mlb at five different levels: Single ($25), Double ($50), Triple ($75), Home run ($100) and Grand Slam ($250). MLB Charities will also commit an additional $50,000 donation.

More than 200 players will use a pink bats during their games on Mother’s Day, more than twice the number of players who participated last year. The pink bats will be autographed and auctioned on MLB.com at a later date, with proceeds going to the Komen organization.

During the games, players will also wear pink wristbands and ribbons on their uniforms. Pink ribbon logos will be displayed on the base pads.

A special Komen for the Cure public service announcement will run on the scoreboards and on the PA systems at all the ball parks.

For more information, visit www.komen.org/mlb.

The Pressure Is On for Patrick

After making a splash at the Indianapolis 500 two years ago when she became the first woman to lead the race and wound up finishing fourth, racer Danica Patrick is feeling some pressure to win more races, according to an Associated Press story. Since 2005, Patrick has never finished better than fourth despite winning three poles during her rookie season. She is currently eighth in IRL points this season and had her best finish of seventh at the Kansas Speedway a few weeks ago.

No one expects more of Danica Patrick than Patrick herself. Often we are our own worst critics. It must be difficult to try to live up to the initial hype as well as perform up to the level you know you’re capable of. Add being an attractive woman in the public eye, and the scrutiny must be downright harsh sometimes. But Patrick is not making any excuses. She knows what she is up against as she prepares for the Indy 500 later this month.

Few Fans Support Bonds’ HR Chase

I guess I’m not the only one who isn’t too excited about Barry Bonds’ quest to break Hank Aaron’s homerun record. It seems more than half of baseball fans don’t really care either.

In a poll by ABC News and ESPN, only 37 percent of baseball fans said they hoped Bonds does break the record, while 52 percent hope he fails while 11 percent had no opinion. Three-quarters said they think the Giants’ slugger knowingly took performance-enhancing drugs, which he has repeatedly denied. Of those who think he took steroids, two-thirds said that made him a cheater. Yet despite all these negative opinions, six out of 10 believe he should be elected to the Hall of Fame. Bonds has 744 home runs lifetime, 11 shy of Aaron’s record.

The Rocket Rejoins the Bronx Bombers

Future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens announced he is returning to his former team, the New York Yankees, for the remainder of this season. The 44-year-old ace made the announcement to a crowd of more than 52,000 fans at Yankee Stadium Sunday during the seventh inning stretch. After spending a few weeks training and getting into pitching shape, Clemens is expected to join the team sometime in early June. He will earn $28 million, or $4.5 million per month through the rest of this season.

The acquisition of Clemens is a huge shot in the arm for the Yankees, who clearly were desperate for starting pitching. Whether or not that boost lasts through the season and helps manager Joe Torre keep his job remains to be seen. It’s not good news for the AL Central either where many figured one of the four top teams -- the Tigers, Twins, Indians and White Sox – could win the Wild Card. That may not be the case anymore. If both the Yankees and Red Sox make the playoffs, the AL Central – arguably the best division in baseball -- would only have one team going the playoffs. And that means a more intense fight to the finish.

NBC Deal Promises Fresh Start for Figure Skating

I was thrilled to learn that the U.S. Figure Skating Association signed a three-year deal with NBC to broadcast the national championships and Skate America competition beginning October 2007, with much of the finals broadcast live during primetime. In a Woman’s Eye post several months ago, I wrote that the USFSA would be better off working out a deal with another network or forgoing a deal altogether rather than renew their arrangement with ABC/ESPN. In recent years, TV viewership for the sport had declined and ABC was clearly lacking any kind of commitment or motivation to promote the sport on its network. ESPN serves a predominantly male audience while figure skating’s largely female fan base was ignored. Programming also suffered as the network resorted to fluff stories and overhyped dramas to appeal to viewers. Even long-time announcers Dick Button and Peggy Fleming seemed old and tired at times. It was clear that it was time for a change.

Figure skating is a natural fit for NBC. The three-year deal will conclude with the 2010 national championships and will serve as a promotional lead-in for NBC’s coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. The network’s cable outlet, USA Network, its local affiliates and online resources open up bigger and better promotional opportunities for the sport.

The deal is a testing ground for both parties. NBC can help figure skating rebuild its fan base, and the sport can help the network refine its programming capabilities of Olympic sports in preparation for its coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

The only remaining question is who will be in the broadcast booth. I can see Dick Button doing occasional commentary for the broadcasts, but frankly, I think his days in the broadcast booth are over. A fresh opportunity like this deserves fresh faces, and the team of Paul Wylie and Suzie Wynn would be a great asset to NBC. They have done a terrific job as the secondary broadcast team on ESPN, covering the Four Continents and the Grand Prix events. They’re professional, unbiased and knowledgeable, and they refrain from “cheerleading” the skaters the way some of their colleagues at ABC/ESPN are guilty of doing.

ABC has been the broadcast home to figure skating for 43 years and still has rights to the international events, such as the World Championships, through 2008. After so long on one network, many fans may have a hard time adjusting to NBC as the new network for figure skating. But in this case, the change was not only good, it was necessary.

Moral of Josh Hancock’s Story: Don’t Drink and Drive

File this story under “What was he thinking?”

The Medical Examiner determined that Cardinals’ pitcher Josh Hancock was drunk with an alcohol level twice Missouri’s legal limit, according to the Associated Press. Cell phone records also showed that he was talking on his cell phone at the time of the collision. Authorities also say Hancock was driving 68 mph in a 55 mph zone and was not wearing a seat belt. Marijuana was found in the SUV he was driving, but it is still unknown if any was in his bloodstream and toxicology results will not be known for several days. Witnesses told police that Hancock was at a local restaurant from about 8:30 p.m. until midnight last Saturday. A news report earlier this week mentioned that the hostess offered to call a cab for him, but he declined. With so many errors in judgment, it’s no wonder Hancock didn’t survive. One wonders if he had a secret death wish.

Surprise! Derby Horses Tested for Drugs

It's interesting to see how the alleged doping scandals in baseball and track and field are affecting other sports that you wouldn't think would be affected, such as horse racing. For the first time in the 133-year history of the Kentucky Derby, all 20 horses were given surprise pre-race tests for performance-enhancing drugs on Thursday, according to the Associated Press. The decision to test the horses was made to ensure that the state’s medication rules were being followed, not because there was any suspicion of wrongdoing, said Mark York of the Kentucky Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet in the article. Certain blood-doping agents such as EPO (erythropoietin) and darbepoietin are illegal because they increase the number of oxygen-carrying red-blood cells and boost a horse’s endurance. In some cases, these drugs can kill the animals. A positive test could result in disqualification. Test results will not be revealed until after Saturday’s race.

Bias in the NBA?

An academic study by a University of Pennsylvania professor and a grad student from Cornell University suggests that racial bias exists on the basketball court as well as in our society. According to the New York Times, the two researchers reviewed 13 seasons worth of NBA games, from 1991 through 2004, and concluded that white referees called fouls against black players more often than they did against white players.

Interesting conclusion considering there are more black players in the league than white players.

The Times also reports that the NBA did its own study in March and concluded that there is no racial bias. Three independent experts reviewed the results of both studies and concluded that the academic study was more sound.

While I do think the Bulls’ Kirk Hinrich gets a lot of nit-picky fouls called against him, I don’t think it’s a racial issue. I think that has more to do with the referees keeping control of the game,

Really, all this academic research is silly. If players commit a foul, it’s because they violated a rule, not because they're black or white. Fans too are more concerned about which player is getting into foul trouble and how that might affect the outcome of the game. Racial bias has nothing to do with it.

Kenyan Marathon Champion Seeks Compensation

Robert Cheruiyot, the Kenyan athlete who won the Chicago marathon last fall, plans to seek compensation for a nasty spill he took just as he crossed the finish line at the end of the race. The champion runner was taken to a nearby hospital after he hit his head on the pavement, and was released the next day with no serious injury. But he told Reuters that he has been suffering from headaches ever since. Race officials attribute the accident to slippery pavement from a painted logo on the street.

The 28-year-old Cheruiyot plans to participate in the 2007 Chicago Marathon to defend his title next October. “I will run because they want me back, being the title holder, but I will pursue the matter to its logical conclusion,” he told Reuters.