I have no doubt that countries around the world have been bending rules in pursuit of OLYMPIC medals for roughly 120 years, or as long as the modern OLYMPICS have existed. But that doesn't make the idea of an official state-run doping program in pursuit of OLYMPIC glory, as RUSSIA stands accused of operating, any less startling or sad. Cheat at war; I get that. Cheat at international trade or, oh, U.S. football; makes total sense. But an amateur race around an oval whose only reward is a single piece of gold draped around the winner's neck and athletic bragging rights for the winner's country? Is that really worth engaging in widespread drug use and subterfuge for? Is it that important to beat CHINA or the U.S. in the medal count? Does anyone who isn't directly involved in the OLYMPICS remember who won the medal count in the last OLYMPICS? Isn't winning clean a lot more rewarding for both discus thrower and country? (Please don't answer that; I don't want to know.) The INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ATHLETICS FEDERATIONS will decide FRIDAY whether to ban RUSSIA's entire track team from this summer's RIO games, with a possible ban of the rest of RUSSIA's OLYMPIC team to follow. USA TODAY's BRENT SCHROTENBOER weighs the pros and cons of a ban, with consideration given to inherent complications and contradictions. RUSSIAN pole vaulter YELENA ISINBAEVA says she is clean and should be allowed to compete in RIO even if many of her teammates are not. The GUARDIAN on why this is a moment of truth for SEBASTIAN COE, and the NEW YORK TIMES on either the corruption or incompetence (or, OK, both) of the WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY, which is supposed to be in charge of this stuff... Golf's U.S. OPEN kicks off today at the insanely difficult OAKMONT COUNTRY CLUB, where breaking par is a miracle and where one of the hazards is the PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE... We love oral histories at REDEF, and in our newest SportsSET, "HEY, BATTA BATTA!," we collect some of baseball's best, from that time KIRK GIBSON hit that home run to that time the CUBS didn't win that PENNANT... ICHIRO! (Obligatory asterisk: *)... How TIMBERWOLVES owner GLEN TAYLOR predicted KEVIN LOVE's future at the 2014 MINNESOTA STATE FAIR...CRAIG SAGER will work an NBA FINALS game for the first time ever tonight on ABC, which is not the network he works for, and if that doesn't tug at your heart, I don't know what will.