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MONACO (AP) -- Seven-time champion Lance Armstrong went out early and put up a solid time in the opening stage of the Tour de France on Saturday, then was upstaged by Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland.

Cancellara finished the 9.6-mile time trial in 19 minutes, 32 seconds, beating 2007 Tour winner Alberto Contador by 18 seconds to capture the yellow jersey.

Wolfing down an incredible 68 hot dogs, Joey Chestnut defeated Japan's Takeru Kobayashi at the 2009 edition of the Fourth of July Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.

It was the third consecutive victory for Chestnut, and Kobayashi, the six-time champion, once again finished in second place. Last year, Chestnut and Kobayashi tied at 59 dogs in the 10-minute regulation time, and then Chestnut won in overtime. This year Kobayashi improved, eating 64 dogs, but he didn't improve as much as Chestnut did.

We're in the Jeffersonian spirit of July, fireworks and the founding of our country, but something needs to be said: The playing of our National Anthem before every sporting event has gotten out of control.

If nothing else, the practice has gotten old. And get this: There isn't anything in the United States Constitution declaring that we must do such a thing. Neither is it ordered by a higher power than even Roger Goodell, Bud Selig, David Stern and Gary Bettman. Nor is it mandated in the bylaws of any pro sports league.

The Star Spangled Banner is sung prior to games out of tradition, with no regard as to whether it makes sense or not.

It doesn't.

So here's an idea: Let's stop doing it.

The Boston Police Department has disciplined 11 officers as a result of a federal investigation that uncovered steroid use in the department's ranks.

"There is an emerging trend of steroid use in law enforcement that we're monitoring very closely," Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said. "Unfortunately, we were on the leading edge of this being disclosed."

Caleb Campbell, the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Army safety who the Detroit Lions selected in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft, is currently training with the U.S. bobsled team in an effort to make the 2010 Winter Olympics team. It's quite the change of careers for Campbell, who had his NFL dream yanked out from under him at the last possible moment in July of 2008.

The Army's decision to reverse course and require Campbell to report for service, despite having implemented a 2005 exemption penalty, ignited a firestorm of debate. Now Campbell is training in Lake Placid, N.Y., while stationed at West Point. He has a new dream -- making the Olympic team.

While the military won't allow Campbell to pursue a career in the NFL until late 2010, they do have a policy in place that allows would-be Olympians to pursue their training as part of their military commitment. After being contacted by a member of the U.S. bobsledding team in July of 2008, Campbell has thrown himself into the training and pronounces himself in the best shape of his life. "Some days, it hurts to get out of bed," he says.

It seems like everybody has a distinct memory of what Michael Jackson meant to them, particularly those of us in our 30s, who grew up listening to him. For me, it was convincing my parents to buy the "Thriller" album (33 RPMs!), and listening to it for hours at a time on our sweet Curtis Mathes all-in-one home entertainment system that looked a lot like this.

For a college buddy of mine (who shall remain nameless to spare him the shame of what I'm about to write) it was probably attending breakdancing classes as a chubby preteen while sporting one sparkly glove and a backpack stuffed with his Cabbage Patch Kid. (Amazingly, he now holds down a full-time job and spent very little time in therapy.)

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And for Terrell Owens, the enigmatic NFL wideout currently with the Bills, it was a Michael Jackson dance contest. Via BuffaloBills.com's Chris Brown:

The Jaked J01 swimsuit was temporarily banned by FINA (the International Swimming Federation) earlier this year because it supposedly gave swimmers an unfair competitive advantage. Recently, it's been the subject of talk of an entirely different sort, as an ill-located tear in the suit forced Italian Olympic swimmer Flavia Zoccari to sit out of a championship race.

At the Mediterranean Games on Wednesday, Zoccari (right) was forced to stand down from competition after the back hinge of the bathing suit tore, leaving a large portion of Zoccari's backside exposed.

Jaked, the manufacturers of the suit, boast that the J01 is "more than skin," but in Zoccari's case all it did was show more skin.

Zoccari, who was flooded with tears of embarrassment after the mishap, later apologized for the incident.

A South African rugby player gouged the eyes of an opponent during a game on Saturday, setting off a raging controversy in the rugby world.

No offense to those who have turned Never Can Say Goodbye into their Amazing Grace these days. It's just that, even though Michael Jackson is everybody's favorite icon, he mostly belongs to us. I'm referring to those of us from northern Indiana. He couldn't become the biggest celebrity of all time until he discovered ways to surpass the elite of the elite within his own state.

Actually, I should say within his own region.

This was tougher than you think.

One of the great rivalries in the history of sport will resume on Saturday, as Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi square off in the annual Fourth of July Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. And the early betting odds list Chestnut, the two-time defending champion, as a slight favorite to repeat over Kobayashi, who won every year from 2001 to 2006.