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Since he coasted to the 100-meter finish line in world-record time at the Birds Nest eight years ago, Usain Bolt has been the smiling face of track and field. He has served as the anchorman of the Olympics -- virtually the only reason any casual fan would pay attention to a sport that has orchestrated its own slow, sad, drug-infused downfall.His tender hamstring improving, Bolt will be back for a final go-round at Olympic glory when track starts in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 12. If, as expected, the Jamaican wins all three sprint events -- the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay -- hell only add to his legacy and cement himself at the fore of any conversation about Greatest Olympian Ever. He already is the first person to win back-to-back Olympic gold at 100 and 200 meters.Whether viewed over the six days he runs in Rio, or over the eight years hes graced the world with his once-in-a-lifetime mix of speed, smiles and showmanship, the Worlds Fastest Man has offered track a reprieve from the wasteland of corrupt countries, reshuffled medals and win-at-any-cost malfeasance it has become.Russians will be absent from this years Olympic track meet -- banned by the sports governing body, the IAAF, which contributed to the problems as much as solved them over the years. Even with those 67 athletes out of the mix, the 10-day meet is bound to be filled with suspicious glances among the 2,000-plus runners, throwers and jumpers who will be present -- all wondering if theyll get a fair shot in a sport that once defined the Olympics but now is hurting because its leaders have proven themselves either unwilling or unable to stop all the cheating.It breaks my heart, said John Carlos, the 1968 bronze medalist, whose glove-fisted Black Power salute in Mexico City created one of the games seminal moments. Its a hurting thing to see your peers, their names being erased out of the record books because individuals ran faster times that might be enhanced by substances. And the powers that be might turn their heads, because they had people coming through the turnstiles with fists full of dollars.Money is always a good place to start when seeking the seeds of the destruction of almost any enterprise.But the Olympics have also long been a place for countries and political movements to make bold statements. During the Cold War, the motivation was obvious: Winners and losers at 100 meters certainly didnt decide the arms race, but the Olympic medal count was the sort of scoreboard-driven result either side could use to claim superiority in the increasingly bleak standoff between East and West.I remember going over to the Olympics thinking, as a 20-year-old, that its the most idealistic of institutions, said Tom McMillian, a member of the 1972 American basketball team that lost the gold-medal game to the USSR after officials gave the Soviets three chances to inbound the ball with 3 seconds left. Then, you wake up the next morning thinking, `This is a flawed institution.The Soviet Union is history, but whats currently happening in Russia has been described, time and again, as `70s and `80s, Eastern Bloc-style cheating.Two independent investigations -- one into the Russian track team, the other into the countrys entire sports system -- have shown a pattern of top-to-bottom corruption, involving government officials, anti-doping lab workers, Olympic Committee members, coaches and, ultimately, athletes who can profit wildly from going along with the program.Whistleblower Vitaly Stepanov, a former worker at Russias anti-doping agency whose wife competed in the corrupted Russian system, estimated 80 percent of coaches used doping to prepare their athletes for the London Games four years ago.They prefer to hide everything, Stepanov said of Russias modus operandi. They say the problem was a lot smaller than it actually was.Last week, the IOC rebuffed Stepanovs wife, Yulia Stepanova, the 800-meter runner who exposed Russias doping culture after being cast out by the track program. She was seeking to compete at the Olympics, and had the blessing of the IAAF and World Anti-Doping Agency. But the IOC said no.It was par for the course. Efforts to sanction Russia have been tinged with confusion, indecisiveness and politics.The long-term repercussions could range from an eventual cleanup of the countrys track program to a schism within the Olympic movement, as President Vladimir Putin suggested as part of the heated rhetoric that punctuated the doping-ban decisions. He called the case against Russia a well-planned campaign which targeted our athletes, which included double-standards and the concept of collective punishment which has nothing to do with justice or even basic legal norms.Russias world-record pole vaulter, Yelena Isinbayeva, is among those staying home. She says the remaining track-and-field athletes will be competing only for pseudo-gold medals without the Russians running in Rio.Thats not so much Bolts concern.Over the past four years, only one man, American Justin Gatlin -- the 2004 100-meter gold medalist who, himself, has served two doping bans -- has been able to seriously challenge Bolt at either 100 or 200 meters. More than racing against Gatlin, though, Bolt is racing against the clock -- and into history.And yet, the doping scourge doesnt elude him, either. His relay medal from 2008 is in jeopardy now, thanks to retests conducted by the IOC that indicate teammate Nesta Carter could have used a banned substance. In the past, the IOC has stripped entire relay teams of medals even when only one person dopes.At almost every stop he makes, Bolt is asked about doping.In an interview before his tuneup race in London in July, he showed off the bandage covering the mark where testers had drawn their latest tube full of blood.Rules are rules and doping violations in track and field is getting really bad, so if you feel like you need to make a statement then thumbs up, Bolt said of the Russian ban.He has never tested positive, has mostly managed to smile through the thinly veiled questions about his own doping virtue, and, when the stakes are greatest, has rarely failed to put on a show people want to watch.The next act starts with 100-meter qualifying on Aug. 13. Bolt, who turns 30 on the day of the closing ceremony in Rio, has said hell hang up the spikes after an encore season in 2017, but more recently has left the door slightly cracked for racing beyond that.When he does leave, his sport will start the search for a new face -- a new distraction, perhaps, from the problems that come at this sport from almost every angle.---AP Sports Writers Pat Graham and Rob Harris contributed to this report. San Francisco 49ers Jerseys China . Self was acquired from the Buffalo Bandits in a trade for Alex Hill midway through last season, and made his debut in Rochester on March 16, 2013. Deion Sanders Jersey . - Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime as the Erie Otters came from behind to defeat the visiting Guelph Storm 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.cheap49ersjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-y-a-tittle-jersey . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. 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NEW YORK -- Mets manager Terry Collins addressed his team on Friday night following its fourth loss in five games.He didnt yell at the players or get upset despite the clubs recent skid.What was his message instead? Lighten up.If we have a meeting somethings wrong, so I dont like to have meetings, Collins said. So tonight I just walked in and said, `Guys, we got to lighten it up in here. Turn the music up, lighten the atmosphere around here.Tyler Chatwood kept winning on the road, Carlos Gonzalez homered and drove in four runs and the Colorado Rockies defeated New York 6-1 Friday night for their fourth straight victory.Mark Reynolds homered and Charlie Blackmon had four hits for the surging Rockies. They are 11-4 since the All-Star break and have moved within four games of Miami for the second NL wild-card spot.Chatwood (10-6) improved to 6-0 with a 1.30 ERA away from Coors Field this season. The 26-year-old is 4-6 with a 5.69 ERA at home.Gonzalez matched a season-high hitting streak of 11 games with an RBI double in the first. He hit a 448-foot, three-run drive in the ninth for his 21st homer.Its a tough place and obviously they have really good pitching so youre trying to take what they give you and not try to do too much, Gonzalez said. Great things happen when you take that approach.Steven Matz (8-7) gave up two runs and 10 hits in six innings.I think from a battling standpoint, I got out of some big situations that limited the damage as much as I could, Matz said. In a tight ballgame like that, scattering 10 hits and falling behind there in the sixth inning to give them the lead, is frustrating.James Loney homered for the Mets. Alejandro De Aza had another kind of hit -- he had a pinch-single in the eighth, and later was running to third when he was grazed in the helmet bby the shattered barrel of Travis dArnauds bat.ddddddddddddDown 3-1, the Mets got a pair of singles to start the eighth off Jake McGee. Scott Oberg relieved and retired the next three batters on just three pitches. The Mets are the majors worst hitting team with runners in scoring position.It seems that we are pressing a little bit, especially in situations where we have guys on base and we have opportunities to bring runs home, outfielder Michael Conforto said.As for Collins pep talk?Thats the message, lets have some fun. Lets not get too serious here, not get too down on ourselves. Lets go have some fun and get on a roll like we did last year. We know we can do it, Conforto said.HALL OF FAME WELCOMEThe Mets started a weekend-long tribute to Hall of Famer Mike Piazza, handing out replica jerseys to all fans. A large home plate with Piazzas No. 31 in the middle was etched into the center field grass in anticipation of Saturdays number retirement ceremony.Its truly an honor to be able to celebrate his career here in New York and it means so much and Im so honored to be able to wear that No. 31 on my shoulder, dArnaud said.TRAINERS ROOMMets: 3B Jose Reyes (strained left ribcage) missed his fourth straight game. `Hes a little closer, Collins said. `Weve got to be careful not to overdo it.UP NEXTLHP Jorge De La Rosa (6-7, 5.70) is slated to start for Colorado on Saturday night in a matchup of veterans, opposed by 43-year-old righty Bartolo Colon (9-5, 3.35). The 35-year-old De La Rosa is 2-1 with a 3.79 ERA in three starts at Citi Field. Colon will be starting on short rest, earning the win over St. Louis in the second game of a doubleheader on Tuesday. ' ' '