I was just reading an article at ESPN.com about the only honest NBA referee I know of, Tim Donaghy. Unfortunately for him, he is going to prison. Which is strange in a way, I guess someone slipped up somewhere and his name came up. But what is interesting is his latest allegation. I don't know why he waited this long, probably his damn lawyer told him to hold out, to reveal how deep this facade of a sport goes.
If you haven't read the article it goes on to say that in the 2002 playoffs league officials decided that a certain team, a high profile team, with 2 high profile players, and the HIGHEST PROFILE Coach must go to a seventh game. I could see why the referees would want to. They get paid per game. And in the long run you can see why the league wanted it to, they get exposure through their players. The NBA is a players league, not a team league. Anyway, the game he points out is a GREAT example of what I've always said about the NBA. This is an explicit example, the perfect example if you will.
This game was officiated so blatantly that Ralph Nader called for a formal investigation. The High Profile team shot 27 free throws in the 4th quarter to overcome a huge deficit to force a game seven. Two players from the other team fouled out in the quarter. The point guard on lower profile team was fouled on last second attempt to tie, but no call was made. Sounds like typical NBA to me, I don't get what everyone is upset about.
What cracks me up is the comments from people involved with this game that can't say anything or fear losing any chance of working in the NBA again. Like Phil Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy. I like Van Gundy's style as an announcer. He's kinda funny in a deadpan way and he adds a little knowledge. But he showed he knows how to toe the line on this one. The best comment is from Lamell McMorris, head of the NBA referees union. He questioned Donaghy's motivation and credibility. "Tim Donaghy has had honesty and credibility issues from the get-go," McMorris said in a prepared statement. When exactly does the get-go start?
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Its Official, Cubs Petition MLB to change Schedule to All Home Games
This just in.... After the loss today to the Los Angeles Dodgers the Cub Organization has asked Major League Baseball to change its schedule to all home games. The Cubs are currently 26-8 at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field and feel it is only fair that they play the rest of their games there to ensure they get to the World Series. They believe there is a archaic baseball rule very rarely used that states if a team hasn't won a World Series game in 100 years and they have the best record in baseball as of June 1st, they can change their schedule.
Baseball historians are busily trying to refute this but so far have had no luck. If you are a baseball fan you know that there are baseball gods who make decisions of this magnitude, but no one has come forward yet to refute the Cubs claim. Whats for sure is the Cubs don't play well on the road and this could seriously put their pennant chances in jeopardy if they have to play the full schedule on the road as scheduled. And also, that the baseball gods hate the Cubs.
One benefit to baseball would be that the Cubs would break the all time attendance record, because we know if the Cubs played all 162 games at home their fans would come out everyday to see them, or to meet their friends, or to meet their business associates, or to pick up chicks, whatever it is that Cubs fans do at the ballpark.
Baseball historians are busily trying to refute this but so far have had no luck. If you are a baseball fan you know that there are baseball gods who make decisions of this magnitude, but no one has come forward yet to refute the Cubs claim. Whats for sure is the Cubs don't play well on the road and this could seriously put their pennant chances in jeopardy if they have to play the full schedule on the road as scheduled. And also, that the baseball gods hate the Cubs.
One benefit to baseball would be that the Cubs would break the all time attendance record, because we know if the Cubs played all 162 games at home their fans would come out everyday to see them, or to meet their friends, or to meet their business associates, or to pick up chicks, whatever it is that Cubs fans do at the ballpark.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
34 Million Reasons to Watch A Guy Play in the Regular Season
Doesn't it make you feel good when good things happen to good people? I know it does me. However, that has nothing to do with this story. This is about our favorite receiver in the NFL who sometimes goes by two letters. T.O. Time Out. Truncated Octahedron. Tangible Object. Top Offer. No, Terrell Owens, Mr. Regular Season himself. The man that celebrates all things him, but only in the regular season. I'm sure he would love to celebrate in the Playoffs sometime, but he really doesn't like to play for such little money. He knows that he is paid to play those 16 games, that is his bread and butter. They don't pay him to work past Christmas. Don't believe me. Check his stats.
4 Catches for 49 yards and a touchdown 2007 Dallas Cowboys
2 Catches for 26 yards and no touchdown 2006 Dallas Cowyboys
Sitting at home getting his popcorn ready 2005 Madden NFL (Philadelphia Eagles)
9 Catches for 122 yards and no touchdown 2004 (actually his best game) Philly
No Playoffs 2003 San Francisco
Actually his biggest Playoff catch was when he was just Terrell Owens and Steve Young hit him down the middle for a game winning touchdown against a good Green Bay team. He was a completely different person back than. He hadn't morphed into The Personality.
What makes a receiver stand out in the regular season and disappear in the Post Season? He is consistent with this recently too. He even has had drops in the Post Season. Is the Spot Light Too Bright? Is the defense all of a sudden faster? Especially puzzling is this year against the Giants. He torched them twice in the regular season. What happened. I think its the money. After all this is the same player who after accidentally almost committing suicide had his foxy spokesperson tell the world that he had 26 million reasons to live.
Jerry Jones is a fool and he is shrewd. He knows that he isn't going to get anything out of T.O. in the playoffs but that T.O. sells tickets in the regular season and he has a brand new $1 Billion stadium being built with lots of seats. T.O. knows he only has to worry about 16 weekends of work and he can coast until he is invited to the next Super Bowl Party. He really loves those and you can't really go to those when you have to play in the game, so its a win win.
But T.O. isn't alone on this street. In fact, this street is easy to find because all you have to look for is some overpaid big mouth egotistical receivers. They all live on the same street. T.O. meet Chad Johnson. Chad Johnson meet Randy Moss. I'm still trying to find Randy Moss in the Super Bowl. I know he was in the game but Tom Brady couldn't get the ball anywhere near him until late in the game. And then it kinda just bounced off his hands for what would have been the game winning score. Chad I've only see play once in the playoffs and he sure did look a little butter-fingered that game. Weird. He sure did like being on TV during the week running up to the Super Bowl that year though. He had to make sure we all knew who he was and what he had planned for next year, I mean, the regular season next year.
I'm old school, I know it, but these guys were meant to be in the NBA not the NFL. Did you ever notice when fools likes these act up in the NBA nobody listens. For some reason the NFL's media loves these guys. Back in the day they would have been pounded into submission by the defense, but not today. They live with the easiest rules in football, (can't touch after 5 yards) and then celebrate it like they really got open. What a joke. I would have loved to see Mel Blount or Kenny Houston or George Atkinson lay these dudes out when they started celebrating something they are paid to do. I'm amazed that they get away with it in todays game, but so be it.
So folks, get your popcorn ready. At least for the 16 regulars season games.
4 Catches for 49 yards and a touchdown 2007 Dallas Cowboys
2 Catches for 26 yards and no touchdown 2006 Dallas Cowyboys
Sitting at home getting his popcorn ready 2005 Madden NFL (Philadelphia Eagles)
9 Catches for 122 yards and no touchdown 2004 (actually his best game) Philly
No Playoffs 2003 San Francisco
Actually his biggest Playoff catch was when he was just Terrell Owens and Steve Young hit him down the middle for a game winning touchdown against a good Green Bay team. He was a completely different person back than. He hadn't morphed into The Personality.
What makes a receiver stand out in the regular season and disappear in the Post Season? He is consistent with this recently too. He even has had drops in the Post Season. Is the Spot Light Too Bright? Is the defense all of a sudden faster? Especially puzzling is this year against the Giants. He torched them twice in the regular season. What happened. I think its the money. After all this is the same player who after accidentally almost committing suicide had his foxy spokesperson tell the world that he had 26 million reasons to live.
Jerry Jones is a fool and he is shrewd. He knows that he isn't going to get anything out of T.O. in the playoffs but that T.O. sells tickets in the regular season and he has a brand new $1 Billion stadium being built with lots of seats. T.O. knows he only has to worry about 16 weekends of work and he can coast until he is invited to the next Super Bowl Party. He really loves those and you can't really go to those when you have to play in the game, so its a win win.
But T.O. isn't alone on this street. In fact, this street is easy to find because all you have to look for is some overpaid big mouth egotistical receivers. They all live on the same street. T.O. meet Chad Johnson. Chad Johnson meet Randy Moss. I'm still trying to find Randy Moss in the Super Bowl. I know he was in the game but Tom Brady couldn't get the ball anywhere near him until late in the game. And then it kinda just bounced off his hands for what would have been the game winning score. Chad I've only see play once in the playoffs and he sure did look a little butter-fingered that game. Weird. He sure did like being on TV during the week running up to the Super Bowl that year though. He had to make sure we all knew who he was and what he had planned for next year, I mean, the regular season next year.
I'm old school, I know it, but these guys were meant to be in the NBA not the NFL. Did you ever notice when fools likes these act up in the NBA nobody listens. For some reason the NFL's media loves these guys. Back in the day they would have been pounded into submission by the defense, but not today. They live with the easiest rules in football, (can't touch after 5 yards) and then celebrate it like they really got open. What a joke. I would have loved to see Mel Blount or Kenny Houston or George Atkinson lay these dudes out when they started celebrating something they are paid to do. I'm amazed that they get away with it in todays game, but so be it.
So folks, get your popcorn ready. At least for the 16 regulars season games.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
NBA Referees, like Pete Rose, Only Bet the Home Team
Did anyone notice that home teams won nearly every game in the playoffs this year. Excluding the final game at Detroit, the home cooking was awful good. It seemed especially so in the Spurs - Hornets series and the Lakers - Jazz series. The referees went especially out of their way to make sure the home team got the W.
I had to laugh listening to all of the sportwriters and commentators make excuses for the terrible refereeing going on. The hot excuse this year is "role players don't play well on the road". Evidently referees don't like role players on the road either. But this year it was even worse than usual. The star players weren't getting the calls on the road. The were calling fouls on Parker and Ginobli on the road as well as Chris Paul and David West, and most of them were fiction.
Having grown up and enjoyed the NBA at its peak, that is, the 80's, I was used to Magic and Larry getting the call. After they were gone it went completely beserk with Michael. In the ref's opinion, you weren't even allowed to breathe on him if he was shooting. For a playoff series Dwayne Wade found out what that was like. I bet he freaked out the next season when they had turned that off.
What I don't understand is, the season right after they find out that a referee has been betting on games, they don't do anything or mention anything about watching the referees calls more closely. It never came up, anywhere. Even when you see the BLATANT none calls, like Game 2 of Lakers - Jazz and Game 5 of Lakers - Spurs. Thats the thing that is so powerful about basketball refereeing. The non-call is just as bad, no worse, than the bad call. A non-call can stop you from even getting a chance to score, at least if you are called for a non-foul you can play around it, unless of course its your 6th.
The two non-calls seem like they could be OBVIOUS if you were looking into whether the 3 striped dudes had money on the game. I'm not saying they did, but it sure would work in their favor. But the NBA has always been the least professional of the major sports leagues. From the players to the coaches to the teams to the commissioner. What other sport has a lottery to determine who gets to pick first BECAUSE so many teams throw games at the end of the year. They had to go to a lottery, no one trusts anyone.
Unfortunately, no one ever talks about this. Especially on television. You should never bite the hand that feeds you as the saying goes. Anyway, it should be interesting to see which side the ref's have their money on in this series.
I had to laugh listening to all of the sportwriters and commentators make excuses for the terrible refereeing going on. The hot excuse this year is "role players don't play well on the road". Evidently referees don't like role players on the road either. But this year it was even worse than usual. The star players weren't getting the calls on the road. The were calling fouls on Parker and Ginobli on the road as well as Chris Paul and David West, and most of them were fiction.
Having grown up and enjoyed the NBA at its peak, that is, the 80's, I was used to Magic and Larry getting the call. After they were gone it went completely beserk with Michael. In the ref's opinion, you weren't even allowed to breathe on him if he was shooting. For a playoff series Dwayne Wade found out what that was like. I bet he freaked out the next season when they had turned that off.
What I don't understand is, the season right after they find out that a referee has been betting on games, they don't do anything or mention anything about watching the referees calls more closely. It never came up, anywhere. Even when you see the BLATANT none calls, like Game 2 of Lakers - Jazz and Game 5 of Lakers - Spurs. Thats the thing that is so powerful about basketball refereeing. The non-call is just as bad, no worse, than the bad call. A non-call can stop you from even getting a chance to score, at least if you are called for a non-foul you can play around it, unless of course its your 6th.
The two non-calls seem like they could be OBVIOUS if you were looking into whether the 3 striped dudes had money on the game. I'm not saying they did, but it sure would work in their favor. But the NBA has always been the least professional of the major sports leagues. From the players to the coaches to the teams to the commissioner. What other sport has a lottery to determine who gets to pick first BECAUSE so many teams throw games at the end of the year. They had to go to a lottery, no one trusts anyone.
Unfortunately, no one ever talks about this. Especially on television. You should never bite the hand that feeds you as the saying goes. Anyway, it should be interesting to see which side the ref's have their money on in this series.
Roger Goodell is a Hired Hand
I have been watching Professional Football for over 30 years now. I have seen the best and also have seen some pretty bad teams. But never in all of those years did I ever think the Commissioner was in the back pockets of the Owners. I may have been naive but Goodell is being blatant about it. How else could he explain destroying the SpyGate evidence? How else can he explain not wanting to follow up on what has been revealed since the NEW TAPES were shown. If he knew that the New England Patriots were also taping Offensive Coordinators he sure forgot to mention it in September 2007.
Sure, he came in on his High Horse and threw his newly acquired weight around and starting suspending anyone who had a run-in with the law. But when he really could have made a difference he sat down with his bosses and came up with a slap on the wrist penalty for what is literally cheating. I still don't understand how a Coach can cheat, be caught cheating after being warned before hand, and still keep his job. And to the people who say that this cheating wasn't that big a deal, have you ever played Poker with someone who knew how to cheat. Believe me, knowing what the other guy is holding takes you from being a mediocre player to the Champion.
I guess it can also take you from being a mediocre coach (Cleveland Browns 36 wins - 44 losses) to what recently I've had to hear is the Greatest Football Coach of All Time. Sheeeeiiiiiiit, what would Vince Lombardi be able to do to your team if he not only coached the hell out of them but also new which defense you were in. As it was, Vince Lombardi kicked major tail in the 1960's.
Anyway, getting back to Goodell, was there ever any doubt in anyone's mind that Pacman Jones was going to be re-instated once he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys? Not mine. And I might have gotten it wrong but I was flipping channels this afternoon when on the NFL Network I heard a comment was made by Jerry Jones about Pacman. It was like 10 minutes later that I saw that the Commissioner had re-instated the little trouble maker. This commissioner sure seams to be Owner friendly.
I always had the impression that Paul Tagliabue and Pete Rozell were on the side of the betterment of the National Football League, not the owners or the players. Both of these Commissioners were excellent for the game. Pete Rozell grew the game to be America's Most Popular and Paul Tagliabue continued that track and also kept labor peace. Tagliabue also took on steriods before it was a national nightmare that it is now. Goodell takes on strippers and drunk driving while letting cheaters continue to receive a paycheck.
I guess that how it works in today's NFL
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