| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Aeneas Hunter
Retired Number
Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 31763
|
 Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2019 7:58 am Post subject: ESPN Re-Investigates Tim Donaghy |
|
|
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25980368/how-former-ref-tim-donaghy-conspired-fix-nba-games
There is a lot of good stuff in here. The FBI was planning to get him to wear a wire while talking to other referees, but the investigation got leaked in the media first. The article implies that this might have been done by the NBA, but there are indications to the contrary.
The article pretty much confirms that Donaghy was fixing matches, not just using some genius technique for predicting results based on referee assignments.
| Quote: | He can influence a game six points either way -- that's what he told me," Tommy Martino said as we sat in the break room of his family's hair salon, where he's worked since he got out of prison in August 2009 after serving 10 months.
It took a second for me to comprehend what Martino was telling me. "When did he tell you this?" I asked. Martino couldn't remember, not exactly. "During all this s---," he said.
Martino did recall Donaghy telling him that certain games would be unfixable. In Martino's words, "Blowouts, he can't control." If the score in a game widened too far beyond the betting line, Donaghy told Martino, Donaghy would be powerless to rein it back in. Because then "you gotta call a lot of fouls," Martino said. "And it's too obvious." |
| Quote: | A PROFESSIONAL GAMBLER once confronted Donaghy about the scandal. This was a few years after Donaghy's release from prison. A close observer of basketball, the gambler had become acutely curious after suffering losses on Donaghy-reffed games during that season.
The gambler described the conversation with Donaghy to me on the condition that I not use his name in the story. To the gambler's enduring surprise, Donaghy acknowledged that, yes, he deliberately called more fouls against the side he'd bet against. He told the gambler about other tactics as well.
"He said he liked to call an illegal defense call, right away, in the first minute." That way, the gambler said, Donaghy could force the side he'd picked against to play a little less aggressively on defense. "He said he'd pick on the big center, or the most valuable player of each team, and he'd try to get them in foul trouble."
The gambler added, "He also told me they were betting millions and he was an idiot not to ask for more." |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
audioaxes
Franchise Player
Joined: 26 Apr 2004
Posts: 12573
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2019 9:27 am Post subject: |
|
|
there has to be more out there who pull stuff like this
_________________
(bleep) Kawhi |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Theseus
Franchise Player
Joined: 15 Dec 2007
Posts: 14166
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2019 3:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Wasn't there another official who Donaghy called way more than any other official, before and after games, but only before talking to his bookie?
I forget his name, but I remember hearing about that. I also know that he is STILL officiating |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Aeneas Hunter
Retired Number
Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 31763
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2019 3:50 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| You’re thinking of Scott Foster. I don’t remember the details, but my recollection is that the stuff about Foster turned out to be nothing. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
LakerLanny
Retired Number
Joined: 24 Oct 2001
Posts: 47580
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2019 9:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Aeneas Hunter wrote: | | You’re thinking of Scott Foster. I don’t remember the details, but my recollection is that the stuff about Foster turned out to be nothing. |
Just the sheer amount of contact between the two of them is a major concern along with Foster's erratic officiating over the years.
Donaghy is now a proven fixer, many here said it was impossible. I said otherwise.
_________________
Love, Laker Lanny |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
non-player zealot
Franchise Player
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Posts: 21365
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2019 7:32 am Post subject: |
|
|
| LakerLanny wrote: | | Aeneas Hunter wrote: | | You’re thinking of Scott Foster. I don’t remember the details, but my recollection is that the stuff about Foster turned out to be nothing. |
Just the sheer amount of contact between the two of them is a major concern along with Foster's erratic officiating over the years.
Donaghy is now a proven fixer, many here said it was impossible. I said otherwise. |
The phone logs looked like they often do in criminal cases where two felons are conspiring to commit a crime and communicating over the phone. Profuse calls from a known crooked zebra and many at times that were suspect. Maybe Foster wasn't in on it, but that wasn't a good look. What could they have possibly talked about that many times? Stretches credulity.
You used to have a name for a group of 5 (iirc) refs that you were convinced were crooked. The Fixers or something. What was that group called and who were they again? I remember you had a hate for Javie that was special, tender, and intimate. 
_________________
GOAT MAGIC REEL
SEDALE TRIBUTE
EDDIE DONX! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SuperboyReformed
Star Player
Joined: 07 Oct 2012
Posts: 4083
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2019 2:19 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| non-player zealot wrote: | | LakerLanny wrote: | | Aeneas Hunter wrote: | | You’re thinking of Scott Foster. I don’t remember the details, but my recollection is that the stuff about Foster turned out to be nothing. |
Just the sheer amount of contact between the two of them is a major concern along with Foster's erratic officiating over the years.
Donaghy is now a proven fixer, many here said it was impossible. I said otherwise. |
The phone logs looked like they often do in criminal cases where two felons are conspiring to commit a crime and communicating over the phone. Profuse calls from a known crooked zebra and many at times that were suspect. Maybe Foster wasn't in on it, but that wasn't a good look. What could they have possibly talked about that many times? Stretches credulity.
You used to have a name for a group of 5 (iirc) refs that you were convinced were crooked. The Fixers or something. What was that group called and who were they again? I remember you had a hate for Javie that was special, tender, and intimate. |
it is highly improbable that they were the only ones. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
VicXLakers
Franchise Player
Joined: 08 Feb 2006
Posts: 11823
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
activeverb
Retired Number
Joined: 17 Jun 2006
Posts: 37470
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 3:38 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Not sure why anyone would waste their time listening to a long interview with Donaghy. Guy's a compulsive liar. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
gumby
Star Player
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 2500
Location: Inland Empire
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 11:33 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Interesting when I read the full espn piece that had the story not broke too soon, they were getting ready to possibly nab in an undercover op with Donaghy other refs doing shady stuff.
Never know if there were others.
Bye.
_________________
"This trophy removes the most odious sentence in the English Language. It can never be said again that 'the Lakers have never beaten the Celtics.'" -Dr. Jerry Buss (1985) R.I.P., 33 x M.V.O. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
activeverb
Retired Number
Joined: 17 Jun 2006
Posts: 37470
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 4:54 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| gumby wrote: | | Interesting when I read the full espn piece that had the story not broke too soon, they were getting ready to possibly nab in an undercover op with Donaghy other refs doing shady stuff. . |
Not quite.
All the piece said was that Donaghy claimed that other refs were corrupt, and the FBI was going to wire him up to see if what he was saying was true.
There isn't any suggestion that there was evidence of shady behavior from other refs beyond Donaghy's word. And since he's a chronic liar, I don't assume anything would have come from any of this. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
LakerLanny
Retired Number
Joined: 24 Oct 2001
Posts: 47580
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 6:29 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| non-player zealot wrote: |
You used to have a name for a group of 5 (iirc) refs that you were convinced were crooked. The Fixers or something. What was that group called and who were they again? I remember you had a hate for Javie that was special, tender, and intimate. |
It was the LakerLanny Circle of 7 Fixer List
Once in a while I would edit it if one of them mercifully retired but core members included:
Steve "Jobbie" Javie
Kenny "Slick" Mauer
Joey "The Gnome" Crawford
Bennett "The Rat" Salvatore
Jack "Boston Jack" Madden
Scott "Fixster" Foster
Bob "Donnie Brasco" Delaney
Donaghy was fixing games and certainly sucked also but the guys above were even worse so I can only "hope" they were fixing or the gross bias/incompetence/lack of accountability remains staggering.
_________________
Love, Laker Lanny |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SuperboyReformed
Star Player
Joined: 07 Oct 2012
Posts: 4083
|
| Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 2:27 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| LakerLanny wrote: | | non-player zealot wrote: |
You used to have a name for a group of 5 (iirc) refs that you were convinced were crooked. The Fixers or something. What was that group called and who were they again? I remember you had a hate for Javie that was special, tender, and intimate. |
It was the LakerLanny Circle of 7 Fixer List
Once in a while I would edit it if one of them mercifully retired but core members included:
Steve "Jobbie" Javie
Kenny "Slick" Mauer
Joey "The Gnome" Crawford
Bennett "The Rat" Salvatore
Jack "Boston Jack" Madden
Scott "Fixster" Foster
Bob "Donnie Brasco" Delaney
Donaghy was fixing games and certainly sucked also but the guys above were even worse so I can only "hope" they were fixing or the gross bias/incompetence/lack of accountability remains staggering. |
the officiating is so bad right now that it would be impossible to say who is fixing, who is missing calls, and more importantly, the underlying reasons why. The end result is highly inconsistent officiating (in a sense, there is consistency in a few aspects), and there isn't enough access for information as to why it is this way. I doubt the nba, and their actions over the years prove this, has any intention of improving the officiating other than these articles, the stupid official video breakdowns, and such. they will NEVER actually take real action to change this, at least not in the foreseeable future.
what this means for us...good thing we have lbj, who can get away with literally barking at officials (i've never seen this before without turning into a rasheed wallace tech machine). lbj even gets calls against harden. if this were to go away, it would be very bad for us with our current squad. but who really knows. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
activeverb
Retired Number
Joined: 17 Jun 2006
Posts: 37470
|
| Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2019 12:29 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| SuperboyReformed wrote: |
the officiating is so bad right now |
I read one study that in a game refs have 500 calls and non-calls and get 92% correct.
Which means they are missing something like 40 calls a game.
And perhaps this is as good as human beings can do.
So I don't think the officiating is "bad." I think the game is so fast, and the players so big and smart, that human beings can't referee a game with a level of accuracy that will ever satisfy fans.
I don't think there is a group of more talented refs in the world that will make fans happy. I don't think the NBA can do anything to raise the accuracy of refs enough to make fans happy.
It's just the way it is. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
gumby
Star Player
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 2500
Location: Inland Empire
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2019 1:18 am Post subject: |
|
|
| activeverb wrote: | | SuperboyReformed wrote: |
the officiating is so bad right now |
I read one study that in a game refs have 500 calls and non-calls and get 92% correct.
Which means they are missing something like 40 calls a game.
And perhaps this is as good as human beings can do.
So I don't think the officiating is "bad." I think the game is so fast, and the players so big and smart, that human beings can't referee a game with a level of accuracy that will ever satisfy fans.
I don't think there is a group of more talented refs in the world that will make fans happy. I don't think the NBA can do anything to raise the accuracy of refs enough to make fans happy.
It's just the way it is. |
I believe this. As much as I'm not a fan of refs especially with ticky tack fouls.
When I used to regularly play pickup games, I would be an unofficial wannabe sideline ref. You had to really focus in to see what happened in real time. There was no replay to back you up.
So if it looked and "felt" like a foul, it was a foul or it was out of bounds on that guy if it was between two people. It was still kind of tough and I was actually watching.
And this was just at pickup level.
Imagine doing that at world class NBA speed and size.
Bye.
_________________
"This trophy removes the most odious sentence in the English Language. It can never be said again that 'the Lakers have never beaten the Celtics.'" -Dr. Jerry Buss (1985) R.I.P., 33 x M.V.O. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
