Referees Shaving Points

[tskillz187 0]

This story just came out today on ESPN that the FBI has been investigating an NBA referee for shaving points in games for the Mob because he was deep in debt. That's a pretty huge deal, sorry I don't have a link but it was supposedly written in the New York Post.

[SBriand 4]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-r...o&type=lgns

[Cappy37 0]

David Stern will escape this unscathed.. I have no idea how.. But Stern always finds a way. That's pretty $#!tty, in my opinion, for someone in that position making that kind of cabbage to destroy the integrity of the game that puts food on the dinner table for him. If all this is proven, the only thing that possibly saves Tim is how hard the NBA is going to try to sweep this under the rug. That's the only thing that could keep him from being made an example of.

[Jadaki 0]

Does anyone else think it's ironic that for all the stupid crap they toss at the league for being too black and too ghetto, it's the little white guy in the striped shirt who was more crooked than the entire players union combined?How about a dress code for the refs Mr. Stern, lets clean up that league image.

[Hockey Guy 4]

David Stern will escape this unscathed.. I have no idea how.. But Stern always finds a way. That's pretty $#!tty, in my opinion, for someone in that position making that kind of cabbage to destroy the integrity of the game that puts food on the dinner table for him. If all this is proven, the only thing that possibly saves Tim is how hard the NBA is going to try to sweep this under the rug. That's the only thing that could keep him from being made an example of.

Nothing is going to save this referee. It will not be swept under the rug. This guy is going to made an example out of and I don't see how you can blame Stern. I'm sure the refs go through the gambling and consorting with undesireables just as the players do.I thought Stern stood up like a man and faced the media correctly and didn't hide anything.

[tskillz187 0]

Out of this forum.DUCY?

[princeof56k 0]

So how much bargaining power does the refree's union have the next time negotiations come around?

[Hockey Guy 4]

Out of this forum.DUCY?

WTF does this mean?

[tskillz187 0]

WTF does this mean?

Was a joke because of your name. Easy roids.

[Hockey Guy 4]

Was a joke because of your name. Easy roids.

Ok, the joke was over my head

[bigkg 0]

I just realized he was one of the refs for game 3 of the Suns/Spurs series which was one of the worst officiated games I've ever seen. Makes you think. This is a really big deal. This is easily the biggest sports story of the year.

[CJHunt 0]

I just realized he was one of the refs for game 3 of the Suns/Spurs series which was one of the worst officiated games I've ever seen. Makes you think. This is a really big deal. This is easily the biggest sports story of the year.

Umm.... No.

[digitalmonkey 929]

Umm.... No.

Well, maybe second behind Ichiro's new contract.

[grocery_mony 8]

Umm.... No.

Umm... YesA story like this where actual results of games were manipulated hasnt been seen in pro sports in north america in a long time. Now Stern has been called to Washington to fill in the house of representitves on the situation. The ramifications from this story could be endless. Whats to stop fans who attended the games in question for suing for there money back considering it wasnt legitamite. And the fact it might have actually determined the eventual champion is a blackmark the league may never get off its back. The story probally has cost Vegas any chance of a team in the near future. Apparently the ref is ready to roll over for a deal and this may only be the tip of the icebeg.What is the biggest sports story this year then?

[CJHunt 0]

Umm... YesA story like this where actual results of games were manipulated hasnt been seen in pro sports in north america in a long time. Now Stern has been called to Washington to fill in the house of representitves on the situation. The ramifications from this story could be endless. Whats to stop fans who attended the games in question for suing for there money back considering it wasnt legitamite. And the fact it might have actually determined the eventual champion is a blackmark the league may never get off its back. The story probally has cost Vegas any chance of a team in the near future. Apparently the ref is ready to roll over for a deal and this may only be the tip of the icebeg.What is the biggest sports story this year then?

OBVIOUSLY....Mariners 1st World Championship!? Drunken Staal Brothers!?On a serious note755 VickIf for no other reason then basketball is third in the sports world to begin with.If you are talking biggest story for the individual sport then there is no doubt it is the biggest but people just don't care about basketball as much as the other big 2.

[bigkg 0]

OBVIOUSLY....Mariners 1st World Championship!? Drunken Staal Brothers!?On a serious note755 VickIf for no other reason then basketball is third in the sports world to begin with.Biggest story for the individual sport no doubt it is the biggest but people just don't care about basketball as much as the other big 2.

I don't think the Vick story is nearly as big a sports story as this ref scandal. I know the NBA isn't as big as the other leagues, but this questions the integrity of an entire sport. The Vick story is about one man who everybody knew was a thug anyways, this does not really affect the NFL at all. The NBA is going to lose a ton of fans over this, the NFL won't be affected at all. 755 is a big deal on a historical impact, it's cool, but it won't have any lasting ramifications when Bonds breaks it. This ref situation will put the entire league under scrutiny for years to come.

[CJHunt 0]

I'm not arguing it's not a big story here.I'm just arguing that it's not as big of a story compared to smaller stories in other sports because of the already dwindled popularity of the league.

[princeof56k 0]

I'm not arguing it's not a big story here.I'm just arguing that it's not as big of a story compared to smaller stories in other sports because of the already dwindled popularity of the league.

I'm having a hard time believing you're arguing this. The popularity of the sport isnt that far behind the other two for that much of a difference. Hockey is probably the 4th major sport and the effect would probably be just as large is the incedent occured there. As far as USA pro sports is concerned, the biggest stories of probably the last 10 years is steroids in baseball and the current NBA referee scandal. People will remember these stories 20 years from now. Those two scandals dont only affect their own leagues but nearly every other sport as well. The NBA isnt the only one who's going to have to take action because of that referee.In 5 years no one will give a damn about Vick. His problems dont even compare to this. Hell, hardly anyone remembers the Rae Carruth case today.

[fleung22 1]

OBVIOUSLY....Mariners 1st World Championship!? Drunken Staal Brothers!?On a serious note755 VickIf for no other reason then basketball is third in the sports world to begin with.If you are talking biggest story for the individual sport then there is no doubt it is the biggest but people just don't care about basketball as much as the other big 2.

Like somebody else already said this ref scandal is huge because it puts the integrity of the entire sport in question.Vick?! are you kidding?? it's just an individual doing something stupid in his own time. it's like players who beat their wives or cheat on their spouse...it may make the game look a lil bad because the players are the faces of the league but fans understand it's not directly associated to the respective league.Getting paid off to affect the outcome of the game is a whole other level that hurts not only the league in question but also makes everyone now wonder if it may be happening elsewhere. It's HUGEWith that being said I can't think of a better commish to handle the situation than Stern. I even love the way he came out and told everyone that this is the worst thing to happen in his time. It's the right move and I think he'll take care of it in a orderly and professional manner. I can't imagine if this was baseball...the MLB would get crushed with Mr. IdiotWhatsHisName.

[digitalmonkey 929]

Vick is ONE player in a league.This referee scandal threatens the legitimacy of a whole league not just one player in it. I can't believe anyone would seriously argue that this isn't the biggest story in sports this year; probably in many years.

[CJHunt 0]

Vick is ONE player in a league.This referee scandal threatens the legitimacy of a whole league not just one player in it. I can't believe anyone would seriously argue that this isn't the biggest story in sports this year; probably in many years.

The referee scandal is a bigger story then the continuing story of steroids in baseball? Just curious as to your opinion.

[digitalmonkey 929]

The referee scandal is a bigger story then the continuing story of steroids in baseball? Just curious as to your opinion.

Yes, I think the referee scandal is a bigger story than the continuing story of steroids in baseball.

[Cappy37 0]

The ref scandal is like if Pete Rose fixed games. Period.. It's the next level up..755 isn't that big a story, because roughly 2% of the American public want it to happen, and A-Rod will just surpass it in about 6-7 years anyways.. On another point of view, I guess you could say that Bond's breaking Aaron's record is about as good for baseball as Timmay! the Ref is for basketball..Seriously, though, this may be the worst thing to happen to the NBA since "The Punch" with Kermit and Rudy. Just a sick, sick situation. Michael Vick is also going to continue to be a big story because of the disgusting nature of the crime. The human mind is wired to view animals > people. If Vick helped a gang douse a guy with gasoline and light him on fire, he'd face less public outrage than electrocuting dogs. Perhaps because you see so much human vs. human violence in movies we get desensatized, but it's truly sickening to see someone exhibit cruelty to animals, and much of the general public feels the same. This is the worst thing the NFL has seen since Rae Carruth.

[Jadaki 0]

To tell you the truth, I really don't care what Vick did. It has no effect on me whatsoever.Other than it looks like it's going to cost him a severe amount of playing time or his career, it really doesn't phase me what happened with dogs on property he owned.We breed chickens and cows to be slaughtered for food, is breeding animals for fighting really worse? There are lots of ways animals are treated poorly, I just don't see it as a big deal.*Edit* I realize that probably sounds worse than I intended, I like pets, just what he did with his is none of my business.

[Loismustdie 0]

The ref scandal is like if Pete Rose fixed games. Period.. It's the next level up..755 isn't that big a story, because roughly 2% of the American public want it to happen, and A-Rod will just surpass it in about 6-7 years anyways.. On another point of view, I guess you could say that Bond's breaking Aaron's record is about as good for baseball as Timmay! the Ref is for basketball..Seriously, though, this may be the worst thing to happen to the NBA since "The Punch" with Kermit and Rudy. Just a sick, sick situation. Michael Vick is also going to continue to be a big story because of the disgusting nature of the crime. The human mind is wired to view animals > people. If Vick helped a gang douse a guy with gasoline and light him on fire, he'd face less public outrage than electrocuting dogs. Perhaps because you see so much human vs. human violence in movies we get desensatized, but it's truly sickening to see someone exhibit cruelty to animals, and much of the general public feels the same. This is the worst thing the NFL has seen since Rae Carruth.

No it's not. How about when Leanord Little killed somebody while driving drunk? The thing about the Vick story is it is so off the wall. It is violent, yes, but no more so then Greyhound racing or Horse racing, in terms of the possible wear and tear on the animal. Now, to the guy who thinks this story just isn't that big.....o.k. You might actually be right, in terms of this... it is as big as it is covered, and right now in my eyes the coverage is tepid at best. Already Stern is saying this is an isolated incident, blah-blah-blah, which is what he is supposed to say, but should it be reported? No.. the fact is they have no idea if this is isolated, it may very well not be. I don't think the media is treating this anywhere close to what they are treating the Vick incident, and ultimately that will determine how it is viewed. I will say this... the whole thing makes me smile. David Stern had this coming. His arrogant sorry *** deserved a little ***** slap from a random source who could actually hurt him. His treatment of the whole situation with Amare and Diaw being suspended was not only interpeting the rules one way, and only one way when clearly there was leeway, it was calloused to the game itself, when a player was able to use a rule designed to punish those involved in fights against 2 players not involved, and it cost the Suns a championship. I have spent thousands of dollars on the Suns, and by osmosis the league-- and this is how Suns fans were repaid? This is how the game is respected? I hope it turns out the Refs are also running a dogfighting operation,and that somehow the Refs also gave Magic aids.