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By Art Vandalet, December 9, 2009 12:21 pm

Tim Donaghy made a mess. The NBA referee’s gambling addiction hurt a family, a career, and a reputation. Like Shoeless Joe Jackson, Pete Rose, and Ben Johnson, Donaghy’s infamy will be widespread and possibly long lasting in sports history.

The throwing of major sports games for personal gain troubles fans who, watching for entertainment, expect fair play. People don’t follow sports for the scandal, they watch for the talent. Donaghy violated the trust of NBA fans when, as an official, he bet on NBA games.

In his new book, “Personal Foul,” however, Donaghy claims the infamy for more than himself.

Donaghy claims that he didn’t fix any games because he didn’t have to. His argument is that he simply used his knowledge of NBA politics to guess at the outcomes of games. The insider knowledge of the relationships between and tendencies of the different coaches, players, and referees lead Donaghy to an unheard of 70-80 percent success rate.

Donaghy got in deep. He almost had his kneecaps broken at one point by a prisoner that may have been associated with the mob. By the time it was spiraling out of control, the mob, the FBI, the NBA, and federal prosecutors were involved.

The implications for the NBA are the biggest issue at hand though. If Donaghy’s claims are true, the NBA has a few problems to work out. This book reveals a serious fault in their credibility as a fair and straight forward organization. The assertion that NBA games do not unfold on a level playing field, is enough to make any fan indignant, if not angry.

Clearly, Donaghy shouldn’t have bet on anything associated with the NBA. But he did. The point he makes in his book is that the inner workings of the NBA made it easy. The assertion that NBA referees are not honest brokers has profound resonance and may lead to some changes in NBA policy and politics.

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By Lars, December 3, 2009 5:31 pm

The NBA is known for having the roughest athletes in the world. I wouldn’t say that they necessarily have the toughest though. Mainly a bunch of do-rag wearing, corn-row sportin’, tattoo laced thugs that can jump out of the gym. It amazes me, with how much weed these guys are smoking, that they can still run up and down the court. I mean, it honestly seems like every time I flip the TV on and watch sportscenter (which is every night), some player from the NBA has either gotten a DUI, was involved in a shooting at some bar, or has been bending a girl over the back of a chair in Denver. Yes, Kobe, I am talking about you.

So who wouldn’t think that there would be a few good fights/brawls when you get a bunch of them together with million dollar contracts on the line? But not even that, these guys have more pride than Oprah when she found out about fen-phen. These guys do not want to be humiliated in front of thousands of screaming fans. And when they are, it can lead into some of the most entertaining scenes ever. Who knows, they might even go after a fan or two…

Take a look at the top 5 NBA fights of all time:

Continue reading 'Top 5 NBA Fights'»

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By Art Vandalet, November 30, 2009 11:29 am

The “holy war” between Brigham Young University and University of Utah saw an impressive battle Saturday.  BYU fans in Lavell Edwards Stadium cheered the cougars to a 14 point lead over the Utes– a lead they gave away in the fourth quarter. With a touchdown conquering the Ute’s field goal in overtime, BYU claimed the unofficial title for 2009:  26: 23.

Following the game, a triumphant Max Hall, quarterback for BYU, stated that he “hate[d]. . . everything about [the University of] Utah.” Saying that Ute fans are “classless,” Hall referenced an incident from last year’s rivalry game when Utah fans verbally assaulted, spit on, and dumped beer on his family.

According to Hall, the fans in question were escorted to their vehicle by the local police. Ending an embarrassing game for Hall and an unpleasant experience for his family, this experience embittered Hall.

Hall has since apologized to the university, fans, and team from Utah and to his own  team and coaching staff.In an interview this morning, BYU head coach, Bronco Mendenhall, says he ‘absolutely’ respects Hall for the way he handled the situation, calling him a ‘great leader’ and a ‘great kid’ who ‘has [Mendenhall's] support.’

According to  Mendenhall, “The apology [Max] issued (came) from him and no one else. . . . If anyone thinks they’ve influenced his apology, that’s a mistake; he woke up, did all of that on his own. . . . I haven’t talked to Max yet, nor has anyone else from our coaching staff. Max has done this completely on his own.”

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By Lars, November 24, 2009 2:47 pm

NEW YORK (AP) — Albert Pujols was unanimously voted National League MVP on Tuesday, becoming the first player to repeat since Barry Bonds won four in a row from 2001-04. Pujols received all 32 first-place votes and 448 points in balloting announced by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

It was the third MVP award for the St. Louis Cardinals star, who also won in 2005. He became the first unanimous MVP since Bonds in 2002.

Pujols led the majors in home runs (47), runs (124), slugging percentage (.658) and intentional walks (44), and topped the NL in on-base percentage (.443). He was second in the league in doubles (45) and third in batting average (.327) and RBIs (135).

He was especially dangerous with the bases loaded, going 10 for 17 with five grand slams, three doubles and 35 RBIs.

Continue reading 'Albert Pujols Wins NL MVP'»