Tim Donaghy Book Excerpts

[DeToxRox]

Say what you will about Donaghy being in jail and all that stuff, but if you watch the NBA at all and are skeptical about this stuff, I have no idea what to tell you.

On refs gambling:

To have a little fun at the expense of the worst troublemakers, the referees working the game would sometimes make a modest friendly wager amongst themselves: first ref to give one of the bad boys a technical foul wouldn't have to tip the ball boy that night. In the NBA, ball boys set up the referees' locker room and keep it stocked with food and beer for the postgame meal. We usually ran the kid ragged with a variety of personal requests and then slipped him a $20 bill. Technically, the winner of the bet won twice-he didn't have to pay the kid and he got to call a T on Mr. Foul-Mouthed Big-Shot Du Jour.

After the opening tip, it was hilarious as the three of us immediately focused our full attention on the intended victim, waiting for something, anything, to justify a technical foul. If the guy so much as looked at one of us and mumbled, we rang him up. Later in the referees' locker room, we would down a couple of brews, eat some chicken wings, and laugh like hell.

We had another variation of this gag simply referred to as the "first foul of the game" bet. While still in the locker room before tip-off, we would make a wager on which of us would call the game's first foul. That referee would either have to pay the ball boy or pick up the dinner tab for the other two referees. Sometimes, the ante would be $50 a guy. Like the technical foul bet, it was hilarious-only this time we were testing each other's nerves to see who had the guts to hold out the longest before calling a personal foul. There were occasions when we would hold back for two or three minutes-an eternity in an NBA game-before blowing the whistle. It didn't matter if bodies were flying all over the place; no fouls were called because no one wanted to lose the bet.

We played this little game during the regular season and summer league. After a game, all three refs would gather around the VCR and watch a replay of the game. Early in the contest, the announcers would say, "Holy cow! They're really letting them play tonight!" If they only knew...

During one particular summer game, Duke Callahan, Mark Wunderlich, and I made it to the three-minute mark in the first quarter without calling a foul. We were running up and down the court, laughing our asses off as the players got hammered with no whistles. The players were exhausted from the nonstop running when Callahan finally called the first foul because Mikki Moore of the New Jersey Nets literally tackled an opposing player right in front of him. Too bad for Callahan-he lost the bet.

I became so good at this game that if an obvious foul was committed right in front of me, I would call a travel or a three-second violation instead. Those violations are not personal fouls, so I was still in the running to win the bet. The players would look at me with disbelief on their faces as if to say, "What the hell was that?"

On star treatment:

Relationships between NBA players and referees were generally all over the board-love, hate, and everything in-between. Some players, even very good ones, were targeted by referees and the league because they were too talented for their own good. Raja Bell, formerly of the Phoenix Suns and now a member of the Charlotte Bobcats, was one of those players. A defensive specialist throughout his career, Bell had a reputation for being a "star stopper." His defensive skills were so razor sharp that he could shut down a superstar, or at least make him work for his points. Kobe Bryant was often frustrated by Bell's tenacity on defense. Let's face it, no one completely shuts down a player of Kobe's caliber, but Bell could frustrate Kobe, take him out of his game, and interrupt his rhythm.

You would think that the NBA would love a guy who plays such great defense. Think again! Star stoppers hurt the promotion of marquee players. Fans don't pay high prices to see players like Raja Bell-they pay to see superstars like Kobe Bryant score 40 points. Basketball purists like to see good defense, but the NBA wants the big names to score big points.

If a player of Kobe's stature collides with the likes of Raja Bell, the call will almost always go for Kobe and against Bell. As part of our ongoing training and game preparation, NBA referees regularly receive game-action video tape from the league office. Over the years, I have reviewed many recorded hours of video involving Raja Bell. The footage I analyzed usually illustrated fouls being called against Bell, rarely for him. The message was subtle but clear-call fouls against the star stopper because he's hurting the game.

If Kobe Bryant had two fouls in the first or second quarter and went to the bench, one referee would tell the other two, "Kobe's got two fouls. Let's make sure that if we call a foul on him, it's an obvious foul, because otherwise he's gonna go back to the bench. If he is involved in a play where a foul is called, give the foul to another player."

Similarly, when games got physically rough, we would huddle up and agree to tighten the game up. So we started calling fouls on guys who didn't really matter-"ticky-tack" or "touch" fouls where one player just touched another but didn't really impede his progress. Under regular circumstances these wouldn't be fouls, but after a skirmish we wanted to regain control. We would never call these types of fouls on superstars, just on the average players who didn't have star status. It was important to keep the stars on the floor.

Allen Iverson provides a good example of a player who generated strong reaction, both positive and negative, within the corps of NBA referees. For instance, veteran referee Steve Javie hated Allen Iverson and was loathe [sic] to give him a favorable call. If Javie was on the court when Iverson was playing, I would always bet on the other team to win or at least cover the spread. No matter how many times Iverson hit the floor, he rarely saw the foul line. By contrast, referee Joe Crawford had a grandson who idolized Iverson. I once saw Crawford bring the boy out of the stands and onto the floor during warm-ups to meet the superstar. Iverson and Crawford's grandson were standing there, shaking hands, smiling, talking about all kinds of things. If Joe Crawford was on the court, I was pretty sure Iverson's team would win or at least cover the spread.

Madison Square Garden was the place to be for a marquee matchup between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks. I worked the game with Derrick Stafford and Gary Zielinski, knowing that the Knicks were a sure bet to get favorable treatment that night. Derrick Stafford had a close relationship with Knicks coach Isiah Thomas, and he despised Heat coach Pat Riley. I picked the Knicks without batting an eye and settled in for a roller-coaster ride on the court.

During pregame warm-ups, Shaquille O'Neal approached Stafford and asked him to let some air out of the ball.

"Is this the game ball?" O'Neal asked. "It's too hard. C'mon, D, let a little air out of it."

Stafford then summoned one of the ball boys, asked for an air needle, and let some air out of the ball, getting a big wink and a smile from O'Neal.

The rest is at Deadspin.

Excerpts From The Book The NBA Doesn't Want You To Read - Tim Donaghy - Deadspin

[RainMaker]

It's pretty bad although mostly information that many of us expected.

[Philliesfan980]

boy, he really does need money bad, doesn't he?

[Lathum]

The second part isn't all that surprising. I think it is obvious in the NBA star players get special treatment.

[DeToxRox]

I will say this, some of the stuff on Bavetta is so hilarious that I'll almost be crushed if it isn't true.

Crawford wanted the game over quickly so he could kick back, relax, and have a beer; [Dick Bavetta] wanted it to keep going so he could hear his name on TV. He actually paid an American Airlines employee to watch all the games he worked and write down everything the TV commentators said about him. No matter how late the game was over, he'd wake her up for a full report. He loved the attention.

[MikeVic]

So can someone take the info from this book and do comparisons with stats over the years? I'd really like to see that (eg. when Iversion would go to the line based on the ref)?

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

So can someone take the info from this book and do comparisons with stats over the years? I'd really like to see that (eg. when Iversion would go to the line based on the ref)?

There are some high end handicapping sites that offer up that information. There are a lot of refs like Crawford where the home team covers an inordinate amount of time when he's officiating.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

So can someone take the info from this book and do comparisons with stats over the years? I'd really like to see that (eg. when Iversion would go to the line based on the ref)?

I'm sure someone will

[albionmoonlight]

The way he writes makes me want to give all the NBA refs henchmen voices.

Maybe he's lying, or maybe he's telling the truth. But I still think that the Sports Guy's reasoning for not trusting him was horrible:

(1) If we beleive him without corrobation, then we probably have to beleive that guy that said that the Pats were gaining material benefit from illegally taping other teams and stealing signals.

(2) I don't want to beleive that guy because I root for the Pats.

(3) Therefore, I don't believe Donaghy.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

So can someone take the info from this book and do comparisons with stats over the years? I'd really like to see that (eg. when Iversion would go to the line based on the ref)?

It still wouldn't prove much b/c he could have found the stats himself and then made up the story to "explain" the stats.

It was like when he said that that Lakers/Kings game was fixed for the Lakers. And people went back and said "Oh my God, he's right. That game does look fixed." What they seemed to miss was that he didn't predict that the game would be fixed before it happened. He just "explained" what happened after the fact.

[GoldenEagle]

I would have loved to have read that book.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

It still wouldn't prove much b/c he could have found the stats himself and then made up the story to "explain" the stats.

It was like when he said that that Lakers/Kings game was fixed for the Lakers. And people went back and said "Oh my God, he's right. That game does look fixed." What they seemed to miss was that he didn't predict that the game would be fixed before it happened. He just "explained" what happened after the fact.

If he could prove he placed those bets though it would give him a good case.

We didn't need the book to know that the Lakers/Kings game was fixed.

[Logan]

That first passage reminds me so much of "Kyle, tell us about Hornsmaniac": excessively overdramatic, therefore it has to be fake.

[TroyF]

Reading the except it reminded me of Philly's first game against Iverson after he was traded to the Nuggets. AI was ejected in the game and although the stats of the game look equal (30 FT for each team including 10 for AI), I remembered watching it and thinking it was one of the worst reffed Nuggets games I'd seen that year. Here is AI's quote after the game:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iverson also saved a parting shot for official Steve Javie, who ejected him."I thought I got fouled on that play, and I said I thought that he was calling the game personal, and he threw me out," Iverson said. "His fuse is real short anyway, and I should have known that I couldn't say anything anyway. It's been something personal with me and him since I got in the league. This was just the perfect game for him to try and make me look bad."

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

I will say this, some of the stuff on Bavetta is so hilarious that I'll almost be crushed if it isn't true.

I like this section on Bavetta:

Bavetta would stroll up to an unsuspecting player, whip out his phallus, and repeatedly stroke it in his face. Players initially laughed it off but Bavetta refused to stop. He would jerk off in the locker room, in the trainer’s room. He’d wrap his hand around his penis, turn toward a Kobe Bryant or Dirk Nowitzki, and bellow, ‘You know you wanna suck this!’

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

I like this section on Bavetta:

Ha. Charles Haley wishes he was Dick Bavetta.

[stevew]

what the fuck is an excrept

[Bisbo]

Originally Posted by stevew

what the fuck is an excrept

Its a little section of a crappy book.

[Bad-example]

Bavetta would stroll up to an unsuspecting player, whip out his phallus, and repeatedly stroke it in his face. Players initially laughed it off but Bavetta refused to stop. He would jerk off in the locker room, in the trainer’s room. He’d wrap his hand around his penis, turn toward a Kobe Bryant or Dirk Nowitzki, and bellow, ‘You know you wanna suck this!’

I believe the first time he did this to me I would try and laugh it off. The second time I would use a squirt gun with HOT HOT HOT sauce to ensure it never happened again.

[JPhillips]

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Logan

That first passage reminds me so much of "Kyle, tell us about Hornsmaniac": excessively overdramatic, therefore it has to be fake.

yy.

That's what I was trying to say, but you nailed it.

This looks like a horribly written book.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

yy.

That's what I was trying to say, but you nailed it.

This looks like a horribly written book.

See, I look at it different. I think it's interesting that when his allegations first came out about refs impacting games with certain players, the first reaction from the NBA was to say "We'll stop sharing who is going to ref the game until an hour or two before gametime"

Of course they denied anything was up, but it's damned interesting how it was handled.

I could easily see this heading in the direction of Canseco. The jerk and cheater writes a horribly written book and it turns out he's the expert on what was happening.

[molson]

Originally Posted by TroyF

See, I look at it different. I think it's interesting that when his allegations first came out about refs impacting games with certain players, the first reaction from the NBA was to say "We'll stop sharing who is going to ref the game until an hour or two before gametime"

Of course they denied anything was up, but it's damned interesting how it was handled.

I could easily see this heading in the direction of Canseco. The jerk and cheater writes a horribly written book and it turns out he's the expert on what was happening.

Don't worry though the NBA is "reviewing" the allegations!

NBA: Any Tim Donaghy allegations will be reviewed - ESPN

The NBA's response to this has been a disaster, but they haven't really been called out on it to any real degree, so I guess they know what they're doing.

Phil Jackson (and others) are right, the referee function should be outsourced to an independent, transparent entity.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by TroyF

See, I look at it different. I think it's interesting that when his allegations first came out about refs impacting games with certain players, the first reaction from the NBA was to say "We'll stop sharing who is going to ref the game until an hour or two before gametime"

Of course they denied anything was up, but it's damned interesting how it was handled.

I could easily see this heading in the direction of Canseco. The jerk and cheater writes a horribly written book and it turns out he's the expert on what was happening.

I'm not at all doubting that a portion of it is true. It's just that first excerpt about these "games" came across as completely ridiculous to me. There's no doubt in my mind that refs were gambling and they knew (and shared?) the tendencies of other refs and how it could affect spreads.

I'm thinking he just didn't have enough to fill out a book, so he sensationalized some crap.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Bisbo

Its a little section of a crappy book.

Awesome.

[Young Drachma]

The fact the book got pulled before it hit the streets makes me believe for sure there's way more truth to this thing than they're letting on. Canseco just benefited from a sport where no one would pay off a publisher not to put out a book. But the NBA and David Stern? He runs that thing like the gestapo.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by molson

The NBA's response to this has been a disaster

The NBA's response here is reminiscent of MLB's response to steroids, and stands in stark contrast with how the NFL handles things, PR-wise.

[Oilers9911]

Donaghy is a first rate scumbag, but anyone that doesn't believe this stuff goes on is either purposefully oblivious and/or a fool.

[Gary Gorski]

Originally Posted by molson

Phil Jackson (and others) are right, the referee function should be outsourced to an independent, transparent entity.

One that can simply not have their services renewed if the NBA didn't like how the games were being officiated? If this is going on to the level he describes you don't think Stern could just contact the head of this independent organization and say he's not pleased with what the officials are doing and that if some changes (wink wink) are not made that the contract for their company will not be renewed?

At the end of the day all sports are open to manipulation whether its the strike zone of an umpire, the determination of holding or pass interference in football or what goes on in basketball.

How about we just let the players call their own fouls? They'll either call a foul on every possession like they think happens now or they will all man up and hardly call much of anything because they don't want to look like a puss. Let the refs call jump balls, out of bounds and other non-foul violations which wouldn't impact the game nearly as much. It would at least make for better game flow and people would tune in to see if fights break out on a regular basis

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Reading the except it reminded me of Philly's first game against Iverson after he was traded to the Nuggets. AI was ejected in the game and although the stats of the game look equal (30 FT for each team including 10 for AI), I remembered watching it and thinking it was one of the worst reffed Nuggets games I'd seen that year. Here is AI's quote after the game:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iverson also saved a parting shot for official Steve Javie, who ejected him."I thought I got fouled on that play, and I said I thought that he was calling the game personal, and he threw me out," Iverson said. "His fuse is real short anyway, and I should have known that I couldn't say anything anyway. It's been something personal with me and him since I got in the league. This was just the perfect game for him to try and make me look bad."

I remember a game several years ago where AI looked at Javie after getting a foul called and getting T'd up for it. Then when he asked what he did to get the Technical he got tossed. That led to Larry Brown getting tossed and ripping Javie after the game for always targeting and baiting AI - basically saying that when Javie works their games he knows it's going to be a long night.

[fantom1979]

Originally Posted by molson

Don't worry though the NBA is "reviewing" the allegations!

NBA: Any Tim Donaghy allegations will be reviewed - ESPN

The NBA's response to this has been a disaster, but they haven't really been called out on it to any real degree, so I guess they know what they're doing.

Phil Jackson (and others) are right, the referee function should be outsourced to an independent, transparent entity.

You would think that Phil Jackson, the coach of the mentioned Lakers/Kings game, and owner of 10 championship rings, would keep his mouth shut.... Unless he thinks he was robbed of more rings.

[RainMaker]

This Tim Donaghy story is the most undereported story of the last couple decades in sports. I'm not talking about the book per say, just the whole story.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Gary Gorski

One that can simply not have their services renewed if the NBA didn't like how the games were being officiated? If this is going on to the level he describes you don't think Stern could just contact the head of this independent organization and say he's not pleased with what the officials are doing and that if some changes (wink wink) are not made that the contract for their company will not be renewed?

At the end of the day all sports are open to manipulation whether its the strike zone of an umpire, the determination of holding or pass interference in football or what goes on in basketball.

How about we just let the players call their own fouls? They'll either call a foul on every possession like they think happens now or they will all man up and hardly call much of anything because they don't want to look like a puss. Let the refs call jump balls, out of bounds and other non-foul violations which wouldn't impact the game nearly as much. It would at least make for better game flow and people would tune in to see if fights break out on a regular basis

This

[Passacaglia]

That

[RainMaker]

Ex-Referee Donaghy’s Accomplice Says They Bet on Many Games - NYTimes.com