Donaghy finds publisher for his book

[LWP777]

You can read some excerpts from the book here:

http://deadspin.com/5392067/excerpts-from-the-book-the-nba-doesnt-want-you-to-read

Very interesting, especially regarding the 2002 Kings-Lakers series.

 

[BMiller52]

Damn, some of those guys really need to go. Especially Bavetta. Couldn't stand that guy than and I hate him even worse now. Not all the refs are bad but a few of them definitely need to go.

 

[Merdiesel]

Good. The truth needs to come out. People who say that they're over it are full of ****. Our team was cheated out of a championship, plain and simple. They deserve justice. Hopefully with this book coming out someone will get interested in investigating the situation.


To everyone that says to "just get over it", ask youself this...

Would Rick Adelman have been fired creating a revolving door at our head coaching position?

Would we have had to trade away our all of our players for scraps?

Would finding an invester for the arena be be this tough?

The answer is no.
No Eric Musselman.
No Kenny Natt.
No Reggie Theus.
No Kenny Thomas.

Simply put, those cheating ***** didn't just take away this cities first and only championship, it crippled our team for the past 7 years and ultimately might be the reason why we loose our team all together.

 

[kennadog]

Good. The truth needs to come out. People who say that they're over it are full of ****. Our team was cheated out of a championship, plain and simple. They deserve justice. Hopefully with this book coming out someone will get interested in investigating the situation.


To everyone that says to "just get over it", ask youself this...

Would Rick Adelman have been fired creating a revolving door at our head coaching position?

Would we have had to trade away our all of our players for scraps?

Would finding an invester for the arena be be this tough?

The answer is no.
No Eric Musselman.
No Kenny Natt.
No Reggie Theus.
No Kenny Thomas.

Simply put, those cheating ***** didn't just take away this cities first and only championship, it crippled our team for the past 7 years and ultimately might be the reason why we loose our team all together.

Even if what Donaghy writes could be proved as fact (which I doubt), it won't change anything for that team or the fans. It's unfixable and the final result of it all would still stand. Saying, "I told you so," would not make it hurt any less.

 

[ESP47]

Even if what Donaghy writes could be proved as fact (which I doubt), it won't change anything for that team or the fans. It's unfixable and the final result of it all would still stand. Saying, "I told you so," would not make it hurt any less.

It's not about fixing the past. It's about fixing the same stuff that will happen in the future.

 

[VF21]

IF (and that's a pretty big IF) Donaghy's allegations were true, even in part, I'm pretty sure they've been addressed at some level. He's not publishing this book for any reason other than some kind of revenge. He's the one who messed up. He got caught, had to pay the piper for the dance and he's not happy.

Anyone who wastes their time or money reading this book is only feeding into Donaghy's psychosis IMHO. He's a weak little man who has no honor and no pride...and wants everyone else to pay for it.

 

[vikinginferno]

IF (and that's a pretty big IF) Donaghy's allegations were true, even in part, I'm pretty sure they've been addressed at some level. He's not publishing this book for any reason other than some kind of revenge. He's the one who messed up. He got caught, had to pay the piper for the dance and he's not happy.

Anyone who wastes their time or money reading this book is only feeding into Donaghy's psychosis IMHO. He's a weak little man who has no honor and no pride...and wants everyone else to pay for it.

That doesn't change the fact that what he is saying could be true and also very important information. You should actually listen to him a bit more than others, because he was right smack in the middle of it. I'm not saying to go buy the book, but just don't discount everything he says, because what he says could turn out to be a very important view into the harsh side of the NBA.

 

[VF21]

Sorry, but I'm not going to buy anything he says. The rationale that we should listen to him "a bit more than others because he was right smack in the middle of it" might hold water, if he only started singing because they caught him red-handed. I might give credence to a whistle-blower but I'm not about to give any credit to a slimeball.

 

[Merdiesel]

Sorry, but I'm not going to buy anything he says. The rationale that we should listen to him "a bit more than others because he was right smack in the middle of it" might hold water, if he only started singing because they caught him red-handed. I might give credence to a whistle-blower but I'm not about to give any credit to a slimeball.

wow.

The exact same thing was said about Jose Canseco, word for word...

Funny how that turned out in the end.

 

[vikinginferno]

Sorry, but I'm not going to buy anything he says. The rationale that we should listen to him "a bit more than others because he was right smack in the middle of it" might hold water, if he only started singing because they caught him red-handed. I might give credence to a whistle-blower but I'm not about to give any credit to a slimeball.

With that logic, then there would be no reason for the police to try and get information from criminals that they catch, and yet they still are able to get valuable information. There is a difference between listening and taking into account what he says and "buying" something he says.

 

[VF21]

Merdeisel - Draw parallels all you like. Jose Canseco isn't Tim Donaghy; Tim Donaghy isn't Jose Canseco. There has been about a gazillion examples of anecdotal evidence to support Canseco. Thus far, there hasn't been a shred to support Donaghy.

If you look closely, there actually aren't that many similarities to be drawn, except by those who want to find them.

Jose Canseco took steroids, was found out and blew the whistle on a lot of players. Barry Bonds took steroids, denied it forever and was still worshipped by some. Tim Donaghy bet on basketball games, was caught and says a lot of crap about officials and the game of basketball. Most of the stuff he alleges is vague or based on conversations he supposedly overheard, etc. There is no anecdotal evidence to support anything he's claimed, other than the belief by a very small number of Kings fans who want desperately to change the past.

I'm not going to argue this again, for the simple reason you'll never change your mind and I'll never change mine. And, quite frankly, I don't care.

 

[VF21]

With that logic, then there would be no reason for the police to try and get information from criminals that they catch, and yet they still are able to get valuable information. There is a difference between listening and taking into account what he says and "buying" something he says.

Oh really? Ask a prosecutor about the reliability of most testimony they get from someone they've caught, especially if said criminal is trying to get a reduced sentence or plea to a lesser charge. They'll say whatever they think will help their case. Criminals lie.

I did listen to his blatherings the first time around. I gave it all the credence I thought it deserved.

 

[kennadog]

It's not about fixing the past. It's about fixing the same stuff that will happen in the future.

Except the person's post I was responding to was all about the past.

 

[Kingfanpaul]

I've worked in the casino biz for a while and I am telling you there is a lot of money behind the scenes in professional sports. Yes Donaghy is only speaking out because he got caught and the NBA is making it seem like it's just him, but from things I have seen and heard, the things he says are pretty true. If you think otherwise and just believe the NBA is all goody goody and Donaghy was the only villian you are just being gullible.

 

[kennadog]

I've worked in the casino biz for a while and I am telling you there is a lot of money behind the scenes in professional sports. Yes Donaghy is only speaking out because he got caught and the NBA is making it seem like it's just him, but from things I have seen and heard, the things he says are pretty true. If you think otherwise and just believe the NBA is all goody goody and Donaghy was the only villian you are just being gullible.

I don't think most of us here dismiss Donaghy's comments as completely unfounded. If anybody suspects foul play by refs at all, it's Kings fans. But I do need more than this his unsubstantiated word before I'll swallow it hook, lin and sinker. I want corroborating evidence.

 

[vikinginferno]

Oh really? Ask a prosecutor about the reliability of most testimony they get from someone they've caught, especially if said criminal is trying to get a reduced sentence or plea to a lesser charge. They'll say whatever they think will help their case. Criminals lie.

I did listen to his blatherings the first time around. I gave it all the credence I thought it deserved.

Once again, I say that he, like criminals, has a great chance he is lying. But that does not mean you still don't LISTEN to them. You can say it is likely false, but don't say it as if it is fact.

 

[Superman]

Merdeisel - Draw parallels all you like. Jose Canseco isn't Tim Donaghy; Tim Donaghy isn't Jose Canseco. There has been about a gazillion examples of anecdotal evidence to support Canseco. Thus far, there hasn't been a shred to support Donaghy.

If you look closely, there actually aren't that many similarities to be drawn, except by those who want to find them.

There was no evidence supporting Jose Canseco at first. Now, he's regarding as the only one who was telling the truth. He's a slimeball, to be sure, but he is turning out to be the most credible person associated with the steroids scandal in baseball.

Whether that winds up being the case with Donaghy or not, there's no way of telling. But it's kind of naive to just assume that, because he's a criminal and a slimeball, that it's impossible for him to be telling the truth. The police and government agencies use testimony and statements from criminals all the time, sometimes even using them to help improve the laws and procedures associated with fraud and other white collar crimes. Frank Abagnale comes to mind. It's irresponsible to just dismiss his claims without them being properly investigated.

On the other hand, there are a lot of us Kings fans who are desperate to find some reason to believe that the 2002 WCF was taken from us by some league wide conspiracy to favor the Lakers. It is pretty interesting how the whole Donaghy saga has been so closely followed on this board. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that everything he's said is true, but I think a lot of us really, really want him to be proved true, because it will somehow make us feel better about 2002 (at least we think it will).

Anyways, I just can't understand how anyone can just dismiss everything he says out of hand simply because he's a criminal, as if that just invalidates anything that ever comes out of his mouth. Sure, you take it with a grain of salt, but if anyone else were to claim that Dick Bavetta is self-centered glory hog, I'd have no problem believing it. But since it's Donaghy, it's all hot air? I can't go for that. I'm not naming a religion after the guy, but I can't just ignore everything he says. That's the same thing Baseball did with Jose Canseco five years ago.

 

[vikinginferno]

There was no evidence supporting Jose Canseco at first. Now, he's regarding as the only one who was telling the truth. He's a slimeball, to be sure, but he is turning out to be the most credible person associated with the steroids scandal in baseball.

Whether that winds up being the case with Donaghy or not, there's no way of telling. But it's kind of naive to just assume that, because he's a criminal and a slimeball, that it's impossible for him to be telling the truth. The police and government agencies use testimony and statements from criminals all the time, sometimes even using them to help improve the laws and procedures associated with fraud and other white collar crimes. Frank Abagnale comes to mind. It's irresponsible to just dismiss his claims without them being properly investigated.

On the other hand, there are a lot of us Kings fans who are desperate to find some reason to believe that the 2002 WCF was taken from us by some league wide conspiracy to favor the Lakers. It is pretty interesting how the whole Donaghy saga has been so closely followed on this board. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that everything he's said is true, but I think a lot of us really, really want him to be proved true, because it will somehow make us feel better about 2002 (at least we think it will).

Anyways, I just can't understand how anyone can just dismiss everything he says out of hand simply because he's a criminal, as if that just invalidates anything that ever comes out of his mouth. Sure, you take it with a grain of salt, but if anyone else were to claim that Dick Bavetta is self-centered glory hog, I'd have no problem believing it. But since it's Donaghy, it's all hot air? I can't go for that. I'm not naming a religion after the guy, but I can't just ignore everything he says. That's the same thing Baseball did with Jose Canseco five years ago.

This is EXACTLY what I have been trying to say, nice post.

 

[hrdboild]

What's interesting to me about this whole Donaghy betting scandal is that you almost have to ignore the facts to discredit him. And David Stern can smile and shake his head as much as he wants, but it's undeniable. Donaghy is in trouble not just because he was betting on games, but because he was so successful at it (in the million dollar range) that he attracted the attention of the FBI. Now unless you believe that Donaghy has secret powers, you have to admit he was way more succesful betting on basketball games than any normal run of luck would allow for and the inside information he had access to which informed his choices was the ref assignments for the games. Whether or not the league office was actually suggesting to the refs who should get the benefit of the calls is still in question for sure, but you can't deny that the outcome of the games was affected by which refs were assigned to them to such an extent that Donaghy (and whoever was connected to his tips) was able to profit considerably with that information. In that sense, what Donaghy is guilty of more than anything else is insider trading. And the NBA has a much bigger problem with their referees than they are willing to admit. I don't care if other refs were betting on the games. But I do care that Dick Bavetta may have cost Sacramento and a good number of other teams a fair shot at a championship.

 

[beb0p]

Sorry, but I'm not going to buy anything he says. The rationale that we should listen to him "a bit more than others because he was right smack in the middle of it" might hold water, if he only started singing because they caught him red-handed. I might give credence to a whistle-blower but I'm not about to give any credit to a slimeball.

Donaghy may or may not be a slimeball and he may or may not be seeking revenge. But the part that he won a boatload of money betting on NBA games (with a phenomenal 75% winning perc if some reports are to be believed) by exploding the bias and unfairness in the system is ironclad. There is no disputing that this man knew the result ( or had a very good idea of what the result would be) before the games were played.

Now when someone with the uncanny ability to predict NBA score writes a book and tells how he did it. I'm going to read it because this man obviously knows what he was talking about. If Donaghy had written a book on morality then I couldn't care less.

In other words, the part that he is a disgraced referee is irrelevant. This is a master gambler explaining his technique and the inside knowledge that he had that enabled him to win so many bets. I, for one, want to know how he did it.

 

[Variant]

I'm guessing a large amount of what Donaghy has to say is true... that said, I don't think I'll be reading his book because I don't really want to believe it. No point in being a fan of the NBA then.

Assuming his book is completely lies, you'd think the NBA would have some pretty good incentive to sue him for libel?

 

[Bricklayer]

I'm guessing a large amount of what Donaghy has to say is true... that said, I don't think I'll be reading his book because I don't really want to believe it. No point in being a fan of the NBA then.

Assuming his book is completely lies, you'd think the NBA would have some pretty good incentive to sue him for libel?

Whihc is why it took so long to find a publisher. Even more than the NBA, the other refs. Donaghy obviously has no proof on any of this and I'm sure Bavetta, a lawyer himself, has legal representation already.

 

[Telemachus]

Whihc is why it took so long to find a publisher. Even more than the NBA, the other refs. Donaghy obviously has no proof on any of this and I'm sure Bavetta, a lawyer himself, has legal representation already.

Well, if Bavetta picks his legal representation the same way he officiates games, then Donaghy has nothing to worry about.

 

[PurpleHaze]

Donaghy granting first interview on 60 Minutes tonight. Can also catch at cbsnews.com.