Jul 29 2008
Shaken But Stirred
As sportsblogger is centered in Los Angeles, Ontario to be exact, I was preparing a story on the disgraced ex-NBA Referee Tim Donaghy who received his prison sentencing today. It was about 11:40 a.m. Pacific time as my keyboard began rattling under my fingers. Instead of running to protection of a doorway or ducking under a desk, I remained seated. It has been about 14 years since the Northridge earthquake and this 5.4 magnitude quake seems to have shaken everyone here, but all thats on my mind is making the NBA pay for trying to cover up Donaghy.
We all have heard the verdict, 15 months in a prison that most likely rivals some 5 star resorts, the kind that Martha Stewart stayed in. This is a shame, wait a minute one more aftershock, ok to continue, this is a shame that this man who has compromised the code of trust that die-hard fans held for the referee’s. All Commissioner David Stern has done is thrown this case aside. Roger Goodell was called to a Congressional Hearing on “Spygate” and all that involved was a video camera and a team trying to de-cypher defensive signals.
I know “Spygate” was bad, but Donaghy involves a Referee, the men who are supposed to be incorruptable. He bet on NBA games, not a NCAA Basketball Tournament with friends, he has compromised the outcome of professional basketball games. Yet, David Stern has skated by this problem, no one is asking the questions that should be answered. Not to bash Stern completely, he has hired a private party to investigate this problem and the report is due out any day now.
Where is the witch-hunt the media put out for “Spygate”, when every day someone claimed they had the smoking gun to bring down Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. The truth is that everyone has the smoking gun to bring down Stern, the NBA, and Referees and everyone is too busy worrying about, one more aftershock, Brett Favre. This proves that the media has its concerns and is out-dated.
The NBA should knock at everyones door and apologize for this Referee that has damaged the trust of the Fans. The total of Aftershocks that has hit since the start of this story is 27, lets not forget that hopefully todays sentencing was just a foreshock for a major earthquake that will shake Stern and the NBA into giving fans the answers about the game that we deserve. I hope everyone in Southern California is safe.
J.M.Saucedo
