Homeless Soccer Rules!

The 2008 Melbourne Homeless World Cup is right around the corner. Get tickets now if you would like to enjoy the Australian summer while taking in some transient action on the pitch.

While common sense reason would tell me otherwise.....living in Washington, DC, where the homeless presence has increased in the current economic environment, the idea of a Homeless World Cup, now in it's 6th year, can't help but conjure up some interesting images in my head.

I imagine spirited competition just like any other serious sporting event. However, instead of uniforms, participants are wearing tattered clothes, worn in upwards of eight layers. Perhaps there's a guy trying to play while a hefty bag full of world possessions is in his grasp. Maybe the main striker wonders off the field during the course of play to pee in a glass jar. Instead of Gatorade baths, players squeegee each other off. The goals are over-sized grocery carts turned on their sides. Each player has homemade cardboard signs pinned to their back with name and jersey number.....some signs go on diatribes about implanted government chips. (Actually, if you are homeless and you make something yourself, can you really call it homemade?) In any case, perhaps the benches would be akin to the gentlemen in the photo below making comfortable use of a chain between two poles.


But the Homeless World Cup does have some interesting 'Street Soccer' Rules...including:

• If you're homeless and younger than 16, no dice. So, a homeless man's homeless Freddy Adu is left at home....or wherever......left to consider his self worth.
• You are eligible if you meet one of the following conditions:
• fall under the definition of homelessness under U.S. code
  
• make your main living as a 'street paper vendor'
• are seeking asylum
• are in drug or alcohol rehab and have been homeless at some point in past two years
• Remember that medal you won at the 2007 Homeless World Cup? Well, you're not getting another as previous participants are ineligible....I guess the homeless don't deserve dynasties.
• Intense training and endurance need not apply. Each half is only seven minutes long.
  

Don't expect the good ol' U.S. of A. to go down under and bend it like Beckham....the American squad is currently ranked 36th in the world. Right now, Scotland dominates the homeless soccer scene. [Homeless World Cup Rankings]

In all seriousness, homelessness, needless to say, is a big problem around the world. And from what I can gather, the Homeless World Cup has provided a positive venue for change in the lives of many. To get more info, or to support the cause, go check out www.homelessworldcup.org.

The Major League Baseball Short Bus

The good folks at Epic Carnival got their hands on a $50 gift card from MLB......so the obvious choice was to hold a Photoshop contest (despite a call for boobies and zingers) to see who would get their hands on the prize.

Naturally, I wanted to put my Photoshop skills to the test and attempted to get creative in the 11th hour of the deadline....and here is that attempt:

Hank Steinbrenner is at the wheel. Roger Clemens, Sidney Ponson, and Jose Canseco are all aboard. Milton Bradley is ordering Barry Bonds to get back on while Elijah Dukes is trying his best to escape the fray.

Check out all the other entries here. If you're around.....you can, like, go and vote for me and stuff.

Wizards & Constancy, It Ain't So Bad

Every time I hear the word 'constancy' I think of that Simpsons episode where Reverend Lovejoy lost enthusiasm for his trade....his droning voice uttering constancy, slowly and painfully, over and over again. It's funny that a cartoon could lead me to have such a negative connotation of a word.

But is constancy such a bad word? Some cases yes, some cases no. There's a lot to be said about dependability.....constancy is the main reason why chain restaurants are so popular. On the other hand, it's life's diversions which can make us well rounded people, as long as we don't get too high or low before it's all said and done.

Obviously, we can find similar principles in basketball. Veterans know not to get too emotionally high or low before a game, a series, a season has been completed. Only then can one set aside the time to get through the depths of celebration and/or reflection.

As I glossed over HoopsHype today, the rumors were rampant as expected. Next to the trade deadline, the NBA draft has become as much of a culmination of trade fodder as it is a stage of kids hoping to making it to the next level. But as I read, I became more thankful of the current path of the Washington Wizards.....working under a 'status quo' assumption of course.

Joe Dumars is down with blowing up the towers (Wire reference) and has the dynamite on Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups while grasping for Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis. B-Dave isn't exactly happy with the Warriors, but he is happy with a guaranteed $17 milli - gotta have some loot to aid his Hollywood aspirations. Al Harrington is once again discontent with his role.....things seemed fine when the Warriors were winning. Does anyone else think Don Nelson is a hot mess? Pat Riley is dangling Shawn Marion for unreasonable expectations while he does his best as Minister of Draft Misinformation. The Grizzlies could be making a bad move as I type. Injury risks may be traded for injury risks (Jermaine O'Neal for T.J. Ford). A Corey and a Leandro could be switching teams. Steve Kerr has 5-1 odds for both: winning executive of the year, or winning the worst executive of the year. The Trailblazers could be stockpiling developing youth, or striving to win now. The Sacramento Kings seem to have no future and evidently Richard Jefferson continues to be a pariah.

Lot going on....but there always is, isn't there....and that's just today. I take comfort in the fact that rumors regarding the Wizards are far and few between, and usually involve what to do with a measly 18th pick.

Of course in a world of free agency coin flips and tight-fisted economics, the winds of change could turn torrential in the blink of an eye. But for the Washington Wizards, staying the course of constancy seems to be the ship's pointed direction. We'll know a lot more in early July, and many won't rest assured until then.

There are those ready to just let Gilbert Arenas walk for nothing. But to me, that seems to be a path towards greater uncertainty than there would be in sticking with the zaniness of Agent Zero. During this past season, I've been frustrated with the antics of Arenas just as much as the next guy. I've wondered many times if he "gets it" or if Gilbert is too into himself now that he can willingly get instant gratification on the attention he seems to crave. Has his swag turned into a lallygag?

But it's more than constancy. It's more than just resigning Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas, and then having Ernie Grunfeld using his mastery to fill the gaps. How can Wizards fans be reasonably ready to pull the trigger on throwing Gilby from the train? He drops buckets with a killer instinct and has made himself a better player, a better man, by doing what others have said he couldn't.

As a youth, I was so entrenched in the constancy of losing with the Bullets that I'm more than willing to ride the constancy of a four-year playoff run. The Wizards are closer to a championship with the services of Gilbert Arenas than without him....in my humble opinion. Today's constancy can easily be tomorrow implosion. It's a good wave, ride it until safely guided into shore, or until the white caps come crashing down. Either way, it's better than bailing out on a promising crest.

In other Wizards news:

Ernie Grunfeld had a presser. [Bullets Forever]

Caron Butler saw Sex In The City and doesn't care what you think. [DC Sports Bog]

Things Gilbert Arenas will be doing during the off-season. [Epic Carnival]

Gilbert can see writing when it's on a wall. [Wizards Insider]

Old School Arenas Connections [Gilbertology]

Vote Bullets! [Bullets Forever]

DeShawn Stevenson: Washington Wizards Player Evaluation

Washington Wizards Player Evaluation #9, head over to Bullets Forever to check the thoughts of the Pradamaster and JakeTheSnake on DeShawn Stevenson.

Previous Entries:
Etan Thomas | Oleksiy Pecherov | Dominic McGuire | Nick Young |
Andray Blatche | Roger Mason | Darius Songaila | Antonio Daniels|


If you were guessing which Wizard would have the best chance of surviving a season of Deadliest Catch, who would it be? Caron Butler, obviously.....especially since he grew up in the climate of Racine. But right behind Tuff Juice would be DeShawn Stevenson, this year's recipient of the Warrior Award. He made it through watermelon knee, grandpa's ankle, and pregnant woman's back without missing a game.....and while turning in the best season of his career.

Stevenson also provided a king's share of off-court fodder, while significantly boosting business for The Pride of Fredonia's Sports Bog. DeShawn dubbed himself the Lock Smith, had trouble keeping it real, lost feeling in his face, danced at his 80s birthday party the same night he sprained his ankle and lost to the Bucks in devastating fashion, led me to realize that he had something in common with Ricky Davis, and made trash talking history. And I'm not even mentioning last summer's gun play (which has seemingly been swept under a rug - DeShawn and Andray Blatche are the poster children for the perils of bringing hoes, and their male baggage, home), Black Card escapades, jersey tattoos and Lindsey Lohan solicitations.

I certainly appreciate some of DeShawn Stevenson's off-court antics. He makes the team more bloggable, which garners more attention....and the end result is better for the franchise in an 'any pub is good pub' manner. However, many times, I found DeShawn's on-court antics disgraceful and sophomoric. I know, I know....go easy on the guy, he's a warrior. But being a numb-faced hype man is one thing, acting as an incendiary device for opponents is another. If only DeShawn could find the balance between maturity and motivation.

But alas, Stevenson brings too many good qualities to not want him around. He was more than adept at filling in where needed in this latest tumultuous season. Who was going to replace Gilbert Arenas's 205 made 3-pointers from 06-07? Why, DeShawn Stevenson...in 07-08, he drained 158 trey balls, just over 24% more than his previous seven year career total. It's really astounding how DeShawn went from hitting a trey every 157.9 minutes (an attempt every 41.4 minutes) in his first 6 seasons, to a made trey every 32.7 minutes (an attempt every 13.2 minutes) in 06-07, to a made trey every 16.2 minutes (an attempt every 6.2 minutes) in 07-08. I realize this is also indicative of offensive system, but the guy has obviously been working to improve his shot, aside from practice competitions with Gilbert Arenas.

Was the past season the ceiling for DeShawn Stevenson? Well, the guy is only 27. If he really has commitment to the game, there is no reason why he can't continue to improve. That being said, I don't see him ever being more than the 5th option when in the starting lineup....and in Eddie Jordan's offense, that's okay.

The top priority for DeShawn Stevenson this summer should be to continue working on his shot. His form would indicate a streaky shooter. I wrote this about him in a post during the playoffs: "DeShawn had 17 outings this year where he attempted four or more 3s and ended the game shooting less than 25% from deep. The total 3p% for those 17 games was .187 (17-91). On the other hand, there have been 26 games this year where Stevenson attempted four or more 3s and shot better than 40%. The total 3p% for those 26 games is .533 (98-184). DeShawn Stevenson shot 38.3% from beyond the arc on the season."

Being able to consistently depend on DeShawn to knock down shots would be an invaluable asset to this team and might land him a fat contract when he opts out (probably) of his current 4-year $15 million deal in the summer of 2010 when he's 29. Stevenson seems to mesh well with the current squad. Here's to continuance, health, and hopes that from the Lock Smith, the Wizards youth learn what it takes to be a warrior.


Up Next: Brendan Haywood

Celtics v. Lakers - Quick Thoughts on Game 6, The Close Out

• From ABC's report....Kevin Garnett got all of the Celtics (including Ray Allen who seemed to be the biggest surprise) eating PB&Js before games? I wonder which Celtic wears the banana suit?
  
  Ahh...peanut butter and jelly, more American than apple pie....as I doubt GI's in WWII had time to bake a damn pie.
  
  I've got one friend/co-worker who eats pre-made PBJs, as an afternoon snack, out of the cooler from the little store on the first floor of my work building in downtown DC.....and I've got another friend I've known since ten who claims to have never eaten a PBJ.
  
  
• Poor Rajon Rondo......each one of his layup misses hurt a little more. But I must give him a ton of credit.....he made damn sure that he did whatever else he could to contribute to victory. Six steals, eight assists, seven boards....who cares if he got 21 points on 8-20 shooting. Dude is the Kyra Sedgwick of the NBA.
  
  
• Ray Allen.....and the several reports on his eye from Michele Tafoya and her lettuce-doo....I couldn't help but think about what happened to Allen Ray (who was a Celtic last year) and his eyeball.
  
  
• Even I was surprised by the Celtics lead at half (58-35)....but it was what Paul Pierce said on the sidelines at half, "We want it way too bad." -- the key word being "we" as in the Boston Three Party -- which convinced me that a Celtics victory was imminent. There is only one in LA.
  
  
• Simple math: KG's intense bug eyes + Pierce randomly yelling in the corridor > Kobe's "not tonight" to Boston sideline fans.
  
  
• PBJ co-worker is a Lakers fan from LA. Before game 6, I tried to get him to put things into perspective by reminding him that the Lakers have far exceeded expectations.....not just from Kobe's Drama Queen Summer, but also because of youth. Then again, Odom and Gasol are no spring chickens.
  
  
• Speaking of.....I definitively knew Pau Gasol was soft from a matchup against Chris Paul back in December of '07 when Pau was still with the Grizzlies.
  
  
• The halftime music akin to the score of Glory seemed to fit better with the speech of Doc Rivers than that of Phil Jackson.
  
  
• I'm a Boston Hater who was rooting for the Celtics because I have more Laker Hate in my blood. So does this help me? I'm not sure.
  
  
• Unlike many, I picked the Celtics in 7.....but Kobe Bryant still has a way to go in his career, so I don't think we can judge his legacy just yet. After losing to the Orlando Magic as a 32 year old in 1995, Michael Jordan went on to win championships 4-6 in the next three seasons. Kobe is 30 years old now.
  
  
• I think Kevin Garnett and Michele Tafoya were slow dancing after the game....did KG make a huge gaffe?
  
  
• Along these lines, fans of other NBA teams need to keep their expectations in check and not look to the 07-08 Celtics as an example to follow.
  
  
• Please God No!
  
  
• This was to be expected. Too bad they didn't do more damage to the fair city of Boston.
  
  
• Well folks, here's to the official commencement of the NBA off-season. As a Wizards fan, I can take some slight comfort in this.....but next season, it should be conference finals or bust. Do the work Mr. Grunfeld.
  

Three Years Later, We're Still Tripping With The Wizards

I was doing some cleaning around the apartment yesterday, working on a project for Father's Day (Happy Father's Day to my dad all the real dads out there) and came across a clipping from the Washington Times that my pops gave me just over three years ago.

"What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been," was Tom Knott's proclamation of purged bad karma for DC's pro-basketball franchise just before game one against the Chicago Bulls in the '05 NBA playoffs. It made me think, so much of that trip was spent bonding with my dad. We probably made the trek out to Landover, MD, and then downtown to Chinatown years later, at least 175 times together, witnessing years of futility and a lone playoff game pre-2005. To pass time with my father, to follow a hometown team together, it was all worth it.

I couldn't help but get a chuckle out of Knott's column. The long, strange trip continues and some would argue that Wizards fans still have not been exonerated of bad karma. Is this article to remind us how appreciative we should be for a four year playoff run, or have our expectations justifiably risen to the point where wanting more supersedes being spoiled by morsels of success?

The circus acts of yore are all featured: "Nervous" Pervis Ellison, Manute Bol, Boo-nard King (is that the best picture they had?), Mel Turpin, Rex Chapman (one of my all time favorites), Rod Strickland, Juwan Howard, Chris Webber, Jerry Stackhouse, and finally Old Man Jordan.

Knott, in his typical pessimistic fashion (I'd be a hippocrite to blame him) recounts dysfunctional tales; head scratching gaffes from yesteryear which have become sources of present day comedy. The lead story of Pervis Ellison getting into an auto accident because of a DWIWGCF (driving while incapacitated with greasy chicken fingers) seems like the perfect jump-off point.

The account only gets better (or worse) from there, including:

• The reason for Ellison's sore back: raking leaves.
• Chris Webber and his 1st quarter mean-mugging ways telling Wes Unseld that Unseld didn't know what it was like to be young and talented.
• Jay Vincent refusing to ride a stationary bike to stay in shape because it might affect a ruptured tendon in his finger.
• Dinner Bell Mel Turpin going on the lam because he couldn't make weight.
• The agent for John 'Hot Plate' Williams insisting a 'weighed only in private' clause be in Williams' contract.
• A plethora of Rod Strickland stories including: hot dogs and throwing up, backwards shorts, habitual tardiness, the 'Do you know who I am line?' (from his alter ego, Roadside Rod), and female induced tussles with Tracy Murray.
• An overinflated Bernard King telling Wes Unseld, "I'm going to shoot you" at a 1993 practice.
• Rex Chapman missing a game while hiding in the locker room because his sister's ex-boyfriend (an ex-NFL player - side bar below) threatened to take out Chapman's knees so he could never play ball again.
  

Do you think Gheorghe Muresan and Ledell Eackles fell slighted that they weren't included among Knott's citations? The sample of fun under the big top has continued with tales of off-court hijinks from Gilbert Arenas and his troupe of performers. The quirkiness factor of a lighter-hearted circus has however filled the glass slightly past half full.

Where do the Wizards go from this juncture? Is the upcoming 2008-2009 season the most important in the history of this franchise? Tread water and the sense of purgatory continues. Take a step backwards and the winds of public opinion could reach the magnitude of a category five.

Wizards fans will always be on a journey with this team. From the big picture to isolated spurts such as when Gilbert Arenas chucked 9 points on 3-19 shooting in that '05 game 1 loss to the Bulls, and then when Arenas decided game 5 with one shot. In the end, only time will tell the path's direction. Here's to the future bumps in the road being a necessity for achieving success, instead of a detriment to potential.




---------------------------
[Side Bar: The ex-NFL player was Lewis Billups, formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals (good to know the Bungles have a deeper history of criminal activity than recent memory). In 1987, Billups beat up an ex-girlfriend so bad that she needed six plastic surgeries. In 1992, Billups was one of 20 Bengals accused of raping, video taping, and attempting to extort a woman out of $20K (they threatened to send the video to the woman's husband). For this Lewis Billups pleaded guilty and was given three years probation....what justice.

About a year later in 1994, the Feds recorded Billups' threats to Chapman's sister and were waiting for him at what Billups thought was a rendezvous with Jenny Chapman. Billups had a pair of brass knuckles on him when arrested. He was subsequently sentenced to a year in the joint. Not six days after Lewis Billups was released in April of 1994, he was killed in a car crash while driving over 100 mph in his corvette. No word if Billups was eating greasy chicken, but I'd say that he provided himself with a little justice. Aside from the acts described above, Lewis Billups had a despicably checkered past of violence and abuse of women, so this self imposed justice seemingly came years too late.]

Antonio Daniels: Washington Wizards Player Evaluation

Part 8 of Washington Wizards Player Evaluations, head over to Bullets Forever to check the thoughts of the Pradamaster and JakeTheSnake on Antonio Daniels.

Previous Entries:
Etan Thomas | Oleksiy Pecherov | Dominic McGuire | Nick Young |
Andray Blatche | Roger Mason | Darius Songaila|

Antonio Daniels is my Catch-22. I love his steadying veteran presence. He fills in wherever needed and does whatever is asked of him without thinking twice. Daniels has been a model of consistency during his 11 year NBA career. This past season was no exception as Antonio Daniels was asked to sub for an injured Gilbert Arenas. In doing so, AD started 63 out of 71 played games for the Wizards. In his previous 10 seasons, Antonio started a total of 149 out of 722 games.

In Daniels' 07-08 starts, he contributed about nine points, five assists, and three rebounds in just over 30 minutes a game while only turning the ball over 86 times total (a 1.36 average). So, I'll throw around terms such as admirable and will give AD a big 'thank you' because without him, I highly doubt that the Wizards would have achieved 43 wins.

However, there's a Sir Mix-a-Lot sized 'but'........Antonio Daniels can neither shoot nor defend. As his career 30.9% from 3-point land would indicate, AD is not one for distance buckets. Now, he is no where near Rajon Rondo bad, but throughout the season, opponents proved more times than not that they were willing to risk leaving Daniels open to protect the paint. And AD did not disappoint by hitting only 17 of 74 attempts from beyond the arc. My expectations of Daniels in this area have always been tempered, but I still have wishes that he could keep defenses honest. But alas, it is what it is.....if Antonio hasn't improved his shot to date, then it's probably never going to happen. Old dogs don't learn new tricks.

Compounding AD's conduciveness to the constrictive nature of the opposing defenses is his inability to on-ball defend. I suppose you could dub his quickness as adequate....for a 33 year old. AD won't get you many steals, his one per game this past season was a career high. But he has the smarts and desire to limit gambles and to try staying in front of his man. However, in many cases those attempts end up futile.

Yet, I'm willing to look past these transgressions because of the character of Antonio Daniels....a man in the community. His number one goal is to initiate Eddie Jordan's offense, and being 10th in the NBA in Assist-Rating, I'd say AD is pretty adept at that priority. And I haven't even mentioned the fearlessness he displays when driving to the basket. Either his body does not know it's age, or does and simply doesn't care.

Maybe AD falls short in major team areas of need. And I'm not exactly thrilled that the Wiz are still on the hook for two more years and $12.8 million....for a backup point guard. But I guess we're paying for a little more than what is produced on the court. What the deuce?....It's not like Grunfeld is going to be able to easily rid himself of AD's contract before next season, so we have no choice but to welcome Antonio back with open arms.

Up Next: DeShawn Stevenson

David Stern Had The Wrong Fix: Donaghy and the Commish, Two For The Money

As an NBA fan, I want to believe that the fix wasn't in. But as an NBA fan, I really don't care. I'm still going to watch the games and the NBA will continue to be the Grade A of my favorite sport.

David Stern simply wanted to make more money. If Donaghy's rhetoric is true, then the Commish has made his own bed....and should sleep in it, as he has potentially over-stepped his bounds in an unfathomable manner.

Stern has done a ton to promote basketball, and not just the NBA: Globalization of the sport, subsidizing the WNBA, the dress code, NBA Cares program, a tightly kempt Wikipedia profile. I still maintain that Stern is the best commissioner in sports, but if the turd hits the fan, will he continue his 20-year-plus year reign at the helm?

Gotta have money to make money, right? To get that capital for expansion, you need ad revenue. To get ad revenue, you need ratings. To get ratings, you need the involvement of the major media markets. But is this necessarily true? Sure Stern's heart may have been in the right place, but did he have the wrong fix?

Want ratings? Instead of promoting big markets and star players, how about fixing all games to eliminate blowouts? It sounds exciting. Seems like people would catch on and want to watch regardless of the match-ups.....especially if this "phenomenon" led to more seven game series in the playoffs.

I'm no ratings expert, so my argument could lose weight with scientific research. But if Stern reached the moral low where he felt it necessary to manipulate games, wouldn't fixing close games be the less risky route?

Think about it, would there be as much outrage and skepticism if fans got "cheated" by more nail-biting contests instead?

Did Tim Donaghy Affect the Wizards-Grizzlies Game? You Betcha.

Last week, the good folks at We Rite Goode put some of us Wizards bloggers on alert about the freshly unsealed letter from the Department of Justice to US District Court Judge, the Honorable Carol Bagley Amon, in regard to the US v. Timothy Donaghy, a criminal case against the disgraced former NBA referee. That now seems like years ago as Donaghy's lawyer found the opportune time to drop a new bombshell on the same day as Game 3 of the 2008 NBA Finals. An NBA fix? Stet Sports has the word on that.

While the DoJ's Donaghy letter [via thesmokinggun.com] reads like a episode of the Sopranos, in real life, the story of Tim Donaghy is as trivial and dysfunctional as Growing Up Gotti.

Donaghy began dealing with James Battista and Thomas Martine, both of whom Donaghy knew from high school....[The trio met in December of '06 in Philly]....Donaghy indicated that although he would meet with Martino, Donaghy did not want to meet with Battista because Donaghy knew that Battista was a professional gambler.....When Martino arrived, Donaghy noticed that Battista was also in Martino's car.....Battista then told Donaghy that he should provide his picks to Battista and Martino, and not to [Jack] Concannon [a prior gambling associate of Tim Donaghy]. Battista also told Donaghy that Battista "didn't want the NBA to find out" about what Donaghy was doing.....At a later meeting back at Donaghy's hotel......Battista told Donaghy that "you don't want anyone from New York visiting your wife and kids."

It's your classic case of worse gets worser as Donaghy took the entertainment aspect out of gambling and towards a downward spiral gone overboard like Goldie Hawn in a thong (20-year-old movie reference kids).

The heart of this story started long ago at Cardinal O'Hara High School in the privileged white township of Springfield, Pennsylvania; about a dozen miles from the heart of Philadelphia. Why do I say privileged and white? Well, because the census [via wikipedia] says that Springfield is 96.6% white and only 1.9% of families are below the poverty line. But remember, if Mexico is America's beard, then Philly (and it's suburbs) is New Jersey's dingle-berry.....not to mention that the Garden State is already America's arm-pit. Confused? I don't know how a dingle-berry got into your armpit either.

Donaghy, being a Kenny Rogers (not the pitcher) wanna-be, was associated with other wise guys from O'Hara High....such as James Battista (the Charles Barkley of Donaghy's world, with mob ties, whose nickname is "Sheep") and Thomas Martino. Martino by most accounts was not a mobster, rather your run-of-the-mill 42 year old douche-bag with a mullet, Lotus, and a MySpace page. Oh, did I mention that he co-owns(ed) a hair salon?

Being overtaken by the possessive Gamblor, Donaghy got in deep with his debts and was essentially forced not only down a slippery-slope, but a damn near 90 degree decline. The worst part is that Donoghy was only making about 10-30K per year (in dealings with his initial gambling partner, Jack Concannon). What did Kevin Garnett make this season? $22 million? So you're telling me that the Big Ticket makes Donaghy's dirty refereeing peanuts in the amount of time he spends cussing each day? As much fanfare as this case has received, and justifiably so, I am still not exactly wowed by this dollar amount.

But the part of note to Wizards fans from around the nation is the excerpt below from the DoJ's letter:

For example, on December 26, 2006, Donaghy refereed a game in which the Washington Wizards hosted the Memphis Grizzlies. Donaghy originally informed Martino that he thought the Grizzlies would win. Just before the start of the game, however, an official NBA scorer entered the referees' locker room and said that the Grizzlies were "all banged up." Armed with this inside information concerning the physical condition of the Grizzlies, Donaghy called Martino and changed his pick to the Wizards. According to NBA records, the Wizards won 116-101

JakeTheSnake from Bullets Forever and Gilbertology had a good post on this subject, Referees, Gambling, Tim Donaghy, and how the Wizards fit in.

Thankfully, it doesn't look like Donaghy's bet made much of an impact on how he called the game. The Wizards roared out to 45-18 lead after the first quarter and they took a 77-51 lead into halftime. The 15 point closing margin was a byproduct of Chucky Atkins hot shooting in the 4th quarter that took the game from being a blowout to being just an ugly loss, so the game was never close enough for Dongahy's subconscious to have an impact on the game. In fact if you check out the box score from the game, you'll see that the Grizz actually got the free throw line 13 more times than the Wizards did.

While I agree with Jake's assessment, I think you will be very hard pressed to find any empirical data which could be obtained from a box score that would indicate Tim Donaghy having an affect on the outcome of the game, subconsciously or not. And this would probably hold true for any of the NBA games in which Donaghy was involved on both a refereeing and insider information level.

Of course, this post could turn into a thesis on the power of the subconscious and the role of environmental conditioning. To circumvent, I'll go ahead and suggest that you read 'Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking' by Malcolm Gladwell (it's not the bible on the subject, just a great book....and it's not like you haven't heard of it, or perhaps read it by now -- go read it again). So, the assumption is that referees are trained to instinctively make decisions within the blink of an eye. But the conclusion is that calls are not only the result of years of honing an expertise, but also a side effect of personal biases, which varies by individual at an immeasurable percent; the lower the percent, the better the referee......in theory.

The art of refereeing a sporting competition can be a highly subjective act, seemingly even more so in the game of basketball. That's one reason why I agree with Jeff Van Gundy on eliminating disqualifications after six fouls in the NBA (or five in college and FIBA)...but I'm digressing as that's neither here nor there and best be saved for a future post.

The available surface evidence does not point to Tim Donaghy having an impact on that December '06 match-up between the Grizzlies and the Wizards. And if I had a copy of the game tape to analyze, I'm not sure if I would find anything there either. Maybe the Wizards were just on fire (going 10-18 from 3-point land), and the Grizzlies just sucked (turning the ball over 25 times). Which made me curious as to why the hell Donaghy initially chose the Grizzlies to win in the first place? As Jake pointed out, at the time the Wizards were eight greater in the win column and 10 fewer in the loss column than Memphis, and had won 10 of their previous 13 games.

Who knows? Perhaps after the Wizards jumped out to a 45-18 lead after one quarter, and then kept up the drumming to the tune of a 26 point lead at the half, Donaghy felt that it was getting a little two obvious as the Wizards were favored by seven. After all, the halftime FT discrepancy was in favor of the Wizards, 16-14. Only in the second half did the Grizzlies gain the FT lead by attempting 23 free throws to eight for Washington. A tactic to keep the game close? I don't know who made the calls.

My point is that while I don't believe Donaghy had a significant impact on the game, he certainly had an affect, even if he himself was not aware. The human subconscious is a powerful tool. When factoring in threats to his family, aside from his personal financial interests, it's virtually impossible that Donaghy's inner biases were not an exponentially greater factor than the normal subjectiveness of NBA referees. Wanna bet?

Darius Songaila: Washington Wizards Player Evaluation

Part 7 of Washington Wizards Player Evaluations:
Etan Thomas | Oleksiy Pecherov | Dominic McGuire | Nick Young | Andray Blatche | Roger Mason

My thoughts are below, head over to Bullets Forever to check out the thoughts of the Pradamaster and JakeTheSnake on Darius Songaila.

More than anyone else on the team, Darius Songaila had a full share of detractors this past season. Sure he took an occasional ill-advised shot. And perhaps his 6'9" (or 8") frame wasn't enough to deal with the sizable tasks asked of him. But Darius was always up to the challenge, and in my opinion, the type of key role player that winners need.

The main issue with Songaila, more than shot selection, is rebounding. His rebound rate (10.2) was below that of both Dominic McGuire (11.7) and Oleksiy Pecherov (12.1). Darius still out-rebounded Caron Butler per 36 minutes (6.3, good enough for 6th on the team), but that's not saying anything at all. Even without athleticism, you'd expect Songaila would have the tactic to do better than a couple rookies. When you think about the needs from a power forward, and the woes on the glass for the Wizards, D-Song's board effort comes up as a disappointment. When factoring Songaila's on-ball defense, or lack thereof, I can certainly sympathize with those who are emphatic about limiting his presence on the court.

Now consider the offense that Eddie Jordan runs, a pro-style Princeton. When operating at a higher pace, which we all know occurred less in 07-08 than in years before, Songaila has the veteran savvy to move with a purpose....whether it be posting up, or setting high ball screens in transition.

Songaila's true bread and butter within the offense comes with his pick-and-pop-ability. He shoots with confidence, has a fairly quick release for a big man, and seems to have range that extends slightly beyond the college 3-point line. Not only can D-Song knock down the J when called upon by an opposing defense focusing on a driver, but he has the ability to see and make the next pass, perhaps adjusting to the shifting D giving someone else a better look. Songaila's Ast-% and 'Assists Per 36' were both good enough for 5th on the team in 07-08.

Hopefully in the future, we will be seeing more Andray Blatche as the first big off the bench as opposed to Darius Songaila. I think Darius is an ideal guy to have fighting with Etan Thomas or Dominic McGuire, depending on the situation, for the next big to get minutes. Some may question Songaila's contract amount for playing such a role. To me, it's not terrible (3-years, $13.578 million left). I'd certainly rather have that instead of the amount owed to Etan (2-years, $14.219 million).

Next season, this year's 19.4 minutes per game could dip to below 14 per for D-Song....but that's okay. Darius Songaila is the type of player who will give his all no matter how long he plays, and that's why I'm cool with him being a Wizard. Besides, it would be nice if D-Song had a future chance to give LeBron James his Crocodile Dundee moment with a real chop to the face instead of an inadvertently caused side fist.

Up Next: Antonio Daniels

Roger Mason Jr: Washington Wizards Player Evaluation

Roger Mason Junior, part 6 of Washington Wizards Player Evaluations:
Etan Thomas | Oleksiy Pecherov | Dominic McGuire | Nick Young | Andray Blatche

Head over the Bullets Forever to see what the Pradamaster and JakeTheSnake have to say.