[cleaveland]

I was watching the Spurs game today and I looked at Bennett Salvatore and it dawned on me, this guy looks like a classic mafia guy, look at the pic below.

Then I remembered the classic move "The Departed" http://www.amazon.com/Departed-Wides...9990022&sr=1-1 which presents a very realistic scenario of how organized crime can manipulate the system... not by paying people off necessarily but by putting your own people into positions of power where they do your bidding for you, manipulating the system, covering up misdeeds, etc. from the inside without any sort of paper trail, payoffs, nothing like that. Anyone who's seen "The Departed" will know exactly what I'm talking about. If organized crime has enough of their guys reffing games and working throughout the system all the fixes in the world can be carried without anyone knowing.

[nyjets15]

so you're not accusing him of anything, right?

just saying he looks like a mafia guy and then giving a hypothetical on how fixing could be done?

[marcoloco]

i believe it

[chemicalbrother]

so you're suggesting a hypothetical on how nba refs could cheat, and then not saying what the hypothetical even is??

[OnlyMayo]

Speaking of this, has anyone read Tim Donaghy's book? (how is it?) I have been wanting to read it for a while now.

[dabomguy11]

You just discovered the biggest scandal in sports history. CRAZY!!!

[opie1988]

Speaking of this, has anyone read Tim Donaghy's book? (how is it?) I have been wanting to read it for a while now.

Its ok....not great. He basically makes excuses throughout the entire book about how very little, if any, of this was really his fault. Wrong friends, wrong places, blah, blah..... He really never owns up to much of anything. He also comes across as pretty bitter. Some insight in their as to how the games would be fixed (which of course he says he personally never did). Its pretty short, an easy read. I wouldn't put too much stock into it.

[cleaveland]

so you're not accusing him of anything, right?

just saying he looks like a mafia guy and then giving a hypothetical on how fixing could be done?

I'm accusing him of looking like a classic mafia guy in my opinion, he just gave me the idea for this thread.

[chemicalbrother]

your thread kinda sucked.

[pavyracer]

Your theory is flawed. If the Mafia wanted to plant someone they would have chosen someone who doesn't have mafia looks like Dick Bavetta.

[easywinner]

My biggest pet peeve in the world is when there's a game coming down to the wire and the clock is going and you see the fuckin ref talking to the guy with the ball. What could the ref possibly be talking about at that moment unless it was the outcome of the game telling the player what to do? I see it in basketball, football and to a lesser degree hockey. Pisses me off. The refs shouldn't be talking to the damn players with the game on the line. Nobody ever gives me a good explanation as to why this happens. I post about it, talk to people about it, even call in radio shows when they are talking about shady topics or have a player taking questions. I guess the ref is just giving the guard a compliment with 30 seconds left in a 1 possession game. There's no doubt that games are fixed and have been fixed in the past, the only question is how many.

[cleaveland]

My biggest pet peeve in the world is when there's a game coming down to the wire and the clock is going and you see the fuckin ref talking to the guy with the ball. What could the ref possibly be talking about at that moment unless it was the outcome of the game telling the player what to do? I see it in basketball, football and to a lesser degree hockey. Pisses me off. The refs shouldn't be talking to the damn players with the game on the line. Nobody ever gives me a good explanation as to why this happens. I post about it, talk to people about it, even call in radio shows when they are talking about shady topics or have a player taking questions. I guess the ref is just giving the guard a compliment with 30 seconds left in a 1 possession game. There's no doubt that games are fixed and have been fixed in the past, the only question is how many.

I've never noticed that before. You should post a video of it happening on youtube and I'm sure you'll get some interesting replies.

[Chandler]

if they were so powerful they would think BIG..... c''mon

La Costra Nostra should plant a president in the White House.


wait...... the Blacks beat them to that? well i'm sure we'll see an Italian Stalion president before a women prez right?