HoopsHype.com NBA Blogs - Eddie Johnson

97 Comments »

1. Michael Bennett Said,

   August 16, 2007 @ 2:43 pm

   I agree with a lot of what you’re saying, Eddie. We, as fans, should never look at person/official/player and then judge the group. Donaghy’s decisions and life in no way reflect the rest of the game’s officials. In fact, I think that NBA refs not only have the hardest officiating job out of all professional sports, but they’re the best in professional sports. Any time someone does eye training techniques to be the best for their position deserves all of our admiration.

   I don’t like to read you writing “I even heard an assumption that golf should drug test. Hmmm, I wonder why? Is it because a certain minority individual is flat out dominating a game that did not allow minorities for years? So there must be an advantage!” That implies that there’s a group of bigoted white folks in charge that don’t like to see a person of a different color dominating. A) If there is such a group in charge, statements like that empower them even more… B) If there is such a group in charge, that’s not only dispicable, it’s not a sport I want to be a part of. C) Tiger isn’t black, yellow, brown or very tan. He’s the ultimate athlete who goes further than breaking color barriers - he, hopefully, makes everyone forget that they ever even existed.

2. Obvious Man Said,

   August 16, 2007 @ 4:49 pm

   “That implies that there’s a group of bigoted white folks in charge that don’t like to see a person of a different color dominating.”

   Um. Yeah.

3. Noah Said,

   August 16, 2007 @ 6:42 pm

   These are all good points, but (Donaghy or not) the NBA would go a long way toward rebuilding fans’ trust in officials if it did not hide information about evaluation and discipline of officials like it was a matter of national security.

4. Kyle Said,

   August 16, 2007 @ 7:50 pm

   Eddie,

   Not to make light of what Donaghy did, or trivialize it in any way, but I have what I believe to be a unique take on this whole aspect.

   Yes, he was ATTEMPTING to control games, as he was betting on games that he officiated, but please take a moment to consider a few things (before completely disregarding this post).
   1st) As a referee (or player, you can attest to this) you are, more often than not, caught up in the adrenaline rush that is basketball; caught up in the exciting moments, etc. My point is that Tim may have meant to make calls in his favor, but in his fervor may have made the CORRECT call because of his excitement. That’s a weak assumption, but still a semi-valid one, IMO.

   2nd) There are 3 referees in a game. I have seen COUNTLESS games where one ref makes what he believes is the correct call.. then BAM! the other two zebras converge on him and quickly change his mind, because they had a better view, etc. There is a checks-and-balances system for reffing in the NBA. With 3 different people, 3 different points of views, you would rarely, if ever, get a legit phantom call to go through. Granted, this still allows for him to affect the game on the “iffy” calls, but with the talent of the other officials, I find it hard to believe that there would be much effect.

   3rd) Building on the checks-and-balances argument… Game films are routinely reviewed by NBA coaches, players, asst. coaches, GMs, etc. There are SO MANY PEOPLE that would have noticed a disturbing trend if Donaghy had been obviously affecting many games. People such as Mark Cuban would have brought it into the limelight by now, (and Stern would have taken care of it) so we know that no one ever had any sort of peep.
   If they did have a complaint, Stern would have slapped them with a fine for questioning his warriors (refs), but then he would have done his due diligence and reviewed the plays himself, or had someone do it for him. Either way, any questionable play is reviewed countless times by countless people, and if Donaghy was having an obvious impact on games, I’m sure that this case was either: 1) not a surprise at all or 2) relatively inconsequential (minus the moralities of it, of course) as he wouldn’t have affected the actual games.

   Of course, one can argue that Donaghy wouldn’t have affected that many games, but only the important ones, and that’s a very good, in-arguable point. Even so, I’m assuming that extensive checks are done on referees that are chosen to ref the Finals and other important games. I know that only about 25 refs are allowed to work during the post season, and only a handful do the Finals. If this game-altering practice of Donaghy’s really had been going for a while, or really had an effect at all, then he never would have been able to coach in an important game (too many complaints about him, etc) and thus never would have had any opportunity.

   My overall point is that basically, the logic says that Donaghy wasn’t affecting many (if any, actually) games. Affecting even one is still a punishable crime, obviously, and something worth getting upset about, but not the end of anything, not a hindrance to the NBA, not Armageddon like some people say.

   It would just be FAR too hard to change the outcome of a game in your favor multiple times without at least someone in the game having a relatively strong case against you. The fact that this came out of nowhere begs two questions: Was this going on for a while, and people knew about it, and tolerated it, because they perhaps had Donaghy’s “word” that he would change, and stop betting? Or was it an all-of-a-sudden realization, in which instance the multiple above arguments would hold true (very few, if any, games effected, etc)?

   Just one man’s opinion. Sorry it’s wordy, and probably quite UN-clear, but my mind was working so fast that I may have jumbled some up. I hope that you get my general gist, and I look forward to some sort of response from someone.

5. Rey Said,

   August 16, 2007 @ 7:57 pm

   The NBA overtly makes calls that benefit certain players and certain teams (especailly in the playoffs- Miami/Dallas!)… One ref making biased called for a reason other than helping market the game won’t be a big deal in the end…it’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the other stuff

6. Bree Said,

   August 16, 2007 @ 8:15 pm

   Eddie that was strong…especially….

   “I even heard an assumption that golf should drug test. Hmmm, I wonder why? Is it because a certain minority individual is flat out dominating a game that did not allow minorities for years? So there must be an advantage”

   Great way to man up Eddie love it that you took a swing…that was not your usual rah rah..and as for Mike Bennett’s comments

   “That implies that there’s a group of bigoted white folks in charge that don’t like to see a person of a different color dominating. A) If there is such a group in charge, statements like that empower them even more… B) If there is such a group in charge, that’s not only dispicable, it’s not a sport I want to be a part of. C) Tiger isn’t black, yellow, brown or very tan. He’s the ultimate athlete who goes further than breaking color barriers - he, hopefully, makes everyone forget that they ever even existed”

   wtf….Mike my dude…you are totally making no sense…please don’t distract from Eddies shine on this point, Tiger is not black, yellow..etc..again wtf…please someone take this mans computer away he appears dizzy or just plain dumb with the mishmosh of gibberish he just printed…if there is such a group???? You mean the white conservative media that covers sports as well as the white conservatives that run golf best exampled by that crew that would’nt give women membership at the masters…dude where you been…again please let Eddie shine on this without your poor attempt at scrutiny or clarification.

7. Eddie Said,

   August 16, 2007 @ 9:40 pm

   Kyle

   it is what it is man. please don’t make excuses for a man that said he cheated.

   michael

   bottom line is there has never been drug testing in golf and mainly because since Jacks skills diminished– golfers were pretty equal. now all of a sudden it’s a problem. come on man. it is what it is.

   first the golf course was to easy, when he struggled for a while players said Nike clubs were inferior. Now that he is winning and approaching Jacks record at a serious pace. the Steroid question comes up. i guess steroids makes him the best iron player and putter in the world.

8. Michael Bennett Said,

   August 16, 2007 @ 9:56 pm

   What I’m saying is that it has nothing to do with Tiger being a minority. Although it’s ridiculous any way you look at it, wanting to check golfers for steroid use has everything to do with a young player from THIS generation about to break records held by a guy so popular for so long, and that scares the decision makers in golf. I agree - it is what it is. But, I think THAT’s what it is.

   You said “Is it because a certain minority individual is flat out dominating a game that did not allow minorities for years?”

   You should have said “Is it because a certain individual is flat out dominating the game?”

   When Hank Aaron was breaking Babe Ruth’s record, it WAS about race. But, that was over 30 years ago. Disco was about to be popular. People were dumb…er. But, Times They Have’A Changed.

   Come on, Eddie! I expect more from a man who prides himself on the tough argument…

9. frank Said,

   August 17, 2007 @ 12:19 am

   first on the golf thing:

   did anyone listen to the press conference after the pga championship? the field is catching up. and anyways, if you’ve ever swung a golf club, you would realize that much of it deals with hand-eye coordination and skill then actual strength, because with today’s technology, the harder you swing will only give you an extra 50 yards or so. and it’s tiger’s touch with his irons and his putting that puts him on the pedestal of golf’s gods like jack nicklaus and bobby jones. i think anyone’s idea that we should drug test in golf is asinine and to claim it’s a racial issue is even more ludicrous.

   now with tim donaghy.

   if kwame brown and michael olowokandi can’t destroy our faith in professional basketball, then tim donaghy won’t either.

   he did get what he deserved, and the fans will forgive and forget. it actually gives us more material on the refs, which makes owning court side seats a lot more fun this year.

   my whole take in this situation is very simple. the information he gave on referee tendencies and relationships with players doesn’t really affect the actual outcome of the games he didn’t work in. they were gonna happen anyway. the only people that really helps are the gamblers who where getting this inside information. so he gave team’s free throws to help the over/under or to cover the spread. as despicable as that may seem, that also only helps the gamblers.

   now if they can prove that the calls he made in the games in which he officiated did in fact change the outcome of the game, and i’m not talking score, but the actual outcome of who won or lost, then that would be a travesty. those are the only games that should be in question, the one’s he worked. and i have a feeling that the nba has realized that, then it won’t take long for fans to realize that as well.

10. BRockin25 Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 12:27 am

    Thought this was pretty well written. I definitely understand the impact and control that officials can have on a game from experience, which is why I’ve always disliked how certain staffs are assigned to different playoff games, etc. Takes away from the entertainment of the game when you can predict what team will get calls given the state of a series.

    Donaghy may or may not have fixed Game 3, but it seems like whether he was or not, Stern knew the type of officiating staff he sent to work that game…a staff with a reputation for calling more fouls per game than others, with a man who had apparently been under investigation for months. There have been countless playoff games where you could assume the outcome before it even started (Game 3 of the 2006 Finals comes to mind), and hopefully this scandal puts an end to that.

    As far as the other stuff alluding to Bonds and Tiger, I agree

11. Eddie Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 12:29 am

    Times has changed, but we have a long way to go. who else in golf would anyone be worried about when it comes to steroids? until Tiger started dominating we never heard a peep about drug testing. figure that out.

12. Michael Bennett Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 1:09 am

    John Daly??? LOL

13. JBEAN Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 6:42 am

    As a long time baller and fan I for one am stoked about the situation. For years basketball refs have been atrocious at every level. I certainly don’t believe there are numerous refs on the take but many if not a majority have an agenda, a bias that might make that superficial call on a game changing player just a little bit easier. I’m sure many of us have watched the nba year after year and always thought the head officers were getting to the refs helping to dictate the swing of certain series, heck even seasons. That may or may not be the case, but i’m willing to bet this upcoming season we will see far more fair called games then we ever have, at any level.

    YOU will be STOKED too, trust me.

14. david Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 9:38 am

    If there was a conspiracy in the NBA, it would be pretty dumb to have had the small market Spurs win 4 out of 9, so scratch that.
    If you want to give the Spurs another asterisk, go ahead. You could give one to just about every team that has won except for Jordan’s Bulls and the Lakers 3 peat.
    C’mon Eddie, in 1999 did the OLD Spurs play fewer games that everyone else? WOuld you have given the * to Portland if they had won? (on paper they had a very strong team). Do you give one to Detroit after the .4 eliminate the Spurs (who were the champs)?
    I can let it go if you can.
    Donahy is a blight and the NBA will recover just as they did after the brawl.

15. Dylan J Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 10:01 am

    Interesting article in the NY Post here. (NOT that Peter Vescey garbage).

    http://www.nypost.com/seven/08172007/sports/former_nba_ref_blasts_officiating_sports_fred_kerber.htm

    It leads off with the following statement: “THE FORMER HEAD OF THE NBA REFEREES UNION and a league official for 26 years yesterday said rogue referee Tim Donaghy was able to slip through the cracks because refereeing has gotten worse and cited the final shot of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls career as an example where a player’s reputation prevented a proper call.”

    More than anything in the Donaghy case, this statement vindicates my viewpoint on the way pro Basketball is OFFICIATED (not to be confused with the game itself) and to a lesser extent, on Michael Jordan as well.

    MJ was definitely the best of his era. No doubt. But in my mind, his reputation is tarnished by the favouritisim he recieved from the League and it’s officials.

    The David Stern regime has it’s hands all over the history of the league. It doesn’t mean that Jordan, Malone, Stockton, Barkley, Ewing, etc. etc. weren’t great players playing a great game. But after the way the Spurs won this year, the NBA has proven itself to me to have the same sort of credibility through it’s scripted outcomes that the WWE wrestling product offers - it is simply “Sports Entertainment”.

    This may simply be my opinion at this point, but the allegations of Donaghy accepting a payment in Arizona way well prove it closer to fact before long.

16. Pop Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 10:02 am

    Tim Donaghy go to hell!
    Has a suns fan, man my team couldve won that championship!

17. Mark Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 10:06 am

    Drug testing shouldn’t bother Tiger, he’s got nothing to hide, he’s just better than everyone else. I think the whole drug testing in golf thing is a response to the other problems in the world. The following have been big news in the last couple months: Barry Bonds and the home run record and “Ref-Gate”. Add into that and the whole Chinese toy recall and the problem of trust is on everyone’s mind.

    There was even a congressman who wanted to talk to Commisioner Stern a few weeks back about Donahy . The problem of cheating in on EVERYONEs mind.

18. Hammond Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 10:33 am

    Eddie–

    Good article. I (of course) agree with David’s objections concerning the Spurs.

    Regarding Tiger– pretty obviously not a steroid user– that long lean physique and slender face are usually a marker against steroids, unlike those of Giambi, Bonds, etc.
    The racism thing is tough with Tiger. I do not question in any way that there are still white guys out there upset that a black mixed race guy is the greatest golfer on earth. However, just about every white guy golf-lover I know worships Tiger with the same regard that most people, black, white and otherwise, worshipped Jordan. Now, of course, there must have been comments made in private by individuals– race jokes, etc– during MJ’s reign, but for the most part he was admired by Americans for his great skills, and actually had an easier time of it than a Bill Russell, or the greatest example, Jackie Robinson.
    The fact that white children (or any children) would grow up in this country with unabashed love and admiration for people of a different race is one of the most beautiful qualities of sports, and that’s why the integrity of the game is so vital — and this is what makes Donaghy’s crimes so dispicable. The guy made a good living and had everything going for him. The judge and jury really need to make an example of him.

19. Whitey Blackman Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 12:03 pm

    Tiger Woods is Asian-American

20. Michael Bennett Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 12:03 pm

    Hammond - I like a lot of what you’re writing. But, I have to bring up a couple of things:

    - Not all steroids make you big. Steroids like Winstrol actually help to burn fat and give you that “long lean physique and slender face”. I’m not, in a million years, saying that Tiger took steroids - I’m saying that there’s different types of steroids, so generalizations about steroids are off.

    - New weight training and mass building exercises pop up every day. I hate how media outlets show pictures of Barry Bonds when he’s 25 (lean) compared to pictures of him now, at 42 (big) and try to use that as evidence of steroid use. It’s BS. Athletes get bigger as they get older. People get bigger as they age in that range. A couple of examples of athletes gaining a lot of weight through the years are Robert Horry, Michael Jordan, Ken Griffey… wait, mostly everyone. I’m not saying Bonds didn’t take steroids. I’m saying comparing pictures from now to his youth tell you nothing except he got older.

    - I’d be careful about writing things like “The judge and jury really need to make an example of him.” That’s going a little too far. America isn’t built on making examples of people. America is about the truth and equality. Holding someone to a higher standard because of their occupation or fan expectations goes against the very essence of American justice.

21. Rashidi Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 12:43 pm

    Bennett, you obviously know nothing about what’s going on in baseball, don’t try and comment on things you know nothing about. There is an overwhelming amount of evidence that Bonds used steroids.

    Btw, rather than looking at pictures of his body, look at THE SIZE OF HIS HEAD. His head has GROWN since he entered the league. That’s a symptom of steroid use. Do you know of any weight training that increases the size of your freakin head?

    Jordan, Griffey, etc all have the same size head as when they entered their respective leagues.

    And none of those players experienced a spike in their production at any point in their careers. Bonds on the other hand, DID. He got better as he got older. Has Tiger gotten better with age?

    Steroids btw, are HARDLY a race thing, as evidenced by the very white Mark McGwire being left out of the hall of fame this year - the voting wasn’t even close.

22. Rashidi Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 12:49 pm

    “I’d be careful about writing things like “The judge and jury really need to make an example of him.” That’s going a little too far. America isn’t built on making examples of people. America is about the truth and equality. Holding someone to a higher standard because of their occupation or fan expectations goes against the very essence of American justice.”

    America is about truth and equality? The declaration of independance was written by slave owners. TRUTH? Just look at any level of government to find how much “truth” there is. The higher you go, the less there is. American justice? You mean where black people get sentences three times longer than white people on average? Wake up and smell the coffee.

23. Michael Bennett Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 12:57 pm

    There’s overwhelming evidence that you’re an idiot… based off these posts.

    Rashidi - R-E-A-D. Did I ever say Bonds DIDN’T use steroids?!? Before you write your essays, you should actually read the post you’re responding to. And, Bonds didn’t get better. He hit more homeruns as he gained muscle, but he didn’t necessarily get better. Without the homeruns, he would have been a first ballot HOFer and arguably one of the game’s ten greats. He didn’t get “better”, he just hit more homeruns.

    “Wake up and smell the coffee”? Do you know anything about the US Constitution? Do you know anything about the law? So simple minded…

24. Kevin Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 1:35 pm

    Eddie, while I usually love what you write, the comment about golf was uncalled for.

    1. The question about drug testing in golf is because there are clear indications that some players have been using them. Those players under suspicion are almost all white.
    2. Tiger is the darling of the PGA. He makes them LOTS of money. He has put the PGA on the map and moved golf way ahead of hockey as a popular sport.

    While I know this was just a side comment in this article, I couldn’t let it slide.

    Yes, we must move on. Yes, Donaghy should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Yes, we should make some changes in the way officiating is done in the NBA. Maybe an appeal process, or public referree evaluations.

    It would be interesting to do a quarter by quarter review process, where if a bad call is made, a player gets it removed from his alotted 6 per game. Points should never come off the board, but it would be a way of correcting a mistake.

25. Connie Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 2:37 pm

    There’s Rashidi again, posting judgemental, inflammatory comments. There he is again, telling people, in this case Michael Bennet, not to post his opinions and observations. Who woulda thunk it?

    And as far as the “size of his head” thing goes, that is just such rubbish. Has Rashidi ever actually measured Bonds’ head? Is he going from how it looks on TV? Not very accurate. And even if it were true, (about the size of Bonds’ head) that hardly would be a definitive indicator of his alleged steroid use. In my 40’s, I am substantially bigger than in my 20’s, and MY head IS bigger also. And I have never taken steroids in my life.

    Rashidi does make a good point however, about the lack of “truth and justice” in the American way. But who amonst us here, wouldn’t want to strive for truth and justice? I agree with Michael Bennett, that Donaghy shouldn’t be held to a different standard than anyone else. To me, it seems that 25 years would be extremely harsh for his crimes, especially with how The League is spinning this thing to soften any implication that actual outcome of games was affected.

    But if Donaghy gets only a year or two, I would wonder what kind of behind-the-scenes dealings are going on, who is he protecting, for this kind of lenient sentence. Also, regardless of his SENTENCE, it really comes down to how much time he serves. If he is sentenced to 25 years, the messsage of non-tolerance can be sent, then the sentence could be overturned on appeal, and he could end up serving 2 years; I personally would wonder about the integrity of “the system”. Not that I don’t already.

    Eddie, you are right, the league will recover. But the world is a different place today than it was when Stern came in as commisioner. This is the age of Hyper-Marketing. There is so much competition for our entertainment dollars and for our time. With the scandals, instead of the action on the field, across virtually all of professional sports, grabbing the headlines now there is a cynicism among the general populace regarding pro sports.

    And that is really a shame. Regardless of anything else, the talent, skill, determination and desire of the pro athlete is a beautiful thing to behold. The competition and drama on the field or court or racetrack is so inspiring and entertaining to those of us who know how difficult it is to execute at such a high level. Yes, the NBA will recover. But I don’t believe it will ever regain the kind of pinnacle that it enjoyed in the heyday of Bird, Magic, and Michael. And as a basketball lover, and an NBA lover, I find this such a morose scenerio, it brings me to tears, because it affects my enthusiasm for the game as well.

    Maybe I’ll take up fishing.

26. frank Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 3:47 pm

    in regards to bonds, the head thing is a valid argument. i am 27 and my hat size has gone from a 7 1/2 to a 7 5/8 over the last ten or so years, which includes the latter end of a thing called puberty. bonds hat size i believe, and i could be wrong, has gone from a 7 1/2 to i think, an 8 over the last 10 years isn’t he in his 40’s. unless he got his spurt a little late, that does wave a red flag.

    also, bennet is right. barry would’ve, and might still be, a first ballot hall of fame player. his only spike in home run production was the year he hit 73. he hit 49 the year before and his second best total was 46 done the year after he hit 73 and back in 1993. and he’s hit 30 - 40+ homers throughout his career.

    i do believe that barry used steroids, not to gain an overwhelming advantage in strength, but to heal injuries sooner than normal. this aided in his overall production. do i believe he’s still taking steroids — no. i mean look how many games he’s missed in the last two years. he’s always had the skill, he just wanted the longevity.

    and rashidi, if you want to go by statistics, think about this:

    since 1976, there have been almost double the number of white inmates executed on death row than black inmates (621 - 370). and currently, there are more whites on death row than blacks (1517 - 1397). even in the southern states, where racial bias and prejudice is practiced more often, whites outnumber blacks on death row. where’s the racial bias there? the prison system stems from a social issue, and yes that includes race, but it also includes, economic welfare, issues with gangs and a multitude of other things. if you want to keep bitching and blaming it on society, then go ahead, but if you want to do something about it, go to a youth center in the inner city, where it is proven that criminal activity is more prevalent, and volunteer. this will prevent the kids of today in becoming the criminals of tomorrow.

    is that enough coffee for you?

27. Hammond Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 4:24 pm

    M Bennett–

    I didn’t mean to imply that Donaghy should be given any sort of negative special attention because of the situation– i meant that he should be fairly and equitably punished but that the magnitude and scope of his crime should not be written off, as it will be by some people, as “oh, big deal, I always suspected it anyway.”

    Regarding Bonds, well it’s a difficult situation, because I do believe in the fundamentals of innocent until proven guilty. But there are many situations in life where judgement comes into play and we don’t have the convenience of certainty regarding the circumstances. If a sister or female friend of mine had an opportunity to date a guy who has been acquited of rape 6 times, I wouldn’t say “sure, go ahead, he was found not guilty by a jury of his peers.” I don’t advocate we put Bonds in Guantanamo Bay and throw away the key, but if I had to make my best educated guess about him, I have to fall on the side of him having done steroids.
    Also, I know there are many ways to dope without getting bigger– the EPO favored by bicyclists, HGH, amphetamines, etc– and while it is not by any means fool-proof to suspect drug use because of appearances, it is the first step. I think this whole WWE wrestling scandal is beyond ridiculous– lawyers and sponsors acting surprised that there is steroid use in that so-called “sport.”

28. Hammond Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 4:35 pm

    Eddie & M Bennett–

    No doubt there were some bad calls in the Suns-Spurs series, but in light of what is happening, what do you think about Joey Crawford, who earlier gave Duncan two technicals, including one for laughing while he was sitting on the bench? I’m sure if that was Amare or Nash, you’d have questions about the legitimacy of those calls…

29. Connie Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 4:48 pm

    It’s hard to believe that this thread has degenerated from E.J.’s post about the NBA overcoming the bad image caused by the Donaghy scandal into this debate about Barry Bonds and steroids. (althought EJ did interject the whole Tiger angle into this; I wonder if he just wanted to get us going?!! LOL!!)

    First of all, there is no reliable evidence (anywhere that I am aware of) that anabolic steroids increases cranial size. I personally work in the health care field, and I wrote my first paper on the subject of anabolic steroid use to augment athletic performance in 1978. (the memories of countless hours in the university library straining my eyes reading microfische is indelibly etched on my gray matter)

    HGH, on the other hand, may indeed do this, but not anabolic steroids. Bonds could certainly have used HGH and/or anabolic steroids, I doubt many (oustide of SF) would dispute the likelyhood. However, if Bonds did use HGH and it increased his cranial size, then one would expect him to show other signs of acromegaly; increase in the size of his hands and wrists, his feet and ankles, and especially in the size of his facial bones. Not puffiness, but an actual increase in the size of his facial bones. To my knowledge no one has ever suggeste any of these symptoms are displayed by Barry. As I wach him grip the bat, and see his hands at press conferences, they absolutely do not display any sign of unusual bone (or muscle) growth. And as I watch him, his face in no way displays the classic look of acromegally, with the thick cheek BONES and jaw and protruding forehead. And just because one poster above states his personal experience with cranial growth (or the lack thereof) certainly doesn’t negate my personal experience with my own cranial growth after osteo maturity, and no, I didn’t take HGH, either. (I’m referring to my hat size, not an increase in facial bone size and density)

    And to imply that Bonds’ steroid use was for recovery from illness, demonstrates a lack of understanding of steroids. There are two basic catagories of steroids. Anabolic (or “building up”) steroids, and cortico-steroids–these are the ones that help with inflamation (a CORTisone injection, for example) and recovery from injury. So the idea that Bonds used anabolic steroids to give him an edge in reducing his down time from injuries is really uneducated. The questions that are being posed about Bonds’ use of steroids is his use of ANABOLIC steroids which mimic natural sex hormones and help to put on muscle and add strength.

    As far as the use of statistics to illustrate that there are more whites exectuted and on death row than blacks, indicating no bias in prosecution or sentencing; this statistical analysis is fatally flawed. Any high school statistics student could point out that one must include the percentage of each racial group in the gerneral populace to give any indication of validity. This is a complicated issue, for sure, but to hold up these simple numbers without at least the context of the proportion of each group in the population as a whole, is either ignorant, misguided, or an attempt at distortion of the truth.

    My wish for the NBA would be for the league to lessen their attempt at control; controlling the culture of the players, controlling the percentages of the refs, contolling the opinions stated by any player coach or owner, as opposed to CULTIVATING a culture of excellence and goodwill at all levels, starting with the commish, then his lieutentants, and own down.

    To quote one of my favorite Rock songs: “The men who hold high places, must be the ones to start, to mold a new reality, closer to the heart!”

    Go Suns!

30. frank Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 5:02 pm

    i knew someone would bring up joey crawford sooner or later.

    first off, HAMMOND, get your facts straight before you bring forth an irrelevant argument to the tim donaghy situation. joey crawford’s ejection of tim duncan caused him to be suspended before the playoffs even started. the aforementioned ejection happened during a spurs-mavs regular season game. the top 4 seedings were pretty much locked and we all new who everyone was playing in the playoffs by then. the only question really being if the spurs were gonna get home court over the suns, but the spurs lost to the mavs that game, so that actually helped the suns. and to even mention nash, one of the more liked and respected guys in the nba, and amare, who doesn’t really do much talking if you pay attention to any game, is another flaw in your statement.

    here’s the thing, there is no question that officials favor superstars with calls. their is no question either that some players are more liked than others. that’s human nature. we are all biased individuals.

    now, if they could put a mic on tim duncan during the entirety of a game, then you would here more complaining than anyone else in the league. more than rasheed, although his are over the top which makes them a lot more fun to watch. tim just does it the boring methodical way, very much like his game. and this does not at all take away anything from the best power forward in the history of basketball.

    and everyone in the league knows joey doesn’t like that, and that he doesn’t like tim duncan. does that make what he did illegal? no. just a dumb time to voice his malcontent with a certain individual. take it to stern. better yet, take it to the press and make stern worry about it.

31. It's like I Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 5:16 pm

    Michelle Bennet, you are obviously on crack. Everything you said is wrong. In opposition to your statements, I think that it’s WRONG for a ref to cheat. I don’t understand why you think that is OK. And I think that the NBA would be best without ref Donaghy, contrary to your opinion that he should be reinstated and given a contract extension. God…how could you be soooo stupid and wrong.

32. frank Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 5:24 pm

    connie,

    on the steroids thing, i am just reiterating what i’ve heard from others. i’ve never taken steroids, nor do i contend that i know more on the subject than anyone, i was just stating an opinion, a misinformed one, but still an opinion. i do stand corrected.

    however, i was not distorting the truth with my statistics. if you want to go by percentages, there is actually a higher percentage of inmates of death row with latin/hispanic descent, than that of african americans. i was just trying to say that the whole black/white issue is so overplayed. there are more races that live in this country today. i have a friend whose black but he’s not from africa. he’s brazilian. so what does that make him? there are more people that suffer the racial injustices of this world. yeah tiger’s black, but so often we forget that his mother isn’t.

33. Connie Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 6:23 pm

    “It’s like I said”–should learn how to read–perhaps then she wouldn’t be the pot calling the kettle black. (Or maybe she can read….and is posting inflammatory nonsense like this anyway)

    Eddie, do you see how there are some people that insist on creating dissent and chaos? Do you see how there are those that twist and distort what is said or written, with the goal of creating havoc and divisiveness? Do you see how there are those, that have no interest in the topic at hand, but only interject themselves to murky the waters, and to camaflouflage the Truth?

    But fear not, Eddie, there will come, and is, indeed coming the day when these illegitimate tenants of the vineyard will be evicted. Read there fate here:

    http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%20119:119;&version=51;

    Ironic the “address”, eh?

34. Hammond Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 7:29 pm

    Frank– I never said the Crawford/Duncan thing happened during the playoffs, so I actually do have my facts straight. And secondly, I was asking a question, not asserting anything. But you have to admit, no fan of the Suns ever brings up Kurt Thomas repeatedly caught by the TV cameras holding Duncan’s shorts and jersey while “defending” him, but the minute there’s a questionable call that goes against Amare, it’s a sure sign of a conspiracy.
    Ho-hum, Spurs won the championship, Tim Duncan’s boring… same old mantra… wait till your daughter dates a Rasheed Wallace-type of guy and then tell me how boring Duncan is. Wallace didn’t set the record for technicals because he’s brilliant misunderstood genius– he’s a crybaby with no objectivity whatsoever who gets angry when anyone dares to disagree with him. If that type of personality appeals to you, then go ahead and surround yourself with friends like that. Enjoy.

35. Hammond Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 7:55 pm

    Frank–

    If you were a true basketball fan, you wouldn’t be able to so cavalierly state that Crawford doesn’t like Duncan and there’s nothing wrong or illegal with his actions– of course there is. His job is to enforce the rules, not to punish players he deems complainers. If his ejection of Duncan was based on his personal dislike of him, then it was absoluely illegal. Both technicals were ridiculous and everybody knows it, but I don’t hear too many complaints fron non-Spur fans. Let me give you a similar example on a bigger stage– Reagan & the Bushes never complained when Saddam & the Iraqis used poison gas against Iran in their war, because they hatd the Iranians, but the years later when it was used against the Kurds, it was a surefire sign of Saddam’s inhumanity. Don’t scream bloody murder when something goes against your favorite team, but then grin and smirk when it goes against someone you just don’t happen to like– that’s how all injustice begins.

36. frank Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 8:24 pm

    hammond-

    if you get a second to look at the wording in your original statement about the crawford situation, then you will be able to see how you never mentioned the mavs, and that the only names mentioned would make one think the you thought it took place in the spurs-suns series.

    i’m not the first to say that joey doesn’t like timmy. it was stated on espn, tnt, nba.com, hou name it. so once again i’m just stating something from so called credible resources.

    secondly, in no time did i ever condone what joey crawford did. it was ridiculous, i just said he went about his actions in an inappropriate matter, and could’ve been resolved behind closed doors. in no way does it compare to a situation with tim donaghy.

    third, if you knew anything about rasheed, then you would know he’s a respected individual in society and a family man. i would be honored for my daughter to date a success like him. so he plays basketball with a passion, and his mouth gets him in trouble on the court. ever remember seeing rasheed’s name in a domestic dispute case or in any other criminal matter outside of smoking some doobies in portland. better yet let’s praise the likes of jason kidd(spousal abuse?). but he doesn’t get technicals. so he must be a good guy. just because your demeanor on the court is great, doesn’t mean you’re the same off the court.

    and i am a true basketball fan, because i don’t try and use analogies with
    politics and war. basketball is a game. a great game that can teach you a life lesson. but it’ll always be a game. no bullets, no bombs. just a ball and a hoop.

    and don’t compare me to the reagan’s and the bush’s, i’m a liberal and everything that you mentioned in that analogy was a heinous crime against humanity.

    and when did i say that i didn’t like tim duncan. i said he’s the best PF ever.

37. frank Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 8:26 pm

    by the way, i’m a bulls fan and not a suns or spurs fan, so i don’t give two sh*ts about what happened between those teams.

38. Hammond Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 8:55 pm

    Frank–Again, if you don’t give two sh*ts about the two best teams in the league, you’re probably not a true fan.

    I saw Rasheed show off his gaudy house on MTV Cribs or one of those shows, and to be honest he came off as pretty stupid. Also, I’m not a fan of Kidd. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when the spurs didn’t sign him as a free agent after whoopin his ass in the finals.

39. frank Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 9:35 pm

    you’re right, i don’t give two sh*ts about two teams that have been at the top of the league for the past few years. i do enjoy watching them play, but why would i care what happens to the spurs and suns. their rosters could all go down with season ending injuries for all i care and d’antoni and pop could both be hospitalized with mono. okay, that may seem a bit severe, maybe just a few torn acl’s, like nash and duncan, and that would help pave the way for my bulls to make a run at the title.

    i thought being a fan meant unbridled passion for your squad and pure hatred for any other’s who get in their way to the ultimate goal. but that’s just my thought.

    and when does one’s gaudy house and intelligence have anything to do with character? i guess hitler was smart, and the eagle’s nest was a pretty cool place to hang out, so he must’ve been a really great guy? no character issues at all. at least by your assessment.

    sheed donates time and money to the community. and he takes care of his kids. that’s not too bad in my book.

40. Hammond Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 10:07 pm

    Frank–

    Yeah, pure hatred is a sign of a good fan. Interesting philosophy. Aren’t you the guy that just told me not to bring in politics and war, because after all, it’s just a game? Just a ball and a hoop…

41. frank Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 10:17 pm

    you obviously can’t read into sarcasm either

42. frank Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 10:19 pm

    and you’re telling me that hatred is a word that’s not used when we mention: yankees vs. red sox or duke vs. unc or buckeyes vs. wolverines. don’t take things so literally next time.

43. bball_noob Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 10:23 pm

    does anyone know how much officials are being paid?

44. Hammond Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 11:13 pm

    zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

45. StayOnTopic Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 11:43 pm

    Tiger Woods remark is assinine…End of Story

    Tim Donaghy is a scumbag but about to finger 20-30 other refs
    (reportedly) . To think he is the only ref capable of succumbing to Organized crime, greed not to mention his own arrogant stupidity is naive at best.

    If this dude cops a plea & disappears in witness protection , I’ll toss my cookies.

    The scope of what he did is mind boggling , including but not limited to a potential championship throw.

    Yeah a huge flock of sheep will trot out to watch spectacular dunks,
    however a substantial amount of knowledgable fans will totally marginalize this sport.

    Stern should resign, complicit in his ignorance if nothing else, every ref fired, Strict new rules governing refs need to be implemented.

    Personally I don’t see how the players can stomach suiting up with these low life refs throwing games , shaving points or blowing calls.

    Sports in general have lost what little shred of credibility they managed to possess.

46. billy Said,

    August 17, 2007 @ 11:50 pm

    theyll overcome because of the game. there’s such great talent right now and the league has been on the right path and great since about 2004 (2003 draft, and up to the pistons title)……….. theres great young talent (lebron group)…. great talent entering their prime (tmac group)….. and great talent in their prime (paul pierce group), and great talent in the 2nd half of their prime (steve nash group)………………. the league is stacked with talent ages 20-34 and its all amazing. its a great periiod and the game will always survive for one reason: BECAUSE ITS A GREAT GAME. the game is great, the talent is great right now, and these next 10 years could be the best era ever, after all the down years it really turned around since the 03 draft in my opinion and i think the 2006 playoffs were amazing (2004, 2005 and even 03 as well….. this years were good other than western conference finals and nba finals)……….. i think the league is in great shape for now and the future though……. but damn GET RID OF THESE REFS! and stern as well……………… EDDIE IS RIGHT THOUGH. THE LEAGUE WILL DEFINITELY OVERCOME THIS!!! GO CELTICS!

47. billy Said,

    August 18, 2007 @ 12:00 am

    EVER HEARD DAVID STERN’S QUOTE ON THE NBA THAT GOES LIKE THIS: “Stern didn’t take his cues from the tradition-bound worlds of American football and baseball. His model was Walt Disney’s entertainment empire. ‘We’re not just a sports league, not just a game, we’re an entertainment attraction,’ he said. Disney has ‘theme parks, and we have theme parks. Only we call them arenas. They have characters: Mickey Mouse, Goofy. Our characters are named Magic and Michael.’”……………… NOW IF YOU SWITCHED THE NAMES MAGIC AND MICHAEL TO THOSE OF TRIPLE H AND THE ROCK WOULDNT YOU BE 100% CERTAIN THAT VINCE MCMAHON WAS THE ONE SAYING THAT?…………………… NUMBER 1 PRIORITY SHOULD BE THE COMPETITION AND THE GAME!!!!!!!!!

48. greg miller Said,

    August 18, 2007 @ 12:07 am

    Ben Wallace’s rebounding totals from the last 5 seasons:

    2003. 15.4 rpg
    2004. 12.4
    2005. 12.2
    2006 11.3
    2007 10.7

    uh-oh.

49. billy Said,

    August 18, 2007 @ 12:16 am

    MAGIC JOHNSONS HEAD HAS GOTTEN WAY BIGGER. HIS HEAD IS NOTICEABLY WAY BIGGER…. HE’S HUGE COMPARED TO 1992……….DID HE DO STEROIDS TOO?

50. billy Said,

    August 18, 2007 @ 12:25 am

    JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE WRITE A BOOK DOESNT MEAN YOU HAVE TO BE SO GULLABLE AND BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ. JUST BECAUSE THAT BOOK STATES THOSE THINGS DOES NOT NOT NOT MAKE THEM FACT. AT ALL, ANYONE CAN WRITE A BOOK. THEY COULD BE LYING, THEYRE RICH OFF OF IT. WHATEVER……… BONDS MAY HAVE DONE STEROIDS AND HE MAY NOT HAVE. THE ONLY ONES THAT KNOW THAT ARE BONDS AND GOD. SO STOP ASSUMING, YOU LOOK FOOLISH. A MAJORITY CAN STILL BE A FOOLISH MAJORITY AND A WRONG MAJORITY.

51. Hammond Said,

    August 18, 2007 @ 12:30 am

    Billy–

    Good point. i remember reading an interview with Magic and he said the year marvin gaye sang the national anthem at the all-star game it brought tears to his eyes and made him feel proud to be an American. But it seems every year, things just get a little more crass. Nascar has no scruples at all about advertising, and WWE or WWF or whatever they’re called now is the absolute worst. I really hope the NBA doesn’t move further in that direction.

52. Hammond Said,

    August 18, 2007 @ 12:32 am

    Billy–

    I meant on the disney analogy, not the Bonds defense.

53. It's like I Said,

    August 18, 2007 @ 5:24 am

    I wrote a book. It’s based on a true story. It’s entitled “You’re an Idiot”.

54. Michael Bennett Said,

    August 18, 2007 @ 9:35 am

    An autobiography, huh?

55. Hammond Said,

    August 18, 2007 @ 2:15 pm

    There’s an item on hoopshype today about a former ref saying that Jordan not getting called for pushing off on Byron Russell was sort of a watershed moment and that the calls have been getting worse and worse since then. And naturally, there are responses by Utah fans saying that the Bulls’ championship needs… you guessed it– an asterisk. So now we’ve got asterisks for the Bulls (Jordan was treated preferentially), asterisks for the Rockets (they won only because MJ retired), asterisks for the Spurs (shortened season, Amare suspension), asterisks for the Lakers (won their 2000 title when Duncan was injured and couldn’t defend his 1999 title), etc., etc.

    I’m sure if the Mavs win one, the naysayers will say it’s unfair because Cuban just outspends the Spurs, the Suns, Detroit, Cleveland, etc…

    If the Suns win…. well, we’ll see what people come up with then.

56. Hammond Said,

    August 18, 2007 @ 3:06 pm

    I do believe that one way of addressing the ref controversy is to give each coach 2 or 3 chances at instant replay challenges. TV could use these times to go to commercial and it wouldn’t disrupt the game very much, but it would at least give coaches the chance to rectify inevitable bad calls, whether intentional or not. it would also add strategy to coaching– do you use your last challenge with 8 minutes left, or save it for the final couple of minutes.

    The worst call in the league is the lane violation on free throws. Violations happen on almost every free throw in every game, but they only get called when they’re blatant. But the unspoken policy is that a little bit of lane violation is ok and won’t be called. But if a crooked ref wanted to change a game’s outcome, he could easily call lane violations and the replays would show that it was actually the right call. Same with palming the ball. If most of today’s point guards could be transported back to 1960, they’d be called for travelling 10 times a game. The crossover and hesitation moves make the game more exciting, but it does make me wonder when Iverson or Kidd get called for it halfway through the 4th quarter and it seems like they’re not doing anything different from what they always do.

57. Bree Said,

    August 19, 2007 @ 7:03 am

    Eddie…..look, if this thing with the refs actually hits and 20
    refs are found to have committed minor infractions of say being in a casino area…at the least….please make sure you come down hard my
    brother on that issue…for all of those fans who had to bear the loss of players for stepping on the court violations (New York, Phoenix) and had to practically cry while their hopes for a ring got pushed back maybe decades….well if there is zero tolerance for a rule for the players and fans….there better be for refs…if 20 refs stepped in a casino…twenty refs better get fired. And please no bleeding hearts about loss of lively hood versus suspension…a rule is a rule as per the League…and it was surely one of their own ranks that brought this down…so again no wavering.

58. Jeremy Martin Said,

    August 19, 2007 @ 11:07 am

    Ah, once gain, Eddie getting followed around by his homosexual stalker Michael Bennett.

    The two things that are most starteling about Donaghy’s betting scandal are:

    1- The NBA will continue to lose credibility.

    2- Not many people care. (which shows the state the NBA is in)

59. Lori Ann Said,

    August 19, 2007 @ 11:28 pm

    TIME OUT !!! Let’s get back to the facts, the lesson(s), the solutions, and show of faith in the “CHANGING FOR THE BETTER” system. The NBA will now be paying VERY close attention to its practices, since the “Donaghy mayhem”, while making some well-needed changes. This is a GOOD thing! Opinions and judgmental jargon are no solution. Sure, the whole mess really upset the league, the players, and the fans. There IS a lot good, that WILL come from all of this. I agree with Eddie Johnson - we MUST move FORWARD! If you’re angry or even furious (as I was and still am, though just a bit at this point) … just say so, without losing sight of the topic. Bringing down the entire professional sports world over this, is just regressive and fruitless. Pick your sport, and elaborate on ITS goings on. It’s not about ethnicity or race. It’s about good sportsmanship and fair play — no matter the sport. To bring “race” into the picture, is only creating a whole new argument. And as long as people continue to throw the “race-card” into any scenario, they’re avoiding the REAL issues, while opening up a whole new can of worms. It’s up to people like you and me, to stop this racial nonsense. EJ - While you brought up some very good points, throwing the race issue into the mix, only created arguments and threw us off the initial topic: Donaghy and and the NBA officiating system. Let’s just learn, improve, and move on! Suns in ‘08 !!! In the words of KJ (Kevin Johnson): “In great hope” !!!

60. mercer Said,

    August 20, 2007 @ 1:55 pm

    i agree with what tim did. there are certai teams that should win and certain teams that should lose. pheonix is a loser and always will be.

61. Lori Ann Said,

    August 20, 2007 @ 3:52 pm

    I’d like to thank HoopsHype for locating my lost and found comments. Among all the nonsense posted herein, it’s nice to read some of the really applicable comments posted. I’m not into bashing fellow-bloggers, nor responding to idiotic remarks. I couldn’t help laughing hysterically at the following comments:

    It’s like I Said,
    August 18, 2007 @ 5:24 am

    I wrote a book. It’s based on a true story. It’s entitled “You’re an Idiot”.

    Michael Bennett Said,
    August 18, 2007 @ 9:35 am

    An autobiography, huh?

    ……Regarding the comments / nonsense posted by mercer (just below mine) ….. I rest my case. Cheers to good sporstmanship and fair-play !!! PHOENIX SUNS IN ‘08 !!! Best wishes to you all, and YOUR favorite team(s).

62. peregrinepdx Said,

    August 21, 2007 @ 11:47 am

    Wow, Eddie, a decent article, but with some weaknesses. First, are you serious? Drug testing in golf, just to stop Tiger because he’s…………..A MINORITY! Yes, Eddie, minorities are getting really tough breaks in sports. The next time you’re dining at some 5-star restaurant, chat about this with your white busboy. I’m sure he’ll have a lot of sympathy for you, even if maybe he was denied admission to college so that a less qualified student could be admitted based on his skin color, or maybe his skill in…….sports.

    Now, what is this? “The only difference between people who have gotten caught doing something they did wrong and you, regardless of the severity of the act, is they got caught and you didn’t. At least not yet.” Regardless of the severity of the act??? That is precisely wrong. The fellow who got caught molesting little girls……the difference between he and I is NOT that I haven’t been caught yet. The above statement implies that everyone has committed all of the same offenses as everyone else. I’m almost positive that this was not the intent, but Eddie, you go out of your way to explain that you mean exactly that. The difference between me and Ted Donaghy is NOT that I just “haven’t gotten caught” yet. You see, I haven’t been fixing NBA games.

    I’ve enjoyed your entries but this one is a disappointment.

63. Michael Bennett Said,

    August 21, 2007 @ 1:39 pm

    Wow, peregrinepdx - When’s your next Klan meeting? And, Jeremy Martin - Are you going gay bashing next week?

    Eddie - You were absolutely right - We DO have a looooong way to go. And, it’s because of people like peregrinepdx and Jeremy Martin.

    We need a new topic because this one has gone south. A lot of bigots out there… That’s why we just have to push them to the wayside and charge forward.

64. paul Said,

    August 21, 2007 @ 5:10 pm

    Michael Bennett……………not agreeing with Affirmative Action does not make you a Klansmen. I hope you were hoping to score some sort of a laugh from us readers by referring to peregrinepdx as such and aren’t really that far removed from reality.

    And as far as the Jeremy Martin comment is concerned……. Where in his comment did he say that being homosexual was bad? Well I”ll tell you, NEVER. You just assumed so. I didn’t have time to read all 35 of your posts, but this most recent one was void of logic

65. Michael Bennett Said,

    August 21, 2007 @ 9:37 pm

    paul - Let’s go over a couple of things… Hmm…

    First, there’s a thing called CONTEXT. Another thing is READING BETWEEN THE LINES. Yet another thing is READING CHARACTER BASED OFF THE INFORMATION GIVEN. And, another thing is INFERRING. And, yet another thing is HAVING A CLUE ABOUT ANYTHING…

    Which you obviously don’t. The key word there being ‘obviously’.

66. tak tak Said,

    August 21, 2007 @ 9:59 pm

    tiger woods has been dominating for a while and only recently have questions relating to drug tests and golf arose, i dont see the connection.

    also, i believe Jesus might have said something about throwing the first stone a little while before your pastor did.

67. paul Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 12:34 am

    Michael,

    Thanks for explaining that terms such as “context’ and “inferring” exist. I must say, I was blown away by your concise and methodical slaying of my argument. You wrote: “You don’t have a clue about anything” ……………. I was expecting you to defend your accusation that peregrine was a bigot and belongs in the KKK but this tangent of yours really hits close to home. well done

68. peregrinepdx Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 1:01 am

    Micheal Bennett,

    I’ve just enjoyed reading your little piece of hate-mail directed at me, as well as your childish little non-response to the guy who defended me. While you didn’t even attempt to make a logical point against either of us, or back up anything you said with anything even approaching adult reasoning, I think I’ll take the time to respond.

    Your capitalized comments are all quite nearly synonymous, and it’s a very thin line between what you call “inferring” and what I would call “making stuff up.” You infer what you want to believe, which is to say, you indulge your own prejudices. As prejudices are relevant to your attack on me, let’s take a look.

    So, just what did I write that was racist or bigoted? What did I write that was factually incorrect? What did I write, in fact, that you argued against at all? You didn’t; you just called me nasty names.

    The only sort of “bigoted” comment I made was to assume that Eddie Johnson eats at expensive restaurants, and I made this assumption based on his income and what I imagine is a busy travel schedule, not his race. Last I heard, “eats at nice restaurants” is not a racial slur.

    Eddie Johnson believes that golf officials want to start drug testing golfers because they are racists who want to stop Tiger Woods. This is an enormous accusation, which he does not back up. (Besides, does anyone think Tiger is using drugs? He’d have to test positive for this policy to affect him.) Either Eddie is right, or Eddie is wrong. It is a factual dispute. Michael, either some golf officials neither of us have met are racists, or they are not. Does it make me a racist to doubt it - or at least to doubt the logic and coherence of Eddie Johnson’s reasoning on the matter?

    Eddie’s reasoning was terrible. If he said there are racists on the moon and I disagreed, would that make me a racist, too?

    The facts I cited with regard to race and sports are that prospective students of some racial minorities receive preferential treatment in college admissions. This is not in dispute. Universities openly admit to doing this. There was even a supreme court case about this topic a couple of years ago. One side thought that racial discrimination in college admissions was good (as long as it favors the right races, of course), and the other did not - but both sides agreed that it happens.

    Do you stand alone in disputing this, Michael? When the President of the University of Michigan says that she uses race to decide who gets in and who doesn’t, do you think she is lying? Or do you just call anyone a racist or a bigot who doesn’t join you in pretending not to know this truth?

    Is racism so powerful that on certain subjects one must be a liar to avoid being a racist?

    The problem with racism, Michael, is racism. Every racist or bigot thinks that the target of his racism and bigotry deserves it, that in reality his racism is RIGHT. The remedy to this is to fight racism. When we simply turn the same bigotries on a new target, that is not progress.

    The essence of bigotry is to unleash hatred and negativity on a target for reasons not related to that person’s behavior, actions, or, in MLK Jr’s term, “character.” The racist believes that he can already “infer” negative character traits in a person just by seeing his skin color. Skin color provides the “context” in which the racist “reads between the lines.”

    There’s an old saying about being a rebel without a cause, or a warrior without a war. You have all the qualities of a racist without a klan. When you want to push the “bigots” aside so “we” can charge forward, are the bigots people like me, who you “inferred” are bigots? And who, Micheal, is this “we?” Is it possible you just hate white people?

    I don’t know a thing about how you’ve lived your life or how you’ve treated people. But on the inside, Micheal Bennett, no racist or bigot is any worse than you.

69. peregrinepdx Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 1:34 am

    In case I was too mature in my last post, here are a couple of gems from an earlier Michael Bennett post about Barry Bonds, for the amusement of other readers. These are real laughers! Here goes:

    “He hit more homeruns . . . but he didn’t necessarily get better.”

    And even better:

    “He didn’t get “better”, he just hit more homeruns.”

    I love it! Mr. “Read Between the Lines” thinks hitting more homeruns in baseball isn’t better than hitting fewer homeruns!

    I’m flattered that the guy who called me a racist bigot doesn’t know that hitting homeruns in baseball is good.

70. Eddie Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 2:48 am

    peregrinepdx

    What is up with you? who said anything about minorities getting tough breaks? last time i checked every sports league at it’s inception was white dominated.
    Minorities had to fight for every spot in the professional leagues and when they made it, they had to deal with racism. peregrinepdx, it is a part of sports and it will never go away as it will never go away in life from all races against and within.

    Minorities are proud of their accomplishments in Sports because nothing was handed to them at the outset and that is what inspired me to fight and work hard to get there as well.

    i have every right to make that assumption about Tiger especially when Golf has never asked for drug testing and he is far and away the strongest and best conditioned golfer on the Tour and he win’s everything and he is a Minority. Thats a fact! He is the big fish.

    Do you think they would be chasing Bonds if he didn’t hit homeruns? give me a break. he is the big fish, Macguire was allowed to break a record and they waited till he was virtually done as a player before they called him out and not until he virtually told on himself. Yet it was suspected he could have used enhancers.

    Tiger is who they want to know about —-you think it’s John Daly? lol

    On my quote you totally missed the point. i was commenting from a faith position. meaning there was only one perfect man. A sin is a Sin and you or no one can judge or throw stones if you have not been the perfect person, regardless of the severity of the crime.

    Look at Michael Vick—-he is going to jail for killing dogs and gambling- We have people walking the streets who have killed humans while driving drunk.

    I see a major difference in severity of crime, but guess what peregrinepdx, they are both a wrong and both should be punished because they broke the law. A crime is a crime, don’t do anything and if you do you can’t judge others regardless of what they did.

    Also tell the busboy to go get an education and work hard to own the restaurant instead of washing dishes. everyone has an opportunity in this country to become succesful. There is something for everyone and last i checked Athletes are not making all the money. Go to a marina and look at the many Yatchts or go to the private airport and look at the beautiful jets. last i counted only a few athletes have a large boat and only Shaquille has his own plane (at least i heard) don’t come in here telling me about a busboy. i went 18 years of my life wondering if i would eat dinner that night or have money for school the next day. i earned my 5 star restaurant status so dont compare, encourage. THERE ARE PLENTY OF WAYS TO EARN A LIVING AND BECOME RICH AND SUCCESSFUL.

    Finally why is it such a bad thing when minorities take advantage of legal law and opportunity from the government that it is termed a gift that hurts another. please get off that dead horse. it is what it is—thats what minorities have been dealing with forever. overcome and succeed. peregrinepdx are you doing that?

    you guys take an article and turn it into something else —–wow you wonder if i influenced that argument or what? (-:

71. Jerry Colangelo's dog, Rover Colangelo Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 8:50 am

    Maybe this situation will have the ref’s under such a microscope that they wouldn’t even think about calling phantom fouls in favor of players the NBA is trying to use to market the league for the next 10-12 years.

    Here are some examples of just a few fouls from one game that likely wouldn’t have been called the same way had this scandal taken place a couple of seasons back.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lX_qMS9bRY
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuukM40T974
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fydhtOSlfW0
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZKGlHfukc4
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y8nI1PPYOk

    Without these kinds of calls, the player featured in these clips would have a hard time putting on a show. He’d be much more reluctant to barrel through an opponent if he knew he’d be called for a foul, and his defenders would be able to defend knowing he wouldn’t be going to the line just because he has the ball in his hands.

    Thank you Mr. Donaghy.

72. Cruz Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 10:28 am

    This argument that’s going on puts me in a strange spot. On the one hand, I want to be as pro-civil rights as I can cuz that’s what I believe. But, Eddie, when you say there’s a conspiracy brewing to drug test golfers because of Tiger’s dominance, I can’t agree. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that drug testing is coming up now– it’s been in the air because of the Tour de France, baseball steroids, pro wrestling, the track and field olympians, etc. Tiger is making golf bigger than it’s ever been, he’s putting money in lots of poeples’ pockets, and as far as I have witnessed, he is very popular. Of course, there’s always gonna be some idiot some where saying something stupid, but to be honest, I’ve heard stupid stuff from both sides of the aisle– whites calling him the N word, fried chicken jokes, etc, but also blacks making negative remarks about how he married a white girl, has a “chink” mother, etc. It seems that every sport is now considering drug testing, for the plain reason that doping is unfortunatley rampant in our world, even with junior high school athletes.
    And regarding Barry Bonds…. well, he spent his time hanging around the central figures of the steroid scandal, so it’s pretty natural to take a look at him, and at the same time he bulked up substantially. To not be suspecious would be the same as looking the other way. And I have to agree with peregrinpdx with regards to Mike Bennett– to say Bonds didn’t get better, he just hit more homeruns is something I can’t defend. Try telling that to a player and his agent when it’s contract time: “you went from hitting 46 homers to hitting 73, but you didn’t really improve as a basaball player.” Someone mentioned Mark McGuire– true, people discussed steroids concerning him, but not much else. And the same is true for Sosa. One reason– those guys were nice guys, whereas Bonds has built a reputation as a jerk. I’ll quote my pastor: “you reap what you sow.” And now McGuire is not in the HOF, so he’s reaping too.
    Lastly, Eddie, instead of sounding slightly defensive about M Vick you should be a little more outraged. The fact that anyone in this world has ever gotten away with crimes, drunk driving, murder, anything, in no way makes Vick less guilty. He murdered animals for pleasure in the most gruesome way which is pretty disgusting.

73. Eddie Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 1:41 pm

    Cruz

    Tiger is the reason they want to drug test and thats a fact. i did not say the PGA wanted to test. Its coming from some writers and seconded by some golfers. The PGA does not want it. it’s the jealous under acheiving golfers that are putting it out there.

    Bonds is the best baseball player in the history of the game- with or without steroids and right now he has not tested positive for the drug. innocent till proven guilty–thats the USA motto—why is it a problem when OJ walks or Barry has not tested positive. let it go.

    Do i think OJ did it? well yep, but he was proven innocent–let it go.

    Is Tiger the best golfer in the world? yep—well let it go and get in a gym and on the course and practice like he does. thats what he had to do to even prove he could get on some courses. Tiger is a product of the racism that has existed in golf forever.

    i am not defensive about Vick–i am apalled at what he did–go back and read my statement again please.

74. Michael Bennett Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 3:07 pm

    It’s so tough to post here because very rarely people actually respond to what you wrote. Why? Because people do not read. Or, read thoroughly and understand. Or, they pounce on something they think they read with anger in their eyes.

    peregrinepdx is a baffoon who took nine pages trying to clarify that what? He’s not a racist? He’s not a bigot? Anyone who knows anything about this message board knows that peregrinepdx is a loose cannon, and jibberish is his game.

    To respond to Cruz (who also didn’t read my post correctly) - I said Barry Bonds was a first ballot HOFer BEFORE the steroid scandal, or alleged steroid use. He was in one of the most exclusive stat clubs possible BEFORE the steroids - 40/40. He was a defensive player, also - 8X Gold Glove winner BEFORE the alleged steroid use. I clearly wrote, in this font, that he was one of the top10 of all-time BEFORE the alleged steroid use. How can anyone think that Barry Bonds is better now than he was? He hit 73 homers ONE YEAR. He never went over 50 before or after.

    Barry Bonds USED to be the best baseball player in the world. He still is, but he was better BEFORE the alleged steroid use. If you don’t see that, you don’t know anything about baseball. Or anything.

75. Michael Bennett Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 3:09 pm

    And, quoting your pastor doesn’t make YOU any better of a person. It just makes you able to quote your pastor.

76. Cruz Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 4:20 pm

    Bennett– You say he hit 73 homers in ONE YEAR– yeah– he was BETTER that year. How good Bonds was in the past has nothing to do with the steroid issue– it’s still cheating and still illegal. If A-Rod starts using steroids next season and hits 80 it wouldn’t matter that he’d already been a great player. Your argument is no different from a kid saying that he ONLY cheated on the SAT exam but that he’d already had great grades and had never cheated on any other tests. It’s still cheating. You only defend it cuz you like Bonds. And I only Quoted my pastor to counter Eddie quoting his pastor. You calling peregrinpdx a loose cannon is pretty rich– looking back over these blogs, you seem like the guy who argues, insults, and resorts to name calling more than anyone else. You always resort to the same strategy: “eddie, these idiots don’t know how to R-E-A-D, eddie, isn’t so-and-so stupid…” so if I don’t agree with you than I don’t know anything about baseball. Or about ANYTHING? That’s a fair conclusion to reach.

77. Michael Bennett Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 4:31 pm

    I’m not disputing the cheating part of it AND YOU JUST PROVED MY POINT ABOUT PEOPLE NOT READING. I’ll lay it flat out there so you can’t falter:

    Bonds was a better baseball player pre-alleged steroid use.

    THAT’s the topic I was commenting on. And, yes, if you argue with that, you don’t know anything about baseball.

    And, yes, I argue, insult and resort to name calling… when morons like you can’t comprehend a single thing anyone writes, and you just blurt out useless comments.

    Cruz - Go sit at the kiddie table. Your arguments are old hat here.

78. Michael Bennett Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 4:37 pm

    And, this one should cause a ruckus:

    Although what Vick did to dogs is appalling, there should be no question as to whether he should be “allowed” back in the NFL. If I was an NFL owner, I’d hire Vick in a second because he’s one of the most exciting football players ever. And, I’m a dog/animal lover.

    He should be punished, but no team should ever hold that against him. If he pays the cost of incarceration, than he’ll pay his dues. A man is allowed to make mistakes, pay for them, then move on.

    It’s those people who think they’re perfect who can’t forgive and move on and ‘charge forward’. Everyone has faults - Vick’s might be bigger or more in the public eye than others. But, if he pays for his crimes, then no one besides himself can judge himself.

79. Cruz Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 4:56 pm

    Eddie– your opinions concerning Tiger are assumptions, theories– Not Facts. And to call other players “jealous and underachieving” is pretty presumptuous too. Who are you referring to? If it’s a fact, you must have names and circumstances to back up your statement. jealousy has nothing to do with race– it afflicts all people of all races. Remember when Isiah said Bird was over-rated because he was white– wasn’t that racist? Bird sure wasn’t over-rated when he stole Isiah’s inbounds pass… what’s your definition of underachieving? Is it not winning championships? In that case, I’m an underachiever…. and so are you.

80. Cruz Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 5:19 pm

    “He didn’t get better, he just hit more homeruns.” This is your quote.

    You are the only guy on earth who thinks that a player who already has certain Hall of Fame credentials hasn’t become better in a year when he improves on his previous best home run total by 27 home runs in one season.

81. Cruz Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 5:23 pm

    If A-rod hits 84 homeruns this year, will you argue that he isn’t “better?” That would 27 more than he ever hit before in a season.

82. paul Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 6:44 pm

    Michael Bennet writes:

    Cruz - Go sit at the kiddie table.
    peregrinepdx is a baffoon
    Paul: you obviously don’t (have a clue about anything)

    Its been awhile and I’ve forgotten how to respond to such comments……maybe a “I know you are but what am I” would be a fitting retort. Or how about a “I’m made of rubber, you’re made of glue. what you say bounces off me and sticks on back to you”

83. Eddie Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 7:37 pm

    I know Isiah Personally and that was a jealous statement not racist.

    On Tiger we have seen the comments by fellow golfers–they are extremely envious and embarrassed and yes they are the ones who are making comments about Tiger in terms of defending themselves against the total domination he is inflicting on them.

    Sabatini, Ames, etc….

    Tiger will be the cleanest one of them all.

    winning championships is not acheiving——-that is a team win—–

    underachieving is not working hard to reach your individual goal—i did that ,i got to the NBA despite tremendous odds and i stayed 18 years.

    you can not control things when others are involved you just hope for the best and try your hardest–i did that.

84. Cruz Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 7:47 pm

    True Paul…. thamks.

    Let’s remember, it wasn’t too long ago that Bennett was calling people idiots who didn’t agree with him that the Cavaliers would beat the Spurs.

85. Cruz Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 9:21 pm

    I agree Tiger has nothing to worry about. So why the conspiracy theory from you? Tiger is admired and respected by most golf fans, so the fact that a couple of other golfers are whispering innuendos… so what? Let them all test and that’ll be that. End of story. Let it be, Eddie.

86. Cruz Said,

    August 22, 2007 @ 9:28 pm

    Bennett–

    Your comments show that you are not a dog/animal lover. You love your own possessions, one of which might just happen to be a dog. I’m sure if Vick came to your house, grabbed your dog by the neck and brought it to the swimming pool and held it under water until it died a painful and violent death that you wouldn’t treat this affair so lightly. If you value the “excitement” of his athleticism more than his absence of conscience, you’re even dumber than I already thought you were.

87. J.R. Said,

    August 23, 2007 @ 10:31 am

    Isiah, Tiger, Vick, Bonds, WHO CARES!!! Didn’t an NBA referee get indicted for fixing and gambling on games? Ok, Donaghy messed up. Did he shoot, kill, do steroids, or kill dogs through dogfighting? NO. The guy got caught up in something and made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes and bad choices in there lives, no one is perfect. America’s funny this way, it’s so hypocritical. 50 Cent sells drugs and goes to jail when he was younger, now he’s on Vitamin water commercials. President Bush starts a war with Iraq on false information and he gets re-elected. 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina not a big issue anymore, huh? Everyone needs to look in the mirror before they start judging the person next to them. So an NBA referee cheated, I’m sure he won’t be the last. Now that the whole world has come down on him, i’m sure no one else will be stepping up and saying they cheated too. Will the NBA recover? NO. Not with David Stern in charge. What was he before he became “Commisioner”? He was a greedy lawyer. He’s the one that should be under fire. Everyone should be questioning his integrity first. He is always looking for some slimy way out of things and pointing fingers at everyone else. When things go bad he looks for ways of getting out of them. What the NBA needs is a former player or coach to run the league. Someone that everyone knows has the NBA best interest rather then someone who is looking to get there pockets fatter.

88. peregrinepdx Said,

    August 23, 2007 @ 4:02 pm

    Well hello, Eddie, I’m doing great, what’s up with you?

    I’ll respond belatedly to your post, and begin by saying that you succeeded in slaughtering enough straw men to fill an NBA roster. I remember watching you as a player, and you were pretty amazing - but you could go one-on-five against these strawmen.

    Let me deal first with some strawmen. We were never discussing leagues at their inception, but the current state of professional sports. So of course I never denied that blacks had it rough at those times. I don’t feel they face any disadvantage now, just as I don’t feel the hardships that several of of my great-great grandfathers suffered while fighting for the North in the Civil War to win the freedom of slaves.

    As for who said minorities get a tough break in professional sports, I was referring to your comment that Tiger’s being a minority is leading to a swelling demand that he be tested for drugs. When the PGA adopts a drug-testing policy just to stop YOU because YOU are a minority, man, that’s a tough break. But more on that later.

    Eddie, I hope your comment about being proud of your accomplishments was not inspired in any way by a feeling that I would not agree with you. I’m still proud of my high school sports accomplishments, so you quite rightfully are proud of your considerably greater ones. I hope you wouldn’t be any less proud if you were white, and would not feel that it was “handed” to you “on a platter.”

    I was prepared to tear apart your Tiger argument, but I see that it’s changed somewhat. Initially it appeared that you attributed this potential change in drug policy to racism on the part of PGA officials; not only is this an extravagant claim, but it seems preposterous that the league is looking at the NFL and the NBA and especially MLB and jealously wanting its own drug scandal. Golf would not be strengthened or enriched by this.

    Now I’ve seen your argument evolve (or be fleshed out) to state that other players and some writers are jealous. Cruz pointed out that jealousy is not racism. My time is limited now, but I think I read at one point that you agreed, and at another you switched back from jealousy to racism as the underlying motivation. Which is it? Jealousy is more plausible, and fits more with your “big fish” argument, and racism less. You could argue that racism would add fuel to the fire of jealousy for some individuals. That’s a lot easier to swallow than a racist conspi