Donaghy’s half-empty plea
Posted August 16th, 2007 by Brian Windhorst
Tim Donaghy pled guilty to some stuff yesterday (link has a photo of Mike Brown and Donaghy conversing). What he didn’t plead to, though, was attempting to fix or point shave/point inflate games. Which is pretty surprising to me, but we’ll talk about that in a moment.
Donaghy’s sin, he said, was leaking inside information about which referees will work games and certain refs relationships with players. Well, actually, what he did was use that information and his own inside knowledge of the league to make picks that he gave to gamblers. My reaction to that is: Really? Is that all?
Which refs work NBA games is secret but it isn’t like the nuclear codes. Most officials and NBA beat writers stay at Marriott brand hotels during the season. I’d say about half of the road games during the season I’ll see some or all that night’s officials in the concierge room having breakfast, in the lobby or out on the street near the hotel. Maybe I am naive, but I guess I didn’t know this info had much value. I know a handful of officials personally and I got to know all of them from such chance meetings in hotels and airports. We almost never discuss the league or games directly, more just small talk.
I do remember once a few years ago I was talking to veteran official Bob Delaney in the lobby of a hotel near O’Hare Airport in Chicago just before Christmas. He and other officials were driving to Milwaukee for a game that night and I was telling him that I wasn’t going to be home for Christmas in a few days because the Cavs had a game in Orlando. I asked nonchalantly if he was getting a chance to be home for Christmas and he ended the conversation nicely but immediately and walked away. Three days later he was on the floor in Orlando, where he lived at the time, doing the Cavs-Magic game. Just before the jump ball he came over to the scorer’s table and we laughed about it. So the officials do protect their schedules.
More to the point, the game’s officials are announced to everyone at least an hour before games. Which is plenty of time to get a bet down. As for ref/player relationships, I naively didn’t know that was so valuable either. I know that Marc Collins (EDIT: I mean Marc Davis, somehow I combined him with Derrick Collins) generally holds LeBron James to the traveling rules more than others, I know Dick Bavetta almost always gives Anderson Varejao the benefit of the doubt on block/charge calls, but so do most officials. I know Sean Corbin has a hair trigger on calling technicals and Mike Brown isn’t allowed to look cross-eyed at Joey Crawford. Donaghy obviously would have much deeper knowledge as I’m sure some refs and players have deep dislikes for each other that even insiders like me don’t detect. But, again, can this actually affect the final outcome of a game? My guess is very, very rarely.
Which is why I believe now, as I did at the outset of all of this, that most of Donaghy’s picks had to be over/under picks. In that case, officials and their tendencies would be valuable. That is a line that might move when the officials’ names become public, especially in the playoffs. So having advance knowledge would have a certain value because certain officials are known to call more fouls than others. As this post at Truehoop points out, Donaghy’s foul-calling style and over/under percentage changed drastically over the last two seasons.
Which all brings me to my final point on the matter. Despite the absence of a reference to it in his plea, I’d be shocked if Donaghy didn’t take actions to hit his bets/tips in the games he worked. Why? Simple common sense. When I talk with friends about steroids in baseball I reference Sammy Sosa and Albert Belle. These guys corked their bats, which is blatant cheating and cheating they could be caught at. So they weren’t cheating in ways they couldn’t be caught? C’mon. So Donaghy — who was having secret meetings, setting up code language over the phone, and using bag men and intermediaries between him and gamblers like he was Pauli in Goodfellas — wasn’t blowing his whistle a little extra or a little less to hit his bets? C’mon.
August 16th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
I am an NBA ref afficionado, I don’t think that a ref named Marc Collins exists.
August 16th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
Isn’t that pretty much how plea bargaining works? You admit to something a little less heinous so you get more lenient treatment, while the state gets to save a little cash on a guaranteed conviction?
August 16th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
In this case, the plea bargain for copping to some lesser or less damaging offense is not a cost-saving maneuver for the prosecution but rather a likely signal that he is singing like a birdie against whoever he knows up the mob chain.
August 17th, 2007 at 1:56 am
I have serious doubts that he’s singing like a birdie. One, he likely only would have been communicating with hoods down low on the food chain. So he wouldn’t have really known anything. Two, if he did know anything and was singing like a birdie, then he’d already be more dead than grandma’s parakeet lying face-up on the bottom of his cage.
August 17th, 2007 at 2:26 am
Prosecutors are more than happy to bargain for information about low-level guys in order to get leverage against them to keep moving up the chain. In one story on this, there was even a quote from one of the low-level guy’s attorneys complaining about what a sweet deal Donaghy got. You’ve been watching too much of the Sopranos if you think he would be dead because he could testify or give information against those low-level guys.
August 17th, 2007 at 10:12 am
In any case, a plea agreement that’s “half-empty” is pretty much to be expected, isn’t it?
My guess is the feds on the case have pretty much already gotten what they want–a high profile bust plus a couple low or mid-level leads that keeps them off the terrorism gig for another six months.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Speaking of pleas and agreements, I see our blog host has been dissed yet again. Man, it was insulting enough when Jeff McInnis told him to stuff a pecan pie down his pants. Then ESPN told him to take a flying leap and get more seasoning under his belt before applying for a full-time gig. But now comes the ultimate shot in the nads: the two sports columnist finalists were revealed to be Pat McManamon and JEWELL CARDWELL. Ouch!
Which will come first, LeBron James’ 2010 biblical exodus to the east or Brian Windhorst’s Pluto-esque escape through a drain sewer? I’m putting all my shekels on the latter. No way he’s writing for the Beacon Journal in 2010. Karl Ravech’s toupee will join the professional bowling tour before this has even a remote shot. This absolutely has to be the smart money. I wish I had Donaghy’s new cell phone number.
August 17th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
I don’t know, Alan. The way things work at the BJ these days, my guess is the sports section will get cut altogether but Windhorst will be named the new managing editor.
August 17th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
Alan T. is so SNARKY!!!
August 17th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Snarky? Mike, according to the United States Census Bureau, Cleveland is the poorest city in the entire nation. If you had Donaghy’s inside information, wouldn’t you have used it? As a concerned citizen, I am merely trying to give something back to the community. Bet BW, and bet him BIG.
With that said, Donaghy’s information concerning Pluto and his religion columns completely missed the mark. I lost $20.
The fact that he’s going to be given weekly space in the Plain Dealer’s religion pages tells me the Plain Dealer’s managing editor cares as little about sports as the Beacon Journal’s managing editor. A sports columnist can’t have a real opinion about sports if he’s concerned that he’s going to go to hell if he expresses it.
Oh, and sorry about this small tangent, but it occurred to me today: How can a book called “The Franchise” be written about James if the centerpiece of that book was not even interviewed? In these very parts, it was indicated that all interview requests over the course of the past several years have been rejected. So who did the Pluto and Windhorst tag-team tandem interview for the book? James’ minister? Ferry’s daughter? Usher? Donaghy’s pal Vinnie “The Weasel” Tortellini?
With respect to Donaghy, I think it’s a travesty that he’s not going to be given the full Hot Rod Williams treatment through the courts. If not for the mistrial, Williams would be Donaghy’s cellmate. This plea agreement happened curiously fast, and it defies good sense to actually believe he didn’t bet any of the games he worked.
August 17th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
Oh HAHAHAHA Alan! Brilliant! This blog should be renamed “Brian Windhorst On The Cleveland Cavaliers, Featuring His Snarky Sidekick Alan T.”
August 18th, 2007 at 6:42 am
Just a couple responses, Alan, and these are not intended as potshots. Still, I want to bookmark them.
LeBron James is leaving in 2010? You’re sure? I ask because we’ve been down this road in the past. (I’d swear we’ve been down it with you, but perhaps I’m confused.) He’s going to leave — just like he was a cinch to leave prior to re-signing his last contract? (That was all we heard on this blog — and to be fair, across the country.) I’ll tell you flat out — he’ll sign at least one more contract with the Cavs. There’s my prediction, and I’m confident in it.
By the way, when his contract expires, most of the Cavs other contracts you so dislike will be off the books, so the Cavs will be in a position to bring (or to have brought) in other players with whom LBJ identifies. Kind of like during the last swell of contract signings. Have they worked out? Haven’t they? We can debate, but don’t kid yourself that LeBron wasn’t given all kinds of input (including the final thumbs-up or thumbs-down) on those signings.
Brian may indeed leave the Beac. Writers often jump around to other papers in search of promotions, and newspaper circulation is a big factor in those jumps. Check Pluto’s resume. Check Shaw’s. Check Livingston’s. On the other hand, covering LBJ gives him exposure he might well not get in other locales. I don’t know if he’s in a snit about getting passed over, but he’s still a pup in writing terms, and he’s risen to a prominent place very quickly at the Beac. Still, if he jumps, we wish him well. I don’t blame anyone who takes a better offer.
Pluto is one of the reasons I stopped reading the PD and started reading the Beac. The quality of his columns easily exceeded Shaw and Livingston. On the few occasions I’ve read the PD the last several years, Pluto still outshines them. As such, my readership will follow him. I’m not sure if that means I leave Ocker and Brian behind (I doubt it), but I’ll now be boomarking a site (the PDs) which I’ve read maybe a dozen times in the last 4 years. Pluto has been an asset to the Beac; they will miss him.
I’m not sure how Pluto’s religion column has anything to do with his sports column. You don’t like it? Then don’t read it. You don’t even have to know that Pluto writes religion if you don’t care to know. I’m not even sure why this line of reasoning was a part of your comment.
August 18th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Kevin, I’ve said all along James is going to leave in 2010. My mind hasn’t changed. The sole reason he tacked on one additional year is because the Knicks’ situation will not resolve itself until then, and the Nets’ arena won’t be done until then. He’s gone. Bet on it. Even Donaghy is getting a piece of this action.
With respect to the Beacon Journal’s mass exodus, including Pluto, just like the rest of the paper’s corpse, he hasn’t had an edge since 1996/1997. Not coincidentally, that’s about the same time he found God. I don’t care what anybody does in their off hours, but by definition, if you’re going to write a sports column, you have to judge others. But nobody but God can judge. So how can he be a sports columnist? He is now qualified only to report sports, not to opine about it. By his own admission, he was forewarned by numberous other sportswriters before he took on the faith-writing gig. He should have listened. He’s clearly a good guy, but as a credible columnist, his laptop died years ago.
With respect to our esteemed beat writer/blog host, he said that ESPN turned him down a couple of years ago. I suspect he won’t get that same response the next time ESPN’s Human Resources Department and the hiring manager review his resume.
August 18th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
Numberous? Hmm. I mean numerous.
Hey, can we please have an update on Ferry’s breathless kicking of Troy Hudson’s tires? And where’s Beno and Houston? That would be a classic backcourt.
August 19th, 2007 at 7:09 am
Alan,
I disagree n(regarding Pluto and LeBron), but you have a sound rationale. I guess time will tell with LBJ.
That said, I thought in past blogs you were one of the persons who was critical of Brian having mis-stated the terms of LBJ’s outside contracts. If I remember correctly, you cited Stein or Vecsey or another national correspondent regarding the value of his endorsements contracts in other places, and I thought you said that meant LeBron would leave (this was during his initial contract). Do I have that wrong?
August 19th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
No, you have that right, Kevin. But 2010 instead of 2009 is the time. And obviously, it made absolutely no business sense for him to pass up the steep basketball pay raise for the several years which are preceding his departure. If all the additional commitment you need to make is one single solitary year, then why in the interim should he get paid like a raw rookie when he can get paid like a superstar veteran? Leon Rose ain’t no fool.
If he intends to stay, his contract would be expiring in 2013. Point blank. The word “flexibility” is nothing more than a sportswriter’s homerism.
And Kevin, speaking of sportswriter’s homerism, I woke up this morning and got a HUGE, and I mean HUGE smile on my face when I read Terry’s endorsement for Charlie Frye to start the Browns season. Much like the lips on Damon Jones’ face, it was impossible not to see that coming.
August 19th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
It’s more curious to me to see the call for Quinn moving to second team after a single performance against a bunch of scrubs in a blowout game.
Just two weeks ago, according to the BJ writers, he was a disingenuous prima donna and minicamp flop who would never be able to make up for the 15 practices he missed and it was highly doubtful he’d deserve to play at all this season.
August 19th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Larry, I noticed that, too. Who knows, maybe Quinn’s agent finally gave Pretty Boy the go-ahead to give local writers a one-to-one interview. That would soften ‘em up, don’t you think?
Speaking of agents, I’m curious as to how particular agents may affect Ferry when he’s out there looking for free agents and trades. Eddie Jones would have been perfect for the Cavs, but instead, we’re subjected to wacky rumors about a one-legged retiree. Ferry was played by Leon Rose in the LeBron Fiasco, and Jones also happens to be represented by Rose. I wonder if that had anything to do with Ferry apparently making absolutely no effort to sign Jones, or if Ferry is simply clueless.
August 19th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
sadly, pluto is as devoted to charlie frye as TPH and Doc are to alan t. i’m not quite sure what his thinking is, as Frye and Anderson were equally inept last night, yet Pluto saw something to make one a starter and one a third-string.
i know this is off-topic (or at least a non-cavs post), but seeing as how our esteemed host wrote an article about the browns training camp earlier this week, I thought I’d put it in anyhow. larry, quinn was playing against a bunch of scrubs who are likely to be greeting customers at walmart or packing groceries after the preseason, true enough. but was there even one glimmer of hope with anderson or frye out there? After watching both of those guys in the preseason and the regular season, they honestly don’t seem like they are so accomplished that Quinn wouldn’t be able to catch up with them. And heck, if the new offensive system installed by Chud is new to all four QBs, and Quinn is truly somewhat “NFL-ready” after playing with Weis, he’s what, 16 training camps behind the other guys in terms of learning it? And Frye, with his country bumkin demeanor, doesn’t seem like the sharpest player out there anyhow in terms of learning anything new.
August 20th, 2007 at 8:33 am
I completely agree TTSS.
I was just noting the crazy coverage of Quinn. His holdout was really to be expected so it was ridiculous for the Beacon writers to act as if they’d never heard of one before.
Maybe once Pluto’s gone, the paper’s other writers will realize that creating spin for GMs is not part of the job description.
August 20th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Larry, do you honestly believe your last sentence?
Sure, Pluto is one of the biggest hometown homers you will ever find within the confines of a newspaper’s sports section. Absolutely no doubt about it. But for Pete’s sakes, McManamon was EMPLOYED by the Browns. I think it would be naive to believe that he doesn’t maintain some bias in favor of the franchise. As far as our esteemed blog host is concerned, well, I really don’t think I’m going out on a limb to say that Cavs management won’t suddenly need to surround themselves with a titanium protective shield. Crusty Old Ocker? Is he biased towards the team he covers? In 2005, he voted Cliff Lee second for the Cy Young. ‘Nuff said. George Thomas? So far, he’s been a Rottweiler tapping a keyboard with a miniature poodle’s paws. Marla Ridenour? Who knows.
I really don’t think Pluto presence, or lack thereof, will alter the Beacon Journal’s writers’ methods at all. Like Bill Parcells always loved to say, it is what it is.
August 20th, 2007 at 10:47 am
One characteristic of Beacon Journal sports coverage has been the complete agreement among staffmembers. If Windhorst writes that Z needs touches, Pluto writes a column saying the exact same thing. If McManamon says Quinn looked bad in minicamp, Pluto writes a column saying the exact same thing. If Ocker decides that Cliff Lee’s a great pitcher, Pluto, of course, agrees.
Maybe that will change with a new columnist, but I doubt it.
August 20th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Want to know what “Coach K” does when he’s not dying his hair or kissing LeBron’s rear? Why hasn’t the Beacon Journal brought this to anybody’s attention??? The kid that died was from the Akron area and was a Browns fan!
http://redonkulouslinks.blogspot.com/2006/03/back-that-azz-up.html
August 20th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Is “Pauly” in Goodfellas spelled with an “i” at the end? The only time I can recall seeing the name spelled that way is on a beer bottle.
October 27th, 2007 at 11:42 am
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