Human Error

Tim Donaghy has apparently claimed to have information implicating 20 other NBA referees in gambling-related activity. He's not exactly a reliable source, but what if it turns out that this epidemic is widespread? What can fix this problem??

Answer: Robot refs. We have the technology. We can build them.

Glanville is a goldmine

With the hiring of former NFL head coach Jerry Glanville, Portland State has hit the football jackpot. They've already sold three times as many season tickets, compared to last year, and they are getting consistent national media coverage.

You can't pay enough for the kind of attention Jerry brings to the program, as it raises money for the program and makes PSU more competitive in the recruiting war with behemoths Oregon and Oregon State.

But that's not the most important part, because the guy happens to also be a brilliant coach. His 3-4 defense will make the Vikings a force to be reckoned with, possibly taking them to their first National Championship.

I think I'm going to go buy some tickets now before they sell out their September 8 home opener against UC Davis.

The SEC is practically the NFL

Each year, the SEC seems to become more and more dominant. No other conference in college football can hold a candle to the SEC, and this year it will be even more evident than in the past.

The SEC West boasts consistent powerhouses Auburn & LSU, complemented by Arkansas, whose tailback Darren McFadden is the favorite to win the Heisman trophy, and Alabama, who welcomes National Champion coach Nick Saban to the fold this year. This half of the conference alone has as much depth as any other full conference, and it's not even the stronger side.

The SEC East has defending National Champion Florida, who routed an Ohio State team that rode massive hype through the season until they were thoroughly embarassed by the Gators. Florida is just the beginning though, with Georgia, Tennessee, and blossoming programs at South Carolina and Kentucky filling out the East.

No conference has half the depth of the SEC, but this actually hurts the teams in the conference. Playing such difficult competition every week, it is rare that an SEC team can run the gauntlet and finish undefeated. Auburn did it in 2004, and Alabama in 1992, but most years SEC teams get snubbed in favor of teams with cake schedules who go undefeated.

In my opinion, the SEC Championship might as well be the National Championship. As Florida showed last year, when they were tested by Arkansas in the SEC Championship then rolled over Ohio State, the SEC Championship is more difficult to get to and more difficult to win than the National Championship game, simply because 2 SEC teams won't play in the National Championship.

Tim Donaghy: The best thing to happen to the NBA in years?

Tim Donaghy plead guilty today for getting paid to influence the outcomes of some of the NBA games which he officiated. He could serve up to 25 years in prison, if he is not drowned in a Suns fan's spackled jail-cell latrine first.

I know, this guy is a Class-A scumbag. However, I would be shocked if he were the only crooked ref. In my opinion, the quality of refs in just about every officiated sport is below average. Refs have been given such substantial protection from criticism, it has often made me ill. Ludicrous fines are routinely handed down for even hinting that officiating affected the outcome of a game. I think, just like most professionals, they should have to answer for their actions. If they screw up, they should have to publicly apologize, explain why, and receive a demotion.

Increasing referee scrutiny is long overdue, and Tim Donaghy has ushered-in this new era. Sure, it is terrible that he tainted the playoffs for 7 years or so. He has tarnished the game. In my opinion, though, this game I love was already tarnished. I can't count the times I've seen terrible calls change the course of an NBA game.

That will still happen, of course, but hopefully less and less as a result of corruption being brought to the light of day, rather than casually dismissed as conspiracy theory. Eventually, I think the NBA will be better as a result.

So thanks Tim, you sick depraved bastard.

Facilitation 7/30: Should sports contracts be guaranteed?

In the NFL, contracts are not guaranteed by owners -- a team can terminate a player's contract and avoid having to pay them. In MLB and the NBA, contracts are guaranteed, so when an athelete signs a $100 million contract, he will get paid that $100 million regardless.

Sports agents, such as Drew Rosenhaus (right), have encouraged NFL players to hold-out, or refuse to play, until they get a large amount of guaranteed money. Many NFL contracts are re-negotiated every year. NFL players often push for large signing bonuses, which they receive immediately, to counteract their lack of contract security.

In contrast, MLB and the NBA have dozens of ridiculously overpaid players that nobody wants. There have been many instances in which players have had career seasons in the last year of their contract, then return to mediocrity after signing a massive deal. This is especially true for high-demand positions such as NBA center and starting pitcher. Some examples: Erick Dampier, Adonal Foyle, Michael Olowokandi, Joel Przybilla, Darius Miles, Carl Pavano, Adrian Beltre, & Russ Ortiz -- but these guys are just the tip of the iceberg. A prime example of the failure of this system is Steve Francis (above), who received nearly $31 million in a buy-out of his 2-year, $34 million contract from the Trailblazers -- they prefered to pay him to leave than pay his salary. Francis recently signed a 2-year, $6 million contract with the Houston Rockets, consequently receiving both a $14 million pay cut and a $17 million raise for the same season . . .

Arguments for guaranteed contracts:

-- They add an element of commitment to the vicious world of sports, in which atheletes are often treated more like commodities than people.

-- Atheletes with guaranteed contracts can relax and play the game without fear of an injury that could end their career and threaten their livelihood.

-- There are many more contract disputes in the NFL compared to MLB and the NBA because of the inequity between the sports related to guaranteed contracts.

Arguments against guaranteed contracts:

-- It reflects the real world, in which a company can fire a person without continuing to pay them.

-- Many professionals risk injury to complete their job responsibilities, such as construction workers, crab fishermen, & military personnel.

-- Just because the NFL is the odd-sport out in this area doesn't make them wrong. If MLB and the NBA didn't guarantee contracts either, there would be far less contract disputes in the NFL than there are currently.