Say NO more...Tim Donaghy

...Our STUPIDSHITE person of the week.



I'm feeling it today folks, listening to John Mayer's song, "Waiting on the World." I am loving life at the moment. This "loving life" moment usually occurs once or twice a week and lasts for approximately 1¾ hrs, so I decided to write about it today.

I had an audition yesterday for a "reality show." I performed a skit as a counter person at McDonald's and the other guy had to order a Big Mac from me and try to get it at half price. I gave him a hard time by trying to get him to order more stuff. It was kind of funny. He got frustrated and forgot to ask for the Big Mac at half price. I started asking him for coupons and the producer stopped the skit. I realize that my humor can be annoying to some but I am enjoying myself. I like spoofing on "triggers of consumer culture." Our whole BUY, BUY, BUY, CONSUME, CONSUME, CONSUME, mentality. It frustrates me to the point where I just have to laugh and have a good time with it. I LOVE BEING ALIVE TODAY. I think I am having a manic moment…who cares, good times. It's such a gift to be a healthy person with the ability to do whatever the HELL you want as long as it's within the parameters of the law.

Speaking of the LAW, I see that Tim Donaghy pleaded guilty today of charges stemming from his involvement in gambling. For all of you who do not know, Tim refereed in the National Basketball Association and stands accused of influencing the outcome of basketball games to the financial benefit of himself and his gambling buddies. As I understand it, the scheme worked with perfection for over four years. Tim subtly influenced the point totals of the games by calling additional fouls towards the end of the contests which padded the final score. He also had privileged information regarding injured players and referee assignments, factors that often influence the final score of games. Why are these topics important? When betting basketball, gamblers often bet OVER and UNDER, a method used to place wagers based on the TOTAL score of both teams. This betting tactic allowed Donaghy to do his "dirty work." For example, if the Knicks were killing the Lakers, by let's say 125-90, Tim rationalized, "Well, what's the difference? If I call a few extra fouls on either team creating more FREE THROWS ATTEMPTED (high percentage scoring opportunities,) therefore, increasing the overall point total for the game, I'm not "really" doing anything wrong" In other words, Tim did not influence who WON or LOST the game, he only effected the final score. Ultimately, this jaded thinking and behavior compromised the integrity of professional basketball, and in doing so, created a "crack" in the national psyche, as professional sports are hallowed ground in the United States. Tim had lost his ability to separate his own problems from that of a larger moral obligation that effected the entire country.

Besides his addiction, T.D.'s motivation for committing this criminal act was a result of being in debt to his "bookies." We ask, "How do these things happen to a guy, who, by all appearances, looks like a G_d fearing man living the American Dream?" T.D. presented himself as a "do-gooder." He had a nice family, donated time to charity, and attempted to be an "up-right" guy. Sure, the HATERS piled on saying nasty things about him and his past. However, all this distracts from the CORE of T.D.'s dilemma. The fact remains, the man has an illness/addiction to GAMBLING, and this alone created the trouble. It just goes to show how fragile our human condition can be. We all make choices. When it comes to addictions like gambling, alcohol, and drugs, an individual's ability to make good choices becomes compromised. It gets complicated when we start PROJECTING our own ideas of MORALITY on this individual and what he did. We get angry and ask, "HOW CAN THIS BE?" Simply stated, Tim RATIONALIZED his choices and made a "deal with the devil."

What can we learn from the Tim Donaghy saga and where do we go from here? As John Mayer suggests in his song, "Waiting on the World," we start by looking within ourselves. In the end, T.D. didn't want to be in his current situation, and it would be interesting to ask him the questions, "Tim, at what point did you hit the point of "no return?" Or, "Tim, when did your life stop being REAL and start becoming a GAME?" Tim's answers to these questions would probably help many people.

Until next time, PEACE!