NBA Ref Scandal – Let’s Blame Tim Donaghy! Why? Read to know

The big news in the NBA is the revelation that one of the NBA’s referees, Tim Donaghy, has been gambling on games and allegedly has been making calls to affect the outcome of the game in his favor.

This is horrible news for the NBA. It’s already pretty clear that certain players get calls from the referee but now someone with ulterior motives is making calls too. The NBA could be in a lot of trouble with their fans as some may begin to suspect that the results they are seeing aren’t real.

Tim Donaghy deserves whatever punishment he gets but at the same time this Tim Donaghy stuff is getting a little bit out of hand. Since it was revealed that Tim Donaghy was betting on games, almost every fan, newspaper writer, talking head and cheerleader has been talking about how Tim Donaghy ruined a certain game.

Remember that game where there was a questionable foul at the end of the game? I bet Tim Donaghy was the referee. Remember that game where the Knicks had 30 fouls and the Pistons had 15? That had to be Tim Donaghy fixing the game. Remember the time that guy tried to do the trampoline dunk like the mascots and screwed up? Tim Donaghy totally fixed the trampoline.

The worst is that everyone is bringing up the Suns and Spurs series again. I still don’t know what Steve Nash did that made the entire NBA fan base decide to bend over and kiss his bottom but after Steve Nash and his Suns got dominated by the Spurs the fans are still mad two months later.

Tim Donaghy was the referee of game 3. That’s why the Suns lost! They got screwed! Give it up. The San Antonio Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns because they are the better team. The San Antonio Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns because they are the tougher team. The San Antonio Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns because Tim Duncan was the best player on the court. The San Antonio Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns because the Suns couldn’t guard Tony Parker if he had a blindfold on, one arm tied behind his back and his shoes tied together.

Tim Donaghy is a gambler, a cheat and I don’t care for the guy but he’s not an excuse for every outcome of every game. Pretty soon people will be claiming he had an affect on games he wasn’t even a part of or even sports he wasn’t a part of. Man those Cubs could’ve made the playoffs if it wasn’t for Tim Donaghy catching that foul ball. The Michigan Wolverines could’ve won that championship if Tim Donaghy didn’t call that timeout. Remember that time Mookie Wilson hit that ground ball that went through Tim Donaghy’s legs?

If everyone is outraged that Tim Donaghy would call a foul on somebody just because he needs them to score a few more points then why aren’t people outraged that some referees call fouls just because a certain player is a star or because a certain player is a veteran? Giving a foul to somebody that doesn’t deserve it because it will be calculated as the 먹튀검증 in the game which means the score does not count no matter whether its for the winning or losing team, or not giving a foul to somebody who does deserve it is cheating regardless of what the reason is.

Let’s not forget all Tim Donaghy has to do is beat the spread, he doesn’t have to have a certain team win. He could easily fix games without affecting the final outcome of the game. Does that make it all right? Of course not, but the point is not every game that Tim Donaghy officiated had a screwy ending. Not every team that won a Tim Donaghy game was handed a victory. After all Tim Donaghy fixed the 1985 NBA Draft so the New York Knicks would get Patrick Ewing but it never got them an NBA Championship.

Sports Betting – Rigged Games in brief! What are they? Read to know

The NBA has a nice slogan which can be used to underline the industry of Sports – Where rigged games happen! –

As if luck , bad refereeing calls, poor form , injuries aren’t enough factors that give any sports fan headaches, the most dangerous factor that affects the predictions of every regular gambler- professional or amateur- are the fixed games.

Analyzing the last decades there were a bunch of scandals that involved bribing players and referees to gain financial advantages.

If we look back at the ’90s , the match fixing scandal involving Marseille’s president Bernard Tapie resulted in OM’s relegation to the second division where they spent two years until returning to top flight football. In addition to that they were banned to play in the Champions League during the 1993-94 season and were stripped of a domestic league title they won in 1992.

More recently the Calciopoli affair that struck Italy in 2006 was even more damaging for football’s global reputation. It involved several referees and 5 top italian teams like : Milan, Lazio , Fiorentina, Reggina and obviously Juventus.

Only Juventus was relegated and stripped of two italian league titles, the other four teams were fined and deducted points. Interesting fact just months after this affair was uncovered, was that the Italian national team went on to win the World Cup in 2006 held in Germany.

That same year , the organisers of the World Cup were hit by a match manipulation scandal aswell. It had german referee Robert Hoyzer as a centre piece , who after destroying a Cup game between Hamburg and underdogs Paderborn , which surprisingly at that moment was won by the outsiders, admitted to have links with the Croatian betting mafia. This wasn’t an individual case, because in order to secure payoffs from high stake gamblers , Hoyzer caved in and admitted to have manipulated at least six other matches.

Obviously football’s leading body -FIFA- through its eternal president Sepp Blatter is trying to prevent this affairs from ever happening again. And surely allowing huge betting companies to sponsor top european teams like Milan and Real Madrid just to name a few, is a step in the right direction!

Maybe this way Milan’s recent win in the Champions League away to Real Madrid can be explained. A few things to add to their unexpected victory…..first of all Milan’s domestic form was awful , they couldn’t even get passed teams like Bari in the Italian League and more important two of Milan’s three goals came after huge errors by the world’s best keeper-Iker Casillas of Sbobet that has different types of services apart from the games of casino or the redirecting features to other online gambling sites. Two weeks later this teams met again and drew on Milan’s home pitch. The draw was just enough to keep both sides in the top two positions of the group, that allow them qualification to the next stages of the competition. Coincidental or not….the third placed team in that group is Tapie’s former team, Marseille.

The integrity of the people around and inside sports force me to state that, coincidences are just the Devil’s way of remaining anonymous.

Gallagher’s Steak House in Las Vegas, Nevada

On the southern side of Las Vegas Boulevard you’ll find the well known hotel and casino, New York New York. Combined with roller coasters and a large Statue of Liberty replica, the indoor bustling Village Streets, courtyards and “street side” shops give it that East Coast atmosphere.

Gallagher’s Steak House fits in nicely with the New Yorker feel. You can enjoy a fine dinner at this restaurant trying out one of many favorites of steak or seafood. Expect to pay between $70 and $80 per person for a meal at Gallagher’s or choose to take advantage of the full bar to relax and enjoy a drink while you watch the “New Yorkers” walk along the Village Streets.

A line of seafood appetizers is available at Gallagher’s with Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail or Fried Calamari, for example and the best can be found at roulette online Indonesia that will provide with the list to the user about all that. Soups and salads are also on the menu. These range from New England Clam Chowder to the Chef’s Soup of the Day or the Gallagher’s Wedge to a Classic Caesar Salad.

For the main course you have the opportunity to sample one of a variety of beef steaks, chicken, pork, veal, salmon, crab legs or lobster. The recommended dish of choice is the Dry Aged New York Sirloin. It is the restaurant’s signature house-aged bone in sirloin stead cooked just to your liking.

Choose one of ten sides for a complete meal. Seasoned Jumbo Steak Fries, Seasonal Mushroom Medley, Steamed or Au Gratin Broccoli or a Colossal Baked Potato can all be found on the menu. The favored option for sides however is the Four Cheese Macaroni.

Of course, we can’t forget dessert. With several different options to choose from, it’s difficult to pick just one. The Sticky English Toffee Pudding is superb; a toffee pudding with a hard, sticky shell on the top has an excellent and rich flavor. But the Crème Brulee takes the cake for desserts at Gallagher’s with an awesome texture and sweet taste. It also comes in a variety of flavors for each day.

Gallagher’s is specifically for evening and night time dining. Their hours are from 4 pm to 11 pm on Sunday through Thursday and 4 pm to 12 am on Friday and Saturday. This is a hopping place so reservations are strongly recommended or else you just might miss out. A banquet room is also available for large groups for parties and business dinners.

Many nights, a photographer is on site to help capture the memories of a Las Vegas trip. If you opt to purchase a picture or two, it will be sent home in a classic black folder frame with the logo of the hotel printed in gold lettering.

Gallagher’s is a great place for fine dining while in Vegas. It’s situated on the south side of The Strip so even if a cab ride is necessary, it is definitely worth it.

Video Game Review: Nostalgia (Nintendo DS)

The story is pretty basic and straight forward, relatively heavy with cliché. Despite that, the setting does help improve the defects in the presentation. A beta version model of the game was also released on DominoQQ and upon its success, it was released later. 

You play as Edward “Eddie” Brown, son of the world-renowned explorer Gilbert Brown. When your father mysteriously disappears after his valiant rescue of a mysterious girl kidnapped by a shadowy cult with motives unknown, you later take up the mantle to find your father and explore the mysteries of the world.

Joining you on this globetrotting quest is a gun-toting street tough named Pad, the magically inclined Melody, and the mysterious Fiona, who your father saved from the cult. These four characters serve as the main RPG archetypes with Eddie being the Warrior/Knight, Pad the Archer/Thief, Melody the Wizard, and Fiona the Healer.

The setting is late 1800s Earth, in an alternate universe, best described as “steam punk” where both magic and steam powered technology are common place. Monsters lurk the skies of the world along with pirates. You travel this world in your father’s Airship, the Maverick, and visit many real world locations such as Cairo, the Pyramids, St. Petersburg, New York and Tokyo along with more fabulous locales such as Atlantis, Lemuria, and the Tower of Babel.

Gameplay (7/10)

This is a completely stylus free game, so it definitely holds the more traditional gameplay feel compared to titles like the DS Zelda games, which heavily rely on all the technology available with the DS.

As a traditional RPG, you will spend a great deal of your time fighting monsters, crawling through dungeons, and gaining levels. In order to gain advanced skills in this game, you must spend your SP (skill points) you receive after each battle to advance your individual skill levels. The team as a whole, however, shares these skill points, so you do have to plan ahead if you want to keep your team members’ levels consistent.

Thankfully, the game is very generous with the skill points, so it’s not too time consuming to boost your skill levels as you progress through the story. Likewise, you will likely gain enough levels moving through the story that you won’t need to “level-grind” too much to overcome the area boss or monsters.

Some battles do require a certain amount of skill, especially if you are trying to get the after-battle bonuses. Depending on how quickly you defeat your foes, what skills/options you use, or how much damage you take, you might get a small bonus at the end of the battle in the form of extra experience, skill points, and money.

While this game encourages exploration, one thing to be cautious about, however, is to save often. This is because while the game is linear for the most part, you do have the ability to travel to certain areas you’re not supposed to be in yet (one area very near the starting city). If enemies here catch you, your chances of survival are very slim.

Music (9/10)

The music is by far among the best I have heard on this platform. The music is unique to every location, and as you travel the world map, music changes as well depending on your altitude in the Maverick. This helps add to the feeling that you are really travelling the world and gives you a different cultural flair for each part of the game.

You are sure to find a few tracks that become your favorite (Tower of Babel and Tokyo being my personal favorites).

Overall (7.7/10)

Despite some more obvious clichés readily apparent to a veteran of RPGs, Nostalgia offers a rich world to explore, a well-developed story, and a good mix of gameplay elements to keep you well entertained.

To me, this game reminded me most of a cross between Terranigma (SNES, Publisher Enix – Unreleased in the US) and Uncharted Waters: New Horizons (SNES, Publisher Koei). Like these games, a good portion of the storyline of Nostalgia involves travelling the world, making discoveries, and solving mysteries.

Someone new to the genre will find the gameplay easy enough to pick up in no time, and the veteran will appreciate the setting and music, if not the story (despite being somewhat formulaic). If you are a fan of more traditional RPGs such as the pre-PSX style games, then you will enjoy Nostalgia.