Referees

Asked for an assessment of NFL officiating this 2008 season, a league spokesman said, "Same as it normally is. Outstanding, not perfect. That's the nature of sports." The nature of sports can be difficult to stomach . . . for coaches with jobs on the line; for players with playoff bonuses at stake; for fans heavily invested, psychologically and financially, in their teams.

From out of nowhere it swooped, a stunning, mind-blowing, season-changing hand from the heavens. Jeff Pendergraph of Arizona State flew in from the foul line and slammed the loose ball toward the basket and, with the crowd swooning and scoreboard blinking, there it was. Not the dunk, but the whistle. Not the basket, but the loose-ball foul that nullified the basket. What was a tie game became an end game.

Where insanity happens. Trying to judge the impact of last summer's Tim Donaghy scandal, I recently called around to assess the reaction of the congenitally suspicious core audience . . . the gamblers. It turned out there was no impact. The Donaghy blockbuster, the latest story that seemed to presage The Death of the NBA, quickly faded away in what turned out to be a great season for the league.

David Stern is a smart guy. Smart guys know when they have a problem. Even smarter guys know when there is a blueprint to fix it. Stern, commissioner of the National Basketball Assn., has a problem of public perception -- and that makes it a huge problem, because the public creates the buzz that pays the bills. Last year, NBA referee Tim Donaghy confessed to gambling on games, including some he worked. Stern characterized Donaghy as one bad apple, not representative of a trend.

As anyone who has seen me will attest, I'm long and strong. Because my heart is so pure, I have the strength of 10 men. Sure, one leg is longer than the other. But that's only because I do a lot of stop-and-go driving. Gas. Brake. Gas. Brake. Brake. Brake. . . . But even a specimen like me has to stop and admire what has become of the NFL referee. They've become bigger than the players. Bulging biceps. Barrel chests. Little striped Schwarzeneggers with whistles around their necks.

A National Basketball Assn. referee is being investigated by the FBI for allegedly betting on NBA games that he refereed during the last two years. Tim Donaghy, who recently resigned after 13 seasons in the NBA, is the referee under investigation, according to the league and a source close to the inquiry.

Just when David Stern thought it was safe to knock off for the off-season.... Make no mistake, the current scandal in which referee Tim Donaghy is alleged to have bet on games that he worked stands alone as an embarrassment to an out-of-control NBA that had already been embarrassed every other way. Let's just say that if there's something worse than a riot in which your players punch out your customers, it must be pretty bad. This is another one the NBA can't just walk away from.

A day after the NBA acknowledged one of its referees was being investigated by the FBI, there were lingering questions about the league's present-day reputation and the future of gambling on NBA games in Las Vegas.

David Stern reacted harshly five months ago when he was asked about point shaving in the NBA. The commissioner can't dismiss it anymore. With his league facing its biggest scandal, Stern plans to hold a news conference this morning. The first question he must answer is what, and when, the league knew of former referee Tim Donaghy's gambling habits. Donaghy officiated the last game of his 13-year NBA career during the San Antonio-Phoenix second-round series.

NBA Commissioner David Stern said Tuesday the federal investigation of referee Tim Donaghy's alleged gambling on games that he worked was the result of a "rogue, isolated criminal." Donaghy, 40, is being investigated by FBI agents in New York for allegedly gambling and providing inside information to gambling associates on games he refereed, plus other league games. At a news conference in New York, Stern somberly discussed the scandal that has shaken the league's integrity.