SPORTS BETTING: WANNA BET THAT BARKLEY CAN’T STOP
June 18, 2008
Golfer John Daly isn’t the only well-known athlete who sometimes has gotten into trouble because of a heavyweight appetite for gambling. Charles Barkley, no Twiggy himself, also bit off a bit more wagering wafer than he could chew, recently.
It’s all part of our latest round of quotes from the world of sports and sports betting:
“For right now, the next year or two, I’m not going to gamble. Just because I can afford to lose money doesn’t mean I should do it.”
–Former NBA star and TNT commentator Charles Barkley, after he’d paid off a well-publicized $400,000 gambling debt at Wynn Las Vegas. Two years? Can I bet the “under?”
“We filed a criminal complaint. Within 24 hours Mr. Jones found a way to make restitution. Case closed.”
–David Roger, Clark County District Attorney, confirming that suspended NFL cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones had paid off a $20,000 gambling debt incurred at Caesars Palace. Hey, given the numbers, shouldn’t Jones be giving Barkley gambling lessons?
“Tim Donaghy’s tragic fall from grace cannot be explained without understanding the psychological demon that he lived with for many years.”
–John Lauro, attorney for the former NBA referee, who pleaded guilty last year in a betting scandal, in a letter to US District Judge Carol Bagley Amon, urging probation for his client
“The letter is the desperate act of a convicted felon who is hoping to avoid prison time, and the only thing it proves is that Mr. Donaghy is no more trustworthy today than he was when he was breaking the law by betting on NBA games.”
–Joel Litvin, the NBA’s president of league and basketball operations, refuting Donaghy’s attorney
“Don’t you love the NBA? It’s the only sports where both the commentators and the referees are compulsive gamblers.”
–Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel
“One of the first things that came to my mind was, ‘Good thing we brought a second javelin.’”
–Richard Vance, a coach at a Utah high school track championship in Provo after a javelin that pierced a journalist’s leg was successfully cut off at the scene. Yes, he was kidding.
“Relatively, 45 matches with unusual betting patterns we didn’t find a troubling number considering all the matches that occurred since 2003.”
–Larry Scott, president of the WTA Tour, responding to the findings of an independent review panel that examined betting corruption in tennis. Yeah, it’s not a big number unless you happened to be on the wrong wagering side of one or more of those fixed matches.
“I made an embarrassing and regrettable decision this weekend…”
–Nathan Smith, captain of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League, who said he was acting on a bet after police arrested him for running naked on a downtown Scranton street. Guess he lost that bet, right?
“Certainly, hundreds, and potentially thousands of California consumers may have been defrauded.”
–State Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco), responding to the revelation that because of a “software glitch,” the No. 20 horse was left off every one of the random 7,000 computer-generated quick-pick superfecta tickets on the Kentucky Derby. To refresh your memory, Big Brown, the Derby winner, was No. 20.
“I don’t know about you but every time I read another sordid detail about Roger Clemens I think to myself, ‘Maybe Barry Bonds isn’t such a bad guy after all.’ At least when Bonds is accused of having an affair, it’s with an adult.”
–Scott Ostler, The San Francisco Chronicle
“I want to spend more time with Brett Favre’s family.”
–One of the reasons given by Annika Sorenstam, appearing on the David Letterman Show, for retiring from golf
“…this apparent breakdown of the system must be dealt with aggressively. We must protect the public at all costs as integrity of our wagering is job one.”
–Richard B. Shapiro, Chairman, California Horse Racing Board. OK, where to horse betting get in line for their refunds?
This article was written by Luken Karel for http://www.thegreek.com. The Greek Sportsbook & Casino is host to one of the top online sportsbooks offering sports betting on NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and all other major sports. The Greek is a must have sports betting and entertainment portal with one of the largest wagering menus available online.