On Dec. 1, I’m sure I’ll do two things.
First, I’ll call my friend Bryan Haynes, an internationally famous artist who I met in third grade at Robinson Elementary School in Kirkwood. It’s his birthday.
Second, I will place my first legal sportsbook wager in Missouri. It will be Day No. 1 for legalized gaming in the Show Me State.
For those of us who support legal wagering, last week was rugged.
The U.S. Justice Department announced that 34 people had been indicted in a nationwide gambling conspiracy including Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Damon Jones.
According to the FBI, Billups is charged with participating in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes card games that were backed by Mafia crime families. Rozier faces another count for funneling confidential information about NBA athletes and teams. Jones is also jammed up in both charges.
Of the 34 people in the FBI’s crosshairs, only three are charged in both conspiracies — Rozier, Jones and Eric “Spook” Earnest of St. Louis. Talk about showing up and showing out.
“Goodfellas” got inside the NBA, and it is not pretty.
Now, remember the “Sanford and Son” episode when several poker hustlers were taking Lamont to the cleaners. Fred figures out the scheme and cheats them by using a pair of glasses that allow him to see through his “lucky” deck of cards.
Billups allegedly sat in on games that lured high rollers by offering the chance to play with celebrities.
The cheating involved modified card shufflers, poker chip tray analyzers, X-ray devices and marked cards readable through special contact lenses or glasses. Offsite accomplices monitored the cards and relayed information back to players at the table.
“I apologize to our fans that we are all dealing with this situation,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in an interview on Amazon Prime during the Boston Celtics at New York Knicks game.
“There’s nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition. I had a pit in my stomach. It was very upsetting.”
It is also upsetting that Rozier was suspected of gambling shenanigans last year. An NBA investigation cleared him.
Silver’s future with the league is not clear as calls for his resignation are mounting.
I’ll still place that wager on Dec. 1. I focus on pro and college football and college basketball. I don’t bet on NBA games. I guess that’s wise.
The Reid Roundup
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love passed for 360 yards and three touchdowns — without an interception — to lead his team to a 35-25 victory over Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday night. He connected on 20 consecutive passes during the game…After New York Jets owner Woody Johnson thoroughly trashed quarterback Justin Fields during an interview last week, Fields led the Jets to a thrilling, come-from-behind 39-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Of course, Johnson was nowhere to be found in the locker room following the game… Victor Wembanyama spent time in a monastery this summer and the San Antonio center has been the NBA’s best player during its opening week. Wembanyama had 31 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks in a 118-107 win over Brooklyn last Sunday, which moved the Spurs to 3-0. He is averaging 33.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, six blocked shots, and 2.3 assists per game…St. Louisan Bradley Beal is already out with a sore lower back which sidelined him in the L.A. Clippers’ win over Portland in his team’s third game. He averaged 5.5 points per game in a pair of games before being sidelined…I never forgave head coach Brian Kelly for abandoning his bowl-bound Cincinnati team in 2009 to take the Notre Dame job. He bolted the Fighting Irish for LSU in November 2021. LSU fired Kelly on Sunday after his team was bushwhacked 49-25 by Texas A&M…LSU has tabbed associate head coach/running backs coach Frank Wilson, who is Black, as interim head coach…Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz is reportedly a possible candidate for the Florida and LSU head coaching positions…I think Deion Sanders’ days as Colorado coach will end soon by his choice.