Sunday, Jan. 18
Please excuse the semi-crude slang, but I'm upset and not in a mood to explain this in fancy terms. So I'll just say that this past Friday Greg Anthony was looking to get screwed and got screwed - except not the way he had in mind.
Anthony, a basketball announcer and former long-time NBA player, was arrested and charged with soliciting a prostitute as part of an undercover operation by police in Washington D.C. Following this news both CBS and Turner Sports, who employ Anthony, suspended him. A spokesman for CBS said Anthony won't work again this season for them. Obviously his broadcasting career is in jeopardy.
What a crock.
First, let me say I have a soft spot for Anthony. I covered his high school games at Rancho High School in North Las Vegas when I worked back then for the Las Vegas Review-Journal in the mid 1980's. Anthony led Rancho, a school that received little respect at the time, to the state title. It was a huge deal then because Las Vegas wasn't nearly as big as it is now. Anthony was the best high school basketball player I ever covered. He also was the most articulate.
I didn't get along that well with Rancho's head coach. He intentionally would not give me anything worth quoting, or any useful information to help me with my stories. Anthony would help fill that void as being a young sportswriter at the time I wanted to write the best story I could.
Having spent time in Europe, it boggles my mind how behind the times and hypocritical the U.S. is when it comes to sports gambling and prostitution, both of which are legal in many parts of Europe and not considered a big deal.
Apparently Anthony used his computer to set up a date inside his hotel room, which was a Hilton DoubleTree hotel in downtown Washington. Why is this anyone's business? This is between Anthony and his "date."
I could see the networks outrage if a real crime had been committed. But to suspend Anthony just to satisfy someone's moral outrage is ridiculous.
Why not make this comment if you're the network: "We don't approve of Mr. Anthony's action. However, he's a grown man and can do what he wants as long as he's not hurting anyone."
I'm sure Anthony's wife and family are hurt by this. But that is between them.
Men should have the right to gamble and pay for sex without any hassles. If women and the U.S. state and federal government understood these basic needs there would be a lot less friction and misunderstanding. This isn't 1621 for God's sake. Stop this Pilgrim nonsense. Deal in reality.
If these networks want to save face slap Anthony on the wrist. But don't end his career over this.
On the handicapping front, I went 2-0 on my NBA plays last night cashing my Triple Star Game of the Month with the Wizards and winning with the Timberwolves as a free play. I'm passing on the short NBA card today, but have Double Star plays on each of the NFL title games at a special 2-for-1 fare. They can be found here along with my packages: /pregamepros/pro-bettor/bettor.aspx?id=7746#capper.
As always, no bad luck!