My Sick Mind

One of the big news stories around here is a sports gambling bust in a large Atlantic City Casino . For those of you unaware, Atlantic City does not officially have sports gambling, although it appears, if you are sharp enough, that if you want to - you can. There was a complicated chip laundering scheme taking place, which frankly bores me. What I am more concerned with is this: The suspected ringleader of the operation, Andrew Micali, 32, of Ventnor, is an associate of Philadelphia mob boss Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino, according to a New Jersey law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Vincent Procopio, 41, of Brigantine, was charged with promoting gambling. Anthony Nicodemo, 36, and Michael Lancellotti, both of Philadelphia, were charged with conspiracy to promote gambling . Notice anything? Sure you do. The names of the accused all end in vowels, and if this was a made-for-TV drama, several Italian/American SpokesGuidos would have something to say ...

There’s an old axiom in sports that says, "if you notice the referee, he’s doing a bad job". You don’t get any more notice than Tim Donaghy is getting these days, and his shadow is falling over referees and umpires in every sport regardless of their innocence. This particular shadow is being cast through allegations that he participated in fixing games and has ties with organized crime, as opposed to unorganized crime which, by virtue of its name, acts randomly and with no governing body. Tim, it seems, has a gambling problem. That’s a coincidence, because professional sports has a bit of a gambling problem too. Some enterprises, like horse racing, owe almost all of their popularity to gambling. How many people would show up to watch horses run in a circle if they couldn’t bet on who would win? I’m not even sure you could get horses to watch. Sports will turn its back on gambling until it becomes an issue. Then, they are mortified and seek to discipline the people involved. ...