Fixing Games...Unthinkable? Hmmm.

It's Friday morning and I'm in traffic, ready to drop off my son at one of his summer programs (this one apparently produces crafts that are made of glue and sparkly things that stick to car seats).

I hear on ESPN Radio that the FBI is investigating Tim Donaghy, an NBA referee who is alleged to have bet on numerous games that he worked. Unthinkable in some circles. How could this happen?

Two days later, the storm and stench hovers over the NBA, even as a flashy quarterback with mediocre stats is facing a PR disaster over dog fighting. A favorite columnist, Bill Simmons of ESPN, even wrote today: "you could hear the cacophony of frustrated screenwriters pounding their desks in disgust. The Tim Donaghy scandal doubled as the easiest movie pitch ever."

Actually, I had that pitch three years ago. Sort of.



Just swap out the NBA for Big Ten football, a referee for a cash-strapped assistant coach and you, essentially, have the same story, my debut novel, Gotcha Down. And if any Hollywood screenwriters or producers stumble upon this website, they are always welcome to inquire about purchasing the rights to turn Gotcha Down into a motion picture. They can change the names, the sports, team colors, the stakes, just as long as Patrick Swayze has a key role somewhere, whether as an acid-tongue laden coach or a rough, yet thoughtful, tavern bouncer in rural Missouri.