Saturday, November 22, 2008

Garnett-Gate- The most despicable event in Fantasy Sports History



This week in The Shark Tank, The Wild Samoans (TPC's team along with DTA) experienced the single most despicable, vile, and lowly move in the history of fantasy sports.

(Here's the link from the Draft Review so you can refer to the players involved- click here).

Here is the sequence of events:

NOV 19th 5:13 PM, the Ducks write this post (keep in mind the Ducks are in the bottom 3 in the league currently, albeit early in the season).


The Ducks are Panicking Early Posted by: Jeff (Ducks)


Message ID: 137 Nov 19 5:13pm


We are making KG or Granger (NOT both) very available. We will trade one of them for TWO very good players. That does not mean 1 good player and a scrub. That means TWO very good players. If we get a fair offer we will accept first come first serve. To encourage trade submissions, we don't intend to wait to compare offers. We intend to accept the first offer that we feel helps us. So a deal could happen quickly.

Duck Views: Remember, 2 very good players.


By 6:30, TPC and The Ducks work out a deal where the Ducks send Kevin Garnett to The Wild Samoans (currently in the top 3 in the league) for Marvin Williams and Rudy Fernandez. The deal helps both teams, but especially The Wild Samoans.

(Now, keep in mind that this league has an insane rule that if 4 managers decide to Veto the deal FOR ANY APPARENT REASON (or as the Commish so eloquently explained, for "displeasure").


Dolph Schayes veto's right away, going nuts and even calling the Ducks out for trying to sabotage the league and colluding to help the Wild Samoans (Dolph Schayes is managed by the same person that ran Fat Mats last season, the team as stated in the draft review that tanked the first half of the season, purposely benching his best players, so he could win the Most Improved Award, a prize that goes to the team that gains the most teams post All Star Break).

The N Connection quickly jumped on the Schayes bandwagon, vetoing the deal, and calling for The Ducks to have their team locked from making any moves and be thrown out of the league. Perhaps because his team is also on the bottom and he's in danger of not winning his 3rd staright title, or perhaps because he didnt get KG-we'll get to this soon.

BONZNNUTS, managed by the incorigible Barzini, veto'd the deal as did one other squad- making the neccessary 4.

The Commish (who's in 4th place) quickly pulls the "cancel trade" button without finding out why the deal was made, why the veto'ers vetoed, going strictly by The Rule. He then questions the Ducks integrity, locking his team from making any moves, without a) finding out why the deal was made, and b) without even looking if the deal helped the Ducks (which TPC so brilliantly pointed out in a later post, how it helped the Ducks). Keep in mind, the Commish has been in over 10 leagues with the Ducks and has seen the Ducks
-TPC bitter history and the Ducks integrity (which has never been questioned).

TPC in all his eloquence and his Tag Team partner, DTA, in his typical wrath, layed the Smackdown on the League. It was like a Royal Rumble with the newest entrant cleaning house. People's Elbows, Sweet Chin Musics, Pedigrees, Tombstones, and of course some Stone Cold Stunners. As Jim Ross would say "They're cleaninghouse. It's Pandemonium here. The Wild Samoans are IRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATEEE!!!!!!!!!'.

The Ducks showed similar disatisfaction. They made a deal that clearly helped them (TPC in his analytical brilliance, posted the exact FACTUAL statistical help it brought the Ducks). They knew The Samoans got the better of the deal, but they didnt care. They made the deal in good faith and bettered their team. There was a litanny of posts regarding The Ducks character (all of which have since been apologized for) , regarding how The Samoans robbed them and they (specifically Dolph) would have made MUCH better offers, etc. There were also complaints of "not having enough time to make an offer", "I would have made a better offer" etc, without actually reading the Ducks post stating he wouldnt wait and he will accept the first offer he feels helps his team.
What was missing from all the posts was one legitimate reason why the trade was vetoed. Not a single one. You know why? There wasn't any. Yes, The Samoans got the better of the deal (as TPC told Ducks in a private email PRIOR to any one post), but they did it fairly. The reason why it was vetoed was simple. It helped The Samoans too much. An insane reason to veto a legitimate trade that helped both squads.

The Commissioner, if he cared about the leagues integrity and not about his personal pursuit of the leagues title, would have listened to all parties (trade participants, trade vetoers, other league members) and then held a league wide vote for a veto, and not listen to a couple of message board posts 10 minutes after the trade was done.

By the way, the Ducks havent posted them yet, but he will be posting all the other great offers (interestingly many teams, including the ones that vetoed the deal and claimed they would make better offers, didnt make one offer).
So what happened? The Ducks re-Shopped KG. The Samoans disgusted by the leagues actions, pulled out of the running and The Ducks traded Garnett to N Connection, of all the self serving hypocricy we have seen so far, N Conectiion getting or even bidding for KG is unfathomable, detestable and should have never been allowed by the Commish, for two slightly better players than the ones in the Samoans deal, albeit a few days later and after the fact. (in defense of The Ducks he doesnt really know all the players involved, and wasnt aware that the N Connection was the same team as the vetoing squad that called for his teams expulsion of the league. I assume he wouldnt have dealt with him if he did know).
What did we learn from all this?

1) The Commish known as Forties and Dimes in most leagues and the Yeshiva Bochers in this league) handled this matter in a disgraceful way, letting his personal motivations get in the way of the leagues integrity, standing on The Rule as his reason for the quick Trade Cancel, rather than waiting and hearing for reason from the league (interestingly if this would have happend the trade would have gone through as I will explain). In his posts he defended the leagues actions, he exaggerated and misquoted the Ducks original post to make the Ducks look worse (until TPC called him out and posted the EXACT post as seen above fromn the Ducks). All the leagues managers apologized to both the Samoans and Ducks for screwing us, EXCEPT the Commish (who generally is a great guy and good fantasy player) and his brother, Brazini the Knucklehead.


2) The Ducks gained respect from the league for being a team that although is currently in the bottom half of the league, a team that will try to improve and take a consistent stand on the issues.

3) Barzini was again showed what a fool he was as he then vetoed the second Ducks deal AFTER ALL THIS, for no reason but because he is a considerable morn and really should be committed to the closest mental institution. Seriously, the guy is off his rocker and he is a menace and threat to normal society. You dont believe me? Here's his exact post vetoing the second Ducks trade for the second time (yes, I assume the guy is sleazy enough to think his Commish brother is stupid enough to count them as two vetoes. Wait, let me inform theCommish, He actually might not realize this and Barzini can now veto deals all by himself.........).


vetoPosted by: barzini (Boneznnutz)
Message ID: 274 Nov 21 4:24pm
3 years of the nconnect raping little incompetent clowns ends here!!!! Veto , veto , veto nyet no hell no LO! nay nischt Barzin the Dream stop pannicking 9 games into the season !!!!


4) We found out-in practice-why this is the most ridiculous rule in the history of fantasy sports. How is it that less than 50% of the league can veto a deal by not allowing it- especially for no specific reason other than "displeasure"? This is ridiculous considering there is no reason or basis for a veto. "Displeasue" is enough. TPC's opinion is simple. If there is a trade negotiated in good faith and no collussion or chaeting is involved, there should never be a veto. Plain and simple being a good mananger and negotiator shoudl not be held against someone. Ridiculous.

5) the N Connection showed what a sleazy, hypocritical Fantasy Bastard he really is (he's a great guy in real life....) by posting initially That the Ducks should be thrown out of the league, their team locked, vetoing the deal without giving any reason and then going ahead and trading for the SAME PLAYER INVOLVED IN THE VETO. Am I crazy here, or is this the most insane thing of all time in fantasy sports??????

6) Dolph Schayes, after last years fiasco and now this, might have finally seen the light as he came forth apologizing to The Ducks and Samoans and rescinded his veto (albeit after the fact- as did two other teams, which if the Commish handled this right, the trade wouldnt have been vetoed).
If nothing else maybe Dolph Schayes becomes a better man for al this. If that's the case, maybe it was worth it.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I mean, i wouldnt even know where to begin on this. You are of course right in your assessment. I would only temper it by saying that the stone-fish fiasco was worse than this one because they ACTUALLY cheated. technically, no one actually "cheated" her. they were simply lacking integrity and destroying league integrity for self-interest.
The bottom line here is that we have an unfathomable rule that 4 teams (not even a majority for gdsake!) that can veto a trade for any reason or no reason at all. This rule was made to PROTECT rule integrity and instead these managers have taken the shield and used it as a sword t DESTROY league integrity. This is where your criticism of geoff is proper. as he said, he followed the letter of the law but not it's intent or spirit. even in US law there are provisions that prevent people from using laws that are meant to protect in order that an abuse could be made to have that rule used to attack.

Geoff should have upheld league integrity and he did not do so properly by a) not even investigating the trade (had he does so, it soudns likely that 2 teams who vetoed would NOT have, and that youd thus have KG; and 2)allowing the league integrity provision to be used to destroy that very integrity.
Sometimes upholding the law means a proper interpretation of the law's intent, and not just it's express language.
Any lawyers in this league? they'll tell you that.
TPC was robbed of KG and to the very schmuck whodek,demanded a veto. I think TPC has every right to be more pissed than anyone in the league. And if he loses prize money because of this, that would be an absolute debacle. I feel for you, here, tpc.

Anonymous said...

Firstly-The rule itself is the issue. If the league rule is that idiotic then the whole league is accountable.

Secondly-This comes up all the time in Fantasy Leagues. I generally am against the bottom teams making deals. The bottom line is when you are out of it you are more apt to have fun making trades and being less responsible. I don't follow Obamaball so I do not know the specifics here. My guess is that no one would make this trade if they were fighting for a crown.

This is like when Benus let his friend have control of his team and he basically traded away Peyton Manning for Eli Manning. (When Eli sucked)

ThePeoplesChamp said...

You're first comment is 100% correct, the rule itself is the issue. an obvious ridiculous rule.
On the rest of you're comment, keep in mind the NBA season just started and no one is really out of it. They made a deal that statistically helped them.
The key factor here is, and I'm willing to bet anything on it, if the teams were reversed (meaning if the better team got the worse of the deal) there wouldnt have been one veto. Is a disgrace.

Anonymous said...

The truth is the better team never gets the short end of these types of deals.

This is fact.

He may not admit it to himself but he would not have made the deal if he was in the thick of things.

Why not gamble when you suck?

He was not trying to sabotage the league, he was not involved in collusion. However, bottom teams all fall victim to this. They want to be involved and have fun. TPC took advantage of this.

There is a concept of criminal negligence. If you shoot a gun in a mall with your eyes closed and kill someone you can't say it was an accident. This guy didn't try and ruin the league but his actions were not what the league was about.

TPC took advantage of the fact that Ducks was goofing around.

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