Love this picture of the New York Rens, the all-black team from the 1930's...love the socks and the knee pads...check your hoops history, they were the first dynasty team, winning the "world" championship in 1939 over the all-white Oshkosh all-stars, going 112-7 for the year including an 88 game wining streak...

Observations from the Raptors-Sonics game courtesy of Noel with the ticket hookup:

· The Raptors do not go to the basket ever, in fact the offence seems designed to get 17 foot jumpers…
· Chris Bosh is still learning to pass out of the double team…
· Rashard Lewis is like Jalen but athletic…
· Charlie Villenaueva is our best offensive rebounder…
· Sam Mitchell sure substitutes like crazy, and seems to be overcoaching…
· And yet the Raptors don’t seem to run much other than quick motion, 1-4 pick and roll and then a post up pass out for a long jumper…
· Mike James, shoots a lot for a PG…isn’t that why we traded Rafer?
· Wow, there is a very hot woman in front of us that has a very hot tattoo on her back…very distracting…
· Ray Allen has the fastest release since Dell Curry, except Ray can jump…
· Occasionally the Raptors run a bit of the triangle with the high-post double cut handoff…
· Wow, James is on fire…
· Joey Graham should have been a tight end, he is diesel…
· Mitchell, sit down already, let them play…
· The Raps shoot a lot of threes, while the Sonics shoot a lot of free throws…
· Hot tattoo girl is jumping around a lot…I think I need a glass of water…with ice…
· Chris Bosh fouls out on a moving screen? At Home?? Bullshit…
· Calderon needs to be more aggressive going to the basket, he can’t go for the euro-kickout every time…
· Sure enough he throws it away in the dying seconds…
· Lewis is unguardable right now…
· And game over when Jalen does not help box out with Seattle holding a 123-121 lead in overtime, Lewis shoot an air ball, but Nick “the quick” Collison grabs the rebound, lays it in and 1 on the foul…completing a three-point play with 5.9 seconds left…

And when will the Raptors win? The Schedule does not get any better with a home and home against Philly this week, if they don’t take one of those, it’s at Boston, Miami at home then a west coast trip at Phoenix, Clippers, Sacramento and Golden State…not a gimme in sight…Plus 5 of the 6 losses have been at home, which is scary since they had a good home record last year…

Rashad Lewis - ''This win doesn't mean nothing,'' he said. ''We've got to go out there and beat a legit team, a real good team, this team hasn't won a game.''

Vladimir Radmanovic - ''We got lucky,'' Radmanovic said. ''It would have been really bad if we had lost this one.''

Kevin Garnett is donating $1.2 million to build homes in the Gulf Coast region devastated by the hurricanes. "I knew I wanted to do something," Garnett said after practice Friday. "But I didn't know in detail what I wanted to do." Garnett has decided to team up with Oprah Winfrey's Angel Network charity foundation on the project. Garnett said he chose Winfrey's foundation because 100% of his donation will go toward the victims. "The fact that she pays the overhead of her employees and the foundation itself and just goes out and makes dreams come true ... I think it makes it more beneficial," Garnett said. "It's a good thing."

LeBron James passed Kobe Bryant as the youngest player in NBA history to reach 4,000 career points, getting there in the Cavs' 108-100 OT win over the Magic…

Sutd of the night…Marcus Camby had 18 points, 22 rebounds and seven blocked shots to help the Nuggets to a 102-91 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves last night.

Well the Knicks finally won, beating the Kings 105-95 in Sacramento…turns out Larry Brown’s teams always start slow:

1993-94 Indiana Pacers 41-41 Started 1-6, then 16-23, got rolling, finished 47-35, made Eastern Conference finals, lost in seven to Knicks
1997-98 Philadelphia 76ers 22-60 Started 0-5, then 6-19, got a little better, finished 31-51. Next year: 28-22, made playoffs
2003-04 Detroit Pistons 50-32 Started 0-1, then 5-4, improved, finished 54-28, won title
2005-06 New York Knicks 33-49 Started 1-5, amid lots of speculation that he's trying to change the roster.

Hmmm…I think I know who wins in the Kwame Brown to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins….while Brown claimed he was ready to be a "beast" this season, it is Butler who is playing like one. Brown is averaging 6.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, while Butler is averaging 17.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 47.9 percent.

1) Former NBA 3 point shooting champ Tim Legler with a look at the stories so far for ESPN.com:

Early season surprises and disappointments

I fully understand that the NBA season is less than two weeks underway and it is too early to start throwing people under the bus or printing post-season tickets. Having said that, there have been a few teams at least heading to the bus stop and making tentative plans to be playing in late April. So, let's take a look at three disappointments and surprises after the first week of the NBA season. When you stumble out of the gate the way the New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, and Sacramento Kings have, the problems need to be addressed. Let's start with the 0-3 New York Knicks. We all know that Larry Brown can take a basket of lemons and make a delicious pitcher of lemonade. The problem he's dealing with this season in New York is that the lemons aren't quite ripe yet. Brown is finding out how hard it is to win when you have to rely on young players. It appeared as though the Knicks upgraded their talent pool in the off-season with the acquisitions of Eddy Curry, Quentin Richardson, and a solid draft that included Channing Frye, Nate Robinson, and David Lee. Along with Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, and Trevor Ariza, the Knicks looked like a team that could contend for a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. I still believe that they can. But, believe me, I'm one of the few people outside of Larry Brown's house that is still on the bandwagon. What must happen to turn this around? After all they embark on a six game road trip starting Wednesday that could find them 0-9 by the time they get back to New York. Quite simply, Marbury must assume a leadership position. That means, as the only All-Star caliber player on the team, he is responsible for making everyone buy into Brown's system. He has to embrace every aspect of the man's plan. He has to remember that he hasn't even come close to winning anything at this level. If he does that, his teammates, all young players looking for an on-the-floor leader, will surely follow. Another major disappointment has been the Sacramento Kings. How in the world can a team with as much experience as the Kings put up a paltry 67 points on opening night against the New Orleans Hornets, a team that will be lucky to win 25 games? As the Kings have struggled to a 1-3 start, it has become obvious to me that this is the least athletic team in the NBA. They have looked tired, old, and disinterested. I knew that the window of opportunity closed with the trading of Chris Webber to Philadelphia last season, but I still thought they would be better than this. The perimeter defenders on this team are the worst in the league. Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, and Bonzi Wells will provide plenty of offense. The problem arises when they cross over to the other side of half court. Their lack of foot speed collectively allows opposing wing players to live in the paint. I know they are better than this, but they had a chance to win the division when you consider the health concerns of the Phoenix Suns. If their play early in the season is any indication, this team will be on the outside looking in when the post-season rolls around. That brings us to the Denver Nuggets. After compiling the best record in the NBA over the second half of last season and giving the San Antonio Spurs all they could handle in the first round of the playoffs, I expected them to come out of the gate with a sense of urgency. The only one that has met those expectations has been Carmelo Anthony. The third year player has come out firing on all cylinders. It hasn't been enough. They find themselves 1-3 because their defense has lacked consistent intensity. In their two losses to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Nuggets looked passive and soft on the defensive end of the floor. In addition, the relentless offensive pressure and frenetic pace they demonstrated last season have been non-existent. I still expect them to win their division, but only if they find the swagger they carried around last April. Now for the good news. There have been a few pleasant surprises that deserve a little love. After all, in this league, you are only an injury away from the junk heap. Was I wrong about the Washington Wizards? Can they make a return to the NBA playoffs? Didn't the loss of Larry Hughes to the Cleveland Cavaliers force them to take a step back? The returns aren't all in yet, but things look promising early. Eddie Jordan deserves a lot of credit for getting the Wiz to buy in to the concept that the sum of Caron Butler, Antonio Daniels, and Chucky Atkins is enough to compensate for the loss of Hughes, their best all-around player last season. The biggest question facing the Wizards is whether their 3-1 start is a result of red hot shooting of Gilbert Arenas (26 ppg) and Antawn Jamison (24 ppg) or can they eventually get enough offensive support to continue their success once their two stars cool off. The answer to that depends on whether their big men, Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas, can give them the defensive support and rebounding on the back line that will allow them to win games without scoring 100 points. I still have questions about their legitimacy as a playoff team, but so far, so good. The next team that has caught my eye has been the Los Angeles Lakers (3-2). I didn't think they would even be the best team in L.A. much less look like a playoff team. So far, that's exactly how they have played. How have they done it? Well, for starters, Kobe Bryant (36 ppg, 52-percent from the field) is playing the best basketball of his career. It is a joy to watch Bryant when he isn't forcing shots, turning the ball over, and he's trusting his teammates. His patience, as indicated by his 37 free throw attempts and zero three pointers made, is a direct result of Phil Jackson's influence. The Zen Master has gotten Kobe to understand that his numbers and opportunities will not be diminished by sharing the ball early in the shot clock and allowing his supporting cast to make decisions. As a result, their team looks cohesive. Point guard Smush Parker has thrived, while Lamar Odom looks comfortable for the time since landing in L.A.
I still think their front line (Kwame Brown, Chris Mihm, and Brian Cook) is overwhelmed most nights and they lack enough outside shooting to be taken seriously. But if No. 8 continues to play at this level, anything is possible. Finally, I need to take a look at the Utah Jazz (3-1). I understand that Mehmet Okur (23.5 ppg, 10 rpg) is not this good. If he is, then I can tell you that there will be one less All-Star slot available on the Western Conference bench. Okur has been huge for the offensively challenged Jazz, particularly down the stretch, when it has mattered most. He hasn't been alone either. Andrei Kirilenko has returned to form as the most disruptive defensive player in the NBA. It is almost incomprehensible that a 6'8" wing player with a body much like the before shot for a nautilus commercial can average 4.75 blocks per game and still find time to chip in 13 points and double figure boards every night. Yet, that's exactly what he does. Finally, rookie point guard Deron Williams is looking like a veteran with his physical play and decision making. Eventually, Williams will be the starter and the Jazz season may rest upon how well he can handle the rigors of an 82-game season at such a demanding position. Jerry Sloan didn't want to go out after the debacle of last year. If this group continues to play as hard and smart as they have the first week of the season, he won't have to.

2) Jeff Goodman of Foxsports.com thinks Ricky Buckets has grown up:

Celtics' Davis continues to right his wrongs

When Ricky Davis turned and intentionally missed a layup at his own basket 2 ½ years ago in an attempt to collect a triple-double, it sealed his fate. Davis became the poster boy for what was wrong with the NBA. The one that was more interested in the name on the back of his jersey than the one on the front. Now, he has begun a transformation that, believe it or not, has him in a leadership position with the Boston Celtics. Davis sank a 15-footer as time expired last Wednesday night to beat the Memphis Grizzlies. Davis is third in the NBA in minutes played (44.3), is in the top 40 in both scoring (17.5) and assists (5.2) and also ranks sixth in steals (2.75). But the numbers don't tell the story. "I'm more team-oriented," Davis said. "When I was young, it was more about myself. I think there has been a big change in my game — and in my life." Davis, who just turned 26 in September but seemingly has been around forever, has grown up. He has a young son. He initiated a season ticket charity program called The Buckets Brigade. The partying stint, which began when he was drafted by Charlotte, has basically come to a halt. "He hasn't gone out since the summer and has decided to turn everything towards basketball instead of partying," said his younger brother, Edward. "He said seven years strong was enough partying. He's always going to be Ricky, but he's just not the Ricky he used to be." He's still a free spirit, but this is the new, still-improving Davis. You know, the one who has become the focal point, along with Paul Pierce, on a Celtics team looking to take the next step en route to a return to the place the franchise once stood — the most successful in all of professional sports. However, even if Davis turns into a choir boy and attends church daily for confession, he realizes he may never be able to overcome the stigma that started early in his pro career. "I know that's where it all started," Davis admitted. "With Paul Silas back when we were in Charlotte. Pat Riley never had problems with me." Quite the contrary. In fact, according to NBA executives, Riley even made recent inquiries into what it would take to get Davis to Miami. "It's tough," said Davis, who admitted that he has been called a cancer by one of his former NBA coaches. "I'm still trying to overcome the reputation now. It makes me more humble and makes me want to work harder every day." Celtics coach Doc Rivers is the first to admit Davis did plenty to earn his reputation. Silas wasn't the only coach who had his run-ins with the former University of Iowa guard. "Ricky was a young player fighting to be the best player on the team," said former Cleveland coach John Lucas, who coached Davis for two seasons. "But it was like he was running for class president. All the guys on the team liked Ricky, but he wanted to be the leader. Off the court, he was. But on the court, he wasn't." "It was all about maturity," added Lucas. "Trying to get him to where he is now. I never let Ricky have any rope, so we were always butting heads. We were always arguing and neither of us would give in, but he came to Cleveland and blossomed." "The problem was that he was the best player on a bad team his second year in Cleveland," Lucas continued. "He didn't have anyone to help him. I think having Paul Pierce has really helped Ricky. He knows that no matter what, Paul Pierce is the best player on the team. He respects Paul." Lucas had no problem putting the "poor man's Michael Jordan" label on Davis and even though they had their share of confrontations, he makes it clear that the Davis off the court was different than the one who stepped onto it. "He's a super kid and would give you the shirt off his back," Lucas said. The problems didn't really begin until Davis was drafted with the 21st overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1998. His high school coach, J.D. Rios, had nothing but good things to say about the former Davenport North High (Iowa) standout. "I had more arguments with my wife than I did with Rick," Rios said. "He came to practice and never screwed around. He always worked hard and went full-bore in everything he did — even drills." "We had a couple of confrontations, but when you are as talented as he was, he had ideas about how things should be done," added Rios. "I never, ever remember a time when he was in with the principal or had his butt chewed out." Rich Walker, who recruited Davis out of high school and remains an assistant at the University of Iowa, was also surprised as he watched Davis build a negative reputation as a young NBA player. "When you first think you have arrived, you have a sense of invincibility," Walker said. "I want to do it my way. He was just a young kid who was unbelievably gifted who wanted to do things his way. But he was never problematic. He just wanted to play all the time. He always wanted the ball. He thought he could do it all." When he left Iowa after just one season, things started to go awry. Davis played two years as a reserve under Silas in Charlotte, was traded to Miami in 2000 and shortly thereafter, dealt to Cleveland, where he was reunited with Silas after two years with the Hornets. "He's grown up," Silas said. "You realize that you have to do what's right in order to make it in this league. It surprised me that he came off the bench last year, but winning becomes important. More important than individual stats and accolades." "I saw a lot of natural ability in him," Silas added. "But I saw a lot of other things that needed working on, including his temper. He needed to grow up. Now he has and I'm happy for him." Davis attributes part of the dysfunctional relationship between him and Silas to a rift that developed between his former coach and his father. "They were good friends and then they had a falling out," Davis said. "I still don't know exactly what it was all about." The feud with Silas certainly didn't help Davis' maligned reputation. However, it wasn't until March 16, 2003, when the then 23-year-old deliberately missed a shot at his own basket that he earned a bad rap nationally. "I got caught up in the moment," Davis said. "I got carried away. I made a mistake." That was in the midst of a 17-win campaign and the year prior to the LeBron James era in Cleveland. Celtics director of basketball operations Danny Ainge pulled off a controversial trade nine months after Davis' ill-advised play when he dealt popular Eric Williams, along with Tony Battie and Kedrick Brown, for Davis, Chris Mihm, Michael Stewart and a second-round pick. The Cavs were looking for a way to rid themselves of Davis, whom they felt was a bad influence on James. The trade triggered the resignation of Boston coach Jim O'Brien just six weeks after the move. "There's no question there was some concern about Ricky when we made the trade, but we loved his potential," Ainge said. "I think Doc has made an impact on Ricky. He's got a reputation as a malcontent and a tough guy, but he's a good kid who has matured right before our eyes." "He's getting better, but he's still got a ways to go," Ainge added. "He's had his ups and downs, but Ricky doesn't want to be remembered as an uncoachable player or a bad teammate. He's always been grateful to me for bringing him here." Now Davis, who thrived coming off the bench as the team's sixth man last season, is more than content playing second fiddle on a team where Piece is clearly the go-to guy. "He's earned it (reputation)," Rivers said. "I don't think he's done anything bad, but he's had run-ins with a lot of people. He's had some emotional outbursts since I've been here and we've dealt with him. I talk to him. You have to be able to talk to Ricky. You can't ignore him." "He's trying to be a leader," added Rivers. "He's not there yet. He wants to be and that's a start, but you have to walk the walk and not just talk the talk."

3) From Michael Bamburger of Si.com, great article on ref Joey Crawford:

Like father, like sons - The Crawfords are the first family of officiating

Spring is high season for Shag Crawford, the former National League umpire. Each year, come April, May and June, he can watch his sons in action on TV most every night. Jerry, 58, is a major league ump and the keeper of the Crawford baseball flame; Joe, 54, is a top-ranked NBA referee who will, on Friday, officiate his 2,000th NBA game. Shag, 89, keeps up with his boys at his various haunts in Havertown, Pa., a suburb to which many working families of Irish descent headed when they left Philadelphia. Sometimes he goes to the Manoa Tavern, where bats and glossy photographs signed by players and managers, the trophies of an umpire's career, hang from the walls. Sometimes he watches at the American Legion Post on Eagle Road with fellow World War II vets, men who know of Shag's heroics on a Navy destroyer that was attacked by the Japanese and, a quarter century later, of his composure behind the plate in quelling a near riot after Juan Marichal nearly busted a bat over John Roseboro's head. Most often he watches at home, in a modest three-bedroom house that he never could have imagined owning in his rough-and-tumble West Philadelphia upbringing. The neighborhood kids called him Shaggy then, because of his hand-me-down clothes. When he started making money he bought sport coats at the better men's shops and became Shag. As a kid he rode on trolley lines that no longer exist to watch baseball in parks that were torn down decades ago. He admired the way the men in blue kept order, his own life complicated by his family's constant search for a paycheck. (Shaggy -- Henry to his mother -- quit high school to go to work as a laborer at Baldwin Locomotives.) After World War II, Crawford returned to Philadelphia and umpired sandlot games for extra cash, then games in the low minor leagues, then games in the high minors, climbing the ladder until he reached the majors in 1956, at age 39. In the '50s and '60s he would sometimes take Jerry and Joe to Connie Mack Stadium when he worked Phillies matinees on Sundays. If the old man was the home plate ump that day, he would be edgy before the game and the ride to the ballpark in the family Plymouth was silent. An hour before the first pitch the boys would sit on stools in the bare umpires room and watch their father rub up game balls with mud from a New Jersey creek, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Once the game started the boys, the middle two of four kids, would move to seats behind home plate or the first and third base dugouts, always close to the action, and would rise and cheer whenever Philadelphia scored. Father would glare at them from the field and let them have it on the way home. "You're Crawfords," he would say. "People know who you are, they know I'm your father. You cannot root. Do you understand me? When everyone stands, you sit. You do not clap. You do not cheer. You do not root." Now, the father watches his boys night after night. He roots not for wins and losses, but for easy games. An easy game is one in which nothing out of the ordinary happens, in which the players, coaches and managers respect the Crawfords' authority. "Run your game" was Shag's only piece of professional advice when Jerry and Joe were coming up in their respective sports. He meant for them to call the game as they saw fit, not to please their superiors or the players or the fans. If the boys were satisfied with their work, everything else would take care of itself. Shag was an aggressive, nimble umpire -- even in the final few years before his retirement in '75, he would whip new balls to pitchers, sidearm -- and Jerry and Joe are the same way today. Shag was among the first umpires to get down on the ground to more closely inspect bang-bang plays at the plate. Jerry, who's barrel-chested, isn't one to work in the dirt, but he makes the run from home down the first base line faster than many catchers. He knows, in the manner baseball lifers do, when a shortstop is going to throw home in a tight game or go to second to try to start a double play. Joe runs the floor with a sideways stutter step, keeping up with the guards all through the game, even in the overtimes. To be able to do that, he spends an hour or so a day on a treadmill. Shag was never one to provoke a player, and his boys work the same way. But if anyone gets in their face, they'll be in his. Walking away does not come naturally to any of the Crawfords. Shag ejected Earl Weaver in Game 4 of the 1969 World Series after the Orioles' manager came out to argue a third strike. It was the first time a manager had been thrown out of a Series game in 34 years. Weaver and Orioles fans went berserk, and even the commissioner, Bowie Kuhn, suggested that Crawford could have used more discretion. Screw 'em all, was Crawford's response, then and now. "I can't call a game different in October than I do in April," Shag says. Joe, with his round head and impish, expressive face, is becoming a well-known figure during the NBA playoffs because the refs are miked by TV. Many of their conversations on the court are replayed, and being chatty, Joe gets a lot of airtime. He has the ability to defuse tension by listening to complaints -- then doing what he wants. Other times he can be gruff and get under a player's skin. In 1995, Scottie Pippen threw a chair on the court after being ejected by Crawford. "I wish the chair had been the referee instead," Pippen said at the time. Since the incident the two have patched things up and expressed their mutual admiration. Jerry, like Joe, like their dad, lives for order and to be in on the action. When a manager gets in his face, Jerry stands his ground, as if begging to be jostled in any way, a violation that results in an automatic suspension. (See Pete Rose v. Dave Pallone, 1988.) If it looks like baiting to you, that just means you've never been an ump. Jerry will tell you exactly what it is: establishing authority. You'll never see a Crawford baiting or chasing after one of his antagonists. That's showboating, and the Crawfords don't showboat. Neither do the umps and refs with whom they work, because Jerry and Joe are crew chiefs.
"I've had my thing with umpires over the years," says Tampa Bay Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella, who has heaved a base or two while arguing with the men in black. "I've never had a thing with Jerry. He calls a clean game. A good game. When you see a guy hustling to make the call, you have a better chance of accepting the call, even the ones against you. Jerry's one of the guys who gets himself in the right position to make the call." That doesn't mean that Jerry makes only correct calls. Of course not. When you're judging 300 pitches and a score of check swings a night, making safe and out calls, juggling lineup cards that regularly have more than 30 names written in and crossed out, wrong decisions will be made. Here Jerry and Joe differ. Jerry will admit to his fellow umpires that he missed a call, particularly while watching replays with them after the game, when they critique each other's work. There are only 68 major league umps, and the veteran ones, with postseason work, make more than $250,000 a year; they take their work seriously. But like his father, Jerry, who was an American Legion shortstop of modest skill, would never admit to blowing a call to a player or manager. He believes that weakens his authority. "You just get back in there and try to get the next one right," he says. Indecision breeds chaos. "When in doubt," Shag used to say, "bang 'em out." In this regard -- and in almost no other -- Joe takes a different approach from Shag and Jerry. That divergence is not surprising. In a house where baseball was valued somewhere between family and church Joe rebelled and chose basketball, reaching the NBA in 1977. "I don't say anything during the game, when everyone's all emotional, especially during a playoff game, because those games run so hot," Joe says. "But if a player or a coach asks me later, I'll admit to blowing a call."
In the league's rankings Joe is consistently among the top three refs, which is why he has worked the Finals every year since 1986, an honor (and payday) reserved for the top 12 officials. Their salaries, with bonuses, can reach north of $400,000. "My belief is that admitting your mistakes improves your credibility," Joe says. In a first-round playoff series in April 2003, Joe saw Boston Celtics center Tony Battie viciously kick Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest for no apparent reason. Joe threw Battie out of the game. What Joe saw on the replays at halftime made him ill. He and the two men on his crew had missed the preamble: Artest's kicking at Battie moments earlier. Joe is sure that had they whistled Artest then, Battie would not have taken matters into his own feet. "Maybe the worst wrong ejection of my career, and if Tony asked me I'd tell him so," Joe says. "But he'd have to ask me." Joe says he couldn't sleep that night. Shag will speak with awe of Pete Rose's batting eye or Robin Roberts's command of the strike zone or the way Willie Mays knew exactly how to play the game. Joe will divulge his alltime team: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at center, Larry Bird and Julius Erving as forwards, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson in the backcourt, leaving off his favorite player, Charles Barkley. Over the years he's had to watch John Stockton, Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason like a hawk, he says, because they've been so skillful at getting away with stuff like pulling an opponent's jersey, stepping on a foot, or holding down a wrist. You cannot get Jerry to name names. He won't give a hint of favoritism. He won't even discuss retired players. "Everything gets examined in baseball," he says. "I say one thing about one player, somebody will look up every at bat that player has had with me behind the plate. I see a batting stance [not a player], and I adjust my umpiring to the stance, not the personality." The three Crawfords often talk on the phone, rehashing calls, and they have pulled together in difficult times. Seven years ago, when Joe was among the seven NBA referees who pleaded guilty to filing fraudulent tax returns -- they had exchanged their first-class air tickets for ones in coach, pocketed the difference and not declared it as income -- he drew support from Shag and Jerry. (Joe paid $128,000 in back taxes and penalties, and resigned in June 1998 only to be reinstated six months later.) But growing up, the boys never felt they knew their father. From March through October he was umpiring, and in the winter he was driving an oil truck long hours to make ends meet. Shag never earned more than $35,000 a year umpiring. Jerry reached the majors in 1976, the season after his dad retired. Jerry and Joe are deeply protective of their father's reputation. They resent that he is remembered for the Weaver incident; for to them it was just Shag doing his job, making the call as he saw fit, just as he had thousands of times before, just as he did thousands of times afterward. They want their careers to be judged the same way or -- better yet -- not judged at all, except by their peers. Old school cops, authority figures in a different setting, share the same view: The only people qualified to judge what I do are people who do what I do. "Most people think we cheat, they really do," Joe says. "What can you tell them?" The father is fit, strong, sharp, no longer a smoker, but he won't go on forever. Their mother, Vivian, passed away recently, and Shag's trips to the local taproom and the American Legion post are less frequent and shorter than they used to be. Jerry and Joe know what the scene at home is like. Jerry, who is married with two kids, moved a few years ago from Havertown to St. Petersburg and visits whenever his work takes him through Philadelphia. Joe, who is married with three daughters, lives in a town house a few miles down the road from his parents. Watching the parents grow old is not easy for any child, but it's a little easier on Jerry and Joe than on most. They know their folks can watch them almost every night doing well in jobs they love. Shag taught them by example. They watched their father stand his ground, and run his games.