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Mrs "Great One"

MFS62 Feb 08 2006 01:44 PM

That's what they call Wayne Gretzky in Canada. His wife (and maybe he) is involved in a betting scandal: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=Ag1n5QDADYsLJJabKGqvU385nYcB?slug=ap-coyotes-tocchet-gamblingbust&prov=ap&type=lgns It wouldn't surprise me. since I know he likes to gamble. A few years ago I was at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. Wayne was there, plaing in the high stakes room of the casino. He dropped $150,000 in that one night. And it was probably US dollars, too. Later

soupcan Feb 08 2006 02:00 PM

And you know for a fact he dropped 150 large because you were sitting next to him at the table...?

metirish Feb 08 2006 02:03 PM

I don't get why gambling seems to be such a hot issue over here, so she likes to gamble, fine with me, is the Goverment pissed because they aren't getting a cut?

MFS62 Feb 08 2006 02:12 PM

soupcan wrote: And you know for a fact he dropped 150 large because you were sitting next to him at the table...? The place isn't that big. When I first entered the casino, I recognized him at the tables. I was in the next room, maybe 20-30 feet away from him at most. And the folks who were in his room had to pass by me to leave the casino. Many people who had seen it were talking about it as they passed by. And when I asked them what the excitement was, they told me what they had witnessed. Later

Edgy DC Feb 08 2006 02:18 PM

Funny you should put it that way. When I worked for Charlie McCreevey in Ireland, everybody asked me if he gave me any ponies to back. He was poised to take over as finance minister and nobody cared that he gambled openly. The reason gambling is a big deal for athletes is that it compromises the sport. You work up a half million in debt to a bookie, it's very tempting to get an offer that the whole nut is erased if you just miss a key free throw in an a game with no playoff implications. If the operation is going on illegally, all the more so.

KC Feb 08 2006 02:26 PM

Sports executives tied to organized crime is big news - can't sweep it under the rug by saying things like why's the government pissed off. I don't find organized crime all that offensive, but the feds certainly do.

MFS62 Feb 08 2006 02:27 PM

On sports talk in NY this morning, they said that the scope of the scandal is widening, and may involve "organized crime" In brief statements, the player involved has said that no bets were placed on hockey games. But the larger issue may become money laundering(hiding income from the IRS). And, as you said, this has the possibility of tainting the sport as well as the individuals involved. Later

metirish Feb 08 2006 02:30 PM

You worked for McGreevey?, what is it you do anyway?, it's true I think that gambling is more open in Ireland and Britain, of course if you are involved with a team you shouldn't be gambling on that sport, but I don't think Ms. Gretzky gambling is a problem.

Yancy Street Gang Feb 08 2006 02:32 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Feb 08 2006 02:33 PM

Edgy DC Feb 08 2006 02:33 PM

I interned. Met with a constuent or two, hosted foreign dignataries, particularly on one momorable occasion, reviewed the comments of the current minister (he was opposition at the time), but mostly brewed a lot of tay.

metirish Feb 08 2006 02:35 PM

Very cool, McGreevey was/is quite popular and can be seen at race courses all the time.

MFS62 Feb 08 2006 02:56 PM

Wayne Gretzky is married to Jayne (or is it Audrey) Meadows? Later

Yancy Street Gang Feb 08 2006 03:07 PM

Audrey, of course. And Wayne Gretzky isn't the true Great One!

MFS62 Feb 08 2006 03:10 PM

AHA! Got it. Your answer sent me to the moon, Alice. Later

KC Feb 09 2006 02:38 PM

Liar liar pants on fire ... Report: Gretzky caught on wiretap Newark, NJ (Sports Network) - NHL legend and current Phoenix Coyotes head coach and managing partner Wayne Gretzky has reportedly been caught on state wiretaps talking about Coyotes associate coach Rick Tocchet's alleged gambling ring. The Newark Star-Ledger reported on Thursday that law enforcement sources told the newspaper that Gretzky knew about Tocchet's gambling operation but that there is no evidence that Gretzky made any wagers. Gretzky's wife, Janet Jones, is allegedly among those gamblers who placed bets with the ring that exceeded a total of $1.7 million on professional and collegiate sporting events during a 40-day period. The sources also told the newspaper that authorities are considering issuing a subpoena to Gretzky that would order him to testify before a state grand jury. Gretzky had denied on Tuesday that he had any knowledge of the allegations against Tocchet until his associate coach called him on Monday. On Tuesday, Tocchet was identified by the New Jersey State Police and attorney general Zulima Farber as being the alleged partner and financier of veteran New Jersey State Trooper James Harney, who was arrested and charged with official misconduct, promoting gambling, money laundering and conspiracy. Tocchet, also a veteran NHL player, is expected to answer to similar charges. He has since been granted a leave of absence from the NHL, and must immediately cease all contact and communication with all league and club personnel for the duration of his departure. The leave of absence will not end without commissioner Gary Bettman's consent and Bettman can modify the terms of the leave at any time. 02/09 13:28:01 ET

SwitchHitter Feb 09 2006 03:49 PM

KC wrote: Gretzky had denied on Tuesday that he had any knowledge of the allegations against Tocchet until his associate coach called him on Monday. You notice he doesn't deny the gambling ring, only that he was aware of allegations of a gambling ring.

MFS62 Feb 09 2006 04:02 PM

I wonder if they tapped his phone because he's a "foreigner" making international calls. Did they get a warrant first? Later

Bret Sabermetric Feb 10 2006 02:05 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Feb 10 2006 06:21 AM

I hope Gretzky gets the electric chair. And I'm a fan of his--really. Why? Because if he was a scuzzball, most of his defenders would be saying to throw the book at him, and being a scuzzball or a good guy (even a Great Guy) has nothing to do with what he's charged with. The deal is: "Hey, kid, here's your chance to make a zillion bucks, have millions of strangers cheer themselves hoarse for you for sixteen years, and have the newspapers filled with accolades about how you're the greatest thing to happen to hockey since the invention of ice, but there's a catch. After you've made more money than God and Satan put together, we kinda don't want you to gamble on sports, okay? It just looks bad, kid. We got a deal?" And the kid says, "Yeah, sure, why not" and then he goes and bets on sports. The only prayer you have of reinforcing the lesson that this is an unwise move is to expose Gretzky (or Rose, or Joe Jackson) to the ultimate penalty. You've got to show that there's no special Good Guy get out of jail card, no Lifetime Ban (except for record-holders), no morality clause (except for guys too stupid to understand the concept of morality). The deal has got to be "You get banned, whoever you are or think you are, if we catch you. Period." The more stature you have in the sport, the harsher your penalty must be. For Gretzky, that means the electric chair. Sorry, Wayne.

DocTee Feb 10 2006 03:15 AM

I have a Wayne Gretzky rookie card, and always hoped he would go on a murderous rampage to increase it's value (at least that's the way they told me it works)--- i guess this'll have to do

Yancy Street Gang Feb 10 2006 08:41 AM

Don't give up hope. He may be seriously considering killing his wife for getting him in this mess. Maybe he'll hire Robert Blake to do it.

silverdsl Feb 10 2006 10:10 AM

I don't have a problem with gambling in general. I think it becomes a problem because of the circumstances here. That there are a number of people with ties to professional sports is pretty big because those people should know better than to do anything that gives even the appearance of impropriety. That there might also be ties to organized crime and/or money laundering doesn't look good either. I really hope that the initial reports that there was no betting on NHL games turns out to be accurate because if not this goes from a minor scandal into a major one.

Frayed Knot Feb 10 2006 10:44 AM

Of course there's no evidence (or even accusations at this point) that Wayne bet on anything but hey, let's not let that stop us from deciding on the penalty.

MFS62 Feb 10 2006 10:48 AM

Frayed Knot wrote: Of course there's no evidence (or even accusations at this point) that Wayne bet on anything but hey, let's not let that stop us from deciding on the penalty. He may not have placed any bets, but if he and his wife file joint tax returns, and any income has been hidden, then he's in real deep trouble. And the penalties are very clear. Later

Bret Sabermetric Feb 10 2006 12:51 PM

Frayed Knot wrote: Of course there's no evidence (or even accusations at this point) that Wayne bet on anything but hey, let's not let that stop us from deciding on the penalty. Have you ever considered how much time you'd save by designing a generic, all-purpose "it's too soon to judge, nobody knows everything yet to be learned in the universe" type post? We could work it up into a macro- for ya, and you could do all your posting inside of fifteen seconds per day. It's a thought.

seawolf17 Feb 10 2006 01:14 PM

Bret Sabermetric, Middle Eastern Judge.

Frayed Knot Feb 10 2006 01:25 PM

Hey, if you want to give him the sports equivelant of the death penalty prior to anyone even accusing him of betting on sports (much less on his own sport) go right ahead. Personally I'll wait for something a little more concrete.

Bret Sabermetric Feb 10 2006 02:12 PM

You and seawolf seem to have confused this forum with an actual court of law. While I certainly would be disqualified from serving on Gretzky's jury, because I have totally prejudged his case, that only matters in that venue. Out here, in the world, people make judgments based on evidence less rigorous than that which they get exposed to in court. I'm sure you have opinions on matters from time to time on which you haven't been exposed to days and weeks of exhauistive testimony. Or maybe not. Maybe every time someone asks your opinion on anything ("Say, Frayed Knot, does it look like rain to you?") you decline to answer pending a six-month course in meteorology. "Say, Bret, does Gretzky look guilty to you?" "Fuck, yeah. Either that, or totally retarded. Or setting his wife up for a long jail term. What a tool, to deny involvement in something that he's on a federal wiretap talking about. He's going down, either for obstruction of justice, tax evasion, a ruinous divorce--wow, what a world of hurt he's starting this week. A lifetime of reputation as a hero, and now he's going to be known as a liar, a cheater, a small-time crook, an utter and contemptible asshole. Anything else you'd like to know?"

Edgy DC Feb 13 2006 10:45 AM

".... ludicrous.... balderdash." I want Ron Fujikawa to be my lawyer.

Frayed Knot Feb 13 2006 11:06 AM

"Wayne Gretzky's contention that he had no prior knowledge of an illegal gambling ring linked to his wife and Rick Tocchet appears to be supported by the timing of a wiretap conversation involving the hockey Hall of Famer" Too bad we already pulled the switch on that electric chair.