Personal Foul
A First-Person Account of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA
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Narrated by:
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Chris Della Penna
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By:
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Tim Donaghy
About this listen
The media has often speculated and sports fans have debated, but until now no one has known the real story. Personal Foul takes an in-depth look at former NBA referee Tim Donaghy and the betting scandal that rocked professional basketball. This is the decisive book that reveals exactly what was done and how it all happened. Which games were affected and how? Did referees target particular players or teams? Just how much did the NBA know and when? How did the mafia get involved? The book answers all of these questions and more.
Thrilling and poignant, Personal Foul takes readers on the journey of one man wrestling his own demons and shines a light on a culture of gambling and "directive" officiating in the NBA that promises to change the way sports fans view the game forever. The book also includes a foreword by Phil Scala, the FBI Special Agent who worked the Gambino case.
©2009 Tim Donaghy (P)2013 Tim DonaghyListeners also enjoyed...
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Loudmouth
- Tales (and Fantasies) of Sports, Sex, and Salvation from Behind the Microphone
- By: Craig Carton
- Narrated by: Craig Carton
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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In this debut, Carton invites the listener to join him as he recounts tales from his suburban youth, defends his long-held love affair with the New York Jets, reminisces about the shenanigans of some of the highest paid and most celebrated athletes playing today, and reflects on his work as one of radio's craftiest, most hilarious personalities ever to get behind the microphone.
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Fun but too much about early life
- By Anthony A. Ciaccio on 07-13-13
By: Craig Carton
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Illegal Procedure
- A Sports Agent Comes Clean on the Dirty Business of College Football
- By: Josh Luchs, James Dale
- Narrated by: David Ledoux
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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For 15 years, sports agent Josh Luchs made illegal deals with numerous college athletes, from top-tier, nationally recognized phenoms to late-round draft picks. Then, in October 2010, Luchs wrote a confessional article in Sports Illustrated, telling the truth about what he did and didn't do. Since then, he has taken on a new role: whistle-blowing, truth-telling reformer. In telling his own story, Luchs here pulls back the curtain on the real economy - and the broken system - of college football.
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Very cool!
- By Phil on 01-24-13
By: Josh Luchs, and others
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Play Their Hearts Out
- A Coach, His Star Recruit, and the Youth Basketball Machine
- By: George Dohrmann
- Narrated by: Emily Rose Speer
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The NBA has returned to prominence on the backs of phenoms like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett. The media promotes them, the shoe companies pay them, and America applauds. But how exactly do such players reach the pros? What do they give up to get there? And what happens to those who fall short?
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Amazing book, fantastic narration.
- By Randy on 11-03-10
By: George Dohrmann
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One on One
- Behind the Scenes with the Greats in the Game
- By: John Feinstein
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 16 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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After numerous beloved and best-selling sports books, John Feinstein returns to the subjects of his first 10 books, crafting a narrative of the most revealing encounters he's had. These are the coaches and athletes who know their games the best, and the legends and legendary moments that gave inherent shape to our favorite pastimes.
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Big Time Sports Stories and Bigger Egos
- By fred on 03-12-12
By: John Feinstein
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Life Is Not an Accident
- A Memoir of Reinvention
- By: Jay Williams
- Narrated by: Jay Williams
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Like millions of kids before him, Jay Williams used to pretend he was making the game-winning shot while playing basketball in his Plainfield, New Jersey, backyard. Unlike almost all of those other kids, he kept right on making shots until he became an NCAA champion and two-time national player of the year at Duke and the number-two overall NBA draft pick in 2002.
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Taking ownership of mistakes
- By ladybug on 07-20-16
By: Jay Williams
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Furious George
- My Forty Years Surviving NBA Divas, Clueless GMs, and Poor Shot Selection
- By: George Karl, Curt Sampson
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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A man of deep passion and intensity, George Karl earned his bad boy reputation while playing at the University of North Carolina, a rap that continued through the five years he spent with the San Antonio Spurs - and long after he stopped playing. Karl's beery nights, fistfights, and barking followed him into a 35-year coaching career. In a game defined by big stakes and bigger egos, rabid fans and an unforgiving media, Karl was hired and fired a dozen times.
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Pathetic little black book.
- By Brad Howard on 04-20-20
By: George Karl, and others
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Junior Seau
- The Life and Death of a Football Icon
- By: Jim Trotter
- Narrated by: JD Jackson
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau is widely considered one of the best linebackers ever to play the game. A 10-time All-Pro and 12-time Pro Bowl selection, Seau was picked for the NFL's All-Decade Team in the 1990s. His incredible career spanned two decades, during which time he played for the Chargers, Dolphins, and Patriots. In 2012, at the age of 43, Seau committed suicide with a gunshot wound to the chest. News of his death sent shockwaves through the NFL.
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Outstanding Book!!!
- By Sherry Jones on 01-08-16
By: Jim Trotter
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Solo
- A Memoir of Hope
- By: Hope Solo
- Narrated by: Christina Delaine
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Hope Solo is the face of the modern female athlete. She is fearless, outspoken, and the best in the world at what she does: protecting the goal of the U.S. women's soccer team. Her outsized talent has led her to the pinnacle of her sport - the Olympics and the World Cup - and made her into an international celebrity who is just as likely to appear on ABC's Dancing with the Stars as she is on the covers of Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine, and Vogue.
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Not your normal memoir
- By Rory on 02-14-15
By: Hope Solo
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Snake
- The Legendary Life of Ken Stabler
- By: Mike Freeman
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Ken "The Snake" Stabler was the embodiment of the original Men in Black - the freewheeling, hard-hitting Oakland Raiders. The league's first swashbuckling pass thrower, the mythical southpaw Southerner famous for come-from-behind drives late in the game, Stabler led the Raiders to their first Super Bowl championship in 1977.
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Great story about a childhood legend!!!
- By David Warnock on 07-18-19
By: Mike Freeman
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A Season on the Brink
- By: John Feinstein
- Narrated by: John Feinstein
- Length: 13 hrs
- Unabridged
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A Season on the Brink chronicles the basketball season that John Feinstein spent following the Indiana Hoosiers and their fiery coach, Bob Knight. Knight granted Feinstein an unprecedented inside look at college basketball - with complete access to every moment of the season. Feinstein saw and heard it all - practices, team meetings, strategy sessions, and mid-game huddles - during Knight's struggle to avoid a losing season.
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Great Sports Journalism
- By Robert on 04-18-13
By: John Feinstein
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The Secret Race
- Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All Costs
- By: Tyler Hamilton, Daniel Coyle
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Here is an explosive book that takes us, for the first time, deep inside a shadowy, fascinating, and surreal world of unscrupulous doctors, anything-goes team directors, and athletes so relentlessly driven to succeed that they would do anything—and take any risk, physical, mental, or moral—to gain the edge they needed to win. The Secret Race is a riveting, courageous act of witness from a man who is as determined to reveal the hard truth about his sport as he once was to win the Tour de France.
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Gripping and fascinating
- By Alan on 09-09-12
By: Tyler Hamilton, and others
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Open and Shut
- By: David Rosenfelt
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
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Whether dueling with new forensics or the local old boys' network, irreverent defense attorney Andy Carpenter always leaves them awed with his biting wit and winning fourth-quarter game plan. But the fun stops the day Andy's dad, Paterson, New Jersey's legendary ex-DA, drops dead in front of him at a game in Yankee Stadium.
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Does Anyone Else Notice the Missing Content?
- By pewter on 02-05-13
By: David Rosenfelt
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From the Outside
- My Journey Through Life and the Game I Love
- By: Ray Allen, Michael Arkush
- Narrated by: J.D. Jackson
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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The record-holding two-time National Basketball Association champion reflects on his work ethic, his on-the-court friendships and rivalries, the great teams he's played for, and what it takes to have a long and successful career in this thoughtful, in-depth memoir. Playing in the NBA for 18 years, Ray Allen won championships with the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat and entered the record books as the original king of the three-point shot. Known as one of the hardest-working and highest-achieving players in NBA history, he was legendary for his sharp shooting.
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It wasn't bad, but I thought it would be better
- By Amazon Customer on 07-30-18
By: Ray Allen, and others
What listeners say about Personal Foul
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- JOEL
- 04-12-20
Great Story, Poor Performance
This is a very intriguing story that gives any NBA fan a glimpse into the world of NBA officiating. There are many "ahh" moments in this book. This book not only goes into Donaghy's background and road to infamy, it also gives you an insight into why and how games certain games are officiated. If you've ever wondered why the NBA's elite players never get into foul trouble or always get the calls when driving the paint, this book is for you. Also, gives you an insight into the NBA's perspective on playoff and Final's matchups. It's all about the money.
Penna's performance almost ruins the entire book. If the story wasn't intriguing, I would've stopped listening the first 5 minutes. Penna is very mechanical and it feels very rushed. No emotion, almost robotic delivery. Probably one of the wost deliveries I've listened to.
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- John E Jenkins
- 02-02-21
I don’t feel crazy anymore
This book is fantastic! It confirms everything we felt like we already knew about NBA officiating. The ref’s fix outcomes and it’s done intentionally. Now I look at the NBA on par with Professional Wrestling, choreographed and fake. The story is well written and fascinating. I only wish someone would have worked with the narrator on player names, it’s a bit embarrassing how bad that was in this reading. The narrator clearly has never watched NBA games or he would know these names.
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- Roman
- 12-23-13
The Disgrace that is the NBA
Would you consider the audio edition of Personal Foul to be better than the print version?
Not at all. The reader sounded like he was in a hurry and his pronunciation was atrocious----a problem, unfortunately all too common in audio books. Initially, I thought that the mispronunciations were limited to proper nouns (players' names), which while still inexcusable, would at least be tolerable. But alas, that was not the case.
What other book might you compare Personal Foul to and why?
I can't think of another book with which to compare Personal Foul, but I found it to be an honest and candid representation of the circumstances leading to the problem----i.e. no whining or constantly making excuses, blaming others etc. In fact, to my shock, I found myself empathizing with the author.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Yes, primarily with the plethora of mispronunciations.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
I was moved by learning the extent----not the existence--of corruption and incompetence in the NBA management and officiating. If I continue to watch NBA games, and I still haven't decided upon that, it will certainly be with a jaundiced eye. Is pro basketball a sport, like college basketball where fouls are called on the basis of objective criteria, or a "performance," where the object is to keep high profile players on the floor "no matter what"? Clearly it's the latter, and this is evident across the board.
Any additional comments?
Great book. Couldn't put it down.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jeffrey Rice
- 05-28-17
good book, narrator is average at best though.
revealing book about Tim's story and refereeing in the NBA....however if the narrator is important to you I'd listen to a sample first.
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- Ryan of Silly Reviews
- 08-03-15
Learn how to pronounce players' names
I get taken out of the zone when the reader doesn't know how to pronounce the name of the athlete.
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- Casey
- 06-23-16
Good content
Maybe hire a reader who has actually watched a basketball player. Couldn't pronounce the names of many well-known basketball personalities.
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- hairbear2012
- 06-07-22
I enjoyed the NBA story
I enjoyed the 1st hand account of the betting scandal in the NBA cool way to look at the NBA and how it works
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- Marcel S.
- 08-30-16
Who narrated this?!
This guy mispronounced several names of superstar level players. Come on! This book is about basketball and it really takes you out of the groove when basketball related details are sloppy.
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- LiveFromTheDec
- 03-16-21
Good book
Not a slander, tell all unless you count the shady guys who set him up to get caught. Those guys are not NBA affiliated.
Does give good insight into how games are and are not called and how it gave Tim good understanding of how the outcomes may go. Overall I enjoyed it.
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- Anonymous User
- 01-10-24
Great story! This is why I don't watch the NBA.
A great story with a little bit of everything. sports crime and downfall. But in the end Tim seems like a good guy who made a very bad mistake. A must read for any sports fan.
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