Fixed: How Goodfellas Bought Boston College Basketball
Using extensive background research as well as interviews with the principal characters, Fixed provides the first in-depth reconstruction of the point-shaving scandal involving the 1978-1979 Boston College basketball team, from the genesis of the plot in the summer of 1978, to the uncovering of the scheme during an unrelated investigation in 1980, to the trial that captivated the sports world in the fall of 1981. It is a multi-layered story of greed and betrayal combining sports, gambling,...
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This book provides the first in-depth reconstruction of the point-shaving scandal involving the 1978-1979 Boston College basketball team. Publishers Weekly Big-time mobsters, All-American athletes and high-powered lawyers are but a few of the intriguing characters who appear in Porter's well-researched, action-packed account of the 1978-1979 Boston College point-shaving scandal. Porter, a veteran sportswriter and columnist, traces the scandal from its creation in the summer of 1978 through the trials of the players and mobsters in 1981; particularly fascinating is his exploration of how the scam affected the players mentally and the relationship between them and the gangsters. His journalistic style is detailed but never slow, fair to all sides but not soft. He admits when his information is unclear, but still manages to present a coherent examination of the events. Porter also expertly portrays his primary characters, who include Jim Sweeny, an Academic All-American and a Naismith award winner who is described by the gangsters as "the perfect front," and ex-mobster-turned-star government witness Henry Hill, the man who wrote Wiseguy, the book that the movie Goodfellas was based on. Porter devotes the first part of the book to the planning and execution of the scheme to shave points; there he recounts the history of Boston College basketball and the program's situation at the time of the scandal. He then examines the '78-'79 season game by game, showing how the sinister plan unfolded. The second part of the book, which relates the details of the investigation and the trials of the case in 1981, is even more absorbing than the first. (Mar.) Forecast: College basketball fans and readers of crime books--especially those involving the underworld--will revel in the mix of exciting drama and exacting detail, and will be drawn to the provocative cover, reminiscent of the jackets on Mario Puzo's books. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
\ Chicago Tribune[This book] is an ambitious recap of the point-shaving scandal that struck Boston College in the 1978-79 season...Porter's reporting is meticulous and his narrative brisk...\ \ \ \ \ Philadelphia Daily News...a lively book.\ \ \ Chicago Sun-TimesFixed is compelling drama.\ \ \ \ \ Sacramento Bee[An] eye-opening account of a point-shaving scandal involving the Boston College basketball team in the 1978-79 season...Porter exhaustively studies the entire history of this scandal.\ \ \ \ \ Publishers WeeklyBig-time mobsters, All-American athletes and high-powered lawyers are but a few of the intriguing characters who appear in Porter's well-researched, action-packed account of the 1978-1979 Boston College point-shaving scandal. Porter, a veteran sportswriter and columnist, traces the scandal from its creation in the summer of 1978 through the trials of the players and mobsters in 1981; particularly fascinating is his exploration of how the scam affected the players mentally and the relationship between them and the gangsters. His journalistic style is detailed but never slow, fair to all sides but not soft. He admits when his information is unclear, but still manages to present a coherent examination of the events. Porter also expertly portrays his primary characters, who include Jim Sweeny, an Academic All-American and a Naismith award winner who is described by the gangsters as "the perfect front," and ex-mobster-turned-star government witness Henry Hill, the man who wrote Wiseguy, the book that the movie Goodfellas was based on. Porter devotes the first part of the book to the planning and execution of the scheme to shave points; there he recounts the history of Boston College basketball and the program's situation at the time of the scandal. He then examines the '78-'79 season game by game, showing how the sinister plan unfolded. The second part of the book, which relates the details of the investigation and the trials of the case in 1981, is even more absorbing than the first. (Mar.) Forecast: College basketball fans and readers of crime books--especially those involving the underworld--will revel in the mix of exciting drama and exacting detail, and will be drawn to the provocative cover, reminiscent of the jackets on Mario Puzo's books. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.\ \ \ \ \ Library JournalNo longer just a competition between rival schools, university athletics has become a multibillion-dollar business where the love of the game often pales in comparison to the lure of big money. In this well-researched book, Porter, a sports journalist (Sporting News, Soccer America, and Hockey News) in Philadelphia and New York for 14 years, offers a disturbing glimpse of a gambling scandal that involved the Mafia and the 1978-79 Boston College basketball team. The author used numerous interviews to document the chain of events, from the initial investigation of three players implicated in shaving points to fix at least 12 games to the ultimate conviction of five people. This compelling story features a glossary of legal terms. For regional collections. (Index not seen.) Larry R. Little, Penticton P.L., BC Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.\ \
