(Sports Network) - For nearly 30 years on the day before the Oscars, the Golden Raspberry Awards have celebrated the worst Hollywood has to offer.

There is the obvious stuff like Worst Picture, Worst Actor and Worst Actress, along with a series of unconventional categories like Worst Screen Couple and Worst Sequel.

Since sports is just another brand of entertainment, I am hoping "The Razzies" expand. In fact, I am waiting with bated breath for the Worst Official category.

Talk about some worthy candidates.

Baseball is loaded. You have "Mr. Confrontation" himself, "Cowboy" Joe West, the "highly-regarded" Tim McClelland and the latest World Series embarrassment Brian Gorman.

McClelland's my favorite, In the American League Championship Series. New York's Nick Swisher was at third base when Johnny Damon lofted a fly ball to Angels center fielder Torii Hunter. Swisher tagged up and easily scored. Or did he? Anaheim protested, saying Swisher left early and McClelland agreed, calling Swisher out.

Here's the funny part. Replays clearly showed Swisher never left early and revealed McClelland was never even looking at Swisher.

So why overturn it?

"In my heart I thought he left too soon," McClelland said. Then, when confronted with video, McClelland blurted out this gem: "After looking at replays, I'm not sure I believe the replay of the first one."

You can't make that stuff up.

Football isn't much better. The great Ed Hochuli is obsessed with getting camera time so he can give you tickets to his own personal "gun show." Meanwhile, NFL insiders talk about winning all "four phases" when Ron Winter is the top zebra -- offense, defense, special teams and his atrocious calls.

Of course, the real heavyweight nominee for the World's Worst Officiating Razzie has to be disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy. After all, he is the only felon in the running...so far.

While serving time in a federal prison, Donaghy penned a book outlining the corruption in NBA officiating, something he certainly is an expert on.

His publisher, Random House, reportedly balked at releasing "Blowing the Whistle: The Culture of Fraud in the NBA," citing liability concerns.

However, Deadspin.com acquired excerpts of the book where Donaghy alleges things like officials "sometimes" give star players like Kobe Bryant favorable calls, some refs have it in for some players and coaches, and a home team is more likely to get a favorable whistle.

Wow...talk about groundbreaking stuff.

Steve Javie gives Kobe more rope than Willie Green, Joe Crawford hates Tim Duncan. Homecourt means something.

None of that could have possibly soured Random House so what gives?

Well, Donaghy also offered a far more explosive allegation involving veteran referee Dick Bavetta.

"Studying under Dick Bavetta for 13 years was like pursuing a graduate degree in advanced game manipulation," Donaghy wrote. "He knew how to marshal the tempo and tone of a game better than any referee in the league, by far. He also knew how to take subtle -- and not so subtle -- cues from the NBA front office and extend a playoff series or, worse yet, change the complexion of that series."

Donaghy cites the 2002 Western Conference Finals Game 6 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings as an example of Bavetta's skills. Sacramento had a 3-2 edge in the series and the referees assigned to work were Bavetta, Bob Delaney, and Ted Bernhardt.

"As soon as the referees for the game were chosen, the rest of us knew immediately that there would be a Game 7," Donaghy wrote. "A prolonged series was good for the league, good for the networks, and good for the game. Oh, and one more thing: it was great for the big-market, star-studded Los Angeles Lakers."

Donaghy claimed in a pregame meeting prior to Game 6, the league office sent down word that calls that would have benefited the Lakers were being missed by the referees.

"This was the type of not-so-subtle information that I and other referees were left to interpret," Donaghy said. "After receiving the dispatch, Bavetta openly talked about the fact that the league wanted a Game 7."

"If we give the benefit of the calls to the team that's down in the series, nobody's going to complain," Bavetta stated, according to Donaghy. "The series will be even at three apiece, and then the better team can win Game 7."

Of course, Sacramento went on to lose Game 6 as the Lakers were repeatedly sent to the foul line by Bavetta and company. Whispers about that game have been commonplace around the league for years.

For what's it's worth, I don't buy it.

I'm not naive. Scandal in sport has been around forever. Boxers will always take dives and tennis players will always tank matches, but you will never see a wide-ranging conspiracy in the four majors unless you're Oliver Stone. The media scrutiny is just too great.

If David Stern ordered Bavetta, Crawford, Javie or Delaney to fix games, why in the world was 2007-08 the first time since 1987 that the league's two "marquee franchises" faced off in the finals? Why are there so many playoff series with "marquee teams" that are lopsided?

Envelope please...The winner for World's Worst Official...

Take your pick...

Donaghy wins for Best Fiction Writer.



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