Advantage Disadvantage Page 4

  Each associate of this gang earned a customized handgun. Some time ago, one of the gang’s brethren knocked over a gun and range store. The gang stole several hundred Baretta Semi-Automatic 9MM pistols. Each gun had a legal capacity of 15 bullets in the clip and one in the barrel. It weighed about two pounds with deadly, short-term accuracy. Securing these guns was a big deal to the gang because they were unregistered - without any ballistic testing traces. The gang contracted a carpenter to replace the dull black factory handles on the pistols with a dark blue inlay. Each banger was proud to carry his “Cobalt”, a tool for protection, identification, and intimidation. It was also a gang-specific symbol for earning full-associate status. Bobby cherished and regularly polished his new Cobalt.

  As their loyalty was proven, new gang members became front men or salesmen for one of the various vices in which they engaged. The gang had a diversified portfolio of vice operations: prostitution, drugs, protection (extortion) and gambling. After a required rotation of jobs that showed the gang supervisors what kind of talent was in the labor pool, the middle managers met with the veteranos to bid on each BG for divisional assignment. The rotation was nicknamed the “Boot Camp” and it was the path to job promotion for newcomers.

  Davis was a blocking and tackling kind of gangbanger. He was tough enough to protect the gang hookers; he was busted a couple times for drug possession with intent to sell. In juvenile detention, he demonstrated his street smarts and loyalty by not talking about the gang. He was bold enough to display the gang’s flags (wearing clothes featuring their colors and insignias). Each time the police held him at the Elgin facility, he remained silent. It usually took a couple days waiting for the gang’s mouthpieces to obtain his release. The gang always kept a few attorneys on retainer to handle the constant arrests and federal tax issues. Nearly all of the hired mouthpieces were Jewish. The gang not so affectionately referred to them as Hebrews or “Heebs”. Moreover, after a day or two, Davis was normally back on his street corner selling ganja and crack to passing cars.

  Bobby Jones was much brighter than most of the club’s personnel. He had demonstrated his penchant for mathematics several times. More subtle and cerebral than his cousin, he fit-in better with the thinking assignments and less with the muscle jobs. He was extremely valuable in the gang’s gambling division and he liked his permanent assignment there. Like everyone, he started at the bottom, from look out at the gang’s sports book, to runner, and ultimately to odds maker.

  ***

  The cousins advanced down their separate career paths. By now, they were twenty-five years old and Bobby sarcastically earned the nickname Bobby the Greek (a play on the Las Vegas icon, Jimmy the Greek, who set the betting lines in Las Vegas for many years). By then, Bobby the Greek (shortened to Bobby G.) was contributing enormous sums of money to the gang’s coffers, and in turn, he earned a larger cut of the action.

  The gang always appreciated members who opened new avenues of opportunities. For people like Davis, it meant expanding his drug clientele to new grade schools within his hard fought territory. Davis also tried to make connections with suburban chippers (occasional users) who could drive by the street where he conducted his operation.

  Bobby G. made his contribution to new business by developing a sports book of bets on high schools. While the glamour bets revolved around college or professional football and basketball, high school betting was smaller but much more profitable. In traditional sports betting, the bookie would develop the highest level of bets and to the extent possible, he would try to attract a balanced betting load. If too many bets were coming in on the Chicago Bears giving five points in a particular game, the bookie would raise the number of points to encourage bets on the other side (against the Bears). Anyone who lost a wager paid a 10% losing tax called “juice”. Therefore, the bookie would try to have an equal balance of bets. Suppose Bobby G. was able to get $50,000 bet on the Bears to win, and $50,000 on the Bears to lose. This would be a sports book nirvana because the bookie cares not who won – the juice was $5,000 paid by the loser, which the gang earned without taking any risks. Even the large Las Vegas sports books operated this way. They used the point spreads to regulate the flow of money on each side of the action, and if they were still heavily unbalanced, the casino placed the excess money as a bet in another sports book. The gang was a microcosm of Las Vegas. They routinely gathered in the bets, and usually laid off the unbalanced bets. Boring yes, but it was a very profitable (10%) with no risk.

  The high school betting operation developed by Bobby G. was founded on the same principles; trying to balance off the bets. However, Las Vegas did not accept bets on high school games. Bobby G. had to formulate the odds for every game. He was well informed and did his homework every year. First, he developed on-going relationships with many local area coaches, grade school through twelfth grade as well as travelling basketball managers. In addition, Bobby G. was a regular at various gyms in the summer time, checking out the incoming freshman talent, gathering information, finding out which teams were improving and spreading the word to wealthy suburban parents who loved to bet on their sons’ teams and occasionally betting pro and college games as well. He dubbed these people “homers” because most of them overestimated their local teams’ capabilities and bet like chumps. Homers made Bobby’s sports betting operation more profitable because he offered a betting line way out of whack – enough that he sometimes did not even try to balance the bets. Other gangs with truces often would accept the other side of these high school bets if Bobby G. offered. They realized that tilted Bobby G.’s bets were stacked against the homers. Whether he laid-off the other side of the homers bets to lock in 10% or if his gang accepted the entire risk on a particular game, Bobby G.’s record of accomplishment had proven correct approximately 80% of the time. The gang’s upper echelon was very happy with his contribution to the gang’s bottom line.

  Bobby G. accidentally stumbled on another way to earn income, which he secretively kept to himself. Because he had ingratiated himself with many local coaches and had a working knowledge of the associated high school teams, college recruiters sought out his contacts and player analysis. He parlayed this scouting function to work bilaterally. Coaches would pay him for this information, and equally important, parents would compensate him for advocating for their athlete. Bobby G. personally kept all the money he earned in his role as a basketball scout or street agent.

  ***

  Unexpectedly, the violent crime task force began arresting the veteranos and other higher echelons of the gang en masse. Clearly, an informant infiltrated the gang. Bobby G. wondered when they would come for him. Gang members on the street were in complete disarray. The “Don” tried to issue orders from inside the Joliet Correctional Facility, but every time he contacted someone, the police busted him. The investigation focused on the big three: prostitution, extortion and drug dealing. Bobby G. waited and waited, and finally became convinced that either he was not a target of the investigation or if the task force knew about him, they considered illegal gambling a low priority issue. Strangely enough, Bobby G. was able to drop the gang flag without having to ask permission or court out because his gang no longer existed except behind bars.

  Bobby G. thought about his options: join a different gang and risk retribution if his new alliance was discovered, or remain neutral by staying in business by himself. He decided to focus on high school betting to fly under the radar of the remaining gangs who preferred taking bets on pro and college games. He was the sole person in Chicagoland who accepted high school bets – no threats to anyone. In fact, the other gangs would become excellent clients of his operation. His business plan was simple:

  1) continue to extensively research the local players and teams

  2) set betting lines to disadvantage the homers, favoring the gangs who took the other side of the action

  3) accept pro and college bets without actively soliciting them

  4) continue his street agent
shake downs by matchmaking second-tier college scholarship hopefuls and with mid-major university basketball recruiters.

  A few years had passed and Bobby G. was thirty-years-old. He had taken care of many of the local Chicago police with bribe money or street agent introductions for their kids. Bobby G. was flagrant about his bling. He drove his BMW throughout the streets of Chicago. Most cops waived when he roared by except a highly motivated, over-zealous rookie. The new cop watched Bobby G. roll by smoking a blunt the size of a huge Cohiba cigar. He pulled Bobby over, gave him his Miranda Warning, and roughly clamped on handcuffs.

  “Com’on flatfoot. I can take care of you. We don’t have to go through this shit.”

  “Are you trying to offer a bride to a police officer, Sir?”

  Bobby changed tactics, “I have lots of friends on the force and in the DA’s office. You don’t understand my reach.”

  The officer was not having any of it. “If I were you, I’d shut my trap and stop incriminating yourself. You are going to the Cook County Lockup”.

  Chapter Four. Bobby G.’s NAU Connection

  The holding cell in the detainee section of Cook County’s Lockup was the oldest and least secure. Due to several escapes in the past, the state rebuilt the area for hardened criminals and long-timers with safety in mind. The original section was minimally suitable for low-level crimes and new lockups. This was not Bobby G.’s first time smelling the stench of the limestone bricks as he walked inside and began the booking process using the standard procedure. It smelled worse than a mildewed basketball locker room. He treated his arrest for marijuana possession a minor inconvenience easily rectified by one of the “heebs”.

  Bobby G. was booked and processed around midnight. He moved into the holding cage with nine other arrestees after he was humiliated and photographed like everyone else in the shower room. Coincidentally, his cousin Davis was already in the overcrowded cell. The two had not seen each other since the demise of their gang. Davis sneered at Bobby G. as though he was going to attack him, but he waited until the two guards locked the door and began their card game.

  Clearly, Davis was agitated. He moved closer to Bobby in a menacing way.

  “What’s wrong, cuz?” asked Bobby.

  “You snitched on us and ruined the club, you prick,” he said trying to keep from arousing the guards’ attention.

  “Davis, is that what you think? On my mama, I swear that I had nothing to do with the downfall. No way man – I don’t work for the pigs!”

  “Shut the fuck up, man. I thought you were my Ace, that you had my muther fuckin’ back. While you’re chillin’ out there, I was sentenced to an Uno in Joliet Correctional for the drug business. I figure you ratted out the whole club, you fuck.”

  With that said, Davis lunged across the floor in an effort to choke his onetime running mate. The person sitting next to Bobby G. was Marcus Imari. Sensing that any trouble in the cage would draw all of them into a fight, which would anger the guards, Marcus intercepted Davis and corralled him into a headlock.

  Davis struggled to breathe while in his grasp. “This isn’t your business, big boy.”

  “In here, it’s all of our business. Chill down and I’ll let you go. These guards are going to break up your fight swinging those damn clubs,” said Marcus as he released the pressure on Davis’ head.

  One of the guards heard the commotion and got up from his card table chair. “What’s going on in there?”

  Marcus answered, “We’re all ok. This guy slipped and banged his head, but he’ll be alright.”

  “That’s right boss,” said a slightly embarrassed Davis. “I’m ok. It’s cool. No problem.”

  When he calmed down Davis and Bobby G. talked quietly. Bobby offered information to Davis to prove that he was not the snitch that ruined the gang. One of the cops on Bobby G.’s payroll told him which members ratted out the gang by turning state’s star witnesses. At first, Davis shook his head in denial. He could not fathom the betrayal by the people Bobby named. He finally believed Bobby as he disclosed the particulars of the witness protection arrangements. By telling Davis these details, Bobby probably signed their death sentence. Davis and the remaining gang members were unforgiving.

  The two cousins caught up on lost time in a calm, quiet conversation about gang members alive and dead. By now, Davis had switched flags into a new gang. He was working the same drug territory as always but with new colors. Bobby G. told Davis about his high school sports book and street agent business.

  After things settled down and the cousins finished catching-up, Bobby turned to Marcus and thanked him for intervening. He listened to Marcus’ arrest situation and sympathetically stated that Marcus should not have been arrested for a misunderstanding like that. He befriended him and in the next few hours, they talked about the parts of the city where each grew up. Marcus talked with great pride about Jamal, his 7th grade son.

  Bobby G. asked if his son was a baller and without disclosing his line of business, he told Marcus that he was loosely associated with high school basketball.

  “Jamal is an ok player, but certainly not spectacular.”

  “How big is he?” the street agent asked.

  “6 foot 2.”

  “Shit. I wish I had that size in 7th grade. Hell, I wish I were that tall in high school. Why can’t he play?”

  “Well, I’m thinking that he isn’t getting proper coaching on his middle school team,” answered Marcus.

  “Is he playing on an NAU or travelling team?”

  “No, we recently moved out to the suburban town of East End, and when I asked about travelling basketball, the ass wipes told me the team was formed in 5th grade and there were no current openings.”

  “Look, I know lots of NAU coaches in the city who owe me something for one reason or another. If you want I could have one of them check out your boy’s game.”

  “Really? That would be huge. He needs the experience. I would be grateful for that.”

  “No, Holmes, we’d be square. You took care of me when cuz Davis was melting down. Remember this phone number and call me on Monday. I will get him his shot; the rest is up to Jamal.”

  Marcus stayed up all night despite making friends with Bobby G. and Davis. The other people were scary, and he did not dare fall asleep in the holding tank. Some of the men in the cage acted like animals and slapped or punched a fellow detainee if they snored or made any kind noise while sleeping. Around six in the morning, the guards told all the arrestees to move to the back of the cage. One guard stepped back and the other opened the cage door.

  Bobby G. had called his mouthpiece to spring Davis Fryer and himself. He was hoping that the Heeb got him bail in the night court. No luck; someone else pulled the strings a little faster.

  “Marcus Imari, step forward. You have made bail. Money came in all the way from Las Vegas. You’re out of here.”

  Chapter Five. Amateur Beginnings

  Somewhere along the way, the National Athletic Union (NAU) ceded the Olympic Team responsibilities to the US Olympic Committee and had to makeover its mission. The organization made a decision to focus on high-level youth sports. The NAU was looking for partners to help accelerate its foray into expanding its support of elite young athletics.

  For many years, most high school and college players were wearing “Chuck Taylors”, a relatively low-cost high top sneaker with virtually no ankle support. Wealthy kids in the neighborhood wore the more stylish, low top “Jack Purcels”, originally sold as a tennis shoe for clay courts and certainly not well suited for the rigors of basketball. Adidas shoes were beginning to cross the Atlantic at high retail prices. The market was screaming for better-built basketball shoes selling in between the Chuck Taylors and Adidas price points.

  In the middle seventies two companies emerged and seized the opportunity. Vole was originally incorporated in upper state New York. Kerbe Athletic Company started in San Diego. Each company developed their own version of high top basketball shoes w
ith a hardened leather shell to add support to the ankle in order to protect against sprains. Both Vole and Kerbe met with moderate success, as they became the choice of wealthy kids. Middle America did not embrace the new price points charged for these shoes, and neither did poor people. They raced to sign endorsements with the professional basketball stars of the time. These investments added to the bottom line at first, but in a minor way.

  Fate brought together the desire to sell shoes and to succeed in NAU’s new mission. Shoe companies partnered with the NAU to create a consumer buzz with elite athletes. NAU, in conjunction with Vole and Kerbe, created well-funded by-invitation-only summer camps for elite high school players. It was quite an honor to participate in these overnight basketball compounds. Originally, the camps began in eight major cities around the country: four Vole camps and four sponsored by Kerbe. Sponsors fitted players who attended these camps with logo’d clothing and matching shoes. College coaches prowled the courts looking for their next recruits. Seeds were planted.

  As the years progressed, NAU programs expanded in multiple directions. NAU tournaments grew from the elite eight to the hundreds. Vole and Kerbe increased their expenditures as the basketball community forked over ever-increasing dollars for shoe purchases. Consumers of all economic strata were lulled into paying three or four times the cost of the original “Chuck Taylors”. Eventually, NAU year-round clubs sprouted up as travelling teams, which played intact in many tournaments. The NAU continued to conduct the elite camps as well.

  NAU teams came to cover more than 25 sports around the United States. Some of the coaches were professional, in the sense that they received payment by either the NAU or local sponsors. Playing on NAU teams had become nearly essential in and around urban areas for players who wished to compete in high school. Excellent coaching and intense competition prepared the athletes much better for the rigors of high school athletics than any park district “house” leagues.