Well, Tim Donaghy has really done it now. If he wasn’t reviled by the NBA and other refs already, this bit of news will surely seal his fate: the league has created a new position to oversee refs, and it will be manned by none other than Ronald Johnson, a retired U.S. Army Major General. Salvatore! 50 squat thrusts! Crawford! On your belly! Palmer! Don’t even get me started. From Reuters.com:

As Senior Vice President for Referee Operations, Johnson will supervise all aspects of the NBA’s referee program, including recruiting, training, and work rules enforcement.

The move separates the functions of the referees from the basketball operations.

“Our referees are the best in the world but they never stop striving to improve and Ron has made a career out of getting the very best out of people,” NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement.

Johnson recently retired from active duty as Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after 32 years of military service as a combat engineer.

“Although I don’t have a basketball background, other than as a lifelong fan, I am confident that my experience as an Army commander and engineer has equipped me to bring leadership and innovation to the NBA’s exceptional officiating program,” he said.

Ah, we are very much looking forward to this.

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