Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
07/23/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rapper Young Jeezy once boasted that mentioning his name would bring an entire city out.
That same drawing power can be heralded by LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and a just handful of other players in the NBA.
Unfortunately the "other" team in Hollywood, the Los Angeles Clippers, hasn't had the luxury of calling a true superstar player one of its own. Norm Nixon, Marques Johnson and Derek Smith were respectable in their time in LA, as were Danny Manning, Ron Harper, Elton Brand and Corey Maggette. But none were necessarily magnets for fans.
In order for the Clippers to step out of the shadows of the title-laden Lakers, they're going to have to do better than running out the current crop of high-level performers like Chris Kaman, Eric Gordon and Baron Davis. I'm not saying those players will be the death of another Clippers' season in 2010-11, but president Andy Roeser and assistant GM Neil Olshey could have pulled some strings via trade before the draft.
Let's not forget the two reached out to - and reached for - James before the multi-talented personality decided to take his talents to South Beach. The Clippers should have known they had a snowball's chance in the Staples Center parking lot to land the coveted free agent, and now they're left with basically the same roster as before. The team was honored to have been invited to meet with James and the main selling point was its "extraordinary nucleus of players."
If the Clippers are alluding to the core of players that competed to a 29-53 record a year ago, than I'm missing something here. Why in the world would James have ever wanted to perhaps finish his career in NBA purgatory? To me it's almost comparable to a Detroit Lions representative trying to persuade Peyton Manning or Tom Brady to play out their 2010 contract and head to Motown for a chance of winning three or four games over the next few years.
Not a chance.
Instead of pipe-dreaming over James, I would have tried to package a player or two and the Clippers' eighth overall pick in last month's NBA Draft for a veteran presence, or at least someone with credibility. Instead, Los Angeles brought back Craig Smith, added Willie Warren, Ryan Gomes and Randy Foye, and selected Al-Farouq Aminu with the No. 8 pick. It later snagged Eric Bledsoe with the 18th overall selection.
To me that spells another 20-to-30 win campaign, but don't tell that to new head coach Vinny Del Negro. Del Negro, who was able to ignore heat from upper management in Chicago and lead the Bulls to the playoffs, said in his introductory press conference that he's looking forward and feels the snake-bitten franchise is headed "in a different direction right now."
What direction are you alluding to, Mr. Del Negro? The Clippers were 28 games out of first place in the Pacific Division in 2009-10 and were lucky to finish third in the standings with Golden State and Sacramento doing slightly worse. I guess the only direction is up when your team finishes 8-33 on the road and 15-37 in conference play.
Del Negro noted that coaching the Clippers was the right opportunity for him and his family, and was able to beat out Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey for the job. Olshey commented on how Del Negro had solutions, and was able to overcome obstacles in Chicago en route to postseason appearances. Am I wrong here when I say that having Derrick Rose, arguably one of the best point guards in the game, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng would make drawing up X's and O's easier on any head coach? The larger perception was that the Bulls underachieved under Del Negro.
Let's see how the new coach does with a bunch of players only some in the City of Angels, and Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz, could identify.
Blake Griffin, the No. 1 overall pick in 2009, missed his rookie season after undergoing knee surgery and could be the name Clippers brass and fans will continue to rest their hopes on. Several pundits pegged Portland top pick Greg Oden - mired in a similar injury-laden situation - to do the same a few years ago and he's been a bust so far. Griffin seems to have more upside than Oden with his thick, muscular physique and just needs to develop an outside game.
But, Griffin also has to stay healthy, and has the added pressure of being counted on as the face of the organization. There's little to suggest that he's ready for that role.
With several other high Clippers draft picks washing out of the league in recent years, a lot of hope is resting on the repaired knee of the young power forward. Griffin's not going to garner the type of publicity James, Bryant or Howard can, but he'll make a Clippers team that much better with a serviceable supporting cast in Davis, Gordon and Kaman. Griffin said before the 2010 draft that he'd learned how to be patient with his rehab and is eager to hit the hardwood again. In my opinion, that should excite his teammates and coaching staff more than any of the changes the Clips have made this offseason.
Whether Griffin succeeds or fails, for a Clippers fan base that annually eyes a better tomorrow, the time is now for a big-time player to start filling the seats that have been too often vacant when the home team is wearing red and royal blue, as opposed to purple and gold.
<< Cubs activate P Schlitter; option P Stevens
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs have activated right-handed
pitcher Brian Schlitter from the 15-day disabled list.
He was placed on the DL on July 7, retroactive to July 3, with a right
shoulder impingement.
Sch
<< Canadian MLB Report: Axford making most of chance
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Multiple Canadian-born hurlers were
supposed to be impact pitchers for their respective teams in 2010, but the
first half of the year didn't exactly reflect those predictions. On the other
hand, some have ste
<< Wigan inks midfielder McArthur
Wigan, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Promising Hamilton midfielder James McArthur
has joined Wigan for an undisclosed transfer fee.
The 22-year-old has penned a four-year contract at the DW Stadium, where he
will team up with former Accies c
<< Gaming: Can the WAC maintain its ATS Superiority?
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last season was quite a turnaround for
the Western Athletic Conference, as the league's nine teams covered 21 of their
36 non-conference games (with two pushes) for an impressive 61% winning
percentage.
Tennessee Titans 2010 Training Camp Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
REPORT DATE: July 31st
SITE: Baptist Sports Park, Nashville, TN
CAMP OBJECTIVES: With the Chris Johnson drama having been extinguished by the
extra money the Titans put in his pocket earlier this week, Jeff Fisher can
Houston Texans 2010 Training Camp Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
REPORT DATES: July 30th
SITE: Methodist Training Center, Houston, TX
CAMP OBJECTIVES: If the Texans wish to build off last year's 9-7 finish and
make the playoffs for the first time in team history, they will need to
Pittsburgh Steelers 2010 Training Camp Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
REPORT DATE: July 30th
SITE: Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, PA
CAMP OBJECTIVES: The Steelers' season could hinge on how they play in the four
(or six) games that Ben Roethlisberger is serving his suspension, and inas
Baltimore Ravens 2010 Training Camp Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
REPORT DATE: July 26th (Rookies), July 28th (Veterans)
SITE: McDaniel College, Westminster, MD
CAMP OBJECTIVES: If you're only as strong as your weakest link, than the Super
Bowl-hopeful Ravens have some critical summ
American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout
An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.
Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off. Randy was not impressed though. Paula thought he started off fantastic. "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either.
Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed. Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact. He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition.
Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula. Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.
Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next. Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential. Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell. He sang "Careless Whisper".
22 year old Chris Richardson was up next. He was listed with +1100 odds coming in. He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great.
Nick was boring and pitchy. Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week. Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition.
Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds . These of course were the early odds. He was considered original for picking an "odd song". He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night.
Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good.
Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds. Great voice and a great sense of humor. He's a real standout. Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit. Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig".
Jared Cotter followed. He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition. The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good.
22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next. "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon. Though the judges felt he performed okay. Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.
Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition. He was the last to perform. He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start.
Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys. Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting