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10/29/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - First of all, congratulations to the Boston Red Sox and their fans on their second World Series title in four years. They were the best team during the regular season, and were clearly the best team in these playoffs.
People can blame the eight-day layoff all they want, the Colorado Rockies were nowhere near the class of the Boston Red Sox were, and it showed.
And unless you are a card-carrying member of Red Sox Nation, I have some bad news for you. The Red Sox are not going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, they may even be better next year than they were this year.
But unfortunately, for fans of not only the Red Sox but baseball in general, Boston's win was upstaged by the announcement midway through last night's clinching win that Alex Rodriguez has decided to opt out of his contract with the New York Yankees and become a free agent.
How insecure is Rodriguez? Is he that starved for attention that he had to make this announcement when it became clear that the World Series was over? It's really a despicable move. Why should anyone expect anything less from him at this point, though?
So instead of Tim McCarver and Joe Buck praising a Red Sox team that has now won eight straight World Series games, they were forced to talk about A-Rod, who obviously thinks he is bigger than the game at this point.
Even the sport's most honored and recognized team had enough respect to hold off on announcing their new manager until after the Fall Classic is over.
And I don't want to hear people blaming Rodriguez's agent Scott Boras for this either. Sure he is a creep, and I am positive he was the orchestrator of it all, but A-Rod is 32 years old. He is old enough to make his own decisions, but he continues to be Knucklehead Smiff to Boras' Paul Winchell.
Now where does he go? The Yankees have said from the beginning they will not pursue him if he leaves. There are only a handful of teams that can sign him.
Boston is going to have an opening at third base, as World Series MVP Mike Lowell can become a free agent. Could the Red Sox re-sign Lowell and bring Rodriguez in to play short? That is possible, considering Julio Lugo proved to be a bust at short this year. But do they really want to tinker with a good thing by bringing him in?
Most people seem to agree Rodriguez will land out on the West Coast somewhere. I thought all along he would go to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. But someone mentioned the Los Angeles Dodgers to me last week. I could see that. The bright lights of LA are certainly attractive to Team A- Rod, but will the Dodgers deal with Boras after he spurned them last winter with J.D. Drew?
No matter where he lands, Rodriguez is about to play for his third team in six seasons. How is that even possible? He is the best player I have ever seen and probably ever will. And chances are he will move again at some point in his career.
Sadly for A-Rod, his Hall of Fame plaque is going to mention his record- setting contracts along with his unbelievable numbers. The one thing that could be missing, though, is any mention of World Series championships.
As a baseball fan this all makes me sick. Do yourself a favor and listen to Peter Gammons' comments after last night's game, as he was forced to talk about the Rodriguez situation. You can hear the disdain for Rodriguez and Boras in his voice.
Nobody argues that Rodriguez is anything other than great, but he really rubbed people the wrong way with this charade. Not to mention the fact that he comes off as such a phony. All along he reiterated the fact that New York is where he wanted to be. Yet he didn't even give the Yankees the courtesy of hearing any offer they may have made, and opted out literally the second he had the chance.
I hope the Yankees stick to their guns and get out of the bidding entirely.
Sad thing is someone is going to ante up for Rodriguez. And it will probably be a team you least expect, like the Texas Rangers were back in 2001. But, as Gammons said last night it is "Buyer Beware" with him. There is a reason he has never played in a World Series. And believe this - unlike the way teams had been lining up for his services in a trade, they will now be far less likely to take him off the hands of whatever club next wins his services three years down the road.
Enough about him, though, I am pretty sure we are going to talk about him well into the New Year. Today is the day to celebrate the Red Sox.
I grew up rooting for the New York Yankees and still do. But even I was happy to see the Red Sox win last night. Like the Yankees teams of the mid-90's, this Boston group is a tough team to root against. Unless of course it is Curt Schilling, who is every bit as phony as A-Rod. But that is neither here nor there.
Terry Francona reminds me a little bit of Joe Torre. He obviously brings more to the table than just the x's and o's. He knows how to deal with these megastars. Let's face it, these days the Red Sox locker room is not all that much different the Yankees.
And as I said earlier, this Red Sox team is not going anywhere. Dustin Pedroia is going to be the AL Rookie of the Year and a couple of his native Japanese teammates are going to be right behind him in the voting. Jacoby Ellsbury could be the Rookie of the Year next season, and if he isn't the odds-on favorite to win the award, then right-hander Clay Buchholz probably will be.
Jon Lester is a stud and will probably take the rotation spot left by Schilling, who will no doubt bolt.
You mix those youngsters in with the likes of Josh Beckett, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis and even J.D. Drew, and you may have a bona fide dynasty on your hands.
Speaking of Lester, how can you not get into that story? Here he was last year at this time with not only his baseball future in doubt but his life as well, after being diagnosed with cancer. A year later, he is the winning pitcher in Boston's sweeping World Series win.
That is what we should be reading about today. But instead, the focus of the baseball world is on the biggest phony in all of sports - Alex Rodriguez.
<< Ajax defender Stam calls it quits
Amsterdam, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ajax defender and former Dutch
international Jaap Stam announced his retirement on Monday at the age of 35.
"Before this season I spoke with Ajax and told them that I missed the drive to
contin
<< Flores out as Valencia coach after Sevilla loss
Valencia, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Valencia fired head coach Quique Sanchez
Flores early Monday morning after the club's 3-0 defeat against Sevilla on
Sunday.
The team said that reserve team manager Oscar Fernandez will take over
<< Liverpool's Torres to miss three weeks with injury
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool striker Fernando Torres
will miss the next three weeks after the club confirmed on Monday that he
sustained an adductor injury in the team's 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Sunday.
Midfiel
<< College Basketball Preview - Big West Conference
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
OUTLOOK: With conference champion Long Beach State in rebuilding mode, there
figures to be some shuffling in the Big West Conference standings. Cal State
Fullerton lost star Bobby Brown, but the Titans have p
Nets acquire Wesley >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets acquired guard
David Wesley from the New Orleans Hornets on Monday.
The Nets sent guard/forward Bernard Robinson, center Mile Ilic and cash
considerations to New Orleans.
Hamlin late race stall caused by water >>
Hampton, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When Denny Hamlin stalled on the lap 324
restart of Sunday's Pep Boys Auto 500, it was assumed that he run his fuel
cell dry. Apparently what really happened was that it was water, not fuel,
being
Report: Girardi offered position as Yankee skipper >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees have reportedly offered
their vacant managerial position to Joe Girardi.
According to a report from 1050 ESPN Radio in New York, Girardi is expected to
accept the offer and could be of
Curlin concludes year tops in poll >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Breeders' Cup Classic winner Curlin ended his
season as the top rated thoroughbred in the final National Thoroughbred Racing
Association (NTRA) poll of 2007.
The three-year-old colt garnered 17 of 18 first-p
The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup
September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com. The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans.
Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to name a few. Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR. They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich.
The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer. Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too.
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Ryder Cup Odds| Europe Tie USA |
4-5 10-1 6-5 |
| Tiger Woods Jim Furyk Phil Mickelson Chris DiMarco David Toms Stewart Cink Chad Campbell Scott Verplank Zach Johnson Vaughan Taylor JJ Henry Brett Wetterich |
9-4 4-1 5-1 7-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 |
| Sergio Garcia Luke Donald Padraig Harrington Colin Montgomerie Darren Clarke David Howell Lee Westwood Paul Casey Henrik Stenson Jose Maria Olazabal Paul McGinley Robert Karlsson |
5-1 5-1 6-1 13-2 8-1 9-1 9-1 11-1 12-1 12-1 20-1 25-1 |
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