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James wields unprecedented power, takes Knicks for a rideBasketball Betting Lines07/06/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Like most of you, I'm tired of the LeBron James hoopla and wish the superstar would stop channeling Aretha Franklin and let us all in on what team he will be toiling with next season. Rumor has it that LeBron will take time out from his rehearsals for "VH1 Divas 2010" to bypass all the NBA insiders stalking his every move and release his future plans on his website once his Nike Skills Academy wraps up on Wednesday. The new odds seem to favor him staying put in Cleveland with New York earning runner-up status and Chicago battling New Jersey for Miss Congeniality. The latest news has James actively recruiting Chris Bosh to play with him in the Forest City. Whatever happens, the James sweepstakes have magnified his power. Back in the day, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I've had more than a few knock-down, drag-outs over the years with colleagues about the pro game versus the college game. As a lifelong basketball fan, I'm always been an unapologetic NBA guy. To me, if I am plunking down $150 for tickets, another $20 for parking and $9 for my favorite adult beverage, I want to see Kobe and LeBron dueling for supremacy, not a couple of middle-aged guys in slick suits like Coach Cal and Coach K. The NBA is about the players, and that has always been the biggest selling point for me with pro basketball. Like anything else, however, "too much of a good thing" isn't always all that good. Back in the late 15th century, Shakespeare coined that phrase to explain that excess may do you harm. The NBA is now at that tipping point. Six teams genuflected at the feet of "The King" in Ohio last week, hoping to lure the Akron native away from the only thing he has ever known. Heck, the Knicks, who spent two years gutting their roster and mortgaging their future on the idea James was coming to the Big Apple, went back to LeBron after an initial meeting to make sure it was OK with him if they offered a monster deal to his potential sidekick, Amare Stoudemire. Yep, New York wanted the blessing of a player who wasn't even part of its organization and likely never will be. That kind of power is unprecedented in the world of professional sports. I suppose James could still do a 180 and end up in Madison Square Garden, but the Knicks likely now understand they are at best a long shot to land the game's best player. So what now? Expect Donnie Walsh and company to quickly shift into spin mode in an effort to save face. Failing to land James and securing Stoudemire is akin to courting Megan Fox and settling on Katherine Heigl, a nice little consolation prize but come on - don't insult my intelligence by framing this as anything less than a disaster. Once James commits, the Knicks will likely talk about what a great fit Amare is for their team. You can expect to hear buzzwords like selfish and immature to surface regarding James in the hopes of fooling the team's intelligent fan base. You know, that kind of stuff straight out of a politician's playbook. New York will be far from the first organization that has attempted to disseminate talking points to media members perceived as soft and easily manipulated. But, make no mistake, this story will be the biggest fairytale since "Cinderella". Like all losers, instead of going back to the drawing board and developing a real substantive plan, the Knicks will wait, hoping the next "Hail Mary" hits, whether that's Dwyane Wade or some other superstar next year. "Yeah, we'll have room next year to get somebody," a clandestine source told SNY. You can already envision the sales pitch. "Hey, Carmelo, have you heard how great New York is?" Oh, right, scratch that, Anthony is set to re-up in the Rockies. Well, I'm sure there is some playground legend lighting up Rucker Park as we speak. And hailing a cab to 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard has got to be a little cheaper than paying a sidekick $100 million.
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Bastad, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Flavia Pennetta highlighted Tuesday's first-round winners at the $220,000 Swedish Open. The Italian Pennetta pasted Swedish wild card Anna Brazhnikova 6-2, 6-0 on the red clay at Bastad Tenn
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Lesue, Dietz and Belton earn weekly AFL honors >>
Tulsa, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Utah wide receiver Aaron Lesue, Tampa Bay quarterback Brett Dietz and Milwaukee defensive back Tracy Belton have been named the JLS Ironman, Russell Athletic Offensive Players and Riddell Defensive Player of the Wee
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Super Bowl 2009 BettingSuper Bowl 2009 Betting propositionsUnderdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder. Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while. Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books. If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl. Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX. By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI. In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite. So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs. While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl. There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog. In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl: SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots. XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired. XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers. Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard
SPORTS BETTINGNFL Football Betting OnlineIn terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy. In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect. Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds . |
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