Long-time Astros broadcaster Hamilton to retire after 2012
Baseball Betting Lines
02/15/2012 -
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milo Hamilton, who has been the voice of the
Houston Astros since 1985, announced on Wednesday that he intends to retire
following the upcoming season.
Hamilton will close the books on a career which spanned more than 60 years,
dating back to his start in Davenport, Iowa in 1950. Prior to arriving in
Houston, he presided over broadcasts for the Cardinals, Cubs, White Sox and
Pirates.
Among his accomplishments in the booth are calling 11 no-hitters, Hank Aaron's
record-setting 715th home run in 1974, the Pirates' 1979 World Series title,
Nolan Ryan's 4000th strikeout, Barry Bonds' 71st home run in 2001 and the
Astros' lone Fall Classic berth in 2005.
The 84-year-old, who was named the Ford C. Frick Award winner in 1992, holds
the distinction of being elected to four separate Halls of Fame: Texas
Baseball (1994), Radio (2000), Texas Radio (2002) and Iowa Baseball Coaches
(2011).
Hamilton, who has mostly called home games since 2006, will continue his
involvement with the Astros after their move to the American League in 2013.
<< Sam Houston State to play Baylor, Texas A&M
Huntsville, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sam Houston State won't take the easy way as
it tries to return to the FCS national championship game.
The Bearkats, who finished 14-1 as the national runner-up this past season,
will make trips to two in-st
<< Calhoun to miss at least three more games
Storrs, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - University of Connecticut men's head
basketball coach Jim Calhoun will miss at least three more games as he
receives treatment for spinal stenosis, the school announced Wednesday.
Calhoun was
<< Gunners humiliated in Milan
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan put Arsenal to the sword in
convincing fashion at the San Siro, cruising to a 4-0 win over the English
side in the first leg of the Champions League knockout round on Wednesday.
The Ital
<< Florida A&M will take on the Sooners
Tallahassee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida A&M will visit the University of
Oklahoma and play four home games as part of its 2012 football schedule
announced Wednesday.
The Rattlers will open their season on Sept. 1 against Tennessee Sta
<< Hollendorfer has two for El Camino Real Derby
Berkeley, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - California Derby winner Russian Greek heads a
field of 10 three-year-olds for Saturday's $200,000 El Camino Real Derby at
Golden Gate Fields. The 1 1/8-mile El Camino Real is the final local prep
leading
Georgia DB Commings suspended 2 games >>
Athens, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Georgia cornerback Sanders Commings has been
suspended two games, the university announced on Wednesday.
The suspension stems from the senior's arrest for domestic violence on January
21.
He will miss th
Argonauts keep LB Pottinger >>
Mississauga, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Argonauts re-signed free agent
linebacker Jason Pottinger on Wednesday, keeping him with the club through the
2013 season.
"We are happy to be able to keep Jason in his hometown of Toron
Dolphins sign RB Messam >>
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins signed running back Jerome
Messam on Wednesday.
The Toronto, Ontario native, spent the last two years playing in the
Canadian Football League, where he recorded just 93 yards on 2
No. 18 Indiana takes care of Northwestern >>
Bloomington, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cody Zeller scored 23 points and grabbed
seven rebounds, as 18th-ranked Indiana avoided a fourth consecutive loss to
visiting Northwestern with a 71-66 victory at Assembly Hall.
Victor Oladipo and Ch
Cooley takes over, lifts Irish past Rutgers >>
South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jack Cooley scored 17 of his 22 points in
the second half, helping No. 23 Notre Dame pull away from Rutgers in a 71-53
decision at the Joyce Center.
Cooley also pulled down 18 rebounds to record his thi
Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting
So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.
Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?
If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)
Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).
In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.
Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.
As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.
(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)
If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech
The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.
Work left to do:
Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.
Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).
Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.
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