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Carolina Panthers\’ quarterback Jake Delhomme is having a season he\’d like to forget, and things got even worse on Sunday at home against the Buffalo Bills. Despite dominating the Bills on the stat sheet, Delhomme threw three interceptions that allowed Buffalo to take a 20-9 victory over the struggling Panthers. Delhomme threw for 325 yards, though without any touchdowns. His three picks pushed his total for the year to- which leads the NFL.

Buffalo rewarded NFL pointspread players with the outright victory as +7 road underdogs. The Bills have covered four of their seven games this season, while the Panthers have an awful record against the spread-they\’ve only covered once this season for a 1-5 ATS mark.

The Bills\’ Terrell Owens was again a non-factor, but gave credit to the defense for earning the victory:

\”You can\’t really complain about a win. Defensively, those guys are keeping us in ballgames.\”

Buffalo defensive end Chris Kelsay commended his team\’s confidence on the road:

\”Never once on the sidelines was there any doubt that we were going to win the game. Regardless if it\’s an ugly win over not, it\’s hard to win in this league.\”

Ryan Fitzpatrick started at QB for Buffalo in place of the injured Trent Edwards and was solid, if not spectacular. Coach Dick Jauron observed:

\”He made the plays when we had to make them.\”

Panthers\’ coach John Fox has said he\’s going to\’re-evaluate\’ whether the struggling Delhomme should continue to start, and even the quarterback himself couldn\’t make an emphatic case that he should keep his job:

\”In my heart, yeah, but I mean let\’s be honest, I don\’t think I\’m a dummy. When you\’re not playing well offensively, you always have to look at the quarterback.\”

The Panthers\’ schedule doesn\’t get easier this week as they head west for a game against the improving Arizona Cardinals. Carolina is a +9 road underdog with the total set at 43\’. They\’ll head south the following week to face the red hot New Orleans Saints. Buffalo will host the Houston Texans this weekend, with the game currently off the board due to injuries on both teams.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on MLB free picks. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and NBA free picks sites.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Nicknamed The Golden Jet for his blond hair and his jet-like slap shot, Bobby Hull was the most feared goal scorer of the 60s and 70s He and teammate Stan Mikita were the first NHL players to use curved stick blades, which made his already wicked slapshot even more difficult to stop.

Hull was born and raised on a dairy farm near Belleville, Ontario. By his teenage years it was apparent that he was on a fast track to NHL stardom, and he joined the Chicago Blackhawks not long after his 18th birthday. He would finish second in the leagues rookie of the year balloting in his first season and within a couple of years would become one of the NHLs marquee superstars. By the third year in the league, he was already a fixture at the top of the goal and point scoring charts and would lead the Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup championship in\’61.

In\’66, Hull broke a hallowed NHL scoring mark by becoming the first player to net more than 50 goals in a season. His 51st goal broke the record of 50 goals held by Montreal Canadien greats Bernie Boom Boom Geoffrion and Maurice Rocket Richard. Hull would go on to score 54 goals in the\’66 and would surpass that mark by scoring 58 in\’68. These numbers aren\’t surprising in light of his slapshots deadly speed and accuracy–Hull\’s shot was once clocked at a mind boggling 118 MPH!

Hulls tenure with the Chicago Blackhawks ended in\’72, when he jumped to the upstart World Hockey Association (WHA). Initially, Hulls response that he would jump ship for a million bucks was an offhanded joke but when the WHA ownership agreed to contribute to that sum thinking that it would provide instant credibility for the league it became a reality.

The NHL attempted to prevent Hulls jump to the WHA via litigation, but eventually he would join the Winnipeg Jets and resume his offensive dominance. On a line with Swedish superstars Ulf Nilsson and Anders Hedberg called The Hot Line, he led the Jets to two league championship AVCO Cup victories. In\’77, he set a new professional hockey record with 77 goals in a season which surpassed Phil Espositos\’70-71 mark of 76 by a single goal.

Hull suffered from knee trouble throughout his career and was off the ice more than on it during the WHAs final season of\’79-80. After appearing in a handful of games for the Jets, he was shipped to the Hartford Whalers for future considerations. He would play in a few games for the Whalers before calling it a career. With the exception of an abortive comeback attempt with the New York Rangers in\’81 that was the end of his professional hockey career.

Hull\’s legacy lived on in flesh and blood with his third son, Brett Hull. The Hulls are the only father/son combination to ever score 50 goals in an NHL season and Brett will follow his father into the Hall of Fame this year.

Hull is now 70 years old and splits his time between the Toronto area and Chicago where he serves as a PR ambassador for the Blackhawks organization. He is expected to formally induct his son into the Hall of Fame at the ceremonies later this summer.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on MLB free picks. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and NHL free picks sites.

Popularity: -0% [?]

The Chicago Bulls didn\’t win the big prize in this summer\’s free agent sweepstakes, with LeBron James opting to sign with the Miami Heat. They\’ve made some nice acquisitions despite that, however, and appear to be on the verge of signing well traveled shooting guard Tracy McGrady. McGrady is very receptive to joining the much improved Bulls, though there are a couple of contingencies that need to be worked out before a deal is finalized. \’T-Mac\’ has met with several other teams, but a move to Chicago would likely be the best fit for all concerned.

At this point, the major issues to be worked out before a deal is made concerns McGrady\’s health and his role with the team. McGrady played only 30 games with the New York Knicks last season as he recovered from microfracture surgery on his left knee. These issues will be addressed on Monday, with McGrady working out for the team and having a physical examination.

The secondary issue concerns McGrady\’s role on the team and this could be an even greater concern than the condition of his knee. McGrady has butted heads with coaches and management at various points in his career over playing time and his role on the team. Chicago wants to bring McGrady off the bench, and obviously a contract offer depends on his willingness to accept that role. Indications are that McGrady is willing to accept a reserve role with the team, but the trick is to convince the Bulls of that fact. Two things that aren\’t a concern to McGrady are money and the length of his deal-he earned $23 million (US) with New York and Houston last season.

McGrady has a high profile advocate in Bulls\’ star Derek Rose. Rose is strongly in favor of bringing him to the team:

\”I think that if he comes along, he could help our team. A player like him, with his experience and how he plays, I think it would help us. He\’s a player. If he just gives us half of what he\’s got, we\’ll be all right.\”

\”But I know a player like him, he\’s going to go out there and give us his all, but he\’ll definitely help us if we get him on the team.\”

McGrady would be Chicago\’s sixth pickup of the off-season, joining Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Watson and Kurt Thomas. There\’s also reports that the Bulls have been talking to Shaquille O\’Neal about joining the team but that would be contingent on him accepting a mid level salary exemption.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer specializing in price per head, horse racing, travel and fencing. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is in charge of providing daily how to become a bookie to a number of Internet and broadcast media outlets. He lives in Las Vegas with three dogs and a wombat.

Popularity: 1% [?]

After a summer of negotiational back and forth during which both sides indicated at various points that they were far apart and then making progress, the Portland Trailblazers have inked All Star shooting guard Brandon Roy to a five year contract extension. Roy will be in the final year of his rookie contract in the forthcoming NBA season, and securing the services of a player that did no less than turn around the franchise was the teams top summer priority.

Brandon Roy may have saved the Portland NBA franchise thanks to his on-court talent and off the court class. The Blazers slumped from their glory years of the 1970\’s and 1980\’s as the 1990\’s progressed, eventually pulling together a roster consisting of character challenged reprobates that earned the moniker JailBlazers for their frequent legal transgressions.

In the late 1990\’s, Portland owner Paul Allen finally had enough and cleaned house. The new management was given the charge to put together a roster that would not only win games, but win back the Rose City fans. The acquisition of Roy will likely be looked at as the turning point for this effort. The Blazers acquired Roy on draft day 2006 for Randy Foye, and would go on to win the NBAs rookie of the year award.

Since that point, Roy has become the face of the franchise. The Blazers\”who were 21-61 the year before Roy arrived\”posted a 54-28 record last season. Roy has become the centerpiece of a talented young team had has not only become a force in the NBAs Western Conference but has gone a long way to winning back the Portland fan base. The current crop of Blazers is more likely to be found in the aisles at Home Depot or at Starbucks than in the police blotter, and the team seldom puts forth a substandard effort on the court.

Roy will earn $4 million dollars in the last year of his rookie season, after which his five year $82 million dollar contract will kick in. The first four years are guaranteed, while the fifth is at the players option. Roys agent Bob Myers strongly suggested that Roy wanted to remain with the Blazers for his entire career, noting that he \”is one of the unique players to have a chance to have that sort of relationship with one team.\”

The team will now turn its attention to signing a long term deal with forward LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge is also in the final year of his rookie contract and a key component to the teams recent success. At last report, talks between the two sides are progressing.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on MLB free picks. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and NBA free picks sites.

Popularity: 1% [?]

The often maligned Indianapolis Colts defense matched the ferocity of their Jacksonville Jaguars counterparts play for play, and one touchdown pass from Peyton Manning proved to be enough to earn victory by a 14-12 margin in the NFL season opener for both teams. The victory was Manning\’s 118th in a Colts uniform, tying the legendary Johnny Unitas for the franchise lead. Unitas, of course, was the personification of the franchise during their years in Baltimore.

NFL sports betting enthusiasts who took the Jaguars as +6 road underdogs were rewarded with the pointspread cover. Indianapolis dropped to 11-16 ATS over the past three years when favored. The 26 combined points went well UNDER the posted total of 45. Despite their reputation as an offensive juggernaut, the Colts have actually trended to the UNDER over the past three seasons, with 19 UNDERs in their past 35 lined games.

After the contest, Manning displayed his characteristic humility when asked about tying the mark held by the iconic Unitas:

\”I\’ve never felt comfortable with comparisons with him. I think he\’s kind of in his own category. But I am proud of those wins.\”

Manning was more concerned about the welfare of receiver Anthony Gonzalez who lefthe game with an injury:

\”I askedRashean Matthis what happened and he said, \’I didn\’t even touch him . He has worked so hard in the offseason, I just hope it\’s not a season-ending injury.\”

Colts coach Jim Caldwell won his first game at the helm of an NFL team, and gave credit to his defense:

\”Obviously, the defense played well and came up big at the end. We thought it would be a grind, and it was. I think our team certainly played tough, played hard, played with a lot of energy.\”

Jacksonville wasnt overly discouraged after the contest either. Maurice Jones-Drew gave props to the Indy defense after the game:

\”They just did a great job in the red zone stifling our offense. My hat\’s off to them. But we have to learn how to finish.\”

Quarterback David Garrard also gave credit to the tenacity of the Indy pass rush:

\”I thought, \’Here we go again, we have a great chance. You love to be in that situation. We were trying to get the ball to Maurice, but you\’ve got to slow those pass rushers down. We did what we could do.\”

The Jaguars will open their 2009 NFL home slate on Sunday as they host the Arizona Cardinals. Theyll travel to Houston for a game against the Texans the following week. The Colts will head to south Florida for a game against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night. Theyll return to Indy for a date with the Arizona Cardinals on the following Sunday.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and noted authority on MLB free picks. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and NHL free picks sites.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Despite dominating the winless St. Louis Ram on the stat sheet, the Jacksonville Jaguars needed overtime to eke out a 23-20 home field victory over arguably the worst team in the NFL. Based on their statistical superiority, the Jags should have made mincemeat out of the hapless Rams-they had 33 first downs to 13 for St. Louis, held a 492-262 overall yardage edge and had possession of the ball for 42:12 compared to 24:48 for the Rams. They did have three turnovers to only one for St. Louis, including an interception that was returned for a touchdown.

Those who bet on NFL football would argue, however, that while Jacksonville may have \’won the battle\’ the Rams won the financial \’war\’ as St. Louis easily covered as +9\’ road underdogs. It was only the Rams second NFL pointspread cover of the season (2-4 ATS) while Jacksonville evened their record against the money at 3-3. The 43 points put on the board just managed to go OVER the posted total of 42.

The catalyst behind the Jags offense was running back Marcus Jones-Drew who churned out 133 yards and three touchdowns. He\’d gone public the week before saying that the Jags needed to run more and he explained the motives behind the comments after the game:

\”I just wanted to show people my frustration of losing/ I feel we are on the verge of being great, but we just have to feel the same way about frustration. I lashed out a little bit. I think I went overboard, but the coaches understood after I talked to them and told them what it was about.\”

Jags\’ QB David Garrard said that the win was a confidence boost:

\”This offense can battle even when the situation looks kind of bleak. To have that composure, that poise … that was huge for us. That was a good test for us to be able to move forward.\”

There was immediate second guessing of Rams\’ coach Steve Spagnuolo\’s decision to go for the tie with the team had the ball on the nine yard line with seven seconds remaining. Some suggested that a team with a 0-6 mark should have gone for the win at this point. Spagnuolo responded all but saying that this team wasn\’t playing to win but \’playing not to lose\’:

\”It was too close. We never wanted something bad to happen and we just couldn\’t take the chance. I think it was the right thing to do.\”

The Rams won\’t have an easy task earning their first victory next weekend as they host the Indianapolis Colts. They\’ll play another one of the NFL\’s bottom feeders on the road the next week, facing the Detroit Lions before a bye week. Jacksonville will now have a bye week before returning to action on the road against the Tennessee Titans on November 1st.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on MLB free picks. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and NFL free picks sites.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Manchester United is in good shape to advance to the Champions League soccer quarterfinals following a 3-2 win over AC Milan at the San Siro. The competition itself was overshadowed by the fact that it was the first time that David Beckham had played against his old team since leaving Old Trafford in 2003, and Wayne Rooney squashed Milan\’s early hopes with two goals to put the game on ice. Clarance Seedorf scored at the 85 minute mark to make the score respectable, but Man U controlled play after the halftime break. Now barring a complete collapse on their home field, Manchester United is well placed to advance.

AC Milan got on the board first just three minutes into the game as Beckham set up Ronaldinho\’s goal that sent the San Siro into a frenzy. Paul Scholes evened the score at the 36 minute mark and the teams went into the halftime break tied at 1-1. Rooney would net his first goal at the 66 minute mark and would score again just 8 minutes later to give Man U a 3-1 lead.

The 24 year old Rooney is becoming recognized as one of the best strikers in soccer. He\’s now got 25 goals on the year with 19 games left to play. He\’s also received high marks from the soccer press for his playmaking, heady play and overall attitude. The consensus is that he\’s already one of the best in the world and is only getting better.

After the game, Beckham complimented Rooney on his play and suggested that he receive consideration for the World Player of the Year award:

\”I hope he is a contender for the World Player of the Year and the Ballon D\’Or. I would love to see him win every title possible. I have seen Wayne from being a young lad. I played in his debut for England and I have watched him score goals week in and week out ever since. It is amazing to see.\’\’

\”He looks after himself and works hard. The way he plays is the way he trains. That is why he is so good and why Wayne is ready for any game. It doesn\’t matter how many games he has played or how many he will be involved in to the end of the season, he will be ready for anything.\’\’

There\’s a good chance that Beckham and Rooney will be teammates on England\’s World Cup team this summer. Beckham made note of that fact:

\”I wouldn\’t want to see him do it again against us in a few weeks but of course I\’d like it in the World Cup.\”

Rooney\’s sizzling play and Beckham\’s veteran leadership and dominant free kicks are a big reason why England is among the World Cup betting favorites before the team has even been made official. England will start World Cup play on June 12 against the United States.

Ross Everett is a widely published well known writer specializing in price per head, horse racing, travel and fencing. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is in charge of providing daily how to become a bookie to a number of websites and broadcast media outlets. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a wombat.

Popularity: 1% [?]

When legendary quarterback Brett Favre announced his return to the NFL from what has become a seemingly annual flirtation with retirement, many second guessed the Minnesota Vikings\’ decision to sign \”The Gunslinger\”. On Sunday, Favre and the Vikings answered those critics in the best way possible-with a lopsided 34-3 beatdown of the Dallas Cowboys. Favre threw 4 touchdown passes in the victory and the Vikings\’ defense sacked Dallas QB Tony Romo six times in the blowout.

NFL football betting fans also cashed tickets on the Vikings as -3 point home favorites. This was the shortest pointspread of the divisional playoff weekend and many thought that Dallas\’ momentum would carry them to victory. The 37 combined points went UNDER the posted total of 45.

After the contest, Favre boasted that a playoff run was a large part of his motivation to return to NFL action:

\”\”This is what I came back for. Probably the most fatigued I got today was celebrating. I feel like I\’m playing the same way. I have the same enthusiasm. As long as I\’m out there, the enthusiasm and the passion that you see is real. And I know the guys feed off of that. Fans enjoy that, because it is real and genuine. Today was like this season: It\’s been wonderful.\”

Former South Carolina Gamecock Sidney Rice caught three of Favre\’s touchdown passes:

\”Same ol\’ Brett. He\’s doing thing he\’s done since he first came in the league: moving around, getting the ball out, breaking tackles and even running down the field and throwing blocks. That just shows you how big of a heart he has.\”

Head coach Brad Childress mixed up a bunch of metaphors as he took a swipe at the prognosticators who picked Dallas to win:

\”The Tasmanian devils were coming from Dallas that were about to bombard the state of Minnesota and run through us like Sherman through the South. All of us felt it quite palpably.\”

Cowboys\’ QB didn\’t have much to say in defeat:

\”Any time you come in with the expectations and goals we set and don\’t accomplish them, No. 1, it\’s frustrating. Right now, it\’s just hard to think the season is over.\”

Cowboys\’ head coach Wade Phillips had a similar take:

\”It\’s like the elevator falling from the top. It\’s tough when it\’s over. If you don\’t win it all, you have not reached your goal.\”

The Vikings will now head to New Orleans for Sunday\’s NFC Championship game against the Saints. Minnesota is a +3\’ point road underdog with the total set at 52\’.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer and noted authority on MLB free picks. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and NBA free picks sites.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Nick Diaz is a polarizing figure among MMA fans. Some are drawn to his \’anti-hero\’ persona while others are turned off by his petulance and lack of social graces. There\’s no doubt, however, that he\’s one of the best \’pound for pound\’ fighters in the world and last weekend added another successful title defense to his resume with a first round stoppage of British striking specialist Paul \’Semtex\’ Daley. Diaz chose to pit his superior technical boxing skills against his opponent\’s heavy hands and survived a first round knockdown to earn a first round TKO victory.

If there\’s a legitimate rap against Diaz it could be that he never makes things easy for himself-inside or outside the cage. He\’s often his own worst enemy in terms of his public relations and has a maddening tendency to \’fight his opponent\’s fight\’ when he\’s got the skill set to attack weakness rather than try to match strength against strength. This tendency was on display against Daley from the outset of the fight-Diaz stood in the center of the cage, dropped his hands and started \’trash talking\’. It was a near fatal error in judgment as he was floored by a Daley power shot and had to survive a brutal onslaught from the challenger.

After that, Diaz suggested it was no big deal:

\”I just had stuff to say, so I said what I was going to say. I think it threw him off a bit. I didn\’t ever actually feel like I was in problem. I was probably better off on my knees anyway. He couldn\’t hit me once I was very bad.\”

Diaz regained his senses and started to pick Daley apart with his vastly superior technical boxing skills. He soon floored Daley and appeared on the verge of victory only to see the feisty challenger recover and mount another onslaught that once again had the champion in trouble. Diaz once again responded to the challenge, forcing the action back to the cage while landing punches. With time expiring in the round Diaz followed up with some \’ground and pound\’ which prompted the referee to call a stoppage at 4:57 of the opening round.

Diaz confesses that he would have liked to have won in more impressive fashion:

\”I figured it was probably close to the end of the round but I wasn\’t sure. I knew we had been fighting for awhile. It could have gone a little cleaner for me.\”

MMA enthusiasts that backed Diaz as a -200 favorite likely contribute to share that sentiment having seen their fortunes reverse radically a couple of times in the five minute fight. The eventually cashed their tickets, but had to \’sweat it out\’. Daley\’s \’economic backers\’ suffered the same emotional roller coaster with the +170 underdog.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on price per head. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and bookie software sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Popularity: 1% [?]

South America will host the Summer Olympic Games for the first time in 2016, as Rio De Janeiro, Brazil was awarded the honor on Friday. Rio beat out the US choice of Chicago, Illinois along with Tokyo, Japan and Madrid, Spain to earn the right to host the games. Despite a high pressure effort from the American power elite–including President Barack Obama and TV gabfest queen Oprah Winfrey–Chicago was the first city eliminated from contention. Tokyo was the next to go, before Rio got the nod over Madrid in the final round of balloting.

Bookmakers offered odds on the host city choice, with Rio listed as second favorite at +200. Chicago had been the wagering favorite at most books, particularly after President Obama got involved personally in the US bid effort. Chicago was bet as high as a -300 favorite, while Madrid and Tokyo were priced in the +250 range. Some suggest that Tokyo didnt deserve to have such short odds, but was the beneficiary of regional pride from the notoriously enthusiastic betting population of Japan. Despite some media attention to the betting odds, bookmakers reported that they didn\’t receive a lot of action on the event.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, got the better of his US counterpart with a passionate speech that stood in marked contrast to Obamas typically baleful collection of talking points;

\”It is a time to address this imbalance. It is time to light the Olympic cauldron in a tropical country.\”

The Olympic committee was apparently swayed by this presentation and paid no mind to Rios many downsides. It is without a doubt the most dangerous of the finalist cities, where drug cartels and armed bands of thugs roam without impunity. Well do to Rio citizens are used to removing watches and jewelry before they drive anywhere lest they be targeted by carjacking brigands. Rios murder rate is also one of the highest in the world. Brazilian bid officials have stressed that security will be a priority at the games and it better be lest the Olympics turn into a bloodbath. For the time being, however, the mood in Rio was one of celebration with over 50,000 residents dancing and partying in the streets.

Some IOC members suggested that the summary dismissal of Chicagos bid was more of a rebuke of the notoriously corrupt USOC. The last two Olympics held in the US were tainted by crime and corruption. The\’96 Atlanta Olympics were disrupted by a terrorist bombing, while the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games were marred by a well known bribery and corruption scandal.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on price per head. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and bookie software sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Popularity: 1% [?]