Sports Betting

Remember our early 20’s when we shook off mishaps as part of the game and handled conquests like they were the first of many? When it comes to the Super Bowl young players should enjoy the moment in the sun as the gap between kicks at the can, my well end up being eternity and if you don’t believe me, just ask Dan Marino!
At some point prior to the Super Bowl, Big Ben Roethlisberger will share a few words with without a doubt one of Pennsylvania’s famous sons Dan the Man. Though Marino as a television analyst has to try and stay neutral, he has a soft spot for Pittsburgh. Marino grew up there and played at the University of Pittsburgh before the Dolphins drafted him in the first round in 1983.
Marino spent 17 seasons in the NFL and in year number two 1984 he had a magical regular season and playoffs, that to this day landed him in the Super Bowl as the youngest quarterback at 23 years and 340 days. He was coming off a record-setting 1984 season in which he was the NFL Most Valuable Player and threw for 5,084 yards and 48 touchdown passes.
Everything started well enough against San Francisco. The Dolphins had a 10-7 lead heading into the second quarter. Then everything unraveled. Joe Montana took apart the Dolphins defense and the 49ers dominated.
With no running game, Marino put everything on his shoulders. It hardly mattered. He finished 29-of-50 for 318 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Like most young men Marino was disappointed, but they had a great team, so learn from your mistakes and get them next time. In Dan’s case though there was no next time!
Now it is the big strapping Roethlisberger from Lima, Ohio’s turn and he has a chance to become the youngest quarterback ever to win the whole shooting match and with the way his career is going, the smart guys in Las Vegas like his chances. Big Ben took over the quarterback position last year from Tommy who and it has been full speed ahead. With the exception of a few games missed, due to a gimpy knee, this guy has been lights out.
My advice to Ben is that after he talks with Marino, he may want to place a call to Tom Brady who after throwing only one pass in his rookie year, he proceeded to win the MVP of the Super Bowl the next year and two more before bowing out to Denver this year.
Here’s a little nugget you may want to use when placing your Super Bowl Proposition wagers!
The team that scores first has won 71.7% of the Super Bowls so if you bet Pittsburgh to win the game and Seattle scores first, you may want to back you bet up at half time.
Incidentally in the 39 Super Bowls played so far, the field goal has been the first points scored 18 times which is slightly lower then 50%. Both kickers Brown for Seattle and Reed for Pittsburgh are exceptional and you know both teams want to get on the board early.
The over/under on the longest field goal is 42 ½ and I love the over here!
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Sports Betting

The PGA Tour may have officially kicked off January 5th in Hawaii, but make no mistake about it, San Diego is the real opener for the 2006 season, as Tiger is back on the trail.
If your name is Chad Campbell, Stuart Appleby or David Toms however, Tiger can stay in Florida all he wants, as his absence from the tour’s first three events, had something to do with them all padding their bank account with a million or so extra dollars.
My apologies to “Lefty� Phil Mickleson who also decided to get off the couch and join the fray and both these superstars have each won the Buick Championships three times each. Mickelson vanished from the PGA Tour in the middle of October, skipping the Tour Championship and playing only one time -- a two-day appearance at the PGA Grand Slam -- until he returned to competition last week in the Bob Hope Classic and tied for fifth.

The only other course Woods plays better on the PGA Tour is Firestone, where he has won four times and has never finished worse than a tie for fourth. His worst performance in eight starts at the Buick Invitational is a tie for 10th in 2004, and even then he finished two shots out of a playoff.
Duke tries to bounce Back:
Now that the undefeated season hopes of the Blue Devils is out of the way, Duke will travel to hostile Blacksburg, Virginia and a date with the Hokies.
Duke's unbeaten run, though, nearly ended 10 games earlier, when Virginia Tech rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final five minutes to take a 75-74 lead with 1.6 seconds remaining. Following a timeout, Duke senior Sean Dockery heaved a desperate shot that went in, sending the Blue Devils into a frenzy and the Hokies into shock.
“Despite its 0-5 record in ACC play, Virginia Tech has given Duke fits since joining the conference last season. The Hokies upset then-No. 7 Duke 67-65 in Blacksburg last February and nearly pulled off a second upset this season.
The UAB Blazers head to Memphis unbeaten in 10 games and it was almost six seeks ago, that they last tasted defeat, yet they are double digit dogs to the Tigers. The Blazers have won eight straight conference games, but Memphis is 12-2 at home against UAB and leads the all-time series 20-9.
Meanwhile in California, the 10th ranked 16-2 Huskies are visiting Leon Powe and the Golden Bears. The Golden Bears are 7-1 at home this season and are being led by resurgent sophomore forward Leon Powe, the conference's second-leading scorer with 19.8 points per game. Powe, the 2003-04 Pac-10 freshman of the year who missed last season recovering from knee surgery, leads the league with 10.2 rebounds a contest.
My guess is the smart guys in Vegas want the public to grab the points with Memphis and also take the hot Huskies on the road. I’m going in the opposite direction!
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Sports Betting

In 2001, the Seahawks sent the No. 10 pick in the draft to Green Bay for then-backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and the No. 17 choice. The Packers used their pick on defensive end Jamal Reynolds, a draft bust who is out of the league. Hasselbeck is a two-time Pro Bowl selection. Seattle used the No. 17 pick to select guard Steve Hutchinson, a three-time Pro Bowl choice, who has joined tackle Walter Jones to produce the best left side of any line in the league.
Seattle also gave up their 3rd round pick in the trade, which Green Bay used to select Torrance Marshall who had a grand total of 11 tackles this year, so it is unanimous that Mike Holmgren duped the Packers big time! The ironic part about this Packer-Seahawks connection is that Holmgren left Green Bay because he wanted complete control of the Packers and was not given it. He got the power he wanted in Seattle, but was failing before owner Paul Allen stepped in and told him to focus on coaching.
The wild thing about Mike Sherman, a former assistant to Mike Holmgren with the Seattle Seahawks, is that at one point during his time in Green Bay he was given total control of the operation, all of the power that Holmgren left town to gain. In September 2002, Sports Illustrated ranked Sherman No. 2 among all 32 head coaches in the power he wielded. Now he is has been shown the door by Green Bay!
Hasselbeck was a 6th round pick of the Packers and actually got cut after his first training camp, then he flung a total of 29 passes in his next two seasons. His quarterback coach by the way was Andy Reid, who now calls the shots for Philadelphia, so it kind of makes sense, that this guy had talent.
Hasselbeck’s biggest hurdle was overcoming his cockiness, that while it can be a benefit in some cases, it also can ruffle the feathers of teammates. There was his infamous first playoff game against Green Bay, when the game went to overtime and Seattle won the coin toss, and microphones picked up a cocksure Hasselbeck exclaiming, "We want the ball and we're going to score!" That statement haunted him when he threw an interception in overtime, and Packers cornerback Al Harris ran the mistake back for a 52-yard touchdown and a crow-serving victory.
But he worked his way through it, even after the Seahawks were bounced quickly out of the playoffs last year. This team has had its share of disappointments, so just getting to the dance, is not their ultimate goal here. While much time will be spent on Bettis, Roethlisberger and Cowher this week, Holmgren is the one wearing the Super Bowl rings.
Incidentally what ever happened to Tommy Maddox?
Take the Seahawks and the points. It should be a close game throughout and if Seattle does happen to lose it shouldn't be by more than a field goal. Good luck!
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Sports Betting

NBA Handicapping
NBA Power Rankings Week 12The Detroit Pistons made a strong case to stay atop the Power Rankings this week when they demolished the San Antonio Spurs 83-68 on Thursday night. And down in Texas no less. That marked Detroit's first win in San Antonio since April of 1997, and was the Spurs' lowest output this season. Rasheed Wallace led the way with 27 points for the Pistons in the win, while Richard Hamilton had 22 points and Tayshaun Prince scored 13. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker each scored 17 points for the Spurs in the loss, and Manu Ginobili tossed in 16 points on the night. The last time these teams met in San Antonio was back in June, when the Spurs were winning Game 7 of the NBA Finals. San Antonio, however, remains at No. 2 this week, with the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns trailing behind at No. 3 and No. 4. Making the leap into the Top 5 are the Miami Heat, whose record has been steadily improving since Shaquille O'Neal returned from his injury. The previous week's No. 5, the New Jersey Nets, tumble to No. 9 this week after falling on some hard times. Also slumping last week were the Cleveland Cavaliers, who now find themselves at No. 10. The Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Clippers make up the rest of this week's Top 10, with the Lakers and Clippers rising despite mediocre records. In general, there aren't many good teams this year. For this week's edition of the Power Rankings, let's make a return trip to the stats well and take a look at how each team is doing straight-up and against-the-spread (through Sunday's games), and how well they're scoring and preventing points so far this season. Here is the Week 12 edition of the NBA Power Rankings. 01 - Detroit Pistons (Last Week 01)SU Record: 29-5 ATS Record: 19-14-1 Points-scored-per-game: 99.1 Points-allowed-per-game: 90.9 02 - San Antonio Spurs (Last Week 02)SU Record: 28-9 ATS Record: 15-20-2 Points-scored-per-game: 94.9 Points-allowed-per-game: 88.8 03 - Dallas Mavericks (Last Week 03)SU Record: 27-10 ATS Record: 14-19-4 Points-scored-per-game: 99.4 Points-allowed-per-game: 94.6 04 - Phoenix Suns (Last Week 04)SU Record: 24-12 ATS Record: 21-15 Points-scored-per-game: 105.4 Points-allowed-per-game: 98.4 05 - Miami Heat (Last Week 07)SU Record: 23-15 ATS Record: 19-19 Points-scored-per-game: 100.0 Points-allowed-per-game: 95.9 06 - Memphis Grizzlies (Last Week 08)SU Record: 23-12 ATS Record: 22-13 Points-scored-per-game: 90.7 Points-allowed-per-game: 86.7 07 - Los Angeles Lakers (Last Week 10)SU Record: 20-17 ATS Record: 20-17 Points-scored-per-game: 97.5 Points-allowed-per-game: 95.3 08 - Los Angeles Clippers (Last Week 11)SU Record: 19-14 ATS Record: 17-16 Points-scored-per-game: 96.8 Points-allowed-per-game: 95.5 09 - New Jersey Nets (Last Week 05)SU Record: 19-15 ATS Record: 18-16 Points-scored-per-game: 95.5 Points-allowed-per-game: 95.6 10 - Cleveland Cavaliers (Last Week 06)SU Record: 20-15 ATS Record: 18-15-2 Points-scored-per-game: 99.6 Points-allowed-per-game: 96.2 11 - Indiana Pacers (Last Week 09)SU Record: 20-15 ATS Record: 18-16-1 Points-scored-per-game: 94.1 Points-allowed-per-game: 90.7 12 - Utah Jazz (Last Week 13)SU Record: 19-18 ATS Record: 20-17 Points-scored-per-game: 89.6 Points-allowed-per-game: 91.5 13 - Milwaukee Bucks (Last Week 14)SU Record: 19-16 ATS Record: 16-17-2 Points-scored-per-game: 96.8 Points-allowed-per-game: 99.6 14 - Denver Nuggets (Last Week 15)SU Record: 19-19 ATS Record: 19-18-1 Points-scored-per-game: 100.9 Points-allowed-per-game: 99.6 15 - Philadelphia 76ers (Last Week 16)SU Record: 18-18 ATS Record: 14-21-1 Points-scored-per-game: 102.8 Points-allowed-per-game: 102.9 16 - Minnesota Timberwolves (Last Week 17)SU Record: 17-17 ATS Record: 21-12-1 Points-scored-per-game: 91.5 Points-allowed-per-game: 89.9 17 - New Orleans Hornets (Last Week 18)SU Record: 17-19 ATS Record: 18-16-2 Points-scored-per-game: 92.1 Points-allowed-per-game: 93.1 18 - Washington Wizards (Last Week 21)SU Record: 16-19 ATS Record: 12-21-2 Points-scored-per-game: 100.6 Points-allowed-per-game: 100.8 19 - Golden State Warriors (Last Week 12)SU Record: 17-19 ATS Record: 16-20 Points-scored-per-game: 99.3 Points-allowed-per-game: 100.6 20 - Sacramento Kings (Last Week 22)SU Record: 15-21 ATS Record: 16-18-2 Points-scored-per-game: 98.4 Points-allowed-per-game: 99.9 21 - Chicago Bulls (Last Week 19)SU Record: 15-21 ATS Record: 14-22 Points-scored-per-game: 95.9 Points-allowed-per-game: 97.4 22 - Seattle SuperSonics (Last Week 23)SU Record: 15-22 ATS Record: 13-22-2 Points-scored-per-game: 100.7 Points-allowed-per-game: 105.3 23 - Toronto Raptors (Last Week 24)SU Record: 13-24 ATS Record: 20-15-2 Points-scored-per-game: 98.8 Points-allowed-per-game: 101.8 24 - Boston Celtics (Last Week 26)SU Record: 14-22 ATS Record17-19 Points-scored-per-game: 100.0 Points-allowed-per-game: 101.7 25 - New York Knicks (Last Week 25)SU Record: 13-22 ATS Record: 19-16 Points-scored-per-game: 97.8 Points-allowed-per-game: 100.9 26 - Portland Trail Blazers (Last Week 30)SU Record: 13-24 ATS Record: 18-19 Points-scored-per-game: 88.5 Points-allowed-per-game: 96.0 27 - Orlando Magic (Last Week 20)SU Record: 13-22 ATS Record: 15-18-2 Points-scored-per-game: 92.0 Points-allowed-per-game: 95.4 28 - Atlanta Hawks (Last Week 27)SU Record: 9-26 ATS Record: 16-19 Points-scored-per-game: 94.5 Points-allowed-per-game: 100.9 29 - Houston Rockets (Last Week 28)SU Record: 12-23 ATS Record: 19-16 Points-scored-per-game: 89.0 Points-allowed-per-game: 91.5 30 - Charlotte Bobcats (Last Week 29)SU Record: 11-26 ATS Record: 19-17-1 Points-scored-per-game: 96.1 Points-allowed-per-gam
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Sports Betting

NHL Handicapping
NHL Hockey Power Rankings ReportCanada's two classic National Hockey League franchises were both soundly defeated on Saturday night, and both are now sitting outside of the Eastern Conference's playoff picture. The Toronto Maple Leafs were demolished 7-0 by the Ottawa Senators, with goaltender Ed Belfour allowing all seven of those goals on 41 shots. That was the Leafs' fifth loss in a row, and the sixth time they have tasted defeat in their past 10 games. The Montreal Canadiens gave up six first-period goals to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday en route to a 6-2 loss. Jose Theodore gave up five of those goals on 11 shots before getting pulled in favour of backup Cristobal Huet (who was solid the rest of the way), and the Habs have now lost seven times in their past 10 games. And as a result, the Maple Leafs fall to No. 20 in this week's edition of the NHL Power Rankings, while the Canadiens drop down to No. 22. Still sitting in the top spot this week are the Detroit Red Wings, with a trio of Eastern Conference teams (the Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa Senators, and Philadelphia Flyers) right behind them. The Dallas Stars round out the rankings' top five for the second week in a row. The Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators, Vancouver Canucks, Colorado Avalanche, and New Jersey Devils make up the rest of the top 10. Falling out of the top 10 this week are the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings. And almost falling out of the rankings completely are the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues, who haven't won in ages. Here is the Week 17 edition of the NHL Power Rankings. 01 - Detroit Red Wings (Last Week 01)Henrik Zetterberg sat out Saturday's game with a hip flexor, but he should be able to return to the lineup this week. 02 - Carolina Hurricanes (Last Week 02)Fell 5-2 to the Capitals on Saturday, which was their only defeat in their past 10 contests. Tied for first in the East. 03 - Ottawa Senators (Last Week 04)Pounding the provincial-rival Leafs moved them into a tie for first in the East; have scored 195 goals in 46 games. 04 - Philadelphia Flyers (Last Week 03)Robert Esche won in his return to the ice on Saturday night; he'll now battle Antero Niittymaki for the starter's job. 05 - Dallas Stars (Last Week 05)Marty Turco returned from a groin injury to allow four goals on seven shots in a loss to the Lightning on Friday night. 06 - Calgary Flames (Last Week 07)Have won three straight to stay tied atop the Northwest, but have only scored 10 more goals than they've allowed. 07 - Nashville Predators (Last Week 12)Only two losses in their past 10 games, and pasted the Blue Jackets 7-2 on Saturday night. Second in the Central. 08 - Vancouver Canucks (Last Week 13)Climbing the ladder with four wins in a row, and victories in seven of their past 10 contests. Tied with the Flames. 09 - Colorado Avalanche (Last Week 06)Cooled off with two straight losses to end last week. Sitting as the highest-scoring team in the Northwest Division. 10 - New Jersey Devils (Last Week 16)Red-hot play has them back in the thick of the Eastern Conference's top eight. Still trail the Rangers and the Flyers. 11 - New York Rangers (Last Week 11)Five wins and three overtime losses in their past 10 contests, but are losing ground in the division to the Devils. 12 - Buffalo Sabres (Last Week 08)Lost to the Flames on Saturday night, and have only won four of their past 10. Mika Noronen could bolt to Europe. 13 - Los Angeles Kings (Last Week 09)Still boast a long injury list, with Pavol Demitra, Alexander Frolov, Jeremy Roenick and Eric Belanger all on the shelf. 14 - Tampa Bay Lightning (Last Week 22)Three wins in a row has them more comfortable in the standings. Offense still not producing at the expected level. 15 - Atlanta Thrashers (Last Week 14)Shut out by the Lightning on Saturday, and fell 8-6 to the Kings on Thursday night. Back in third in the Southeast. 16 - Edmonton Oilers (Last Week 15)Middling record in their past 10 games as they continue to juggle goaltenders. Lost to the Coyotes 4-3 Saturday night. 17 - Anaheim Mighty Ducks (Last Week 17)Chris Kunitz scored the only goal in their 1-0 blanking of the Panthers on Saturday; J-S Giguere recorded the shutout. 18 - San Jose Sharks (Last Week 21)Jonathan Cheechoo is up to 26 goals on the season, thanks to the Joe Thornton deal. Have won seven of past 10. 19 - Phoenix Coyotes (Last Week 18)Two wins in a row, but only five victories in their past 10 games. Still trying to get out of the Pacific Division basement. 20 - Toronto Maple Leafs (Last Week 10)Bryan McCabe isn't known for his defensive play, but the Leafs are even worse when he's on the team's injury list. 21 - Minnesota Wild (Last Week 19)One of Manny Fernandez or Dwayne Roloson could be dealt by the deadline, with Fernandez having greater value. 22 - Montreal Canadiens (Last Week 20)Defenseman Andrei Markov will miss at least three weeks with a torn rotator cuff, a big blow to the Habs' blue line. 23 - Boston Bruins (Last Week 24)Brian Leetch, Glen Murray, and Sergei Samsonov all have nagging injuries, but the goalies are the real concern. 24 - Washington Capitals (Last Week 26)Four straight wins has them looking more respectable; enough so that it might convince Olaf Kolzig to stick around. 25 - Florida Panthers (Last Week 23)Jacques Martin is finding the going tougher in Miami than it was up in Ottawa. At least he got away from the snow. 26 - Columbus Blue Jackets (Last Week 25)Pascal Leclaire allowed seven goals on 48 shots versus the Predators on Saturday night. Have won five of past 10. 27 - New York Islanders (Last Week 27)New head coach Brad Shaw hasn't exactly lit a fire under this team; have won only three of their past 10 contests. 28 - Chicago Blackhawks (Last Week 28)Nikolai Khabibulin will be out at least a month with a knee injury. Adam Munro now takes over as the starting goalie. 29 - Pittsburgh Penguins (Last Week 29)Nine losses in a row for the floundering Penguins. Does Mario Lemieux really want to return to this mess of a team? 30 - St. Louis Blues (Last Week 30)Nine losses in a row for the floundering Blues, which is the only thing that has kept the Penguins out of the basement.
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Sports Betting

Today we're going to tackle an issue that every handicapper encounters at one point in his sports wagering career: Dealing with losing streaks.
While we too at times are duped into thinking that we are HOT or COLD, the simple fact of the matter is that there is no such thing. It's no different than rolling the dice at the craps table. Every single roll, or bet on a game in our case, is individual and has nothing to do with the last roll or the next roll.
Now I know that it may be a bit hard to swallow and at times your superstitions may get the best of you, and I'll even go as far as agreeing that it can be very uncanny how streaks work, but all in all, a game is a game is a game. What you did yesterday has nothing to do with what your outcome today will be. Besides, how many times have you gotten smoked and the next day you PASS because you feel "cold" only to have all the games you WOULD HAVE BET hit that next day? All too often I bet!

While we're on this topic, I'd also like to diffuse another thing we hear quite a bit. Let's use NFL Sunday for an example because this is generally when we hear this useless expression: "All the early games went UNDER, so all the later games are likely to go under too."
One couldn't make a more asinine assessment of that particular situation. The thought may enter your mind, but when it does, you need to overcome that nasty thought and throw it over your shoulder.
The simple fact of the matter is that anytime you place a bet, a random result is going to happen. If you spend time handicapping the game you are likely to come out on the winning side more times than not.
If you don't handicap at all and try to master the guessing game, you will always feel like the negative is going to happen and you will find yourself in many losing streaks because you haven't done your honmework to determine if there is value in the side that your laying your money on.
Best of luck in your action!
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