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Despite the early struggles of starting QB Kerry Collins, who threw two interceptions, the Tennessee Titans managed to prevail over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday by a 27-20 score. The victory ran Tennessee’s record to 2-0 in the NFL preseason, while the Bucs dropped their first exhibition contest.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher wasn’t happy with his teams performance, particularly their offensive rhythm, despite winning the game:

“We just really didn’t get in synch like we would’ve like to.”

Conversely, Tampa Bays new head coach Rahim Morris was fairly upbeat after his NFL coaching debut:

“Not a bad start though, not a bad start.

Tennessee QB Collins post game comments didn’t provide much insight into the reason for his poor outing:

“We had too many turnovers, and that can’t happen. We know we have a lot to improve on.”

Young, meanwhile, related how he had taken the advice of the Titans offensive coordinator and used his legs to keep a play alive and avoid a sack.

“And that’s basically what I did. I saw the free safety relax and he was in the Cover Two, and Kenny adjusted his route and did what he was supposed to do. I just got the ball to him.

Luke McCown started for Tampa Bay, though wasnt able to do much on offense either. He was tightlipped about his performance in postgame interviews:

“We have some things to clean up. We will look at the tapes and get better at it on Monday”

The Bucs other QBs, Byron Leftwich and Josh Freeman didnt do much better, though Leftwich did throw a touchdown pass. After the game head coach Morris indicated that Leftwich will start Tampa Bays next NFL preseason game, with McCown coming on in relief.

The Titans will open the NFL regular season against the Superbowl Champion Steelers at Pittsburgh on Thursday, September 10th. Tampa Bay will begin the 2009 campaign at home, welcoming the Dallas Cowboys to Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, September 13.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Allen Iverson is one of the most high profile NBA free agents left on the market, and several teams have expressed interest in the dynamic guard. On Wednesday, Iverson sent a Twitter update indicating that the Memphis Grizzlies had made him an offer. Later that night, that information was confirmed by Memphis GM Chris Wallace.

Iverson had received the most interest from the Charlotte Bobcats and Miami Heat. Both teams have a lot of upside for ‘The Answer’-the Bobcats are coached by his Larry Brown, whom Iverson played for in Philadelphia. Miami would likely use Iverson in a reserve role-while he bristled at that assignment in Detroit, he’s suggested that he’d be more receptive to it on a contending team.

From a financial standpoint, however, there are problems with both Miami and Charlotte. The Heat is already over the salary cap, and simply doesn’t have the personnel budget to pay Iverson what he could demand elsewhere. Charlotte, meanwhile, is up for sale and for that reason under severe financial constraints. They’d likely be able to offer Iverson a short term deal with the prospect for renegotiation later, but that may not be something he’s interested in.

Memphis, meanwhile, has $3.5 million dollars of free space under the salary cap. They could easily outbid either Miami or Charlotte, and would also make Iverson the focal point of the team. GM Wallace confirmed that they’d made a formal offer to “AI”:

“We’re heading into the home stretch before the season, and we have had interest in Allen all summer. We’ve been in touch on a fairly consistent basis and had dialogue with his agent, Leon Rose, since the beginning of free agency. We’ll probably add another guard at some point, but we don’t need to rush to do it.”

The enigmatic Iverson appeared in only 57 games for the Nuggets and Pistons due to injury and averaged a career-low 17.5 points per game. Iverson remains one of the most potent scoring threats in the sport and his willingness to play through injuries that would land most NBA players on the disabled list has made him a fan favorite. And that might be the crux of his appeal in Memphis-on a team going nowhere Iverson will put butts in the seats and get the local community excited about the Grizzles which is something that they’ve been unable to do with any regularity.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Northern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

The New Orleans Hornets got some good news regarding injured point guard Chris Paul on Wednesday. Paul will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Thursday, and the diagnosis is favorable for a return before the playoffs. Paul suffered a partially torn meniscus in a game against Golden State last week. Preliminary diagnoses suggested that he’d be out of action one to two months.

Paul will have surgery in Pensacola, Florida with Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham, Alabama performing the procedure. Andrews is considered among the best in the world at treating sports related injuries, and is considered especially effective at treating knee and ligament injuries. Andrews has worked on a ‘who’s who’ of professional athletes from pro wrestler Ric Flair to New England Patriots’ QB Tom Brady.

Hornets’ coach and GM Jeff Bower sounded relatively upbeat in discussing Paul’s procedure on Wednesday:

“We are anticipating a very successful process. We look forward to his return to action at some point later on. The time frame will be determined after the surgery. I won’t speculate on that.Obviously you never want to be in this position to replace a guard like Chris Paul in the middle of the season. We want to continue to take advantage of the talent and skills that Darren [Collison] and Marcus [Thornton] have shown over the course of this season. We’re encouraged with the play of our current group and will continue to monitor that. We feel confident in their capabilities.”

Paul originally hurt his knee in a game against Golden State last Wednesday and then re-injured it on Friday night against the Chicago Bulls. He sat out Saturday’s game against Memphis. Paul averages a team-high 20.4 points and an NBA-best 11.2 assists. Darren Collison has taken over his spot in the starting lineup and has played well, including a Hornets’ rookie record 18 assists to go along with 17 points in a win over Memphis this past weekend. After the victory, Collison stressed the importance of maintaining team continuity:

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. We’ve been jelling with Chris, and without him I don’t think it’s going to stop us.”

New Orleans lost to Phoenix on Monday night but will play five of their next 7 games at home. It’s not a particularly easy schedule, however, with visits from improving Oklahoma City as well as Boston and Utah. The two road games are against NBA East playoff bound teams in Charlotte and Orlando, so the Hornets will have the mettle of Collison and the rest of the team tested early in Paul’s absence.

Ross Everett is a free lance writer specializing in sports handicapping, horse racing, hockey, model railroading and fantasy role playing games. He is a staff handicapper for Oddsbay and is responsible for providing daily free sports picks to a number of Internet and broadcast media outlets. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three dogs and a retired racing wombat.

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. Jacksonville evened their record at 3-3 while the Rams dropped to 0-6.

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 respected freelance writer who covers travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and deep sea diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.

Too often amazing talents are given to those people who are not able to handle them. Such was the case of poker legend Stu Ungar, who had skills at the card table unrivaled in history. Unfortunately, his ineptitude at every day life and self destructive behavior was equally legendary. Ungar would eventually succumb to his demons, and was found dead in his room at the Oasis Motel in Las Vegas in late’98.

For those unfamiliar with the big guns of high stakes poker, the only way to describe Ungar’s abilities is a metaphorical comparison to sports. With a green felt table and a deck of cards involved, Ungar was ‘Jordan-esque’. With Ungar, his greatest accomplishment was undoubtedly three World Series of Poker victories-a feat not unlike MJ’s six NBA titles. Texas Hold-em poker, the game of choice for the cognoscenti, is a seemingly simple game that belies its deceptive complexity. The successful player needs to be able to instantaneously plan strategy based on a number of ever shifting variables. Countless volumes have been written on the subject, but Ungar was able to perform complex analysis and strategy with amazing speed-almost instinctively. Between his three WSOP victories, and countless more informal victories and profitable poker room sessions, Ungar won millions of dollars playing poker. The amazing subtext to Ungar’s sheer mastery of Texas Hold’em was the fact that it was the third card game he had mastered. Ungar first came to Las Vegas as a gin rummy prodigy; he had beaten all of the good players on the East Coast and moved to the desert mecca in search of new opportunities. He had soon run the table of Nevada’s gin players, and then turned to blackjack out of necessity. He was quickly barred as a card counter at a number of Southern Nevada casinos. Needing a new vocation, he took up poker.

Ungar’s problem was that he was awful at basic survival skills. He fought a number of addictions-most notably to drugs and sports gambling. After his WSOP win in’97, he was nearly broke and wasted away from drug use by the time the’98 tournament rolled around. Vegas casino owner Bob Stupak provided the $10,000 he needed to defend his title, but as the games began Ungar cowered in his darkened hotel room unable to pull himself together enough to play.

Other stories of Ungar’s troubled life away from the poker tables evoke the same theme: buying a new Mercedes with cash after a WSOP victory and driving it until it fell apart from lack of maintenance; signing mortgage papers as he played in the Dunes poker room; losing 1.5 million dollars betting on sports in the course of a weekend.

Tragically, Ungar’s death came as he’d began to show signs of turning his life around. Noted casino owner and longtime friend Bob Stupak had stepped in to help Ungar pay off his debts, clean up his life, and provide the stake money to enter the major poker tournaments. Ungar was found two days after the two had formalized the agreement in a contract. Ungar also left behind an ex-wife and a teenage daughter, who still live in Las Vegas. The official cause of death was listed as “coronary atherosclerosis” and a mixture of drugs including cocaine, methadone and Percodan were found in his system.

While many legendary gamblers have been tough, larger than life individuals with a healthy dose of ‘street smarts’, Ungar was the diametric opposite. He was almost completely helpless away from the poker table. In the card room, he became an almost unbeatable warrior. While his death came years before the ‘poker boom’, his influence as a pioneer of the game is without question.

Ross Everett is a well known freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, flower arranging and deep sea diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.

When David Beckham suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon in a Italian league game in mid-March, doctors gave him an outside chance of returning in time for the World Cup or at the very least part of the MLS season. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like either of these favorable scenarios will transpire. In a recent statement Beckham broke the news that his recovery is behind schedule and he won’t be able to resume playing soccer until November at the earliest.

This timetable does leave open the possibility that he could return to action should the Los Angeles Galaxy make the MLS playoffs. As far as a potential return to England’s national team the first realistic opportunity for Beckham to play would be in a European Championship qualifier against Wales in March 2011. He’s been assured that he’s welcome back at AC Milan in Italy’s Serie A league whenever he’s back in playing shape, though neither the team nor Beckham have indicated anything specific about his future with the team.

Beckham, who is still using crutches to get around, explained his recovery process:

“I won’t be running for another three months, so I will be playing again in, probably, November.”

“My mentality is to kind of push it and get moving and running and soon as possible. But it’s an injury that has to take time to heal. It’s frustrating. It’s obviously disappointing because I’ve been working for the last two years to get into the English squad [for the World Cup].”

“At the moment, it’s just getting the motion back into the ankle, the tendon, because it’s still repairing. I’m trying to get mobilization back into the ankle.”

Beckham also recalled the injury itself:

“It was like being hit by a hockey puck. I thought someone was behind me and kicked me. Obviously no one was there and I saw my foot hanging and then I felt down there and there was a hole.”

The former England captain would have likely served in a reserve capacity with the World Cup squad. Even without Beckham in the lineup and with lingering injury issues plaguing Manchester United superstar Wayne Rooney soccer betting enthusiasts are bullish on England’s prospects this summer. The ‘Three Lions’ are currently the third favorite in World Cup future betting behind Brazil and Spain.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, flower arranging and deep sea diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.

categories: soccer,sports,recreation,entertainment,hobbies,reference,marketing

Philadelphia Phillies’ slugger Ryan Howard has two years remaining on his current contract with the club, but the team had no interest in potentially losing him as a free agent. For that reason, the Phillies have worked out a hefty contract extension with Howard that will pay him an average $25 million a year for the next five years. The 30 year old Howard has played his entire career with the Phillies, leading the team to two consecutive World Series including a victory in 2008.

Howard spoke of his loyalty to the team as a primary reason that he accepted the deal without hesitation:

“That wasn’t a very hard decision.”

“I tell you what, it’s a great feeling to have that security and know where you’re going to be. I feel what I’ve been doing over the last couple of years, I feel pretty confident that down the road, I’ll be right where I want to be and still doing the same things.”

He then threw in a playful jab at the notoriously pugnacious Philadelphia fans:

“Hopefully there’s no riots taking place back in Philly.”

Philadelphia’s GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. was also in a jovial mood in announcing the deal:

“As part of this deal, he has agreed to buy a second home for me.”

He then gave a more serious take on Howard’s extension:

“We just felt it was good timing for us. We felt No. 1, he’s one of the elite offensive players in the game. We could have waited another year and a half or so and dealt with it later on, but the fact of the matter is we decided he is that important to our organization and to our club and to our future.”

Howard’s agent Casey Close was also positive:

“This is a very good contract for him. The reason he felt the time was right was he loves his teammates, he loves the city. He wanted to be a part of something special for a long time to come.”

As was team manager Charlie Manuel:

“This is absolutely great. We signed Ryan Howard quite a few years ago and that means we’re keeping him. He’s one of our guys, he is a Phillie. It’s big for our team. That’s what you set out for. He’s very worthy of it. He is a great player and he is going to continue to be a great player for a while. Everything about it’s good.”

There is some risk involved for the ball club-despite a team option for the 2017 season they’re banking that Howard will remain a high level offensive player. The size of the contract, if nothing else, would make him almost impossible to trade should the team decide to go in a different direction. The Phillies have cooled off somewhat since a red hot start, but are still in first place in the National League East.

Ross Everett is a respected freelance writer specializing in travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.

categories: baseball,sports,sports business,entertainment,hobbies,business

An early goal gave the United States soccer team hope, but in the end the result of their World Cup Qualifier against Mexico at Azteca Stadium was a familiar loss. Mexico rallied for a 2-1 triumph in front of their home fans, sending the US to defeat for the 23rd time in 24 games at the venue. The US soccer record at the 105,000 seat venue is 0-23-1 with the best result the US has been able to muster on Mexican soil was a 0-0 draw in 1997.

The United States quickly silenced the raucous crowd of 100,000+ with a goal just eight minutes into the game. Landon Donovan threaded a perfect pass to a Charlie Davies who converted his four career goal in international play to give the Americans a 1-0 lead. It was the first time in history that the US soccer team led a match at Azteca Stadium.

Mexico would pull even just ten minutes later when Cuauhtemoc Blanco set up Israel Castro, who beat US goaltender Tim Howard to tie the game at 1-1. That set the stage for Miguel Sabah’s goal in the 82nd minute which gave Mexico the come-from-behind victory. Mexico coach Javier Aguirre sounded elated and relived with his post match comments:

“Today is a day to celebrate, drink a few tequilas, and then get back to work. Everybody will go to bed tonight a bit more relaxed.”

US Coach Bob Bradley was philosophical about the loss:

“I think it’s a tight game and a fair score. It’s tough loss to have so many guys work so hard and then give up a late goal. The feeling inside is one of great disappointment.”

US forward Landon Donovan spoke of his teams performance and the difficulty in playing at the high altitude:

“We did a good job starting the game well and scoring. They made one play at the end that made the difference. It’s hard to play here, man. It wears you out. It’s just exhausting.”

The Americans finish up qualifying on Oct 10 at Honduras and at home against Costa Rica on Oct. 14. Mexico will play at Costa Rica on Sept. 5 and host Honduras on Sept. 9. Mexico will wrap up qualifying on Oct. 10 at home with El Salvador and at Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 14.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and World Cup betting sites. He lives in Northern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

categories: soccer,sports,recreation,hobbies,marketing,travel

Starting QB Chad Pennington went 8 of 11 for 105 yards and a touchdown pass as the Miami Dolphins first team offense played well in a 27-17 victory over the Carolina Panthers. The Dolphins improved to 2-0 in the NFL preseason while the Panthers dropped to 0-2. While it is only preseason action, a victory is still a victory and no team likes to go down to defeat in back to back weeks. Carolina will have to pick up the pace if they wish to avoid a substandard NFL season that could result in their quarterback contemplating retirement.

Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said that there weren’t any big secrets:

“There are really no secrets there, but it’s good homework for us — a chance to see what people have been studying during their offseason, and how they want to defend this.

Pennington was also pleased with the effectiveness of the offense:

“The wildcat went well. Anything we can do to get an edge, I’m all for it.”

Ronnie Brown caught Penningtons TD pass and joined in the chorus of positive comments:

“We made some strides. We’re going in the right direction.”

Carolina coach John Fox sounded nonplussed, a surprising tone with a 0-2 team. His comments further suggested that the Panthers might be keeping a lot of their schemes under wraps in the preseason:

“Our first unit looked a little sharper. We’re not there yet, but I thought it was an improvement.”

Defensive end Julius Peppers sounded a similar tone:

“We’ve got to work on everything. That’s what the preseason is for.”

After a rough opening week, Panthers starting QB Jake Delhomme was also upbeat in his postgame comments to the media:

“We did better things tonight. It’s a process, but we’re doing all right.”

Miami will head to the northwest coast of Florida for their next preseason contest, taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Thursday night. Carolina will host the Baltimore Ravens in Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday. The Panthers will begin the NFL regular season on Sunday, September 13th at home against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Dolphins will face the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome to get their regular season slate underway.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

categories: NFL football,sports,recreation,entertainment,marketing

For the NFL handicapper, understanding the methodology behind NFL totals (also called over/under numbers) is crucial. For those not familiar with NFL totals, its the large number you’ll see accompanying most pointspread betting propositions. For example, the 2009 Superbowl line opened with Pittsburgh a 6 point favorite over Arizona. The total was set at 47. Simply stated, the total allows the better to decide whether the combined score between the two teams will go OVER or UNDER.

To the uninitiated, betting on NFL totals can seem very arbitrary. In reality, they’re a valued tool of serious sports handicappers. Many are of the opinion that its easier to accurately foretell the *type* of game that will transpire between two teams rather than who will actually win and by how much. A successful handicapper can look for situations where the total itself is off as well as more subjective factors (weather, injury or matchups) that can contribute to the scoring output or lack thereof.

To set the NFL total, a bookmaker looks at the offensive and defensive scoring statistics for the two teams and calculates a number based on points allowed and points scored. If one team had scored 275 points and allowed 350 in their previous sixteen games that’s a total of 625. Divided by 16 and that’s an average of just over 39 points per game. If their opponent had scored 285 and allowed 400 (685) over 16 games that translates to just under 43 points per game. Add the two numbers together, divide by two and you’ve got a base total of 40.5.

At this point other factors are considered such as the significance of key numbers like 3 and 7 on final scores, weather conditions, injuries, playing surface, etc. Another component that is important is the qualitative matchup between the offense and defense of each team”meaning that a team like the Baltimore Ravens with a strong defense will be more likely to impose their will on a team resulting in a lower final score.

Of course as in the case of the NFL pointspread, public perception is a crucial component of the linesmaking process. For example, the conventional wisdom is that bad weather like rain, snow, or sleet results in lower scores and for that reason a bookmaker will shade the total accordingly. However, its not quite that simple–some handicappers would maintain that sloppy weather can produce higher scores in certain situations as turnovers are in theory more likely in inclement weather.

In conclusion, NFL totals are a very good opportunity for a hard working handicapper to leverage his information about a situational matchup to find good wagering value. Like most elements of the sports handicapping discipline, its not easy to stay a step ahead of the bookmakers who have access to the same weather and injury–and have factored it into the number–but is a very entertaining and potentially rewarding challenge for the NFL betting enthusiast.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Northern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.