Picks, News, Etc.

I have been extremely busy so I have had to put a hold on posting new articles.
But here are my picks for today:
Boston Celtics -5.5 vs Washington Wizards result:
Charlotte Bobcats +2 vs Portland Trailblazers result:
Texas Longhorns -2.5 vs Oklahoma State Cowboys result:
Kobe Bryant over 28.5 total points vs Memphis Grizzlies result:

My Picks 1/28

My Record is now: 12-7-1
Here are my picks for today:
Charlotte Bobcats -1.5 vs Golden State Warriors result: Win
Los Angeles Lakers -6.5 vs Philadelphia 76ers result: Win
Memphis Grizzlies +5 vs San Antonio Spurs result: Loss
Los Angeles Clippers +1 vs Minnesota Timberwolves result: Loss

Is Matt Leinart Ready? Where Will Michael Vick End Up? Quinn or Anderson?

It is not even the Super Bowl yet, and interesting things are happening within the league.  To begin, it is expected that Kurt Warner is to announce his retirement on Friday. Warner has suffered several concussions in the past seasons and we think he has decided it is time for him to retire.  He is still one of the leagues better quarterbacks, and he lead the Cardinals to the Super Bowl last year, and the playoffs again this year. But with him gone, how are the Cardinals going to replace him.  Can Matt Leinart step up and do the job? Leinart lost his only two starts this year. He has an overall passer rating at 70.4 and he has 14 career touchdown passes to his 20 interception.  I think the Cardinals need to look at one of the new quarterbacks heading into the draft and maybe using their second round draft pick to choose someone like Jevan Snead or Tony Pike. Also, they definitely need to stay away from Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow. Seeing how unsuccessful Leinart is in the pros, and how successful he was in college, should make them think twice at picking a quarterback who had an unbelievable team around him, making him look better than he is.

The next topic is Vick. Vick wants to be a starter, and should be.  He is too valuable and good not to be.  So who picks him up- teams that are hurting in attendance, and/or teams that are hurting at the QB position. So- the Bills, Jags, Raiders, Rams, or the Chiefs. Personally, I would love to see Michael Vick and Jamaal Charles in the backfield together.  It would be unbelievably entertaining. The Raiders might want him because well JaMarcus Russell is awful and Bruce Gradkowski did well, but he isn't going to take a team to the Super Bowl. The Bills have Edwards and Fitzpatrick- I'd rather have Vick. The Jags could use the attendance boost- and again Vick + Maurice Jones Drew would be lethal but David Garrart does a decent job back there. The Rams definitely might want to sign Vick. 1-15 for the year, and all they have is a one man team with Stephen Jackson who I admire because he runs so hard every game, despite the fact that he has no one to help him. The point is- who will land Vick- the Eagles do not plan on keeping him because they know he wants to start.

Holmgren, the new GM at the Browns was asked who was going to be his starter for next year- Anderson or Quinn? He said "I can not say, but whoever we choose we need to start putting in our resources now. I do not like that competition thing." I think they are going to choose Brady Quinn over Derek Anderson because Brady Quinn will be a solid quarterback in the NFL. Also, he is the choice by default because Anderson went 2 for 17 in a game this year. Furthermore, how can you build your Franchise around a QB who had 3 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, and an overall passer rating of 42.1.  You Can't!

Today's Bets

My overall record is now 8-4-1- and here are my picks for today:
Fresno State Bulldogs +5 vs Idaho Vandals result: Loss- Idaho won by 15
Pittsburgh Panthers -8 vs. St. Johns Red Storm result: Win- Pittsburgh won by 10
Wisconsin Badgers +10 vs Purdue Boilermakers result: Win- Purdue Won by 3

My record in Betting on Teams:

So I will update this daily but because I think I can be successful on taking a few games a day- it will include all sports: basketball, soccer, tennis, football etc.
Oh and incase you do not understand sports betting, spreads, and lines-
If it says Miami Dolphins -4.5 vs New England Patriots- then that means that Miami is Favored by 4 and a half points so if they win by 4 or less and I chose Miami, then I lose that bet.
If it says Miami Dolphins +4.5 vs New England Patriots, then the Dolphins can lose by 4 points or less and I win the bet.

With Lines, you be the over or under.
So, if it says: Los Angeles Lakers vs Cleveland Cavaliers under 200 then that means I  think the total score between the two teams will add up to less than 200.
If it says: Los Angeles Lakers vs Cleveland Cavaliers over 200 then that means I  think the total score between the two teams will add up to more than 200.
If it is 200- then I push.


Yesterday, Jan 26, I was 5 for 7:
Michigan State Spartans -4.5 vs Michigan Wolverines: result Loss- Michigan State won by one        
Maryland -8 vs Miami: result Win- Maryland won by 24
New York Knicks -7 vs Minnesota Timberwolves: result Win- Knicks won by 27
Tsonga vs Djokovic: result Win- Tsonga won match
Dallas Mavericks -7 vs Milwaukee Bucks: result Loss- Mavericks won by one.
Charlotte Bobcats +4.5 vs Phoenix Suns: result Win- Charlotte won by 6
Sacramento Kings vs Golden State Warriors under 220: result: Win- total cumulative score was 195.

Today here are my picks:
Cleveland Cavaliers -14 vs Minnesota Timberwolves: result: Push- Cleveland won by 14
Atlanta Haws +3.5 vs San Antonio Spurs result: Loss- Atlanta lost by
Vanderbilt Commodores +6.5 vs Florida Gators: Win- Vanderbilt won by 12
Utah Jazz -2 vs Portland Trail Blazers result: Win- Utah won by 11
Temple Owls -1 vs Charlotte 49ers result: Loss- Temple lost by 12
New Orlean Hornets -2.5 vs Golden State Warriors result: Win- Hornets won 123-110

so today i was 3-2-1 giving me a 8-4-1 total record

Who Will Be Number One Now?

With Texas losing twice last week, Kentucky moved back up to the number one spot.  Then yesterday they traveled to South Carolina, where the gamecocks upset the number one team with a 68-62 victory last night. The win once again revealed how how playing at home is such a large factor. Now, with the wildcats 17-1, who should replace them at the number one spot. 

Well, Kentucky should drop to number 3, moving up two teams- Villanova and Kansas. However, I predict that Kansas loses to Kansas State on Saturday so that would put Nova at my top.

So for after this weekend- here is my AP top 10 guess:

1. Villanova

2. Kentucky

3. Syracuse

4. Kansas

5. Michigan State

6. Texas

7. Duke

8. West Virginia

9. Kansas State

10. Purdue

on the bubble: Gonzaga

NFL Players Who Have Been Arrested In 2009-Present

Here is a list of all of the NFL players who have been arrested since the beginning of 2009.  The list does not include players who are retired- I will also create a new post for every player who is arrested after today.


2009
1. Bo Simpson, Buffalo Bills S, was arrested for hindering with Police while they were arresting another man at the bar he was at.
2. Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers WR, was arrested on suspicion of DUI. This would be his second DUI in the last 4 years.
3. Anthony Spencer, Dallas Cowboys DE, arrested for Public Intoxication and Disorderly Conduct.
4. Jonathan Vilma, New Orleans Saints LB, arrested for reckless driving and resisting arrest.
5. Jonathan Dekker, Pittsburgh Steelers TE, arrested for obstruction of justice.
6. Leroy Hill, Seattle Sea Hawks LB, was found passed out behind the wheel of a car. He was charged with the possession of Marijuana- a DUI might be added.
7. Jamal Williams, San Diego Chargers DT, was arrested for suspicion of DUI while he was speeding in his Bentley.
8. Michael Merritt, Kansas City Chiefs TE, was busted on Thursday morning in Orlando for suspicion of marijuana possession.
9. Darrell Reid, Indianapolis Colts DT, was arrested for on a disorderly conduct charge after he tried to use his NFL status to get into a club.
10. Roderick Green, San Francisco 49ers OLB, was arrested and charged with four misdemeanor charges, including possession of marijuana, unlawfully carrying a weapon, reckless driving and interfering with the duties of a police officer.
11. Jeff Reed, Pittsburgh Steelers K, was arrested for disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.
12. Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo Bills RB, was charged with felony possession of a concealed firearm.
13. Matt Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars, was arrested for having illegal controlled substances.  This was his second arrest for a charge with drugs. 
14. David Macklin, Kansas City Chiefs, DB, was arrested for DUI
15. Cornell Green, Oakland Raiders OT, was arrested for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
16. Donte Stallworth, Cleveland Browns WR, was booked at the Miami-Dade County jail and released on $200,000 bond on a felony charge of DUI manslaughter.
17. Leon Hall, Cincinnati Bengals CB, arrested and charged for DUI
18. Donte Whitner, Buffalo Bills S, was arrested for aggravated disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
19. Biren Ealy, New Orleans Saints WR, was arrested on various charges, including obscenity, disturbing the peace by being drunk in public, and lewd conduct.
20. Kolomona Kapanui, New Orleans Saints WR,was arrested with his teammate Biren on various charges, including obscenity, disturbing the peace by being drunk in public, and lewd conduct.
21. Anthony Mix, Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR, was indicted for having sex with a minor.
22. Brandon Walker, Houston Texans G, was arrested for DUI.


2010
1. Tajddin Smith,  Indianapolis Colts S, was arrested on suspicion of DUI.
2. Jermaine Phillips, Tampa Bay Buccaneers S, was being held wihtout bail after being accused of choking his wife.
3. Dusty Dvoracek, Chicago Bears DT, was arrested and charged with public intoxication, assault and battery and interfering with an official process.
4. Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers WR, was arrested for driving with an expired license.  Jackson who has gotten 2 DUIs was pulled over for having expired tags.
5. Chad Rinehart, Washington Redskins G, was arrested on public intoxication charges in Iowa after he pulled on a locked door at a pizza restaurant.

SUPERBOWL 2010

My Prediction for the Super Bowl is Colts v Saints.  I am shocked that the Jets have made it this far.  First of all, they did not deserve to even make the playoffs because they're last two wins came against teams that had nothing to play for. Second, Mark Sanchez is terrible.  The Vikings/Saints game might be a game for the centuries. Both teams are good and both have some star players.  I think Saints because of home field advantage. The Colts game is a whole different type of game. With the Jets relying on a solid defense, the Colts can win the game as long as they eliminate mistakes. I also hope that the Colts win because the Jets are absolutely the most boring team in football, and if they were to make the Super Bowl then that would suck.

SO MY PREDICTIONS ARE:
Colts 31, Jets 16
Saints 30, Vikings 21

The NBA All-Star Game Takes a Sad Turn

The NBA All-Star Game Has Slowly Evolved Into One of the Biggest Popularity Contests

If you haven't seen it, here is the starting lineups and the reserves for the NBA All-Star game:
West:
Starters: PG Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns)
SG Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
SF Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets)
PF Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks)
C Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs)


East:
Starters: PG Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics)
SG Dwayne Wade (Miami Heat)
SF Lebron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
PF Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors)
C Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)
G Allen Iverson (Philadelhia 76ers)


and here is a list of the players with the leading votes behind them:

Guards	Team	Votes
Vince Carter	Orlando Magic	1,048,977
Ray Allen	Boston Celtics	710,045
Derrick Rose	Chicago Bulls	571,911
Gilbert Arenas	Washington Wizards	545,860
Joe Johnson	Atlanta Hawks	496,255
Forwards	Team	Votes
Chris Bosh	Toronto Raptors	1,164,007
Paul Pierce	Boston Celtics	525,677
Josh Smith	Atlanta Hawks	475,671
Andre Iguodala	Philadelphia 76ers	313,827
Danny Granger	Indiana Pacers	309,808
Centers	Team	Votes
Shaquille O'Neal	Cleveland Cavaliers	856,056
Al Horford	Atlanta Hawks	270,532
Andrea Bargnani	Toronto Raptors	265,024

Other Players Receiving Votes (West)

Guards	Team	Votes
Chris Paul	New Orleans Hornets	1,055,789
Tracy McGrady	Houston Rockets	1,022,492
Aaron Brooks	Houston Rockets	591,930
Jason Kidd	Dallas Mavericks	523,708
Manu Ginobili	San Antonio Spurs	465,211
Forwards	Team	Votes
Dirk Nowitzki	Dallas Mavericks	1,093,005
Pau Gasol	Los Angeles Lakers	1,051,784
Kevin Durant	Oklahoma City Thunder	870,567
Trevor Ariza	Houston Rockets	645,937
Luis Scola	Houston Rockets	580,243
Centers	Team	Votes
Andrew Bynum	Los Angeles Lakers	981,355
Nene	Denver Nuggets	364,543
Marc Gasol	Memphis Grizzlies	353,155

Okay, so now does my title make sense? Obviously for media, tickets, and television purposes, this makes some sense in that the people choose who they want to see. However, it is also pretty stupid.  


Here is the definition of Athlete: consisting of athletes chosen as the best at their positions from all teams in a league or region.


So how is a player like Iverson starting? I like Iverson a lot, he is by far one of the best Point Guards in history, but not this year.  How can he be the starting PG with stats like this: 14.4 PPG, 4.4 APG, only 19 total games played, and his team has a record of 14-28.  Yes he is good, but there is no way he deserves to start. 


Still not convinced this is a popularity contest, look at T-Mac's votes.  He is my favorite player in the NBA, but there it would be a terrible joke to sawhe deserves to even be on the roster. To make things worse, T-Mac was beating Nash in the votes up until the final week.  T-Mac has played in 6 whole games this year, averaging only 7.7 min in each of those games, with 3.2 PPG and only 1.0 APG. 


And there are other examples of players who are also up there because they are more popular than others. So ask yourself- is it fair for these players who were great a couple years ago be pushed ahead of the players who have earned it this year.  After all- isn't it a game to reward the players who have played the best this year- otherwise, I think next year I might vote for Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and Charles Barkley up there. 

Top 10 College Football Games in the Past Decade

I thought I would give my list of the top 10 college football games of the decade. There are tons of games that could make the list, but if I had to narrow it down this is my top 10.

10. LSU 28, Florida 24 (October 6, 2007)- Tensions were high between the two SEC teams, especially after LSU students got a hold of Tebow's Cell Phone number and were prank calling him.  Florida jumped out to a 10-0 lead and kept a 10 point lead (24-14) going into the fourth quarter. LSU then scored a touchdown with 10 minutes left. After forcing Florida to punt, LSU then drove down and scored the go ahead touchdown with 1 minute remaining. The drive took over 8 minutes, and was filled with a bunch of 4th down situations.

9. Cincinnati 45, Pittsburgh 44 (December 5, 2009)- Playing for the Big East title game at Heinz Field, Cincinnati completed an incredible comeback to remain undefeated for the complete regular season.  Down 31- 10 in the first half, the clawed back little by little. Then down 38-24 again they came back and tied it up. With 1:36 left in the Fourth Quarter, Pitt scored to take a 6 point lead.  The extra point was botched.  Cincinnati then went down and scored the game winning touchdown on a great pass from QB Tony Pike. The extra point was good, and Cincinnati went on to win the Big East and stay undefeated.

8. Arkansas 58, Ole Miss 56 (November 3, 2001)- How could this game not be in my top 10.  This game was not a high scoring game...in regular time.  The game ended 17-17.  7 overtimes later, the score was 58-56 with Ole Miss going for two.  Ole Miss ended two yards short of the goal line in their two point conversion, giving Arkansas the win.

7. Texas Tech 39, Texas 33 (November 1, 2008)- For Texas, this was the game that destroyed their hopes for a shot at the BCS Title Game. It started off all Texas Tech as they were leading 22-6 at halftime. But Texas' touchdown with 1:26 left game them a 33-32 lead. Texas Tech marched down the field to the 27 (which was not a certain field goal with their kicker- it was someone who had won an in game contest earlier during the year). With 8 seconds left, Michael Crabtree caught a Graham Harrell pass, spun around a defender and scored the touchdown. Texas Tech pulled the upset.

6. Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32 (September 1, 2007)- The Wolverines with Offensive Stars like Mike Hart, Chad Henne, Jake Long, and Mario Manningham were predicted to win the Big 10 and compete for the National Championship. Appalachian State, a school who can not even play in a Bowl game, destroyed all BCS hopes for Michigan in the first game.  The game went back and forth. After the first quarter Michigan was winning 14-7. At halftime, it was 28-17 Appalachian State. Then at the end of 3 quarters, it was 31-26 Appalachian.  Michigan however, scored to take a 32-31 lead with 4:36. Appalachian State drove down the field in a 1:11 and scored a go ahead field goal to make it 34-32 with 26 seconds left.  However, Henne threw a 46 yard pass to Manningham to put Michigan at the Appalachian State's 20 and in close field range. However, the field goal was blocked and Appalachian State held on for one of the biggest upsets in college football history.

5. Ohio State 42, Michigan 39 (November 18, 2006)- This is one of the classics from this decade- Number 1 ranked Ohio State vs Number 2 ranked Michigan. These two rivals battled it out.  Michigan was playing for their legendary coach Bo Schembechler, who passed away a day before the game.  Michigan opened the game up with a touchdown, but then Ohio St cam eon strong and scored 3 unanswered touchdowns.  The Buckeyes led by as many as 14, but Michigan responded with some scores of their own.  After Ohio State took a 42-31 lead with 5 minutes left. Michigan closed the gap to 3 after a touchdown and a successful 2 point conversion. However, Ohio State recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock to win the game.

4. USC 34, Notre Dame 31 (October 11, 2005)- This was one of those games where "IT'S OVER, WAIT IS IT? NO IT'S NOT, NOT IT'S NOT!! Notre Dame and USC battled back and forth in this epic game.  USC took the lead, but then the Fight Irish fought their way back to the end zone, taking a 31- 27 lead. Then with two minutes left, it was USC's turn.  Matt Leinart, on 4th and 9, threw a 61 yard pass to Dwayne Jarrett down to the Notre Dame 13. Then with 7 seconds left, Leinart fumbled at the ND 1 the ball rolled out of bounds. Officials first signaled that the game was over, but as Charlie Weis had his hands in the air, Pete Carroll was running down the field to plead his case.  The game was not over and USC had another chance. This time, Leinart ran it himself, and when it looked like he was going to be stuffed before the goal line, Reggie Bush pushed him into the end zone. USC's unbeaten streak of 23 games remained intact as they won the game 34-31.

3. Ohio State 31, Miami 24 (January 3, 2003)- In this 2003 Fiesta Bowl, #1 Miami faced off against #2 Ohio State. Both teams had players that are now stars in the NFL today: OSU- Chris Gamble, Michael Jenkins, Will Allen and others.  Miami- Andre Johnson, Roscoe Parrish, Willis McGahee, Kellen Winslow II, Jonathan Vilma, and several others. The game was close throughout, and going into the fourth quarter, Ohio State led just 17-14.  Throughout the entire quarter the game remained 17-14, until Miami kicked a field goal as the clock expired at 0 to send the game straight into overtime.  In OT, Miami got the ball first and marched down for a touchdown. Then it was Ohio State's turn. On fourth down, OSU threw an incomplete pass that landed on the floor of the endzone. Game Over.  Well for 3 seconds, and then in the corner of the end zone a flag was thrown- Defensive Pass Interference was the call. This is one of the most controversial penalties in sports histories, below is the video of the play.  Ohio State then scored to tie the game up at 24-24 with a whole new set of downs.  In Double OT, OSU got the ball first and scored a touchdown in 5 plays.  Miami, needing a touchdown to send it into triple OT, marched down to the one yard line.  On 4th and Goal, ohi State blitzed, forcing Dorsey, the Miami QB to throw up a prayer which was batted down by Ohio State linebackers, ending the game, and giving Ohio State its first national championship since 1968.

2. Texas 46, USC 38 (Janurary 4, 2006)- This game that made Vince Young famous. Powerhouse USC led by a cast of Offensive stars- Dwayne Jarrett, Steve Smith, Patrick Turner, Fred Davis, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, and Lendale White vs the also undefeated Longhorns(this BCS title game took place at the Rose Bowl). The game began with just one touchdown in the first quarter, and that came from USC's first drive. At Halftime, Texas was winning 16-10.  The second half is what made this game so incredible. By the time the clock hit the 6:42 mark in the fourth quarter, USC had out scored Texas 28-10, with an overall lead of 38-26. With 6:42 left, Texas got the ball on their own 31. The drive took 2:30 and ended with a 17 yard Touch Down run by Vince Young.  Texas then kicked to USC who got one first down, but then was stopped on the next set of downs and had to punt. The score was now 38-33 USC, but Texas had the ball.  The Longhorns marched down the field and got all the way inside the USC 10. But USC showed some red zone resilience as they forced Texas to a 4th and Five from the 8 yard line. With less than 25 seconds, Vince Young, noticed an opening on the right, took the ball himself, ran around his line, rushed to the corner, and won the race to the goal line. Touchdown TEXAS!! To make things a little more secure, Vince Young then successfully rushed it again for the two point conversion. Vince Young, had rushed for now 200 yards, and three touchdowns to lead the Longhorns to being National Champions.

1. Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42 (January 1, 2007)- The number one college game of the decade has to go to the Broncos win over the Sooners.  This game was just a game that people will talk about forever.  Boise State started the game on fire. They jumped out to a 14-0 lead, and then led 21-10 at halftime.  The game looked like it was going to be a blowout when Boise State took a 28-10 lead in the third quarter.  But then "All Day" Adrian Peterson, ran for a touchdown t narrow the lead to 11.  Then the lead was 8 with an Oklahoma field goal.  With 1:26 left, Oklahoma completed the amazing comeback by tying it up with another touchdown- and then three attempts for the two point conversion. The first one was unsuccessful but BSU got called for Pass Interference. Then Oklahoma scored but it got called back for Illegal Motion. Finally, on the third play Oklahoma converted the two point play.  Then, to make things worse for the Broncos, Oklahoma returned an interception for a touchdown 20 seconds later. Things looked pretty bad for the Broncos, but then the Magic happened. From the 50 yard line, Boise State's Qb Zabranski threw a 15 yard pass underneath Oklahoma's prevent defense. As the receiver ran inside, he flipped it to his teammate who was running to the outside. The player had  daylight and ran it all the way into the end zone with 7 seconds left. The game was going into OT.  Oklahoma, who's offense really came on strong in the second half, took only 1 play for AP to rush 25 yards for a touchdown.  It was Boise State's turn. Down to 4th and 2, on the Oklahoma 5, the broncos ran another trick play.  This time, in wildcat formation, and Zabranski lined up as a receiver, with Back Up wide receiver Vinny Perretta took the snap. He rolled right, and threw a touchdown pass to tight end Derek Schouman, Touchdown Boise! The Broncos, instead of taking the extra point, decided to go for two. Running the third trick play of the night, Boise lined up with three receivers on the right. Zabranski took the snap, pretended to throw the pass but in reality held the ball with his left hand behind him. Ian Johnson, Boise's running back, instead took the handoff and ran left.  The play completely fooled Oklahoma as Johnson ran untouched into the end zone of the left side of the field. The best game of the decade was over.  Not that this game wasn't special enough, but right after the game, while being interviewed by Fox, running back Ian Johnson proposed to his girlfriend, and head cheerleader, Chrissy Popadics. Of course, she said yes.

Click Here For The Highlights of this Amazing Game

Man City vs Man Utd

Earlier I wrote an article about the current situations of Manchester City and Manchester United and how City has begun the new year extremely well.  And today, in the Carling Cup semi final first leg, City beat United 2-1.  For Carlos Tevez, the game could not have gone any better as he scored both goals to lead Man City to victory.

I will keep an eye on these two teams as the Premier Season unfolds, as well as when they face each other next in the second part of this semi final.

NCAA Basketball- One and Done's

When it comes to March Madness, everyone loves it.  Every year, there are always some crazy endings, thrilling victories, shocking upsets, and a lot of exciting games.

However, college basketball isn't the same these days.  With the new rule that states a player has to be 19 years old and at least one year out of high school to enter the NBA draft- most basketball players are going to college for just one year, and then leaving right after.  This kills programs who recruit the best players because they just leave after one season.  Most of the freshman who declare for the draft are usually the ones who could have declared right after high school.  What even makes the situation worse for NCAA programs- is that some Senior in high school might blowoff college and instead follow the footsteps of Brandon Jennings.  Jennings, decided to go to Europe for a single season before becoming eligible for the NBA draft.  He signed a $1.6 million contract with Lottomatica Roma, and received $2 million from Under Armour. Enticing offers like this will make it really hard for some players to choose college over Europe.

So, how do you solve this problem.  COPY BASEBALL.  If players are going to leave early, let them leave after high school, so they do not embarrass the Universities by attending one semester, barely passing the minimum amount of classes, playing one season, and then quit going to class because they have declared for the NBA draft. The MLB says that players can enter the draft right of high school or go to college.  If they go to college they can not enter the draft until after their third year.  This will solve everything because both NCAA Basketball Programs and the NBA would both benefit from this rule.

Sports Betting- How to Maximize Winnings and Minimize Losses

Everyone knows that when you bet on sports- bookmakers are the ones who usually who profit as their odds are pretty efficient.  As the old saying goes, "The House Always Wins." And personally most people should never resort to sports betting as their main source of income.  I also think that betting on sports makes thing much more interesting and much more fun.  One of the problems with betting on sports is how much you want to bet.  For instance- if you bet a large amount and you lose- it sucks, but if you bet an amount that is small and you win- you might feel good but it almost seems like a waste.  

If I am going to bet, I want to lose a little or win a lot. I think the best way to do that is on Sportsbook.com.  They have a Progressive Parlay System.  First, a Parlay system is where you chose a certain amount of games (usually up to 12) and rewards successful bettors with a large payout. For example a bettor could include four different wages in a four-team parlay, whereby he is wagering that all four bets will win. If any of the four bets fails to cover, the bettor loses the parlay, but if all four bets win, the better receives a substantially higher payout (usually 10-1 in the case of a four-teamer) than if he made the four wagers separately.  This payout is great, but if you miss one, you lose.

The Progressive Parlay works a little differently.  In the Progressive Parlay, the payouts are not quite as high, but you can afford to get games wrong.  It is an insurance to your bet- which is definitely worth it.  Here is the table for the payouts for the Progressive Parlay at Sportsbook.

	All selections win	1 loss	2 losses	3 losses
4 Teams	5/1	1/1	--	--
5 Teams	11/1	2/1	--	--
6 Teams	20/1	9/2	--	--
7 Teams	40/1	4/1	1/2	--
8 Teams	75/1	10/1	2/1	--
9 Teams	150/1	20/1	5/2	--
10 Teams	250/1	25/1	3/1	1/1
11 Teams	400/1	60/1	5/1	1/1
12 Teams	900/1	80/1	10/1	3/1

So after looking at this chart, you can see that if you miss 1 out of your 4, 2 out of your 7, or 3 out of your 10 picks and still make money.  The best odds are to pick  10 because you can miss 30 percent of your picks, and still come out ahead. If you were to hit all 10 though you would make 250 times your initial bet.  So, say you bet 10 dollars- and you pick 10 games.  If I were to get 7 of them right- I would make 20 dollars. If I were to pick 8 right, I would make 30 dollars, 9 right- 250$, and all 10 right- 2500$.  Of course it is extremely difficult to pick all 10 right.  But this is all from a bet of 10 dollars. 

So go try it at Sportsbook- if you have 10 or 20 dollars you wouldn't mind betting with.  http://www.sportsbook.com/join.php  Good luck!

Is Blake Griffin The Next Oden?

Blake Griffin, NCAA's best college basketball player last year- has just opted for season ending knee surgery.  Griffin, drafter number one by the Clippers, dominated the NBA summer league, as well as preseason before landing awkwardly from a bone crushing slam.  He was in pain, but no one had hit him nor undercut him, so he figured it could not have been that bad.  He expected a pre Christmas return- but that did not happen.  The stress fracture in his knee seems a lot worse now to him, then it did on October 23, the day it happened.  Clipper fans, who have suffered for awhile now, had a new hope with Chris Kaman's return, and the Clipper's signing of Griffin.  I think the Clippers have a solid team with Baron Davis, Chris Kaman (who his having an outstanding year), Al Thorton, Eric Gordon, Rasual Butler, and Marcus Camby.  At times, this team has shown their potential- such as last week with three wins over three of the best teams in the NBA- Laker, Celtics, and Heat. Now imagine that roster, with the addition of Griffin.  Unfortunately for Clipper fans, they are going to have to wait until next year to see Griffin play.

One thing that might be scary- is Griffin the next Oden?

- Oden, the Blazers first pick in the 2007 draft, was picked right before Kevin Durant.  A couple months after being drafted, Oden had a microfracture in his knee, and missed the entire 2007-2008 season.  In the next season, Oden played in 61 games averaging 21.5 mpg, with 8.9 ppg, 1.1 bpg, and 7 rpg.  Not a terrible season for a rookie, but many expected more from the number 1 pick. In his third season, Oden started playing great- he played and started in the first 21 games- averaging 11.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg, over .600 fg % and 2.3 bpg!  He was playing solid basketball, and he was getting better every game.  But then, on December 5, Oden again got injured, this time fracturing his left Patella, and again getting season ending surgery.  Oden has proved he can be a great player on the court, but now has been in the NBA three seasons and has only played in 82 games. Griffin, a huge threat in the key as well, is starting the same way Oden did.  Hopefully, he does not follow suit and instead stays healthy from now on.

The Tide Might Be Changing in Manchester

2010 has been a shocking change for the city of Manchester.  Manchester City, who has now won 4 straight league games under their new head coach Mancini, is beginning 2010 with a bang.  Especially, because their owner, Sheikh Mansour, has now personally invested 395 million pounds into the club, taking City away from the 305 million pound debt they were in. Supposedly all 305 million pounds of the earlier loans from Mansour's Abu Dhabi United Group were cancelled in return for new shares in the club.

Man United on the other hand, are over 700 million pounds in debt.  To attempt to decrease the size of this debt, United is trying to raise 500 million pounds through a bond issue. For the entire financial situation, click here Times Online- Man Utd.

So what does this all mean?
-Well, Sir Alex Ferguson stated that the debt has not and will not affect his budget for transfer spending. However, being over 700 million pounds can never be a good thing.  Even worse news for United is striker Dimitar Berbatov might be out for awhile with knee surgery.  United is weaker than their last couple years- especially on the offensive end.  They had Christiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez- two huge scoring threats.  Tevez, who is back on Man City, scored a hat trick on Monday and has 15 goals, 12 of them in league, and  Christiano already has 13 goals with Real Madrid, 7 of them from league games.  So not only is Man City benefitting from stellar play by Tevez, but United is hurting with only Rooney as the lone true goal scorer left for them. Personally, I think if United doesn't buy someone special to compliment Rooney, they might be heading into this decade the wrong way. Meanwhile City is picking up their play, as it looks like their team and all the summer signings are starting to come together. This very well might be the end of a one sided rivalry in Manchester.