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Motor City BluesBasketball Betting Lines07/02/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - I've always thought of sports as the ultimate form of escapist entertainment. And a whole lot of people need to "escape" right about now. It was announced Thursday that the nation's employers cut a larger-than- expected 467,000 jobs in June, and the unemployment rate climbed to a 26-year high of 9.5 percent. All told, 14.7 million Americans were unemployed in June. Perhaps no city has been hit harder than Detroit, where the economic recession has left the Motor City with an astounding 22 percent unemployment rate, over two times the national average. It wasn't always like that. Once upon a time, moving to Detroit was like winning the middle-class lottery. People with little or no real education were able to get jobs in the auto industry and in turn garner nice pay, great benefits and a solid pension. It was the very definition of the "American Dream," for so many. Increased competition from foreign companies, the unyielding demands of the powerful unions and flat out mismanagement at the very top collapsed the entire auto industry from within, leaving a crumbling city both politically and fiscally. Inasmuch, the people of Motown could use an "escape." In recent years, the Pistons have been great at providing a few hours of escapist entertainment. Six straight trips to the Eastern Conference finals made late spring basketball a birthright for a generation of hoops fans... Until last year. Convinced his veteran-laden team was stale and couldn't get over the ultimate hump, Pistons president Joe Dumars pushed the plunger and blew up his team. The results were disastrous. Joe D. jettisoned the underrated Flip Saunders for the untested and unproven Michael Curry, and compounded that mistake with the ill-conceived Chauncey Billups-Allen Iverson trade. Curry's decision to bench veteran stalwart Rip Hamilton in favor of Iverson was not well-received by his team. Gone was Detroit's legendary balance, defensive prowess and chemistry, not to mention the run of six straight trips to the East finals. In his first year directing the perennial championship contenders, Curry led the Pistons to just a 39-43 record, good for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Detroit was then quickly swept in the first round of the playoffs by the top-seeded Cavaliers, who won each game by double digits. Needless to say, this is a big summer for Dumars. First, the Hall of Famer did an about-face Tuesday and fired Curry, just two months after he had held a press conference to confirm that his embattled coach would return to the Motor City in 2009-10. Then the team - which did acquire plenty of cap space in the Iverson deal - dove into free agency headfirst on Wednesday, reportedly agreeing to deals with a pair of former UConn stars, sharp-shooting guard Ben Gordon, late of the Chicago Bulls, and emerging forward Charlie Villanueva, formerly of the Milwaukee Bucks. Gordon, an offensive-minded two-guard just like Iverson, had been on the Pistons' radar for quite some time and is a much better fit than the former MVP. "Ben agreed to come here knowing he would come off the bench," a source told NBA.com. "That makes it completely different than Iverson coming here...Gordon is choosing to come here and play the super sub role." Villanueva, meanwhile, became available after Milwaukee inexplicably declined to make him a qualifying offer on Monday. Now, Detroit will feature a three-guard rotation of Rodney Stuckey, Hamilton and Gordon, with Tayshaun Prince at small forward and Villanueva at power forward. The problem is the pivot, where battle-tested veterans Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess are both expected to move on, leaving the perpetually underachieving Kwame Brown as the only current option. Like the city they play in, the Pistons are still a long way away from their glory days. But Dumars' dealings may have provided something far more important than any championship trophy -- a welcome distraction for an embattled fan base.
<< Thrashers sign Antropov
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers signed unrestricted free agent forward Nik Antropov to a multi-year contract Thursday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, per team policy. The 29-year-old compiled career-highs
<< Bremen's Schaaf confirms Naldo exit
<< Twins demote Henn, to recall Duensing
<< Gudjohnsen expects to leave Barca
<< Longwood gives hoop's coach Gillian multi-year extension
United loses out on Benzema >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United's hopes of signing Karim Benzema are over after the France striker agreed to a six-year contract with Real Madrid. Benzema, 21, was believed to have been earmarked by United
Wolfsburg's Veh backs Dzeko decision >>
NFL suspends Jets LB Pace for four games >>
Atletico swoops for Juanito >>
Wolverhampton completes Milijas signing >>
Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence. The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night. MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds. A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family. A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital. Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Super Bowl 2009 BettingSuper Bowl 2009 Betting propositionsUnderdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder. Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while. Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books. If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl. Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX. By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI. In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite. So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs. While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl. There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog. In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl: SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots. XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired. XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers. Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard |
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