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07/09/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James made the right decision the wrong way.
I first realized James had officially lost touch with reality on Wednesday when the ESPN press release announcing "The Decision," the hour-long vehicle in which the NBA's best player announced his intention to flee the tortured city of Cleveland for Miami, arrived in my inbox.
I certainly had no problem with James choosing the Heat. It's not my place to tell a 25-year-old-man in the prime of his life to give up the sun and sand of South Beach for the harsh winters and reeling local economy in the Forest City.
To be blunt if most of us, including just about everybody who lives in Cleveland right now, were given the opportunity to work in either place, the decision really wouldn't be all that difficult. James had every right to pack his bags for the tax haven that is Florida, but it would have been nice if he handled his exit with a bit more class.
By shopping his divorce from the Cavs to ESPN, James essentially flipped his middle finger at his hometown fans and the people that loved and supported him since high school.
I'm not sure who was steering James during this debacle. It's hard to believe his agent Leon Rose, with all of his experience, would have pushed LeBron toward a public relations disaster. I suppose Maverick Carter or one of his other immature hangers-on could have been in his ear, but at the end of the day it's James who came across as the selfish, ego-driven athlete that thinks he's bigger than the game.
In fact, I haven't seen such narcissism on national television since Lex Luger was flexing in front of a mirror for Vince McMahon in the 1990s.
In one moment, James went from the most popular figure in Cleveland to a pariah that now rivals Art Modell, who moved the former Cleveland Browns to Baltimore in 1995, as the most vilified sports figure in the city's history.
Wherever the bad advice came from, it's all spilt milk now and James will have to rebuild a tattered reputation and the backlash that has already ensued when he plunged the dagger into Cleveland's collective heart.
Already, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert sounded like part spurned lover, part nonsensical fan and part gypsy when he released an open letter to his team's fans that read more like an extremist rant coming from a wing nut like Ann Coulter or Keith Olbermann.
"As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier," Gilbert wrote. This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build- up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.
"Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us. You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal. You have given so much and deserve so much more. In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight: I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER 'KING' WINS ONE. You can take it to the bank.
"If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels. Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there. Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.
"This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become.
"But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio. The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma."
If you think that's bad, Gilbert went even further in a phone interview with The Associated Press when he accused James of quitting during the Cavaliers' second-round playoffs series against the Boston Celtics, who rallied from a 2-1 deficit to eliminate Cleveland.
"He has gotten a free pass," Gilbert told The AP. "People have covered up for (James) for way too long. Tonight we saw who he really is. He quit. Not just in Game 5, but in Games 2, 4 and 6. Watch the tape. The Boston series was unlike anything in the history of sports for a superstar."
Clearly Gilbert has already moved to the second stage (anger) of the Kubler- Ross model, commonly known as the five stages of grief. Since there is no more bargaining to do the only things left for Cleveland are depression and acceptance.
For his part, James was at least smart enough to point out that he is taking less money to go to South Florida in an effort to win a championship with his friends, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
"I feel like it's going to give me the best opportunity to win and to win for multiple years," James said in his decision announcement interview with ESPN's Jim Gray. "Not only just to win in the regular season, to win five games in a row or three games in a row, I want to be able to win championships, and I feel I can compete down there."
The questions now will turn to James' bloated ego, the one that was on full blast during "The Decision" broadcast.
Can a self-centered, conceited egomaniac handle sharing the spotlight with two other All-Stars and develop the chemistry needed by a championship team?
Stay tuned.
<< Phils rest hopes on Blanton in second test vs. Reds
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Many assume that the Phillies will be in the hunt for
pitching prior to the non-waiver trade deadline at the end of this month. That
need will be lessened a bit if Joe Blanton can get on track.
Blanton will try to
<< Dodgers hope for more pitching prowess in second test with Cubs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley has to be
motivated by what staff mate Clayton Kershaw did in last night's series-
opening win versus the Chicago Cubs. He'll try to give his team another
dominating mound performa
<< Red Sox resume trek at Toronto's Rogers Centre
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After beginning a six-game road trip with three straight
losses to one division rival, the Boston Red Sox head to Toronto in search of
some momentum. The Rogers Centre is a good place to look for some.
The Red Sox, h
<< Angels visit A's in clash of slumping division foes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of struggling AL West inhabitants get together this
evening in Oakland, as the Athletics and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim kick
off a three-game series from the Coliseum.
The Angels have dropped four straight and th
AHL extends president's contract >>
Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American Hockey League president David
Andrews has agreed to terms on a contract extension that will keep him in his
position through June, 2015.
"All of us with an interest in the American Hockey L
Rangers re-sign D Girardi >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers have re-signed defenseman
Daniel Girardi to an undisclosed contract.
The 26-year-old registered six goals and 18 points with a minus-two rating
over a full 82-game schedule in 2009-1
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WASHINGTON (AP) -Washington Wizards top draft choice John Wall has missed practice after injuring his groin a day earlier during his first workout with the team.Coach Flip Saunders says the overall No. 1 pick in last month's NBA draft has tightness
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Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The news that you are being forced to move
to Detroit is, in most cases, best broken gently. No disrespect to the Motor
City, which is on the way back under mayor Dave Bing and has produced some of
the greate
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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