Sports Addict - NFL Season

Countdown to Manning Bowl -and the SuperBowl

2006-08-31T06:53:00.000-07:00

By Michael Eisen at Giants.com and the Clubhouse staff

It’s an honor to have two of them playing.” - Archie Manning

This was Archie’s answer to reporter’s questions about the Colts/Giants game on September 10th.

Will he say the same thing if they manage to square off for the SuperBowl?

Archie may love them both no matter what happens. But the fans take sides. And the sports bettors are ready to wager. Will the Colts make the SuperBowl this season? Or will the Giants become the NFL champions at the end of the year? Is a Manning versus Manning SuperBowl in our immediate future?

At YouWager.com, you can bet on it.

In our NFL Futures section, you can wager on this season’s wins for each team. You can even bet on the possibility of a Peyton vs. Eli SuperBowl. And of course, when the Giants and the Colts face each other on September 10th, you can also bet on that here, too.

Archie Manning will feel a strange mixture of pride and anxiety when his two NFL quarterback sons meet for the first time to open the 2006 season.

Eli Manning of the Giants and Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts will be the first brothers to start the same NFL game when their teams collide in Giants Stadium on Sept. 10. That, of course, makes Archie Manning – an NFL quarterback with New Orleans, Houston and Minnesota from 1971-84 – the first father to have two sons starting in the same contest.

“We’re just going to deal with it,” Archie Manning said this week. “It was inevitable it was going to happen. I think Olivia (his wife) and Cooper (his oldest son) and the rest of our family look at it as – it’s pretty neat. It’s an honor to have two of them playing.”

Manning made his remarks in Ponta Vedra Beach, Fla., where he attended the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation Golf Classic. Eli Manning was also at the dinner and golf tournament.

Archie Manning usually spends his autumn weekends rooting for his sons and their teams. Peyton was the first overall pick of the 1998 NFL Draft and has started all 137 regular and postseason games in his career. Eli was the No. 1 selection by the San Diego Chargers in 2004. He was traded to the Giants about an hour later. Manning has started each of the last 24 games, including one in the postseason.
In 2005, both Mannings led their teams to division titles before losing their first playoff games. The NFC East champion Giants were 11-5 but lost to the Carolina Panthers in an NFC Wild Card Game. Indianapolis won the AFC South with a 14-2 record but fell to eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh in a divisional playoff game.

“A good weekend for us is when the Colts win and the Giants win,” Archie Manning said. “And last year was a great year. We had a lot of double wins. And it gets even better if the Saints win and Tennessee (Peyton’s alma mater) wins and Ole Miss (where Archie and Eli starred) wins. But it doesn’t happen very often.

“But that night, one’s going to win and one’s going to lose. It’s the first game of the year. Somebody is going to get off to a good start and somebody’s not. But we’ll deal with it and move on.”

The central figures in the game have done their best to downplay the drama. They spoke on the phone the night the matchup was announced, but Eli made a point of telling reporters they didn’t discuss the opener. And Peyton issued a bland statement about the game, which will be the first Sunday night telecast for NBC, the league’s old/new television partner.

“I know those two guys are going to low-key it,” Archie said. “They know they’re playing a team sport and they’ve always done that. We’re looking at it that way, too, so we don’t want too much attention. We’re just going to get through it and hope for a whole lot of offense that night.”
Although the elder Manning has watched his sons play football their entire lives, he still gets nervous before one of their games.

“I do a little bit, especially when it gets tough out there,” Manning said. “In Peyton’s early years I was very nervous for him. He’s gotten more comfortable, so I get a little more comfortable. Eli’s early years, I’m nervous for him. But I’m not a big emotional guy. I kind of sit there and let it get inside of me, probably.”

Manning said he had similar butterflies in his belly when he played. But this is different.

“They don’t go away when you’re watching,” he said. “When you’re playing and somebody knocks the hell out of you, they kind of go away. When you’re watching, it’s kind of there the whole game. But we make it all right.”

Last season, Peyton Manning led the NFL with a 104.1 quarterback rating. He completed 67.3 percent of his passes and threw 28 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. His less-experienced brother completed 52.8 percent of his passes while throwing for 24 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

“Eli made some strides,” Archie Manning said. “But he was still a second-year guy. When you’re a second-year guy and you have some success early – these defensive coordinators are really good. Don’t ever underestimate them. One thing about Eli, when you’re young – I call it a yo-yo. You’re up, you’re down, you’re up and down. What you try to do as you mature is level off and remain steady every week. I know that’s what he wants to be and I hope he can.”

Archie is perhaps prouder of how Eli Manning has responded to challenges and how he has handled himself off the field. Eli is unfailingly gracious and cooperative with fans and the media. The young quarterback is seemingly impervious to pressure. Last Sept. 25, a loud and heated crowd in San Diego did everything but storm the field, and Manning kept his cool. He threw for 352 yards and two touchdowns without an interception that night.

“A blitz may get him or some coverage may get him, but the media and the fans aren’t going to get him,” Archie Manning said. “I’m telling you, they’re not going to get him. I’m proud of him, he handles it.”
The elder Manning expects his sons to remain similarly unruffled throughout what promises to be a frenzied buildup to their initial NFL meeting.

“I feel blessed. I feel fortunate,” Archie Manning said. “They’ve given us a lot of joy. I don’t want it to be an Eli-Peyton thing. It’s a team sport. But I hope they both stay healthy through the preseason. And I hope there are no kinks. It will be good for the NFL.”

To bet on future wins for the Colts and the Giants this season, and the possibility of a Manning/Manning SuperBowl, Just click here!

NFL Football Draft

2006-07-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

Every February at the Indiana’s RCA Dome, college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of NFL’s coaches, scouts and general managers. This 3-day display is what we know as the NFL Draft. The athletes tested show up by invitation only.

Each university has a pro day; NFL scouts are allowed to come and watch players participate in the events that take place at the Combine of their own school. This is done as it is believed that players feel more comfortable at their own campus than they do at the Combine, therefore, they should perform better. Major college teams like USC, Ohio State, Miami Florida, Notre Dame and Texas, produce a large quantity of NFL prospects and this generates huge interest from scouts and coaches.

The tests and evaluations that take place during the NFL Draft include: interviews, broad jump, injury evaluation, 40 yard dash, vertical jump, 20-yard shuttle, three-cone drill, 60-yard shuttle, bench press, position-specific drills, physical measurements, drug screen, the Cybex test, the Wonderlic test and others.

The athletes must perform their best since it can affect the perception, draft status, salary and ultimately his career.

The NFL Draft has taken place in New York City since 1965 and has had to move into bigger digs as the event has gained in popularity. Madison Square Garden had hosted the event for a number of years before moving to the Javits Convention Center in 2005. The 2006 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall, it was the first time this venue hosted the gala.

Each team has its representatives attend the draft. During the draft, one team is always "on the clock". In Round 1, teams have 15 minutes to make their choice. The decision time drops to 10 minutes in the second round and to 5 minutes in Rounds 3-7. If a team doesn't make a decision within this time, the team still can submit its selection at any time after its time is up, but the next team can pick the player they have been eyeing.

The drafted players are paid salaries corresponding with the position in which they were drafted. High first-round picks get paid the most, and low-round picks get paid the least. There is a pay scale for drafted rookies. After the draft, any non-drafted rookies are allowed to sign a contract with any team in the league.
The NFL allows each team to spend a limited amount of money from its salary cap to sign rookies, not only drafted players. Teams with higher picks get a higher rookie salary cap portion. In recent years, the salary cap increases from the year before, so there is more money apportioned to teams for signing rookies.

The NFL also holds a Supplemental Draft in late summer to accommodate players who did not enter the regular draft because they thought they still had academic eligibility to play college football.

NFL Football History

2006-07-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

NFL football history begins when the American Professional Football Conference was in formed in 1920. Akron Pros, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians, and Dayton Triangles were represented. A second organizational meeting was held in Canton, September 17. The teams were from four states: Akron, Canton, Cleveland, and Dayton from Ohio, the Hammond Pros and Muncie Flyers from Indiana, the Rochester Jeffersons from New York, and the Rock Island Independents, Decatur Staleys, and Racine Cardinals from Illinois. The name of the league was changed to the American Professional Football Association.

Scheduling was left up to the teams, and there were wide variations, both in the overall number of games played and in the number played against APFA member teams. Four other teams: the Buffalo All-Americans, Chicago Tigers, Columbus Panhandles, and Detroit Heralds joined the league sometime during the year. On September 26, the first game featuring an APFA team was played at Rock Island's Douglas Park. A crowd of 800 watched the Independents defeat the St. Paul Ideals.

By the beginning of December, most of the teams in the APFA had abandoned their hopes for a championship, and some of them, had finished their seasons, disbanded, and had their franchises canceled by the Association. Four teams-Akron, Buffalo, Canton, and Decatur-still had championship as-pirations, but a series of late-season games among them left Akron At one of these games, Akron sold tackle Bob Nash to Buffalo for $300 and five percent of the gate receipts-the first APFA player deal.

In 1921, at the league meeting in Akron, the championship of the 1920 season was awarded to the Akron Pros, as the only undefeated team in the Association in 1920. The APFA was reorganized, with Joe Carr as president. Carr moved the Association's headquarters to Columbus, drafted a league constitution and by-laws, gave teams territorial rights, restricted player movements, developed membership criteria for the franchises, and issued standings for the first time, so that the APFA would have a clear champion. The Association's membership increased to 22 teams.

In 1922 the American Professional Football Association changed its name to the National Football League (NFL), June 24. The NFL Football fielded 18 teams. In 1925 the NFL football established its first player limit, at 16 players. Late in the season, the NFL football made its greatest coup in gaining national recognition. On Thanksgiving Day, a crowd of 36,000, the largest in NFL football history, watched the Chicago Bears play the Chicago Cardinals at Wrigley Field. At the beginning of December, a crowd of 73,000 watched the game Bears played against the Giants at the Polo Grounds and 75,000 fans watched them defeat the Los Angeles Tigers in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

In 1926 Grange started the first American Football League. It lasted one season and included Grange's New York Yankees and eight other teams. At the end of the season, the AFL folded. The NFL Football grew to 22 teams, and Halas pushed through a rule that prohibited any team from signing a player whose college class had not graduated.

At a special meeting in Cleveland in 1927 Carr decided to secure the NFL's future by eliminating the financially weaker teams and consolidating the quality players onto a limited number of more successful teams. The new-look NFL football dropped to 12 teams, and the center of gravity of the league left the Midwest, where the NFL football had started, and began to emerge in the large cities of the East. The NFL football was reduced to only 10 teams in 1928 and in 1929 the NFL adde

d a fourth official field judge.

NBA Finals (6 game)

2006-06-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

No whiners! Mavs need to shut up ... now

2006-06-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

Special to FOXSports.com

As the basketball troops head west from the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami to Dallas' American Airlines Center for the conclusion of the 2006 NBA Finals, it's time to stop the all-American confusion.

So with apologies to American Airlines, the AAC shall be dubbed the "Whine Cellar" for the remainder of this series. We're not talking white, red, sweet, dry or any other variation. We're talking pure, unadulterated whine.

OK, as the Mavs lost three games in a row, along with their grip on a 2-0 lead that was on the verge of becoming 3-0, all we've heard about is the officiating. All we heard out of Dallas after Sunday night's thrilling one-point overtime victory was how Heat guard Dwyane Wade committed an offensive foul and was not fouled by Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki, thus making his two free throws that clinched the 101-100 victory unworthy.

And oh yeah, there was the rather large circumstance of Mavs forward Josh Howard calling timeout before Wade's second free throw — thus expending Dallas' final timeout and preventing them from advancing the ball beyond midcourt with 1.9 seconds left as opposed to having to travel the length of the floor.

Sure, they can claim all they want Howard was telling the officials they wanted a timeout after the second free throw if he made it. But what was the point of that? In an incredibly raucous building with so little time on the clock, why would he walk to an official who may or may not hear an entire sentence, look at him and signal timeout?

It was in plain view of everyone, including a national television audience. There was no reason for it, and it will forever be a historic moment in Finals lore.

Of course, Dallas owner Mark Cuban was going to complain. That appears to be at least 30 percent of his job description, to complain about everything. He even admitted in his blog that he's a whiner. Well, that's just fine Mark. And while you were espousing the finer intricacies of Mavericks braggadocio on late night television with your team up 2-0, it did nothing but incite the Heat.

And one more thing we might like to make clear. Wade made his two free throws. Had the Mavericks not missed four of their last eight free throws — and this is from a great free-throw shooting team, not the rock tossing Heat — this wouldn't have mattered. You guys would have been returning home to the Whine Cellar up 3-2 instead of down 3-2.

Even more so, had Nowitzki the superstar who was shooting 94 percent from the free throw line much of the playoffs, not missed a late free throw in Game 3 and in Game 5, chances are the series never would have been returning to Dallas. It would be over.

It's kind of like Al Gore complaining he was robbed by the hanging chads of Florida in the 2000 election. All he had to do was carry his own state of Tennessee and allow Bill Clinton to help him get Arkansas, and Florida wouldn't have mattered.

That's not justifying the Florida political shenanigans. That was handled dubiously any way you look at it. And that's not to say it was fair the way Wade was 21-of-25 from the free throw line Sunday (the exact same numbers as your entire team, while the Heat overall was 32-of-49.
But hey now ... if y'all hadn't missed four in the final minute of regulation and overtime, y'all probably wouldn't be so steamed right now.

Even though the one-game suspension of Jerry Stackhouse for his hit on Shaquille O'Neal in the second half of Game 4 was ludicrous during previous eras of basketball, it was right on the money in the NBA, circa 2006. It may pale in comparison to the clothesline Raja Bell put on Kobe Bryant, but realistically Bell should have gotten multiple games if they were being consistent based on the act itself. At any rate, Stackhouse did not attempt to make a basketball play. O'Neal, all 325-plus pounds of him, was airborne and vulnerable. Stackhouse came at O'Neal high and hard with a shove that could have injured him.

Had Ron Artest or Danny Fortson made that play, people would have been calling for a season-long expulsion.

The bottom line is, according to the present day interpretation of the rules, he earned a suspension.

So now, Stackhouse will be back for Game 6 at the Whine Cellar with another level of energy for a team seeking some version of controlled rage because they are convinced they've been hosed.

Funny how whenever the San Antonio Spurs mentioned officiating briefly during the early losses of their seven-game loss to the Mavs, everybody said they were nuts. Give the Mavs credit.

Well, it's time to give the Heat their due for bouncing back from the verge of extinction in Game 3 to take a 3-2 series lead. Had the Mavs taken care of business the way they should have, all of this officiating conjecture would be moot. In fact, that's virtually always the case when it comes to tough losses on a shaky call. There are plenty of other reasons for the loss that had more to do with the outcome than blaming it on an official.

So as the throng heads for Big D, and the strong possibility of this series being extended to a seventh game in the Whine Cellar, there is just one more bit of advice for the Mavs.

Y'all may be proud of your knowledge of fine whine, but this is a beer-guzzling series — survival of the toughest. Just shut up and play.

Argentina 6-0 Serbia & Montenegro

2006-06-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

This match will be replayed at 1700 and 2000 BST on BBCi. To access, press the red button on your TV remote control.

Argentina put one foot into the last 16 by demolishing Serbia and Montenegro.

Maxi Rodriguez fired Argentina ahead from Javier Saviola's pass before Esteban Cambiasso rounded off a flowing 24-pass move, finishing from 12 yards.

Javier Saviola set up Rodriguez for the second and after Mateja Kezman saw red for a late lunge, Hernan Crespo made it 4-0 from Lionel Messi's cross.

Carlos Tevez rolled home the fifth and then teed up Messi who completed the rout with a low finish for the sixth.

Argentina took an early lead with a beautifully constructed goal that typified their flowing style.
Juan Pablo Sorin's cute backheel opened Serbia up down the left, allowing Saviola to cut inside where he eased a perfect pass into the path of Rodriguez who stabbed a first-time shot past Dragoslav Jevric.

Argentina gave a masterclass of passing skills to double their lead with the sweetest of goals.
They patiently strung together 21 passes before Juan Pablo Riquelme fed Saviola who slipped a pass inside for Cambiasso. Cambiasso knocked the ball into Crespo who backheeled a return pass into the Inter midfielder who thumped the ball home from 12 yards.

Predrag Djordjevic vainly attempted to prompt Serbia & Montenegro from midfield but there was already an air of resignation from his strikers and they were the architects of their own downfall as Argentina scored a third just before half-time.

Mladen Krstajic's attempts to shepherd the ball out for a corner ended in embarrassment as Saviola took the ball off him and cut inside where his shot was parried by keeper Jevric into the path of Rodriguez who scored from a tight angle via the post.

Savo Milosevic provided Roberto Abbondanzieri with his first test in the opening minute of the second half and the former Aston Villa striker was inches away as he lunged at Kezman's knock-back.

Serbia & Montenegro became increasingly frustrated as Argentina strutted their stuff and Kezman boiled over with a wild lunge on Javier Mascherano which earned him a straight red card.

There was even time for Messi to make a contribution as the substitute latched on to Riquelme's quickly taken free-kick and crossed for Crespo to tap in at the far post.

Another substitute, Tevez, scored a fine individual fifth as he beat two defenders in drifting in from the left before rolling the ball in.

Tevez then provided the pass for Messi to run on and beat Jevric at his near post to complete the rout with Argentina's sixth.

Argentina: Abbondanzieri, Burdisso, Ayala, Heinze, Sorin, Maxi (Messi 74), Mascherano, Gonzalez (Cambiasso 16), Riquelme, Saviola (Tevez 58), Crespo.Subs Not Used: Coloccini, Aimar, Cruz, Cufre, Franco, Milito, Palacio, Scaloni, Ustari.

Booked: Crespo.

Goals: Maxi 6, Cambiasso 31, Maxi 41, Crespo 78, Tevez 84, Messi 88.
Serbia & Montenegro: Jevric, Duljaj, Gavrancic, Krstajic, Dudic, Koroman (Ljuboja 49), Stankovic, Nadj (Ergic 45), Predrag Djordjevic, Kezman, Milosevic (Vukic 69).Subs Not Used: Basta, Nenad Djordjevic, Dragutinovic, Ilic, Kovacevic, Stojkovic, Vidic, Zigic.

Sent Off: Kezman (65).

Booked: Koroman, Nadj, Krstajic.

Att: 52,000

Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy).

Seven winners - and France

2006-06-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

Spain’s 4-0 win over Ukraine in FIFA World Cup Stadium Leipzig today meant that only France, of the eight top-seeded teams at 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™, were unable to win their opening fixture.
France were disappointed with their 0-0 draw with Switzerland in Stuttgart but for all the rest – Germany, England, Argentina, Mexico, Italy, Brazil and Spain – a winning start justified their ranking ahead of the tournament

First the best, say users

2006-06-12T09:23:00.000-07:00

by FIFAworldcup.com

After the first two days of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, FIFAworldcup.com asked its users: "What's been the most exciting game so far?" The clear winner was the Opening Match between Germany and Costa Rica, which accounted for 35 per cent of the total vote.

In second place was Argentina's 2-1 win against Côte d'Ivoire, which incidentally proved the most popular on the German, French, Spanish and Italian versions of the website. Trinidad and Tobago against Sweden was the only scoreless draw so far, but this did not prevent it from coming in third.

Ballack says he's fit for WC opener

2006-06-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

Associated Press
Posted: 2 hours ago

MUNICH, Germany (AP) - Germany was plunged into confusion Friday when national team captain Michael Ballack told a newspaper he was fit and wanted to play in Friday's World Cup opener against Costa Rica, despite an announcement 24 hours earlier that he would not play because of a calf injury. "I had intensive treatment. I feel fit, I don't feel any pain anymore. I want to play," Ballack told the mass-circulation newspaper Bild.
German soccer federation spokesman Harald Stenger said he had no comment. The lineup would be announced 90 minutes before the match, he said.
Coach Juergen Klinsmann indicated Thursday that Ballack would not play in the opening game after training only 30 minutes in the last four days before the game. Ballack did not take part in Germany's official practice session at the Munich stadium Thursday evening.
Ballack's statement is certain to anger Klinsmann, especially since it was made public by the newspaper which has been critical of Klinsmann's methods. Last week, Ballack said he had differences of opinion with Klinsmann over tactics.
Ballack had another scan of his right calf Thursday afternoon, Bild said.
"I don't have any complaints anymore. I've told this to the coach. Whether I play is now his decision," Ballack told Bild.
Meanwhile, an open letter from Ballack to fans was published in several newspapers.
"We may not have the best players, but we could be the best team. For that, we need your help," the letter said.
On Thursday, Ballack angrily rejected charges he did not seek medical attention quickly enough.
Ballack issued a statement through the German Soccer Federation Thursday hitting out at accusations that he had failed to seek treatment for the calf injury last weekend after a friendly, preferring instead to spend the weekend at home with his family.
"I went home from the Colombia game without feeling any pain. On Sunday was the first time I felt light muscle problems. On Monday, straightaway after arriving at our Berlin quarters, I let myself be treated by the medical department of the German Soccer Federation," Ballack said.
"I deny all accusations that I acted unprofessionally. Those kind of assumptions are insulting. It's almost slander the way I am being talked about and what is being spread around about me," the Chelsea midfielder added. "I have done everything since Sunday to get fit as soon as possible. The World Cup is the biggest event in my career until now. Therefore it goes without saying, that we keep working to get me ready to play as soon as possible."
Ballack missed Germany's last World Cup match four years ago because of suspension, sitting out the 2002 final defeat to Brazil after earning a yellow card in the semifinal.
Ballack will receive treatment "around the clock" for his right calf injury, Klinsmann said before the team's departure Thursday from its base in Berlin.
"The most important thing for us is that he gets healthy again as quickly as possible," Klinsmann said.
Ballack has scored 31 goals in 65 games for Germany and his absence from the opening game is a major blow.
The captain was injured in Friday's 3-0 warmup win over Colombia, in which he scored one goal.
Ballack "underestimated" the injury, Klinsmann said. "He thought it would be gone by Monday."
Nobody on the team is angry that he did not seek treatment earlier, the coach said.
"Naturally, we were hoping that he would play. He is our captain and leader. It will be an additional motivation for other players," said Klinsmann.
Werder Bremen midfielder Tim Borowoski is expected to play for Ballack.
Ballack hasn't trained fully since the Colombia game. He cut short his first session Wednesday after 30 minutes. He is expected to be fit for the host's second match, against Poland on June 14 in Dortmund, Klinsmann said.
Ballack, who signed a three-year contract with Chelsea on the day Klinsmann announced his World Cup roster, has had troubled preparations.
He had a cold on the island of Sardinia that curtailed some of his training. When the team moved to Geneva, he hurt his left ankle, preventing him from taking part in full training sessions for five days. He did not play in Germany's 7-0 win over Luxembourg, but returned for the 2-2 draw against Japan and the win over Colombia.

FIFA World Cup

2006-06-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

Lowell's worth a shout while Beckett slumps

2006-06-06T07:15:00.000-07:00

Kevin Hench / Special to FOXSports.com

Maybe it would help Red Sox fans stomach recent developments if they could just do a simple mental gymnastic and create a new reality regarding the off-season trade that was supposed to position them for a title run.

Instead of viewing 2003 World Series MVP Josh Beckett as the jewel of the deal and Mike Lowell as the $18-million booby prize, Boston fans just need to reverse it in their minds. The new take: you got an All-Star, Gold Glove third baseman in exchange for uber-prospect Hanley Ramirez and lesser prospects Anibal Sanchez and Jesus Delgado, but you were forced to swallow a maddeningly inconsistent blister-prone pitcher in the deal.
There, doesn't that feel better?

Sure, Hanley Ramirez is going to win National League Rookie of the Year while Josh Beckett is on pace to give up 47 home runs in 204 innings. On the bright side for Sox fans, Mike Lowell has been George Brett.

Lowell is hitting .327 and is on pace for 21 home runs and 96 RBIs.

But then there's Beckett. Oh, man.

Talk about invasion of the body snatchers. There is no way this is the same guy who pitched a complete-game shutout in Yankee Stadium to close out the 2003 World Series as a 23-year-old. Or the guy who shut out the Cubs on two hits in Game 5 of the '03 NLCS then came back three days later with four innings of one-hit relief in Game 7. Or the guy who allowed only 21 hits in 42.2 postseason innings in 2003.

With his second straight utter and total implosion Monday night in Yankee Stadium — at a time when the Red Sox bullpen is banged up, beleaguered and in desperate need of starters going deep — Beckett's ERA climbed to 5.27. While he has failed to go deep into games lately, just about everybody has been going deep off him.

By allowing huge bombs to Andy Phillips and Jason Giambi in an outing in which he got four outs and allowed seven earned runs, Beckett matched his career-high in home runs allowed with 16. That's right, on June 5th, in his 71st inning, Beckett equaled his 2004 gopher ball total, which took him 157.2 innings to reach.

But wait. Isn't the 6-foot- fireballer 7-3 and on pace for 20 wins?

Well, yes. And no. I mean, it depends.

If Beckett is lucky enough to draw a whole lot of starts against the Orioles and D-Rays over the next four months, he might pitch himself back into Cy Young contention. But if he sees a steady diet of the Yankees and Blue Jays, well, Bert Blyleven's single-season gopher ball record will be in jeopardy.

In two starts against Baltimore and Tampa Bay, Beckett is 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA and only six hits allowed in 13 innings.

In six starts against the Yankees and Blue Jays, Beckett is 2-2 with a 7.52 ERA. He has given up 10 home runs in 32.1 innings against New York and Toronto.

On April 21st, when Beckett strolled out to the mound to start the 8th inning with a 6-2 lead against the Blue Jays, he had a 1.61 ERA and looked well on his way to improving to 4-0 in four electric starts for Boston.

Then he hit No. 9 batter Aaron Hill. He gave up a two-run home run to Russ Adams, who has since been sent down to the minors. After a strikeout, he gave up a home run to Vernon Wells (the second of four he has hit off Beckett this season), ending his night. Mike Timlin would surrender the tying run when Troy Glaus hammered a 0-2 pitch for a home run, leaving Beckett with a no-decision.

Beckett's ERA since getting the final out of the 7th inning on April 21st is a frightening 7.71 in his last 42 innings. Forty-two innings. That's an interesting number, given that it's almost precisely the work he turned in during the 2003 playoff run that made him the most desirable pitcher in baseball this winter.

A quick comparison:

In those 42.2 IP in '03, he had a 0.77 WHIP and allowed three home runs.

In his last 42 innings — as an older and wiser 26-year-old who still throws 97 — he has a 1.55 WHIP, just over double that magical October stretch less than three short years ago, and has served up 15 home runs.

Imagine a closer giving up 15 home runs before the All-Star break and you get a sense of just how spectacularly bad Beckett's last 42 innings have been. He's been beyond bad. Beckett is venturing into unchartered gopher ball territory.

When Blyleven served up his record 50 dingers in 1986, he led the league with 271 innings pitched, an average of one home run allowed every 5.42 innings. Robin Roberts was the previous record-holder with 46 gopher balls in 1956, but he pitched 297 innings, allowing a home run every 6.5 innings.

So far, in his first season in the American League, Beckett is allowing a home run a staggering once every 4.38 innings. Though the five-man rotation should protect him from making a serious run at the record, Beckett is having one of the most generous seasons in baseball history, serving up a steady diet of hitter-friendly mistakes in bad locations. Even John "Way Back" Wasdin — the former Red Sox and current Ranger reliever — who earned his nickname by yielding 54 home runs in four seasons in Boston never had a stretch as bad as the one Beckett is in. In his most homer-friendly season, Wasdin gave up 14 in 74 innings (one every 5.29 IP), still not quite as altruistic as the batting practice jag Beckett has been on this season.

In addition to Vernon Wells tagging him four times, Beckett has been taken deep by notable sluggers (Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada and Ryan Howard) and marginal hitters (Russ Adams and Andy Phillips) alike.

Ben Broussard got him twice on April 27th. In that same game, Victor Martinez hit a three-run shot off Beckett before going 112 at-bats without a home run. (Did a Beckett gopher ball put Martinez in a slump by making all other pitches seem microscopic by comparison?)

Most of the bombs have come on fastballs up and on the inner half of the plate, but Beckett has spread the love with his other pitches too.

When Wells got him twice — for the second time this season — on May 30, he hit his first on a fastball and the second on a changeup. In that same game, Troy Glaus homered twice too, on a fastball and on a curve.

So why all the dingers?

The Yankee broadcast team spent a lot of time discussing Beckett's position on the rubber. He was setting up on the far left of the slab, which might help him against lefties but would seem to give right-handed hitters a better look at the approaching — and often departing — pitches. After Phillips homered from the right side and Giambi from the left, it kept Beckett's ledger even, having allowed eight apiece to righties and lefties.

One obvious problem Beckett is having is with his curveball. He's had many starts when he couldn't throw it for anything remotely resembling a strike. Sometimes it hasn't broken at all, sailing over the hitter's head. Sometimes it has snapped off in the dirt out in front of home plate. Once hitters can throw out the possibility of the curve, they just sit dead red and cream his 96-97 cheese, proving once again what they know about big league hitters and fastballs. Of course it helps the hitters that Beckett's location has been brutal.

But not every mistake has to end up in the upper deck, does it?

For the sake of Beckett and Red Sox Nation, let's hope not.

Sports - Seahawks release Bannister, two others

2006-06-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

Kirkland, WA (Sports Network) - The Seattle Seahawks released wide receivers Alex Bannister and Jerheme Urban, as well as defensive tackle Garrett McIntyre, on Friday.

Bannister, a fifth-round selection in the 2001 NFL Draft, was named to the Pro Bowl in 2003 as a special teams representative. He has nine career receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown.

Urban has played each of his three pro seasons with the Seahawks, compiling 13 catches for 268 yards and a TD in 10 games.

McIntyre, meanwhile, had just signed with Seattle as an undrafted rookie free agent on May 1.

2006-06-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

How things fell apart in Kansas City

2006-06-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

Kevin Hench / FOXSports.com

Sports - Young flamethrower Mike MacDougal delivered the pitch, pinch-hitter Brian Daubach grounded to second, where Desi Relaford fielded the ball and flipped to first baseman Ken Harvey for the final out of the Royals' 83rd victory of the season.
The date was Sept. 25, 2003.
Royals skipper Tony Pena was later named sorts manager of the year, a near-unanimous choice. Shortstop Angel Berroa won rookie of the year (beating out Hideki Matsui, Rocco Baldelli and Mark Teixeira). Carlos Beltran joined Barry Bonds and George Sisler as the only three players in big league sports history to score 100 runs, drive in 100 and steal 30 bases in three consecutive sports seasons. In Jeremy Affeldt and prized minor leaguer Zack Greinke, the Royals had two of the most promising young pitchers in the sports game.
The future was so bright in Kansas City, you had to wear shades.
What went wrong? Well, in a word, everything.
A calamitous series of unfortunate events, terrible sports decisions and ruinous injuries have the Royals barreling toward the kind of history you don't want to make.
When the Royals lose their 121st game this season, which could happen as early as mid-September, they will break the long-standing record of the 1962 New York Mets, who at least had the excuse of being an expansion sports team.
The Royals find themselves trapped in a perfect storm of futility. They will play almost half of their sports games against the American League Central, a rugged proposition given the superior talent on the White Sox, Tigers, Indians and Twins. Kansas City will find itself -sports-overmatched on an almost nightly basis, going up against Mark Buerhle, C.C. Sabathia and Johann Santana, et al.
The sports outclassed Royals pitchers will spend the summer getting their brains bashed in by guys named Thome, Konerko and Hafner. Interleague play will offer no respite, since the cross-state Cardinals are deemed the Royals' "natural rival." St. Louis has already swept K.C. once and will likely do so again a month from now in Busch Stadium. Sports
The Royals are so bad they could decide both wild-card races this year. The Tigers have built their best-in-the-majors sports record thanks in large part to an 8-0 edge against K.C. this year. The White Sox and Tigers figure to avoid long losing streaks by always having the slump-busting Royals just around the corner. Meanwhile, while the Reds are hosting the Royals for three at the Great American Ballpark at the end of June, the Braves will be in Yankee Stadium. If the National League wild-card race is decided by a game or two, you can bet the Royals will have had an sports impact.
While the other teams in the AL Central have been stockpiling talent — Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya, anyone? —sports and developing All-Stars, the Royals have been in full organization-wide crisis. Just-fired general sports manager Allard Baird has deservedly received much of the blame for the woes of the wretched Royals, but it hasn't all been his fault. Let's go back to Sept. 25, 2003 and trace the demise, player by player.

The Picks
Sports- While the 2003 Royals appeared to be a team on the rise, the K.C. cupboard was already growing perilously bare thanks to some terrible drafting. From 1996-2002, the Royals' first-round sports picks were Dee Brown, Dan Reichert, Jeff Austin, Kyle Snyder, Mike Stodolka, Colt Griffin and Greinke.
1996 — Dee Brown, No. 14 overall: After cups of coffee in 1998-2000, Brown got his first long look in Majors in 2001. He hit .245 with a .286 OBP and a .636 OPS. In 811 big-league at-bats, he has hit .234 with a .615 OPS. Back at Triple-A Omaha this year he is 5-for-47, a .106 batting average.
1997 — Dan Reichert, No. 7 overall: Reichert may have set a record when he got promoted from Double-A to Triple-A in 1998 despite a 9.75 E.R.A. In parts of five seasons in the Majors he posted a 5.55 ERA with 240 strikeouts and 223 walks.
1998 — Jeff Austin, No. 4 overall: At 24 he was 3-7 with a 6.88 ERA for Triple-A Omaha. In 38 big league appearances from 2001-2003, he was slightly better than that, posting a 6.75 ERA.
1999 — Kyle Snyder, No. 7 overall: The 6'8 righty from the University of North Carolina worked his way through the K.C. system fairly impressively before hitting a wall in the Majors. In parts of two big league seasons, he is 2-9 with a 5.64 ERA. This year at Omaha he is winless in eight starts.
2000 — Mike Stodolka, No. 4 overall: After he went 4-11 with a 5.92 ERA at Double-A Wichita in 2005, the Royals abandoned any hope of Stodolka helping them as a pitcher. He was sent to A-ball as a first baseman and is hitting .312 with a .587 slugging percentage at High Desert.
2001 — Colt Griffin, No. 9 overall: Griffin went 1-4 in the Carolina League (A-ball) with an 8.73 ERA in 2004. Last year, in 56 innings at Double-A Wichita he walked 43 and struck out 36. He is recovering from shoulder surgery.
With Greinke in 2002, that means the Royals spent six straight Top 10 picks on pitchers who have gone a combined 36-62 for Kansas City.
The good news is that K.C.'s last three first-round picks — Chris Lubanski, Billy Butler and Alex Gordon — are all thriving.
And after this year's sports team establishes itself as the worst of all time, there will be nowhere to go but up.

How to bet on baseball at a Sportsbook with baseball picks:.

2006-05-31T06:57:00.000-07:00

It is easy to sign up for a handicapping service and branch out $50-$5000 a month for their picks, and it is easy to accuse that same handicapper after if those picks alter out to be losers. The Lazy, easy and cozy way is to accuse someone else.

Here is a little secret: people who make money gambling on a sportsbook don’t use handicapping services. They elect their picks themselves at the sportsbook. And if you mean to spend five minutes looking at the morning newspaper to do that - this article is not for you. There is no such thing as free meal amigo and winning pointers spend a good quantity of time blending and calculating whatever variables they take into account to make their picks at a sportsbook. No effort - no bread.

Most people don't comprehend baseball wagering at sportsbooks and many don't get implicated as they don't have time to analyze teams, data, pitchers and all the information needed to be prosperous in baseball wagering. But hold on, the task is not as scary as it seems. Most sportsbooks are happy to just break even through baseball season. I am amazed that more people are gambling on football rather than baseball - it is so much difficult to win.

Why would an online wagering sportsbook site give you such estimable inside information you ask? It is in our concern that you forfeit capital you would think... but not so. You see, if you turn a better educated player, you will bet longer and breed us more juice. For us, the more, and the more you play at a sportsbook the better - we take commission on every bet.

Now down to business. Gambling on baseball at a sportsbook is one of the easiest ways to make cash betting as it's one of the easiest sports to handicap - there is no point spread to beat at a sportsbook- your team wins, your bet wins.

I will exclude the basics of baseball here assuming that you know the sport, terms and statistics implicated.

In football and basketball, team vs. team handicapping is the key - but with baseball you have double the handicapping chance since both team and pitching match-ups can give a winning edge.

Rule #1
Never play heavy favorites. Never wager on a team that is over -150. Simple example at the grammar school arithmetic level would help here: player needs to win 40% of +150 dogs to break even vs. 60% of -150 favorites. If you anticipate that team has a 65% chance of winning and you wager it at -250 – forget about it. Wins and losses are so extraneous when wagering on MLB.

You got to love big dogs in baseball.

Consider bullpen depth of the team if it's line is close to -150. If a bullpen has over a 3.50 ERA, and the closer is struggling or giving up late runs, be extra careful.

Rule #2

Never bet action. Listed pitchers in your baseball picks only.

Rule #3
Never bet the run line, it is essentially a point spread for baseball.

Rule #4
Never wager a favorite when that team is going for a series sweep.

Rule #5
Starting pitcher is not worth as much as you might think.

Rule #6
Home dogs are stronger.

This Day in Sports

2006-05-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

1911 - The first Indianapolis 500 car race was won by Ray Harroun.
1937 - Carl Hubbell won his 24th consecutive game, a streak that had begun the previous season.
1938 - A Yankee record crowd of 81,841 attend a doubleheader versus Boston.
1982 - Cal Ripken Jr. began consecutive games streak by starting at third base against the Toronto Blue Jays.
1985 - The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals 8-5 to win their second championship in as many years. Wayne Gretzky scored one goal and set up three more and in the process set one year playoff records for assists (30) and points (47). Jari Kurri tied Reggie Leach's record of 19 playoff goals.
2001 - San Francisco Giants outfielder, Barry Bonds hit two home runs to move into 11th place on the major league career list with 522. - Brett Miller won seven consecutive races at Northfield Park in Ohio.
2003 - The Washington Wizards fired head coach Doug Collins.
2004 - Pole winner Buddy Rice captured the 88th Indianapolis 500. The victory was Rice's first Indy 500 victory and in fact his first-ever in the series. He was the 18th driver to win his first race at Indy.
2005 - Johns Hopkins won its first NCAA Men's Lacrosse title since 1987 with a 9-8 victory over Duke in the Division I Championship.

Sports Betting - Costly Gas? Roll With It.

2006-05-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

Some Gamble on Future Prices to Recoup Expenses

By Don Oldenburg

Washington Post Staff Writer

Sunday, April 30, 2006; Page F05

Will gasoline prices continue to go up?

You can bet on it.

No, really, I mean it. If you're the gambling type, you can now bet on those skyrocketing pump prices that once again have consumers over a barrel. An online gambling site has posted odds on the short-term future of the price per gallon.

"Will gas prices hit $4 by June 15th? The odds are 3 to 1 they will. You wager $100 and win $300," says Freddy Harris, the general manager and top oddsmaker at YouWager.com, a First Fidelity sportsbook based in Costa Rica. "If you want a longer shot, you can bet gas prices will get to $5. If you're right, we will pay you 8 to 1. If not, we will cheerfully take your $100."

With interest rates and gasoline prices steadily rising and consumer confidence falling, some folks may be hoping to hedge the high cost of gasoline by wagering on it. Since the gas-price odds appeared on YouWager.com's board two weeks ago, about 60 people have put money on the $5-a-gallon bet, says Harris, and about 150 have bet that gas will break $4 a gallon.

"It's a fun thing. This is something you could debate at the barbershop. Put your money where your mouth is . . . if you have a strong opinion," says Harris.

But while the days of cheap gas seem to be over, at least you can still place a cheap bet. The minimum is $25, and the maximum is $100. But gas wagering goes off the board May 10, so bettors risk 34 days of market manipulation and things happening that can affect gas prices. And they'll have to wait until June 15 to find out whether they're winners.

Bettors may be the only ones other than the oil companies finding some comfort in the upward trend. The Energy Department figured the average retail price of gasoline nationwide this week at $2.914 a gallon -- but as consumers in the Washington area, Los Angeles and New York know, it wasn't hard to find gas topping $3. Gasbuddy.com, a volunteer-fueled Web site that scouts best pump prices by locality, had regular gas this week nationwide averaging $2.909, compared with $2.477 a month ago and $2.222 a year ago. "Just so everyone knows it is fair, we go by AAA's FuelGaugeReport.com," says Harris, referring to auto club AAA's online tracking of the national averages for regular, mid-level and premium gas prices. YouWager.com will combine those and divide by three for the gas price on June 15.

Typically, gamblers would log on at YouWager.com to put money on the Nationals-Cardinals ballgame today or the NBA playoffs instead of gas prices. A sportsbook, it makes odds and takes bets on just about every sport out there.

But oddsmakers like to dabble in a few "special," non-sporting events. YouWager.com on Tuesday closed its betting line on who will win "American Idol" (it's Chris Daughtry pays 1.25 to 1, Katharine McPhee pays 2.2 to 1 and Taylor Hicks pays 3 to 1). But you can still bet on Paula Abdul checking into rehab before the end of "American Idol" (5 to 1 she will), on the United States launching a preemptive attack on Iran before July 10 (10 to 1 it will), on the outcome of former Enron exec Kenneth L. Lay's trial (1 to 6 he's guilty), on Tom Cruise marrying Katie Holmes now that the baby's born (3 to 1 he won't), and on Democrats taking control of the U.S. Senate in this year's elections (2 to 1 they will).

Harris says compared with the $300,000 to $500,000 in wagers YouWager.com gets on a Monday NFL game, it sees "very little" action on the oddball lines. But customers who register, deposit a minimum amount and activate their account can bet on whatever's on the board. "Then you are literally off to the races," he says.

But a warning to novice gamblers who think they can feed their sport-utility vehicles by wagering on gas prices: Betting on online sportsbooks can itself be a gamble. Except in Nevada, accepting sports bets is illegal in the United States -- which is why YouWager.com is located in Costa Rica and some 2,500 other online sportsbooks and casinos are located beyond the three-mile U.S. offshore limit.

Football betting - Ex-heavyweight champ dies at 71. I Part

2006-05-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

May 2, 2006, 15:06

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. - Floyd Patterson, an undersized football betting champion who avenged an embarrassing loss to Ingemar Johansson by beating him a year later to become the first boxer to regain the heavyweight title, died recently. He was 71.

Patterson died at his home in New Paltz, N.Y. He had Alzheimer's disease for about eight years and prostate cancer, nephew Sherman Patterson said.

Patterson's football betting career was marked by historic highs and humiliating lows. He won the title twice, but took a beating from Muhammad Ali in a title fight and was knocked out twice in the first round by Sonny Liston.

Patterson, who weighed only 189 pounds for the first football betting fight, was a tenacious boxer who often fought bigger football betting opponents - and almost as often found himself on the football betting canvas. He was down a total of 19 times in his career, getting up 17 of them.

"They said I was the fighter who got knocked down the most, but I also got up the most," Patterson once said.

Following the first football betting knockout to Liston, Patterson was so embarrassed he wore a disguise. The two fought a rematch only 10 months later in Las Vegas, in 1963, and Patterson fared even worse.

Liston dropped him to the canvas three times before the fight was halted at 2:09 of the first round.

Patterson emerged from a football betting troubled childhood in Brooklyn to win the Olympic middleweight championship in 1952.

In 1956, the undersized heavyweight became, at age 21, the youngest man to win the title with a fifth-round knockout of Archie Moore.

But three years later, Patterson was knocked down seven football betting times in the third round in losing the title to Johansson at the Polo Grounds in New York City.

Patterson returned with a vengeance at the same site in 1960, knocking out Johansson with a tremendous left hook to retake the title.

Despite his accomplishment, he was so humiliated when he lost the title football betting on a first-round knockout to Sonny Liston in 1962 that he left Comiskey Park in Chicago wearing dark glasses and a fake beard. Patterson again was knocked out in the first round by Liston in 1963.

Patterson got two more shots at winning the title a third football betting time. Battered and taunted for most of the fight by Muhammad Ali, Patterson was stopped in the 12th round in 1965. He lost a disputed 15-round decision to WBA champion Jimmy Ellis in 1968.

Overall, Patterson finished 55-8-1 with 40 knockouts. He was knocked out five times and knocked down a total of at least 15 times. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.

Sports Betting - Ed McMahon Vodka? You Are Correct Sir!

2006-05-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

By Pop Candy at USATODAY.comMay 2, 2006, 17:32
Introducing Ed McMahon, The new Sports Betting Russian Vodka
There he is on the sports betting bottle, arms folded, looking for all the sports betting world like a Star Search logo. He seems to be saying, "Go ahead and get drunk on something better. I dare ya."
Indeed, the image of Ed McMahon is emblazoned on a Russian vodka container. We obviously aren't talking about just any ordinary Russkie firewater but McMahon Perfect sports betting Russian Vodka. It's the only vodka to be personally endorsed by the Man Who Launched a Thousand Laughs, sitting next to Johnny Carson for all of those years on "The Tonight Show." It's the only sports betting spirit with a Publisher's Clearinghouse kick. Now, you can get hammered with Ed without even being near him!
On the mcmahonvodka.com sports betting website, the message is clear: "Some things in life you can't control. The vodka you drink isn't one of those things." Not the clearest English, maybe, but you get the picture. McMahon Perfect is distilled "using a special four-time filtration process that allows for strict quality control" culled from "over 200 years of experience" (and you thought Ed wasn't even 100 yet). Best of all, once the cap is removed the bottle roars heartily at everything you say.
Alas, it's only available from a few distributors at present. Not that Ed asked, but we have a few suggestions for McMahon Perfect sports betting slogans:
"Johnny would drink it if he could."
"You may already have had too much to drink!"
"Remember, never drink and laugh."
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Vodky!"
Apparently, celebrity endorsed alcohol is very much in sports betting style these days. Donald Trump also has his own brand of vodka on the market. Here are some other adult beverages with celebrity tie-ins:
Sammy Hagar is the face of Cabo Wabo tequila.
Francis Ford Coppola's popular wines feature one named for his daugher, Sofia.
Willie Nelson promotes Old Whiskey River bourbon.
Olivia Newton-John's Koala Blue wines offer consumers a "taste of Australia."
Sam Neill owns a New Zealand winery that produces the Two Paddocks brand.