08/27/2008 - Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR placed Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards on probation for the next six races of the Sprint Cup Series after the two traded intentional bumps following Saturday's Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.
Busch and Edwards, the top two drivers in the Sprint Cup standings, will be on probation starting at this Sunday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 in Fontana, California. The probation will also cover races in Richmond, Virginia; Loudon, New Hampshire; Dover, Delaware; Kansas City, Kansas; and Talladega, Alabama.
The altercation on Saturday was set up when Edwards nudged Busch from behind with 31 laps to go. Busch got loose, allowing Edwards to move underneath him for the lead.
At the conclusion of the race, a frustrated Busch retaliated by intentionally bumping Edwards on the cool-down lap. Edwards, however, got the best of the post-race ruckus when he spun Busch around.
While Edwards celebrated in Victory Lane, Busch made a trip to the NASCAR hauler for a discussion with officials.
"He hit me in turn one, which got me a little bit loose," Busch said after the race. "Carl's gonna say he's sorry, he doesn't want to race that way; because he always does, you know, Mr. Ed-like. We'll take it and go on. We'll race him that way in the chase if that's the way he wants to race."
Busch is the current Sprint Cup Series points leader with 3,609. Edwards, with 3,397, trails by 212 points.
<< Milner targets Newcastle exit
Newcastle, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newcastle United have been rocked by the
news that winger James Milner has handed in a transfer request at St James'
Park.
The 22-year-old has been with the Magpies since the summer of 2004, when h
<< Portsmouth's Kranjcar set for three-month injury absence
Portsmouth, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portsmouth's Croatia international
midfielder Niko Kranjcar is set to be sidelined for around three months after
undergoing surgery on an ankle injury.
The 24-year-old went under the knife on We
<< Dortmund inks Lee from Tottenham
Dortmund, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - South Korea international Young-Pyo Lee
has ended his three-year association with Tottenham by completing his switch
to Borussia Dortmund.
The 31-year-old made 93 appearances for the club followin
<< Barry ends exit talk, pledges future to Villa
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aston Villa's England midfielder Gareth
Barry will not leave the club before the transfer window shuts at the end of
the month, ending talk of a move to either Liverpool or Arsenal.
The 27-year-old
Kuznetsova reaches third round in NYC >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former champion and last year's
runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova was a second-round winner Wednesday at the U.S.
Open.
The third-seeded Kuznetsova, of Russia, was tested in the first set before
cruisi
DE Harvey ends holdout, signs with Jaguars >>
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defensive end Derrick Harvey
ended his 33-day holdout on Wednesday, and has agreed to a deal with the
Jacksonville Jaguars that could reportedly be worth more than $33 million.
Harvey
Red Sox pick up Kotsay from Braves >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox bolstered their outfield on
Wednesday by landing veteran Mark Kotsay from the Atlanta Braves in exchange
for minor league outfielder Luis Sumoza.
Just a day after sending outfielder J.D. D
D'Backs take a note from music industry >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Singer/songwriter James Taylor recommends it, and the
Beatles explain how reluctant they were at one point in reaching out for it.
Right now, the Arizona Diamondbacks are getting a lot of it to maintain their
lead
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their “supplements” to worry about what their opponents are doing).
Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this won’t be an intelligent discussion.
Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).
Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.
Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a “truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit.” And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. “The plug-necked yahoos on your team,” you can say, “will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.”
The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesn’t focus only on your opponent’s team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.
What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Where’s your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, “I’ll try to type slower for you next time.” Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.
Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, don’t just conclude by saying your opponent is a “twerp who drafts like my grandmother.” Say that your opponent is a “sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars.” By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.
But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You won’t be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, I’m sure, to reply.
In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.
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