Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
01/27/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Few college coaches embody an entire university and everything that the program, school and community as a whole stands for. Like Paul "Bear" Bryant in Tuscaloosa and Knute Rockne in South Bend, Happy Valley's rich history was carved out by the larger than life persona of Joe Paterno.
The Hall of Fame coach passed away last Sunday due to complications from lung cancer and although his abrupt dismissal from his post in November due to a child-sex scandal that rocked the foundations of the once teflon-coated school, we should never lose sight of one man's quest to do things the right way.
Paterno was born December 21, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York. He went on to play football at Brown University (1946-49) and landed at Penn State in 1950 under then head coach Rip Engle, Fifteen years later, Paterno took over for the retired Engle and remained at that post up until this past November.
Paterno amassed an FBS-record 409 victories in his 46 years at the helm, was named the National Coach of the Year five times, winning two national titles (1982, 86) and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
The man with the coke-bottle glasses, rolled up pant legs and classic wind- breaker, manned the sidelines in Happy Valley for nearly half a century, coaching five undefeated teams and two national championshps.
There were certainly times over the years that it seemed like the game had passed JoePa by, but he stayed the course and continued to build a program that achieved both on and off the field. He mentored thousands of young men that have gone on to live richly fulfilling lives. He stayed loyal to his university and although he certainly made his fair share of money, he funneled a good portion of it back into the school.
"His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled," his family said in a statement.
"He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community."
A well crafted statement that tells Paterno's tale far better than the events of the last few months.
The final chapter in the man's life should not be taken out of context and erase a lifetime of achievements.
Paterno's loyalty, although one of his greatest assets, was also a huge reason for his downfall.
It was in November that former PSU defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was arrested for a child-sex abuse scandal that tore apart a university that was up to that point, scandal-free.
Regret is something Paterno admitted in a Washington Post interview published a few days before his death.
"In hindsight," Paterno told the Post reporter, "I wish I had done more."
In the interview, Paterno said he was "afraid" to jeopardize university procedure after he was told by assistant coach Mike McQueary what McQueary had seen in a university locker room.
McQueary left out graphic details of the event according to Paterno, who then passed the information he had on to his superiors at the school.
"So I backed away and turned it over to some other people, people I thought would have a little more expertise than I did," Paterno said. "It didn't work out that way."
Certainly in looking back at the events that unfolded, it was naive on his part to "pass the buck" and hope for the best. However, naivety does in no way make him complicit in Sandusky's alleged crimes.
Being able to separate all the good from the obvious bad of late will be for each individual to decide and obviously there will be plenty of people at opposite ends of the spectrum when Paterno's name comes up in conversation.
For me, the indelible mark Paterno leaves on Penn State University, college football and academia as a whole, far outshines the Sandusky scandal that ultimately brought his extraordinary career to an abrupt end.
<< Champion colt returns in Holy Bull Stakes
Hallandale Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two weeks after being announced as the
2011 Eclipse Award winning two-year-old colt, Hansen makes his 2012 debut in
Sunday's $400,000 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The Holy Bull is part
of the
<< Illinois State changes date of 2012 opener
Normal, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Illinois State football team's 2012 season
opener against Dayton has been changed from Thursday, Aug. 30 to Saturday,
Sept. 1 due to the construction on the new renovations to Hancock
Stadium,
Kickoff will
<< 'Melo to sit two games
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony is expected
to miss the next two games in an effort to heal a variety of injuries.
Anthony will sit out Friday's contest at Miami and will also miss Saturday's
contest at
<< Raptors' Bargnani out with calf issue
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto Raptors forward Andrea Bargnani will be
out for an undefined period of time after aggravating a previous calf injury.
The 26-year-old suffered a strained left calf back on January 11 and missed
six
Hughes completes Dons move >>
Aberdeen, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aberdeen completed the signing of
Stephen Hughes on Friday after the midfielder departed from Scottish Premier
League rivals Motherwell.
Hughes put pen to paper on a contract that will keep h
Gnakpa heads to Inverness on loan >>
Inverness, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Inverness announced Friday that it has
acquired 28-year-old winger Claude Gnakpa on loan from League One side Walsall
until the end of the season.
Gnakpa, who can also play at left back, has also featu
Raiders make it official with Dennis Allen >>
Alameda, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Raiders have made it official and
named Dennis Allen as their new head coach.
According to the club's website, Allen will be introduced at a news conference
on Monday.
Allen, who spent this p
Pees tabbed as Ravens defensive coordinator >>
Owings Mills, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens elevated linebackers
coach Dean Pees to defensive coordinator on Friday.
Pees takes over for the departed Chuck Pagano, who was named head coach of the
Indianapolis Colts earlier this
Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
MySportsbook.com Favors Fighting Irish to win College Football betting odds
According to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, on January 8, the Fighting Irish faithful may be toasting their 14th national title in Arizona – Notre Dame’s first national championship in close to 20 years.
Although MySportsbook.com has listed Notre Dame as the 5-1 favorite to win thecollege football College Football betting, fans in Columbus do not need to cancel their tickets to Glendale just yet. The Ohio State Buckeyes, listed right behind the Irish at 7-1, are also heavy favorites to win college football’s most coveted prize, while West Virginia, USC and the 2007 National Champion Texas Longhorns - all listed at 8-1 – are strong contenders as well.
MySportsbook.com has also posted gambling odds on the conference championships for the ACC, Big 12 and SEC. In the ACC – it could be anyone’s title, particularly for the two schools from the Sunshine State. Florida State and Miami, both listed at 2-1, are favored to win the ACC Championship Game odds, with the ‘Noles hoping to finish in the nation’s top 10 for the first time in five years, and the ‘Canes looking to avenge their 10-7 loss against FSU in last year’s ACC Championship betting.
Moving west to the Big 12, MySportsbook.com has betting lines listing Texas as 7-5 favorites to repeat as conference champions, even though the Longhorns lost their national championship-winning quarterback Vince Young to the NFL. In the south, the Auburn Tigers – led by Heisman-hopeful senior running back Kenny Irons – have been given the best odds to win the SEC Championship odds at 5-2.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
| Notre Dame Ohio State West Virginia Texas USC Florida California Auburn Oklahoma Iowa Louisville Florida State Michigan Miami (FL) LSU Penn State Virginia Tech Nebraska Tennessee Georgia Arizona State Oregon Clemson Texas A&M Texas Tech Alabama Arkansas Boston College Michigan State Maryland South Carolina Colorado Purdue Georgia Tech TCU UCLA Arizona Pittsburgh Iowa State Wisconsin North Carolina State Virginia North Carolina Fresno State Hawaii Northwestern BYU Oregon State UNLV Field (Any Other Team) |
5-1 7-1 8-1 8-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 18-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 40-1 40-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 70-1 70-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 150-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 250-1 250-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 400-1 500-1 500-1 500-1 500-1 1000-1 1000-1 40-1 |
| Miami (FL) Florida State Virginia Tech Clemson Georgia Tech Boston College Maryland Virginia North Carolina State North Carolina Wake Forest Duke |
2-1 2-1 3-1 7-1 15-1 15-1 15-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 500-1 |
| Texas Oklahoma Nebraska Texas Tech Colorado Iowa State Texas A&M Kansas State Missouri Kansas Baylor Oklahoma State |
7-5 9-5 9-2 12-1 14-1 15-1 15-1 30-1 30-1 35-1 100-1 100-1 |
| Auburn Florida LSU Georgia Tennessee Arkansas Alabama Mississippi South Carolina Mississippi State Kentucky Vanderbilt |
5-2 11-4 4-1 6-1 7-1 7-1 9-1 20-1 28-1 75-1 100-1 300-1 |
For complete NCAA football odds please visit Mysportsbook.com.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting