Indianasportsreport

World Series Betting Odds – Phillies Will Prove Victorious

admin — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:36:05 +0000

World Series Betting Odds – Phillies Will Prove Victorious
There are just eight teams that are left fighting for the biggest prize in baseball. There are five important questions that need to be asked prior to the chase for the Fall Classic. Check out how we stack up the World Series sports betting bookies. Odds to Win World Series Philadelphia Phillies (+225) New York Yankees (+300) Tampa Bay Rays (+300) Minnesota Twins (+800) San Francisco Giants…

MLB sportsbooks Betting – Tuesday Preview
MLB betting has a double bill of baseball on Tuesday, starting with an afternoon matchup in the NLCS and going through into the late hours of the night in the ALCS. Here’s a look at these Tuesday showdowns: Philadelphia Phillies at San Francisco Giants [Off topic: by the way, do you want to get a 55% bonus on your first deposit here at BetUS? If so JOIN NOW.] After stumbling through the…

A requiem for the Baltimore Ravens

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:54:21 +0000

A requiem for the Baltimore Ravens
Getty Images Today, we say goodbye to the Baltimore Ravens, a team that has many players who are not Billy Cundiff, though it’s been easy to forget that over the past couple of days. Fact: The Ravens were good enough to be a Super Bowl team this season; it just didn’t happen to work out that way. One pass couldn’t be squeezed and one kick went wide left, and we go from elation (or at least contentment) to abject failure. It probably shouldn’t work like that, but for a lot of fans, it does. If the Ravens were a college team, things wouldn’t seem so bad. There, you can lose every game on your schedule, but if you can stomp your hated rivals, you can be happy at the end of the day. The Ravens, though they came up short of the Super Bowl, did own the Steelers in 2011. At least there’s that. There was some really encouraging development among young players, too. I’m particularly excited about Torrey Smith. He seems to be 204 pounds of speed and playmaking ability, and I can see him torturing secondaries for years to come. I don’t think he’ll ever be the kind of guy to lead the league in catches, but he’s one of the best in the league right now at pulling the top off of a defense. The Ravens’ own secondary is in good hands, too, with Lardarius Webb emerging as a stud corner and rookie Jimmy Smith showing good signs on the other side. If it’s not already, that will soon be regarded as one of the league’s best corner tandems. And all the defensive studs will be returning, too, obviously ‒ Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs. Jarret Johnson will be a free agent, which is probably the biggest defensive free-agent concern. Getty Images On offense, Ray Rice will be unrestricted, and I think they have to bring him back. I know you get into a difficult area when talking about giving running backs big money, but Rice is such a huge part of their offense. I don’t know if this is one of those teams that can get away with a downgrade at running back. Ben Grubbs is the other big unrestricted free-agent concern. There’s also the issue of whether or not Joe Flacco gets a new deal. He won’t be a free agent this year, but he is heading into the last year of his contract, and it’s getting to be decision time. And we’ve seen plenty of debate recently about Joe Flacco and if he’s good enough to win a Super Bowl. To me, that’s not even the question ‒ the question is, if you do get rid of Joe Flacco, what can you replace him with that does win you a Super Bowl? Unless you can get Peyton Manning, getting rid of Joe Flacco seems like a no-win proposition for me. Is he in the class of Brady, Manning, Manning, Brees and Rodgers? Of course not. But who are you going to get that is? You don’t draft early, and you’d have to give up five or more draft picks to move up high enough to get a guy with that much potential. Note, too, that that guy would come with no guarantees. And even if you could land Peyton Manning ‒ you get maybe two years out of him, and then what? You’re back to a rotating cast of guys like Tony Banks, Elvis Grbac and Jeff Blake. Flacco’s your guy. For better or worse, that’s what you have, and you’re not going to have a better option anytime soon. The good news with that is that this team, with Flacco, was good enough to be a Super Bowl team. Forget about what he doesn’t bring to the table, keep getting better everywhere else, and you’re golden. This team is in very good shape for 2013.

Peyton Manning adjusts to massive Colts changes, zeroes in on his future

admin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:36:43 +0000

Peyton Manning adjusts to massive Colts changes, zeroes in on his future
Peyton Manning is still ramping up to real football these days. (AP) Well, there’s one thing we DO know about Peyton Manning — he’s watched Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 adaptation of “The Outsiders,” S.E. Hinton’s seminal book that this writer read about 100 times growing up. Rob Lowe’s recent pseudo-announcement of Manning’s retirement brought the quarterback to Lowe’s role as the middle brother in that movie. “I never thought `Sodapop Curtis’ would announce my retirement,” Manning recently told Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star in an exclusive interview.’ “I always thought I would be the one to announce it. I’m a huge fan of the movie, but that caught me way off guard. I can’t explain it. I know [Lowe] is a friend of Jim’s [Colts owner Jim Irsay], and Jim sounded surprised.” These guys are not reliable NFL sources. (AP) Indeed. For all of Irsay’s spontaneity on Twitter, Lowe’s speculation that Manning was done after a neck injury robbed him of his 2011 season threw everyone for a loop — most notably, the quarterback himself. As one would expect, the final decision between three options — stay in Indianapolis, cut loose and play for a different team, or retire — is a complex call that will be made by Irsay to a degree and Manning in the end. And according to Manning, we’re not yet near that expiration date. Manning referred to new Colts general manager Ryan Grigson, who recently replaced longtime personnel czar Bill Polian “One thing [Grigson] told me without really wanting to tell me, was that Irsay will be the guy I’m going to sit down and talk with,” Manning said of his first meeting with the new GM, which happened last week. “That’s going to happen at some point, but we haven’t had that conversation yet because we really don’t need to have that conversation yet.” As Kravitz points out, that wasn’t really a formal meeting — Manning and Grigson ran into each other at the Colts’ facility while Manning was trying to adjust to all the changes in the organization. Polian is gone, his son Chris is gone, head coach Jim Caldwell is gone, and Manning isn’t the only potential big-name free agent that could be leaving the team. Receiver Reggie Wayne and defensive lineman Robert Mathis might find other homes, or the Colts could choose not to pick up Manning’s $28 million option for 2012 and deal with personnel with far more flexibility (not to mention with Andrew Luck under center.) For Manning, it’s just about getting used to the new feel in the building. “I’m not in a very good place for healing, let’s say that,” Manning told Kravitz. “It’s not a real good environment down there right now, to say the least. Everybody’s walking around on eggshells. I don’t recognize our building right now. There’s such complete and total change.” Manning had been working with Colts strength and conditioning coach Jin Torine until Torine was recently fired. More and more, the faces Manning knows are leaving. Does he see writing on the wall? Peyton Manning in better days. (AP) “I just want to pay tribute to all those guys,” he told Kravitz. “It’s unfortunate because so many of them have been such a big part of so many big wins here, and this is so … sudden. Their keys didn’t work the next day. There’s no other way to do it? I don’t know. That’s hard to see, all these people leaving. And I may be behind them. Who knows?” We’ll find out soon enough. The Colts must make a decision on Manning’s future by March 8, when that option bonus comes due. Manning’s rehab is progressing, but everything is still up in the air — no matter what Rob Lowe says. For now, his focus is more on his concierge role, as little brother Eli comes to Lucas Oil Stadium to meet the New England Patriots on February 5. “Well, I’ve already gone to work for him, getting all my teammates, trying to get their two-ticket allotments,” Manning said. “I’m helping any way I can, getting him restaurant reservations around town for him and his teammates. Jim [Irsay] called after the [NFC Championship] game and offered any kind of help he could give, which was generous.” Was that gesture an olive branch extended to a franchise quarterback the organization wants to retain, or a consolation prize in advance of a major reality check? After Eli’s Super Bowl, Peyton’s future will become the NFL’s main story once again. More and more, though, one gets the feeling that the Colts understand what Soda’s younger brother Ponyboy said frequently in The Outsiders: “Nothing gold can stay.”

NFL Playoff Wagering Consensus

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:36:01 +0000

NFL Playoff Wagering Consensus
NFL Conference Round Consensus Betting Banner -Online Sports Bettingat Bodog Sportsbook NFL Football Game Picks Giants at 49ers ATS Pick Ravens vs. Patriots Spread Pick Broncos vs. Patriots Spread Pick NY Giants vs. Green Bay ATS Pick Houston vs. Baltimore ATS Pick New Orleans vs. San Francisco ATS Pick Pittsburgh vs. Denver ATS Pick Atlanta vs. NY Giants ATS Pick Detroit vs. New Orleans ATS Pick Cincinnati vs. Houston ATS Pick Bettors Toolbox 2011 NFL Betting Trends 2011 Strength Of Schedule Free Office Football Picks NFL Handicapper’s Database Weather Forecasts NFL Future Odds AFC East Odds AFC West Odds AFC South Odds AFC North Odds NFC West Odds NFC East Odds NFC South Odds NFC North Odds Super Bowl Odds Rookie of the Year Odds Top Defensive Rookie Most Passing Yards Most Rushing Yards Most Receiving Yards NFL Handicapping Halftime Betting Tips Strategy for Wagering NFL Totals Sandwhich Game Handicapping Theory 8 Myths about Betting on Football NFL Key Numbers Halftime Betting Preseason Betting Football Gambling – How to Win Overlooked Handicapping Tools NFL Betting Basics

Reports: Williams to run Rams’ defense (AP)

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:54:06 +0000

Reports: Williams to run Rams’ defense (AP)
ST. LOUIS (AP)—A person familiar with the decision says Jeff Fisher has accepted an offer to coach the St. Louis Rams. The person confirmed the agreement to The Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity because the hiring hadn’t been announced. Fisher chose the Rams over the Miami Dolphins, who also had courted him. The decision came after several days of deliberation by Fisher, who interviewed with both teams last week. Fisher was widely considered the top prize in this winter’s coaching-search sweepstakes. He led the Titans franchise for 17 years and helped Tennessee come within a yard of winning the 2000 Super Bowl. He stepped down a year ago as the league’s longest-tenured coach, saying he needed a break, and sat out the 2011 season. St. Louis’ offer may have trumped Miami’s for several reasons. The Rams have former No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford at quarterback, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft and a favorable salary-cap situation. In addition, chief operating officer is Kevin Demoff is the son of Fisher’s agent, Marvin Demoff. Fisher led the Titans franchise for 17 years and helped Tennessee reach the 2000 Super Bowl, where they lost. He stepped down a year ago as the league’s longest-tenured coach, saying he needed a break, and sat out the 2011 season. Fisher had only six winning seasons with the Titans franchise, and a succession of 8-8 finishes prompted detractors to deride him as “Coach .500” or “Coacho Ocho.” His most recent playoff victory came in January 2004, and his most recent winning record was in 2008 when the Titans squandered the No. 1 seed in the AFC by losing in the divisional round. But Fisher led his team to at least 12 wins four times, and his career record is 142-120 (.542). He coached more games for one franchise than all but six coaches, all Hall of Famers. The Dolphins now will turn to other candidates. They’ve interviewed Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, Chicago Bears special teams coordinator Dave Toub, and Todd Bowles, Miami’s interim coach for the final three games after Tony Sparano was fired. ——— Sports Writer Steven Wine in Miami contributed to this report.

No changes in store for the FedEx Cup system (AP)

admin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:18:12 +0000

No changes in store for the FedEx Cup system (AP)
KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP)—In the last two years of the FedEx Cup playoffs, a runner-up finish for Martin Laird at The Barclays and for Chez Reavie at the Deutsche Bank Championship was enough for them to lock up a spot in the Tour Championship—and three of the majors—after what had been ordinary seasons. That scenario is not likely to change for 2012. After crunching numbers using different models, the PGA Tour has decided to leave the points structure alone for the FedEx Cup. The system was changed after each of the first three years in existence. This now is the third straight year with no tweaking. At least not yet. PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw said even though FedEx Cup points will start being awarded this week at the Tournament of Champions, changes could be made at the next policy board meeting in March, though “I would say that’s unlikely.” The formula has been working well for the most part. The reward for a strong regular season is a high seeding going into the playoffs, which translates to better odds of reaching the Tour Championship. And there’s still plenty of volatility for a high finish in the playoff events, as Reavie showed last year and Laird did in 2010. Points are worth five times as much in the playoffs. Votaw said tour officials looked at how the standings would be if points were only tripled, or quadrupled, and didn’t see anything worth changing. “Going down to four (times the points) doesn’t change a whole lot. We don’t think going down to three changes much,” Votaw said. “There has to be some premium on funneling down to the playoffs. The whole question of volatility has been a vexing one from the start. But we think the last three years have been good.” Volatility was evident all the way to the end last year. Bill Haas narrowly got into the Tour Championship as the No. 25 seed, then won the $10 million bonus by winning the Tour Championship with most of the top players in the standings faltering. ——— RANKING THE TOURS: The first month of the golf season is when American players typically complain about the world ranking, either how many spots they dropped since they last played or how many more points are available on the European Tour. Over the course of the season, though, the PGA Tour remains the strongest, and their players will have ample opportunity. The average ranking points awarded to PGA Tour winners last year was 54.05, compared with 43.78 points for European Tour winners. Throw out the four majors and four World Golf Championships, and the average points for PGA Tour winners was 46.94 compared with 35.12 in Europe. There were only nine weeks when European Tour events offered more world ranking points—Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Malaysian Open, World Match Play, Wentworth, Scottish Open, Dunhill Links Championship, Madrid Masters and Andalucia Masters. Of those last three tournaments, two were opposite Fall Series events in America, and the last one was opposite the U.S. tour’s Asia Pacific Championship. ——— NOT A TOTAL LOSS: Dustin Johnson, Fredrik Jacobson and Brandt Snedeker didn’t make it to Kapalua for the Tournament of Champions, though $59,000 will make it into their bank accounts. Because they are recovering from injuries and unable to play, those three players will be awarded last-place money. It is not official and will not count toward the money list. Eight other players who chose not to play will not get last-place money. Most of them are international players who are taking time off, from Charl Schwartzel in South Africa to Luke Donald, who played three times in December. Justin Rose, whose wife gave birth to their second child on Sunday, does not get last-place money. According to tour policy, that’s only for players who can’t compete because of a serious personal emergency, injury or other disability that requires medical attention. ——— STEINBERG STABLE: Mark Steinberg added another prominent name to a new stable of golfers. Gary Woodland has left Hambric Sports Management and now is with Steinberg at Excel Sports Management. Steinberg, whose contract with IMG was not renewed last summer, took Tiger Woods with him to Excel. Since then, he added Matt Kuchar and Woodland from the PGA Tour, and U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Danielle Kang. Woodland and Kuchar won the World Cup in November, ending a 10-year drought for the Americans. Steinberg said that week is where Woodland began to decide on a switch. “The two of them got to talking, he approached me after the World Cup and I was obviously interested,” Steinberg said. Woodland is regarded a rising star, an athletic player who only started competing nationally when he transferred to Kansas as a sophomore after giving college basketball a try. He won the Transitions Championship last spring and made the cut in all four majors. Steinberg said the plan is not to add players by the dozen. “IMG was such a factory. We represented so many great players,” he said. “We want to take a little bit more dialed-down approach to a smaller knit community of people we want to represent.” ——— DIVOTS: In an email Q&A with The Associated Press for the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship, Tiger Woods was asked why he never considered adding a few tournaments and taking up European Tour membership to win both money titles, as Luke Donald did this year. “To fulfill playing commitments on both tours is a huge undertaking,” he replied. “I really admire Luke’s achievement.” … Ian Poulter will be taking off the entire month of January for good reason. Poulter only recently disclosed that his wife, Katie, is expecting their fourth child in four weeks. … Nick Watney’s wife gave him a surf board (called “The Dominator”) for their anniversary, and he planned to bring it to Maui to try some grown-up waves. Alas, the board was broken on a recent trip and he couldn’t surf. The good news for Watney, a surfing novice, is that it improved his chances of a healthy start to the new season. ——— STAT OF THE WEEK: Twelve of the 28 players at Kapalua are in the Tournament of Champions for the first time. ——— FINAL WORD: “Getting that invite to your first Masters … it’s probably not as big of a deal to the younger guys. But when you’ve tried for 14 or 15 years, it’s a real emotional moment.”—Harrison Frazar, who at age 40 will be playing in his first Masters.

Disgraced Ramzi could return in London (AP)

admin — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:36:01 +0000

Disgraced Ramzi could return in London (AP)
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP)—Disgraced 1,500-meter runner Rashid Ramzi will compete at next year’s London Games “if he gets good results” and his eligibility is approved by the IOC, the secretary general of Bahrain’s Olympic committee said Tuesday. “If Ramzi meets both criteria, then why not?” Sheik Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalifa told The Associated Press in an interview. At the 2008 Beijing Games, the Moroccan-born Ramzi won Bahrain’s first Olympic track and field gold medal. He was stripped of the medal and banned for two years after testing positive in retroactive tests for the banned blood-boosting drug CERA. Sheik Ahmed said Bahrain will ask the International Olympic Committee if Ramzi is eligible for London. The Court of Arbitration for Sport threw out the IOC rule that bars any athlete with a doping suspension of more than six months from competing in the next games. Ramzi was banned by track and field’s governing body in January 2010, with the Bahrain association backdating his ban to May 2009. Since he finished serving his two-year ban in May this year, Ramzi has been training in Morocco. He failed to qualify for international competitions, including the world championships in Daegu, South Korea. The top sports court this month struck down the IOC rule and cleared American sprinter LaShawn Merritt, the Olympic 400-meter champion in Beijing in 2008, to defend his title at the London Games. Merrit completed a doping ban in July. The decision also affects dozens of other athletes around the world who had been covered by the suspension rule, adopted by the IOC in 2008 as part of its zero-tolerance approach on doping. “We will inquire with the IOC to see if the ban reversal applies to other athletes and if Ramzi could compete,” Sheik Ahmed said. “We also hope he continues to train hard and if he gets good results the decision will be made on his participation in the Olympic team.” “So far his results are not what we’ve been use to,” Sheik Ahmed said, adding that Bahrain now has seven athletes in track and field who have qualified for the London Olympics. Ramzi could not be reached for comment. Ramzi tested negative at the Beijing Games, but the IOC reanalyzed the samples when a fully validated test for CERA became available. His gold medal went to Asbel Kipruto Kiprop of Kenya.

Winners and losers in NASCAR’s silly season (Yahoo! Sports)

admin — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 21:36:13 +0000

Winners and losers in NASCAR’s silly season (Yahoo! Sports)
One by one the dominos fell as the 2011 Sprint Cup field molded itself into the one we’ll see when the green flag drops on the 2012 Daytona 500. Some of those dominos were expected to be in play, such as Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer. Others, like Kurt Busch, were not. Here is a look at the winners and losers in one of NASCAR’s silliest seasons in a long time: Edwards: He looked over the fence to see if the grass really is greener on the other side and found he had a good thing going right where he was. Staying with Roush Fenway looks like the right choice, as Edwards very nearly won his first Cup championship. Verdict: Winner Roush Racing: Keeping Edwards in house was a major victory for Jack Roush and Ford. The manufacturer doesn’t have a lot of star power, if only because its stable of drivers isn’t very large to begin with. Losing Edwards would have left both Roush and Ford without a big-time sponsor magnet. They won’t have to think about that for awhile now. Roush also landed Best Buy as a part-time primary sponsor, which is great news for an organization that doesn’t have full funding for Matt Kenseth. Verdict: Winner AJ Allmendinger proved to be the big winner in NASCAR’s offseason, landing at Penske Racing.Getty Images Bowyer: Bowyer’s first choice likely would have been to stay with Richard Childress Racing. Alas, economics got in the way forcing Bowyer to take his skills and sponsorship to Michael Waltrip Racing, an organization that’s still trying to prove itself. It’s a step down for Bowyer, albeit a small one, but a step down nonetheless. Verdict: Loser [Related: Allmendinger joins Penske Racing] Michael Waltrip Racing: In Bowyer, MWR once again improved its lineup. Two years ago Michael Waltrip convinced Martin Truex Jr. to join his fledgling organization. Now he adds Bowyer, one of the hottest young drivers in the sport. Not bad for an organization that nearly shut its doors a few years ago. Verdict: Winner AJ Allmendinger: No one benefitted more from Kurt Busch’s stunning departure from Penske than Allmendinger. In five Cup seasons, the former open-wheel driver has driven for four different owners, none with much stability. Now he lands at Penske, where he’ll have his best shot at winning. Verdict: Winner Penske Racing: It’s hard to be on the winning side when you replace a former champion with a driver who’s never won a Cup race. But not having to deal with the headaches caused by Kurt Busch’s antics should provide plenty of satisfaction for everyone inside the Penske Racing stable. Verdict: Winner Kurt Busch: The 2004 champ is putting on a happy face, saying he’s looking forward to putting the fun back in racing again. That’s all fine and dandy, but will he still be saying that in June if he’s not competing for wins? His move to the underfunded, single-car Phoenix Racing will either be the beginning of the end for Busch or the place where he proves he’s worthy of a big-time ride again. Verdict: Loser Phoenix Racing: Gene Haas was a fledgling owner in the Cup Series until Tony Stewart came on board and turned him into a championship owner. Can Kurt Busch do the same thing for James Finch? Verdict: Winner Richard Petty Motorsports: Losing Allmendinger and sponsor Best Buy in the span of a few days is tough. Allmendinger very nearly made the Chase in 2011, finishing the regular season sitting 13th in the standings. Now, RPM is without a driver (though an announcement is expected soon) and a sponsor, leaving them to scramble to find funding for the No. 43. Verdict: Loser Brian Vickers and David Reutimann: The pickings will be slim for the two biggest names remaining on the free-agent market. There still remains the possibility that someone will purchase the assets from the now defunct Red Bull Racing. That could be the best chance at a Cup ride for either Vickers or Reutimann. Verdict: Losers Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:• Donovan McNabb still owes Vikings punter for No. 5• Video: Who has the best shot at being crowned the NBA champions?• Video: Top moments of 2011 caught on tape

Griffin AP’s top college football player (AP)

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:18:04 +0000

Griffin AP’s top college football player (AP)
WACO, Texas (AP)—Robert Griffin III played football for years simply because he was good at it. Then Baylor’s exciting dual-threat quarterback tore the ACL in his right knee and missed the last nine games of the 2009 season. While stuck on the sideline watching, he realized just how much he loved the game. “After a knee injury like that, a lot of times you see guys come back and it’s not the same,” Griffin said. “So I didn’t want that to be attached to me, great player, got hurt, never was the same. … My goal was to come back better, not only for myself, but for my teammates.” Goal accomplished for Griffin, who exceled while raising Baylor out of the Big 12 basement. Already the winner of the Heisman Trophy and Davey O’Brien Award, Griffin won AP Player of the Year on Wednesday. The aspiring lawyer, who arrived at Baylor nearly four years ago as a 17-year-kid after graduating high school early, is the nation’s most efficient passer this season, throwing for 3,998 yards with a Big 12-leading 36 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He also ran for 644 yards and nine more scores. Baylor (9-3) has a five-game winning streak, its longest in 20 years, going into the Alamo Bowl next week. With a win over Washington, the 15th-ranked Bears would match the school record of 10 wins set during Mike Singletary’s senior season in 1980. In his comeback from injury last year, after getting a medical redshirt that means he’s now a fourth-year junior, Griffin helped lead the Bears to their first Top 25 ranking since 1993 and their first bowl game in the Big 12 era. Baylor hadn’t even had a winning season in the first 14 Big 12 seasons. That year on the sideline was the toughest for Griffin and the Bears, who went from big expectations to another losing record without their star quarterback. “You miss out making plays and doing great things,” Griffin said. “I missed playing, I missed practicing, but you really just miss your teammates.” By time Griffin played his first game for the Bears in 2008, when at 18 he was the nation’s youngest FBS starting quarterback, he was already a Big 12 champion and NCAA All-American in the 400-meter hurdles. He set an FBS record by throwing 209 passes to start his career before his first interception. Griffin passed for 2,091 yards and 15 TDs with 843 yards and 13 more scores rushing as a freshman. But then he got hurt on the opening series of the third game of his sophomore season. He finished the first half of that game against Northwestern State on a gimpy leg, throwing for 226 yards and three touchdowns to push the Bears ahead 41-10. He didn’t take another snap that season. “When you don’t have something and it’s taken away from you, then all of a sudden you appreciate it more,” coach Art Briles said. “Everything had come real fast for him, from seventh grade on up, so what it did, it let him slow down. It let him appreciate the game and understand the game, get a different feel for the game, from a spectator and from a team-member standpoint, as opposed to always being the focal point.” But Griffin is clearly the centerpiece for the Bears when he is on the field. RG3 returned last year to throw for 3,501 yards to lead the Bears to a bowl game. He already holds 46 school records with a highlight reel that keeps getting longer. This season started with a 50-48 victory over defending Rose Bowl champion TCU, the nation’s top defense the previous three seasons. Griffin threw for 359 yards and five touchdowns in that nationally televised game, but his biggest play was a 15-yard catch from receiver Kendall Wright to convert third-and-10 on the game-winning drive. “I really liked that play,” running back Terrance Ganaway said. “It wasn’t a touchdown, but it meant a lot for our team right there. That’d be my favorite play because it helped win us the game.” And set a tone for what would be an incredible season for the Bears. After a tough stretch in October, Baylor swept through November with four consecutive victories. The Bears had won only four Big 12 games combined in November the previous 15 years. That November stretch included their first win over Oklahoma, a 45-38 victory punctuated by another of Griffin’s signature plays. Griffin threw for 479 yards and four touchdowns, the last when he scrambled to his left and threw across his body to the corner of the end zone on the other side of the field to Terrance Williams for a 34-yard score with 8 seconds left. Griffin also had runs of 22 and 8 yards on that winning drive. “Not that I was a prophet, but with this team and this program, miracles happen and that was a miracle play,” Baylor president Ken Starr said. “He was scrambling around. And I’ve watch that replay, that was magical. It was magical and miraculous.” That is RG3, who now faces the big choice of whether to return for one more season at rising Baylor or go into the NFL draft, where his stock has risen significantly. Griffin said his focus is on the Alamo Bowl and trying to get Baylor’s 10th win. After that, he will discuss his options with his family and Briles on a decision that may be tougher now because of all the success. “If I come back, people would be like why. If I leave, people at Baylor will be like why,” he said. “So it’s a tough decision.”

Odom scores 14 in Mavericks debut (AP)

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:36:12 +0000

Odom scores 14 in Mavericks debut (AP)
DALLAS (AP)—While competitors like the defending champion Dallas Mavericks have altered their rotations, the Oklahoma City Thunder is standing pat. Kevin Durant scored 21 points and reserve James Harden added 16 to lead the Thunder to a 106-92 victory over the Mavericks on Sunday night in the preseason opener for both teams. The Thunder reached the Western Conference finals last season before falling in five games to the Mavericks. Oklahoma City has kept its young rotation intact, and the Thunder expects a smooth transition into the regular season. “It should help a lot as far as chemistry is concerned,” said Durant, the NBA scoring leader last season at 27.7 points per game, whose aggressive play led to a 13-for-14 night from the free throw line. “We’ve been together for a while. We know each other’s games. Hopefully, our young legs push us through it.” Oklahoma City went 31 for 55 from the field and 10 for 21 from beyond the 3-point line to help negate 25 turnovers that led to 33 Dallas points. “Offensively, we were sloppy with the ball,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “Too many turnovers. But that’s something we have to work on and we will correct.” Lamar Odom, acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers in a trade on Dec. 11, had 14 points and seven rebounds in his Mavericks debut. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, leaders of the Mavericks’ title run, were in uniform and are healthy but were rested. Delonte West and Odom started in their place. Dominique Jones and Roddy Beaubois took advantage of additional minutes to score 17 points apiece, pacing Dallas. “(Nowitzki and Kidd) being out, we’re not going to be the same team, but that’s all right,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “We need to see other guys. Our philosophy is that when we’re without any of our guys, the guys that are available need to get the job done. We weren’t able to do it tonight.” The Mavs are working newcomers Odom, Vince Carter and West into their rotation, looking to make up for the losses of key rotation members Tyson Chandler, J.J. Barea and Caron Butler to trades or free agency. The teams complete their two-game home-and-home exhibition set Tuesday night at Oklahoma City, and Nowitzki and Kidd are expected to play. The Thunder took control with an 11-0 second-quarter run that included two 3-pointers from Daequan Cook, expanding a 25-24 lead after one quarter to 58-51 by halftime. Oklahoma City went 7 for 11 from 3-point range in the first half, with Cook hitting 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. Durant’s nine points in the third quarter, all on foul shots, pushed the Thunder to a 90-70 advantage entering the fourth. Dallas was 7 for 21 from the floor in the third quarter as the Thunder turned up the defensive pressure. “Our defense was pretty good,” Durant said. “We were making our rotations, helping each other out, and we got to the free throw line.” Dallas opened the fourth quarter with a 14-0 run and pulled as close as 93-88 on Ian Mahinmi’s dunk with 5:04 remaining. But the Thunder scored the next five points, including a pair of jumpers from Eric Maynor, for a 98-88 edge with 3:21 left, closing out the Mavs. NOTES: Carlisle said his primary goal in a short preseason is getting his veteran team into game shape. “Our guys would benefit from a longer camp, but that’s not in the cards,” Carlisle said. … The Mavericks open the regular season on Christmas Day, hosting Miami, their opponent in the finals. The Thunder host Orlando on the same day.