The Dish: Lullaby Time For North American Sports
Lull, lull, lull. The North American sports landscape has the post-Super-Bowl blues, which is kind of funny considering how many sports there are on TV just now. Tune to any NBC-owned station and you're bound to see people who call themselves athletes who engage in what other people call sports. But pardon me if I don't get all that stoked about half-pipe snowboarding. "Today on NBC! Half-pipe snowboarding! All the annoying arbitrariness of figure skating, without the sequins! Or the possibility of some woman cracking her skull wide open!" Any sport that requires judges to determine the outcome isn't a sport. It's vaudeville. As for curling, well, yeah, I've played shufflepuck in American bars. I guess it's kinda cool. But I don't recall the matches taking three hours. However, if U.S. captain Cassie Johnson happens to be reading (a likely event): Cassie, I would be honored to marry you. As for NBA All-Star weekend...yawn. They might really have something if the superstars would dunk. But they won't, presumably because they are wusses. The game is dreadful. The "skills" competition has all the drama of biathlon. March Madness cannot come soon enough. Oh, and the Daytona 500 is this weekend. If you're into the whole fossil-fuel-guzzling, metaphor-for-everything-that's-wrong-with-America kind of thing. Now that our attention is shifting to March Madness, did UConn's loss last Monday at Villanova shake your confidence in them? Do the Wildcats now deserve consideration as the nation's #1 team? Greg Jorssen, BoDog.com: If the Wildcats can do the same thing in Hartford in a couple of weeks, then I would say unequivocally that Nova deserves consideration as the #1 ranked team in the nation. They should be 12-1 in the Big East and UConn should be 11-2 when these two teams face each other again, and that game should be the decider as to who will be not only the Big East champion heading into the tournament, but also may determine who is the top in the nation. But let's not count out the Blue Devils. They are sitting pretty right now with a 23-1 record and they really do not face a tough opponent until the final week of the season when they take on the Tar Heels. Unless they are upset over the next couple of weeks, it's doubtful that any team can knock them off the top spot heading into March Madness. As for UConn, I believe this is a minor setback. They will have an opportunity to redeem themselves on Saturday when they take on #11 West Virginia, and with such a deep front line and with Rudy Gay the talent that he is, UConn will be a power to be reckoned with in March. The Wildcats in my opinion are undersized, and if the guards are not firing on all cylinders, they may suffer. Which perennial powerhouse in college hoops do you think is most at risk of missing the Tournament: Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland or Stanford? GJ, BoDog.com: I think Kentucky will make it despite their disappointing season, though they won't be seeded as highly as they're used to. Stanford is coming together, winning 8 of their last 11, and are only 1 ½ games back in the Pac-10. It's doubtful that Maryland will make the tourney unless they pull some miracles down the stretch. They face three of the top six ACC teams to close out their season. As for Louisville, they are the biggest disappointment thus far. I rode them to a Bracket Buster championship last year (I picked them to make the finals and they came up just short of that), thus I had high expectations for them this year. They had a great start, winning 13 of their first 15 games, but they've lost six of their past nine games and sit at 4-7 in the tough Big East conference. They first need to qualify for the Big East tourney, as only the top 12 qualify (Louisville is tied with Rutgers for the final spot right now), and then impress enough during the tournament to perhaps be a bubble team. In a conference that boasts Villanova, UConn, West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Georgetown, the chances of Louisville impressing anyone and getting in is incredibly slim. Do you expect that Duke will get the most action once the Tournament begins? Do you think that action will be well-placed for a team that's so young and not deep at all? GJ, BoDog.com: Bettors love the favorite and love high-profile teams, ones that are on national television, ones that are getting the hype, which Duke is right now. Duke games traditionally are the ones that receive the most handle, which is surprising considering that their ATS record is below .500 at 10-11-1. Duke has a high-powered offense, and is second in the nation in FG%, thus those that like betting the Over on their games are doing quite well right now, considering that their defense is sketchy and the fact that my grandmother could snatch a rebound away from them. (They are near the bottom of the ACC in rebounding, with only 32 per game.) As talented as they are, I think their lack of focus on the boards and their weak defense may cost them in the tournament. That said, J.J. Redick is as good as they come and Shelden Williams is a hell of a shot blocker and is holding his own under the boards (he's about the only one on the team that is). These two players account for almost 60% of Duke's offense, which says a lot for their lack of depth. If I were to name a single team currently outside the Top 25 who I think could come out of nowhere and make a run at the Sweet 16, at this point I'd pick Wichita State. How about you? GJ, BoDog.com: After this week's huge win over West Virginia, I would say right now the team that could do some damage in the tournament and possibly make the Sweet 16 would be Seton Hall. The Pirates should be around a #7 or #8 seed in the tournament, and have enough talent to knock off some of the big names in their bracket. After being crushed by UConn a few days ago by 42 points, to then turn around and defeat the #11 ranked team in the nation says a lot for the Hall. They have already knocked off other Top-25 teams this season, including Syracuse and NC State, and are peaking at the right time, winning seven of their last eight games. They should go into the Big East tournament and the March Madness tournament on a positive note. Christopher Harris is a featured writer for the Professional Handicappers League. Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com |
Other Basketball Betting Articles
AMD at the Glen: Revenge Of The Roadies For you, a roadie is an unshaven man in a denim vest whose cigarette makes an orange pinpoint on a dusky stage. As you see his silhouette and mistake him for the actual band, he picks up a guitar to tune it, and indulges his quasi-musician's jones by playing the first few bars of Stairway To Heaven. After the show, he taps the hottest babes in t ...#13 Michigan Wolverines Preview Fall camps are under way and the regular season will be here soon so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview.#13 – Michigan ...Online Gambling Recently, the government has been making noise about banning on line gambling in the United States. While this is not likely to happen, Congress will likely try to tax the industry. This is forcing most companies to close their operations (Seattle Washington has implemented a form of the ban) or to move them offshore. Just because the administra ...Best Poker Affiliate Program There are many and different online poker affiliate programs in the internet, but not all of them are reputable, so you have to weed out the bad ones and choose the best poker affiliate program with the best opportunities for profit. The best poker affiliate program will offer you the best commission available anywhere on the net and no fees or ...The History of Red Dog Poker Whether as a means of divination or as a popular form of entertainment, each type of gambling has its own distinct and interesting history. The oldest form of gambling can be traced back to ancient humanity when dice was played using the bones and teeth of animals.Playing cards were found in the eleventh century, and many believe them to ...Does Arbitrage Trading Work? If you are reading this you must be interested in working at home or Arbitrage Trading. When most people think of work at home they think sitting at home doing nothing while the money just roles in. Well that is why 99% of people trying to work from home fail. The money doesn’t just role in. It still takes work and its still a job. ...Online Poker Affiliate Profits Would you like to receive online poker affiliate profits for every player you refer to an online poker site? There are many things that you must consider If you have a website and you want to start earning the most generous online poker affiliate profits in the industry with no fees or bonuses deducted from your earnings.The online poker ...Beat Blackjack Online Or Off There are all sorts of systems and books out on the shelves today that teach gamblers the art of beating the game of blackjack. Some of them have been tried and tested over a period of time and will give you a slight advantage over the house. Others aren’t worth the paper the information is written on and others may work well but only when no on ...Etiquette at the Craps Table Yes, there really are certain expectations of behavior at the craps table. It is a social scene after all so there definitely is some etiquette that you should know before you let loose at the casino. Being familiar with craps etiquette will prevent you from inadvertently upsetting another player.The most important thing to remember is th ...Learn to Play Blackjack & Win Big Pots Consistently - Part 1 Learn to Play Blackjack and Win Part 1Learning to play blackjack is easy and it is the one casino game where statistically you can hold an edge over the casino.You can learn blackjack easily the rules are simple but to win at blackjack you need to play correctly and bet when the odds are in your favorThis article will give y ...Affiliate Marketing Tool Many people who are looking for reliable ways to make on the Internet are turning to affiliate marketing programs. With these programs you simply sign up for free with a company that wants your help in marketing its products or services. You don’t have to buy and resell products yourself, you simply refer people to the company website and if the ...FSU/NC State Thursday Night ACC Action Florida State enters Thursday night’s game already behind three teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Seminoles will have to conquer the road if they want to get back in the division hunt as they will play three of their next four games away from Tallahassee.At the beginning of the season, many experts would have counted out the ...The Fascinating History of Bingo The amazing success of the favourite pastime of many, Bingo does not happen overnight. It does has its own history, which dates back to it first appearance in the early 1800s. Bingo is a direct descendent of lottery-type games and its roots can be traced back into Europe, to the year 1530, when the Italian state run game of Lo Giuoco del Lotto w ...How to Play Craps Proposition Bets Knowledgeable gamblers and even most novice craps players know that the proposition box at the center of the craps game contains bad bets. Even so, the promise of high 30 for 1 and 15 for 1 payoffs advertised on the felt entices many players. On a hot craps game, the proposition box is usually as jammed up with bets as the pass line and place be ...#1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Preview Fall camps are under way and the regular season will be here soon so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview.#1 – Notre Dam ...All Star Pick-Em Stratosphere Race and Sports Director Robert Jaynes has a suggestion for oddsmakers who are fashioning a line on Sunday's NBA All-Star Game in Houston.Since the contest shapes up as a close call, Jaynes thinks the numbers crunchers should take the easy way out, make the line pick'em and let the public decide who the favorite should be. ...How To Play Bingo Bingo is probably on if the easiest gambling games to play, but requires a keen ear, a keen eye and quick reaction. This is what makes bingo the popular games it is today. What follows is a quick overview of how to play online bingo!Most bingo games online are very similar and are very easy to play. The objective of bingo is very simple. ...The History of Deuces Wild Video Poker Deuces Wild Video Poker’s history can be traced back to the early days of video poker itself. The first machines offering video poker were first seen in the mid 1970’s, and its creation was thought to have been triggered by the first oil crisis, which took place at about this time. As hard times struck, people were motivated on getting big buck ...Las Vegas Casinos and Their Popularity Las Vegas casinos are among the most popular places to visit in the world. Even with competition from casinos on Indian reservations, riverboat casinos and state run lotteries Las Vegas casinos attract more people and earn record amounts of revenue from gamblers. In 2005, there were 38,566,717 visitors that came to Las Vegas casinos that generat ...My Las Vegas Review Recently I took ten days off and went to Las Vegas! This was my sixth trip there in the last three years In the last 6 visits I think I have found out some great places to eat gamble and sleep- So I am posting this as my offical Las Vegas Review.If you have never been to Las Vegas or haven't been there in 2 years than this review will b ...Play Deuces Wild Video Poker – Have Fun and Make Money Playing Deuces Wild Video Poker and can bring you hours of entertainment, and some money if you follow the tips belowIn Video Poker games, only the ranking of the hands is the same as in table poker.When you play Deuces Wild video its fast fun!Lets look at the game, how to win and have some fun.Play Deuces Wild RulesY ...Maine Casinos While visiting Maine and exploring all that this glorious state has to offer, tourists may be surprised to find that there are two Maine casinos in existence. The Maine casinos, the Hollywood Slots in Bangor and the Penobscot High Stakes Bingo Casino offer gambling entertainment for you to enjoy during your stay in the naturally gorgeous state o ...High Stakes Poker Online If you have good poker knowledge and a competitive spirit you might want to try your hand at playing high stakes poker online. At a top rated poker room on the Internet you can play high stakes poker online anytime you want without going to the time and expense of traveling to a distant casino. You’ll find that all of your favorite games are ava ...Indiana Pacers 2006-07 Preview One of the most disappointing teams for the past few seasons, the Indiana Pacers have been on a steady decline ever since their former small forward Ron Artest charged into the stands to attack Pistons fans. After losing his replacement, Peja Stojakovic for almost nothing, they find themselves without championship caliber talent for the first ti ...Football Betting Lines One of the best things about betting on football online is that you can compare football betting lines between different casinos. Even though betting lines are similar between football betting sites, there can be significant differences between the lines from one site to another. For example, the Over/Under for one site might be 42, while anot ...Steelers/Jags Monday Night Football Showdown The Jacksonville Jaguars are getting two points at home against the world champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh got past the Dolphins in the NFL’s opening game without Ben Roethlisberger and it is still up in the air as to whether Big Ben will make his season debut this week. Jacksonville took care of the Dallas Cowboys with good performances ...Madness at Work CEOs dread March Madness as much as their merchant counterparts welcome the holiday shopping season.They must deal with office pools, employees who fill out brackets during working hours and workers who find every excuse imagineable (sorry about your grandmother) to watch the Big Dance -- online or on TV, at home or the office.CBS ...
|
