11/19/2008 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison and New York Jets return specialist Leon Washington have been selected as the AFC's top players for Week 11 of the NFL season.
Manning earned the offensive honor for the second time this season and for the 18th time in his career after completing 30-of-46 passes for 320 yards with two touchdowns in a 33-27 victory over Houston. He amassed 300 yards for the 45th time in his illustrious career and surpassed Fran Tarkenton for seventh on the all-time completions list.
Harrison garnered the defensive award for the second time in his career after two plays led directly to scores in Pittsburgh's 11-10 win over San Diego. His sack on Philip Rivers resulted in a safety and an interception led to a field goal.
Washington picked up the special teams honor for the first time thanks to a kickoff return for a touchdown in the Jets' 34-31 overtime win against New England. His 92-yard touchdown was the fourth kick return TD of his career, surpassing Justin Miller for the club record.
Other nominees for the offensive award included Colts running back Joseph Addai, who notched a season-high 153 yards from scrimmage with two touchdowns against the Texans; Jets quarterback Brett Favre, who threw for 258 yards with a pair of touchdowns against New England; and Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel, who threw for a career-high 400 yards with three touchdowns and ran for 62 yards to become the first quarterback in NFL history with more than 400 passing yards and 60 rushing yards in the same game.
Defensive consideration went to Jets linebacker Eric Barton, who had 17 tackles and one forced fumble against the Patriots, and New England rookie linebacker Jerod Mayo, who registered a career-high 20 tackles.
Cleveland kicker Phil Dawson was nominated for the special teams award after he connected on all five field goal attempts, including a 56-yard boot in a 29-27 win over Buffalo.
<< NCAA announces future Final Four sites
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NCAA Division I men's basketball
committee has announced five selections as hosts for the Final Four starting
in 2012 and running through 2016.
New Orleans, Atlanta, Dallas-Arlington-Fort Wo
<< Mariners pick A's bench coach Wakamatsu as manager
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners named former Oakland
Athletics bench coach Don Wakamatsu their new manager on Wednesday.
The hiring was the first major decision for new Mariners general manager Jack
Zduriencik, th
<< LPGA announces 2009 schedule
West Palm Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2009 LPGA Tour schedule was
released by tour commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens on Wednesday and there is
plenty of change coming next year.
The tour released the dates of 31 official eve
<< Red Sox ship Crisp to KC
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox have traded outfielder Coco
Crisp to the Kansas City Royals for right-handed reliever Ramon Ramirez.
The 29-year-old Crisp hit .283 last season with seven home runs, 41 RBI and 55
runs score
Line of Scrimmage: Week 12 - Sadly, Time for McNabb to Go >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Apparently, Donovan McNabb does not love
football the way some of us love football.
Those of us who fostered a love of the NFL at a young age or have, you know,
checked out the league standings in the news
Bengals WR Chatman done for season with cervical injury >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals placed wide receiver
Antonio Chatman on injured reserve on Wednesday, ending his season. Chatman,
who also returned punts, suffered a cervical injury in Sunday's 13-13 tie with
the Phi
Skrtel eyes Liverpool return by Christmas >>
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Skrtel is confident he will be
ready to return to the Liverpool team before the busy festive program.
The Slovakia international, who has been sidelined since early October when he
damaged a p
Steelers TE Miller could return Thursday >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Steelers may get tight end
Heath Miller back for Thursday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Miller has missed the last two games with an ankle injury. The fourth-year
tight end has
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.
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