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08/30/2006 -
Now that Matt Leinart has taken the Hollywood glitz to the Arizona Cardinals and Mr. Dependable Kellen Clemens has landed with the New York Jets, up comes a new class of quarterbacks in the pass-happy Pacific-10 Conference.
Here's a look:
Sixth-ranked USC has a daunting task in replacing Leinart, the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner who was 37-2 as a Trojan QB. The starter this year will be junior John David Booty.
Booty saw limited action as Leinart's backup last season, completing 27 of 42 passes for 327 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions.
After Clemens was injured last season, Oregon used dual quarterbacks, Dennis Dixon and Brady Leaf. This season, Dixon has set himself apart and has been designated the starter for the No. 21 Ducks.
``It's very important that now we know Dixon's the guy and we can get our timing down with D-Dix, and him having confidence and knowing that it's like his job,'' Oregon wide receiver James Finley said.
At UCLA, Brigham Young transfer Ben Olson gets his chance - he was in thick competition with Drew Olson last fall until breaking his left hand a week before the season's start.
``It's kind of that transitional year in the Pac-10,'' UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said.
Stanford stands pat with senior Trent Edwards as QB; Washington has senior Isaiah Stanback and Washington State's potential quarterback controversy was solved when Josh Swogger transferred in the offseason giving the job solely to Alex Brink.
Oregon State is sticking with senior Matt Moore despite his 19 interceptions last season.
Arizona has one of the league's most talented and promising QBs in Willie Tuitama, who came out of his redshirt freshman season with five games remaining last year to throw for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns.
At ninth-ranked California, coach Jeff Tedford announced Tuesday night that his starter would be Nate Longshore, who beat out senior Joe Ayoob.
``It's very possible they'll both play. Nate has run the offense very well. There wasn't a lot of difference between them, but Nate has been real consistent,'' Tedford said.
Probably the most interesting QB drama erupted at Arizona State, where coach Dirk Koetter named Sam Keller the starter for this season, then turned around the next day and gave the job to Rudy Carpenter.
There was talk that a group of players went to Koetter after his announcement and told him he'd made the wrong choice. Koetter and Carpenter were tightlipped.
``There's a lot of things that have happened,'' Carpenter said. ``I'm not going to go into details about it, but with the quarterback situation like this, sometimes those things just happen.''
Last season, Keller threw for 2,165 yards and 20 touchdowns, with nine interceptions. Carpenter threw for 2,273 yards and 17 touchdowns, with just two interceptions.
Keller transferred to Nebraska.
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EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY: Now that the NCAA has allowed teams to play 12 games, everybody in the Pac-10 gets to play the rest of the league in its entirety.
Before the change, there were ``misses.'' For instance, last season Oregon State did not have to face USC.
It is the first time since Arizona and Arizona State joined the league in 1978 that the Pac-10 will have a full round-robin schedule in football.
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EXTRA POINTS: The irreverent Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band has been suspended from performing indefinitely amid allegations of destruction of university property - in this case, the on-campus practice trailer known as the ``Band Shak.'' Law enforcement is investigating and it is unclear whether the band will be able to perform when the school debuts its new $90 million football stadium on Sept. 16. ... Probably one of the scariest injuries of fall camp occurred to Washington strong safety C.J. Wallace, who had to be hospitalized after a helmet-to-helmet collision. Wallace was unconscious for a moment and couldn't move his fingers. He couldn't talk to the trainers. Wallace is OK, and says he'll play in the opener Saturday against San Jose State.
Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Schilling becomes 14th pitcher with 3,000 strikeouts
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -Boston ace Curt Schilling became the 14th pitcher in major league history to reach 3,000 strikeouts Wednesday when he fanned Oakland's Nick Swisher in the first inning.The 39-year-old Schilling allowed a leadoff double to Jason
<< Howard ties Schmidt; Bonds connects twice; Oswalt gets big contract extension
Ryan Howard matched Mike Schmidt, Barry Bonds pulled closer to Hank Aaron, and Roy Oswalt received a $73 million birthday present from the Houston Astros.One season after winning NL Rookie of the Year, Howard hit his major league-leading 48th home r
<< Morrison fitting in well at middle linebacker
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) -Kirk Morrison was a surprise last season for the Oakland Raiders, finishing second on the team in tackles as a rookie third-round pick.This year, the team is counting heavily on Morrison, moving him to middle linebacker, where
<< UNDATED: the season.
NL CapsulesUNDATED: the season.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associa
Girardi rejoins Marlins after missing game >>
ST. LOUIS (AP) -Florida Marlins manager Joe Girardi returned to the club Wednesday after missing Tuesday's game to be with his pregnant wife and wait out bad weather from Tropical Storm Ernesto.The Marlins, under bench coach Gary Tuck, scored a 9-1
Welcome back Nellie: Coach plans to make Warriors win again >>
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -Don Nelson relaxed in Maui, opened a bar in Dallas and just couldn't get comfortable in his cushy life after basketball.The NBA's second-winningest coach simply had to get on the sideline again - and the Golden State Warriors w
Charges dropped against Benny the Bull >>
HELENA, Mont. (AP) -Charges against the Chicago Bulls' mascot for allegedly attacking an off-duty police officer during an outdoor festival in Chicago have been dropped.Bulls officials said charges of misdemeanor battery and driving within a parkway
Prosser leads young Demon Deacons to Bahamas >>
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) -With 11 freshmen and sophomores, Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser will undoubtedly get frustrated at times this season.But putting the team through 10 practices in preparation for this weekend's exhibition games in the Bahama
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.
Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.
That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.
Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.
After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.
The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).
To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.
NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV
New England Patriots 8/1
Dallas Cowboys 9/1
New York Giants 10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1
Indianapolis Colts 12/1
San Diego Chargers 12/1
Baltimore Ravens 14/1
Tennessee Titans 16/1
Carolina Panthers 18/1
Philadelphia Eagles 18/1
New Orleans Saints 20/1
Atlanta Falcons 25/1
Denver Broncos 25/1
Green Bay Packers 25/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1
Minnesota Vikings 25/1
New York Jets 25/1
Arizona Cardinals 30/1
Chicago BearS 30/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1
Buffalo Bills 35/1
Houston TexaNS 35/1
Miami Dolphins 35/1
Washington Redskins 35/1
Seattle SeahawkS 50/1
Cleveland Browns 55/1
Cincinnati Bengals 60/1
San Francisco 49ers 60/1
Oakland Raiders 75/1
St. Louis Rams 75/1
Detroit Lions 100/1
Kansas City Chiefs 100/1
Odds as of: 2/2/09
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
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