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Raptors unraveling as stars plan departureBasketball Betting Lines06/03/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A dreadful off-season continues to get worse for the Toronto Raptors, their fans and general manager Bryan Colangelo. Just a few weeks after being scorned by Chris Bosh and his Twitter scandal, another humiliating issue has been brought to the forefront of a summer that is shaping up to be a public relations disaster. After signing a five-year, $53 million dollar contract as a free agent only one year ago, Hedo Turkoglu has made it clear he does not want to return to the Raptors next season. According to an interview he did in his native Turkey, he also stated his representatives had been in touch with Colangelo regarding the matter. These shocking revelations are reflective of just how fractured Turkoglu's relationship with the Raptors has become. A summer ago he was praising the organization and the city's welcoming atmosphere, while the fans raved of their prized new acquisition. But as we have seen many times before, relationships in the sports world are tenuous, often ending as quickly as they begin. Just ask Raptors fans about Vince Carter. The Turkoglu soap opera began with an incident that occurred on March 28, 2010, when the forward was a healthy scratch for a game against the Miami Heat. The benching was handed out following reports he was spotted at a Toronto nightclub, immediately following a game he missed due to a stomach virus. He was then fined an unspecified amount by the team, while Colangelo said they would handle matters internally. It was dealt with internally - as in, inside the confines of the Air Canada Centre. In the coming days he was booed by fans at the ACC for his off-court antics and, according to Turkoglu, the experience cut him deeply. The loss of support from his fan base and the organization's management of his alleged "night of partying" left a bad taste in his mouth, a taste that soured as he had time to digest his 2009-10 season. When given the chance to speak about the incident with the Turkish media last week, Turkoglu clearly stated his intentions. "When the circumstances turned against me, I lost my enthusiasm for this city. My lawyers have talked to the front office recently," he told NTV-MSNBC. "Honestly, I do not want to go back to Toronto. My lawyers talked to Mr. Colangelo and I hope that they will come up with a solution soon." By the sounds of it, one would have to believe the man isn't bluffing. The warning shot to the bow of Colangelos sinking ship is a serious one, one that no doubt has him in meetings with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment ownership's contractual lawyers, trying to find a solution. Should Colangelo be searching for legal advice, a matrimonial attorney might be a more appropriate choice, because all signs are pointing to a nasty divorce. Unfortunately the marriage had its issues from day one, as it was apparent the Raptors weren't going to get what they paid for when signing the big Turk. When Turkoglu showed up at training camp exhausted, the Raptors gave him all of camp and most of the exhibition season to find his form. It was a decision that seemed reasonable given he had just come off a tough summer with the Turkish national team. But as the season wore on, the 6'10" small forward struggled to find his place within head coach Jay Triano's offense, often blaming the system or the team for not getting him involved. If that wasn't enough, his health began to suffer. Hip and ankle pain surfaced throughout the campaign as word began to spread from sources around the team about Turkoglu's conditioning, or lack thereof. Paired with his seemingly disinterested demeanor on the court, he would rarely show the finishing skills that made him an asset in Orlando. He kept promising, or at least Colangelo did, that as the games became more important near the end of the season he would emerge as the leader they had brought him in to be. It never happened. Instead Turkoglu went on to have his worst season in six years, averaging just 11.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists. The veteran, who was supposed to be a integral piece of the puzzle, was a huge disappointment as the Raptors failed to make the playoffs for the second season in a row. In the end, a separation might be the best scenario for all parties involved, and something the general manager will need to execute swiftly. When the Raptors brought Colangelo to Toronto, people praised his ability to be creative and imaginative in his managing style. He's going to need to use those qualities to point the Raptors in the right direction because, at this point in time, the reputation of the organization is at serious risk.
<< Men's semis set for Friday in Paris
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The men's French Open semifinals will be staged on Friday, as second-seeded Spanish star Rafael Nadal will take on 22nd-seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer and fifth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling will face 15th-seed
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jim Joyce can apologize to everybody he wants, but his safe call on Wednesday, which robbed Detroit right-hander Armando Galarraga of a perfect game, will go down as the worst call in the history of baseball. I know a lot
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How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later. While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better. For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory. 1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season. 2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped. How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number. Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules. Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically. How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games). Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition. Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. |
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