Category: External Sports (Page 455 of 821)

      2010 NFL Week 8 Odds

      October 28, 2010 /
      New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez throws during warm ups at Invesco Field at Mile High on October 17, 2010 in Denver. UPI/Gary C. Caskey Photo via Newscom

      Packers (4-3) @ Jets (5-1), 1:00PM ET
      Beating the Vikings last week was huge, but the Packers have a long ways to go if they want to separate themselves from Minnesota and Chicago in the NFC North. A win over a well-rested Jets team coming off its bye would be a start, but that won’t be an easy feat. After losing to the Ravens in Week 1, the Jets have rattled off five in a row and now have a healthy Darrelle Revis (hamstring) back in the fold. It could be a long day for the Packers on Sunday if their O-line can’t protect Aaron Rodgers. It’ll also be interesting to see if Mark Sanchez can continue to develop or if he’ll eventually revert back to the limited, ineffective quarterback he was last year and against Baltimore in the opener.
      CURRENT ODDS: JETS –6

      Titans (5-2) @ Chargers (2-5), 4:05PM ET
      You get the sense that people are still waiting for the Chargers to turn things around. That they’re not as bad as their 2-5 record and their last place (yes, last place) standing in the AFC West. But there’s a very good possibility that San Diego is as bad as it’s played and if the Titans beat the Bolts on their home field, it might be all she wrote for the Chargers. On the other side, if Tennessee can get a big road win this week, then the skies the limit for this team. Vince Young is fully practicing after missing the past two games with a knee injury, so the Chargers will have to do deal with both of the Titans’ key offensive playmakers on Sunday. Oh, joy.
      CURRENT ODDS: CHARGERS -3

      Vikings (2-4) @ Patriots (5-1), 4:15PM ET
      Brett Favre’s consecutive starts streak isn’t the only thing on the line this Sunday for the Vikings. Another loss would drop them to 2-5 and even though the Packers and Bears have their fair share of problems, Minnesota would be putting itself in quite a whole. Whether it’s Favre or Tarvaris Jackson that lines up under center, the Vikes will need a huge effort out of Adrian Peterson this week. The Patriots’ defense can be had, but not if AP doesn’t find room to run. New England needs a victory to keep pace with the red-hot Jets, who have already beaten the Pats once this year.
      CURRENT ODDS: PATRIOTS –5.5

      Steelers (5-1) @ Saints (4-3), 8:20PM ET
      It’s amazing to think that the defending Super Bowl champs may be .500 at the end of eight weeks. But without Reggie Bush (who is expected to miss another week due to injury), the Saints might be headed for their fourth loss this season. After losing to the Browns last week, things don’t get any easier for New Orleans this Sunday, as the Steelers’ vaunted defense comes to town. The good news for Sean Payton and company is that Pittsburgh might be a little road weary after playing at Miami last week. The bad news is that outside of the Jets and Patriots, no team is hotter right now than the Steelers.
      CURRENT ODDS: SAINTS -1

      2010 NFL Week 8 Opening Odds:

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      External Sports, NFL

      Barry Bonds as the Giants’ hitting coach? Pass.

      October 28, 2010 /

      Barry Bonds clearly does not want to be outdone by Mark McGwire. Not on the field while hitting home runs and not off it by imparting his wisdom on younger hitters.

      While attending Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night, Bonds was asked if he wanted to be a coach someday. In classic Bonds fashion, he reminded everyone that he has a gift that needs to be shared.

      When asked if he’d like to do more than just cheer on his former team in the future, Bonds said he would be interested in becoming a hitting coach in the future.

      “I have a gift and sooner or later I have to give it away,” Bonds said. “I have to share it. Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity here.”

      First and foremost, the Giants already have a hitting coach in Hensely “Bam-Bam” Meulens, who speaks five languages and oversaw a club that is now in the World Series. (I mention the language part because the Giants’ roster is chockfull of players from all over the country, including Juan Uribe (Dominican Republic), Edgar Renteria (Colombia), Pablo Sandoval (Venezuela) and Andres Torres (Puerto Rico), thus, it’s a nice skill to have if you have to communicate with foreign-born players.)

      That said, the thought of Bonds joining the Giants as a hitting coach is intriguing. Steroids or no steroids, Bonds was one of the best pure hitters the game of baseball has ever seen. His pitch recognition was outstanding and as the story goes, he used to be able to sit in the dugout and tell his teammates which pitch would be thrown next based on who was on the mound, the count and the situation. He was that good.

      The problem is that he’s also Barry Bonds. When the Giants finally moved on from him in 2008, there was a sense of relief in a clubhouse that was once dominated by their ego-driven left fielder. He commanded his own part of the clubhouse, which included multiple lockers, a personal reclining chair and a big screen TV, and he was consistently salty to the media, team personal and even teammates. With the Giants new team-first mentality, that kind of environment would never fly nowadays.

      Oh, and let’s not forget the guy will be going to trial next March for perjury charges after he allegedly lied to congress about his involvement with steroids. That alone should have the Giants saying, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

      Bonds doesn’t do low-key. Whether he’s the left fielder or an usher, he draws attention to himself and I don’t think the Giants would welcome that back. So as intriguing as it would sound to have him instruct their hitters, it wouldn’t behoove an organization that is succeeding without all that hoopla.

      The Giants are doing just fine without him.

      External Sports, MLB

      A few random thoughts from the first big night of NBA action

      October 28, 2010 /
      Oct 27, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) shoots the ball as Portland Trail Blazers forward Dante Dunningham (33) defends at the Staples Center. Photo via Newscom

      Trail Blazers 98, Clippers 88
      Um, Blake Griffin is good…really good. The ‘rookie’ made his debut with a 20-14-4 evening, but the Clippers still lost in no small part due to the play of Baron Davis (8-5-3 on 3-of-11 shooting, 4 turnovers) and Ryan Gomes (2-3-3, -17 +/-). Eric Gordon played very well (22 points on 10-of-17 shooting), but if the Clippers are going to be a playoff team, this is the kind of game (at home versus a playoff-caliber opponent) that they need to win.

      Cavaliers 95, Celtics 87
      The Cavs showed some resiliency in this one, coming back from an 11-point deficit late in the third quarter to pull this one out. Maybe the C’s were tired from an emotional opening-night win over the Heat, or maybe Cleveland is greater than the sum of its parts. J.J. Hickson led the way with 21-6 on 8-of-11 shooting.

      Hornets 95, Bucks 91
      The Bucks didn’t play very well in this one, but had a chance to tie it with under a minute left when Trevor Ariza clearly fouled John Salmons on a three-point attempt, but the officials didn’t blow the whistle. The Bucks had a problem last season getting to the line, but they attempted 28 free throws thanks in no small part to Corey Maggette’s relentless pursuit of the rim. He had 16-7 in his Bucks debut, but had a few defensive lapses that will need cleaning up. Chris Paul posted 17-4-16 on 11 shots and looks as good as ever.

      Thunder 106, Bulls 95
      Kevin Durant (30-7-3) and Russell Westbrook (28-10-6) led the way for OKC in a game that was tighter than the final score would indicate. Taj Gibson (16-11 on 8-of-12 shooting) filled in admirably for Carlos Boozer, who will be out for a while. Derrick Rose (28-4-6) and Joakim Noah (18-19) are developing nicely.

      Other notes: It took 19 games for the Nets to get their first win last season, but they beat the Pistons in the opener last night. Devin Harris (22-9-4) looks like his old self and Derrick Favors (8-10) had a solid debut…Just like that, the Heat are back to .500. Dwyane Wade (30-7-4) had a much better outing while LeBron (16-6-7, nine turnovers) played more of a complimentary role. Chris Bosh posted 15-7. Evan Turner had 16-7-4 in his debut, so maybe people were pushing the panic button a little early with regard to his poor preseason performance…Amare Stoudemire had 19-10 in his debut as the Knicks beat the (lowly) Raptors on the road…The T-Wolves lost to the Kings without Tyreke Evans, so it’s looking like it’s going to be a long year in Minnesota. DeMarcus Cousins had 14-8-5 in a nice debut. Michael Beasley had 17-7, while Kevin Love posted just 11-10 after getting six rebounds in the first nine minutes…Al Jefferson (6-7) was quiet in Utah’s loss to the Nuggets, while Carmelo (23-7-3) was his usual self…The Spurs held off the Pacers despite 28-9-3 from rising star Roy Hibbert, while Darren Collison had 19-2-7 in his Indiana debut…Monta Ellis tied a career high with 46 points in a win against the Rockets, while David Lee added 17-15-6 and Stephen Curry posted 25-2-11. Luis Scola (36-16) had a monster game as the Rockets fell to 0-2.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News

      Rangers need to stay the course – there’s no time to panic

      October 28, 2010 /
      Members of the Texas Rangers stand in the dugout in the ninth inning in Game 1 of Major League Baseball's World Series against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, October 27, 2010. The Giants beat the Rangers 11-7. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Was it surprising that Cliff Lee got rocked in Game 1 of the World Series? Surprising doesn’t even begin to cover it. Shocking would be a start, but even then the word would be selling the situation short.

      But nothing changes here. The game plan remains the same.

      Teams that don’t have home field advantage know that they have to split the first two games on the road, then take two-of-three at home before splitting again on the road in order to come out victorious. That’s the same recipe the Giants used against the Phillies in the NLCS and it seemed to work out well for them.

      C.J. Wilson needs to best Matt Cain in Game 2 Thursday night. That’s no small feat considering that Cain hasn’t allowed a run in two postseason starts, but the Rangers’ offense has a way of making even the best pitchers look mortal (just ask Tim Lincecum, who lasted only 5.2 innings and gave up four runs in Game 1).

      Texas has already shown its mettle twice this postseason. After beating the Rays twice on the road in the ALDS, they dropped two games at home and then had to play at Tampa in Game 5. Thanks to Lee, they won and they moved on to face the Yankees, who came from behind to shock the Rangers in Game 1 in what could have been a backbreaker.

      But it wasn’t. The Rangers took Game 2 to even the series and then went on to beat the Bombers in six games. They’ve shown their resiliency before and if they can do it again, they’ll essentially have home field advantage in what would turn into a five game series. That’s why splitting on the road in the first two games is vital.

      And that’s what they’ll need to do tonight. For once, the Rangers need to let Lee off the hook.

      External Sports, MLB

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