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      Lee Westwood deals with injuries

      October 1, 2013 /

      Lee Westwood’s nagging back and neck injuries have caused many to speculate on the former world number one golf champion’s future after a disappointing performance at the ongoing BMW Golf Championships, meaning the player has failed to qualify for the Tour Championship.

      Westwood’s gradually worsening back and neck strain, caused in part by his advancing age and the rigours of the game, follow last year’s calf injury, creating a less than stellar run of luck for the Brit, who has admitted he is bowed but not defeated by his move to the US and subsequently disappointing season.

      However, the US-based PGA Tour does represent a significant amount of money and media for the Worksop-born golfer, and affords easier opportunities for Westwood to play in many of the key matches, rather than facing the difficulty of travelling across the world in order to compete. This could perhaps aid Westwood in recovering from his injuries and improving his game in future.

      Injuries and recent disappointment aside, Westwood is already being touted to captain for Europe at the 2024 Ryder Cup, which perhaps indicates that belief in the unlucky player has not entirely waned, and that freebets.org/ will be taking many more bets on the former champion player in the future.

      Golf, News

      College Football Week 5, NFL Week 4 Free Picks

      September 28, 2013 /

      Mississippi vs. Alabama, 6:30PM ET
      Alabama doesn’t look as dominant as it has in year’s past, and bettors have taken notice. The spread in this game has been bet down from one key number of 17, to another key number in 14. The Rebels have fared well against the Tide, covering in all four of their last four meetings with ‘Bama in Tuscaloosa. They’re also 6-2 against the spread in their last eight meetings overall with the Tide, while the road team is 5-0 against the number in the last five meetings between these two teams. Ole Miss has a balanced offensive attack thanks to quarterbacks Bo Wallace and Barry Brunetti, who is a running threat. The Rebels enter tonight’s game with plenty of confidence and should stay within two touchdowns of a Tide team that didn’t look sharp defensively two weeks ago versus A&M.
      FREE PICK: OLE MISS +14

      Wisconsin vs. Ohio State, 8:00PM ET
      The Buckeyes have been flat-out dominant in their first three games and own the fourth-highest scoring offense in the country (52.5 points). But Braxton Miller is set to return tonight following a sprained left MCL injury suffered a few weeks ago. Rust might be a factor in the early going, which could give Wisconsin confidence for the rest of the game. The underdog is 10-3 against the spread in the last 13 meetings between these two teams and the Badgers are 4-0 against the number in their last four games overall. They’re also 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 conference games and have rushed for 387 yards or more in three of their four games. Look for Wisconsin to give Ohio State its first challenge of the season.
      FREE PICK: WISCONSIN +6.5

      Bengals vs. Browns, 1:00PM ET
      The Bengals are coming off two emotional victories against Pittsburgh and Green Bay, and now has to travel to Cleveland and play a team in the Browns that they’re expected to beat. There’s always value in the home underdog, especially one in Cleveland that shocked bettors a week ago by beating Minnesota outright as a 6.5-point dog. The line in this game has been bet down from 5 to 3.5 despite the public siding with Cincinnati. The underdog is 10-1-1 against the spread in the last 12 meetings between these two teams and the Bengals are just 2-5-1 against the number in their last eight games versus the Browns. Look for a confident Cleveland team behind Brian Hoyer to keep this game within a field goal.
      FREE PICK: BROWNS +3.5

      Seahawks vs. Texans, 1:00PM ET
      The Seahawks look every bit a Super Bowl contender in the early going. They suffered no letdown last Sunday when they thumped a brutal Jacksonville team a week after crushing division rival San Francisco on Sunday Night Football. But the Seahawks have never been a team that travels well and the Texans are licking their wounds after being embarrassed in Baltimore last week. Houston knows it can’t afford to fall behind in the AFC South, especially with Indianapolis playing Jacksonville this week. Look for the underdog Texans to win outright as a small home dog.
      FREE PICK: TEXANS +1

      College Football

      Peyton Manning on a roll

      September 24, 2013 /

      Peyton Manning has always been a stud in the regular season, but this is ridiculous.

      Adding to his historic start, Manning led the Broncos to a 37-21 whipping of the Oakland Raiders on Monday night at Sports Authority Field. Manning was an absurd 32-of-37 — all five incompletions hit the intended receiver in the hands — for 374 yards and three touchdowns.

      The Broncos’ quarterback is making it look ridiculously easy three games into the 2013 season. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw 12 touchdown passes through the first three games. And Manning had his passing dozen by halftime of Game 3.

      That’s 12 touchdowns against zero interceptions. The best he’s ever been?

      The question again remains however as to whether Manning can extend this to the post season. Until that happens, this is great fodder for conversation, but it really doesn’t matter that much. Winning in the playoffs will be critical to Manning’s legacy.

      NFL

      USA Await Rejuvenated GB in Davis Cup

      September 24, 2013 /

      Great Britain’s sensational victory over Croatia that saw them return to the Davis Cup World Group for the first time since 2008 means they will play the United States away in February.

      An Andy Murray-inspired win against a strong Croatia line-up has now given the chance for Britain to take on Jim Courier’s US side, in a clash that sees the two original Davis Cup nations face off for the first time since 1999.

      The last time Britain played at the top level of the tournament, they lost 4-1 to Argentina, but there have been some significant improvements under Leon Smith’s captaincy and the team will know they have a chance of defying the tennis odds on betfair.com, as long as Murray recovers from his back injury in time.

      It will be the first time the US and GB have been drawn against each other since 1999, when the United States won a thriller 3-2. And while GB have spent time outside the World Group in recent years, the USA have featured in the first round every year since 1989, falling at the quarter-final stage in this year’s tournament at the hands of finalists, Serbia.

      US captain, Courier, is not short of options when naming his team, able to call upon the likes of John Isner, Sam Querrey, Ryan Harrison, and the best doubles team in the world, the Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike. And Courier has admitted he is looking forward to the prospect of coming up against the British next February.

      “Great Britain will be a challenging and exciting opponent for us,” said the former world number one, according to the betfair website. “It’s going to be memorable to have the two original Davis Cup nations face off again for the first time since the competition’s Centennial Celebration in 1999.”

      Tennis

      Scott Fujita breaks down Trent Richardson deal

      September 20, 2013 /

      There’s has been a very wide range of opinions on the trade of Trent Richardson by the Browns to the Colts. As a Browns fan I was shocked at first like everyone else, but when I thought about it the deal made a lot of sense. Richardson is a good back and he’s a physical specimen, but he has not lived up to the hype of the third overall pick and he’s very injury prone. He dances way too much behind the line and often either doesn’t hit the right hole or doesn’t hit a hole at all.

      On the other hand, it also can make sense for the Colts, who have a franchise quarterback and now add a running back to the mix with a high ceiling. It just remains to be seen if Richardson can improve. Most great NFL backs are great right away. It’s not like the quarterback position where experience is critical.

      One very interesting take comes from Scott Fujita, who is already establishing himself as one of the most honest and insightful NFL commentators out there.

      I can’t speculate about what’s in any one person’s head, but when a player enters the league wearing headphones incessantly, shows up late for treatments, and makes little effort to engage with his teammates, he can quickly develop a reputation for being insular and high-maintenance.

      It can be perceived that he isn’t happy and that he’s not making an effort to buy in. I’ve seen this happen countless times, especially in today’s head down, keep-things-to-yourself culture.

      Generally, you hope the player grows out of that coming into his second season, especially when there’s been a complete regime change and everyone is expected to prove themselves all over again. Some players buy in, and some don’t. Buy-in, even if it’s just perceived, goes a long way. You have to be willing to show you want to be part of the team.

      I have no idea what took place during Thursday morning’s team meeting in Berea, the first since the trade was announced the previous afternoon. But my sense tells me a message was sent, loud and clear, even if nothing was spoken: No one is guaranteed a spot on this team. No one is bigger than the team. If you don’t buy in, you don’t belong on this team.

      Maybe it’s just a personality thing, but was Richardson the type of player to work hard and improve? The new coaching staff gave up on him two games in a row in the second half after he had trouble in the new offense.

      NFL

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