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07/23/2010 -
HOOVER, Ala. (AP) -Tennessee coach Derek Dooley and Auburn's Gene Chizik both say the onus isn't just on agents to follow the rules, college athletes know the difference between right and wrong.
``A lot of this has got to go back to the young guy,'' Chizik said Friday. ``He's got to have an allegiance to his school. He's got to have an allegiance to his teammates. He's got to have an allegiance to his coaches and to his university. The bottom line is, I think everybody probably does a really good job of trying to educate their kids.
``If they know right from wrong and they choose to do wrong, then they don't really have an allegiance to the people that I just mentioned. They know right from wrong.''
It was a slightly different message from the first two days of the Southeastern Conference media days, when coaches were on the attack against unscrupulous sports agents.
Investigations are ongoing at Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida for alleged improper contact, along with North Carolina. The rash of issues led Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban to liken the actions of those rogue agents to the behavior of a pimp.
Dooley and Chizik both said the athletes are willing participants.
``At the end of the day, it's the responsibility of the player to not take it,'' Dooley said. ``And I don't know any other way to put it. It's a responsibility of the player that if somebody comes up and confronts you in public and wants to fight you, to walk away. It's a responsibility of the player not to break the law. So it's a responsibility of the player not to break the rules of the NCAA.''
Several players agreed with that sentiment, including LSU linebacker Kelvin Sheppard.
``Both sides are responsible,'' Sheppard said. ``Both are adults. Definitely, players need to take ownership and know certain rules they need to abide by as a college athlete.''
Tennessee and Auburn are among schools that hired consultant Joe Mendes, a former NFL executive, to help educate and manage players' dealings with agents.
``This is not a new problem,'' Chizik said. ``This did not happen this week for the first time. This is an ongoing issue that everybody is aware of, and I don't know what the right legislation is to kind of put a cap on this thing.
``I know that it's been a problem that everybody's been aware of, and this isn't the first time. It's one that's challenging in terms of being able to get our hands around it. Whether it's the NFL or NCAA, I'm sure that there's going to be a brighter light shined on trying to find some legislation somewhere to be able to regulate it. But it's hard to regulate.''
LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson said he was approached by agents or their representatives ``maybe three times a week'' at the start of his junior year.
``It was pretty crazy,'' Peterson said. ``It was wild. I knew how to tell those guys it's not the proper time for all this, it's not the right moment. I'll talk to you when it's the right time.''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.
<< Chen and Dambaugh in U.S. Girls' Junior final
Village of Pinehurst, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Doris Chen and Katelyn Dambaugh
won both of their matches on Friday to advance to the final of the U.S. Girls'
Junior Championship.
Chen first knocked off stroke-play medalist Danielle Ka
<< Chakvetadze reaches semifinals in Slovenia
Portoroz, Slovenia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anna Chakvetadze overcame a dropped set
and saved two match points to beat fellow Russian Vera Dushevina on Friday in
the quarterfinals at the Slovenia Open.
The sixth-seeded Dushevina had a 5-3 le
<< Seattle tries to build momentum against Rapids
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Following a successful first season in Major
League Soccer, Seattle Sounders FC has fallen on hard times as they enter
Sunday's contest with the Colorado Rapids at Qwest Field in seventh place in
the Wes
<< RSL aims to start new streak vs. Chivas USA
Sandy, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake will aim to start a new streak
when it hosts Chivas USA in a Major League Soccer tilt on Saturday night at
Rio Tinto Stadium.
RSL (9-4-3) is coming off a 2-0 loss at Dallas that snapped a 10
Dodgers designate Miller, recall Jansen >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers have
designated pitcher Justin Miller for assignment and recalled pitcher Kenley
Jansen.
The right-hander posted a 4.44 earned run average and no record in 19 rel
Oakland locks up C Suzuki with extension >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics and catcher Kurt Suzuki
have agreed to a contract extension through the 2014 season with a vesting
option for 2015.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday that the deal is
Swisher out of Yanks lineup with sore heel >>
NEW YORK (AP) -Right fielder Nick Swisher was a late scratch from the New York Yankees' lineup because he woke up with a sore left Achilles' heel.Swisher was initially set to bat second Friday, but when he arrived at Yankee Stadium before the game a
Athletics sign Suzuki to new 4-year contract >>
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -The Oakland Athletics have signed catcher Kurt Suzuki to a new four-year contract that keeps him locked up through his arbitration years.The deal announced Friday supersedes his previous 2010 contract and includes a club option
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.
Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.
There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.
Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.
The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
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