11/12/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - I have always held the opinion that championships, however great or small, are won on the field of play. Don't bother me with asterisks, or press releases about forfeits.
I don't want to hear teams having to strike all mention of certain teams from their public records, or about schools having to remove banners from their gymnasiums. Sports isn't about taking a George Orwell-1984 approach to history.
I watched with my own eyes when Villanova played and lost to UCLA in the 1971 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship. It didn't matter to me, or millions of other fans, than the NCAA subsequently vacated Villanova's participation in the tournament for the alleged use of an ineligible player.
Funny how the NCAA never vacated any of UCLA's titles when news of rules violations involving boosters like Sam Gilbert came to light.
By the same token, I shake my head when I see the NCAA earning money from television rights to the 1993 NCAA basketball tournament final, featuring North Carolina and Michigan in the title game. In the NCAA's twisted sense of history, that game didn't exist, even though I see Chris Webber of Michigan signaling for that ill-fated timeout on ESPN Classic every few weeks.
A bit closer to our FCS home, many of us saw Stephen F. Austin lose a thrilling 37-34 championship-game encounter with Georgia Southern for the I-AA football title in 1989. We remember that game, despite the fact that the NCAA later vacated the Lumberjacks as the national runners-up for rules violations.
That brings us to the 2008 FCS season, where the NCAA has decided that it will take away a championship before it is even earned. Orwell would have loved that.
The Southland Conference announced on Tuesday that it has been notified that it cannot award the 2008 league football championship to Central Arkansas, the team currently leading the Southland race. To do so would result in the league forfeiting its automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championships.
As a transitional team moving from Division II to FCS, Central Arkansas is ineligible for the playoffs. But Southland officials notified the NCAA months ago that it intended to let UCA compete for the conference title, with the league runner-up advancing with the automatic bid in the event that the Bears won.
As a matter of fact, the Southland had a championship trophy awaiting UCA in its final game of the 2007 season, had the Bears beaten McNeese State for a co-championship. The engraved trophy remained in the trunk of commissioner Tom Burnett's car when McNeese State won, 41-14, to capture the crown outright.
The crux of this case all boils down to one little sentence in the NCAA championship by-laws that reads:
"If a conference champion is ineligible to compete, or cannot compete for any reason, automatic qualification shall be withdrawn for that year and the remaining conference members shall be considered at-large."
The Southland thought it had received a waiver from that requirement when it initially filed its paperwork for the 2008 FCS playoffs, but when the subject came up again a couple of weeks ago, the NCAA decided there was a problem.
In my way of thinking, such a dilemma would be easy to fix. The NCAA could admit an oversight on its part and grant the Southland a waiver in the event that Central Arkansas wins the league title. All parties would be happy and a bad situation would be avoided.
Instead, the bureaucrats at the NCAA office have decided that one sentence is more important than doing what is right for the players, coaches and fans of Central Arkansas.
This isn't a decision that would impact the playoffs in any way, shape or form. Central Arkansas still would have to win two more conference games - at Stephen F. Austin and at home against McNeese State - to finish on top. There are no guarantees the Bears will do this. But some faceless bureaucrat in Indianapolis still had to go and stamp out UCA's hopes.
"It is presumptuous at this point to discuss the championship with two games to play," UCA athletic director Brad Teague said in part of his prepared statement on Tuesday. "But if our coaches and student-athletes win one of the next two games, we will at worst share the best record in the league and, in our mind, we will be champions. But we still have a lot of work to do."
And in the mind of many fans, the Bears will be viewed as champions no matter what some pencil-pusher in the NCAA office decides. In my view, Stephen F. Austin earned its place on the field as the 1989 runner-up and, if Central Arkansas has the best record in the Southland at the end of the season, they will be my champion.
PLANTING SEEDS
In most years, picking the four teams that will be seeded in the FCS championship bracket is fairly clear-cut. And this year, the top two seeds are easy to predict, if No. 1-ranked James Madison and No. 2 Appalachian State win their final two games.
But there should be plenty of debate for those other two spots when the FCS football committee meets in Indianapolis to select the teams for the playoffs.
If you went strictly by the Sportsbook Betting Lines poll, Cal Poly and Northern Iowa would snap up those two additional seeds.
But Cal Poly will be a heavy underdog in its final regular season game at Wisconsin, and is probably just the third-ranked team in own region behind Big Sky champion Weber State and Montana - a team that edged the Mustangs 30-28 in September.
And Northern Iowa won't even earn the automatic bid from its own league, the Missouri Valley Football Conference, unless Southern Illinois loses one of its last two games.
The Gridiron Power Index, a system that uses computer rankings and polls to rank teams mathematically and, like TSN's poll, is one of the elements that will be used by the committee in selecting the field, has the top four ranked as JMU, ASU, Montana and Villanova, with Richmond, Cal Poly, Weber State, Northern Iowa, Wofford and William & Mary making up the rest of the top 10.
Past experience tells me that Weber State, with its only two losses coming to FBS opponents (Hawaii and Utah) and its dominating regular-season win over Montana, will gobble up one of those remaining seeds.
That would leave UNI, Villanova and probably Montana fighting for the final seed, should all three win out as expected.
Northern Iowa has a loss to Brigham Young and a last-second defeat at Southern Illinois to go with solid wins over South Dakota State and Western Illinois, teams that were ranked when they played the Panthers.
Villanova's two losses were to West Virginia and JMU on a final-play, Hail Mary touchdown pass. The Wildcats beat Richmond when the Spiders were ranked No. 1, and New Hampshire when the Wildcats were No. 8. Villanova also has a road win against William & Mary, currently the No. 12 team in TSN's poll.
Montana has a glossy one-loss record, with the 45-28 loss to Weber State as the only blotch. The Grizzlies should finish 11-1, with ranked wins over Cal Poly, Eastern Washington and Northern Arizona.
If you go with toughest schedule, Villanova wins out. If you want to spread the seeds around to different regions and conferences, Northern Iowa is your best bet. If you want tradition and a sold-out stadium, Montana suits the definition of a seeded team.
My personal pick would be Villanova, with the Wildcats' strength of schedule and near-miss against James Madison being the determining factors.
PICKING UP THE PIECES
It isn't easy being an NFL player, even if your resume has a Walter Payton Award or Buck Buchanan Award on it.
Kyle Shotwell, the 2006 Buchanan Award winner and the third player in a row to win it from Cal Poly, was released earlier this week by the Jacksonville Jaguars before being signed to the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad on Wednedsday.
Shotwell, a speedy, sure-tackling linebacker, has had previous stints with the Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles as he tries to establish a pro career.
Jayson Foster, the 2007 Payton Award winner from Georgia Southern, has had to switch positions from quarterback to receiver and returnman in the NFL. He was a final cut by the Miami Dolphins this summer before being re-signed to the Dolphins' practice squad, and then quickly released again.
Foster got a break when he was then picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have kept him on their practice squad.
If players can persevere, there are often rewards. All you have to do is look at the rosters of other NFL teams to see a nice representation of athletes with FCS backgrounds.
The 2007 Buchanan Award winner Kroy Biermann of Montana has made an immediate mark with the Atlanta Falcons this year, as did last year's Buchanan runner-up Corey Lynch of Appalachian State before suffering a season-ending injury in his first year with the Bengals.
Chris Gocong of the Philadelphia Eagles, Jared Allen of the Minnesota Vikings and Rashean Mathis of the Jacksonville Jaguars are among the former Buchanan Award winners who have established themselves in the league, while Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys and Brian Westbrook of the Eagles are star-caliber players with Payton Awards in their past
<< Burke steps down as Ducks GM, Murray to step in
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks announced Wednesday that
executive vice president and general manager Brian Burke has stepped down,
and that former senior vice president of hockey operations Bob Murray will
replace
<< Line of Scrimmage: Week 11 - Ravens Must Still Prove Mettle
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens won't get the same
credit as the Atlanta Falcons or Miami Dolphins for their abrupt turnaround.
The Ravens were 5-11 in their final year under Brian Billick a year ago, but
they were a
<< Senators' Ruutu suspended two games
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ottawa Senators forward Jarkko Ruutu has been
suspended for two games without pay for an elbowing incident in the club's
game Tuesday against Montreal.
Ruutu was assessed a charging minor against the Ca
<< Curlin, Big Brown and Zenyatta highlight 2008
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The major part of the 2008 thoroughbred
racing season has been completed, so let's take a few seconds to look back and
forward.
Three names came to dominate the headlines this year: Curlin, Big Brown
Celtic opens up four-point lead on Rangers >>
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic extended its lead at the top of
the Scottish Premier League on Wednesday to four points as the Hoops recorded
a 3-0 win over Kilmarnock, while second-place Rangers was held to a 0-0 draw
by Moth
Ozuna files for free agency >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Infielder Pablo Ozuna was the only
player to file for free agency on Wednesday.
Ozuna, 34, hit .260 with one home run and nine RBI in 96 at-bats over 68 games
between the Chicago White Sox and L
Atherton rejoins Grand Rapids >>
Grand Rapids, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Grand Rapids Griffins recalled
defenseman P.J. Atherton from the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL, the
American Hockey league club announced on Wednesday.
Atherton, 26, was assigned to
Atlanta recalls Wolves' goalie Pavelec >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers have recalled goaltender
Ondrej Pavelec from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Chicago
Wolves, it was announced on Wednesday.
Pavelec, who has not appeared in any games
The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.
MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your nfl football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.
Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.
MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .
''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''
Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.
He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.
''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''
Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.
Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.
With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.
Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting