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NFL Betting – Thursday Night Preview

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 10:36:04 +0000

NFL Betting – Thursday Night Preview
While the bulk of this weeks NFL action takes place this Sunday, the NFL officially kicks off its season on Thursday night in New Orleans. What better way to get NFL betting started than with a rematch of last years thrilling NFC Championship Game? Heres a closer look at the 2010 season opener. [Off topic: by the way, do you want to get a 60% bonus on your first deposit…

Cricket Betting Friends Provident Twenty20 Quarterfinals Heating Up
Somerset and Northants couldnt have had more polar opposite results in their final pool games of the Friends Provident Twenty20 competition if they had tried but with a semifinal spot on the line; both teams will be looking for any edge they can get. Friends Provident Twenty20 Cricket Betting [Off topic: by the way, do you want to get a 60% odd bonus on your first deposit here at BetUS? So go…

Baltimore Signs T.J. Houshmandzadeh
The Baltimore Ravens have made another bold move in the wide receiver department, signing T.J. Houshmandzadeh. NFL rumors seemed to insist that Houshmandzadeh, who was released by the Seahawks over the weekend, would sign with the receiver desperate Vikings.

Sports, we all love em…

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:31:08 +0000

Sports, we all love em, theres no two ways around it, and from time to time we miss the game and desperately want to know the live score. If you need to find out quickly Livegoals has real time scores coming through the second they happen. And what else do us men like to do (I know what youre thinking keep it clean-ish) I was talking about gambling not drinking, I know shocker. So, back to the point, basicly, you can bet on the games too, sound good? Because it certainly does to me, but perhaps thats just because I won, and we all know betting is about chance and educated guesses and Livegoals gives you all the stats to make an informed decision about the football particularly. So maybe your thinking I need to put my money where my mouth is and back my club, maybe youre just after a cheap thrill or some easy money. Or maybe you just want to innocently check the live scores you can do all that here at Livegoals. So anyway while Im rambling on abit I just thought Id ask what the hell happened to Everton this season, I mean really how are they in the bottom two of the division after 6 games, talk about a bad start, theyve been playing terrible football I know, but Moyes must be worried by now.

kazino

Couture paces Sharks past Stars 5-2 (AP)

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:18:09 +0000

Couture paces Sharks past Stars 5-2 (AP)
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)Ryane Clowe had plenty to celebrate. He played his first game since a facial fracture two weeks ago and scored a goal. Even better, his father was among the sellout crowd. I looked up and saw him pumping his fists, Clowe said. He seemed to be having a good time. Clowe and four others scored in helping the San Jose Sharks win their third straight, beating the Dallas Stars 5-2 on Thursday night. Several of the Sharks played in front of their fathers, who were seated in a luxury suite and were shown, beers in hand, on the big screen every time the Sharks scored. Michal Handzus, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau also scored for the Sharks, who beat the Stars for the fifth straight time. We all enjoy having our fathers here, Thornton said. They all turn into kids when they are at the rink. Clowe scored with 8:26 remaining. He has eight goals and 23 points against the Stars, his most against any team. I felt stronger as the game went on, he said. There were a couple of times early when I got the puck in the neutral zone and got caught from behind. I had to remind myself to keep my feet moving. I had to get up to the pace. Steve Ott and Jamie Benn scored for the Stars, who have yet to win the second game of back-to-backs this season in nine chances. There were a lot of frustrating things tonight, Ott said. We didnt get the result we wanted and collectively there were a lot of little breakdowns. I think our faceoff percentage was about 15 percent and when that happens youre going to chase the puck around a lot. The Sharks had a 77 percent faceoff advantage, the best by any team since the lockout. Thomas Greiss stopped 19 shots to earn his seventh win for the Sharks, who established a franchise record for the longest scoreless streak by their opponents of 190:51. Dallas Richard Bachman made 32 saves. Handzus gave the Sharks an early lead, taking a pass from Brent Burns, who skated the puck out from behind the net, and converting at 4:42 of the first period. Pavelski scored on a power play with 3:38 left in the period to pad the Sharks lead. Our power play got us two and I thought our penalty kill was good too, Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. The power play is starting to look like it should. There is some emotion. Ott was credited with an unassisted goal during a power play midway through the second period. Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle tried to take the puck away, but he put it into his own net. The Sharks answered with two goals in the final five minutes of the period. Marleau redirected a shot from Burns off the skates of Stars defender Trevor Daley. The Sharks played a good game from start to finish, Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. Good indications were the faceoffs. They were manhandling us in the draws. San Jose scored less than two minutes later after Pavelski stole a pass and gave Thornton an empty net to shoot at for an easy goal. Its good to see Joe creating some offensive numbers, Clowe said. When he starts to score like that you know hes creating a lot of opportunities. Benn made it 4-2 early in the third period when he took advantage of Griess inability to cover the puck. NOTES: Sharks G Antti Niemi missed the game because of an injury. The Sharks recalled G Tyson Sexsmith from Worchester of the AHL to be Greiss backup. Sharks D Jason Demers was placed on the injured list to make room for Clowe, who was activated before the game. Stars D Nicklaus Grossman was back in the lineup after missing a game due to flulike symptoms. San Francisco Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong became the second baseball player to visit the Sharks in two days. Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Nyjer Morgan skated with the Sharks on Wednesday. Ott has four points in two games. Benn scored for the second straight game since returning from an injury.

Host British feel pressure to win medals (AP)

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:36:20 +0000

Host British feel pressure to win medals (AP)
LONDON (AP)With six months until Britain hosts the Olympics for the first time in 64 years, the pressure is cranking up on the athletes expected to deliver a gold rush on home soil. The gravity and weight of a home Olympics its terrifying and exciting at the same time, Olympic sprint cycling champion Victoria Pendleton said on Thursday. Sometimes I question myself, she added. Do I have the ability to deal with the pressure? It was cycling that produced the most British champions in Beijingeight and Pendleton knows just how difficult it will be to defend her sprint title in London four years on. After all, she denied home favorite Guo Shuang her moment of glory in China and now fears her rival will want to upstage her in London. China is a very big threat just for the fact the Guo Shuang came third at the Olympics, she has been second at the worlds, she was selected to be the champion in Beijing, Pendleton said. So she definitely has some kind of revenge thing going on there. As I stole away her opportunity, Im sure she will be very keen to take mine back. Shell want to level the playing field a bit. Who wouldnt? But Pendleton has a potentially decisive advantage over Shuang: Regular circuits testing the new velodrome in east London, which opened last February. Ive been on the track a few times now so its getting a little bit more familiar, she said. I wish it was easy (to get there more) but the security is still very, very high on the park with all the construction still under way. The finishing touches to the velodrome have to be completed by next month when the Olympic test event takes placeand Pendleton must qualify for the world championships and, of course, the 2012 Games. Im ahead of where I was at this point in the last Olympics cycle, she said. I have a lot of leg speed but not much strength. Im pleased Ive managed to develop the things I thought were weak to be a more complete athlete by the games. Money is less of an issue. As one of the stars of British sport, Pendleton says she has become self-sufficient, thanks in part to her sponsorship deals, with hair-care brand Pantene making her a beauty ambassador on Thursday. But nothing less than glory will satisfy Britains leading track cyclist in August, having collected one of the countrys 19 golds in a 47-medal haul in Beijing. Being part of the British cycling team you feel like if youre not winning, its not good enough, she said. Anything less than a gold medal is a failure. That sounds harsh, but thats the way it is to be part of this program. Its horrible in a way. And for the next six months the Olympics are the only thing that matter. It feels like its life or death, even though thats ridiculous because its just another bike race, she said. Theres a huge amount of prestige at stake and we all want to do well. Every gold medal would feel like double gold if its at home. Whether the Olympics leave a lasting legacy by inspiring the champions of the future is still unclear despite being at the heart of Londons winning bid. Pendleton is not even being consulted. We havent really had much input in the development of the next wave of talent coming through or anything like that, she said. The eight-time world champion expects that could just be to allow her to focus on the short-term priority for every British Olympian come August: Helping the country match its fourth-place finish in Beijing.

Darvish, Rangers agree on 6 years, $60M (AP)

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:54:05 +0000

Darvish, Rangers agree on 6 years, $60M (AP)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)Before the Texas Rangers committed more than $111 million to get Japans best pitcher, they spent more than two years watching and getting to know Yu Darvish. It wasnt just sitting behind the plate with a radar gun, Texas general manager Jon Daniels said. Sure, that was part of the process of scouting Darvish. But Rangers scouts in the Pacific Rim who watched just about every one of his starts in recent seasons and other team officials also spent time developing a personal relationship with the pitcher and his family. Theyve probably seen about 50 games the last two years, they were very thorough in how they evaluated, said Don Nomura, one of Darvishs agents. We knew they were very interested in Yu, and Im glad it was the Texas Rangers that won the bid. That familiarity with each other should help the 25-year-old Darvish with the cultural transition he faces playing in the United States and the major leagues. Arn Tellem, the other agent, said all the effort by the Rangers to build a personal connection was very significant to Darvish, who agreed Wednesday to a $60 million, six-year contract with the two-time defending American League champions. The deal was finished at the end of a 30-day exclusive negotiating window for Texas that began when its record $51,703,411 posting bid was accepted last month by the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, Darvishs team in Japans Pacific League. Though negotiations went down to the final minutes before a deadline when Darvish would have stayed in Japan without a deal, Daniels said talks were never contentious since they knew each other so well. It wasnt like the clock started on Day 1 and we were a brand new entity. They were open with us and talked with us and gave us access, Daniels said. You hear about other negotiations where youre completely shut off from the player or the family, and it wasnt handled that way. Darvish, whose only previous visit to Texas was two weeks ago, was expected back Friday night to be formally introduced by his new team. Texas appointed a director of Pacific Rim operations just more than four years ago, and has since expanded to three full-time scouts and a couple of part-timers who scout the area that includes Japan. With the bigger presence there, the Rangers got to see and bring back starter Colby Lewis, a supplemental first-round pick by Texas in 1999 who revived his career with two seasons in Japan. Right-handed reliever Yoshinori Tateyama, a teammate of Darvishs with the Fighters, joined the Rangers last year. Weve had more and more of our American professional scouts and some of our best evaluators go over there, just knowing that, not just with Yu, that there was going to be opportunity, Daniels said. They turned quite a bit of their attention the last couple of seasons toward Darvish, the 6-foot-5 right-hander who is a two-time Pacific League MVP. He had a 93-38 record with a 1.99 ERA in 167 games the past seven seasons in Japan, and pitched an average of 205 innings the past five years. As it became more and more evident, whether it was this year or next year at some point there was a chance Yu would get posted, we really ramped up our efforts, said Daniels, one of 12 different Rangers officials or scouts who watched Darvish pitch in Japan just last season. We knew the size of the investment was going to be big and we were going to have to be really thorough in our presentation to ownership and be convicted if this is what we decided to do, he said. Our guys really did their homework, and we feel really good about the process. So do Darvishs agents, who said Texas is where the pitcher wanted to play in the majors. The Rangers talked to Darvishs teammates in Japan, players who competed against him, his managers, coaches and people who knew him outside of baseball. You heard the same thing time after time, Daniels said. This is a guy thats really committed to his craft, that wants to be the best and wants to win on the biggest stage. Texas President and Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, who has watched film and first met the pitcher earlier this month, called Darvish a unique talent who clearly has the potential to be a No. 1 starter in the majors. But the Rangers arent yet putting that kind of expectation on him even with their huge financial investment. What you hope is that he comes to spring training and that hes comfortable and that he fits into the routine, and doesnt put a lot of pressure on himself to try to prove that hes worthy of the consideration that he got and also of the attention that is going to brought to him, Ryan said. If he comes in and doesnt put a lot of pressure on himself, the transition should go fairly well. Darvish doesnt have to impress the Rangers. They already know him.

Ex-Tide CB Kirkpatrick arrested for pot (AP)

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:18:19 +0000

Ex-Tide CB Kirkpatrick arrested for pot (AP)
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP)Former Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, who is leaving school early to enter the NFL draft, was arrested early Tuesday on a marijuana possession charge. An arrest report on the Manatee County Sheriffs Office web site said Kirkpatrick was arrested at 12:48 a.m. and charged with possessing less than 20 grams of marijuana. He was released on $120 bond. Kirkpatrick is regarded as a potential top 10 NFL draft pick. The second-team All-American announced last week he was skipping his senior season with the national champions to enter the draft. It isnt clear what Kirkpatrick was doing in Bradenton, but the town is home to IMG Performance Institute, which helps athletes train for the NFL combine. A message left with IMG wasnt immediately returned. A police report said Kirkpatrick was a passenger in a truck driven by another former Alabama player, Christopher Airreun Rogers, 25, of Baltimore, Md., who police stopped for driving on the wrong side of the road. A dog detected the presence of drugs, the report said, and an officer found marijuana on the floorboard of the passenger side at Kirkpatricks feet. Rogers told police he purchased the marijuana at a house and was charged with a drug offense. Kirkpatrick told officers he was in the car when the drugs were purchased by another person, but he didnt realize at the time what was being bought, the report said.

Dikembe Mutombo is accused of encouraging a failed Congolese gold transaction

admin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:18:45 +0000

Dikembe Mutombo is accused of encouraging a failed Congolese gold transaction
Dikembe Mutombo (Getty Images) The lasting image of Dikembe Mutombo as an NBA All-Star, goofy guy, and well-earned reputation as a humanitarian took a huge hit on Monday with a shocking Houston Chronicle report that details the former Defensive Player of the Year’s role in an alleged failed gold scheme centered around Mutombo’s former Congolese home. In the Chronicle feature, based around a United Nations report, Mutombo allegedly acted as a go-between that worked as a conduit spaced between his nephews and a Texan oil man that was set to purchase over a thousand pounds of gold from the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, valued at over $10 million, just a quarter of what Dikembe bragged to have ready for sale. Here’s a snippet from the Chronicle piece: More surprising was the Mutombo contingent’s proposal: the purchase of 1,045 pounds of gold that would generate $10 million in profits to be divided three ways 40 percent to Lawal, 30 percent to St. Mary and 30 percent to the Mutombo family. And there was the promise of more gold to come. The U.N. report said Reagan Mutombo and the Kapuadis ran through a PowerPoint presentation, complete with slides of gold bullion and the admonition, underlined, that “highest discretion and confidentiality is a priority.” Initially, the Kapuadis said, the group would act as the buyer, and a valid license to import gold or minerals was mandatory. There was no discussion of conflict minerals, the broad term that refers to gold and three other minerals used in electronics and other industries, and the production of which often involves forced labor and helps fund armed conflict. Dikembe Mutombo represented that the gold belonged to him and “his people,” said St. Mary. The “Lawal” in question is Kase Lawal, the Houston-based chairman of an energy company. He enlisted Carlos St. Mary (who provided much of the on-record information to the Chronicle) to run the transaction, which ended with both warlords and government officials in Kenya seizing Lawal’s plane, the gold and $6.6 million in cash. The entire failed transaction, according to the Chronicle, cost Lawal $30 million, though he didn’t see an ounce of the gold he was set to buy for a third of that price. “Conflict minerals” (described by the Chronicle as “gold and three other minerals used in electronics and other industries, and the production of which often involves forced labor and helps fund armed conflict”) were of enough concern of Dikembe that he met with two State Department officials in November of 2010 to try and encourage the U.S. to take more of an active role in discouraging the unlawful trade of the precious minerals. If St. Mary is to be believed (Lawal has since disassociated himself with his former go-between) and the U.N. timeline is correct, Mutombo was meeting with Lawal less than two weeks later to try and encourage the sale of over a thousand pounds of the conflict minerals belonging to “his people.” This may not be the most salacious reputation-destroyer around, but if St. Mary’s story is true, this is a pretty damning indictment that portrays Mutombo as quite the greedy hypocrite.

Murray dominates to win Brisbane title (AP)

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:18:05 +0000

Murray dominates to win Brisbane title (AP)
BRISBANE, Australia (AP)Andy Murray warmed up for the Australian Open with a commanding 6-1, 6-3 victory over third-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov on Sunday in the Brisbane International final. For the second consecutive match, Murray had Ivan Lendl watching from courtside. Aiming to break a drought for British men at the majors dating to 1936, Murray hired the eight-time Grand Slam tournament winner as coach earlier this month and the pair met up Saturday in Brisbane. The 24-year-old Murray has lost the past two Australian Open finals and is 0-3 in major finals. The Scots confidence high after capturing his 22nd ATP title, Murray will spend the next week in Melbourne preparing for the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 16. Murray, ranked No. 4, raced through the first set in 26 minutes. He didnt lose a point on his own serve until the last game, when the Ukrainian twice had breakpoint chances but was unable to convert. Murray won nine straight games from 1-1 in the first to take the match away from Dolgopolov, who rallied briefly by winning three in a rowincluding his only break against the Scot to get the second set back to 4-3. The 23-year-old Dolgopolov moved up to a year-end No. 15 in 2011 and is aiming for his second ATP title, but was never in contention in the final. He has lost all three of his matches against Murray, including the Australian Open quarterfinals last year.

Wizards hold team meeting, Andray Blatche talks accountability

admin — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 23:54:05 +0000

Wizards hold team meeting, Andray Blatche talks accountability
Andray Blatche (Getty Images/Fernando Medina) Last week, Wizards big man Andray Blatche grabbed headlines for calling out his coaches and teammates on Twitter for not getting him the ball in the paint. It was a questionable move for a guy whom the franchise hopes can become a team leader. However, if you wanted to take a more optimistic look at the situation, then Blatche was simply holding the Wizards accountable for their actions. That makes sense, right? As of this writing, the Wizards have lost all six of their games this season. To help deal with their many problems, veteran forward and vest enthusiast Maurice Evans called a players-only meeting. Blatche, of course, had some words about accountability, as well. From Frank Hanrahan at CSNWashington.com (via PBT): “We needed to address ourselves and identify what were some of the problems that the players can fix,” Evans said. “A lot of people are focusing on the coaching staff and management, but the players have to take some onus as well, and we have to look internally and find out who our leaders are.” Wizards forward Andray Blatche said the players had a good talk for about 15 to 20 minutes, airing grievances. “We are just trying to be more accountable,” Blatche said. “Everything that was said in there needed to be said and needed to be done.” Ah, I can’t imagine a better way for Blatche to lead this team than by airing grievances. He hasn’t done that in more than a week, so his teammates probably needed to hear everything all over again. What’s most telling here, though, is that Blatche spoke to Hanrahan and his colleagues as a leader. What’s bizarre about that approach isn’t so much that he wants to play that role, but that he seems to consider the role in terms of its trappings rather than the day-to-day duties of leading a team. It’s easy to talk to the media about players-only meetings and greet fans at the home opener, but leadership requires more basic actions like not calling out teammates in public or getting along with everyone on the team fine. Being a leader actually consists of very boring tasks, for the most part. Blatche is a very talented player capable of great things. But until he realizes that leadership roles require full attitude adjustments, he’s going to be the subject of posts like this one.

Festival hope Rev planning to live it up at Doncaster

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:54:12 +0000

Festival hope Rev planning to live it up at Doncaster
You are here: Betting Guide Horse Racing Festival hope Rev planning to live it up at Doncaster Tim Vaughans promising young staying hurdler Rev It Up could next be seen in action at Doncaster in January where a tilt at the Grade 2 Albert Bartlett River Don Novice Hurdle looks very much on the cards, writes Elliot Slater. A likely sort for the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle itself at the Cheltenham Festival in March, Vaughans five-year-old, a winning point-to pointer in his native Ireland having scored between the flags at Rathcannon in February, joined the Welsh handler having been purchased for 30,000 guineas at the Ascot Sales in April and has looked worth every penny invested by his new owners The Bill and Ben Partnership. Those looking at the latest online Cheltenham Festival betting should remember this. An 8/1 chance for his hurdles bow at Chepstow in October, Rev It Up made most of the running and stayed on well to score by a length from Dualla Lord then followed up under his penalty at Ffos Las a month later making every yard and running on powerfully in the closing stages of the three-mile affair to give weight and a beating to Ardkilly Gunner. After such a performance connections decided to try their hand at a much higher level and must have been very pleased with the result as the gelded son of Revoque ran a good second to the smart Deireadh Re in the Grade 2 Bristol Novices Hurdle, a performance that heralded his arrivalas a genuine contender for honours later in the season on the bigger stages. A trip to South Yorkshire now appears to be on the cards for Rev It Up, a horse for whom connections have very high hopes that he might take them to all the top festival meetings this term especially if he gets his much needed soft ground, something that is far from guaranteed however at both Cheltenham and Aintree. Related Articles:Dooneys yet another live hope for Mullins Arbor a live Grand National hope for red-hot Mullins Cheltenham Festival Preview Racing: Cheltenham Festival 2008 Betting Preview National hope Midnight out to regain the winning thread Written by Bet123 Filed Under Horse Racing Comments