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admin — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 14:36:24 +0000

Premiership Soccer Picks
13th – 14th November 201013th November 2010 Aston Villa (5.5) Draw (3.6) Manchester United (1.83) Villa have many injuries ahead of this game, influential players such as Carew and Heskey. Midweek they were unconvincing in their win over Blackpool. Another draw on the road for Manchester United see the slipping further behind Chelsea. They did beta Stoke though and Manchester City is not as easy place to go. A lack of scoring is a little worrying with only Nani in good form now. Villa has traditionally done badly against Manchester United but in the last 2 seasons this fixture has been a draw. X2 for sure but which one? I prefer the draw as Manchester United haven’t shown they can win against top sides away from home. Its 3.6 at VC Bet. Manchester City (1.44) Draw (4.5) Birmingham (9) City would have been happy with their 0-0 against Manchester United. They are still further behind Chelsea but they are more comfortable in 4th place now. Looks like Mancini will be a little more attacking minded this game after the rather defensive play last game. Birmingham fought back from 2-0 against Stoke to make it 2-2 but then lost with a late goal. Thats a never say die attitude that Birmingham have. The stats aren’t kind to Birmingham on the road this year though, 0-3-3. Home win for me. Its 1.44 at VC Bet. Newcastle United (2) Draw (3.5) Fulham (4.33) Its almost unreal that Newcastle sit 5th. After writing them off at the start of the season, I have to change my opinion. The 1-0 win at Arsenal last week has got to be their finest moment this season for sure. Carroll is scoring for fun. Only problem is that their home form is inconsistent to say the least. Fulham are never good on the road. I can’t remember the last win they had. Certainly not one this season. They do draw a lot games though. Draw at Villa last week. I am willing to bet on the home win here. Newcastle have been hammering teams when they have won (6-0 and 5-1) at home so I’ll take a chance and got for Newcastle -1 on the 1X2 handicap at 3.6 at bet365. The straight win is 2.0. Tottenham (1.67) Draw (4) Blackburn (6) Spurs seemed to have peaked with their win at Inter. A loss at Blackburn then a draw at home to Sunderland see their chances of hitting 4th place again look slim even at this early stage of the season. Injuries to key players are costing them. Pavlyuchenko, Keanne and Defoe are all out. As for Blackburn, they have found their goal scorer in Jason Roberts. Excellent win for them at Newcastle midweek. 2 wins on the bounce for them now, both 2-1. Poor odds for Spurs considering their injuries and Blackburn’s recent form. For some reason though, teams outside the top 4 seem to struggle to string a 3 wins in a row together. I am going for an overs bet. Over 2.5 is 1.88 at bet365. Blackburn can score so Spurs will have to score 2 to win. West Ham (1.95) Draw (3.8) Blackpool (4.33) West Ham are in deep trouble now and this could be one of the most important games of the season for them. Surely if they are fighting a relegation battle it will be against Blackpool. They seem to have problems keeping leads. Grant should really be getting them to shut up shop once they go ahead. Blackpool may have been a little unlucky against Villa midweek. Just when it looked like they scored a late goal to take a point, Villa score again. Blackpool are a strange team. On paper they should not be in the Premiership but they just keep nicking the odds point here and there. Looks like an overs game but the odds are shocking for that. I think I will go for the Blackpool win. No way is 1.95 good for a team at the bottom of the table with only 1 win all season. I’ll go for them on the Asian Handicap. Its 2.05 +0.5 goals at bet365. Wigan (2.6) Draw (3.3) West Bromwich (3) A couple of strong performance recently for Wigan but only a single point. They’ll be happy with the point against Liverpool midweek though. Its not very often Wigan have gotten anything off the big teams. West Brom got out of jail a couple of times against West Ham. Twice they were behind but twice they manged to pull it back. I sort of think that maybe West Brom’s excellent run has come to an end now and the odds don’t fully reflect that. I’ll be backing Wigan. Its 2.6 at VC Bet. Wolverhampton (2.4) Draw (3.3) Bolton (3.25) Wolves have been playing well recently but against the opposition, they probably wouldn’t have even expected 3 points before the run. Chelsea, City, Manchester United and Arsenal all in row is harsh for any team. They did manage to beat City and played fantastic against Arsenal and Manchester United. Bolton will should be a more winnable game. Bolton are a tough nut to crack nowadays. They were only seconds away from beating Everton midweek. They manged to knock 4 past Spurs last week too with Kevin Davis getting 2. I will back Wolves this game. If they don’t win this, they look like they will be fighting it out at the end of season for relegation. Playing well and losing, unfortunately, doesn’t get you any points. Wolves win is 2.4 at VC Bet. Stoke (3.75) Draw (3.4) Liverpool (2.2) Stoke won their last game against Birmingham with a late goal. Not a very convincing win but at least they managed to score 3 goals and we all know goals win games. Liverpool were excellent in their win over Chelsea. Maybe they put too much effort in to it because against Wigan they looked tired and a draw was a good result considering Wigan were the better side on the day. I am still not convince this Liverpool side is good enough to be backed away from home at 2.2 yet. Much better value on the draw I think. Its 3.4 at Totesport. Everton (3.4) Draw (3.4) Arsenal (2.3) Everton are still an in form team despite a week of draws. Maybe they should have won those to be considered ‘in form’ but Bolton are a tough team to beat and Blackpool just seem to be playing above their level every week. Just when you think Arsenal are going to make a fight for the title, they go do something stupid like lose at home to Newcastle. They badly need to shoot more. They 2-0 scoreline at Wolves was a little flattening to them and Wolves didn’t really deserve to lose that game. For this, I think Everton are way over priced. I see this as an even contest so 2.5 maybe so the 3.4 at VC Bet is great. They’ll also want revenge for last season’s 6-1 thrashing. Chelsea (1.25) Draw (6.5) Sunderland (17) Chelsea seem to be stuttering their way to their now rather than cruising. A loss at Liverpool and 1-0 win at home to Fulham isn’t spectacular but no one else seems to be able to capitalise on it. They will miss Essien for this game which will be a big blow. Stanford Bridge has been an absolute fortress for them this season. They have won all 7 games and conceding zero goals. That run must come to an end sometime though. Sunderland responded well to the 5-1 thrashing at Newcastle with a win at Stoke and good draw at Spurs. Their away record still sucks though. I have been profiting from betting Chelsea to win to nil at home so I am not going to change a winning system. Its going to end sometime but might as well keeping betting on it while it works. It’s 1.83 at bet365.

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NASCAR Gambling – Ford 400 at Homestead Motor Speedway
It’s the final race of the NASCAR season and Jimmie Johnson has pretty much secured his third straight NASCAR Cup. It’s an amazing feat. I’m not sure anybody else has ever done that. Of course, the rules changed recently which allowed Johnson to coast through the regular season, just enough to get into the Chase, where he knew that his crew and his cars would outrun everybody….

The Leroy’s Money Talks Invitational Week 12 NFL and College Football Picks and Best Bets From Lance Blankenship versus Steve Mackinen
We are now into the final quarterfinal round of the Leroy’s Money Talks Invitational as professional gambler Lance Blankenship faced Steve Mackinen from Statfox. The Leroy’s Money Talks Invitational is a head to head contest between 16 contestants who vie for a grand prize “winner take all” of $80,000. Each contest participant put up $5,000 [...]

In online soccer betting, money wagered on a winning team that stages an upset pays out more money that bets placed on a favored team that wins. That is because the total amount paid out to winning bets comes from the pool of money spent on all the losing bets.

FIU’s Cristobal not leaving for Rutgers (AP)

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:59:49 +0000

FIU’s Cristobal not leaving for Rutgers (AP)
A person familiar with the negotiations says Rutgers is in contract discussions with Florida International’s Mario Cristobal to become the Scarlet Knights’ football coach. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Monday on condition of anonymity because the deal, first reported by The Star-Ledger, is not complete. Rutgers is replacing Greg Schiano, who left the school last week to become coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cristobal, a former Rutgers assistant under Schiano, just completed his fifth season at FIU. He is 24-38 with the Panthers but has led them to bowl games the past two seasons. Before taking over at the Miami-based school in 2007, Cristobal was an assistant at the University of Miami. ——— — AP Sports Writer Tom Canavan in Indianapolis contributed to this report.

Golf-Mickelson dumbfounded after woeful Torrey Pines start (Reuters)

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:53:52 +0000

Golf-Mickelson dumbfounded after woeful Torrey Pines start (Reuters)
SAN DIEGO, Jan 26 (Reuters) – Phil Mickelson, an unabashed fan of Torrey Pines where he has triumphed three times, was totally perplexed after battling to a five-over-par 77 in the opening round of the Farmers Insurance Open on Thursday. In near-perfect scoring conditions on the South Course picturesquely laid out on bluffs above the Pacific coastline, Mickelson mixed seven bogeys with two birdies to end a glorious day of sunshine a distant 15 strokes off the lead. He had a golden opportunity to finish his round with two consecutive birdies but missed a three-foot putt at the par-five 18th to match his second highest score at an event he has played 23 times. “I had some good days of practice and I was ready to play,” a dumfounded Mickelson told reporters. “I don’t know what happened. I just wasn’t able to focus. “Obviously, I made some bad swings just in the wrong spots and so forth, but I felt like my game was ready heading in. I don’t know what to say about the score because it was pathetic.” Asked why he had difficulty in focusing, Mickelson replied: “I just didn’t put the ball where I wanted to and see it clearly. I ended up making a lot of swings where I missed the ball in the wrong spot.” Mickelson, who lives in nearby Rancho Santa Fe, had high hopes for this week, having tied for 49th at the Humana Challenge on Sunday at La Quinta where he improved after opening with a two-over-par 74. “It’s a little disappointing that the first round here and the first round last week have been so poor, because I felt really ready and sharper than I have in a long time starting the year,” said the four-times major champion. “So to shoot those numbers, I don’t get it.” Mickelson, who this week is competing in his second PGA Tour event of the year, faces an uphill task to make the cut but he will at least have the easier North Course to negotiate in Friday’s second round. “There is an opportunity tomorrow to go really low over on the North if you play well,” the 41-year-old said. “I birdied 17 today and I thought I had a birdie on 18, but I missed that little one there. “That would have gotten me to a point where I thought if I could have shot six or seven under par on the North, I’d at least get here for the weekend and build some momentum.” Mickelson’s worst score at the Torrey Pines event was a 78 in the third round in 1978. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in San Diego; Editing by Frank Pingue; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Red Wings extend home win streak to 16 (AP)

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:18:04 +0000

Red Wings extend home win streak to 16 (AP)
DETROIT (AP)—The Red Wings are getting accustomed to living dangerously and winning. Valtteri Filppula scored in the fourth round of a shootout to give Detroit its 16th straight home victory, 3-2 over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night. The 16-game home winning streak tied Detroit with the 1975-76 Boston Bruins for the fourth-longest home winning streak in NHL history. Only the 1929-30 Boston Bruins and 1975-76 Philadelphia Flyers (20 each), and the 1970-71 Bruins (19) had longer home winning streaks. The Red Wings, first overall in the NHL with 65 points, have won six straight overall—four in shootouts and another in overtime. “We think we’re going to win, which is a real nice thing to have,” Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “But we can play better than we have, no question about it. So we don’t want to get into a rut playing like this, we want to play way better.” Niklas Kronwall and Nicklas Lidstrom scored for the Red Wings in regulation, and Jimmy Howard made 17 saves. Ryan Russell and Nikita Nikitin scored for Columbus, and Curtis Sanford stopped 29 shots. “Paying the price, playing hard, just not getting the results we want,” Blue Jackets interim coach Todd Richards said. Columbus is last in the league with 31 points. The teams traded power-play goals in the second period. Lidstrom tied it at 2, with 8:57 left in the period when his slap shot from the point bounced off the end boards and deflected in off Sanford’s pads for Lidstrom’s 10th goal. Nikitin gave the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead 8:43 into the period with a wrist shot from the high slot. Russell opened the scoring 8:51 into the game with his second goal. He put in a rebound off the heel of Howard’s glove. Kronwall tied it with 8:26 left in the first period when he beat Sanford from the high slot off the rush. It was Kronwall’s 11th goal. Nikitin was pushed into the boards by Henrik Zetterberg from behind during a Red Wings’ power play with 9:51 remaining and had to be helped off the ice with an apparent leg injury. Zetterberg received a boarding major and a game misconduct. “The puck went down to the corner and I chased down their defenseman. I had my hand on his back. I don’t think I pushed him hard.,” Zetterberg said. “He went down. It looked bad, it looks really bad, so I can’t blame the referee for giving me 5 minutes. I really don’t know what to say, it looks bad.” Columbus captain Rick Nash gave Zetterberg the benefit of the doubt. “It’s a dangerous play. But the whole league knows that he’s not that kind of a player,” Nash said. “I thought he was going for the puck. I don’t think Zetterberg is that kind of player.” Richards said there was no update on Nikitin after the game because the coach he had not yet had a chance to talk to the team’s trainers. Zetterberg said he had not talked to Nikitin but said he would see if the Blue Jackets defensemen was still at the arena and try to talk to him. NOTES: Columbus signed former Detroit defenseman Brett Lebda on Thursday. He was a healthy scratch Saturday night. … The Red Wings had only three goals on their previous 42 power plays before Lidstrom connected in the second period.

Bulls improve to 15-3 without Rose, Noah (AP)

admin — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 06:35:59 +0000

Bulls improve to 15-3 without Rose, Noah (AP)
CHICAGO (AP)—Injuries. Brutal scheduling. Heavy travel. Nothing seems to faze the Chicago Bulls. Carlos Boozer scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half to lead the injury-depleted Bulls to a 95-89 win over the struggling Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night. Luol Deng added 22 points and eight rebounds as the Bulls won their seventh straight at home and improved to an NBA-best 15-3 despite the absence of two starters and two key reserves. “We’d like to be healthy, but we do a good job of stepping up when we have guys out,” Boozer said. “We have a lot of guys that can play on this team. I think we’re the deepest team in the league.” Richard Hamilton added a season-high 20 points for Chicago and is fitting in well during his first season with the Bulls. “When guys are hurt, they cheer for guys that are out on the floor,” Hamilton said. “In the NBA, that’s hard to find.” The Bulls played their fourth straight game without reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose (sprained left big toe). They also were missing starting center Joakim Noah, a late scratch because of a left ankle sprain. Reserves Taj Gibson (left ankle sprain) and John Lucas III (left groin strain) also sat out, but the Bulls had plenty of firepower left on the roster. “We have the right guys,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “No matter who is out, we have enough to win with. These guys play for each other and they play to win.” The talk of the locker room after the game was the play veteran guard Mike James, who took Lucas’ place as the backup point guard and had nine points and a team-high 10 assists, his most since Dec. 27, 2008. James was signed by the Bulls on Jan. 11 to add depth to the bench. Chicago is his 10th team in 10 NBA seasons and he thinks he sees something special in his latest squad. “When you play with a team that really wants to make the extra pass for the next player and there is not a lot of selfishness on the team, you just have to blend in,” James said. “You can’t be the lone wolf and think it’s all about you.” James worked well with Boozer, as Thibodeau called a number of pick-and-rolls for the veteran duo. Boozer is averaging 24 points over his last three games. “Carlos has been playing at a very high level now for a number of games,” Thibodeau said. “He’s in rhythm, he’s walking into his shots, he’s got great balance.” Omer Asik made his first career start in place of Noah and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. C.J. Watson started for Rose at point guard and had 11 points and nine assists. Watson is averaging 16.5 points and six assists in his last four games after missing nine games because of an elbow injury. Gerald Henderson Jr. led Charlotte with 22 points, but the Bobcats lost their fifth consecutive road game. They have dropped nine of 10 overall. With the Bobcats coming off three days’ rest and facing a shortened Chicago rotation, Charlotte coach Paul Silas expected better. “Not having all of their players here, I thought we had a legitimate shot tonight,” Silas said. “But it just didn’t turn out that way.” Byron Mullens added 17 points for the Bobcats. Charlotte started undersized point guards D.J. Augustin and Kemba Walker together in the backcourt for the fourth straight game, but the quick lineup struggled against Chicago’s defense, which leads the league in fewest points allowed per game. Walker scored just four points, Augustin had three and neither player was on the floor down the stretch. “Somehow we didn’t have the right attitude tonight and it puzzled me,” Silas said. “We had three days off. I thought we’d really come out with a lot of energy and intensity tonight and we just didn’t have it. I don’t know what it was.” The bright spot for Charlotte was Henderson, who is averaging 21.8 points on 32-of-55 shooting in his last four games since moving from shooting guard to small forward. “We didn’t play all that bad,” Henderson said. “We couldn’t get into that lead close enough to where we could compete at the end of the game.” Deng led a late second-quarter charge and his putback dunk off a missed 3 by Kyle Korver capped an 11-2 Bulls run to end the first half. Chicago led 50-43 at the break. “That’s the value of Lu,” Thibodeau said. “He really is the glue to our team. There is nothing that he doesn’t do well.” The Bulls pushed their lead to 11 in the third quarter as Boozer scored 15 points and Hamilton added 10, which offset the 13-point period from Henderson. That set up a drama-free finish for a team that James expects to play deep into the postseason. “You can just feel the vibe and the love because everyone wants to win,” James said. “It’s not just about individual stats. That’s a championship locker room, that’s a championship team.” NOTES: The Bulls have won 33 of their last 35 home games. . The Bulls are 7-0 at the United Center for the first time since 1996-97. . Bobcats forward D.J. White left with a bruised left knee during the second quarter and did not return.

Steelers off. coordinator Arians retires (AP)

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:36:02 +0000

Steelers off. coordinator Arians retires (AP)
PITTSBURGH (AP)—Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says offensive coordinator Bruce Arians is retiring from coaching. The 57-year-old Arians joined the Steelers as the wide receivers coach in 2004 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2007. Tomlin announced the move in a statement Friday, lauding Arians for “helping lead our offense to new heights.” Arians entered the NFL as a running backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1989 and served as Peyton Manning’s first quarterback coach. His NFL resume also includes stints with the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns.

Kloppenburg takes over lowly Shock (AP)

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:53:55 +0000

Kloppenburg takes over lowly Shock (AP)
TULSA, Okla. (AP)—As an assistant coach with the Indiana Fever, Gary Kloppenburg scouted the Tulsa Shock the last few years. So, when he learned that the Shock were looking for a head coach, he jumped at the opportunity. “Tulsa has a good core group of players,” Kloppenburg said Wednesday after being introduced as the Shock’s head coach. “There’s a very nice frontline core of players in Elizabeth Cambage, Kayla Pedersen and Tiffany Jackson. That’s something we can build with. If we add a few feature players, we can be competitive right away.” He seems to know a thing or two about the expansion process, having been on the original staff at Seattle. “Our first year at Seattle was dismal,” he said. “Then we got Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson and went to the playoffs within two years. One thing about this league, you can make a rapid rise if you make some good player moves. One or two players can make a difference. “Look at Seattle and Atlanta. Seattle went on to win a championship and Atlanta turned around their program in three years. This situation is very similar to what we had at Seattle.” He replaced Hall of Fame player Teresa Edwards, who took over on an interim basis after Nolan Richardson stepped down last season. Kloppenburg will be charged with improving the franchise with the league’s worst record of the past two seasons, following a relocation from Detroit. The Shock won only three games last season and are 9-59 in two seasons in Tulsa. “Tulsa seems like such a great fit. Tulsa was one of the teams I’ve scouted so I knew the level of talent. When we came in here in July with Indiana, we were surprised that it was a good crowd given the record. They were loud, they were rabid. “It’s our job to put an exciting team on the floor and get the fans back in the building.” Kloppenburg said it is important that the team get off to a quick start. “We want a great training so when we get to that first game, we’re really prepared,” he said. “We will be competitive with everyone in the league. Obviously, you want to compete for a championship every year. First things first, we want to put a solid basketball team on the court that can compete.” That’s all primary owner Bill Cameron needed to hear. “Anytime you change a head coach, it’s a key decision,” Cameron said. “We’re in this for the long term and we think we have the right guy. We’re absolutely confident we have the right guy. “I’m a competitive guy. I don’t like losing. So, it’s really critical to me to get this thing going. The level of performance we’ve had is not acceptable to us and we believe Gary is the right guy to help us do that. We’ve built a good, loyal fan base here. We appreciate the fans being with us during all the changes we’ve had. We will keep plugging away until we bring a championship home (to Tulsa).” Kloppenburg said there is much work to do in the coming months, from hiring a staff to scouting potential draft players to scouring the free agent lists. “We have a lot of work to do,” he said. “We’ll identify the players we need and we’ll get to work.” Kloppenburg is excited to build around some of the young talent already on the Shock roster. “Liz has a chance to be a once-in-a-lifetime player,” Kloppenburg said. “She needs some coaching, some development and she needs to be in a good system. Kayla and Tiff are very good frontline players. Ivory (Latta) is a fiery young guard. We have some pieces in place that we can keep building.”

Colts tab Eagles executive Grigson as GM (AP)

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:35:39 +0000

Colts tab Eagles executive Grigson as GM (AP)
The Colts’ new GM will have to make a decision about quarterback Peyton Manning’s future with the team.(Getty Images) INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Ryan Grigson is a big man walking into a big job in Indianapolis. The former offensive lineman was hired Wednesday as the new general manager of the Indianapolis Colts, a franchise facing some of the biggest questions in its long, storied history. He will have to make a quick decision about whether to keep coach Jim Caldwell, and then whether to build next season’s team around four-time league MVP Peyton Manning or probable No. 1 draft pick Andrew Luck. And it’s the first time he’s had this kind of power in the NFL. Grigson has spent the past nine years with Philadelphia, where he was named director of player personnel in 2010 after four years as college scouting director. He fit the profile owner Jim Irsay wanted after firing vice chairman Bill Polian and his son, Chris, the Colts’ GM, last week once the Colts had wrapped up a dismal 2-14 season that Manning missed completely as he recovers from Sept. 8 neck surgery. The 39-year-old Grigson will not have the same high profile or carry as much clout as Bill Polian did when he turned the Colts from a perennial also-ran into a perennial playoff team. But that’s not what Irsay was looking for. Instead, Irsay, a former GM himself, brought in somebody with an Indiana background. Before a back injury forced him to retire in 1997, Grigson was making his name as a prep player in Highland, Ind., and as a captain at Purdue. As a Boilermaker, he also survived a life-threatening illness that occurred after a blow to the abdomen during his junior season. A relative who answered the phone in Highland, Ind., said the family was “extremely excited” but had been asked to wait to make additional comments until after an afternoon news conference to introduce Grigson. In 1999, Grigson was hired by the St. Louis Rams as a national scout, helping the Rams win a Super Bowl title in his first season with the team. In 2001, the Rams promoted Grigson to area scout, a position he held until joining the Eagles as a regional scout in 2004. The Eagles went to the Super Bowl in his first season in Philly, too. He became the director of college scouting in 2006 before earning his next promotion in 2010. Now he has one of the toughest jobs in football. Right at the top, he must decide whether to keep Caldwell, who won the AFC title in 2009 and the AFC South crown in 2010. Then comes the decision about Manning, who is owed a $28 million bonus by March 8 or he will become an unrestricted free agent. And then he must decide what to do with a host of other big-name players whose contracts have expired. The list includes former Pro Bowlers Robert Mathis, Jeff Saturday and Reggie Wayne, who are all now in their 30s.

Former Jets assistant who resigned over tripping incident gets hired by Mora at UCLA

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:17:57 +0000

Former Jets assistant who resigned over tripping incident gets hired by Mora at UCLA
Alosi tripped Carroll on Dec. 13, 2010. Sal Alosi, the former New York Jets assistant coach who resigned in 2010 after intentionally tripping an opponent, is returning to the sidelines. He will join former NFL coach Jim Mora at UCLA, serving as the team’s coordinator of strength and conditioning. During a Jets’ punt return in a December 2010 game, Alosi stood with his feet spread widely on the sideline in an obvious attempt to trip Miami Dolphins’ special teamer Nolan Carroll. The incident was caught on camera, a national furor erupted and Alosi briefly became the NFL’s public enemy No. 1. He was later suspended without pay for the team’s remaining three regular season games and assessed a fine of $25,000. The team was fined $100,000 by the league for the “competitive violation.” Alosi resigned after the season. He’ll return to football as part of Mora’s new staff at UCLA. Alosi previously worked with the former Atlanta Falcons coach during the 2006 NFL season, the lone year of his career that wasn’t spent with the Jets. New UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone was a colleague of Alosi’s in New York. That Alosi is getting his second chance at a college, where coaches are supposed to be molding young men (at least in theory), may come as a surprise to some. It shouldn’t. He paid for his act, and then some and deserves a fresh start. An old quote from Mora sheds some light on why he may want Alosi. While he was coaching the Seattle Seahawks, Mora said he wanted “dirtbags” on his team. When pressed, he explained what he meant: “I mean it in a way that the guy just lives and breathes football. I’ve just gotta win, I’ve gotta knock someone down. I want to put someone on their butt every single play. That’s what I mean by dirtbag. I don’t mean a guy that goes out and drinks and drives and speeds or is bad to women or treats people poorly. You understand what I’m saying. I’m talking about in the confines of those six seconds between the snap and the whistle is a dirtbag.” By that definition, Sal Alosi fits the bill. The guy made a mistake, paid the price for a year and is getting a second chance

Picture: Nobody wants to sit next to Roger Goodell

admin — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 04:53:50 +0000

Picture: Nobody wants to sit next to Roger Goodell
2012-January-7-17-17-0 When NBC showed Roger Goodell sitting in a luxury box at the Houston Texans wild card game, the NFL commissioner was all alone in his row. Shutdown Corner theorizes five possible reasons why. 1. Three people in his row celebrated a Texans touchdown as a group; Goodell summarily suspended them. 2. Was bogarting the popcorn (see bright yellow arrow, in case it wasn’t clear enough). 3. George H.W. Bush had an ice luge in his luxury box. 4. Annoyed everyone by repeatedly reminding them that his signature is on the football. 5. Figured that a playoff game in Texas meant he was in Dallas and was waiting for Jerry Jones to show up. Thanks, @bubbaprog