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02/12/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - I know we are on the eve of NBA All-Star weekend, a time that's supposed to be a celebration of the game, unless Pacman Jones happens to be in town.
But, as the resident negativo here at The Sportsbook Betting Lines, I'm going to have to take the time All-Star weekend affords to examine why the NBA gets a free pass on the steroids issue.
Most of it stems from lack of education.
In fact, "steroids" are just a narrow part of the performance-enhancing drugs trade. When most people think steroids, they picture a thickly muscled bodybuilder or pro wrestler. But, understand that athletes use different performance enhancers for different reasons.
In the predetermined world of professional wrestling, guys are training for a look. In cycling, perhaps the most tainted sport of them all, they are training for endurance. Heck, Human Growth Hormone, which is all the rage among Hollywood's elite and the sports world's highest-paid, isn't even a steroid.
People just don't understand how a skinny guy like Floyd Landis or an obese blob like NFL defensive tackle Grady Jackson could be using performance- enhancers.
So, while sitting through the torture of yet another "five-minute pit stop" at our local Pinewood Derby last Saturday, I was awakened out of my stupor by a series of rapid texts.
Everyone was trying to inform me that my old friend from Minneapolis, Selena Roberts, decided to play single white female...I mean Pedro Gomez...to Alex Rodriguez and released the results of the perennial All-Star's obvious chemical past.
My cell was blowing up, and most of the messages expressed utter shock.
Remember, Alex was the one with the cape that was going to clean up all of baseball's mistakes and make the home run record pure again. Of course, Ken Griffey Jr. would have gotten there first if he didn't tear a muscle every time he rolled out of bed, but I digress.
My thoughts were a little different.
It's not like I have a problem suspending my disbelief. I know Matt Damon isn't really Jason Bourne and Daniel Craig isn't 007 but for the two hours I am in that movie theatre, I believe. I'm even a big wrestling fan and there is nothing better than watching Adam "Edge" Copeland and Randy Orton at the top of their games.
But, Alex Rodriguez - clean?
I was always taught that if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...it's probably a duck. The fact that A-Rod looks more equipped to play middle linebacker than, say, Ray Lewis, should have probably been a dead giveaway.
Everybody, and I mean everybody, is tied to some kind of performance-enhancer in Donald Fehr's world. In fact, I think you get a free cycle when you pay your union dues.
So, now we know...baseball is filthy and football isn't far behind but what about basketball?
Surely, the NBA is clean. I mean why would basketball players need to look like Triple H or be as powerful as Shawne Merriman?
Well, that thinking is rather specious and narrow-minded.
The great basketball players draw from a wide variety of athletic gifts. They need strength, speed, quickness and endurance to excel and guess what?...There are a whole host of performance-enhancing drugs able to deliver that.
Tune into NBA TV and watch some of those classic games from the 1980s. Look at players like Michael Cooper and Andrew Toney as opposed to their peers from today's game. The change in body types is every bit as striking as in Major League Baseball.
Cooper was a rail-thin defensive specialist, maybe the best pure on-ball defender of his generation. His thin frame would be abused on the low blocks today.
Toney, meanwhile, was a natural scorer that used a lethal combination of quickness and strength to morph into "The Boston Strangler." In today's game, "Android the Scoring Machine" would be an undersized two-guard.
The movie just ended for me.
The house lights are on and my eyes are wide open.
How about you?
<< Zvonareva, Wozniacki land in Pattaya City quarters
Pattaya City, Thailand (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top seeds Vera Zvonareva of
Russia and Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki highlighted Thursday's second-round
winners at the $220,000 Pattaya Open.
The world No. 5 Olympic bronze medalist
<< Blues vying for another win over Predators
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues will try to remain perfect this season
versus the Nashville Predators when the two teams square off tonight at the
Sommet Center.
The Blues have won all three of their 2008-09 meetings with the Predator
<< Scorching Red Wings put streak on line against Wild
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings will try to match their longest
winning streak of the season tonight, when they take on the Minnesota Wild at
Joe Louis Arena.
The Red Wings have yet to lose in the month of February, winning all five
<< Streaking Kings welcome Flames to LA
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After putting together an incredibly successful road trip,
the Los Angeles Kings return to the Staples Center tonight to take on the
Calgary Flames in a matchup of teams currently headed in opposite directions.
Los Angeles
Bengals re-sign FB Coats >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals signed fullback/tight
end Daniel Coats on Thursday.
A two-year veteran who was undrafted out of Brigham Young, he owns 14 catches
for 141 yards in 31 games. Coats had two receptions f
Golf Tidbits: Thorpe in trouble for not paying taxes >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The list of people that have been accused
or found guilty of tax evasion or tax fraud is long and distinguished. Actors,
musicians, sports figures, and activists dot the list of famous people that
have been
Galaxy set deadline for Beckham deal >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Galaxy have told AC Milan it must
agree to a deal by Friday if they want to sign David Beckham.
Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber imposed the deadline on Wednesday
evening.
"There
Giggs signs one-year extension with United >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran Manchester United midfielder
Ryan Giggs has agreed a new one-year contract extension that will keep him at
Old Trafford until the end of next season.
The 35-year-old made his debut for th
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards
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