Sports Betting Professor http://www.sportsbettingprofessor.com/blog Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:36:53 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en NFC East Preview http://www.sportsbettingprofessor.com/blog/?p=19121 Brett Favre’s Future http://www.sportsbettingprofessor.com/blog/?p=19119 NFL Preview: AFC West http://www.sportsbettingprofessor.com/blog/?p=19115 Some 2011 NBA Futures Talk http://www.sportsbettingprofessor.com/blog/?p=19113 Devine, Sanders stay the course at West Virginia MORGANTOWN, W. Va. -- From almost the moment they arrived in college together, West Virginia teammates Noel Devine and Jock Sanders shared a motto: Three and out.

They repeated that phrase to each other all the time, reminding themselves that after three years on campus, they'd both be bolting for the NFL. During the buildup to the Gator Bowl in January, the plan remained the same.

"Our mindset was to have a good bowl game, go out with a bang and rack up a bunch of yards," Sanders said. "And then we're gone."

But a funny thing happened on their way out of town. The two best friends realized they weren't quite ready to leave college and start their professional careers. Two city kids from Florida had found a home in the hills of West Virginia. Three and out turned into stay for four.

And their return -- which West Virginia coach Bill Stewart called his best recruiting coup of the offseason -- injects major hope into this year for the Mountaineers, who have more starters back (18) than any other Big East team.

"They're our two bell cows," Stewart said. "They get everything started."

Stewart awarded different colored jerseys to each player during the winter conditioning program based upon each individual's effort. A gold jersey meant the player was working at a championship level. Blue signified solid if not spectacular performance. A brown jersey -- well, you can probably figure out what brown stood for. Devine and Sanders were pure gold the entire offseason.

Those two seemed like an unlikely pair of senior leaders earlier in their career. Devine endured a difficult upbringing and faced questions about his character in high school. Sanders has landed in the doghouse a couple of times in college, including a suspension last spring and summer following a DUI arrest near campus. But both have grown up.

"It's all about trust," Stewart says. "They trust us, and we trust them. They've matured a lot. It just takes time."

Of the two, Devine's return to college registered as the bigger surprise. One of the most dynamic runners in the country, he averaged 6.1 yards per carry on his way to 1,465 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. His background also seemed to suggest that he was ready to collect an NFL paycheck. Both his parents died of AIDS before he turned 12 years old, and he has fathered three children.

Devine looked into his NFL prospects after the Gator Bowl, but in the end he said he didn't feel like he was ready to handle a professional lifestyle just yet.

"Coming from where I come from, you just want to be the best and be able to help your community," Devine said. "That's why I always said, 'Three and out.' But I learned it's not all about that."

Sanders started thinking the same way, especially after a lackluster Gator Bowl showing in a loss to Florida State. The receiver/running back/return man registered a career-best 72 catches last season, one of the highest totals in West Virginia history. Still, he wants more.

"To me, 72 catches is average," he said. "I want to be a 100-plus guy this year."

Each player's decision to return became easier when both settled on it. Though Sanders and Devine didn't meet until after high school, they formed an easy and immediate bond based on common backgrounds. Both grew up in Florida cities -- Devine is from Fort Myers, Sanders from St. Petersburg. They've both been doubted because of their size -- Devine is listed at 5-foot-8, while Sanders is 5-7.

They're nearly interchangeable on the field, with Sanders occasionally filling in for Devine at tailback. Off the field, they're inseparable.

"We have a brotherly bond," Devine said. "I told him, 'I can't picture myself here without you. I can't imagine not being at the [NFL] combine together, pushing each other.'"

They've also found an unlikely home in Morgantown, which is worlds away from the inner cities in which they were raised. Devine knew plenty of hardship growing up and once witnessed a friend get shot and killed in front of him. In Morgantown, he and Sanders like to walk to the top of a hill and appreciate the changing colors of the trees in spring and fall.

"We got away from something we thought was good but really wasn't," Devine said. "There was so much negativity around the areas where we come from. Going back home now, you find yourself being kind of lost. Here, it's calmer and there's less going on. That's when you can really get your mind right."

Devine wants to provide an example to other kids who grow up in tough areas and show them what they can accomplish. He and Sanders are both on track to graduate in December, which is something they never imagined achieving with their three-and-out plan. The stay-for-four revision could produce better results for both them and West Virginia.

"This is the best decision we could have made," Sanders said.]]> http://www.sportsbettingprofessor.com/blog/?p=18482 Daniel Snyder’s fed up with Haynesworth We've talked about how Daniel Snyder has taken a less intrusive approach since Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen have taken over, but the Redskins owner made some pointed comments during an appearance at a club charity function Saturday. It turns out that Shanahan's not the only one frustrated with Albert Haynesworth's no-show to the team's "voluntary" offseason workouts.

"Yeah, I'm disappointed he's not here. Absolutely," said Snyder. "We're expecting our players to lead by example, and we're expecting our players to understand that they're Redskins and they need to be there."

To borrow a line from T.O.'s former publicist, the unflappable Kim Etheredge, Haynesworth has $32 million reasons to be at Redskins Park this offseason. That's how much guaranteed money he's been paid by Snyder over the past 15 months. Haynesworth and Shanahan have basically engaged in a public standoff over the last couple months. And I think it's important to Shanahan that his players see him prevail.

That's why it still would not surprise me to see Haynesworth traded sometime before the season. Even if he shows up at next month's mandatory minicamp as expected, it's going to be a distraction. I'm sure defensive coordinator Jim Haslett hates the fact that he'll have to spoonfeed the new defense to Haynesworth while the rest of his unit is weeks ahead in the transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4 scheme. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing what type of shape Haynesworth's in after all the work he's put in with that trainer in Nashville. Have we gotten the name of that trainer yet?

Haynesworth is either the most stubborn player in the league -- or the most ungrateful. And judging by the words coming out of Redskins Park, he's losing his battle with Shanahan. Everyone else in the organization has vowed allegiance to Shanahan. And if Haynesworth has any supporters, they're wisely keeping it to themselves.

By the way, I'm on vacation for the next week. But we'll have daily Beastlines and commentary from the excellent Matt Williamson to keep things rolling. Enjoy the time off -- from me.]]> http://www.sportsbettingprofessor.com/blog/?p=19111 CSU creates scholarship in honor of former player Colorado State announced that head football coach Steve Fairchild would award the Keli S. McGregor Memorial Football Scholarship to a walk-on player, honoring former Colorado State football player Keli McGregor, who unexpectedly passed away April 20.

McGregor, who was the president of the Colorado Rockies when he died, joined the CSU football team as a walk-on in 1981 and earned a scholarship in 1982. He earned All-American honors as a senior in 1984. The Denver Broncos selected McGregor in the fourth round of the 1985 draft.

According to a release by the school:

An endowment, this scholarship fund perennially will inspire CSU football players in to follow his example, work ethic, dedication and diligence, both on the gridiron and in the classroom.



The recipient of the first McGregor scholarship will be announced at the Green & Gold Gala in Denver on May 22. One player will have the scholarship until he graduates; it will not be awarded annually.

The Colorado State football team also will honor McGregor by affixing his number 88 to every football helmet in 2010 and will hold Keli McGregor Day at the Rams Sept. 25 home football game against Idaho.]]> http://www.sportsbettingprofessor.com/blog/?p=18483 View from the bottom: Q&A with Wright Waters, Part II Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters has been through conference expansion before and knows the effect it can have on college football. While he doesn't think his conference will be affected by expansion, he gives a unique perspective about the hottest topic in sports.

Here's Part II of my conversation with commissioner Waters:

Why do you think expansion talk is all starting to happen now? Why has it become the hot thing to do within the last four or five months?

WW: In the words of Deep Throat: Follow the money. It’s not rocket science. These are becoming very expensive propositions and the reasons why you may see the Big Ten and the SEC do something may be entirely different than what the next group does, which may be entirely different from what the next group does.

Is everybody really waiting on the Big Ten? I know that seems to be the popular theory, but the Pac-10 shouldn’t have to wait on the Big Ten because their areas don’t cross over.

WW: Well, that’s when you start looking at the personality of commissioners. Ultimately, it’s going to be commissioners working with presidents and again are you proactive or are you reactive? There are leagues right now that could be very proactive that are not publicly, at least, in the conversation but they may be privately working like hell.

Which leagues are we talking about?


WW: I don’t know enough to confirm it.

In the long run, who do you think this has more of an effect on? The automatic qualifiers or the nonautomatic qualifiers?

WW: I think the automatic qualifiers because of the shifting of teams from one conference to another.

Do you think the non-AQs will survive after this?

WW: Sure.

But how different do you think the landscape will be and what will the opportunities for those teams to play in the BCS be?

WW: We don’t know yet. If [Big Ten commissioner] Jim [Delany] goes to 12, you may see precious little change. If Jim goes to 16 and those dominoes start moving, you may see a lot of change. But nothing happens at the bottom. It happens at the top. It goes downhill. It’s the plumbing theory. It all flows down.

If the Big Ten went to 16 and the other conferences followed suit, the BCS would obviously have to change, right?

WW: I think that’s part of what will trigger the next round. If Jim goes to 16 then he’s not going to be happy with the rule that says you cant have but two teams in the BCS. I wouldn’t if I were him. And you know what? He’s right. With 16 quality institutions, that’s a pretty hard pill to swallow.

When do you think this will all come to a hilt?

WW: It’s the annual June story. We’ll keep talking about it for the next three months, four months and then it will get old and we’ll move on to something else.]]> http://www.sportsbettingprofessor.com/blog/?p=19109 Links: WAC commish talks expansion WAC commissioner Karl Benson, who was in Las Cruces, N.M., on Thursday for the WAC softball tournament, gave his thoughts on conference expansion.

North Texas athletic director Rick Villarreal had his contract extended through 2015.

Ted Hutton of the Sun Sentinel continues to explore possibilities of Florida Atlantic leaving the Sun Belt Conference.

Boise State’s guarantee game against Ole Miss provides a good model for Hawaii, which is looking for similarly lucrative contracts.]]> http://www.sportsbettingprofessor.com/blog/?p=19108 UNLV assistant Gregorak will not be retained UNLV football assistant coach Ty Gregorak was formally charged with a felony count of trespass of an automobile with intent to commit a crime and a misdemeanor theft count by the Boulder, Colo., District Attorney's office in Boulder, Colo., on Thursday.

The news prompted UNLV athletic director Jim Livengood to tell Gregorak that he could resign or wait until his contract was up on June 30. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Gregorak has not yet resigned.

Gregorak was arrested in Boulder, Colo., last Friday after police said he took a loaded handgun and wallet from a bouncer at a downtown strip club.

Gregorak was turned away from the Nitro Club on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall after bouncer Joseph Benedetto determined Gregorak was too intoxicated to enter the club. Gregorak went to the bouncer’s car in a nearby parking garage, broke into it and took a wallet from the center console and a loaded .45-caliber Glock 36 handgun from the glove compartment.

Later that day, Gregorak went to Benedetto’s home to return the stolen items and apologize. Benedetto accepted the apology but took down the license plate number of Gregorak’s rental car and called the police.

Gregorak, who is the Rebels’ linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator, is a former Colorado football player and was in town for personal reasons.]]> http://www.sportsbettingprofessor.com/blog/?p=19107