Cooke hit, GM meetings give NHL shot to protect players
Hockey Betting Lines
03/09/2010 -
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Here we go again.
The NHL has yet another chance to address the issue of blows to the head, and
while it's never a good thing when a questionable hit brings the topic into the
limelight, the latest infraction may been perfectly timed to affect change.
On Sunday, Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke leveled Boston Bruins star Marc Savard with
a blind side hit to the head. Like several hits we've seen this year, it was
vicious, and it once again brought to the forefront the debate on whether
something needs to be done to better protect players.
Cooke's hit came just one day before the NHL's annual general manager
meetings, putting even more pressure on the league to fix the problem. The GMs
are currently gathered in Boca Raton and although it was already on the
docket, the issue of head hits is really the only issue that matters now.
In short, they need to come up with some kind of an answer before the meetings
conclude on Wednesday.
The league owes it players like Savard, who has been diagnosed with a Grade
Two concussion as a result of the hit, to finally come up with something
concrete that will in some way make players safer from head injuries. After
all, Savard is a huge part of the Bruins' offense and may wind up missing the
rest of the season because of Cooke's action.
Even Cooke's teammate, Sidney Crosby, seemed open to rule changes after
Sunday's incident.
The Penguins captain and resident superstar said, "At some point there's got
to be a clear indication from the league, because we've seen this so many
times now."
And that's the most important thing for the NHL to come up with in Florida,
some sort of "clear indication" as to what is illegal.
As of now, the NHL only considers it to be a dirty hit if an elbow is
delivered to the head, and not if contact is made with a shoulder. All hits to
the head have been banned in international play, and we didn't see anybody
trying to cross that line during the Olympics, so maybe it could work in the
NHL.
But what Crosby implied in his statement is what the NHL needs to come up with
immediately -- a tangible rule change. It doesn't have to be a drastic change
like the IIHF's zero tolerance policy on head hits. Not that we have to worry
about that really, after all this is the NHL, which should never be confused
with an organization receptive to big changes.
But, under the current NHL rules, the Cooke hit did not even draw a penalty,
despite the fact that it caught a player from the blind side and was also
delivered well after Savard released the puck. The officials apparently didn't
think it was late and they saw that it was a shoulder hit so they let Cooke
skate by without a penalty.
Yet when you watch the video, and see Savard lying unconscious on the ice, can
you really feel that Cooke did nothing wrong? Is it possible that the GMs
could watch that replay over and over and think that the rules of the game, as
they are now, are sufficient to protect players?
A possible solution that is being kicked around in the blogoshpere is the
banning of blind-side hits by the NHL. That would certainly draw a line
against at least one type of dangerous hits.
After all, Savard wasn't irresponsibly skating with his head down, he was
simply in the act of shooting when he was obliterated by a player he couldn't
possibly have seen. Hardly seems fair.
A zero tolerance policy on blind-side hits, if enforced, would be a good
starting point and would prove to the NHL Players Association that the league
is serious about protecting its players.
The NHLPA has been way ahead of the league in identifying hits to the head as a
major problem. Why wouldn't they be...the NHLPA has seen over 200 concussions
reported by players over the last two and a half years and they have to answer
to their members when it comes to medical coverage.
As far as Cooke's suspension, the penalty of games should reach double-digits,
but as usual, the NHL brass will most likely fall short of expectations. Colin
Campbell, the NHL director of hockey operations and the man in charge of
suspensions, has routinely shown a lack of interest in making examples of
players.
The league even failed to give Philadelphia's Mike Richards a single game for
his notorious hit on Florida's David Booth earlier this season. That wasn't
officially Campbell's decision, since he recused himself from ruling on the
incident because his son Gregory plays for the Panthers, but clearly his
underlings were just following the precedent the director has set time and
time again.
Oh yeah, about the Richards hit, it occurred on October 24 and Booth didn't
see action in another game until January 31. Not that the league knew Booth
would miss over three months due to his concussion, but looking back, it seems
impossible that Richards didn't have to sit out a single game for his head
hit.
Missing the boat with Richards is just another reason why the NHL needs to
seize their moment in Boca Raton. If they won't stand up for the players now,
it seems unlikely that they ever will.
<< Rooney returns to training for United
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United has been handed a big
boost ahead of Wednesday's Champions League last 16 second leg clash with AC
Milan after Wayne Rooney was able to take part in training on Tuesday morning.
Roon
<< Dallas officially adds Hartman
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Dallas acquired goalkeeper Kevin Hartman from
the Kansas City Wizards for a second-round pick in the 2012 draft and signed
him to a contract, the Major League Soccer clubs announced.
"I'm excited to be in
<< Rapids sign goalkeeper Joyce
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rapids signed goalkeeper
Ian Joyce, the Major League Soccer club announced on Tuesday. The Rapids also
announced the club released forward Facundo Diz and did not offer a contract
to 2010
<< Clark, Randle El to return to Steelers
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Steelers have reportedly
agreed to terms with safety Ryan Clark and are also set to bring wide receiver
Antwaan Randle El back to the Steel City.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazet
<< Where do the Twins go from here?
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - You could almost hear a collective groan this morning, from
Minneapolis all the way down to Fort Myers, as the news began to circulate that
Minnesota Twins closer Joe Nathan could be lost for the season because of a
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NBA suspends Granger, Frye >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Basketball Association on Tuesday
levied one-game suspensions without pay against Indiana Pacers forward Danny
Granger and Phoenix Suns center Channing Frye.
Both men were hit with the penal
Edwards receives three-race probation for Atlanta incident >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carl Edwards avoided suspension but
received a three-race probation period from NASCAR after intentionally
wrecking Brad Keselowski in last Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor
Speedwa
Rangers acquire Ramirez from Yankees >>
Surprise, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have acquired pitcher Edwar
Ramirez from the New York Yankees in exchange for cash considerations.
Ramirez was designated for assignment in late February when the Yankees signed
Chan Ho Park
Sorgi to back up other Manning >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants inked quarterback
Jim Sorgi on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old Wisconsin product, who was the backup to Peyton Manning in
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Turf to Dirt Angle Works Best >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both of Saturday's three-year-old
Kentucky Derby preps were won by horses that raced on the turf in their
previous start. One was favored at Aqueduct while the other was the sixth
choice in the betting at S
Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends
We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS. Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned. For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go. As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190). Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet. For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction. On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later. Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick. Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com
New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors
Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season.
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls
Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times.
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons
Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season.
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers
In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS.
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”. With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit. Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
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