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03/05/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Age guarantees a lot of things.
It's almost a give-and-take process. A lot of physical attributes like speed, strength and reaction time slow at the same time one's knowledge and wisdom are expanding.
It's almost a cruel joke, one that Allen Iverson is going through right now.
What "Father Time" doesn't guarantee is maturity, a learned rather than instinctual behavior that is never determined by one's age.
Iverson was an immature 17-year-old teenager in 1993 when he was convicted for his part in a Hampton, Virginia bowling alley brawl that left him incarcerated for four months. The case became a bit of a cause-celebre after he was convicted as an adult of the felony charge of maiming by mob, a rarely used Virginia statute that was originally designed to combat lynching.
After Iverson spent four months at a correctional facility in Newport News, Va., he was granted clemency by then Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder, and the Virginia Court of Appeals eventually overturned the conviction in 1995 for insufficient evidence. By most accounts, Iverson was railroaded, likely because of the color of his skin.
Nearly 20 years later, Iverson might as well be that same teenager. People close to the mercurial guard have pointed to his ordeal in Virginia as the one that shaped adult years that have been dotted with the same signs of immaturity.
It didn't have to be like that. Unlike a lot of young African-Americans, Iverson got a second chance. In fact, calling his career a second chance is a bit of an understatement considering Iverson has been paid over $153 million dollars to play basketball over the last 15 years.
Evidently, you can't buy maturity.
In 1997, A.I. Was a 22-year-old when he was pinched on misdemeanor charges of marijuana and gun-possession, resulting in a plea bargain that carried three- years probation.
At 25, his immaturity resurfaced when he recorded a rap CD with lyrics that mocked homosexuals and embarrassed his employer.
In 2002, when Iverson was 27, he allegedly broke into a West Philadelphia apartment and threatened two men with a gun while looking for his estranged wife Tawanna, resulting in terroristic threats charges.
A year later a member of Cru-Thick, Iverson's posse, was shot in the leg in the Old City section of Philly and police believed Iverson may have also been targeted.
In 2005, Iverson was served with a civil lawsuit when two men claimed his bodyguard beat them in a Washington D.C. nightclub and one of the men was awarded over a quarter of a million dollars.
Last week, just months after reuniting with his old team, Iverson was sent home by the Philadelphia 76ers. The cover story this time was Iverson's 4- year-old daughter, Messiah, who is suffering from a still undisclosed illness,
In his last absence from the team before the release, Iverson was spotted at the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament in Charlotte, N.C., reportedly for a fund-raising commitment that included partying with hip-hop star Jermaine Dupri, far away from his daughter in Atlanta.
The latest blow to A.I. came on Tuesday when Tawanna Iverson filed for divorce in Fulton County, Ga. Superior Court.
The newspaper also reported that several NBA sources have confirmed Iverson has been troubled by excessive drinking and has a number of outstanding civil lawsuits filed against him.
For once I'm not worried about Iverson's legendary selfishness, his stunning lack of maturity and a reputation as a coach-killer.
His personal life is starting to resemble a runaway train, and I'm hoping a sad end on the basketball floor doesn't turn into a tragic one off it.
<< Hargreaves eyes United return
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Injury-plagued Manchester United
midfielder Owen Hargreaves is poised to make his first appearance in almost 18
months.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed the England international is
<< Rodwell focused on staying at Everton
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell insists
he is fully focused on life at Goodison Park despite continued speculation
linking him with a move to Manchester United.
The England Under-21 international i
<< Defoe likely to miss Fulham match
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Spurs could have to face Fulham in the FA
Cup quarterfinal on Saturday without the services of top scorer Jermain Defoe.
The striker damaged his hamstring playing for England on Wednesday night and
Spur
<< Moyes hoping to keep Donovan
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Everton boss David Moyes has confirmed
that he will be doing all he can to keep on-loan forward Landon Donovan at the
club after the American's impressive start to his career in Merseyside.
The USA in
France takes 2-0 Davis Cup lead against Germany >>
Toulon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - France got singles wins from Gael Monfils
and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Friday, as the host nation grabbed a commanding 2-0
lead against visiting Germany in a first-round Davis Cup World Group matchup.
Monfi
Czechs lead host Belgians 2-0 in Davis Cup action >>
Bree, Belgium (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek overpowered
a pair of Belgians on Friday, as the Czech Republic ran out to a 2-0 lead in a
Davis Cup best-of-five first-round affair in Bree.
Berdych blitzed Olivier Rochus
Celtic surprised over Brown appeal >>
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic have spoken of their 'amazement'
after they failed with an appeal to have Scott Brown's Old Firm red card
rescinded.
The 24-year-old midfielder was dismissed after clashing with Gers strike
Three-Year-Olds Regain Spotlight on Saturday >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With last week's cancellation of the Sham
Stakes at Santa Anita, there will be two graded three-year-old prep races this
Saturday as that event joins the Gotham Stakes over in New York.
Eight of the 10 ear
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.”
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In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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