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Changing Landscape of the NHL
Changing Landscape of the NHL
The changing face of the NHL is very prominent as the first regular season play begins for the 2005-2006 season. Big named players have left big named teams for the previously has-been doorstops of the NHL. It is...
Hockey Rules in Real Life
"I went to the fights the other night...and a hockey game broke out."
--Rodney Dangerfield.
Every hockey fan has heard of Todd Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi plays for the Vancouver Canucks. Make that "fights" for the Vancouver Canucks. Make that...
Learning to Be Your Own Baseball Batting Coach
Check Yourself: Learning to Be Your Own Batting Coach Use checkpoints to stop at given points of the swing to observe & correct yourself. NOTE: Learn to check yourself from the feet up…every time. This will keep you from missing certain parts of...
Montreal Misery
We've all done it before. Sportscenter is on showing the highlights off the latest Expos game and they show a snap shot off the bare bleachers. Of course the jokes follow like "It's easier to grab a foul ball at an Expos game than at a Little...
Skill Based Division of Talent in Recreational Youth Leagues
Participation in youth sports serves many needs and teaches great life lessons. Nobody can argue the benefits of participation: making new friends, learning to play as a team, developing coordination and fundamental athletic skills, exercise,...
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Ness Notes (Jan 11)
Was it really just a week ago that Texas beat USC 41-38 in the
Rose Bowl? Can Vince Young possibly be as good in the NFL as he
was in his two Rose Bowl appearances? Is the 'monkey' finally
off Mack Brown's back?
Putting to rest the CFB season, note that Texas' 83 wins the
last eight years are the most of any school. The Longhorns are
also the ONLY school to have finished in the final BCS standings
in EACH of the last seven years. Texas is also the only
BCS-affiliated school to win at least 10 games in each of the
last five years.
My free play for Wednesday is the Min T-wolves over the Chi
Bulls in the NBA at 8:05 ET. I've jumped to a 3-0 start with my
CBB 15* plays in '06 and offer another 15* play tonight (rare
back-to-back 15*s!). Also, I feature my 10* SEC Game of the
Month and my 10* NBA Favorite of the Month. Get them ALL, right
now!
Putting to rest the bowl season, 16 of the 28 games were decided
by a TD or less, with EIGHT decided by three points or less (two
in OT). Fifteen of the 28 winning teams came from behind to win,
with EIGHT of them erasing double-digit deficits!
The average margin of victory was 10.9 PPG, the lowest in the
BCS-era and the lowest since 1992. Next year sees the addition
of 5th BCS bowl game but there is NO playoff plans in the near
future. Speaking of which, it's BASKETBALL season!
Tonight's college hoops schedule features 46 games. Last week
was a bad week for top-25 teams, as 15 ranked teams lost,
including two losses by Michigan St. FOUR teams fell from the
ranks of the unbeaten last week. Connecticut, Illinois, Ohio St
and Villanova.
That leaves Duke (14-0), Florida (14-0) and Pittsburgh (12-0).
Duke's been ranked No. 1 all season but was a unanimous No. 1
this week, for the first time all season. Florida, unranked at
the beginning of the year, has to be the season's biggest
surprise team, in Billy Donovan's 10th year at Gainesville. Pitt
is 12-0 but ranked just 12th. Kentucky fell out of the AP poll
for the first time this week, after 88 straight rankings, as did
Wake Forest (60 straight appearances). The current leader in
consecutive poll appearances is Duke, with a mere 176! U Conn is
now second with 49.
Both Duke and Florida play tonight, while Pittsburgh plays
Thursday (home versus DePaul). Duke hosts Maryland tonight on
ESPN at 9:00 ET and the Blue Devils are favored by 14 points
with a total of 156 1/2. Florida is home to an 11-3 Miss St team
but the gators are still favored by 18 1/2 points!
ESPN2 features a triple-header tonight beginning with Syracuse
at Notre Dame at 7:00 ET. That game is followed by Texas A&M at
Oklahoma State (9:00 ET) and TCU at New Mexico (11:00 ET). Prior
to the Maryland/Duke game, ESPN opens its coverage with Indiana
at Michigan State at 7:00 ET (Spartans are favored by five with
a total of 146 1/2).
NBA fans get a busy 10-game slate tonight and all eyes are in
Portland, as Kobe tries to get 45 points or more for the 5th
consecutive game. However, he's got a little more work to do if
he plans on catching Wilt, who set an NBA record in 1964 of NINE
consecutive 45-plus games!
Who ever said 13 was an unlucky number? It surely wasn't for
Bruce Sutter. Sutter became just the 4th reliever to get elected
to baseball's Hall of Fame, joining Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers
and Dennis Eckersley. However, Sutter is the ONLY one of the
four, to have NEVER made a major league start!
His 'election' in his 13th year of eligibility, is the latest of
any player since Ralph Kiner was elected in 1975. Jim Rice fell
53 votes short in his 12th year on the ballot and Goose Gossage
54 votes shy, in his seventh year of eligibility. Sutter's
election was long-overdue but I wouldn't expect 13 to be the
charm for Rice next year.
First-timers on next year's HOF ballot will be Tony Gwynn (lock)
and Cal Ripken Jr (lock), not to mention a member of Sports
Illustrated's so-called "Liars Club", Mark McGwire. Just in case
the voters have forgotten, Rice has 382 career HRs, 1,451 RBI
and a .298 LT batting average. He topped .300 seven time,
knocked in 100 runs eight times, while winning three HR titles,
two RBI titles and the AL MVP in 1978.
About the author:
Larry Ness is a documented member of the Professional
Handicappers League. Read all of his articles at www.procappers.co
m/Larry_Ness.htm
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