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07/12/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Blackhawks on Monday re-signed assistant coach Mike Haviland and named Mike Kitchen an assistant coach.
"Adding Mike Kitchen and bringing back Mike Haviland bolster what is already a tremendous coaching staff under (head coach Joel Quenneville's) guidance," said Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman. "Mike Kitchen and Joel have a great track record of working together and Mike Haviland has had a major impact on our organization's success based on his work over the last five years."
Haviland, 43, has served as an assistant coach for the Blackhawks the past two years following a three-year stint as head coach of the club's American Hockey League affiliate in Norfolk (2005-07) and Rockford (2007-08).
The 54-year-old Kitchen joins the Stanley Cup champions after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant with the Florida Panthers. Kitchen also was an assistant under Quenneville in St. Louis from 1998-2004 before replacing the latter as head coach in February 2004.
<< American League mid-term grades
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There have been plenty of storylines to
keep us busy during the first half of the American League schedule, and a
number of surprising ones at that.
From the travels of Cliff Lee to the exploits of Robinso
<< 139th British Open Championship Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Golf's most historic championship heads to
its most historic venue for the 139th playing of the British Open
Championship.
The championship is celebrating its 150th anniversary -- it was no
<< Pacers reach agreement with Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers and the city of
Indianapolis have reportedly reached an agreement that will keep the team in
Conseco Fieldhouse for at least three more seasons.
According to the Indianapolis
<< NL Rookie Pitcher Gets All-Star Snub
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For those of you still wrapped up in Strasburg-
mania, I have to regretfully inform you that he's not the pitcher referred to
in the above headline. As impressive as the Nationals' rookie has been, and as
much as
Jimenez, Price named starters for All-Star Game >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colorado Rockies right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez
and Tampa Bay Rays lefty David Price have been selected as the starting
pitchers for the 2010 All-Star Game at Angel Stadium.
National League manager Cha
Creamer up to No. 7 in world rankings >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paula Creamer finally earned her first
major championship on Sunday at the U.S. Women's Open and the victory moved
her back into the top 10 of the world rankings.
Creamer vaulted up six places to se
Young replaces Beltre on AL All-Star team >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers third baseman Michael Young
became the latest injury replacement for the All-Star Game, named Monday to
take the spot of Boston's Adrian Beltre on the American League roster.
American Le
Two horse race continues in NTRA Poll >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Following a one week break from voting in the
NTRA National Poll, the same two horses remain on top of the tabulation.
Champion mare Zenyatta holds a narrow lead over four-year-old colt Quality
Road.
The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
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