A legend is laid to rest
NCAA Football Betting Lines
01/27/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Few college coaches embody an entire university and everything that the program, school and community as a whole stands for. Like Paul "Bear" Bryant in Tuscaloosa and Knute Rockne in South Bend, Happy Valley's rich history was carved out by the larger than life persona of Joe Paterno.
The Hall of Fame coach passed away last Sunday due to complications from lung cancer and although his abrupt dismissal from his post in November due to a child-sex scandal that rocked the foundations of the once teflon-coated school, we should never lose sight of one man's quest to do things the right way.
Paterno was born December 21, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York. He went on to play football at Brown University (1946-49) and landed at Penn State in 1950 under then head coach Rip Engle, Fifteen years later, Paterno took over for the retired Engle and remained at that post up until this past November.
Paterno amassed an FBS-record 409 victories in his 46 years at the helm, was named the National Coach of the Year five times, winning two national titles (1982, 86) and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
The man with the coke-bottle glasses, rolled up pant legs and classic wind- breaker, manned the sidelines in Happy Valley for nearly half a century, coaching five undefeated teams and two national championshps.
There were certainly times over the years that it seemed like the game had passed JoePa by, but he stayed the course and continued to build a program that achieved both on and off the field. He mentored thousands of young men that have gone on to live richly fulfilling lives. He stayed loyal to his university and although he certainly made his fair share of money, he funneled a good portion of it back into the school.
"His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled," his family said in a statement.
"He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community."
A well crafted statement that tells Paterno's tale far better than the events of the last few months.
The final chapter in the man's life should not be taken out of context and erase a lifetime of achievements.
Paterno's loyalty, although one of his greatest assets, was also a huge reason for his downfall.
It was in November that former PSU defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was arrested for a child-sex abuse scandal that tore apart a university that was up to that point, scandal-free.
Regret is something Paterno admitted in a Washington Post interview published a few days before his death.
"In hindsight," Paterno told the Post reporter, "I wish I had done more."
In the interview, Paterno said he was "afraid" to jeopardize university procedure after he was told by assistant coach Mike McQueary what McQueary had seen in a university locker room.
McQueary left out graphic details of the event according to Paterno, who then passed the information he had on to his superiors at the school.
"So I backed away and turned it over to some other people, people I thought would have a little more expertise than I did," Paterno said. "It didn't work out that way."
Certainly in looking back at the events that unfolded, it was naive on his part to "pass the buck" and hope for the best. However, naivety does in no way make him complicit in Sandusky's alleged crimes.
Being able to separate all the good from the obvious bad of late will be for each individual to decide and obviously there will be plenty of people at opposite ends of the spectrum when Paterno's name comes up in conversation.
For me, the indelible mark Paterno leaves on Penn State University, college football and academia as a whole, far outshines the Sandusky scandal that ultimately brought his extraordinary career to an abrupt end.
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PSG signed Brazil defender Alex from Chelsea on Friday on a 2 1/2-year deal. Alex, 29, left Brazilian club Santos in 2004 for Chelsea, and remained at the English Premier League club - with the exception o
<< Champion colt returns in Holy Bull Stakes
Hallandale Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two weeks after being announced as the
2011 Eclipse Award winning two-year-old colt, Hansen makes his 2012 debut in
Sunday's $400,000 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The Holy Bull is part
of the
<< Illinois State changes date of 2012 opener
Normal, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Illinois State football team's 2012 season
opener against Dayton has been changed from Thursday, Aug. 30 to Saturday,
Sept. 1 due to the construction on the new renovations to Hancock
Stadium,
Kickoff will
<< 'Melo to sit two games
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony is expected
to miss the next two games in an effort to heal a variety of injuries.
Anthony will sit out Friday's contest at Miami and will also miss Saturday's
contest at
<< Raptors' Bargnani out with calf issue
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto Raptors forward Andrea Bargnani will be
out for an undefined period of time after aggravating a previous calf injury.
The 26-year-old suffered a strained left calf back on January 11 and missed
six
Bremen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Werder Bremen announced Friday that it has signed Austrian midfielder Zlatko Junuzovic from FK Austria Vienna on a three- and-a-half-year deal. Junuzovic, 24, will undergo a medical on Monday before being
Hughes completes Dons move >>
Aberdeen, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aberdeen completed the signing of
Stephen Hughes on Friday after the midfielder departed from Scottish Premier
League rivals Motherwell.
Hughes put pen to paper on a contract that will keep h
Gnakpa heads to Inverness on loan >>
Inverness, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Inverness announced Friday that it has
acquired 28-year-old winger Claude Gnakpa on loan from League One side Walsall
until the end of the season.
Gnakpa, who can also play at left back, has also featu
Raiders make it official with Dennis Allen >>
Alameda, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Raiders have made it official and
named Dennis Allen as their new head coach.
According to the club's website, Allen will be introduced at a news conference
on Monday.
Allen, who spent this p
Pees tabbed as Ravens defensive coordinator >>
Owings Mills, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens elevated linebackers
coach Dean Pees to defensive coordinator on Friday.
Pees takes over for the departed Chuck Pagano, who was named head coach of the
Indianapolis Colts earlier this
NFL ODDSTop Football Betting Free Agents to Change Teams
It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.
We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.
Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.
Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.
Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.
NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.
The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.