Fresno Falcons cease operations
Hockey Betting Lines
12/23/2008 - Princeton, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The ECHL announced that the Board of Governors has voted unanimously to terminate the membership of the Fresno Falcons, effective immediately.
"We are very disappointed for our fans, league partners and the other member teams," ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna said. "The ECHL would like to thank the Fresno fans for their support of the Falcons."
The disbandment of the Falcons comes because the ownership group notified the ECHL that it is unable to continue to operate for financial reasons.
Fresno players will immediately become unrestricted free agents while the league said that work has begun on a revised version of the playing schedule, which will be released as soon as possible.
Fresno is the second ECHL team to cease operations this year, after the Augusta Lynx suspended operations earlier this season.
Florham Park, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis was fined $10,000 by the NFL for throwing snow at fans as he left the field following this past Sunday's game at Seattle. Ellis, as he was heading toward the l
<< Chelsea's Alex escapes FA action
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Football Association will take no action
against Chelsea defender Alex over an alleged stamp on Everton's Tim Cahill
during Monday evening's 0-0 draw at Goodison Park.
The FA asked referee Phil Dowd
<< Williams feeling sweet again under DiLeo
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Like him or not, understand Philadelphia
76ers general manager Ed Stefanski isn't a stupid guy.
Stefanski pulled the trigger on Mo Cheeks after two consecutive games with
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cav
<< Caps recall Helmer, Gordon from Hershey
Arlington, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals recalled defensemen
Bryan Helmer and forward Andrew Gordon from the Hershey Bears of the American
Hockey League, it was announced on Tuesday.
Helmer, 36, is the Bears captain and
<< Pittsburgh sends Stone back to Wilkes-Barre
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins re-assigned forward
Ryan Stone to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-
Barre/Scranton Penguins, it was announced on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old Stone appea
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners re-signed catcher Jamie Burke to a 2009 minor league contract on Tuesday. Burke, 37, appeared in 48 games with the Mariners last season and batted .261 with three doubles, one home run
NBA Rookies and their fantasy value >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Every year a talented group of basketball
players enters the league through the NBA draft. And there are hundreds, no
thousands of discussions as to who made the best pick, who got this year's
stea
Roma's Totti likely out through February >>
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roma captain Francesco Totti could be sidelined
until the end of February after injuring his thigh in Sunday's 3-2 defeat
against Catania.
The 32-year-old had to be substituted after only 31 minutes
Arconada axed by Almeria >>
Almeria, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Relegation-threatened Almeria has decided to
part company with coach Gonzalo Arconada following a recent downturn in form.
Club president Alfonso Garcia Gabarron confirmed Arconada's departure after the
wee
Bendtner could decide to leave Arsenal >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner admitted he
could leave the club should he fail to hold down a starting place.
Bendtner, 20, claims he is happy at the Emirates Stadium and keen to become a
first-team reg
Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence
Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.
Work left to do:
Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.
Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.
DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...
West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.
Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.
For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com
For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.