Football Betting Game

The Sports Betting Champ Review - Bonus Pack Included

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:46:00 +0000

How many times have you gotten those so called "guaranteed winning picks" that normally only come out to be a horrible loss? How about being threatened for the wellness of your life? I've been there a couple times and it really doesn't feel good. How about you wake up everyday when you want, go on vacation whenever you want, or live the lifestyle you have always dreamed of? Maybe The Sports Betting Champ is right for you, or maybe not. Hopefully my Sports Betting Champ review will help you make an educated decision to change your life for the better...

My review of the Sports Betting Champ is designed to give you my personal experience with the system, give you adequate hands on information, and provide you with answers to the many questions I know you have. First off I'll start with the first question that comes to everyone's mind. Does this system actually work? The question is two fold for these reasons; with my experience the win rate is only about 90% not 97% and you HAVE to put the information given to work. The success rate varies for me because I like to choose games I know most likely won't win but I choose them because their my favorite teams. I know a lot of people will do this unless you have no interest in sports except to try and make money. The system DOES WORK if you put the information given to work. You have to study the information and understand what they are saying. The picks they give you are about 95% accurate from what I have seen so far. You may be reading the sales page thinking this looks like a get rich quick scheme. It could be if you read it that way but it's really a guide on how to make educated picks. It will make a difference in your betting and it will make a difference in your life. Out of 7 people I have recommended this product for 3 have quit their day jobs, 2 for whatever reason like their day job and just use the extra money but make enough to quit, and the other 2 make a steady amount of money but don't put enough effort into the system to make the results like I do.

Now let's review some other common questions that come to mind when stumbling upon the Sports Betting Champ. Can anyone become successful with the Sports Betting Champ? That is a definite YES!! I have followed college basketball since I was 10 and that was the only sports I kept up with. No baseball or football was watched on my tv. To this day since I got the Sports Betting Champ I constantly win on baseball and football games. Football is somewhat more tricky because it seems like upsets are more common. One of the people I have mentored isn't even a US citizen. He lives in England but still makes bets on games and he's one that has quit his day job. It's just ridiculous how much leverage this guide can give you over your life.

Alright, the last main question most people think about when reviewing the Sports Betting Champ is this a scam? To me it isn't but some would say yes. Who has bought something from any store, got it home and it didn't work properly? Did you say to yourself this thing is a scam and I'm going to tell everyone I know it's the most thing out there? Then you run into someone that picked out that same product and they really, really liked it? Well it's the same for things bought online. Some people have great results and some others don't, normally the people don't use the product to it's potential or don't believe in it when they buy it. Well it's the same way for this product just like any other. You put the resources to work and play it smart everything in your dreams will come in time. Some people can make this a "full time" job within the first month some it could take a year but the main thing is that it WILL make a drastic change in your lifestyle. You can make the choice to be average or exceptional. Will you make the right decision with the Sports Betting Champ?

I hope my Sports Betting Champ Review has provided good enough information for you to make an educated decision to get the Sports Betting Champ or not. Everyday the US economy weakens, will you take control of your future or let the politicians handle it for you?

Tips For Betting NFL Games Online

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:45:00 +0000

Are you an NFL junkie? Do you like betting on your favorite team? Then you should try NFL betting online. There are numerous sports books available online for you to choose from accepting wagers from all over the world. Just like many other ventures the advent of the internet has led to an explosion in the both the popularity and the numbers of online betting sites available to choose from.

Using an internet based sports book service offers those of us who love football much more than your local bookie is able to provide you. Some of the most important benefits are not having to wait on busy signals and not having to be concerned about collecting your money. Another great thing about betting online is that many of the sports books actually give you bonuses for opening an account plus player rewards offers.

Even more surprising and amazing is that the sports betting companies online actually give you fair money lines. So contrary to the local sharks who will try to screw you over because you are placing a bet on the local favorite or maybe because the are the only bookie available in your area, the online sports betting sites will give you better lines. The thing about online betting sites is that they have lots of competition so they know they have to be competitive to keep your business.

If you are really interested to know where exactly online you can bet on your favorite football team, consider the following sports books.

VIP Sports has long been considered as a major online sports betting portal by many sports betting enthusiasts. Maybe what sets VIP Sports apart from its counterparts is the fact that they are financially solid and is undoubtedly going to pay your winnings upon request. Aside from that, this sports betting site has a huge player base and is well-managed.

Today, VIP Sports offer signup bonus for their bettors. They also process deposits by way of allowing their customers to employ their checking accounts if they wish to consider instant transfer of funds.

Pinnacle Sportsbook is one of the best online sports betting books available on the internet. Here, you will find quick Neteller payouts and a long history online which has been appreciated by scores of players. Also, this NFL online sports betting site has a rock-solid reputation and they offer reduced juice betting options, making them as one of the worth visiting sports books to visit online.

Inside every angry green CGI behemoth, there's a superstar-in-

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:56:00 +0000

THIS MAN IS GONNA BE HUGE

SO who's the star of $140m summer blockbuster The Hulk? A glance at the poster, the merchandise, the computer game or the dinky little plastic goblins free at Burger King strongly suggests that it's a not- so-jolly green giant, a musclebound behemoth who looks like Frankenstein's monster after intensive triathlon training. A glance at the credits, though, and heading a cast of experienced hands - grizzled Sam Elliott, even-more-grizzled Nick Nolte and Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly - is a Hollywood greenhorn: Eric Bana. A tall, lithe, likeable Aussie bloke, Bana plays Bruce Banner, a repressed brainiac who transforms into an enormous mute brute when he gets agitated.
THIS MAN IS GONNA BE HUGE

SO who's the star of $140m summer blockbuster The Hulk? A glance at the poster, the merchandise, the computer game or the dinky little plastic goblins free at Burger King strongly suggests that it's a not- so-jolly green giant, a musclebound behemoth who looks like Frankenstein's monster after intensive triathlon training. A glance at the credits, though, and heading a cast of experienced hands - grizzled Sam Elliott, even-more-grizzled Nick Nolte and Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly - is a Hollywood greenhorn: Eric Bana. A tall, lithe, likeable Aussie bloke, Bana plays Bruce Banner, a repressed brainiac who transforms into an enormous mute brute when he gets agitated.
Unfortunately, being an entirely computer-generated character, the Hulk doesn't do many interviews. So while it's his ugly green mug on the lunchboxes, it's left to Bana to take the promotional strain. And with The Hulk being the latest addition to the burgeoning genre of comic book-sourced movies (after recent hits Spider-Man, Daredevil and both X-Mens), there's been a media tsunami.

"I try to roll with it because you can't change it," he sighs. "I don't do movies back-to-back, so hopefully I can talk about each of them in an enthusiastic, fresh way because I have a genuine affection for them. But there does come a point where you start to go insane. The first day of the US junket, I did 65 television interviews, which is, quite literally, a form of torture. It would have been a quick solution to the war if they'd threatened Saddam Hussein with that from day one: if you don't reveal your weapons of mass destruction, you will be subjected to a US press junket."

And one of the questions that would come up all the time: what the hell is Ang Lee - the acclaimed auteur responsible for Eat Drink Man Woman, The Ice Storm and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - doing directing a movie based on a Stan Lee comic book?

Bana can't answer that one, of course. Nor can he definitively say why Ang Lee cast him, virtually unknown in the US despite an excellent turn in Black Hawk Down, as the bottled-up Jekyll to a lumbering CGI Hyde. "I didn't test in the traditional sense," says Bana. But it's a good bet Ang saw his debut film performance Chopper in 2001, a biopic of charismatic Aussie sociopath Mark "Chopper" Read. In the movie, Bana - already famous in his native Australia as a sketch show comedian on TV - demonstrated his range by convincingly playing a violent bear of a man with a hair-trigger temper. Bana dominated the screen; attempting to control violent impulses but all too often unleashing them with horrific results. In short, maybe Ang liked him when he was angry.

But in The Hulk, Bana never actually gets to blow his top. His Banner - all tortured angst behind brown, millpool eyes - knows he's got something dangerous inside of him but doesn't dare open up, not even to his beautiful co-worker Betty Ross (played by Connelly). How do you approach that sort of internalised performance, especially when everyone who's read the comic or seen the successful 1970s TV series is sitting in the cinema eagerly waiting for you to flip out?

"It is intense and it's gruelling," he says. "Anxiety and that level of stress is a very difficult thing to do, it's not like you can come up with tools to fake that kind of stuff. It's taxing but at the end of each day, it feels like you've done a day's work. You don't feel like you've walked through it."

But wasn't it frustrating, working up to a point of Vesuvian anger but never getting that orgasmic release?

"I'd just go and wreck my trailer," he laughs. "In a way, it helped to just stay in that realm all the time and not be allowed out of it."

And the best things about the role - apart from the inevitable profile-raising? Well, Bana got to butt heads with his acting hero Nick Nolte, who plays his unhinged father with near-feral relish. Plus, the considerable amount of CGI scenes meant days off while his green alter-ego trashed tanks, grounded helicopters and tore up half of San Francisco. Bana gratefully spent this down-time with his wife Rebecca and their two young children, who'd relocated from their Melbourne home for the duration of the shoot.

Older dudes

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:53:00 +0000

I am 56, an ex-triathlete and Green Beret, and new to bodybuilding. In 1991, I gave up triathlons after suffering a heart attack in a warm-up race for an Ironman event, and I had a second open-heart surgery in 1993. I stopped training and went from 150 pounds to more than 200 in the ensuing 12 years. With some dietary changes and workouts, I got down to 162 pounds. Finally, I made a heavy investment and put a complete free-weight gym in my basement, got a trainer and started lifting. FLEX, MUSCLE & FITNESS and Arnold Schwarzenegger's Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding became my daily reading material. In the course of 12 months of six-days-per-week workouts, I gained 15 pounds of lean muscle mass, but still struggle to gain the mass and definition I hoped to achieve. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on regarding supp
lements, but I can't get a straight answer.
Is there hope for a 56-year-old to get the size, strength and definition of a 30- or 40-year-old, or have I started too late? I look good and feel great, but small gains promote the desire for more. I find the "Brute Strength" program (March-August 2005 issues) extremely valuable. Lifting heavy for size is all relative to the strength one has, and gaining strength is why following the Brute Strength workouts and the right supplement and diet plan are so important to us older guys. There are many of us who want to be the best we can be, who work out hard and want to get the looks the young guys get when we are on vacation at a beach with our young wives (my wife works out five days a week in the free-weight basement, too).
CHARLES WILSON

CITY WITHHELD

Most of the same bodybuilding principles apply to everyone, regardless of age. However, you might find "The Over-35 Club" in the January 2005 issue useful. In addition, see our "A to Z of Supplements" guide in the August issue--each supplement is rated and explained.

English and a league of nations

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:01:00 +0000

The temperature is set to soar along with the tension today as millions of fans ignore the summer sun and settle in a darkened room to watch the first England match.

After the dramas of Rooney's metatarsal, the Beckhams' party and rumours that the footballers' wives and girlfriends are locked in a game of competitive sleeping (after learning that sleep reduces wrinkles they are apparently trying to out-nap each other), the first game will finally begin. And it is not just the footballers who will reap the benefits of a victorious tournament.

Televisions are being sold at a rate of one every 40 seconds, sales of footballs are 226 per cent up on last year and one optimistic punter has bet pounds 200,000 on an England win.
The temperature is set to soar along with the tension today as millions of fans ignore the summer sun and settle in a darkened room to watch the first England match.

After the dramas of Rooney's metatarsal, the Beckhams' party and rumours that the footballers' wives and girlfriends are locked in a game of competitive sleeping (after learning that sleep reduces wrinkles they are apparently trying to out-nap each other), the first game will finally begin. And it is not just the footballers who will reap the benefits of a victorious tournament.

Televisions are being sold at a rate of one every 40 seconds, sales of footballs are 226 per cent up on last year and one optimistic punter has bet pounds 200,000 on an England win.

Layton and Sandy mayors make friendly prep wager

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:56:00 +0000

Politics might be the game they play best, but Layton Mayor Steve Curtis and Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan are betting they know at least enough about high school football to predict the winner of Friday's 5A state football championship.

"I'm an avid high school football fan," said Curtis who offered a friendly, but possibly humiliating wager, with Dolan on the outcome of the title game which pits Alta against Layton at 2:30 p.m. at Rice Eccles Stadium. "I'm also a very competitive person. Tom and I have been friends, so I just asked him if he'd like to bet on the game."

No, these public servants aren't breaking any gambling laws, but they might be offending the public in a different way if their respective schools don't come through for the city leaders.
Curtis' challenge was this: If Layton prevails against top- ranked Alta, Dolan would sing the Lancer fight song -- a cappella -- at the next Layton City Council meeting wearing a Lancer jersey. If Alta wins, Curtis would entertain the Sandy City Council with the Hawks' fight song in red and black.

"I'm not a very good singer," Curtis admits. "But then, I don't expect to lose."

Asked if he knew the Lancer fight song, he said, "Well, I know the tune, but not the words. But then, Tom's the one who's got to sing it."

Dolan is equally confident in the Hawks.

"I haven't got a clue," he said when asked if he knew the words to the Alta fight song. Like Curtis, he said that won't matter once the Hawks take the field.

"I'm expecting to win," he said.

Dolan is a veteran at these friendly political wagers. He had a similar bet with Taylorsville Mayor Russ Wall last spring on the state baseball championship, which Jordan won. He said the Sandy City Council invites each team that wins a championship to a meeting where a resolution honoring them is read. That, he said, might be the perfect time for a musical number.

"It's fun for us," Dolan said. "It's fun if we win; it's fun if we lose. It's not as much fun for the players. We just agreed to make fools of ourselves to have a little fun ... I'm used to winning though."

Curtis said it's just one more way city officials can support their prep teams.

"I love the game," he said. "I love sports. It's a way of connecting with the community."

Curtis informed Layton head coach Jim Batchelor of his wager, while Dolan said Alta coach Les Hamilton wasn't aware of what was riding on the game -- beside Hawk pride, of course.

"No, I didn't tell anyone," Dolan said. "They don't need any added pressure."

Sports Betting Articles

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 09:46:00 +0000

We have received a very positive response to our Money Management Series. As suspected, most recreational gamblers know very little about proper money management. Today, in Part 4 of this series, we want to discuss selectivity. Most of you will be very surprised at what we are about to write, as it is contrary to popular belief. It may even ruffle the feathers of certain professionals that preach selectivity.

Question, would you rather win 60% betting a very select few games or win 54% betting many more games.

Most amateurs would say 60% is better and some professionals would agree. To us, it depends on what the main objective is. If the main objective is to have a pretty winning percentage and minimize risk, then playing a limited amount of games and picking 60% is better. However, that is not our objective and we doubt it is the objective of most gamblers.

The main objective for serious players is to win the most amount of money. It is certainly what we are in it for, as we bet on sports for a living! We depend on it to feed our children and put roofs over our head. We advise all of our clients to play the same way we do, because that is the only way we know how.

You are probably wondering what the hell we are talking about. How can 54% make more money than 60%? It is actually very straightforward.

Let us present a very simple illustration of a very complex concept. Many other factors could serve to further prove this point, such as the accelerated % of bankroll theory, etc. Unfortunately, it would take pages and pages to demonstrate. For now, let us illustrate the main theory.

Handicapper A bets 100 games at $100 per bet. He wins 60 and loses 40, which means he is picking 60% winners. 60 wins multiplied by $100 equals $6000 in gross winnings. 40 losses multiplied by $110 equals $4400 in gross losses. $6000 in wins minus $4400 in losses equals a net profit of $1600.

Handicapper B bets 1000 games at $100 per bet. He wins 540 and loses 460, which means he is picking 54% winners. 540 wins multiplied by $100 equals $54,000 in gross winnings. 460 losses multiplied by $110 equals $50,600 in gross losses. $54,000 in wins minus $50,600 in losses equals a net profit of $3,400.

Handicapper B more than doubled the profit of handicapper A. If you compound these profits with the percentage of bankroll system we advise, Handicapper B ends up making more than triple that of Handicapper A.

The down side is, when you are on a cold streak you can take a beating. This is one of the reasons we advise a small percentage of bankroll per bet (refer to previous Money Management Part 1). So what does this all mean?

To us, it means we will bet any game that has a higher than 52.3% (break even point with 10% vig) chance of winning. If you pass up on a game that is a 54% winning proposition in the name of selectivity, you are leaving money on the table.

Certainly, the more bets you make, the more money at risk. If you are adverse to risk, then sports betting all together may not be the best investment for you. For those, we would advise a money market account, US Treasury bonds or a CD. However, if you are serious about bottom line profit betting on sports, selectivity doesn�t pay.

Tips for football betting

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 09:42:00 +0000

How depressingly gray would be a world where everything is governed by a set of universal rules rigorously shaping everything? Isn’t it better if we strike back with a chance to confound the tweed coated straight laced brigade and weave a little exotic odds into life that are not really approved of. It is precisely this change that inspires even the most sober of us to risk a couple of quid. But the art of a successful competition is to not only create a game that has a real chance of success for the entry stake, but allows us to lose that stake without significant damage to our ongoing lifestyle. Placing bets on football matches using various tips and tactics helps us achieve this motive.

In this article we shall thus discuss about the major tips and tactics that help us make the best of our money. Football betting is not like the other traditional casino games. Those games are games of chance where the house always has a built-in edge. Football betting is different in that you can choose which games to wager on and which games to pass on. By only betting on games that have a positive expected return and passing on games that have negative expected return, the football betting enthusiast can thus turn the tables on the sports book and put himself in the position to always have the edge.

Basic knowledge of sports handicapping is required
Football betting requires a basic knowledge of sports handicapping. You need to understand what goes into determining the spread and how to arrive at an educated guess at the game outcome. Football handicapping is part science and part art. The best football handicappers not only know how to analyze the statistics, they also have an instinct gained from years of experience. To acquire these skills and instincts the punter needs to do handicapping for him self using picks and recommendations from other bettors as simply a starting point.

Handicapping is all about acquiring and using the right information
Handicapping is all about acquiring and using the right information. You are attempting to predict the future. You do that by looking at what has happened in the past, which is where statistics are useful, and by looking at the current situation, which is where the latest news is critical.

However one should always remember that even the best handicappers are rarely right more than 58% of the time. Our goal should be to win more than 50% of the bets.

How depressingly gray would be a world where everything is governed by a set of universal rules rigorously shaping everything? Isn’t it better if we strike back with a chance to confound the tweed coated straight laced brigade and weave a little exotic odds into life that are not really approved of. It is precisely this change that inspires even the most sober of us to risk a couple of quid. But the art of a successful competition is to not only create a game that has a real chance of success for the entry stake, but allows us to lose that stake without significant damage to our ongoing lifestyle. Placing bets on football matches using various tips and tactics helps us achieve this motive.

In this article we shall thus discuss about the major tips and tactics that help us make the best of our money. Football betting is not like the other traditional casino games. Those games are games of chance where the house always has a built-in edge. Football betting is different in that you can choose which games to wager on and which games to pass on. By only betting on games that have a positive expected return and passing on games that have negative expected return, the football betting enthusiast can thus turn the tables on the sports book and put himself in the position to always have the edge.

Basic knowledge of sports handicapping is required
Football betting requires a basic knowledge of sports handicapping. You need to understand what goes into determining the spread and how to arrive at an educated guess at the game outcome. Football handicapping is part science and part art. The best football handicappers not only know how to analyze the statistics, they also have an instinct gained from years of experience. To acquire these skills and instincts the punter needs to do handicapping for him self using picks and recommendations from other bettors as simply a starting point.

Handicapping is all about acquiring and using the right information
Handicapping is all about acquiring and using the right information. You are attempting to predict the future. You do that by looking at what has happened in the past, which is where statistics are useful, and by looking at the current situation, which is where the latest news is critical.

However one should always remember that even the best handicappers are rarely right more than 58% of the time. Our goal should be to win more than 50% of the bets.

Football: Betting plunge on Peterhead match

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:29:00 +0000

The money came pouring in, both in high street chains and on betting exchanges, for Peterhead to beat Forfar this afternoon in the Scottish Second Division. Typically such fixtures would attract a few thousand pounds, or even figures in the low hundreds. But by 8.30pm last night, pounds 187,000 had been staked by punters on the Betfair exchange alone. Of this, pounds 185,000 had beenbeton Peterhead to win the game.

To put this in context, by the same stage last night, today's high-profile lunchtime game in the Premiership - Bolton Wanderers against Liverpool - had attracted pounds 77,000 from Betfair punters, while pounds 71,000 had been bet on Charlton v Arsenal and pounds 7,000 on Sheffield United v Middlesbrough.

By any standards, the gamble on Peterhead, backed down from just under evens to 1/2 by late last night, was huge.

One credible explanation for the rush of money on Peterhead is that Forfar are in the midst of such a debilitating injury crisis that their manager, George Shaw, has had to list himself as a trial- ist to make up the numbers. Forfar are second bottom of the division and Peterhead only one place higher, but such is the lack of manpower at the former that punters evidently believe the game is a gimme.

Fantasy Football

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:26:00 +0000

McCardell is playing great, but I already have Gates, and I don't like starting them both. I'm betting that McCardell will cool off in a couple of weeks. And Lewis has stunk so far.

On the other hand, Brown is decent and RW could be a nice insurance policy. Or MIA could start a run by committee mid-season. Fitzgerald suffers from an unstable QB situation.

What should I do?

Gene Wang: The man? Hardly, but thanks for the props. The trade sounds like a great chance for you to bolster your lineup. I generally am against starting two players (especially receivers) from the same team. You're hamstriging yourself by starting two receivers (or in this case a receiver and TE) from the same team because only one can catch a TD on any given play. I know Fitz has QB problems, but I still believe Denny Green can get that offense going in the right direction.

Football: FA quiz Redknapp over alleged pounds 16m 'betting sting

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 11:07:00 +0000

Harry Redknapp, the Portsmouth manager, yesterday faced the Football Association hierarchy who are looking into an alleged pounds 16m betting sting.

Redknapp met with the FA's compliance department in a secret session at their London headquarters. It is understood the department asked Redknapp to produce phone records and bank statements covering the period last year when he left Southampton for their rivals in the wake of heavy betting activity.

Last night, senior FA sources said they wanted to stop illegal betting in the game. It was stressed that Redknapp, 59, was not being accused of insider dealing but was being given a chance to prove his innocence for good
An FA source said: "We're not accusing Harry of anything but there is a very easy way to resolve this, which is for him to produce all his phone and bank records to put clear water between himself and the betting activity at the time."

It is understood the pounds 1m-a-year manager was officially warned that failure to comply with the demand could lead to the ultimate punishment of suspension from his job. The FA started an investigation into a possible betting scam following heavy betting on Redknapp to become Portsmouth's manager while still in charge at Southampton. While pounds 16.7m was traded on the betting exchange Betfair, that figure was slightly misleading because of the "churn" that occurs on betting exchanges. In fact, punters betting on Redknapp moving to Portsmouth actually won only pounds 864,000, but this was still deemed to be a significant and irregular amount for such a market.

Football: Betting plunge on Peterhead match

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 11:03:00 +0000

One of the most incredible gambles in recent football history was under way last night as an unprecedented amount of cash was wagered on one of today's minor Scottish games. This prompted initial fears in gambling industry circles that a fix was on the cards.

The money came pouring in, both in high street chains and on betting exchanges, for Peterhead to beat Forfar this afternoon in the Scottish Second Division. Typically such fixtures would attract a few thousand pounds, or even figures in the low hundreds. But by 8.30pm last night, pounds 187,000 had been staked by punters on the Betfair exchange alone. Of this, pounds 185,000 had beenbeton Peterhead to win the game.
To put this in context, by the same stage last night, today's high-profile lunchtime game in the Premiership - Bolton Wanderers against Liverpool - had attracted pounds 77,000 from Betfair punters, while pounds 71,000 had been bet on Charlton v Arsenal and pounds 7,000 on Sheffield United v Middlesbrough.

By any standards, the gamble on Peterhead, backed down from just under evens to 1/2 by late last night, was huge.

One credible explanation for the rush of money on Peterhead is that Forfar are in the midst of such a debilitating injury crisis that their manager, George Shaw, has had to list himself as a trial- ist to make up the numbers. Forfar are second bottom of the division and Peterhead only one place higher, but such is the lack of manpower at the former that punters evidently believe the game is a gimme.

The Whackiest Trick Play in Youth Football

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Sat, 26 May 2007 10:20:00 +0000

In youth football sometimes we do things for the long term benefit of the team that may have minimal short term benefits.

One of these things may be the trick plays we add to our football playbook near the end of every season. We will often put in a trick play or two in the last third of the season just to keep the kids interest levels high and to use as carrots for meeting certain football practice goals. We all know the kids get into a groove as the season progresses, which is good, but it can also get monotonous and crush a bit of the enthusiasm we like our teams to have. Adding a trick play in at this point in the season, whether it works or not, or even if you just run it once, is probably the wise thing to do.

You may have seen a “trick” play on the entry highlights of your DVDs that is not in the playbook part of the book. At the clinics I do, I always play a highlight reel before we start and during breaks. That play always seems to get even veteran coaches giggling and pointing.

Here is how we run that goofy football play that the kids love and beg for, the "flap-jack pass". It is a play we borrowed from Jeff Bayeral from the Menominee High School Frosh team:

Lining up in our traditional double tight set we snap to the fullback for what appears to be another fullback wedge play, our blocking back at the snap turns his back to the line of scrimmage and as the fullback passes the blocking back on his way to the line, the fullback hands the ball off to the blocking back. The fullback continues on a fake and plunges into the line. The blocking back once he gets control of the ball stays with his back to the line of scrimmage and just flings the football with 2 bands blindly over his back, end over end and with a fairly high arc. The receiver is a waiting left end that has run about an 8 yard slant. Since the “pass” is blind it needs to have a bit of an arc on it so the left end can run under it, as the pass is rarely right on target. The offensive line just forms a wedge but does not take the wedge downfield. We run this in goal line situations where the other team is expecting a wedge type play and the safety is playing up.

In 2006 we ran this play 4 times and completed 3, they were all extra point plays in games we had well in hand. The kids and parents were all smiles. Most trick plays have lost their uniqueness, they have been done and redone. The flap jack pass is one I really doubt ANYONE in your league will have seen before and unless they are playing your team, will not see again. Here is another youth football teams version of the play: flap jack pass. I have yet to figure out how to upload my own clips to youtube, sorry guys, our kids look better, you will just have to take my word for it if you don't have my DVDs yet.

While I’m not a huge fan of trick plays in youth football, this one served it’s purpose for our team. We do have 2 trick kickoff returns we will run to get a quick turnaround in games, the entire momentum of games often changes with big special teams plays right after scores. While we have trailed in just 6 games in the last 6 years and have not got to use these returns often, of the 12 or so times we have run these returns in the last 6 years, we scored on 5 of them.

This has been another post into Dave Cisar's Winning Youth Football Site Copyright 2007 Cisar Management Services Reprint is allowed if the resource box and links are kept intact.

For more cool youth football plays click here: Football Plays

Dave Cisar- Dave has developed a detailed systematic approach to developing youth players and teams that has enabled his personal teams to win 97% of their games in 5 Different Leagues at all levels and age groups while retaining 90% of his kids.

The Secret to Beating Teams That Are More Athletic Than Your Team in Youth Football

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Sat, 26 May 2007 10:20:00 +0000

Playing in Space is the key term.

We aren't talking about playing football on the moon, zero gravity would make us all have to rethink the game quite a bit. "In Space" means playing with distance between your players and the other team. If your team is bigger and more athletic and can handle the other teams players one on one, you want space, it is your friend. However, if you don't have bigger and better athletes than the other team, space is your enemy.

Playing "In space" means just what it says, putting your players with space in-between them and the opposition. If your team is made up of faster, bigger and more athletic kids, they will dominate in one on one match-ups. That’s why you see teams with lots of big fast receivers do very well in the “spread” offenses where they isolate weaker defenders out very wide versus these dominant receivers, of course you have to have a QB that can throw it in these cases. If that stud receiver can just get the ball “in space” he will have a chance to score in most cases.

On the other hand, most youth football teams do not have the player truly dominates the league. Most of us are blessed with just an average group of kids and some of us will have that odd grouping of kids that is just smaller and less athletic than the teams we face. In these cases you want to have as little space as possible between your kids and the opposition.

Just think about your tackling drills, when you have a tackling drill run in close quarters, lets say a 1 yard square box, most of your even non-athletic kids can often make the tackle. But turn that tackling drill into an open field tackling drill of a 20 yard by 20 yard square, how many of your less athletic kids can now make a tackle in that drill? The same is true for blocking; very athletic kids can make blocks “in space” less athletic kids can’t.

Less athletic teams nearly always perform better if they tighten their line splits down, double team block and pull to have overwhelming numbers at the point of attack. Less athletic teams need to run traps and other close quarter running plays like the wedge in order to keep more athletic teams at bay. The less athletic teams need to run lots of misdirection to keep the defense moving away from the play, while they run it between the tackles. The spinner series in kryptonite to the supermen on these squads. There are just some plays that make NO SENSE against teams like this, sweeps, drop back passes, deep reverses, these will be negative yardage plays.

The good news is with the Single Wing Offense, less athletic teams can compete with very athletic teams. Often called “football in a phone booth” the spinners and traps keep the very athletic teams from flowing hard to your base plays. The double team blocks, wedges and pulling give your team numbers advantages at the point of attack so even smaller or weaker linemen can have success. The tight splits, misdirection and pulling linemen help even very average backs to put up big numbers with this offense.

In 2002 we had a very average sized back named J.A. with average speed. For our age 8-10 team he weighed 81 pounds and when we ran our eval races he was about 6th out of 25 kids. J.A. was a very obedient player, he was a patient runner, he always kept his legs moving and was always looking for an opening, but nothing special. In 2002 he played Fullback for us and ran just 2 plays that year, wedge and trap. He scored 31 TDs for us on FB wedge plays alone, of course we had a very weak backfield that year and he got a lot of carries. Had we had the spinner series in he would have done even better.

As to beating bigger or more athletic teams: In 2003 my age 8-10 team from Omaha was undefeated in league and put up some very gaudy numbers. We scored at will, went 11-0 and won our league title game 46-12 after leading 46-0 in the third quarter. We went on to beat two league champions from other leagues that were age 11-12. In 2004 I started a new program in rural Nebraska in an area where the existing youth program had won something like 4-5 total games in 5 years before I got here. The first year there we had all rookie players with the exception of 2-3 bench-warming castoffs from the other team in town. We had just one player over 100lbs at age 8-10. Slowly but surely we improved each week and by seasons end we started looking pretty good. We played a very big and fast Inner-city team from Lincoln that year the Salvation Army. They had not lost a game in 3 years, we were out-manned, outsized and had less speed, but beat them in a nail biter by a single TD in route to an 11-0 season.

Our biggest win in an extreme overmatch with in 2005 verses the Omaha Select Black. That age 8-10 team chose from over 150 kids, had at least 5 kids over 150 lbs and had not lost in 3 years in Omaha's “select” league. They were a very aggressive Inner-city team with plenty of speed and confidence. I on the other hand had just the 25 country kids that showed up, not cuts or selects and plenty of younger kids on it. To make a long story short, we had this team by 4 TDS in the first half and could have named the score. Needless to say that team, their parents and our parents for that matter were shocked. The good thing is with this offense you can compete with anyone, the bad news is once you do it’s hard to get extra out of league games. Big Inner-city teams like the North Omaha Boys Club will not even play us on their home fields, it is embarrassing getting beat by much smaller and slower teams, they have turned me down twice in the last 2 years for extra games that we both had open dates at seasons end.

The Single Wing does offer some flexibility if you do have that stud player that you want to isolate “In space”. We added the mesh series in 2005 to accommodate a player we thought would make sense to put “in space”. When we went against weaker opponents the “mesh” series worked very well, no one could handle our stud. When we played against equal or lesser competition we had to move back to our tight splits base offense to move the ball consistently.

Coaching Youth Football - Lessons Learned from Other Sports

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Sat, 26 May 2007 10:16:00 +0000

Lessons Learned From Other Sports

Some lessons learned in coaching youth football have really helped me in coaching other sports I know very little about.

In 2002 the Screaming Eagles Youth Football Program decided we would start a baseball program. The problem was I had not coached baseball before and over 90% of our kids had never put a glove on, as baseball popularity has declined dramatically in the inner-city.

Since we had been able to completely turn around our football program from the bottom of the league to the top via intensive coach training and developing a system with heavy research, I decided to do the same for baseball:

My experience with baseball was non-existent as a coach. I had played only up to my Junior year of High School and was just average on a very good day. I felt my little expertise on the subject was minimal and I had no authority or credibility to impose a new system on the entire Screaming Eagle program. The baseball “program” I was putting in place was for my personal team only.

Started the project like any other, doing research on the videos and books available to teach youth baseball coaches. I bought a tape by Marty Shupack on baseball practice organization. I went to the local indoor baseball practice facility and bought a few books and tapes that were all specifically targeted to youth coaches. I asked around and found out who the best coaches were that won consistelntly. Many of them practice at an indoor practice facility, so I went and watched a few of the top youth teams teams getting their year round instruction inside.

I then sought out advice from the best youth baseball coaches in the area. If you are going to learn from someone, why not go right to the guy that has had the most success? Here in Omaha that is a guy by the name of Bill Olsen. Coach Olsen has coached National Championship teams at the Youth Level. He is an accomplished High School coach and he was also an assistant coach on one of the USA Pan American Games and Olympic teams. Coach Olsen knows his stuff and has a passion for developing youth baseball players and he loves teaching coaches how to teach players.

I was fortunate enough to attend 4 large clinics Coach Olsen put on, and while I had played 9 years of organized competitive baseball, I found out:

1) I knew nothing about coaching baseball
2) My previous baseball coaches didn’t know anything either, I had been shortchanged as a player.

I was committed not to let the same thing happen to these kids.
Coach Olsen showed us proper fundamentals, but more importantly how to break down and teach each movement. He gave us many detailed progressions to teach proper hitting, fielding, throwing and even pitching. I was amazed to see how his methods paralleled how we taught our kids how to play youth football.

I then observed several of the best “select” and rec level coaches while they were running their practices. I learned how to teach the movements and how to shave tons of time off my practices. Back in the days that I played, batting practice consisted of 1 player hitting while 11 players shagged balls in the field, how boring. Rarely were any coaching points imparted, we were supposed to be getting better by “practicing. I learned how to get much more done in far less time. I also got a chance to observe Mike Evans running some practices of his own, Mike has taken several Pacesetter "Select" teams to Youth National Championships and now coaches a Junior College team. I learned some real neat games from him that keep the kids interest, just like the fun team building and evaluation drills we do for our youth football teams.

To make a long story short, I developed a plan and implemented it based on the expertise of these men, not what I had known from my own experiences. My first team could have been described as the “Land Of Misfit Toys” from the “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer” movie. Our first few practices most of the kids had to be shown how to put a glove on and about 1/3 of the kids didn’t even have gloves, they were HORRIBLE. I went down to the Salvation Army Store and bought some used gloves, oiled them up and had them ready for the second practice. The kids kept coming and we got better each practice as we very slowly made progress to our goal. Just as in youth football, we worked on the critical success factors, nothing else, no wasted time or movement. We used many of the tricks we use in football like progressions, “ready focus”, group instruction,fit and freeze, limited live scrimmaging, player contracts, discipline model etc etc Using Coach Olsens ideas and what I saw on the videos, we were able to get each player 16 minutes of batting practice in every 2 hour practice we had. We didn’t even hit “live” until week 3 as we did lots of “hitting” instruction and drills with no bats and no balls, then going to Tees, then to soft-toss and then to hitting the ball attached to the stiff 5' pole apparatus that hurts my wrists so much.

We didn’t “scrimmage” or do lots of live infield and outfield, we did lots of drills without balls and ball to bucket drills. We didn’t play catch, it would have been a total waste of time ( playing fetch,not catch) we worked on frozen throwing mechanic (yes, fit and freeze) drills. I just did everything 100% as Bill Olsen suggested. We went into our first game not knowing how to play the game terribly well but we were making real good progress on the fundamentals. We ended up winning that game and all 14 games we played that year, to EVERYONES surprise. Every single one of my kids was hitting the ball, even the very overweight 190 pound defensive tackle that in the first practice missed about every ball hitting from a tee! We would consistently have 1-2-3 innings etc on defense. In the next two years I stayed at this age level as this original group moved up on on to other teams. The next year my team won all 12 of our games and the following year we won all 14 again, three years as the dominant team in the league without a loss at this age group and we switched leagues one year to a Little League that consistently produced State Champions. We never played in any big tournaments as we did not have the funds unfortunately to do so and we generally took a much lower key approach to baseball as we did football. Baseball to us was just "filler" until football season came around.

The moral of the story is; priorities are important, progression teaching of the most minute fundamental detail is important for every sport, "scrimmaging” is overrated and great practice organization using time saving tricks is critical. Taking some time to learn from the experts allowed me to teach the kids properly so they could have more fun. Just like in football, the kids have more fun if they don't lose every game, in baseball they aren't having much fun either if they never get a hit or lose every game too. The sad thing was we were so much better than the other teams each of the three years I coached that we could have actually played up an age group and competed. Many of the coaches that I coached against went to the same Bill Olsen clinic I did, but I could tell during warm ups that they were not doing what Coach Olsen suggested they do in warmups, or how they held their gloves, or how their infielders got in their stance or how their hitters got into their stance. Either these coaches were asleep while Coach Olsen was speaking, or they just decided to do it their own "better" way. I decided to do it Coach Olsens way and if it didn't work then I would do more research and make changes. In my opinion these youth coaches really shortchanged their players, ours were so more fundamentally sound, it looked like we were practicing 5 days a week when in reality we were practicing far less than any team in the league and most of the other teams had kids with experience on their teams.

Go watch other teams practice in your sport, go to clinics that teach youth topics, ask a very successful coach to be your mentor, most are thrilled that someone cares enough to want to learn and thinks highly enough of them to want to learn from them. Your kids will benefit in the end, coaching is coaching no matter the sport.

For more free coaching tips and a copy of Dave's free newsletter stop here: Coaching Youth Football

This has been another post into Dave Cisar's Winning Youth Football Site Copyright 2007 Cisar Mangement Services Republishing of this article is allowed if the resource box and links are left intact.

Dave Cisar- Dave has developed a detailed systematic approach to developing youth players and teams that has enabled his personal teams to win 97% of their games in 5 Different Leagues at all levels and age groups while retaining 90% of his kids.

College Football Notebook

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 09:22:00 +0000

I've been called many things over 22 years in this business but I've NEVER been called a BCS expert. In all honesty, just who would WANT to be known as one? That being said, we're stuck with the BCS determining college football's national title game matchup and most people are a little nervous these days, as almost EVERYONE is anticipating a Texas/USC or USC/Texas (whichever way you prefer) showdown in this year's Rose Bowl.

The first BCS standings were released on October 17 and there were rumors that while USC would be No. 1, consensus No. 2 in the polls Texas, could find itself behind Va Tech in the standings. Those fears were unfounded, as USC and Texas were a solid one-two in the first BCS standings. I pause here for a moment to remind everyone that since the BCS' inception in 1998, the two teams ranked first and second in the initial standings of the year, have NEVER met in the BCS' season-ending title game!

Moving on, the second BCS standings were released this past Monday. In somewhat of a surprise, USC fell to No. 2 with Texas moving up to the number one spot. The margin of .0007, was the closest-ever between the first two spots in the standings history. USC owns the nation's longest winning streak at 29 games (Texas has the second-best streak at just 14!), has been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll for 26 consecutive polls (an all-time record) and is the two-time defending national champion but now finds itself at No. 2!

For USC fans, it's not as bad as is sounds. USC is comfortably ahead of No. 3 Va Tech and remember, No. 2 is just as good as No. 1 in this 'game', as they both advance to the Rose Bowl. Actually, Texas, which has no more ranked teams on its remaining schedule, is in greater danger of falling out of one the top two spots than USC. The Trojans still have Cal (No. 23 in the BCS), Fresno State (unranked in the BCS but 22nd in the AP and 24 in the coaches' poll) and UCLA (No. 9 in the BCS) on their schedule.

Currently, Va Tech is in the "dreaded" No. 3 spot (see USC in 2003 and Auburn in 2004). However, the Hokies play Boston College (BCS No. 12) Thursday night plus still have Miami-Fl (No. 8 in the BCS) and a likely ACC title-game showdown on tap with Florida State on December 3 (No. 11 in the BCS), to boost their computer rankings. Currently, there are SIX unbeatens remaining in college football and it's possible that the year could end with as many as four.

Either USC or UCLA has to lose when those teams meet on December 3 and assuming Georgia and Alabama were to remain unbeaten through the end of the regular season, the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide would meet in the SEC title game, dropping one or the other from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Speaking of unbeatens, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, UCLA, USC and Va Tech are all 7-0. However, only Texas is a perfect 7-0 ATS. The teams combined ATS mark is 26-16, or 61.9 percent. At the other end of the spectrum, FOUR Division I-A schools enter this weekend's action winless. The list includes Buffalo (0-7), New Mexico State (0-7), Rice (0-6) and Temple (0-8). Of those four, only Rice, at 0-6 ATS, is also winless against the points! The combined ATS mark of the four winless schools is 11-17 or 39.3 percent.

Here's an interesting fact. You have often heard me and others refer to the pointspread as the "great equalizer." Here's why? The six unbeatens naturally have a winning percentage of 1.000 and the four winless teams naturally are at .000. However, you'll notice that when you compare the two groups' SU winning percentage versus their ATS percentages, here's what you get. The unbeatens' ATS percentage is .619, a difference of .381. As for the winless teams. the difference between their SU and ATS winning percentage is .393. Pretty darn close!

Before leaving this discussion of unbeatens and winless teams, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention both Duke and Purdue (although I'm sure those schools would rather I didn't!). While Texas is the nation's ONLY perfect ATS school, Rice is not the nation's only winless ATS school. Joining the Owls are Duke and Purdue. The Blue Devils are 1-7 SU but 0-7 ATS, beating only VMI in a non-lined game. As for the Boilermakers, they are 2-5 SU but 0-7 ATS, as they won but did not cover against Akron and Arizona to open the year, before losing their last five games both SU and ATS!

How are those new head coaches doing?

In one of may many preseason articles, I mentioned that 23 of the nation's 119 Division I-A schools (almost 20 percent!) would open the 2005 season with a different head coach than they had finished with in 2004. Are most of the schools better for the change? I won't waste time listing each school's individual record but alphabetically from BYU to Western Michigan, the 23 schools that changed head coaches for the 2005 year went a collective 114-149 (.433) in 2004 with an ATS record of 117-138-2 (.459). Heading into this weekend's action, those 23 schools are a combined 70-91 SU (.435) and 66-88-1 ATS (.429).

If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one around to hear it, does it make a sound? While the overall numbers are pretty similar from last year to this year, here are seven schools that have surely noticed a change, either good or bad.

Skip Holtz has East Carolina at 3-3 SU and 5-1 ATS, after the Pirates went 2-9 SU and 5-6 ATS in 2004 (ECU was a combined 3-20 in '04 and '03). Hal Mumme brought his supposed "Air Raid" offense to Las Cruces but the Aggies of New Mexico State are averaging just 14.3 PPG and are 0-7 SU and 2-5 ATS after going 5-6 (6-5) in 2004. Mike Gundy took over at Oklahoma State and the Cowboys are 3-4 SU (wins have come over I-AA Montana State, Fla Atlantic and Ark St) and 1-5 ATS, following a 7-5 (7-5) 2004.

Greg Robinson got his first head coaching job, after 30 years in the business, at Syracuse this year. However, his mid-season report card is not good, as the Orange are 1-6 SU and 2-5 ATS after going 6-6 (8-4) in Paul Pasqualoni's final year (had 11 winning seasons in 14 years at Syracuse!).Utah set the college football world on its ear in 2004, becoming the first non-BCS conference school to get a BCS bowl bid and finished 12-0 (10-2 ATS). However, Urban Meyer left for Florida (where he's a disappointing 5-2 SU and 3-4 ATS) with former DC Kyle Whittingham taking over for the Utes and going just 4-4 and a pathetic 1-7 ATS so far in 2005. Things are looking up in Kalamazoo these days (try writing that with a straight face!), as Bill Cubit in his first year as a Division I-A head coach, has the Broncos 4-3 SU and 2-4 ATS after the school finished 2004 at 1-10 (3-7).

I haven't forgotten about Charlie Weis and Notre Dame, I just left them until last. Weis, with none of his own recruits, took over an offense that had finished 108th in the nation in total offense in 2002, 90th in 2003 and 81st in 2004. After seven games of the 2005 season, Notre Dame is 8th in total offense (492.7 YPG), 12th in scoring (37.9 PPG) and 5-2 SU (6-1 ATS). After going 6-6 SU and ATS in 2004 plus 5-7 SU (4-8) in 2003, Weis has the Irish ranked 9th in the latest AP poll, 10th in the latest coaches' poll and 15th (?) in the latest BCS standings. He's got a QB (Brady Quinn) that's breaking Notre Dame passing records on a weekly basis and would be the Heisman front-runner if not for two guys from USC and a QB from Texas named Young. Most importantly, he's got the Irish in line for a BCS bowl bid, if he can win-out.

College Football: A Tale Of Two Drews

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 09:21:00 +0000

It was the best of picks, it was the worst of picks.

Wait, no. It was just the best of picks.

I had Washington State over UCLA getting six points at home last week, and things looked pretty sweet early in the fourth quarter, with the Cougars up 38-21. Then the Bruins went crazy and sent the game to OT. Did I mention I got six points? On my knees begging for a field goal, pleading against a push, the gambling gods rewarded me when the amazing Maurice Drew countered a Washington State field goal with a one-yard TD plunge. UCLA wins, Washington State covers, and I change underpants.

So why am I turning things around and taking UCLA this week?

I mean, hey, didn't Oregon State, UCLA's opponent this week, actually kind of crush Wazzou three weeks ago? If Washington State's good enough to take the Bruins to OT, by the tenets of cyclical logic the Beavers should upset the Bruins outright this Saturday night in L.A., right? Well, wrong. I guess no one really believes that thought pattern. Following that logic, there's probably some Six-Degrees-Of-Kevin-Bacon by which USC should lose to Montclair High School. But my point is: Oregon State is better than Washington State, UCLA struggled against Washington State, so shouldn't Oregon State present an even bigger challenge?

Maybe. The dominant storyline in this game will be the return of QB Matt Moore to the Rose Bowl, where just a couple years ago he was fighting with Bruin QB Drew Olson to be UCLA's quarterback. When Olson won the competition over his then-roommate, Moore transferred to Oregon State, where he's throwing for nearly 300 a game under coach Mike Riley. He'll have plenty of motivation, and plenty of crowd noise, in the 90,000-seat amphitheater.

The thing is: Washington State was just a terrific matchup against UCLA, because of RB Jerome Harrison, whose 260 yards against the Bruins last week put him over 1,000 for the season in only six games. UCLA's run defense is, in a word, pitiful. As in: fourth-worst in the entire NCAA. And this is an undefeated team? Eesh. However, Oregon State makes its living through the air. Yvenson Bernard is a fine little back, but he's neither as fast nor as quick as Harrison. I'm sure he'll have a good game Saturday. I just don't think he's plastering 260 on the Bruins. And the fact is: UCLA's pass defense is actually pretty good, giving up under 190 yards through the air per game. Of course, part of that is teams don't need to throw against a run defense this bad, but again I say, running is not what the Beavers are set up to do.

The other side of the ball is a bigger mismatch. The Bruins like to throw, throw, and throw, mixing it up with third-best-back-in-the-greater-Los-Angeles-area Maurice Drew, who's got 11 TDs already this season. UCLA averages nearly 275 yards per game through the air, and Oregon State is the second worst team in the nation defending the pass, allowing 331 ypg. That's a recipe for disaster against Karl Dorrell's fling-and-wing offense. I'm still not a believer that UCLA is anywhere near national-title-contender status, but this week represents a good matchup for them, and they've got a lot of haters after the lackluster win in Pullman. I'm taking UCLA (-9.5) over Oregon State, and expecting one heck of a high score. But the Bruins will get untracked early, Olson will outdo his former roommate, and Drew will score a few more times. U-C-L-A! Fight! Fight! Fight!

College Football's Heart-Stoppers

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 09:21:00 +0000

When it's bad, college football can really suck. But when it's good...oh boy.

Last weekend, it was very, very good. I have two TVs in my living room, side-by-side, and in the span of about 15 minutes, Wisconsin won their ridiculous game over Minnesota thanks primarily to a blocked punt, Michigan topped Penn State's gutsy drive with one of their own (aided by two phantom seconds added to the Big House clock) and Matt Leinart somehow got the clock stopped when he fumbled out of bounds (it's not supposed to do that) and made his QB sneak into history, helping Southern Cal overcome a nation's worth of Irish rooters in the best football game I remember seeing this century.

Wow.

Add to that Alabama's clutch drive against Ole Miss leading to a game-winning field goal with no time left, West Virginia's tackling of Louisville QB Brian Brohm just outside the goal line, stopping what would've been a tying two-point conversion in that game's third overtime, and UCLA's outrageous comeback on Washington State, including a third-and-three from the Wazzou nine with precious little time on the clock, whereupon the Bruins scored the tying TD and sent the game into OT. No, my crummy cable company didn't let me see all those games (though I did get the Tide and some of the Mountaineers), but all I can tell you is this: whenever your know-it-all brainiac friend with the pocket protector and mounds of statistics about how big-time intercollegiate athletics are leeches on the forehead of American universities, think back to last Saturday, remember play after play of pulse-pounding excitement that only sports can consistently give, and offer your friend a winsome smile.

He just wouldn't understand.

The White Sox are in their first World Series in 46 years. How does that play in the handicapping world? Are a lot of bettors (including you) on that bandwagon? What were the odds on them winning the AL before the season started? Do you find them to be an appealing team to root for?

Rob Gillespie, BoDog.ws: Not really. I think bettors were shocked to see the Yankees and Red Sox out so fast and were playing wait and see. On the year, the White Sox got no love from bettors. They opened at 35/1 last fall and moved as high as 50/1 in the offseason. Their fast start drew a couple of large bets but bettors never really showed support in any numbers. I don't find the team itself particularly appealing, but its tough not to like Ozzie Guillen and the way he has his team play.

Assuming the Astros win one of the next three NLCS games, who do you like between them and the White Sox in the World Series? Do you expect the world to care, or will this be one of those Series that no one watches?

RG, BoDog.ws: Pujols hits a clutch monster Home Run Monday night, the Colts come back from 17 down early to destroy the hapless looking Rams and all anyone is talking about at the water cooler today is USC/Notre Dame. I think this will be the World Series time forgot if you live outside of Texas or Illinois. I'll take the White Sox starters and rested bullpen and say Chicago in 5. Just guessing here of course!

How about that USC/Notre Dame game? Boy, was that an Instant Classic, or what? How did Vegas do on that one, and what were your impressions of the Trojans. Are they going to win the national championship?

RG, BoDog.ws: Action was so balanced on that one that we got to be true fans for a game, and what a game. I stood in front of my TV and applauded at the end. I wonder how the Houston Texans would fare against either team right now? That was an instant classic for sure. I would worry about a letdown next week if wasn't Washington up next on their sched. USC has not played championship caliber ball in the first half of their last three games and they will give Cal and UCLA shots to beat them if they don't get that sorted out quickly.

In the NFL, is New England in serious, serious trouble, or do you expect them to get healthy and make another run?

RG, BoDog.ws: I put my back out once. The most surprising thing was how much other muscles hurt from having to compensate. I think the same is true of the Pats right now. The more that bench gets stretched, the more guys are going to get banged up. They have the mental make-up to recover quickly but there may not be enough time left in the season to physically recover given how good the AFC looks this year. Bruschi's return is likely to give a small emotional lift, but I don't think he will make enough physical difference to stop the bleeding. The bye week will help as well. Buff/Ind/@Mia the next three games: winning two is a must if they want to get back to the Super Bowl; winning all three would show they are still the team to beat; losing two or more of those and it's time to build for next year.

Top Football Stadiums in College

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 09:20:00 +0000

Sports are a big part of college life. From the drunkards that attend to the students there to show support for their team and school, football can bring out the best or worst in people. For those who love to watch more than just the NFL, here are a few of the top stadiums colleges have to offer.

The top stadium belongs to Texas A&M. Kyle field, is more than just a stadium, it’s an experience. The fans here support their team so much that they stand during the entire game, except when the opposing band plays at halftime. For the lovers out there, fans continuously make out every time the team scores. And last but not least, Kyle field is home of the 12th man. Who wouldn’t want to be part of the game without having to actually endure the bone crushing tackles?

When it comes to home field advantage no stadium can compare to Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium. Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va., doesn't blow people away by the brute strength of a massive stadium, but with knowledgeable that can drown out the noise of an aircraft. Every good stadium has at least one end designed for deafening noise levels and the enclosed South End Zone at Lane Stadium fits the bill perfectly. Holding more than 11,000 screaming Virginia Tech fans, the section amplifies noise and renders audibles useless. That's not to mention the isolation factor. With the nearest major airport nearly 45 minutes away, opponents' fans are never out in force at Lane Stadium.

Neyland Stadium home of the Tennessee Vols has a style of its own. For starters there’s the checkerboard end zone. Not many teams have gotten creative enough to think of something like this. Next there the fight song of the Vols. With the crowd constantly chanting it, any new fan will know the words by the end of the game. Some nice attractions of the stadium include the Tennessee River, where fans arrive by boat and tailgate hours before kickoff and hours after the game. On the other side is The Hill, the historic center of UT’s old campus. Rising above it all are the Smoky Mountains, a perfect scenic backdrop for a fall Saturday afternoon. For the fans who love a nice view of things other than the game this is the place for you.

Fourth is Notre Dame Stadium the home of the fighting Irish. At this stadium you’ll find a little bit of heaven. Within waking distance of the field are great structures such as the Golden Dome, the Grotto, the Basilica of Sacred Heart, and Hesburgh library which features ‘Touchdown Jesus’ on its side. Notre Dame Stadium was expanded to accommodate fans who couldn’t get tickets. The school has sold out every game but one since 1964. The only non-sellout over that time was a Thanksgiving Day game vs. Air Force in 1973 when students weren’t on campus. The fans also show their dedication by holding rousing pep rallies on Friday nights. Isn’t this the type of crowd you’d like to be around while watching an intense game?

And finally Florida Field, home of the Gators comes in fifth. Various renovations over the years have contributed to an 83,000-seat configuration unlike your typical bowl. The first level is underground and both end zones are enclosed. There’s no buffer from the field to the stands which is less than ten feet in some areas, which creates a sense of fans on top of the field and players. The North end zone Touchdown Terrace is deafening for opponents, adding an advantage for the Gators. The players go nuts, but the fans are worse. Between the screaming and the hollering fans can barley hear the person next to them and that’s before kickoff. So if you’re a fan who loves to be nasty and noisy this is the stadium for you.

The Minnesota Vikings Are Playing Touch Football

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 09:19:00 +0000

It’s taken me all week to recover from the beating the Vikings took last Sunday. I’ve also been at a loss for words and that’s saying a lot for me. So what’s wrong with the Vikings? Everything but I narrowed it down to what they might be thinking.

Maybe Vikings players believe that they’re in a touch football league. In touch football you are extremely limited in the physical contact that you can make with an opposing player. That’s how I believe the Mike Tice led Offensive Line is playing. They’re too afraid to make contact with the an opposing player.

I also believe that their defense thinks along the same lines. In the touch football games that I played in, you had to make a two handed touch on the opposing players body. The way the Vikings are playing and tackling, they’re probably not aware that in the NFL you must tackle the opposing player. Mike Tice’s led Minnesota Vikings are pathetic.

ESPN.com thought that the Vikings were a legitimate contender to win the Super Bowl because they got rid of Randy Moss. They thought the Vikings would be more focused on team effort. We named ESPN.com our dummy of the week because of that thinking (you can visit our dummy of the week at www.itstherightway.com/dummy.html). ESPN.com seems to have been all hype and no substance when it came to the Vikings.

We knew the Vikings would be awful this year without Randy Moss. They may be a focused team but they’re a team that plays together terribly. They are collectively pathetic.

There are three positive aspects to the season so far. They are:

1) The Vikings are about to play their best game of the year and have their best chance of coming up with a victory. The reason is that they’re entering their bye week and won’t be facing an NFL team this Sunday. They may have a team scrimmage and some part of their team may win.

2) The Vikings play in the worst division in the NFL. The combined amount of victories for the division is a whopping 3 games. The division's record is 3 wins and 11 losses. We believe if the Vikings can win six to seven games then they can win the division and make the playoffs. That’s a complete joke.

3) The Packers have a worse record then the Vikings. They have the worst record in the division. At 0-4 the Pack look like melted cheese out on the field. This puts a huge smile on Vikings fans faces.

The only thing that I’m certain about this year is that this has been the worst four games that I’ve ever seen. There has been a complete break-down from top to bottom. Something drastic needs to be done and done quickly.

Teach Your Football Wide Receivers to Get Open and Score Points In Bunches

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 09:19:00 +0000

Your passing game starts with the ability of your football wide receivers to get separation from their defenders. It doesn't matter if you have the greatest quarterback in the world if his receivers can't give him a window to throw to.

The first step is to teach your wide receivers how to get off the line. If the defenders are pressing and bumping at the line, the receiver must know how to beat the pressure. Begin by teaching fakes. The most basic is the "head bob". This is where the football wide receiver moves his head to one side while getting his body moving straight or to the other side. A good shoulder fake can spice this move up.

Since defensive backs will eventually pick up on a repeated fake, teach your receivers to mix things up with double-fakes (fake one way, then the other, then move beyond the defensive back).

Football wide receivers must also be taught how to use their hands to gain separation. Teach the "rip" and "swim" techniques. If cutting left, teach them to use the right arm to "rip" up through the cornerback's arms. For the "swim" technique, teach your wide receivers to bring the inside arm up and over the corner's arms to knock the arms downward.

Once off the line, good route running is obviously an important skill to develop. One way to help your football wide receivers get open is to have them run hard to a specific spot, get control (possibly use a fake here) and make the cut. Plant the foot away from the direction of the cut, make the cut and then accelerate into the cut. Teach your players the importance of getting the defensive back moving backwards and then cutting away from them.

Besides the straight line charge, you can also have your football receivers use an S-shape weave to get open. Have them run quickly at the defensive back to get close, then "curve" around him to gain separation.

Against man-to-man coverage, learning the art of good cuts and making those cuts at the right time will be extremely important to the success of your wide receivers. Against zone coverage, it's a bit different. Since the defensive backs are defending an area, the football receivers won't need to use their fakes quite as much since they just need to find the holes in the zone.

One often over-looked area where you can give your players an advantage is in your scouting of the opposition. Don't underestimate the importance of exploiting how your players match up to the other guys. Figure out how you can game-plan how to get your best or fastest receiver matched up against the opposition's weakest or slowest defensive back.

Teach your football wide receivers the correct fundamentals for getting open, game-plan your match ups effectively, then sit back and feel the satisfaction of watching a beautifully executed big play win the game for your players.

Planning a Football Party

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 09:17:00 +0000

When fall comes and football is in full force women around the country begin to use the phrase football widow. I can attest to a few Saturdays and Sundays where the TV in our home is going all day and my husband is glued to his favorite chair.

After our first football season together where his team was 15-1, I decided to start hosting football parties. This way I can see my friends while he can watch the game.

Here are some simple steps to making Saturday and Sunday as fun for the rest of the family as it is for the men.

Pull the dinning room and kitchen table to the living room. This way you can set up a buffet that is in the room where the TV is. By doing this you are not creating competition between the kitchen or dinning room and the living room.

Then dig out the silver. I have found that this is a great venue to satisfy my desire to use my grandmothers silver while living a beer and chip life style. Use the punch bowl filled with ice to chill soda and beer. Use the serving trays for homemade hoagies and pesto pizza squares. Then serve dessert on silver plates using the silverware for this one course.

Prepare early. Have all the food cooked and served before the games begin. This way you can sit back and socialize while your guests are watching the game.

Serve all the food in a buffet style. Place plates and cups along side bottle openers and napkins. This allows guests can serve themselves.

Keep a recycle bin and garbage bin close at hand so that your guests can find them without having to venture too far from the game.

Then sit back and relax. When you join in the fun by planning a party your family and friends will no longer use the dreaded phrase football widow.

Listen Up: It's Football Season Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 09:17:00 +0000

It's starting to get a bit chillier outside and the sun is setting earlier. This can only mean one thing. Football season is upon us again. As the New England Patriots embark on an historic attempt to win three consecutive Super Bowls, every other team in the league is gunning to take them down. The Philadelphia Eagles are hungry to the championship having been to four consecutive NFC championship games. And the AFC is stacked with several teams who would love to dethrone the Patriots including the Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis Colts, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders with new addition Randy Moss. And in the world of college football it's up to everyone to see if they can upset vaunted USC from their throne and prevent another team from winning three straight titles.

Let's face it. You love football. But sometimes sports talk radio gets a little tiresome. So if you're looking to learn a little more about the game you love why not check out some football audio books and podcasts? It's a great way to gain a great understanding of the history and intricacies of the game.

Why not start your football audio odyssey with "Namath" a biography of Joe Namath, one of the sports' most colorful characters. Follow "Broadway Joe" his childhood, collegiate career and the Super Bowl III victory where Namath infamously guaranteed victory. Namath was a trend-setter both on and off the football field and his story is truly an amazing one.

Another interesting looking title is "The Junction Boys". This is the story of Paul "Bear" Bryant's 1-9 Texas A & M team of 1994. If this title sounds familiar it's likely because this book provided the inspiration for an ESPN movie bearing the same name.

Interested in learning more about some of the game's most vaunted coaches? Try taking this trifecta of audiobooks on for size. "When Pride Still Mattered" is the story of Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers. "Bootlegger's Boy" by Bud Shrake is the story of Barry Switzer, the outspoken former coach of the Oklahoma Sooners and Dallas Cowboys. "Paterno By the Book" wanders from football but is insightful nonetheless as would be expected from one of college football's winningest coaches.

Round out your football knowledge by learning more about fantasy football from a trio of new podcasts. Regardless of whether you're a hardcore fantasy football with a half-dozen teams or simply a newbie who belongs to the local office league, you'll be able to gain the edge on your competitors by listening to The Fantasy Football Guys Podcast, The Football Fantasyland Podcast and THE Fantasy Football Podcast.

The best part of all of these football titles is that they can be listened to on your way to work or while you're on the treadmill burning off all those calories you ate last Sunday when you were watching…football. Happy listening!

Tips on Making Beautiful Floral Arrangements

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 09:16:00 +0000

Do you have your own flower garden and would like to make some use of it? Are you fond of crafts and do it your self decorative projects? Would you like to make some homemade floral arrangements to further accent your home or to give away as gifts? If this sounds like you, then please read on for some tips on making beautiful floral arrangements.

To start your floral arrangements, you will first need something to put your flowers in. Get a vase or some other container that is decorative and also holds water. Before you start your floral arrangements, you may want to consider further decorating the vase or container by spraying it with gold or bronze spray paint. Let it dry for 24 hours and then spray on a coat of clear enamel spray. This will give your arrangement a more decorative feel.

Next, you need a base for your floral arrangements. The base is used for the flowers to have something to anchor to. You can use a ball of willow branches, grapevine, or floral foam that you can buy at a local craft store. The floral foam is called Oasis. If you use Oasis, be sure to soak it in water and poke holes in it with a pen before you put flowers it so that it doesn't break the stems.

When cutting flowers for floral arrangements, try to do so early in the day or morning. This is because the stems have more water in them at this point of the day and the flowers are not drooping. Be sure to only use cold water in the flower arrangement because warm water tends to make the flowers open up too soon and not last as long.

If you want your flowers to last longer, you can places apple and lemon wedges in the water at the bottom of the floral arrangements. The apples have nutrients that will help feed the flowers, while the lemons prevent premature rotting and browning. It also adds a more decorative touch to your flower arrangements.

When designing your flower arrangements, try to pick colors that go with the environment the arrangement will be placed in. First use taller flowers to create the vertical part of the arrangement. Then use full blooming flowers with bright and bold colors for the center and sides of the floral arrangements. Then fill in the small gaps with tiny flowers.

Those were some great tips on making beautiful floral arrangements. If you use all of these tips in conjunction with each other, you are sure to have a long lasting floral arrangement. With a little practice, you can be well on your way to having beautiful floral arrangements that rival those found in floral shops!

The Beautifull Game Called Football

noreply@blogger.com (Games) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 09:15:00 +0000

The football equivalent of the Oscars swept into London on Tuesday as the first ever FIFpro awards were announced in front of renowned stars from the worlds of sport, music, screen and even our very own Marc Duffy (but the legality of how the ticket was gain is still under suspicion!)

Over 38,000 players from 40 countries representing FIFpro were involved in voting, with 55 players short listed in the end. After a night of great entertainment, including awards for Ronaldinho (world player of year), Wayne Rooney (young player of the year) and Cristiano Ronaldo (young player of the year as voted by fans) the World XI was announced as:

GK: NELSON DIDA (Brazil/AC Milan

DF: CAFU (Brazil/AC Milan

DF: ALESSANDRO NESTA (Italy/AC Milan

DF: JOHN TERRY (England/Chelsea)

DF: PAOLO MALDINI (Italy/AC Milan

MF: RONALDINHO (Brazil/Barcelona

MF: FRANK LAMPARD (England/Chelsea)

MF: CLAUDE MAKELELE (France/Chelsea)

MF: ZINEDINE ZIDANE (France/Chelsea

FC: SAMUEL ETO’O (Cameroon/Barcelona)

FC: ANDREI SHEVCHENKO (Ukraine/AC Milan

But really do we care about the ‘official’ team? A team that has that has 5 players over 30, with a combined age of 168? A team with a certain Zinedine Zidane, who in truth, had an ordinary season for Real Madrid? Of course we don’t because there’s only one ‘official’ team that matters and that’s the Bootroom XI, voted by you, the SI public. So without further ado in association with Sports Interactive The Bootroom proudly presents YOUR World XI.

Note: The players in each position have been listed in ascending order i.e. Terry was the most voted for defender

GK- PETR CECH (Czech Republic/Chelsea): The best goalie in the Premiership, if not the world. In his first season in England not only did he pick up his first championship medal, Cech also set a run of 1024 minutes without conceding a goal, a new English top flight record. Fewest goals conceded and most clean sheets last season not only won him the Barclays Golden Gloves for '04/'05 but also the number one shirt in you World XI.

DF- JOHN TERRY (England/Chelsea): José Mourinho has dubbed him 'the best centre-back in the world' and who could argue? After lifting both the League Cup and Premiership title, world class display at the back saw Terry also Voted Player of the Year by his fellow professionals. England’s defeat to Northern Ireland just proved how much the England defense missed Terry’s leadership and organization, adding more claim that he is the best centre-back in the world.

DF- CARLES PUYOL SAFORCADA (Spain/Barcelona): On the 2nd October 1999 Puyol made his first team debut, and ever since then has made the right side of defense his own. A player that always gives his all, this season has seen Puyol linked to a move to the Premiership with both Manchester United and Arsenal the leading candidates. Only 27, Puyol is entering his prime which could see him, one day lead both club and country.

DF- ALESSANDRO NESTA (Italy/AC Milan): One of the five players that appears in both the FIFpro and The Bootroom World XI. Capped over 60 times for his country Nesta is a typical Italian defender, hard to get pass and comfortable on the ball. In his first season with AC Milan he won the Coppa Italia, Champions League and European Super Cup and was very unlucky to collect a runners up medal in the defeat to Liverpool

DF- GABRIEL HEINZE (Argentina/Manchester United): A £6.9 million signing from PSG, Heinze won over both fans and pundits with his tough tackling and 100% commitment to the task. Picking up the Fans player of the year for United a nasty injury against Villarreal, sees the left-back out for the rest of the season, a massive blow for Alex Ferguson’s team.

MF- RONALDINHO (Brazil/Barcelona): The third player to be voted in both the FIFpro and Bootroom World XI. What can you say about Ronaldo de Assis Moreira that hasn’t been said? A 27 million Euro signing from PSG, the little Brazilian has tricked his way through the best defenses in La Liga and on the International stage. Ronaldinho can sit his FIFpro world player of the year award next to his FIFA world player of the year award and his La Liga Championship medal, both won last year.

MF- STEVEN GERRARD (England/Liverpool): Gerrard help lift Liverpool’s fifth European Cup with an inspirational performance in Istanbul last season and that’s why he’s been picked in your World XI. With nearly 300 games under his belt for Liverpool Gerrard has lifted the League cup (twice), FA Cup and UEFA Cup in his seven years in the first team. A driving force for Liverpool, when Gerrard is on top of his game he is quite unstoppable.

MF- FRANK LAMPARD (England/Chelsea): The fourth player that appears in both the FIFpro and Bootroom World XI. Winning Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers' Association, Barclay’s player of the year and Player of the Year by fans on the PFA website just shows what kind of season Frank Lampard Jnr had. A £11 million signing from West Ham, a lot of fans and pundits were bemused as why Chelsea were fork out so much for an over-weight and over-rated player. But four years on Lampard has become an established part of the team scoring important goals from midfield.

MF- KAKA (Brazil/Ac Milan): The 23 year old really shined this season with a brilliant first half performance against Liverpool in the Champion’s League Final. Signing from São Paulo FC in 2003, Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite scored 10 goals in 30 appearances winning the Italian Serie A Championship and the European Super Cup in his first season. Kaka’s best position is just behind the striker where his killer passing and arriving late in the box has quickly become his trademark.

FC- ADRIANO (Brazil/Inter Milan): A must signing for all players of Football Manager, Adriano Leite Ribeiro showed what a class striker he is with an impressive 15 goals in 16 appearances last season. A powerful and very skillful striker who seems to have been around for ages, Adriano is still only 23 and has an incredible future in front of him

FC- ANDREI SHEVCHENKO: (Ukraine/AC Milan): The last player to be picked in both the FIFpro and Bootroom World XI. Signing for $26 million from Dynamo Kyiv, Shevchenko will go down as one of the best strikers to grace Serie A. In December 2004, Shevchenko was named European Footballer of the Year after scoring the winning penalty against Juventus in the Champions League final in 2003. Shevchenko can score goals with both feet, is graced with great close control and pace that often leaves defenders for dead.