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10/21/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - I get the feeling NBA commissioner David Stern cringes every time Mark Cuban opens his mouth.
The Mavericks owner strikes me as a contrarian, a guy who pulls no punches and isn't all that interested in the political correctness that pervades virtually all American discourse these days.
As the public face of one of the country's major sports organizations, Stern lives by the PC doctrine, unable to deviate from accepted populist views for fear of losing valuable marketing partnerships.
As of 2009, Forbes Magazine listed Cuban's net worth at $2.3 billion. a tidy little nest egg even in this economy, so the Pittsburgh native isn't all that interested in placating other people's views.
"Steroids" is the dirtiest word in sports these days so I wasn't all that surprised when Cuban took on the issue when queried at a University of Pittsburgh forum on Tuesday.
Even though many performance-enhancing drugs have significant therapeutic value, the general public has been taught they are a pariah.
"We are caught in a moral myth," Matt Chaney, a former college football player and author of Spiral of Denial: Muscle Doping in American Football, said. "If they (steroids) are used in a therapeutic fashion, they can be helpful. I am convinced we are in some sort of hysteria."
"It's the silver bullet theory," Chaney continued. "That if you take it once something horrible will happen. It's ridiculous. People get in trouble when they abuse them."
While no expert, Cuban echoed that sentiment when asked about Orlando Magic forward Rashard Lewis's 10-game PED suspension at the forum on Tuesday,
"I'm not an expert in the subject, but if we get to the point where there aren't long-term negative health impacts, why wouldn't you do it?" Cuban said. "We do performance-enhancing things all the time, just not steroids.
"If you administer them properly and fairly and set the rules strictly, as long as in doing so we recognize there are no negative long-term health-impact issues."
Lewis was suspended after testing positive for an elevated testosterone level, and claimed he took an over-the-counter supplement that included a banned substance.
"I'll get killed for saying this but I'm not so against steroids if they're administered under proper supervision and there is no long-term damage," Cuban added.
He also recognized just how that statement would be taken.
"If somebody thinks it's controversial, fine," Cuban said. "To me, it's just common sense. I'm sure I'll hear about it that 'Cuban is for steroids.' "
To me, Cuban is on the right track.
"There is a thought that we can do something about it. We can't," Chaney said. "We will never eradicate it. Sports should have a big disclaimer -- there are drugs here."
If that's true, instead of the current witch hunt that focuses purely on punishment and hasn't been all that effective, moderation and education may be a better approach to the problem.
Let's face it, enhancing one's performance is not necessarily a bad thing. If it were, we would have to ban all vitamins and supplements, not to mention weightlifting and eating right.
In a society that is caught in right vs. left and conservative vs. liberal, that view is may be a little too nuanced. A quick Google search confirmed that most mainstream media outlets are indeed playing up the 'Cuban is for steroids' angle.
And I'm sure Cuban could care less.
After all, the "Maverick" owner is right.
<< Magic C Foyle has knee surgery
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Orlando Magic center Adonal Foyle underwent
arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, the team announced Wednesday.
The 34-year-old has not played in any of Orlando's preseason games, and the
team said his
<< Ducks recall goaltender Pogge
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks announced Wednesday they
have recalled goaltender Justin Pogge from Bakersfield, the team's development
affiliate in the ECHL.
The 23-year-old Pogge has seven games of NHL experience fro
<< Brady, Cushing and Royal take home AFC weekly honors
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England Patriots quarterback Tom
Brady, Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing and Denver Broncos kick
returner/punt returner Eddie Royal have been selected as the AFC's top players
for Wee
<< Brees, DeCoud, Stroughter earn NFC weekly honors
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees,
Atlanta Falcons safety Thomas DeCoud and Tampa Bay kick returner Sammie
Stroughter have been named the NFC's top players for Week 6 of the NFL season.
Bree
Glover slams field in Bermuda >>
Southampton Parish, Bermuda (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lucas Glover carded a five-
under 66 on Wednesday for a two-day total of 131, to capture the 27th annual
PGA Grand Slam of Golf at Port Royal Golf Club.
Glover, the reigning U.S. Open champion,
Penguins' Gonchar out 4-to-6 weeks with broken wrist >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Sergei
Gonchar will miss 4-to-6 weeks with a broken left wrist, the team revealed
Wednesday.
Gonchar sustained the injury when he landed awkwardly following a col
Four seeds exit Moscow on Day 3 >>
Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Four seeded women, including No. 3
Agnieszka Radwanska and No. 5 Muscovite Nadia Petrova, went by way of the
upset Wednesday at the $1 million Kremlin Cup.
Russian glamour girl Maria Kirilenk
Cubs hire hitting coach Jaramillo >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs hired Rudy Jaramillo to be
the team's hitting coach Wednesday.
Jaramillo, 59, joins the Cubs after declining the Texas Rangers' offer to
return for the 2010 season last week. He had
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
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“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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