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SportDime - by Book It

So the matchup is set and the betting lines are out for Super Bowl XLVI. New England is a 3.5 point favorite and the total is 55. Funny enough how Eli and his teammates are underdogs in the home stadium of his older brother for the final NFL game of the season. I contend it is hard to beat teams twice in a row in football especially. Coaches have more to use to coach up their players with regards to film and the mistakes that may have won or lost them the game. But is there such thing as revenge over a Super Bowl that happened back in 2008?

With all the turnover amongst players and coaching staffs in this era of sports, it's almost unimaginable to think the 2012 version of these teams are thinking about 2008. But a good number of players on those teams then still remember and haven't forgotten Super Bowl XLII. The holdovers probably already initiated the newcomers via free agency and the draft about the matchup in their November 6th game this season.


And it seems Eli Manning has a pension for beating the always prepared duo of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. This season a late fourth quarter TD pass to Jake Ballard in Foxboro helped Manning and the Giants beat the Patriots 24-20. So really New England has double revenge on their minds but it seems the wrong team is favored in this game.

Sportsbook director Mike Colbert thinks the wrong teams is favored and expects a lot of two-way action wagered on the game but believes the number will settle around a field goal. Regardless of what the number is, that doesn't mean anything is figured out when the game is played. The total would be the second highest total as well trailing the 57 in the 2010 Saints-Colts matchup.

But is it either time for New England to get their revenge or do the Giants simply have their number at this point? How many times can a team hang with another one and have their number before being accepted as an equal or superior?


In their game this season, the struggling Giants went into Foxboro slated as 9.5 point underdogs and won outright. They have the better defense and just as many playmakers as the Patriots do on offense. And Eli Manning has been able to hold his own against Tom Brady whenever they seem to face off.

As much as I like Tom Brady and I expect to see New England prepared for this one, the Giants come off as one of those teams when given momentum, they ride it all they way through til the end. I guess Vegas could not pit New England as an underdog but they certainly are in the eyes of many in this Super Bowl. I wanted to see the 49ers and Patriots do battle, but this game will be great as well. I'll be pulling for my boy Brady (attended the same high school as him) but if the Giants win outright it's not like that hasn't happened before.
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MLB's Hall of Lame

January 21st 2012 09:09
What characterizes a Hall of Famer? Is it consistent greatness despite being on a losing team? Is it moment of greatness in the postseason sprinkled into a very good career? This very question is so vague and open ended, as well as subjective it's practically impossible to answer. When you're asking baseball people and baseball fans that question, they usually respond with the oft-used I-don't-have-to-think-about-it phrase. That means if a name is brought up, that player is either defined as a Hall of Fame type player or not. Pretty black and white. But it's hardly that easy in the realities of the MLB Hall of Fame process.

Much of how the Hall of Fame process works is muddled with details and secrecy with regards to who actually gets to vote in terms of the "qualified voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Whomever gets to place a vote each year, a player is inducted if he garners at least 75% of all accumulated ballots. Each voting cycle, the BBWA gets to submit at least 10 players who can be on the ballot for consideration. A player can stay on the list for up to 15 years for induction and then is removed or is removed if he fails to get fewer than 5% of total votes.

Every year since 1936 a HoF vote has been done for the MLB and in 2012 Barry Larkin was inducted into the Hall getting over 85% of votes for his induction. My question has always been do certain voters have to check themselves each year by allowing only a certain amount of players in the Hall of Fame even if they have been on the ballot in the past? To me if you are a Hall of Fame player then why can't these players simply be inducted in their first go round on the ballot? What's the point of keeping a retired legend on there as if there is a rule against inducting more than one or two worthy names. I will use Larkin as a mere example, but he is easily not the best one to use for the sake of argument.

Still, in 2010, Larkin's first year on the ballot, the voters gave him 51%. Andrew Dawson was the only player inducted that year. In 2011 Larkin received 62% as Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven were inducted. By year three on the ballot Larkin got 86% to be enshrined in his third year on the ballot. I don't really understand how Barry Larkin became more eligible one year after the other when he was retired other than the fact the HoF makes certain players wait to be inducted. There seems to be some type of unwritten code that the voting committee has which wants to limit the amount of inductions each year to toy with the media and nominees' minds.

I say that tongue and cheek, but in the first year of inductions in 1936, the HoF put in five of the game's greatest to ever play. Ty Cobb received the most votes of the five at 98% along with Honus Wagner, Babe Ruth, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson. That was the only time the Hall made five players eligible and inducted in the same year. There's also this fact of revelation I found looking at just the 1936 ballot. There were 50 names on the ballot including the five men inducted. 45 names remained on the ballot and all but seven of them eventually were inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame. If you want to make a rule no more than five players per season can be inducted make the rule. Don't play patty-cake with your votes and pretend a retired player deserves to go in one year more than another when their playing days are finished.

Doesn't that seem a little odd? The ballot had all these retired players but only inducted certain guys in the first year and the process continued each year after that. People don't want to look back that far but that is how things have always been done like it's some type of game to limit the amount of inductees each year. If that is the case then why doesn't the voting committees make a rule that says so? Instead there are retired players deserving of a place in the Hall of Fame almost every year who may have to wait up to 15 years after their first year on the ballot to become a member? It makes no sense to me and comes across as nerdy, petty, and downright childish.

Per the Hall's voting rules, a player can be voted in five years after his retirement with at least 10 years of playing experience after passing a screening committee. Barry Larkin's career was over in 2004. Again using the classy Cincinnati, Ohio native as an example, the voting committee had five years to decide whether or not he was a Hall of Fame player. So in 2008 why wasn't Barry Larkin voted in as he was in 2012? Will names like Jack Morris, Jeff Bagwell, Lee Smith, Alan Trammell, Edgar Martinez, Larry Walker, Dale Murphy, and Tim Raines be more Hall of Fame worthy just because they spent another year with their name on the ballot? If they aren't worthy the minute they are on the ballot as retired players then good riddance to their chances I say. But I probably would be scoffed at the notion of being simple minded by the BBWAA.

It's a question I have no answer for, but it is one the entire Hall of Fame committee should have to with regards to how its writers treat each voting year leaving deserving players on the ballot to wait more years which is wildly unnecessary.
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So the reports out of the New York Giants camp are Eli Manning went home from practice the other day with an upset stomach. Poor guy but he isn't the only high profile athlete suffering from a bout of winter colds and bugs.

Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James have been battling flu symptoms this entire week but have been able to compete and play at a high level. LeBron James' 31 point effort Thursday night against the Los Angeles certainly didn't look like he was troubled by a fever, an aching body, or a sore throat. He poured in 33 against San Antonio two days ago and is again in the running for another MVP award this season.

Dirk Nowitzki is not only playing with a flu bug, but also weak knees which he says he hopes to regain strength in by building his base back up. Interesting to note in the NBA where it doesn't always look like the pros are elevating on their shots because they are so freakishly tall, Nowitzki readily admits to needing his legs to elevate on his shot. The future Hall of Famer has been off to a slow start but that is really to be expected after he poured his heart and soul into last season's championship run and the lack of a training camp. Remember despite the time off, the Mavericks lost two major role players in DeShawn Stevenson and Tyson Chandler. Adding guys like Vince Carter, Lamar Odom, and getting Rodrigue Beaubois back from his native Guadeloupe (a French region in the Caribbean) and a foot injury made it necessary for the defending champions to have an off season camp to gel.

That was not the case this season and early on you can see Dallas is still feeling their way around each other to see exactly what they have for this season. After two gut wrenching losses in Los Angeles to both the Lakers and Clippers this week, they righted the ship by beating the common misnomer that NBA teams always struggle on back-to-backs.

Not the case here even going into the tough Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah as Dallas pulled out a big win Thursday night. LeBron James did the same, taking his challenge to Kobe Bryant once again as Miami routed Los Angeles for most of the game with a little home cooking.

Eli Manning could use some of Mama Manning's chicken soup perhaps, but I think his competitive juices will be fine come Saturday. In football, it is considered very difficult to beat a team twice in one season. It's more than possible of course, but not only do you have the motivation angle for the team that lost, but they can also go back and make certain adjustments that cost them the last game.

Then again, if you are the 49ers why fix something that isn't broken. You've bean the Giants once at home this season already. No reason it can't be done again so they have that mental edge going for them. Not eye popping to see the spread hovering around a field goal favoring the Niners. Curious to see what the conditions will be on the field ( I am a Bay Area native) but I don't expect it to phase either team too much. The Giants just got done playing in freezing Wisconsin and the 49ers proved they can win in any scenario on the road or at home this season.
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NBA schedule

January 19th 2012 22:01
The condensed NBA schedule for the 2011-2012 season has definitely taking its toll. When you play 66 games in only 124 games, that breaks the routine most players are accustomed to in general seasons.

Not only are we seeing sprained ankles and the tear of pectoral muscles, but there are players genuinely out of shape for the season. Paul Pierce has to be the biggest name on this list of out-of-shape players. In one of the Celtics recent games last Friday night, Pierce sat out most of the fourth quarter and when he was out on the floor looked gassed after only a few trips up and down the court.

Fans don't put a lot of stock in training camp, or pre-season training in any sport for that matter, but the reality is these are crucial to preparing players for the season to come. Without a training camp to not only get familiar with new teammates and the playbook, the process of being in basketball shape is now intertwined into the regular season. So lots of players are feeling the effects of what they might have endured had they gone through a regular training camp.

Obscure injuries like torn pectorals have happened to the Atlanta Hawks' Al Horford and the Warriors' Kwame Brown. And remember, any injury that could take some time to heal may put the rest of their season to play in jeopardy. Dwyane Wade went down with a severely sprained ankle and last season's playoff hero for the Mavericks Juan Jose Barea has been limited with a sprained ankle and pulled hamstring despite signing a lucrative contract to join the Minnesota Timberwolves.

These are all things to keep an eye on as the young season progresses, especially with some of the older players as well who are in their mid 30s. It's also quite entertaining to see the names of ballots for the All-Star game when there have only been like 10 regular season games played. Pretty comical stuff but not as funny as Joel Anthony of the Miami Heat actually being eligible on the ballot.

Til next time enjoy the games!
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Miami Heat are hot on Christmas Day

December 25th 2011 21:41
One of the things I have noticed thus far with the Miami Heat in their Christmas Day game with the Dallas Mavericks is the pace Miami is dictating against the Mavericks. Erik Spoelstra was given a contract extension, so there is no doubt he has the confidence and support from owner Micky Arison and president Pat Riley. Interestingly enough, Spoelstra comes directly from the "Pat Riley School of Basketball" and clearly uses much of what he learned under Riley to his current team. I mean he was being groomed by Riley to be the next coach in succession for the Heat so it makes sense when Riles headed up to the front office once more he appointed Spoelstra his head coach.

To me the relationship between Micky Arison and Pat Riley is much like that of Knicks owner James Dolan (one of the sons of Cablevision and HBO founder Charles Dolan) and Isaiah Thomas. Except the difference is Pat Riley knows how to coach and run an organization in the proper manner and earned Arison's trust because of his resume


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Dwight Howard doesn't care

December 21st 2011 19:34
Being a big basketball and NBA fan throughout my life, I have definitely had a falling out with the players of today and their mindsets with regards to how they regard their careers as professional basketball players on and off the court.

Dwight Howard is 26 years old and has been playing for seven years with an organization that has paid him handsomely and "failed" to get him help. But really is that what this is about? Look the NBA is a star driven league but there are only so many impact stars to go around and try to lure them to your particular franchise


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Open Court on NBA TV

December 14th 2011 19:19
In a day and age where a lot of television shows fail to capture my attention, it's no surprise a basketball-themed roundtable show caught mine. The show, called "Open Court," airs on NBA TV and is hosted by none other than TNT's Ernie Johnson. Most of the payroll ex-players are on this roundtable.

That includes the likes of Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, Steve Kerr, Chris Webber, and new addition Shaquille O'Neal. But it also throws in Steve Smith, who has a wonderful personality and just as many tales to tell. This show debuted during the lockout, but I think plans must have already been made to run this show whether a season was going to happen or not


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NBA- No Babies Allowed

December 12th 2011 21:51
I'm sure the stars of yesterday in the NBA thought all the time of teaming up and joining forces in certain cities to create mini All-Star teams to run all over the rest of the league. But there is a difference between thinking what-if and actually doing it. I wonder if Michael Jordan would have felt all his titles would have been legitimate if he skipped town after not winning anything until eight years in the league.

There have been examples of this in prior NBA history, but not to this extent and especially not at the age of these stars. The Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, and Lebron James characters in the NBA represent the new breed of the NBA superstar. Guys who basically want to be able to have their cake and eat it too. Not only do they want to be in certain markets, but they also want to be able to win. Of course, it all makes sense because more popularity increases your own personal "brand," which leads to more business opportunities to make more money off-the-court. Winning games and championships is just another caveat to it all


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I recently read a very brief interview ESPN the Magazine's Seth Wickersham did with NCAA President Mark Emmert. The Washington native was previously the President of the University of Washington, his alma mater, and was also the second highest compensated president trailing only Ohio State's Gordon Gee.

After making the rounds and working his way up through various administrations at different institutions, Emmert served Washington for seven years before being elected as NCAA President in 2010. And Emmert has promised an eradication of the corruption and scandals taking over the newsreels as opposed to the results of the games played. But as I read this brief interview, I found myself wondering how Emmert could seriously believe some of the answers he gave Wickersham


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Hawaii Point Shaving Rumors

November 30th 2011 02:46
Last week, the University of Hawaii was hit with rumors of point shaving amongst the players due to an anonymous call into the Hawaii Police Department. Coach Greg McMackin has not been allowed to comment on anything regarding the matter. From what I have read, these kinds of things happen often when unfounded claims are made against a team for not covering the pointspread.

The allegations came on November third and amidst the Warriors being 3-7-1 against the pointspread through 11 games. The Warriors won 10 games last season but stand at 6-6 this season and 4-8 against the Vegas line. Hawaii suffered numerous injuries to their defensive line, wide receiver corps, and quarterback Bryant Moniz fractured his leg in Week 11 to put him out for the rest of the season. Through 12 games, the Warriors have been favored nine games and underdogs three times


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