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03/05/2010 - Hampton, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole for the Kobalt Tools 500 with a blazing lap in Friday's qualifying at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Earnhardt Jr.'s lap of 192.761 m.p.h. set a record for the fastest qualifying speed in the new Sprint Cup Series car -- the Car of Tomorrow. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jimmie Johnson, held the record with a lap of 192.376 m.p.h. last October at Charlotte.
"It's really fast," Earnhardt Jr. said of his qualifying lap around the 1.54- mile track. "You just got to hang on. I think there's a lot of cars that can run that fast, but you just got to hang on to it."
Earnhardt Jr. recorded his ninth career Cup pole, but his first since April 2008 at Texas. He also won the pole at Atlanta in November 2001.
Since his disappointing 25th-place finish in points last year, team owner Rick Hendrick has made his priority to turn around Earnhardt Jr.'s team. NASCAR's most popular driver has begun this season with two front starting row positions in the first four races. He started on the outside pole at Daytona.
"I feel pretty confident with this group," Earnhardt Jr. said. "They're a lot of fun, and we're building some pretty good relationships. The changes we have made have given us a lot of confidence, and we can go out on the racetrack and do some good things to help build it."
Kyle Busch will start on the outside pole after posting a lap of 192.280 m.p.h.
Juan Pablo Montoya qualified third, followed by Hendrick drivers Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon. Martin won the pole here one year ago.
Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Elliott Sadler, David Reutimann and Carl Edwards completed the top-10.
Kurt Busch, the defending race winner, will start 11th.
Johnson was the slowest among the Hendrick cars, as he qualified 16th. The four-time defending series champion has won the last two races -- Las Vegas and California.
"I don't know why I was slow," Johnson said. "It was a decent lap. We were concerned about overdriving in [turn] three, so I might have been a little bit conservative there."
Aric Almirola, Casey Mears and Terry Cook failed to qualify.
Sunday's 500-mile race at Atlanta is scheduled to start around 1:00 p.m. (et).
<< Redskins re-sign DE Daniels, OL Williams
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Redskins on Friday re-signed
defensive end Phillip Daniels and offensive lineman Mike Williams.
Daniels started all 16 games for the Redskins last year, recording 46 tackles,
one sack, and
<< Broncos sign RB Arrington
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos have brought back
running back J.J. Arrington.
Arrington originally signed a four-year deal worth a reported $10 million
with Denver last offseason, but was subsequently
<< Duke holds on down the stretch to edge Maryland
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jasmine Thomas scored a game-high 21 points,
and ninth-ranked Duke survived down the stretch to beat Maryland, 66-64, and
advance to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament.
Joy Cheek added 14 points, five r
<< Jets release Thomas Jones, Strickland
Florham Park, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Jets announced the
release of veteran running back Thomas Jones on Friday. The team also
released cornerback Donald Strickland.
Jones, 31, ran for a career-high 1,402 ya
Boston College upsets No. 8 FSU in ACC tourney >>
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stefanie Murphy posted 14 points to lead all
scorers, and Boston College moved on to the semis of the ACC Tournament with a
67-60 upset over No. 8 Florida State.
Jasmine Gill added 13 points, while Carolyn
Ohio State fends off Illinois in Big Ten quarters >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jantel Lavender poured in 19 points and
pulled down six rebounds, as 10th-ranked Ohio State held off Illinois, 66-55,
in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
Samantha Prahalis added 13 points
Pistons' Stuckey taken off on stretcher >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey was
taken from the court at Quicken Loans Arena on a stretcher after possibly
suffering a seizure during Friday night's game against the Cavaliers.
The incident
Horizon League Tournament Recaps >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eli Holman scored 16 points and grabbed 11
rebounds as the seventh-seeded Detroit Titans beat the third-seeded Green
Bay Phoenix, 62-53, in the second round of the Horizon League Tournament.
Xavier K
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).
Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.
Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).
Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.
Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.
The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.
What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.
Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.
But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.
In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.
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