Sports Articles

2010-12-29 | Jim Murphy

The NFL has successfully let the investigation into Brett Favre’s racy text messages/sexual harassment of sideline reporter Jenn Sterger drag on to the end of the season and the Minnesota Vikings quarterback received only a nominal fine as ‘punishment’ for not cooperating with the league’s fact finding effort. The NFL announced that Commissioner Roger Goodell "could not conclude" that Favre violated the league’s personal conduct policy. Apparently in a PR gesture intended to save face, the NFL fined Favre $50,000 for a “failure to cooperate” with the investigatory process.

2010-12-29 | Jim Murphy

The Jacksonville Jaguars are still alive for a playoff spot, but they won’t be getting any help from a couple of their most important players. Erratic and injury prone quarterback David Garrard will miss the season finale at Houston with a finger injury. Garrard will have surgery on the middle finger of his right hand on Thursday, meaning that he’d be highly doubtful for a potential first round playoff game. Making matters worse, star running back Maurice Jones-Drew is also doubtful for the game against the Texans. He’s been unable to practice this week due to a knee injury that will likely require off season surgery.

2010-12-29 | Jim Murphy

At one point in the NFL season the New York Giants looked like the team to beat in the NFC East. They slumped down the stretch, however, and have lost four of their last seven games leaving them a longshot to make the postseason. Their playoff drive has become even more problematic due to injuries—the most significant being a broken toe suffered by wide receiver Hakeem Nicks. Nicks hasn’t been ruled out of the season finale against the Washington Redskins but he is listed as doubtful and team officials aren’t optimistic that he’ll be able to play.

2010-12-21 | Jim Murphy

If at first you don't succeed, try again. That appears to be the thinking of the Dallas Cowboys who entered this season with the goal of becoming the first NFL team to ever play in a Super Bowl game on their home field. The team's disappointing start put an end to that, but it looks like they're laying the groundwork to make another shot at NFL history. The Dallas Morning News reported on Sunday that the Cowboys plan to bid on the right to host the 2016 game at their opulent new stadium.

2010-12-21 | Jim Murphy

We hear plenty of news stories about the results of telephone polls concerning politics and other weighty issues, but recently the sports fans got their turn and came up with a consensus that isn’t much of a surprise—they think the New England Patriots are the most likely winners of Super Bowl XLV to be played in Dallas this February. A national telephone survey revealed that 34% of the public thinks that New England will be victorious in the NFL's Championship Game.

2010-12-15 | Jim Murphy

Boise, Idaho is a beautiful city that has become something of a ‘hip’ place to live in recent years. That notwithstanding, it’s not exactly an easy ‘sell’ as a great college football bowl destination. The infamous blue ‘Smurf Turf’ will host Northern Illinois and Fresno State in a strange Humanitarian Bowl matchup this Saturday. Northern Illinois finished 10-3 SU while Fresno State was 8-4. NIU is currently a -1 point college football betting favorite in this game with the total set at 59.

2010-12-10 | Jim Murphy

What would a week during the NFL season be without a soap opera drama involving Brett Favre? The current ‘crisis’ for pro football’s biggest drama queen is his status for Sunday’s home game against the New York Giants. Favre is suffering from a sprained shoulder in his throwing arm and of course he can’t just sit out this week for the good of the team. ‘The Gunslinger’ got on the field for Thursday’s practice but didn’t participate. Still, no update on his status which remains ‘questionable’. The NFL betting line for Sunday’s game has the Giants installed as a -3 point road favorite with the total set at 43.

2010-12-10 | Jim Murphy

The Kansas City Chiefs are having their best season in several years, leading the AFC West with a record of 8-4. Now they’ve received a somewhat unusual bit of bad news—they’ll be without starting quarterback Matt Cassel for at least this week after he underwent an appendectomy on Wednesday. He hasn’t officially been ruled out of the Sunday road game against the San Diego Chargers, though as of Thursday afternoon he had been downgraded to ‘doubtful’. San Diego is a -7 NFL football betting favorite in the matchup with the total set at 46’.

2010-12-09 | Jim Murphy

University of Florida coach Urban Meyer resigned at the end of last season for ‘health reasons’, but within a day he had reconsidered and was back on the job. Now he’s resigned again, this time citing a desire to spend more time with his family. While most are taking him at his word—for now—there is a brewing scenario that could find him back on the sideline as soon as next fall. For now, however, Meyer has indicated that his last game will be Florida’s January 1 Outback Bowl game against Penn State. The Gators are a -7 college football betting favorite with the total set at 47’.

2010-12-09 | Jim Murphy

In the wake of severe criticism following the selection of Russia to host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar the 2022 event, FIFA president Sepp Blatter flatly denied that the governing body of international soccer was ‘corrupt’ as has been the most frequent accusation since the announcement of the hosting decision. Blatter was defiant in his defense of the organization, suggesting that while there is a need to improve FIFA’s image that there is no systemic problem with corruption. He also took a shot at his critics, suggesting that many of the attacks were the product of ‘sore losers’ in the England fanbase and media.

2010-12-09 | Jim Murphy

It’s never good when a team is preparing for their bowl game wondering about the longterm status of their head coach. For that reason, Nebraska athletic director Tom Osbourne is seeking to nip any such speculation in the bud. Osbourne has flatly denied that current Cornhuskers’ head coach Bo Pelini is under consideration and/or interested in the vacant job at the University of Miami. Nebraska is currently preparing for its December 30 matchup against the University of Washington in the Holiday Bowl. The Cornhuskers are currently a -14 point college football betting favorite with the total set at 52’.

2010-12-02 | Jim Murphy

Following an inquiry into his eligibility due to allegations that his father tried to set up a ‘pay for play’ arrangement with several schools, Auburn quarterback Cam Newton is now in the clear—at least for the time being. Auburn had declared Newton ineligible on Tuesday and requested that he be reinstated, a tactical strategy to force the NCAA to rule on the matter. On Wednesday, the NCAA said that while Newton’s father broke rules that there was no evidence that the Auburn quarterback was involved and, thus, he remains eligible to play. Auburn will take on South Carolina in the SEC title game this weekend at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, where the Tigers are a -4’ point college football betting favorite.

2010-12-02 | Matt Regaw

The SEC Championship is at stake this weekend when the Auburn Tigers face off against the South Carolina Gamecocks. Online sportsbook, Sports-1 has posted the latest college football odds for this game and the Tigers are listed as six point favorites.

2010-11-24 | Jim Murphy

Vince Young has clearly fallen out of favor with Tennessee Titans’ coach Jeff Fisher leaving his future with the team in doubt. Officially, he’s on injured reserve after suffering a tendon injury in his thumb which necessitated his removal from Sunday’s loss to the Washington Redskins. That set off a bizarre series of events that ended with him walking out of the team meeting and losing his standing as starting quarterback. Now there are reports that Titans’ coach Jeff Fisher kicked him out of the team’s training facility and indicated that he was no longer welcome at team meetings.

2010-11-24 | Jim Murphy

The Cincinnati Bengals face the New York Jets on Thanksgiving Day, and wide receiver Terrell 'T.O.' Owens is trying to get under the skin of cornerback Darrelle Revis. The two men have feuded in the press before, but 'T.O' has fanned the flames this week taking to the media to question Revis' skill by calling him—among other things—an 'average cornerback'. The Jets are currently a -8' point NFL betting favorite over the Jets with the total set at 43'.

2010-11-22 | Jim Murphy

The Week 11 edition of Monday Night Football features a matchup that the NFL had hoped would be better when the schedule was originally made as the Denver Broncos travel to Southern California to take on the San Diego Chargers. Both teams are among the biggest disappointments of the NFL season so far. Denver is 3-6 SU and against the spread though the Broncos are coming off one of their best performances of the season as they dominated the Kansas City Chiefs at home last week. San Diego has won and covered two straight after spending much of the early part of the season ‘beating themselves’ with turnovers and poor special teams play. The current NFL betting odds on this game have the Chargers installed as a -9 home favorite with the total set at 50.

2010-11-18 | Jim Murphy

There’s no shortage of disappointing teams in the NFL this season ‘led’ by the Cowboys and Bengals, but the San Francisco 49ers are definitely on the list. Picked by many to dominate the weak NFC West the Niners have slumped to a 3-6 record and have shown little sign of building momentum for a strong stretch run. Their weak division means that they’re still in the postseason hunt, but they’ll have their hands full today with a rapidly improving Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that compensates for their lack of big play talent on offense with good old fashioned hard work. San Francisco is a -3 point NFL betting favorite in this game with the total set at 41’.

2010-11-16 | Jim Murphy

The Chicago Bears will try to continue their winning ways as they head to South Florida to take on the Miami Dolphins in a Thursday night game. Chicago has won two straight and is off a victory over Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings, while Miami beat the Tennessee Titans this past Sunday. The Bears are currently tied with Green Bay for the lead in the NFC North while Miami is two games back of the Jets and Patriots in the AFC East. Current NFL football betting odds on this game have the Dolphins installed as a -1 point home favorite with the total set at 40’.

2010-11-11 | Jim Murphy

Florida may be perceived by many as being in the midst of a 'down year' but they can earn a trip to the SEC Championship game with a victory against South Carolina. The Gamecocks and Gators are tied atop the SEC East with identical 4-3 records and both are 6-2 overall. This game is always a big deal, of course, since the Gamecocks' Steve Spurrier is the longtime head coach at Florida. South Carolina may have a bigger target on their backs due to the upset victory of Alabama one week after the Crimson Tide routed the Gators. The current college football pointspread on this game has the Gators installed as a -6’ point favorite.

2010-11-10 | Jim Murphy

Thursday night features a very attractive NFL matchup between the NFC South leading Atlanta Falcons and the AFC North leading Baltimore Ravens. Both teams are coming in off a victory, with Baltimore easily taking care of Miami and the Falcons earning a win over Tampa Bay. Both teams are optimistic about making a long run in the playoffs, with a trip to the Superbowl in Dallas not out of the realm of possibility. Current NFL football betting lines have the Falcons installed as a -1 point home favorite with the total set at 43’.

2010-11-10 | Jim Murphy

The biggest story at last weekend’s Breeders’ Cup horse racing event was Zenyatta’s ultimately unsuccessful quest for back to back victories in the BC Classic. On Friday, however, the bizarre brawl between jockeys Calvin Borel and Javier Castellano threatened to overshadow the sport’s superstar mare. The Kentucky racing stewards quickly handed down punishment for the fracas, fining both jockeys and suspending Castellano for the careless riding that set off the confrontation. Castellano’s agent indicated that he'd be appealing the suspension, primarily as a ‘stalling tactic’ so he could keep a previous contracted mount at the Queen Elizabeth Commemorative Cup in Japan this Sunday. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has denied his appeal, but due to the intervention of the ‘Bluegrass State’s’ judicial system it looks like Castellano will be able to keep his mount in Japan this weekend

2010-11-08 | Jim Murphy

Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones had repeatedly said that Wade Phillips was safe in his role of head coach until the end of the year. In the meantime, however, the team experienced a downward spiral that took them from ‘disappointing’ to ‘nightmarish’ in the span of several weeks. After an embarrassing 35-17 home loss at home against Jacksonville they went on the road and looked even worse in a completely noncompetitive 45-7 loss at Green Bay. On Monday, Jones could wait no longer and fired Phillips installing offensive coordinator Jason Garrett as interim head coach for the rest of the season.

2010-11-08 | Jim Murphy

Fights between participants are commonplace in some sports like hockey and baseball and not unprecedented in others. They’re not very common in horse racing but a fight broke out at the Breeders’ Cup on Friday following an on track incident involving jockeys Calvin Borel, Javier Castellano and Martin Garcia. The Kentucky Racing Stewards are reviewing the video of the incident to see what exactly happened and will then decide what sort of punishment they should mete out. You can review the tape yourself below.

2010-11-04 | Jim Murphy

It may not be a case where a quarterback controversy is brewing in Washington, but Redskins’ coach Mike Shanahan got his share of media questions about his decision to bench Donovan McNabb late in the 37-25 loss to the Detroit Lions. McNabb was 17-of-30 for 210 yards, one touchdown, and one interception before being replaced by Rex Grossman. Grossman entered with the Redskins down by 7, but lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown on his first play from scrimmage putting the game out of reach.

2010-11-01 | Jim Murphy

The Carolina Panthers finally got one in the win column last week, but they may have lost starting running back DeAngelo Williams--at least for the time being. Williams limped off the field in the closing moments of Carolina's win over the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday and hasn't practiced all week. The Panthers haven't been clear on what's wrong with Williams, but it's being reported as an 'unspecified foot injury’. He missed the Panthers’ loss to St. Louis on Sunday and the team struggled to move the ball on the ground in his absence despite decent depth at the position..

2010-11-01 | Jim Murphy

The San Antonio Spurs have signed point guard Tony Parker to a multi-year contract extension, reportedly a four year deal worth $50 million. Parker is in the final year of his current contract deal and there has been a good deal of speculation about his future with the team. There had been trade rumors involving Parker, including a scenario where he would have ended up with the New York Knicks. The new contract puts an end to all of the speculation and there’s now a good chance that he’ll finish his career with the Spurs.

2010-10-27 | Jim Murphy

The 2010 season had already been bad for the Dallas Cowboys, but after Sunday’s game things have gone downhill even more. Starting quarterback Tony Romo suffered a fractured left collarbone in the Cowboys’ 41-35 home loss to the New York Giants. The initial diagnosis is that he'll be out eight weeks, but there’s a significant chance that he’s finished for the season.

2010-10-25 | Jim Murphy

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ organization and fanbase is relieved that linebacker James Harrison has decided not to retire. Harrison was at the center of the NFL’s recent crackdown on violent play, and early last week he threatened to quit football if he couldn’t play the game how he wanted. He's still not happy about the rule changes and refused to talk to the media about them or his decision process. He released a statement through the Steelers’ front office defending his earlier play but apologizing for some of his more incendiary comments:

2010-10-25 | Jim Murphy

The San Francisco 49ers entered the 2010 season with expectations that they’d contend for the NFL West title, but instead they’ve slumped to a 1-6 record and have been the biggest disappointment of the year. As bad as things have been so far, they may have gotten worse following a shoulder injury to starting quarterback Alex Smith. Smith suffered the injury after a sack by Carolina’s Charles Johnson during San Francisco’s loss to the Panthers on Sunday. The concern is that the shoulder is separated—the same injury that knocked Smith out of action in 2007. The only semblance of good news about the situation is that the injury is to Smith’s non-throwing shoulder.

2010-10-21 | Jim Murphy

In the wake of several dangerously violent hits that left at least three players sidelined, the NFL announced that they were getting tough on excessively aggressive play and particularly helmet to helmet hits. While most NFL media outlets have applauded this overdue emphasis on protecting its players, not everyone is happy. Pittsburgh Steelers’ linebacker James Harrison has reportedly questioned whether he can play football under the new rules and is supposedly considering retirement. On Wednesday, Miami Dolphins’ linebacker Channing Crowder threw down the proverbial gauntlet, suggesting that he won’t pay attention to the new rules and will continue playing the way he always has.

2010-10-20 | Jim Murphy

The Dallas Cowboys have underachieved mightily this season, slumping to a 1-4 record and putting head coach Wade Phillips’ job in jeopardy. At this point, the only reason he’s still around is owner Jerry Jones’ long standing policy against mid season coaching changes. Following a loss at Minnesota this weekend in a game they could have easily won, Jones was very negative about the rest of the season but has since done a 180. On his weekly radio show in Dallas, Jones put a more positive spin on things and gave his strongest support of Phillips and his staff to date. He went as far as say that the Cowboys can ‘defy the odds’ and reach the playoffs despite their slow start to the season.

2010-10-19 | Jim Murphy

Detroit Lions’ starting quarterback Matthew Stafford is nearing his return from injury, and not a moment too soon. On Sunday the team lost the services of his replacement as Shaun Hill suffered a broken left forearm in a 28-20 road loss to the New York Giants. Hill was hit hard by the Giants' Barry Cofield on an incomplete pass to Kevin Smith. He left the game immediately and didn’t return to be replaced by Drew Stanton.

2010-10-19 | Jim Murphy

The Philadelphia Eagles have suffered more injuries so far in the 2010 season than most NFL teams and it doesn’t look like it’ll get any better in the short term. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson will miss Sunday's road game at Tennessee following a brutal helmet to helmet hit that left both him and Atlanta safety Dunta Robinson (who delivered the hit) with concussions. Considering the many severe consequences that could have resulted from this type of hit, Jackson is in good shape though he says he can’t remember the hit and is suffering some soreness in his neck and shoulders.

2010-10-15 | Jim Murphy

The Cleveland Browns have been competitive for most of this NFL season despite injuries issues at quarterback. Now with both starter Jake Delhomme and backup Seneca Wallace recovering from severe ankle sprains, Browns' coach Eric Mangini will give rookie Colt McCoy his first NFL start in Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mangini hasn’t 'officially' announced McCoy has the starter but the rookie out of the University of Texas has taken all of the snaps with the first team in practice this week and has been informed that he’ll be the #1 quarterback for Sunday’s game.

2010-10-14 | Jim Murphy

Chicago Bears’ coach Lovie Smith expressed hope at his Monday press conference that quarterback Jay Cutler would be cleared to return to action at home this weekend against Seattle. On Tuesday, he got his wish—doctor have cleared Cutler to play following a concussion suffered against the New York Giants on October 3 and is expected to start against the Seahawks this Sunday. The Bears were anxious to get Cutler back in the lineup as soon as possible following a horrible outing by veteran Todd Collins in the team’s win at Carolina this past weekend.

2010-10-14 | Jim Murphy

Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach Andy Reid has a strange way of demonstrating confidence in his current starting quarterback Kevin Kolb. Despite every indication that Michael Vick will be unable to play this weekend against the Atlanta Falcons, Reid has yet to ‘officially’ rule him out. Vick continues to recover from his rib injury suffered against the Philadelphia Eagles and there’s no reason to rush him back but Reid is apparently holding out hope that he can play this weekend.

2010-10-12 | Jim Murphy

It wasn’t a very good weekend for the St. Louis Rams. They were embarrassed on the road, losing to previously winless Detroit 44-6 and in the defeat suffered a more significant loss. Wide receiver Mark Clayton—the team’s most dangerous downfield threat—tore his patella tendon trying to run down a Sam Bradford pass early in the game. He’s been forced to undergo season ending surgery and his loss is a severe blow to a receiver corps already decimated by injury.

2010-10-11 | Jim Murphy

Green Bay Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a concussion in Sunday's 16-13 loss to the Washington Redskins and is listed as 'questionable' for next week's game against Miami. Given the NFL’s long overdue emphasis on proper treatment of concussions, it’s very unlikely that he’ll be cleared to return to action so quickly. Rodgers played the entire game at Washington, completing 27 of 45 passes for 310 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He passed 10,000 yards in career passing yardage in the process.

2010-10-11 | Jim Murphy

The Minnesota Vikings added wide receiver Randy Moss to their lineup last week and it looks like he'll get to play his biggest rival in his first game with his new team. New York Jets' cornerback Darrelle Revis is expected to return to action following his hamstring injury suffered against Moss's old team, the New England Patriots. Revis’ return and Moss’s debut will make the Monday Night Football matchup between the Jets and Vikings one of the biggest games of the year.

2010-10-07 | Jim Murphy

The Washington Redskins entered the year without much experience at running back and that situation got worse today due to an injury to two time Pro Bowl running back Clinton Portis. Portis suffered a groin injury in Sunday's victory over the Eagles at Philadelphia and will be out of action at least a month and possibly as long as six weeks. Portis' injury leaves the Redskins with only two healthy tailbacks on the roster--neither of whom have much NFL experience. Ryan Torain and Chad Simpson are now the team’s only option for Washington at running back and while both have talent they only have a total of 70 carries at the NFL level between them.

2010-10-06 | Jim Murphy

Despite a 0-4 start in a season where his team was expected to contend for the NFC West title and an ugly ‘snatching defeat from the jaws of victory’ loss at Atlanta last weekend, San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary says he isn't worried about his job. He did agree that questions about job security are 'the nature of the game' when asked by media on Monday, but suggested that he's not concerned about his status:

2010-10-06 | Jim Murphy

Randy Moss is heading back to the Minnesota Vikings in a blockbuster deal intended to bolster their wide receiver corps in what is likely Brett Favre’s final year. In return, the Patriots receive a draft choice and at least some value for a player that was unlikely to return when his contract expired at the end of the season. Moss will make his Minnesota return on a suitably big stage—playing on Monday Night Football against the New York Jets. It’ll be even more interesting if his longtime foil Darrelle Revis is able to return from a hamstring injury.

2010-10-04 | Jim Murphy

Whether they like it or not, the Philadelphia Eagles are back with Kevin Kolb as their starting quarterback at least for this Sunday’s game at San Francisco. Michael Vick was injured early in last Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins and was unable to return. While there were conflicting reports initially of the exact location of the injury—some suggested it was his wrist or collarbone it turned out to be a rib injury. X-rays didn’t reveal any broken ribs, though an MRI revealed that cartilage between his second and third rib may be cracked.

2010-10-01 | Jim Murphy

In many ways, Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson was as good as advertised on Thursday night as he threw for 409 yards and five touchdowns against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The problem was the four interceptions he threw, and these miscues eventually cost his team a 38-35 decision in a wild shootout in Stillwater, Oklahoma. His Oklahoma State counterpart Brandon Weeden also played well—but threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. Still, his teammates were able to take advantage of Johnson’s errors and got a 40 yard field goal from Dan Bailey as time expired to lock up the win.

2010-09-30 | Jim Murphy

New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis is continuing to recover from his strained hamstring, but is still at least a week away from returning. As a result, he’ll miss Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills. Revis hasn't practiced since sustaining the injury in a Monday Night Football game against New England two weeks ago and has been downgraded to 'expected to miss' on the latest injury report. Jets' coach Rex Ryan didn't completely rule him out on Wednesday, but didn’t exactly offer much hope for him to play either:

2010-09-29 | Jim Murphy

Trent Edwards was released by the Buffalo Bills on Monday, but he’s not going to be out of work for long. The Jacksonville Jaguars claimed Edwards off of waivers on Tuesday and will sign a contract with the quarterback on Wednesday. He’s expected to join the team at practice later in the day. Edwards will make $1.65 million for the 2010 season under his existing contract, which the Bills have already paid him 291,176 of. The Jaguars will pick up the tab for the rest of that amount. The New York Jets also put in a claim for Edwards, but Jacksonville was awarded his services based on having the worse record of the two teams.

2010-09-28 | Jim Murphy

The San Francisco 49ers’ offense is in a major funk, and that led to the dismissal of offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye on Monday. They dropped to 0-3 after an embarrassing and non-competitive loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, and for a team that was expected to contend for a divisional title the time to get things turned around is now. They’ll try to start in a tough venue—at the Georgia Dome against the Atlanta Falcons who are tied with Tampa Bay and New Orleans for the NFC South led.

2010-09-27 | Jim Murphy

The Denver Broncos lost to the Indianapolis Colts 27-13 on Sunday and they did so without leading rusher Knowshon Moreno. The NFL injury report indicated a hamstring related issue, though Broncos coach Josh McDaniels would only reveal that Moreno suffered "a little something" at practice that kept him out of Sunday’s game. Moreno has 2 touchdowns and 111 yards rushing on 39 carries in two games this season.

2010-09-27 | Jim Murphy

The Buffalo Bills have benched starting quarterback Trent Edwards for the second time in two years, and this time they look ready to part ways. Ryan Fitzpatrick played well in a competitive Bills’ loss to the New England Patriots on the field while in the front office rumors have surfaced that Edwards is on the trading block. Fitzpatrick threw for 247 yards with two touchdowns—and two interceptions—as the Bills lost to the New England Patriots 38-30 in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

2010-09-27 | Jim Murphy

The crisis mode in Dallas has abated somewhat, as the team won’t be heading into their bye week at 0-3. Tony Romo threw a pair of touchdown passes to Roy Williams and Marion Barber ran for another score as the Cowboys beat their in-state rivals the Houston Texans 27-13 at Reliant Stadium. After a closely contested first half, the Cowboys broke the game open in the second and opened a 27-6 lead. The Texans added a score in the final minutes of the game to make the final result look better than it really was.

2010-09-23 | Jim Murphy

The New York Jets have lost one of their best run defenders with the season ending injury to nose guard Chris Jenkins, and now must hit the road without the services of all world safety Darrelle Revis. Revis re-aggrevated his injured hamstring in last Sunday’s win against the New England Patriots and has been ruled out for this game by head coach Rex Ryan. They’ll face a Miami Dolphins team that has won their first two games on the road and is making their 2010 home debut. New York will be looking to end a three game Miami winning streak in the series, with the Dolphins winning all three games outright as underdogs.

2010-09-23 | Jim Murphy

The Pittsburgh Steelers are running out of quarterbacks. Ben Roethlisberger has two games left on his league mandated suspension. Byron Leftwich still isn’t ready to return to action following a knee ligament injury sustained in the final preseason game. Third stringer Dennis Dixon started the first two games, but left last week’s win at Tennessee with a knee injury that required surgery and will keep him out of action for up to six weeks. As a result, the Steelers turned to their last healthy option on the roster as coach Mike Tomlin announced that veteran Charlie Batch will start Pittsburgh’s road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

2010-09-20 | Jim Murphy

Much of the pre-game hype surrounding the New York Jets’ home matchup against the New England Patriots centered on the head to head battle between Darrelle Revis and Randy Moss. Unfortunately, that battle never really materialized as Revis injured his hamstring late in the first half and watched the rest of the game from the sidelines. Revis will have an MRI early this week, but he says that it’s not a pull or tear based on how it feels. The Jets won the game 28-14.

2010-09-20 | Jim Murphy

Sunday night’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants had been billed as the classic sibling rivalry game pitting Eli Manning against his older brother Peyton Manning. In this instance, the elder Manning got the best of his younger brother as the Colts easily beat the Giants 38-14. Peyton Manning finished 255 yards, 3 TD passes and no interceptions while Eli put up 161 yards, 2 TD passes and 1 interception. The Colts got a boost from their rushing game as Joseph Addai and Donald Brown combined for 161 yards on the ground.

2010-09-17 | Jim Murphy

The highly anticipated early season matchup between New England Patriots’ receiver Randy Moss and his nemesis Darrelle Revis of the New York Jets may not come to fruition. At the very least, it could be diminished somewhat due to a nagging hamstring issue suffered by the Jets’ closeout cornerback. Revis missed all training camp due to a contract dispute and was used in a limited zone coverage role in New York’s season opening loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He was expected to be used in single coverage on Moss this Sunday, but coach Rex Ryan may have to come up with a different plan if Revis is limited.

2010-09-16 | Jim Murphy

The Carolina Panthers received some good news on Thursday—starting quarterback Matt Moore has been medically cleared after suffering a concussion in the season opening loss to the New York Giants. Moore has returned to practice, and is expected to start on Sunday when the Panthers host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Bucs have also dealt with injuries to their quarterback in 2010—starter Josh Freeman suffered a broken thumb in preseason and is back in the lineup though not 100%.

2010-09-14 | Jim Murphy

It’s been an eventful week for New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady. Within the past 7 days he led the Patriots to a win over Cincinnati in the NFL regular season opener, signed a contract that made him the highest paid player in the league and escaped without injury from a car accident in Boston’s Back Bay area. On Monday, Brady talked about the accident with the media for the first time and expressed his gratitude for surviving the incident relatively unscathed.

2010-09-10 | Jim Murphy

The New England Patriots got an unexpected scare on Thursday when quarterback Tom Brady—who, ironically, was in the process of finalizing a contract extension with the team—was involved in a car accident in Boston’s Back Bay area. Fortunately for all concerned, the incident turned out to be minor with Brady escaping without any injury and the other motorist suffering only superficial lacerations. Brady made it to practice, and suffered no ill effects from the experience.

2010-09-09 | Jim Murphy

C.J. Spiller was a game changing running back during his college career at Clemson, and he’s looking like he may have the same impact in the NFL. He quickly made a statement in the preseason—getting significant playing time due to injuries to veterans Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson, Spiller scored three touchdowns in three games. Overall, he had 26 carries for 122 yards and provided Buffalo with a big play rushing threat that they haven’t had since the Thurman Thomas era. Still, it was something of a surprise when Bills’ coach Chan Gailey named Spiller the starting running back for the team’s opening game against Miami on Sunday night.

2010-09-08 | Jim Murphy

Things briefly appeared to be looking up for Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback late last week. He had his league mandated suspension reduced from six games to four after a productive meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. In the past few days, however, it’s become apparent that his biggest problems may still be ahead as he attempts to regain the trust of his coaches and teammates. Roethlisberger has been a team captain since 2007, but he won’t be one this year—he wasn’t voted to the honorary position by his teammates. Instead, captains this year will be receiver Hines Ward, tight end Heath Miller and linebackers James Farrior and Keyaron Fox.

2010-09-07 | Jim Murphy

During his college years at USC, Matt Leinart was a Heisman Trophy winner and two time National Champion. Things haven’t gone as well during his NFL career. In three years he’s gone from a high draft pick expected to be the Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback of the future, to someone the team considered completely expendable. This weekend, the Cardinals released Leinart outright and left the former Arizona starting quarterback unemployed as a free agent. Leinart wasn’t out of work for long, signing with the Houston Texans, but he’s currently the #3 QB on the depth chart behind Matt Schaub and Dan Orlovsky.

2010-09-03 | Jim Murphy

This isn’t exactly how a team that went 1-11 SU in 2009 wants to start the season. Miami-Ohio tries to bounce back from one of the worst seasons in program history, and they couldn’t pick a bigger challenge to open the 2010 campaign—in Gainesville at ‘The Swamp’ against the University of Florida in the first game of the post Tim Tebow era. The Gators opened a -30’ point home favorite and college football betting enthusiasts have pushed that line up to -35’ with the total set at 52’.

2010-08-30 | Jim Murphy

The New York Jets received some bad news on the eve of the NFL regular season—linebacker Calvin Pace, the team’s best pass rusher in 2009 will need foot surgery and will miss the start of the 2010 campaign. Current prognosis has Pace out 4 to 6 weeks, though the Jets stressed that they’ll defer any sort of projection on his return until after the surgery is performed Monday. Renowned foot surgeon Robert Anderson will perform the procedure in Charlotte, North Carolina. Pace was injured in the third quarter of Friday’s 16-11 exhibition loss to the Washington Redskins.

2010-08-30 | Jim Murphy

Donovan McNabb hasn’t practiced since spraining his ankle in the Washington Redskins’ second preseason game. Now coach Mike Shanahan is publicly saying that his quarterback may not be ready for the regular season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, September 12. McNabb sat out Friday’s preseason victory over the New York Jets, and won’t play in the Redskins’ final exhibition contest against the Arizona Cardinals.

2010-08-30 | Jim Murphy

Oakland Raiders’ starting quarterback Jason Campbell left Saturday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers with a stinger, but on Sunday it was revealed that a seemingly less significant injury could end up being more troublesome. While the stinger is not considered by the team to be serious, they are concerned about a wrist injury that will necessitate further X-rays and MRI testing early this week. Worst case scenario, the wrist issue could knock Campbell out of the lineup for Oakland’s regular season opener against the Tennessee Titans.

2010-08-27 | Jim Murphy

NFL owners along with league Commissioner Roger Goodell have expressed a desire to expand the season to 18 games from the current 16. During a five hour meeting in Atlanta this week there was no formal vote, but according to Goodell the owners expressed near unanimity in the longer schedule. The NFL Players Association is much less enthusiastic, and the debate over the proposed 18 game schedule could be a major issue as the league and players hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement after this season.

2010-08-25 | Jim Murphy

Now that Brett Favre is done inflicting his annual self imposed retirement drama on the football world, he’s trying to mend fence with coaching staff and teammates. Since returning to the Vikings the NFL’s biggest diva has held two closed door meetings to ‘clear the air’ and stress his ‘commitment’ to the success of the team. The first meeting was similar to last year’s meeting where Favre stressed his commitment to the Vikings and his teammates despite his antics of earlier this summer. This year, he called a second meeting to address a media report that he almost decided against coming back due to his disdain for head coach Brad Childress.

2010-08-25 | Jim Murphy

On a weekend that saw Manchester United’s primary rivals for English Premier League supremacy win their games in blowout fashion, the ‘Red Devils’ had to settle for a hard fought draw at Fulham. Man U played very well in the first half, but a sloppy effort in the second half allowed Fulham’s Brede Hangeland to head home the tying goal in the 89th minute. It was a case of too many missed opportunities for Man U, who missed a penalty kick in the 87th minute which gave Hangeland the opportunity to score the equalizer.

2010-08-25 | Jim Murphy

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco is known as one of the most tech savvy players in the NFL. He has his own iPhone and iPad application and is a frequent user of the Twitter social network. His Twitter usage has now landed him in trouble with the NFL and taken a hefty bite out of his wallet. Ochocinco was fined $25,000 by the league for sending ‘Tweets’ during the August 20 preseason game between the Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles.

2010-08-23 | Jim Murphy

It may only be the second week of NFL preseason action, but in Philadelphia there’s already cause for concern. Against a Cincinnati Bengals team never known for their intensity in exhibition games, the Eagles’ offense came completely unglued and all but handed a 22-9 victory to the home team. The Bengals hadn’t exactly ‘circled’ the game and despite the horrendous showing by the Eagles’ offense led by only 1 point at halftime and trailed at the start of the third quarter. They were able to pull away in the fourth quarter thanks to a one man rushing effort from backup Cedric Peerman, who scored two touchdowns and ran in a two point conversion.

2010-08-20 | Jim Murphy

It’s no secret that the Indianapolis Colts put little emphasis on the preseason NFL campaign, and that ennui was evident on Thursday night in Toronto where they took on the Buffalo Bills. Despite a halfhearted effort, the Colts hung around with the Bills for three quarters until Buffalo pulled away in the fourth to take a 34-21 victory in a game played at the Rogers Centre, home field of the CFL Toronto Argonauts. Buffalo evened their preseason record at 1-1 while Indianapolis dropped to 0-2.

2010-08-18 | Jim Murphy

The Seattle Seahawks opened a 20-7 lead at the end of the third quarter but had to withstand a furious comeback to outlast the Tennessee Titans 20-18 in the preseason opener for both clubs. The victory gave former USC head coach Pete Carroll a win in his Seattle head coaching debut and his first game back in the NFL since he left the New England Patriots in 2000. In the interim, Carroll became one of the most successful college football coaches of the decade as he restored the Trojans to the status of a national powerhouse.

2010-08-17 | Jim Murphy

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback rotation is in fairly good shape, but their preseason preparation has become a mess due to the suspension facing starter Ben Roethlisberger. ‘Big Ben’ will miss up to six games of the regular season, though he’s allowed to practice with the team and play in preseason action. Roethlisberger didn’t see any playing time in Pittsburgh’s 23-7 win over Detroit this past weekend but is expected to see action in the Steelers’ next game on Saturday against the New York Giants.

2010-08-16 | Jim Murphy

The New England Patriots opened up a 17-7 halftime lead but needed a Stephen Gostkowski field goal in the final minute to beat the New Orleans Saints 27-24 in the first preseason game for both teams. The Super Bowl Champions looked listless and their starting offense sputtered, but got back in the game behind their reserves in the late 3rd and early 4th quarters. New Orleans would tie the game on a Garrett Hartley field goal which would set up Gostokwski’s game winning strike with :53 seconds remaining.

2010-08-16 | Jim Murphy

The Cincinnati Bengals spotted the Denver Broncos a 14-0 lead before roaring back in the second half to win the NFL preseason contest by a final score of 33-24. Denver QB Kyle Orton looked very sharp in the first quarter, but most of the attention was focused on former Florida standout Tim Tebow who made his pro football debut. Tebow looked decent in limited action and scored a touchdown on the final play of the game to narrow Cincinnati’s margin of victory.

2010-08-16 | Jim Murphy

Sure, it’s only the first game of the preseason but when you’re off a year as bad as the Washington Redskins had in 2009 you take the positive wherever you can. On Friday night, the Redskins got the Donovan McNabb/Mike Shanahan era off to a good start with a 42-17 blowout victory over the Buffalo Bills. Washington spotted Buffalo a 3-0 lead before McNabb scored his first touchdown in a Redskins uniform to give his new team a lead they never relinquished. The Skins would go on to score five unanswered touchdown and build a 35-3 lead before the Bills tacked on some points in ‘garbage time’ to make the final score somewhat more respectable.

2010-08-12 | Jim Murphy

The New York Knicks made news last week by offering former team president and head coach Isiah Thomas a job as a ‘consultant’. On Wednesday, Thomas announced that he won’t be accepting a job and instead will remain in his current position as head coach of Florida International University. The Knicks’ decision to hire Thomas met with a good deal of criticism, since his reign with the team was not only unsuccessful on the court but controversial off the court including a well publicized sexual harassment lawsuit that cost the organization $11.6 million. Despite these struggles, Thomas has maintained a close friendship with Knicks’ owner Jim Dolan and that appears to be the basis for the team offering him a job.

2010-08-10 | Jim Murphy

The NFL preseason got underway on Saturday as the Dallas Cowboys faced off against the Cincinnati Bengals in the annual Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio. In a defensive struggle contested mostly by both teams’ reserves the Cowboys forced four turnovers to take a 16-7 win. David Buehler kicked three field goals for Dallas, who also added a Brandon Sharpe interception return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The Bengals were shut out until the final minute of the game when Jordan Palmer hit Darius Hill on a one yard touchdown pass.

2010-08-10 | Jim Murphy

The New York Jets are taking a hard line with holdout All Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis. The team rejected a contract offer from Revis’ agent on Monday and is now planning for the NFL season under the assumption that he won’t be with the team. Revis is slated to make $1 million this season and while the Jets concur that he’s underpaid they’re not prepared to meet his demand that he become the highest paid cornerback in the NFL—a price tag that would exceed $15 million a year.

2010-08-09 | Jim Murphy

Considered by many to be the best running back and wide receiver to ever play in the league, Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice were inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame on Saturday night in Canton, Ohio. Smith and Rice headlined a group of seven inductees that also included John Randle, Dick LeBeau, Rickey Jackson, Russ Grimm and Floyd Little.

2010-08-05 | Jim Murphy

Despite a media frenzy over a series of text messages that Brett Favre allegedly sent to his Minnesota Viking teammates saying he planned to retire, the veteran quarterback maintains that he’s not made any decision on whether or not to return for another NFL season. Favre says that his position remains the same—that he’ll play if he’s healthy. He’s planning to have his surgically repaired ankle examined next week, and will make a decision on his pro football future based on that diagnosis.

2010-08-04 | Jim Murphy

Corey Hart had been the subject of trade rumors heading into the deadline, but on Monday the Milwaukee Brewers did just the opposite—they rewarded him with a long term contract extension. The 28 year old Hart agreed to a 3 year deal worth $26.5 million that’ll keep him in a Milwaukee uniform through the 2013 season. Hart is in the midst of a solid season, batting .288 with 23 home runs and 72 RBIs in 92 games.

2010-08-03 | Jim Murphy

It didn’t take long for Chris Bosh to respond to Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo’s assertion that he’d ‘quit’ on his former team last season. Bosh and LeBron James have signed with Miami to join Dwayne Wade, and the team has since become the NBA betting favorite to dethrone the LA Lakers as NBA champions. Both James and Bosh have taken their share of heat about how the move was handled, but on Friday Bosh denied Colangelo’s claims and insisted that he always ‘played hard’.

2010-08-03 | Jim Murphy

A flurry of reports in the UK media is suggesting that Chinese billionaire Kenny Huang is negotiating to take control of Liverpool. Huang isn’t looking to buy the club directly, but is instead bidding to the Royal Bank of Scotland to buy the club's £237 million debt. While this in itself wouldn’t give him control, it would provide Huang with what is being described as "a ridiculously large amount of leverage" to oust the English Premier League team’s current owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

2010-07-28 | Jim Murphy

Diego Maradona is out as Argentina’s national soccer coach, walking away from the job in a power struggle over the fate of his staff. The Argentina Football Association (AFA) had offered Maradona a new four year contract on the condition that he replace his entire staff. Maradona stood firm, stressing that he’d only return if his staff was retained. When that major difference in position couldn’t be resolved, the AFA declined to renew his deal under Maradona’s conditions and just like that the Argentina soccer legend was out.

2010-07-28 | Jim Murphy

LeBron James took his share of criticism for his NBA playoff performance, and that only intensified after his high profile free agent move to Miami. The most virulent attack came from the Cavs owner, Dan Gilbert, which brought about an admonishment from Rev. Jesse Jackson and a huge fine from NBA commissioner David Stern. Now the Toronto Raptors’ management is taking its shots at LeBron’s new teammate, Chris Bosh. His tone wasn’t quite as nasty as Gilbert’s but Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo has publically suggested that Bosh quit on the team during his final season as a Raptor.

2010-07-27 | Jim Murphy

2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra pulled away late to outclass a lackluster field in the $400,000 Lady’s Secret Stakes on an oppressively hot and muggy day at New Jersey’s Monmouth Park. It was Rachel’s second straight stakes win following a pair of narrow losses to start the 2010 season. The performance was solid but unspectacular in a race that had been ‘made to order’ for one of the sport’s superstar mares. To secure Rachel Alexandra’s participation Monmouth moved the race from its original date (August 1) and sweetened the original a purse of $150,000. The additional $250,000 was contingent on Rachel Alexandra competing in the race. The distance was also lengthened from 1 1/16 miles to 1 1/8 miles.

2010-07-22 | Jim Murphy

With the obvious exception of venerable Churchill Downs—the home of the Kentucky Derby—few horse racing venues can boast the tradition of Southern California’s Del Mar Racetrack. On Wednesday, the troubled Southern California horse racing industry received a much needed boost with the opening of the 71st summer meet at Del Mar. A huge crowd of 45,309 broke the opening day attendance mark for the track and created a party atmosphere and a welcome positive vibe in the Southern California racing scene.

2010-07-20 | Jim Murphy

With superstar forward Ilya Kovalchuk the target of overtures from all over the world, the New Jersey Devils decided to secure his services for the longterm by signing him to a 17 year deal worth a reported $102 million (US). This means that Kovalchuk’s contract will be on the books until the 2026-27 NHL season at which point he’ll be 44 years old. The former Atlanta Thrashers’ draft choice was also courted by the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and New York Islanders, as well as SKA St. Petersburg from Russia’s KHL league.

2010-07-19 | Jim Murphy

On paper, Sunday’s matchup between the Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Stadium looked like an insignificant battle between two National League also-rans. As it turned it, the result suggested that there may be some hope for the long struggling Pittsburgh fans while the Astros could be more of a mess than their record suggests. The Pirates continued their recent offensive productivity, clubbing 19 hits, and Paul Maholm threw a 3 hit, complete game shutout as Pittsburgh routed Houston 9-0.

2010-07-19 | Jim Murphy

The pre-tournament hype billed the 139th British Open at St. Andrews as the likely spot for Tiger Woods’ return to dominance. Instead, it was dominated by one of the more unlikely competitors in the sport. 27 year old South African Louis Oosthuizen won his first major tournament and did so in a manner almost as impressive as Tiger Woods’ performance on this course 10 years ago. Oosthuizen led for the final 48 holes and was never seriously challenged as he shot a -16 under par 272. That was 7 strokes better than second place Lee Westwood and eight better than Rory McIlroy and Paul Casey who tied for third.

2010-07-16 | Jim Murphy

Landon Donovan raised his international stock with a spirited performance for the USA national team at the recently concluded World Cup. That doesn’t mean he’ll be shipping off to the Premier League or Serie A. On Thursday, Major League Soccer (MLS) commissioner Don Garber emphasized that the United States’ top professional league wouldn’t be accepting transfer offers for Donovan. Garber said that he’d be receptive to loan offers during the MLS off-season, but that his league plans to build around Donovan’s higher profile in his native country.

2010-07-15 | Jim Murphy

He was known as ‘The Boss’ and unlike Bruce Springsteen the sobriquet wasn’t a rhetorical excess taken by a fawning critic—he was the real deal. New York Yankees owner and all around icon George Steinbrenner died Tuesday at the age of 80 following a massive heart attack. Among many other accomplishments, he was best known for taking a floundering Yankees franchise and transforming them into one of the most dominant teams in sports—both on and off the field.

2010-07-13 | Jim Murphy

The baseball world is mourning the death of a man once described by Joe DiMaggio as ‘the voice of God’—legendary New York Yankees’ field announcer Bob Sheppard has passed away at the age of 99. Sheppard started with the Yankees in 1951 and over the next 50 years became part of the Yankee Stadium experience. He continued with the team until 2007, when he retired due to a bronchial infection. He was revered by the Yankees organization and fans to the point that he has a plaque in his honor in ‘Monument Park’ along with greats like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

2010-07-13 | Jim Murphy

Belmont Stakes winner Drosselmeyer has been taken out of training and will be sidelined indefinitely due to a nagging ankle problem. The current prognosis is that the three year old will be out of action for the rest of the year, but as of now the issue isn’t considered career or life threatening. Drosselmeyer missed the Kentucky Derby since he didn’t have enough graded stakes race winnings to make it into the large field, but rebounded in the Belmont to give trainer Bill Mott his first victory in the event.

2010-07-12 | Jim Murphy

For a team that had made narrow victories a World Cup trademark, Spain’s victory over Holland came in a very fitting fashion. Andres Iniesta scored in the 116th minute of play to break a scoreless tie and give Spain a 1-0 win and their first ever World Cup championship. It was Spain’s fourth consecutive 1-0 victory—a fact that underscored the gritty manner in which the team fought throughout the tournament.

2010-07-07 | Jim Murphy

UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar survived a brutal first round beating from challenger Shane Carwin this past weekend before turning the tables in the second en route to a submission victory to successfully defend his crown in the main event of UFC 116. Lesnar was making his first return to action since a layoff due to a serious health problem, but by fight time his only issue was the powerful uppercuts of his opponent. Carwin was able to put Lesnar down but couldn’t finish him off, and by the second had ‘punched himself out’ to set up the former WWE superstar’s eventual victory.

2010-07-05 | Jim Murphy

In the first of two World Cup semifinal matches for Tuesday surprising Uruguay will try and turn back the formidable challenge of Netherlands. The Dutch team shocked tournament favorite Brazil with two second half goals to advance to the semifinals by a 2-1 score, while Uruguay outlasted Ghana on penalty kicks. For Uruguay, it’s their first trip to the semifinals in forty years while Netherlands reached the championship game in 1974 and 1978, losing both times.

2010-07-01 | Jim Murphy

The second quarterfinal game on Saturday will match pre-World Cup betting favorite Spain against surprising Paraguay. Spain got off to a poor start in group play, losing to Switzerland 1-0 in their opening match. They recovered to win their next two games, however, and outlasted Portugal 1-0 in the first game of the knockout round. Paraguay wasn’t considered much of a threat entering the tournament, but looked very tough defensively in the opening round with a win and two draws. They allowed only one goal in those three games—and that was due to a goalkeeper error. Aside from that miscue, their tenacious defense has been nearly impenetrable and could cause problems for the Spaniards here.

2010-06-24 | Jim Murphy

One of the marquee matchups of the World Cup group stage is this clash between Brazil and Portugal, but with both teams assured of a place in the final 16 it could be more of an exhibition game than anything else. Brazil struggled a bit with North Korea before finding their form against the Ivory Coast. Portugal opened with a draw against the Ivory Coast, but exploded in their second game with a 7-0 drubbing of North Korea that has given them an almost insurmountable goal differential advantage.