Sports Articles

2010-01-29 | Jim Murphy

From inauspicious beginnings in the Arena Football league and a stint as a grocery store shelf stocker, Kurt Warner became one of the most dominant NFL quarterbacks of the past decade. On Friday, the two time NFL MVP announced his retirement at age 38 leaving on the table a two year option worth $23 million dollars from the Arizona Cardinals. Warner also won a Superbowl with St. Louis in 1999 and was named the MVP of that game.

2010-01-29 | Jim Murphy

Even after a temporary demotion following a corruption scandal that rocked Italy’s soccer infrastructure, expectations at Juventus are always high. Following a 2-1 loss to Inter Milan that eliminated Juventus from the Coppa Italia, the club has fired head coach Ciro Ferrara. Former AC Milan and Inter Milan boss Alberto Zaccheroni has been appointed to lead the team on an interim basis.

2010-01-29 | Jim Murphy

The NBA has suspended Washington Wizards’ guards Gilbert Arenas and Jarvis Crittenton for the remainder of the NBA season. The two men were involved in a locker room dispute involving guns, reportedly stemming from a gambling debt. Both men have pled guilty to separate charges of violating the Draconian gun control laws in the District of Columbia, with their sentences still pending.

2010-01-28 | Jim Murphy

If your sports betting experience dates back more than a decade you no doubt remember when NFL pointspread favorites dominated the Superbowl seemingly every year. Through 1985, favorites were 12-6 against the spread and by 1995 that disparity had grown to 19-9 ATS. In the past decade or so, underdogs have made a comeback going 8-4 against the spread. That leaves the pointspread tally to date at 23-17-2 with no official line on Superbowl 1.

2010-01-26 | Jim Murphy

Peyton Manning threw three touchdown passes as the Indianapolis Colts rallied from an eleven point first half deficit to beat the New York Jets and advance to the Superbowl for the second time in four years. New York held their own in the early going but had no answer for Manning and company in the second half as the Colts scored 17 unanswered points to take the 30-17 victory. Indy will now take on the New Orleans Saints in Superbowl 44 in Miami. It’s the fourth trip to the big game in franchise history and, ironically, all four previous appearances have also been in Miami.

2010-01-26 | Jim Murphy

Until Sunday, it looked as if the return of Brett Favre to the NFL would have a storybook ending and propel the Minnesota Vikings to the Superbowl. Instead, the New Orleans Saints will be heading to the Superbowl for the first time in franchise history. Garrett Hartley nailed a 40 yard field goal in overtime to give the Saints a 31-28 victory in the NFC Championship game after Brett Favre was intercepted deep in Saints territory during the final seconds of regulation. Favre may be headed back to retirement, while the Saints are headed to Miami to play the biggest game of them all.

2010-01-26 | Jim Murphy

The Los Angeles Lakers are still the defending NBA champions, but for one day at least the Toronto Raptors got the best of them. Hedo Turkoglu sank two free throws with just over a second remaining to give his team a 106-105 home victory as the Raptors pulled above .500 at 23-22 on the year. The Lakers also fell a few percentage points behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA’s best record, though Los Angeles still leads second place Denver in the West by 3 ½ games.

2010-01-25 | Jim Murphy

Florida head coach Urban Meyer’s leave of absence didn’t last very long. On Saturday, Meyer announced that he was feeling good and would return to his head coaching duties in time for the annual spring game. Meyer had previously announced his resignation due to unspecified ‘health issues’. He quickly reversed course, and amended his plan to taking an indefinite ‘leave of absence’. That has apparently come to an end, and he’ll be back at the helm of the Gators’ football program long before the 2010 college football betting season begins.

2010-01-25 | Jim Murphy

Much of the talk among Manchester United faithful over the past week had centered on the soccer team’s off field financial issues. Reports surfaced that Man U is now in debt over 700 million pounds, and that they’re considering a number of unpopular steps—including selling their hallowed Old Trafford home field—to shore up the bottom line. On Saturday, however, the focus was back on soccer as Wayne Rooney scored four times to lead Man U to a 4-0 drubbing of Hull. The victory put Man U back on top of the English Premier League table, two points clear of Arsenal and Chelsea. The ‘Red Devils’ also rewarded soccer betting enthusiasts with the victory as lopsided -700 home favorites.

2010-01-25 | Jim Murphy

Former NFL star Herschel Walker will be making his professional MMA debut on the January 30 Strikeforce: Miami show, and now he knows the identity of his opponent. Walker will face 26 year old Greg Nagy, who’ll enter the bout with a 1-1 professional record. Nagy has a background in Muay Thai and lives and trains in Arizona.

2010-01-22 | Jim Murphy

Sports media types frequently talk about teams ‘coming together at the right time’. The New York Jets have done just that. All but written off late in the season when they were 7-7, the Jets have moved into the NFC Championship game with a run of inspired play. On Sunday, the Jets erased a 7-0 halftime deficit to stun the favored San Diego Chargers 17-14. New York will now head to Indianapolis to take on Peyton Manning and the Colts for the right to play in Superbowl 44 in Miami.

2010-01-22 | Jim Murphy

Brock Lesnar’s health issues have taken UFC fans on an emotional rollercoaster during the past few months. Initially diagnosed as a simple bout of the flu, Lesnar’s intestinal problems would snowball to threaten his career as a professional fighter. Earlier this week, however, there was a surprising announcement of very good news from the reigning UFC heavyweight champion: he’s been given a clean bill of health from his doctors and is hoping to make his return to action as soon as late May. The news was a best case scenario for both Lesnar and the UFC, who had braced for the possibility of major surgery and even an end to his career.

2010-01-22 | Jim Murphy

Heading into the announcement of the Eclipse Award winner of ‘Horse of the Year’ everyone knew that it came down to one of the two super fillies that captivated racing fans in 2009. Undefeated Zenyatta, who provided the sport’s most memorable moment with her sizzling stretch run in the Breeder’s Cup Classic, had momentarily grabbed the headlines with the announcement that she’d run again in 2010. At the end of the night, however, Rachel Alexandra won the big prize in a very competitive vote. She finished with 130 votes to 99 for second place Zenyatta.

2010-01-20 | Jim Murphy

Heading into Sunday’s game with the Arizona Cardinals, many NFL observers expressed concern that the Saints’ high powered offense would be ‘rusty’ following a bye week. Those doubts were quickly dispelled as New Orleans spotted the Cardinals a touchdown and then scored 21 unanswered first quarter points. They would eventually coast to a 45-14 victory and advance to next Sunday’s NFL championship game against the Minnesota Vikings.

2010-01-20 | Jim Murphy

The Indianapolis Colts are a team known for their high octane offense led by NFL MVP Peyton Manning. On Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, it was the Colts’ defense that paced the team to victory. The Indy defense limited the Ravens to a Billy Cundiff field goal en route to a 20-3 victory. The Colts will now host the surprising New York Jets in the AFC Championship game next Sunday.

2010-01-20 | Jim Murphy

When legendary quarterback Brett Favre announced his return to the NFL from what has become a seemingly annual flirtation with retirement, many second guessed the Minnesota Vikings’ decision to sign “The Gunslinger”. On Sunday, Favre and the Vikings answered those critics in the best way possible—with a lopsided 34-3 beatdown of the Dallas Cowboys. Favre threw 4 touchdown passes in the victory and the Vikings’ defense sacked Dallas QB Tony Romo six times in the blowout. Minnesota will now face the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship game.

2010-01-18 | Jim Murphy

Amid the excitement of the NFL playoffs the pro football world was shocked and saddened by the death of Chicago Bears’ defensive end Gaines Adams. Adams had just completed his third NFL season and was rushed to the hospital after going into cardiac arrest early Sunday morning at his parents’ home in Greenwood, SC. He was pronounced dead on arrival by Greenwood County medical examiner James T. Coursey. Adams was 26 years old.

2010-01-18 | Jim Murphy

Following Zenyatta’s spectacular come from behind victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic—undoubtedly horse racing’s most memorable moment of the year—owner Jerry Moss announced that she would retire. Having run an undefeated season and defeating a field of the top male horses in the sport’s richest race, Moss reasoned that there was nothing left for her to do. On Saturday, he reversed course and announced that the super mare would race in 2010 as a six year old.

2010-01-18 | Jim Murphy

Despite a season ending 34-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, reports suggest that Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones has decided to retain head coach Wade Phillips for the 2010 season. There had been some speculation that Phillips’ job was in jeopardy as the Cowboys struggled midway through the season, but a late season surge and a return to the playoffs apparently convinced the notoriously demanding team owner to bring him back for another shot.

2010-01-13 | Jim Murphy

It should be offensive fireworks aplenty as the Arizona Cardinals head to the Superdome for a Saturday afternoon meeting with the New Orleans Saints. Arizona advanced to this matchup by defeating Green Bay 51-45 in overtime—the highest scoring playoff game in NFL history. New Orleans finished 13-3 this year and earned a first round bye. The Saints led the league both in total offense and points per game, and boast the NFL’s best statistical QB in Drew Brees. The NFL betting line has New Orleans posted as a -7 point home favorite with the total set at 57.

2010-01-13 | Jim Murphy

The Baltimore Ravens advanced to the NFL divisional playoff round by shocking the New England Patriots last week, building a 24-0 first quarter lead before coasting to a 33-14 win. They’ll now try to pull the upset against a very formidable opponent in NFL MVP Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts opened the season 14-0 before resting their starters in the last two games of the regular season to finish 14-2. The NFL football betting line for this game has Indianapolis posted as a -6’ point home favorite with the total set at 43’.

2010-01-13 | Jim Murphy

The early matchup on Sunday could be the best game of the divisional playoff round as the red hot Dallas Cowboys head to Minneapolis to take on Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. The Cowboys advanced to this game with an easy win over Philadelphia at home last weekend marking Dallas’ first playoff victory in over a decade. The Vikings enjoyed a bye week after finishing the regular season 12-4. The NFL football betting line on this game has the Vikings posted as a -3 point home favorite with the total set at 45’.

2010-01-13 | Jim Murphy

The New York Jets needed a miracle to just make the playoffs, and now that they’re here they’re looking to make some noise. With a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals under their belt, the Jets will advance to the Divisional round as they travel to the west coast to take on the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers haven’t lost since October 19th and finished the year with eleven straight victories. The line on this game has San Diego installed as a -7 point home favorite with the total set at 42.

2010-01-11 | Jim Murphy

There’s been a lot of complaining among NFL fans and media about playoff bound teams resting their starters during the final week of the season, making the game essentially meaningless. The New England Patriots didn’t take that route but may wish they had after wide receiver Wes Welker suffered a serious knee injury. He’s out for the playoffs, and the Patriots will have to host the Baltimore Ravens without him. The Ravens have their own injury problems, with All Pro safety Ed Reed likely to play in a limited role due to a variety of injuries. The NFL betting odds on the game have the Patriots posted as a -3 point favorite with the total set at 43.

2010-01-11 | Jim Murphy

As the 2009 NFL regular season neared the midway point, most observers were about to write off the Green Bay Packers. After opening the season 4-2 they’d dropped two straight games including an embarrassing loss to the then winless Tampa Bay and stood at 4-4 midway through the year. Since that point, they’ve done little wrong going 7-1 SU (7-0-1 ATS) the rest of the way to finish at 11-5. Aaron Rodgers was the catalyst behind the dramatic reversal of form and is a legitimate MVP candidate. Arizona, meanwhile, lost their opportunity for a first round bye before gametime last week and pulled their starters in a 33-7 loss to the same Packer team they’ll face today. The NFL football betting line has this game as a ‘pick’em’ with the total set at 47’.

2010-01-11 | Jim Murphy

Mark Sanchez wasn’t asked to win Saturday’s NFL playoff game for the New York Jets over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Jets just needed him to avoid mistakes and he complied, allowing his team to beat the Bengals 24-14. Sanchez became only the second rookie quarterback in NFL history to win his playoff debut on the road, joining Baltimore’s Joe Sacco who did it last year. Jets rookie running back Shonn Greene carried 21 times for 135 yards and a TD, the third highest total yardage in NFL for a rookie running back in his playoff debut.

2010-01-11 | Jim Murphy

Karma has a funny way of evening the score, and the Philadelphia Eagles had tempted it all year. Signing convicted animal abuser Michael Vick to a contract was bad enough, but then the team named him this year’s recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award. Presumably making it through an entire NFL season without killing or torturing any dogs constitutes ‘courage’ in the Eagles’ locker room. When karma wasn’t having its way with the Eagles’ fortunes, the Dallas Cowboys were. Tony Romo threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns as Dallas won their first playoff game in thirteen years with a 34-14 rout of Philadelphia that wasn’t even as close as the final score suggests. The Cowboys led 27-7 at halftime and 34-7 at the start of the fourth quarter before coasting to victory.

2010-01-11 | Jim Murphy

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back in action on Monday night with ‘UFC Fight Night 20’ taking place at the Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. The Washington, DC suburb will be the site of the UFC’s first ever trip to Virginia and headlining the card is an interesting matchup between lightweights Nate Diaz and Gray Maynard. Maynard is a -305 favorite, with takeback on Diaz +245.

2010-01-11 | Jim Murphy

The New England Patriots looked nothing like a team that had gone undefeated at home all season, let alone one of the dominant teams of the past few years. The Baltimore Ravens took advantage of a weak New England rushing defense and some untimely mistakes by QB Tom Brady to lead 14-0 just five minutes. They would end the first quarter up 24-0 and would never be seriously threatened as they coasted to a 33-14 victory in Sunday’s NFL Wildcard game. Baltimore used 234 yards on the ground and three rushing touchdowns to force the Patriots to play from behind, and then let their defense do the rest.

2010-01-11 | Jim Murphy

The Green Bay Packers entered the NFL playoffs as one of the league’s hottest teams, and mounted a 21 point second half comeback to force overtime against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Things looked good when Green Bay won the toss, but only moments later their season was over after an Aaron Rodgers fumble that Karlos Dansby returned 17 yards for the game winning score. It was a strange ending to a classic offensive display, resulting in a 51-45 victory for the defending NFC Champions in the highest scoring NFL playoff game in history.

2010-01-11 | Jim Murphy

The Miami Heat will try to recover from a drubbing at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday as they head to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz at the Energy Solutions Arena. The Heat are in the midst of their longest road trip of the season, and after an opening game win at Phoenix on Friday night will try to improve to 2-1 on the West Coast swing here. NBA basketball betting lines have installed Utah as a -7’ point home favorite with the total posted at 192.

2010-01-08 | Jim Murphy

The New York Jets needed a miracle to reach the playoffs, but they managed to find a way into the postseason. They clinched the wild card berth with a blowout win over the Cincinnati Bengals at home last Sunday, and now face the Bengal again on the road in the opening round of the postseason. New York enters this game having won five of their last six games. Cincinnati, meanwhile, limped into the playoffs with only one win in their final four contests. The Jets have dominated the series of late, winning seven of the last eight matchups. The NFL betting line for this game has the Bengals installed as a -2’ point home favorite with the total set at 34.

2010-01-08 | Jim Murphy

The Dallas Cowboys have become somewhat notorious in recent years for their late season swoons, but that wasn’t in evidence this year as they won their final three games to secure a playoff berth. They’ll now host the Philadelphia Eagles who they beat 24-0 last Sunday in this same venue. Philadelphia was in a position to secure a first round bye, but was outplayed in every phase of the game by the Cowboys. They’ll now have to try to bounce back if they’re going to make a run in the NFL postseason. The NFL football betting line on this game has Dallas installed as a -4 point home favorite with the total set at 45.

2010-01-07 | Jim Murphy

College football season comes to a close with Thursday night’s battle between #1 Alabama and #2 Texas for the BCS Championship. The game will be played in the Rose Bowl in Southern California, so neither team will be worried about the unseasonably cold weather gripping much of the Southeast. Instead they can focus on determining the BCS Champion. Texas will be looking for its second national title in five years having beat USC with Vince Young at quarterback in 2005. Alabama hasn’t won a national championship since 1992, and coach Nick Saban will be looking to change that in his third year at the helm. The Crimson Tide is a -4 point college football betting favorite with the total set at 46.

2010-01-06 | Jim Murphy

This year’s GMAC Bowl is something of an ‘opening act’ for the main event of Thursday’s BCS Championship Game between Alabama and Texas. The scheduling is curious, as it features a matchup between Mid American Conference champion Central Michigan and Sun Belt Conference Troy University that would more typically be played well before New Years’ Day and not in the week leading up to the National Title game. Nevertheless, it should be an entertaining and competitive matchup. The Central Michigan Chippewas have been installed as a -2 point college football betting favorite with the total set at 63.

2010-01-05 | Jim Murphy

It’ll be a matchup of contrasting styles as Georgia Tech takes on Iowa in the Orange Bowl at Land Shark Stadium in Miami, Florida. Georgia Tech enters the game with a potent, spread option offense that has the Yellow Jackets ranked #11 in total offense. Iowa, meanwhile, is ranked #11 in total defense. Like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra once sang “Something’s Gotta Give”. The Yellow Jackets are a -5’ point favorite with the total set at 51.

2010-01-04 | Jim Murphy

A matchup between undefeated teams Boise State and TCU is actually a rematch from last season’s Poinsettia Bowl. While both teams got the BCS bowl bids they deserved, many observers would have preferred to have seen them matched against teams from traditional BCS conferences. Instead, they’ll play each other again this year in Tempe, Arizona. TCU is a -7’ point college football betting favorite with the total set at 53.