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.