Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
09/06/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In the past 12 months, the Toronto Maple Leafs have advocated change more than a campaigning politician.
Like a political party during election season, the Leafs are under constant scrutiny. And when the public loses faith in the abilities of the product, it's only a matter of time before an axe falls on someone's head.
First came personnel changes - out with the old and in with the new. Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Ian White, Jamal Mayers, Vesa Toskala, Jason Blake, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Viktor Stalberg and Lee Stempniak were all victims of the winds of change.
Replacing these former representatives of the Blue and White are Dion Phaneuf, J.S. Giguere, Kris Versteeg, Colby Armstrong, Mike Brown, Clarke MacArthur and Brett Lebda to go along with rookie hopeful Nazem Kadri.
Aside from Brian Burke's affinity for North American players, the polarizing General Manager made these moves to change the identity of a brand that was no longer feared, nor respected.
Much like the team he helped create in Anaheim, Burke's mold for success relies heavily on the pit-bull mentality of his players - a cranky, aggressive, never-say-die swagger.
Based on the moves he's made to date, there's no doubt the Leafs will be a much more formidable opponent in 2010-11.
But aside from a revamped roster, Burke's purge on all that was wrong with the club over the past five seasons underwent a cosmetic makeover as well.
Back in June, the club named Dion Phaneuf the 18th captain in team history and the first since Mats Sundin relinquished that honor after the 2007-08 campaign.
On the same day, the refurbished Leafs also unveiled new uniforms. This shrewd move not only symbolized the spawn of a new era, it buried all that remained from a punchless period where a paper-bag became a familiar accessory among fans.
To go along with a new roster, new captain and new uniforms, the Leafs also made a subtle change last week when they introduced a new paint job at center ice of the Air Canada Centre - a row of Canadian flags stretching the span of the red line.
Upon revealing the altered design, MLSE chief executive officer Tom Anselmi said, "It seemed like just another fun little way to express the patriotism of our team, our organization and our fans."
While it may be a minor nuance, it fits in perfectly with the direction Burke is steering this fledgling franchise.
The Maple Leafs have long been considered Canada's team, with all due respect to the Montreal Canadiens, and now Burke is pushing to put theory into practice.
But amidst all the patriotic posturing and restructured team values, success is only weighed in wins and losses.
If Leaf Nation is forced to endure another miserable season, the hope that was used to sell the change that has been made over the past year, could just as easily turn to pessimism and dismay.
Selling a vision is all well and good, but leaving a successful legacy is what matters most. For Burke and the Maple Leafs, this upcoming season represents the beginning of that legacy.
Although Burke is only entering his second full year on the job, if the change that has inspired excitement amongst fans fails, it will not only be devastating to the diehards, it will jeopardize a vision that has closely associated itself with Canadian culture.
<< Underwhelming Madrid need special touch
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When Jose Mourinho left Inter Milan this
summer for the bright lights of the Bernabeu, he took a calculated risk. After
all, Inter had just come off a season where they won both the domestic league
and cu
<< Santana scratched from Tuesday start
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets ace Johan Santana will miss
his next scheduled start Tuesday versus Washington with a strained pectoral
muscle.
Santana was forced to leave his last assignment against the Braves Thurs
<< Cardinals to begin critical road trip with clash vs. Brewers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off a much-needed series win, the playoff-hopeful
St. Louis Cardinals know they still have a lot of work to do.
St. Louis continues that uphill battle this afternoon with the opener of a
three-game series at Miller
<< Division rivals collide as Mariners visit A's
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-year lefty Brett Anderson can pitch the Oakland
Athletics a game closer to .500 and keep them an outside contender in the
American League playoff race today, when the team hosts the Seattle Mariners
for the first of th
McEnroe to step down as U.S. Davis Cup captain >>
White Plains, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Patrick McEnroe announced that he will
resign as United States Davis Cup captain immediately following the
World Group playoff against Colombia next week.
The U.S. and host Colombia will squ
Montana ascends to No. 1 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The move was only one spot, but it was a
big one for the University of Montana football team as the Grizzlies advanced
to No. 1 in The Sportsbook Betting Lines/Fathead.com FCS Top 25 on Monday.
Montana was selected
Rangers promote INF German, designate Cora >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers purchased the contract of
infielder Esteban German from Triple-A Oklahoma City and designated infielder
Alex Cora for assignment on Monday.
The 32-year-old German has been with Oklahoma
Kuznetsova exits the Open >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova
was a fourth-round upset victim Monday at the U.S. Open.
Talented Slovak Dominika Cibulkova cut down the 11th-seeded Kuznetsova 7-5,
7-6 (7-4) at the USTA Billie
My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting