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Vikings Hold Off Ravens To Remain Undefeated

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

The Minnesota Vikings’ decision to facilitate Brett Favre’s latest ‘unretirement’ is looking better and better with each passing week. This past Sunday, Favre’s charges moved to 6-0 on the season with a wild 33-31 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens posted 21 fourth quarter points to charge back and claim the lead late, but Favre led a rally to set up place kicker Ryan Longwell’s 31 yard game winning field goal. Baltimore evened their record at 3-3 on the season with the loss.

Minnesota has been one of the surprise teams of the season, and that fact has also enriched those who bet on NFL football. They didn’t get the money on this occasion, however, as the Ravens took the cheese as a +3 road underdog. Still, it was only the Vikings’ second loss of the year against the NFL pointspread (4-2) while Baltimore has also been solid against the number with a 4-2 mark. The cover broke a two game ATS losing streak for the Ravens.

Baltimore QB Joe Flacco got the Ravens in range for a last second game winning field goal, but Steven Hauschka’s 44 yard try went wide left. After the game, he took his miss hard:

“It’s tough for me. I feel like I let them down. That’s something I have to live with.”

Ravens’ running back Ray Rice disputed Hauschka’s self anointed scapegoat status:

“We didn’t lose that game because of Hauschka’s miss. If we start fast and put points on the board, our defense starts fast, I think the game is a totally different outcome. But that’s what happens when you play against great teams.”

Flacco praised his team for fighting back from a 27-10 fourth quarter deficit:

“We realize what kind of fighters we have in our locker room and that’s what we’re going to use the rest of the year. I think we were 3-3 last year, not that that matters, but we can overcome anything.”

Ray Lewis concurred with his quarterback’s comments:

“Every game has been a game of inches. But for me, being in this business for so long, it just speaks volumes for our team in the way we fight, regardless of the circumstance we’ve been put in.”

The Vikings now face arguably their toughest scheduling stretch of the season, beginning with a trip to the ‘Steel City’ for a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The following week Minnesota heads to Green Bay for what is sure to be an emotional return for Favre. They’ll then get a much needed break via a bye week and a November 15th game against the lowly Detroit Lions. The Ravens will face another undefeated team after a bye week, hosting the Denver Broncos on November 1.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and noted authority on football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

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Steelers End Vikings Undefeated Run

Thursday, November 11th, 2010

Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings are undefeated no more. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ used a couple of big plays from their defense in the fourth quarter to break open a close game and defeat the Vikings by a final score of 27-17. Favre put up decent yardage in the loss, throwing for 334 yards but had no touchdowns and an interception.

NFL pointspread players who backed the Steelers as -6 home favorites were rewarded with the cover. Pittsburgh had only covered one of their first six games heading into the contest, and the win improved their record against the number to 2-5. Minnesota dropped to 4-3 against the spread with the setback. The 44 points scored went UNDER the posted total of 46′.

The Steelers largely shut down Minnesota’s rushing game, holding Adrian Peterson to 69 yards. Pittsburgh safety Ryan Clark underscored his team’s dominance against the run:

“That’s the biggest point of the game. You have the best running back in the world and you don’t give it to him. They’re saying they can’t beat us running, and that’s a major statement when you have the guy they have back there.”

Favre gave a mealy mouthed justification for the loss in his postgame interview:

“There were a lot of what ifs, a lot of reasons we didn’t win. The red zone was one of them. They’re physical, and they were as good as we thought they’d be. … When I came here and looked at our schedule and saw the Steelers game, I went, ‘Oh-h-h.’ ”

Favre has only thrown three interceptions in a Vikings’ uniform, but #3 was a costly one as it was returned by Steelers’ Keyaron Fox for a touchdown to put the game out of reach as Minnesota was driving for a potential game tying field goal. Afterwards, Fox recalled the play:

“Brett tried to force it in there and the running back bobbled it and slipped out of his hands and it fell into my lap. I had just run across the field after Peterson and I was winded, so it felt like it was 100-plus yards.”

The Vikings now face another big game next week as they head to Favre’s old stomping grounds in Green Bay for a battle with the Packers. It’ll be Favre’s first appearance at his old home in an enemy uniform. The Vikings are a +3 road underdog with the total set at 48. The Vikings will then have a bye weekend before hosting the lowly Detroit Lions on November 15. Pittsburgh will enjoy a bye week this week before returning to action on Monday, November 9th facing the Denver Broncos on the road.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on baseball betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

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Phillies Sign Slugger Ryan Howard To Big Money Deal

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

Philadelphia Phillies’ slugger Ryan Howard has two years remaining on his current contract with the club, but the team had no interest in potentially losing him as a free agent. For that reason, the Phillies have worked out a hefty contract extension with Howard that will pay him an average $25 million a year for the next five years. The deal is the second richest in Major League baseball behind the New York Yankees’ shortstop Alex Rodriguez who pulls down a cool $27.5 million per season. The 30 year old Howard has played his entire career with the Phillies, leading the team to two consecutive World Series including a victory in 2008.

Howard spoke of his loyalty to the team as the main reason that he accepted the deal without hesitation:

“That wasn’t a very hard decision.”

“I tell you what, it’s a great feeling to have that security and know where you’re going to be. I feel what I’ve been doing over the last couple of years, I feel pretty confident that down the road, I’ll be right where I want to be and still doing the same things.”

He then threw in a playful jab at the notoriously hostile Philadelphia fans:

“Hopefully there’s no riots taking place back in Philly.”

Even Philadelphia’s GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. was in a joking mood:

“As part of this deal, he has agreed to buy a second home for me.”

He then gave a more serious take on Howard’s extension:

“We just felt it was good timing for us. We felt No. 1, he’s one of the elite offensive players in the game. We could have waited another year and a half or so and dealt with it later on, but the fact of the matter is we decided he is that important to our organization and to our club and to our future.”

Howard’s agent Casey Close was also upbeat:

“This is a very good contract for him. The reason he felt the time was right was he loves his teammates, he loves the city. He wanted to be a part of something special for a long time to come.”

As was team manager Charlie Manuel:

“This is absolutely great. We signed Ryan Howard quite a few years ago and that means we’re keeping him. He’s one of our guys, he is a Phillie. It’s big for our team. That’s what you set out for. He’s very worthy of it. He is a great player and he is going to continue to be a great player for a while. Everything about it’s good.”

There is some risk involved for the ball club-despite a team option for the 2017 season they’re banking that Howard will remain a high level offensive player. The size of the contract, if nothing else, would make him almost impossible to trade should the team decide to go in a different direction.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on NFL football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

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Saints Top Bengals As Carson Palmer Returns To Action

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

Despite losing to the New Orleans Saints in their NFL preseason opener 17-7, the Cincinnati Bengals had a lot to be happy about. Most significantly, they were elated over the return of QB Carson Palmer after he’d missed most of the last NFL season with an elbow injury. His return elated the city of Cincinnati, which led to mass celebration in the streets that their NFL football franchise once again had a serviceable quarterback.

New Orleans had their share of offensive highlights, with QB Drew Brees hooking up with tight end Jeremy Shockey for three completions including Shockey’s first touchdown reception in a Saints uniform. It was a harbinger of things to come, as Shockey would later catch a touchdown pass in the Saints’ remarkable Superbowl victory over the heavily favored Indianapolis Colts. Many suggest that Bayou ‘root doctors’ have more to do with the win than the team’s actual play.

Saints fans were well aware that their QB would produce after hanging over 5,000 yards on the board last year, but Palmers return brought a sigh of relief from Bengal backers. Palmer missed 12 games last season because of a partially torn ligament and tendon in his passing elbow. His passing highlight was a 55 yard play to Chad Ochocinco.

After Shockeys TD catch boosted the Saints to a 7-0 lead, the Bengals tied the game when Palmers backup J.T. O’Sullivan hit Chris Henry on a 14 yard touchdown pass. OSullivan also produced solid numbers, completing 9 of 11 passes for 100 yards.

The Bengals will continue their NFL preseason this Thursday as they travel to Foxboro, Massachusetts for a game against the New England Patriots. The Saints will also play away from home, heading over to Houston for a game against the Texans on Saturday. Both teams will kick off the NFL regular season on Sunday, September 13th with the Bengals hosting the Denver Broncos and the Saints welcoming the Detroit Lions to New Orleans.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on baseball betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

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Argos Home Woes Continue With Loss To Lions

Monday, November 1st, 2010

Its been a rough stretch of CFL football for the Toronto Argonauts, and they may have hit rock bottom on Friday night. The Argos appeared to be on the verge of breaking their eight game home losing streak, entering the fourth quarter with a 25-14 lead but ended up on the wrong end of a 36-28 final score that ran their streak of futility at the Rogers Centre to nine games. It was also Toronto’s ninth consecutive loss to BC. BC improved to 3-4 with the victory, while Toronto’s record slipped to 2-5.

Lions head coach Wally Buono made no excuses for the victory:

“I’m not going to apologize for playing well in the second half. If we play any kind of football in the first half maybe we don’t have to do this. That’s football. Nobody asks you at the end of the day whether you stole a win, they ask you how many games did you win? The game is 60 minutes.”

Lions QB Jarious Jackson agreed:

“I don’t feel like we stole one at all. I feel like we went out and played like we should’ve played in the second half. Most of the first half we were trying to manage the game, trying to see what they were doing defensively. Offensively, you definitely want to manage the game until you know what the defence is going to call in some situations. It took us the first half but I think in the second half we kind of were able to predict what they were going to do and I think we did a good job of countering it.”

Despite the loss, Toronto was generally pleased with the play of their replacement starting QB Cody Pickett. Pickett was named the starter after a dismal performance by Kerry Joseph the previous week against Montreal. Placekicker Justin Medlock also shined in defeat, tying a team record with 7 field goals. After the game, Pickett was less concerned about his performance than his teams struggles:

“It’s 20/20 that we needed to score another touchdown. Whatever we’re doing right now isn’t getting the job done.”

Argos head coach Bart Andrus praised Picketts play:

“That was an ideal performance. Cody threw it well, was accurate and didn’t turn it over. The bottom line is we didn’t finish that one. When we do get it right for 60 minutes, it’s going to be a great thing.”

BC will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers next Friday night. Toronto has a bye week before theyll return to action against the Calgary Stampeders on August 28th.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

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Falcons Hold Off Late Bears Rally

Monday, November 1st, 2010

The Atlanta Falcons didn’t so much win their Sunday Night NFL Football game against the Chicago Bears as much as the Bears lost it. A series of costly mistakes and turnovers in the red zone negated an otherwise solid road effort for the Bears, as Atlanta held on to win 21-14 at the Georgia Dome. Chicago held a decisive edge in most of the statistical categories, but was undone by untimely turnovers. Atlanta improved to 4-1 with the victory while Chicago slipped to 3-2.

Chicago also disappointed fans who bet on NFL football by failing to cover the pointspread as +4 road underdogs. Both teams’ ATS records match their straight up records with the Falcons moving to 4-1 against the number while the Bears slumped to 3-2.

Winning Falcons’ QB Matt Ryan chose to credit his defense rather than point to Chicago mistakes as the determining factor in the outcome:

“Our defense, give them some credit. Our guys stepped up and made some plays when we needed them to.”

The Bears did a good job shutting down Falcons’ star running back Michael Turner holding the NFL’s second leading rusher to only 30 yards. He came through with the game on the line, however, rushing for the winning touchdown with just over three minutes remaining in the game. Ryan praised his running back’s effort:

“Our offensive line did a great job just giving me just enough time to get the ball off, and then Michael Turner did what he does. The offensive line provided a great push and just paved his way.”

The Falcons are now 4-1 for only the fifth time in team history, the last coming in 2004. Despite their solid start, they’re still trying to keep pace with the red hot New Orleans Saints who improved to 5-0 with their win over the New York Giants earlier in the day.

Atlanta can improve to 5-1 and break the mark for best start in franchise history with a win on the road at Dallas next Sunday. That’ll be followed by an even bigger road game, on Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints-a contest full of all sorts of implications for the eventual divisional championship in the NFC South. They’ll return home the following Sunday to host the struggling Washington Redskins. The Bears will be back on the road next weekend to take on the Cincinnati Bengals before returning home for games the following two Sundays against the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

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More Bad Celebrity Tie In Pinball Games

Monday, November 1st, 2010

This time we wont rank the bad celebrity pinball machines, well look at several different genres of bad celebrity tie ins:

THE BOX OFFICE BOMB THEMED MACHINE:

In 1991 Williams Pinball released a machine based on Terminator 2. It had a gun trigger to launch the ball and a ton of Arnold’s catch phrases like Ill be back keyed to various game objectives. The film was a huge hit, and everything worked well together. Now the bad news: because of the success of this machine the production companies thought “Hmm. What well do is release the pinball machine simultaneously with the film.”

Unfortunately, this thinking led to a number of pinball machines based on films that were absolute bombs. Some examples of this genre are machines based on The Last Action Hero and Hook. There wasnt a cooler cartoon than The Flintstones. So how do you screw up a Flintstones pinball machine? Just base the theme not on the classic Hanna Barbara cartoon, but on the horrible film starring John Goodman and Rosie ODonnell.

The all time low water mark (no pun intended) has to be “Waterworld”. Waterworld was released in 1995 starring Kevin Costner and quickly became the definitive big budget, no box office film replacing Michael Ciminos Heavens Gate and the Dustin Hoffman/Warren Beatty comedy Ishtar.

Playing a bomb themed pinball machine is downright surreal. The most pitiful thing is when the machine booms out a catch phrase from the film that no one is familiar with. Hearing Arnold bark out “I’ll be back” is cool. Hearing him do his catchphrase from “The Last Action Hero” not so much.

THE DUBIOUSLY TIMED THEME:

This genre includes themes that would have been pretty cool, except for the fact they were released well after the subjects popularity had begun to ebb. Gilligans Island would have been great back in the mid-1960s or even in the late 70s when a new generation discovered the show in syndication. In 1991 it was just creepy since nearly half of the cast members depicted on the backglass were dead. The Six Million Dollar Man was released in the fall of 1978, just in time for the shows cancellation.

Undoubtedly the strangest machine of this genre is 1994s Mario Andretti. Andretti is certainly worthy of a pinball machine as hes a legitimate auto racing legend. Whats strange about this machine, however, is the backglass which displays an image of grizzled old Mario Andretti. The smart move would have been to use his name, throw a bunch of race cars on the backglass and playfield and call it a day. Instead having the sixty-something race car driver on the backglass is vaguely akin to having your grandfather looking over your shoulder while you play.

ROOT,ROOT, ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM:

A comment on the original celebrity theme article mentioned this genre and it is a good one. Its important to understand that the pinball industry has been based in Chicago for most of its history. Presumably for that reason there have been some machines featuring the local sports teams and stars. The Big Hurt Frank Thomas was a solid major league ballplayer, but not really worthy of a pinball machine themed around him. The most egregious example of this was 1978s Bobby Orrs Power Play, released not long after the trade that sent Orr from Boston to Chicago. Nationally, no one outside of Boston and Chicago cared.

THE BAD CONVERSION FOR THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET:

For reasons that Ive never been quite clear on it was common practice to rebrand a perfectly good game for the International market. Sometimes it was released by the US company, other times it was licensed to a foreign operation. Youd think that there would be some creative control over the rebranded themes but that wasn’t the case.

Some of the ways machines were rethemed for the international market borders on the insane. Mata Hari was a classic machine of the early 1980s. The German release was rethemed as the more foreboding Lady Death. This one at least makes sense as they had some Nazi imagery that Germans are understandably sensitive about (despite being historically inaccurate, since the real Mata Hari was executed during WW I). Less understandable is the retheming of a military themed game called Special Force in the US to the downright bizarre Special Forces Girls, featuring comely women in low cut, cleavage baring fatigues.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer and highly respected authority on NFL football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

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