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Losing road trip cinches Dunleavy's job changeBasketball Betting Lines02/05/2010 - LOS ANGELES (AP) -The Clippers' mounting losses, injuries and lack of playoff success finally took their toll on coach Mike Dunleavy. For once, he wanted to watch a movie instead of game film on the flight home. Dunleavy said that's when he knew it was time to step aside as coach and for him to focus strictly on his duties as general manager. ``I thought, 'It's time for me to give somebody else a shot, you're burnt out on this,''' he said Friday at the team's practice facility. In a move that surprised his players, Dunleavy turned things over after 6 1/2 years on the bench to assistant Kim Hughes, who'll make his debut as interim coach at home against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night. Hughes ran his first practice on Friday, pulling players like Baron Davis and Marcus Camby aside for one-on-one chats. The team has lost five of six, and with nine of their next 13 games at home it could be a pivotal stretch that decides whether the Clippers make a move toward their first playoff appearance since 2006 or chalk up another lost season. At 21-28, the Clippers are 12th in the Western Conference. They dropped a season-worst seven games under .500 with six losses on a just-completed eight-game road trip. Dunleavy said he initially proposed giving up coaching after the Clippers lost at Phoenix on Christmas Day. But owner Donald Sterling said he didn't want to do it. ``I was really down off that loss,'' Dunleavy said. He perked up after the Clippers beat Boston 92-90 two days later, and he was buoyed by a four-game winning streak that included their first win over the Lakers since 2007. ``Now we regained our momentum and I got a little battery life,'' he said. ``As a coach you need to be recharged and regenerated, and the way that happens is your players win big games for you.'' But the momentum quickly evaporated with four consecutive losses. Then came the disastrous eight-game road trip that cemented Dunleavy's decision, which should assuage fans who chanted ``Fire Dunleavy'' at some home games. ``I said to myself, `Maybe they're not hearing me, maybe the things I'm saying is not getting through at times, maybe another voice could do it.' It came down to the last two or three years, a lot of wear and tear as far as trying to juggle lineups,'' he said. ``This trip was a real drain on me and I worried about my enthusiasm going forward. If that was an issue, then it's time to make a change.'' Dunleavy was 215-325 in 6 1/2 seasons on the bench, and Los Angeles made the playoffs just once in his first six seasons, getting within one game of the Western Conference finals in 2006. The Clippers haven't been back to the playoffs since, winning just 42 games in the past two seasons. Dunleavy will be off scouting when Hughes is introduced as coach Saturday. ``Everybody is pretty much in shock so far,'' said Davis, who credits Dunleavy with helping him improve. ``The only way we'll know how everybody truly feels is by how we come out and play.'' Hughes has been Dunleavy's assistant since they started together in Los Angeles, and subbed for him when Dunleavy was ill. A former ABA and NBA player who has never been a head coach, Hughes spent several years on the Nuggets' bench before joining the Clippers, and has been a scout in Denver and Milwaukee. ``It's hard to say you want a job when you've never tried it,'' Hughes said. ``Some people may perceive 33 games, it's a tough gig. I think it's a wonderful chance. I'm not fearful it could be a short reign.'' Hughes said he has not been promised his old job back if he isn't hired as the permanent coach. Unlike Dunleavy, who called most of the plays, Hughes will leave that to Davis. ``Now I just got to learn them all,'' Davis said, smiling. Hughes said the team will run more while emphasizing tough defense. Practices will be shorter, there will be fewer film sessions, and Hughes promises to keep his pregame speeches to eight minutes. ``For me, shorter is sweeter. We need to shorten the intelligence factor and make things simpler for us,'' he said. ``We've gotten stale. There's so much things, our guys were kind of fried.'' Dunleavy vowed he won't offer Hughes any unsolicited advice, even though the coaching mentality will stay with him. ``I wanted to stay with this organization, see things through, one way or the other,'' he said. ``I would have rather done it as a successful coach, but on the other hand, I can see ahead. It was going to be a tough struggle all the way through.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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TORONTO (AP) -Reliever Kevin Gregg agreed Friday to a $2.75 million, one-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, a deal that could be worth $11.5 million over three seasons.Toronto has a $4.5 million option for 2011 or an option for 2011 and 2012
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Lake Forest, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bears have promoted Rod Marinelli to the defensive coordinator position, the team announced Friday. Marinelli will retain his title of assistant head coach, which he held this past se
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55. Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M. Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early. Memphis vs. Ohio State To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards
Betting the NFL preseasonRule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games." When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night. The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine. “I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.” The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark. “We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.” The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long. “It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.” Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play. “You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt." So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps? “Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says. Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins. Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet. Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter. “If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says. Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider. The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason. “We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003. Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. |
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