Rebels Come Undone Against Brumbies

The Melbourne Rebels look set to end their debut Super Rugby season at the foot of the table after losing 32-17 against the Brumbies on Friday.

The game marked Danny Cipriani’s return to action after a month on the sidelines following his suspension for off-the-field incidents, but the talented fly-half could do little about the outcome of the game as the Brumbies eased to a convincing win.

In fact it was Cipriani’s opposite number Matt Giteau who did most of the damage to the Rebels, putting in a consummate performance as he guided his side to maximum points.

In his last game for the Super Rugby side before departing for Europe to join p with Top 14 side Toulon, Giteau got the ball rolling with a delightful pass to send team-mate Christian Lealifano diving over the line after just three minutes.

The Brumbies stretched their lead before the half way point when Tyrone Smith skipped past Cooper Vuna to grab his side’s second try of the game, before Giteau was involved again as his quick thinking when the Brumbies were awarded a penalty resulted in the number ten touching down.

Cipriani’s penalty was all the Rebels had to show for their efforts as the half time whistle blew, and the visitors would have been fearful of a disastrous result with 40 minutes still to play.

While the Brumbies remained on top in the second period, the Rebels did at least give them something to think about, but as they looked to get a foothold in the game were knocked to their knees as Pat McCabe scored in the opening exchanges.

Jarrod Saffy and Afusipa Taumoepeau added a layer of respectability to the scoreline when he scored for the Rebels mid-way through the second half, but fittingly Giteau had the final word on the game, as the red adizero rugby boot wearer converted after Moore touched down for the second time in the game to secure a valuable bonus point.

Tags: boots, brumbies, rebels, RugbyShare

NBA – Boston Celtics rest its starters against the Washington Wizards

The Boston Celtics head coach, Doc Rivers, made a clear statement about where his priorities were going to be. Once the Miami Heat crushed the Celtics by 100-77 and thus basically secured the No.2 seed in the Eastern Conference, Rivers made a simple concession: let them have it. The Celtics are not going to fight for a better seed, they rather give rest to the Big Four: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.

Because contrary to what happens with either the Orlando Magic, the New York Knicks, the Miami Heat or the Chicago Bulls, Doc Rivers has to deal with a simple fact: his team is a very veteran squad. Sure, his starters all know what it takes and what it feels to have won at least one ring (lets not forget that although not a starter, Shaquille O’Neal has more Championships rings than some franchises) but just as certain is the fact that they are old, and on the twilight of their professional careers.

With the exception of Rajon Rondo and perhaps Jermaine O’Neil, these group of guys need some rest, not because they are not well trained, or tired, but just because things start to change once you turn 30 years old, and most Celtics are a good bit pass that. Doc Rivers believes this mental break, this pause, could really payoff once the postseason begins. Sure, they have now given up the No. 2 seed, and are now matched up for a first round series against the New York Knicks, but a little rest could actually significantly improve the C’s chances of moving on.

This was also a good chance for the Celtics bench to prove that they have the talent and the prowess to one day, replace this extraordinary group of starting players. Doc Rivers has already announced that he will rest his key men during the season finale against the New York Knicks on Wednesday. So don’t keep your hopes up for an extraordinary preview of their playoffs matchup.

The Washington Wizards, on the other hand, took advantage of the situation and decided to work their way into a tight 95-94 win in overtime. John Wall led the way with 24 points, nine rebounds and three assists. It still didn’t help the Wizards from finishing yet another 23-58 season, that leaves them with absolutely no chance, not even close, of extending their season into the playoffs.

With a 55-26 season, the Boston Celtics will finish third in the conference, behind the leaders, the Chicago Bulls, which are seen a rebirth. Truth be said, the Bulls are playing like we haven’t seen them play, well, since those good old days of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Guided by the talents of the soon to be named seasons MVP, Derrick Rose, the Bulls are becoming quite an dominant force in the league.

The No.2 seed will then go to the Miami Heat, and its trio of superstars, that although having a regular season filled with brilliant runs and some disastrous streaks as well, have stayed strong and could become a referent in the Eastern Conference. They have the manpower to win the championship, but perhaps they lack the team efforts we can almost feel when it comes to both the Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics.

is sport finally starting to win the fight against corruption?

Could sport be fighting back against the corrupt individuals who wish to poison their respective games to line their own pockets? Encouraging signs this week with cricket and rugby league both acting to stem the tide.

In cricket, first the British Crown Prosecution Service announced it was charging the three Pakistan cricketers with obtaining and accepting corrupt payments, and conspiracy to cheat. Bear in mind that the CPS was the authority who were laughed out of court when trying to convict leading jockey Kieran Fallon of pulling horses a few years ago. Let's hope they've got their act together since then. Long drawn out cases which ultimately fail ruin reputations and make lawyers rich.

A day later, the ICC have come down hard on the three players, with minimum suspensions of five years. Expect appeals from each player pleading their innocence first, and then for leniency. There's legs in this case yet, but it's encouraging to see the ICC impose serious penalties.

In rugby league this week, charges have finally been laid in the NRL betting scandal from last season. Ironically, the player charged, Canterbury front-rower Ryan Tandy, hasn't been charged with conspiracy or sporting fraud, but giving false evidence police which is a much more serious charge in NSW. Tandy's agent and people connected to him are alleged to have bet heavily on North Queensland (the opposing team) scoring the first points of the match with a penalty goal. Tandy gave away a penalty directly in front of the posts after just two minutes, but the other team, unaware of the planned sting, chose to take a quick tap instead and go for the try.

Let's hope football, racing and tennis can get their acts together and follow suit where applicable. Tennis prides itself on using a sledgehammer to crack nuts - suspending guys for a year for placing €5 worth of bets, yet does sweet FA when blatant match-fixing occurs. UK football authorities have handed out some pathetically lame penalties for players found betting against their own team (the infamous Bury v Accrington Stanley game from a few years ago). Horse racing in the UK has recently been beating their own chest about the Casela Park case. It's all well and good to suspend guilty parties, but when the perception is one rule for the minnows of the sport and another for those with a higher profile, it defeats the purpose....Posted byScott Fergusonat08:23

Super Bowl History Against The Spread Results

By Robert Ferringo

Here is a look at the Super Bowl history against the spread. Below is a list of every Super Bowl along with historical Super Bowl odds, Super Bowl spread history, and Super Bowl totals history, along with all-time Super Bowl winners against the spread:

(For more information about the Super Bowl point spread or Super Bowl betting spread go to www.docsports.com.)

Year Super Bowl Score Winner’s Spread Total
2011 XLV (45) Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh

NFL – New York Jets walked the walk against the New England Patriots

Things got down and personal between the Jets and the Patriots during the week leading to their Divisional Round game in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Patriots where a -9 point favorite on the spread against the Jets, so when in the first two quarters of the game, Pats quarterback Tom Brady was sacked 4 times, things certainly seemed to have gone south for the team with the best record in the regular season. The Jets, with a second year quarterback and a team with a big mouth and somewhat of a tumultuous attitude has managed to outplay the Patriots on the road to claim a 28-21 win on Sunday for their second consecutive trip to the AFC Championship game.

In a few simple words, the New York Jets defense quite simply managed to make the New England Patriots look like a very unbalanced and poor performing team. For a couple of quarterback the Jets managed to make Bill Belichick’s team look its worse. The team that went 14-2 during the regular season and won each and every one of their 8 regular season home games was nowhere to be seen.

The young Mark Sanchez keeps on proving that he can perform at his best when his team needs him most. He has now outplayed the Indianapolis Colts Peyton Manning during the Wild Card Round and on Sunday he certainly outperformed Tom Brady of the Patriots. It’s been a while since the Jets’ have had the support of a talented quarterback as Mark Sanchez. As a matter of fact, in only his second year as a pro he already holds the record as the second best Jets for passer rating.

Sanchez had a great game completing 16 of his 25 passes for 194 yards for 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. On the other hand, the great Tom Brady went for 29 of 45 for an overwhelming 299 yards yet, the player who went for 335 passes in the regular season (setting a league record while at it) was picked once early in the game and sacked 5 times. His two touchdown-passes where not enough to secure the Patriots its first win in the postseason in the last two years.

Looking for a key to the Pats upset. Well, let’s just stick to the numbers. The Pats are certainly struggling right in the middle. The New York Jets were able to gain 66 yards on 17 rushes right up the middle. The Jet’s offensive was as sharp as it gets during this weekend. Sanchez connected touchdown passes with LaDainian Tomilson, Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes.

All thought towards the end the Patriots but on an effective offense in an attempto to shorten the distances, Deion Branch went on for a touchdown late in the game, after a 13 yard-pass from Tom Brady. Brach made it 28-21 as he tried to close the gap, but time ran out for the Patriots.

The New York Jets will now face the Pittsburgh Steelers at Pittsburgh on Sunday January 23rd. The Jets will try to take another win like they did on December 19 on the road when they defeated Big Ben and the Steelers 22-17. As of press time the Steelers are a -3 point favorite on the spread.

NBA – LeBron James takes a blow against his previous team

Ok, so this is what happened. When in the Summer of 2010 LeBron James took his one 1 hour ESPN nationally televised special to say he was taking his talents from Cleveland to South Beach, he officially became one of the most hated sports figures in the nation. So what’s the reason behind it all? Well, he left his team without an apology, without a proper goodbye to the city the beloved him so dearly, and particularly because he left the Cleveland Cavaliers with much every personal record you could wish for, but without a National Championship.

Few hours later the owner of the Cavs went out and gave some inappropriate and harshly toned comments about his ex-player, and then it sort of became much more personal. He took things into his own hands when the Miami Heat visited the Cavaliers and basically rode them with the same passion James usually leaves only for Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

But then things kept really getting worse for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs sans-LeBron have really struggled this season and their 112-57 lost to the LA Lakers was nothing short from an utter embarrassment. Just for the record, that was their 11th consecutive loss of the season.

Karma is a bitch

So right when his ex-team was going through one of its worst moments ever, LeBron James took a blow at them from the distance.  He wrote on his tweeter account:

NFL – Tom Brady insists on playing against the Miami Dolphin on Sunday

It seems as if the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots is taking way too many chances. Perhaps he doesn’t remember what happened to his teammate, Wes Walker, during last season’s meaningless regular season finales against the Houston Texans. Sure, the Patriots lost the game by 34-27, but their biggest lost was having to deal with Welker’s season ending injury.

At 13-2 for the regular season, the Patriots have already clinched home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. So really, what is the point on risking key-players when there is nothing at stake? Head coach Bill Belichick has some sort of a minor dilemma this weekend. The Patriots really don’t need to play with its starters against the Miami Dolphins. And yet, since the Patriots hit their bye week after this Sunday, Belichick needs to ponder whether he wants to keep his players safe from injury or as physically and technically sharp as possible.

As of press-time the New England Patriots are a -4

NBA – Boston Celtics take 10th straight win against Charlotte Bobcats

The Boston Celtics manhandled the Charlotte Bobcats as Ray Allen and Glen Davis both scored 16 points towards a 93-62 rout of Michael Jordan’s Bobcats. Oh, if you didn’t get a chance to see it, Jordan was just a bit shy of furious. And truth be said, Jordan had reasons to be so upset. The Celtics held the Bobcats to 62 points. That’s a tie for the second-fewest points scored in the franchise history, and it is a record breaker for games played at home.

The Celtics are looking strong. As a matter of fact, they are my personal favorite team to win the Championship. I do realize that this is a veteran team, that three of its starting five can’t play for 40 minutes, because let’s face it, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are not getting younger. But the team is working well. Rajon Rondo is arguably the best point-guard in the NBA, and despite his young and restless game and his inextricable poker-face, he is as committed to the team as any coach could wish. The bench is strong. That’s a plus. And then, either Glen Davis or a renewed Shaquille O’Neal are there to provide the muscle and the power under the rim whenever the team needs it.

At the beginning of the season there where three favorite teams to win the 2010-2011 NBA Championship. After the summer break, and LeBron James made the one-hour-long televised decision to move to Miami  Heat, the odds shifted and for the first time in a while, the Miami Heat where the favorite team in the odds to win the NBA Championship. The LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics then followed the Heat closely in the ML price.

As the season unfold, it seemed as if the Miami Heat was more hype then talent, losing twice to division rival the Boston Celtics and certainly struggling to find a way to get the new Big Three, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade all playing in the same tempo, and ultimately as a team. As a result the Heat lost three games in a row and had to receive a warning call before they got their act together and have now linked 9 consecutive wins for a 18-8 record so far this season.

The Lakers kept on been the dominant force on the Pacific Coast, and and at 17-7 they are currently the No. 1 team in the Pacific. The Lakers had a brilliant start, linking a series of wins before the team hit a 4 game slump, falling to the Utah Jazz, the Indiana Pacers, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Houston Rockets.

My main concern with the Celtics is their performance down the stretch. I would rather see the team struggling a bit right now, and perhaps having head coach Doc Rivers giving the Big Three a bit more of rest. At least the players are well aware of the situation. They are not here to bring in great winning streaks but rather been utterly brilliant in the postseason and working their way pass the playoffs and into the NBA Finals. This is the Celtics last chance, at least with this squad, to bring in another ring. They have what it takes. Boston fans probably hope that they can keep this rhythm once April is over and the Playoffs kick in.

NBA – Chris Bosh brings on his A-game against Phoenix Suns

by Stephen Lars on Nov.19, 2010, under Basketball, Sports News

We have been a bit harsh on the Miami Heat during these first weeks of the NBA wagering season. It’s not that we hold a grudge against the institution, or any of the new Big Three players. Matter of fact, we had very high hopes for this group of talented guys. Yes, we are aware that the Heat with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh are perhaps the NBA’s hottest asset. But the bottom line is that they have not been playing up to their name, or at least, to the very high expectations that where placed upon them since James made his official announcement this summer.

And perhaps, this might be the right time to start cutting these guys some slack. Yes, the Miami Heat have lost their two early season matchups against the veteran Boston Celtics. Yes, not even LeBron James going mano-a-mano with Rajon Rondo could keep the Celtics from revealing the inner-mechanisms of the Heat’s weak defense. And yet, somehow Chris Bosh was able to shine on his own, and guide the Heat to an impressive 123-95 pounding of the Phoenix Suns.

Let’s get things into perspective hear. We have to realize that despite not holding their best record ever, and just sitting third in the Pacific holding on to a 6-5 season, the Phoenix Suns were back in track right before they faced the Heat. Coming from a tight schedule on Friday, Sunday and Monday the Suns had defeated the Sacramento Kings 103-89; the LA Lakers 121-116; and the Denver Nuggets 100-94, respectively. So, without going for too much of a stretch we could say that the Suns where on a roll when they came down to Miami.

And then it was over. Chris Bosh didn’t play at all in the 4th quarter, and yet he managed to close the game with 30 minutes of action, 12 out of 17 from the field, didn’t miss a single one of his 11 free throws for a 6 rebounds, 4 assists 35 point game. It seems that finally, at least two of the new Big Three are finding their groove. LeBron James and Chris Bosh are finally syncing into the same tune. They are working together for the first time in the season.

If Miami really want’s to have a chance in the playoffs, they have to get this part right: You can’t win if James and Wade are taking turns at dominating the ball and the offense. They need to start finding a way for the three of them to dance to the same music. Otherwise they will not stand a chance against the Lakers or the Boston Celtics, just to name a few.