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07/22/2010 - New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Three-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul will reportedly sit down with management of the New Orleans Hornets on Monday, when he's expected to express his wishes to be traded.
Several media outlets, including the New Orleans Times Picayune, report Paul will meet with new head coach Monty Williams and new general manager Dell Demps.
Paul has two years remaining on his contract before he can opt out with the Hornets. His contract will pay him about $45 million over the next three seasons, as he has a player option for 2012-13 worth nearly $18 million.
The fourth overall pick out of Wake Forest by the Hornets in the 2005 draft, Paul averaged 18.7 points, 10.7 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.1 steals this past season. He played in just 45 games due to various injuries.
Just prior to this year's draft, Hornets owner George Shinn released a statement, saying Paul is the franchise's "cornerstone" and the player the team will continue to build around.
But Paul reportedly is concerned about the Hornets' slow offseason moves this summer. The team signed guard Luther Head earlier this month and also re- signed backup center Aaron Gray.
Paul led the Hornets to the Western Conference semifinals in 2007-08 and the team reached the playoffs the following season. But this past season New Orleans went 37-45.
<< Hanley commits future to Blackburn
Blackburn, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Blackburn has handed teenage defender
Grant Hanley a new five-year contract.
The Scotland Under-19 captain made his Premier League debut in the final game
of last season against Aston Villa and is
<< Jol turns down Fulham job
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fulham will have to look elsewhere for a
new manager after Martin Jol turned down the chance to return to the Premier
League.
The former Tottenham boss has decided to stay in charge of Ajax af
<< Newcastle adds former Everton midfielder Gosling
Newcastle, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newly-promoted Newcastle signed former
Everton midfielder Dan Gosling to a four-year contract on Thursday.
Gosling, 20, is the second addition for Newcastle ahead of its return to the
Premier League
<< Delahoussaye leads by two in Canada
Etobicoke, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brent Delahoussaye fired an eight-under 62
Thursday to take the lead after the opening round of the Canadian Open.
Delahoussaye's 62 at St. George's Golf & Country Club matched the tournament's
18-hole
Chelsea's Alex to miss start of season >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chelsea defender Alex will miss the start
of the English Premier League season with a thigh injury that will sideline
for one month, the club announced on Thursday.
Alex was injured in training, joini
Westermann signs five-year deal with Hamburg >>
Gelsenkirchen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Heiko Westermann finalized his move
from Schalke to Hamburg on Thursday, as the German defender signed a five-year
deal with his new club.
Westermann, 26, had 12 goals in 92 matches for Schalke. H
Hamburg loans striker Berg to PSV >>
Hamburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hamburg loaned 23-year-old striker Marcus
Berg to Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on Thursday.
Berg joined PSV on a one-year loan deal. PSV is coached by former Schalke boss
Fred Rutten. Berg scored four goals i
Mariners deal minor league INF Hannahan to Red Sox >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners traded minor league
infielder Jack Hannahan to the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later
or cash considerations.
Hannahan, a third-round draft pick by the Tigers in 2001
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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