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02/19/2007 - Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The American Hockey League announced today that Grand Rapids Griffins center Matt Ellis has been named the CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending February 18, 2007. Ellis recorded four goals and two assists for six points in three games last week.
Ellis kicked off the week with his second four-point performance of the year, including a power-play goal, a shorthanded goal and an empty-net goal for his first career AHL hat trick, as the Griffins posted a 5-2 win over San Antonio on Friday. The next night, he put home the game-winning goal to help Grand Rapids to a 4-2 win over the Rampage. On Sunday, Ellis recorded an assist in the Griffins 7-3 loss to Peoria.
In recognition of his achievement, Ellis will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Griffins home game.
Ellis, in his fourth season with Grand Rapids and second serving as team captain, has totaled a team-high 20 goals to go with 20 assists for 40 points in 50 games for the Griffins this season. He has also skated in five games with the Detroit Red Wings this season, making his NHL debut on Dec. 18, 2006, vs. Columbus. A 25-year-old native of Welland, Ont., Ellis has recorded 144 points (63g, 81a) in 267 career AHL games, all with Grand Rapids, and ranks among the Griffins franchises all-time leaders in goals (T-6th), assists (8th), points (5th) and games played (5th).
Other nominees for CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week include Albany left wing Antti Laaksonen, Bridgeport left wing Brandon Nolan, Chicago center Steve Martins, Hamilton center Corey Locke, Hartford left wing Brad Isbister, Hershey center Joey Tenute, Houston right wing Mattias Weinhandl, Manchester defenseman Peter Harrold, Manitoba goaltender Drew MacIntyre, Milwaukee goaltender Pekka Rinne, Peoria center Trent Whitfield, Portland left wing Mark Hartigan, Providence center David Krejci, Rochester left wing Michael Ryan, San Antonio center Donald MacLean, Syracuse left wing Curtis Glencross, Toronto left wing Colin Murphy and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton left wing Jean- Francois Jacques.
(Courtesy of American Hockey League)
<< Wisconsin, Ohio State head men's hoops poll
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wisconsin and Ohio State, the Big Ten's best,
are also the top two teams in the latest Associated Press men's college
basketball poll.
After Florida lost to Vanderbilt on Saturday and had a 17-game wi
<< Oilers place Pisani on IR
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers placed right wing Fernando
Pisani on injured reserve on Monday.
Pisani has missed the past three games after suffering a concussion during the
team's 5-1 win over Atlanta on February 11 in
<< Duke still unanimous No. 1 in women's poll
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Duke remained the unanimous No. 1 team in the
Associated Press women's college basketball poll.
The Blue Devils (28-0) earned all 50 first-place votes and a total of 1,250
points from a national media pane
<< Horizon League foes lock horns in Green Bay
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Butler Bulldogs have lost two
of their last three games, and they hope to get back on track in tonight's
Horizon League clash with the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix.
Butler appeared to
Report: Jays, Gibbons agree to one-year extension >>
Dunedin, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays have reportedly agreed to
a one-year extension with manager John Gibbons.
The Toronto Globe and Mail reported on Monday that the Blue Jays reached an
agreement with Gibbons on a deal th
Howell cracks top 20 in world rankings >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charles Howell III collected his second
PGA Tour win on Sunday, defeating Pebble Beach winner Phil Mickelson in a
playoff at the Nissan Open.
That win propelled Howell to 16th in this week's offici
This Week in Golf - February 21st through February 25th >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS -
WGC-ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP, The Gallery Golf Club at Dove Mountain,
Tucson, Arizona - Four months before he escaped the carnage a winner at Winged
Foot, Geoff Ogilvy ne
Webb moves to second in Rolex Rankings >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Karrie Webb finished third on Saturday at
the season-opening SBS Open at Turtle Bay and, in the process, moved to second
in this week's Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings.
Annika Sorenstam, who has yet t
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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NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
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The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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