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07/02/2010 -
DENVER (AP) -The Colorado Avalanche won't stray from their strategy by taking a shortcut in free agency.
The plan is to build a contender from within the organization, an approach that Avalanche general manager Greg Sherman steadfastly believes in and backs.
No quick fixes.
The Avalanche were rather quiet on the opening day of free agency Thursday, electing to allow veterans Darcy Tucker, Brett Clark, Ruslan Salei, Stephane Yelle and Marek Svatos to become unrestricted free agents.
The stage is being set for the youngsters.
``I remain focused on that plan,'' Sherman said of the youth movement. ``You see what we have put together here with a young group of enthusiastic, energetic, exciting players we have on our own club. I feel very strongly about the group of players we have.''
The Avalanche hit the jackpot in the 2009 draft by taking Matt Duchene with the third overall pick and Ryan O'Reilly early in the second round. The talented duo helped the Avalanche surge back into the playoffs in 2009-10 after finishing last in the Western Conference the year before.
While that success may have been unexpected around the league, the Avalanche fully envisioned the resurgence. This is an organization with lofty standards, having won the Stanley Cup titles in 1996 and 2001.
And this was just the first step in restoring respectability.
``We felt very confident in the group of players that were assembled,'' Sherman said.
That's why Colorado doesn't figure to wade too deep into free agency this summer.
Instead, the team will concentrate on getting deals done for some of its upstarts, players such as Chris Stewart, Brandon Yip, Kyle Quincey, Peter Mueller and Daniel Winnik, who was acquired Monday in a deal with Phoenix.
They all were tendered a qualifying offer, meaning Colorado has the right to match any deal or will be given draft-choice compensation should a player bolt.
Sherman wouldn't elaborate on how close he was to any potential deal with any of the players, saying ``those conversations are ongoing.''
``These are the type of players, the young group, that we are building within and building around,'' Sherman said.
With Clark and Salei hitting the free agent market, the Avalanche appear to be in need of a few more defensemen to join captain Adam Foote, Scott Hannan and John-Michael Liles in the back.
However, Sherman maintained the solution at defense could already be in the minor-league system, possibly a player such as Kevin Shattenkirk, the 14th overall pick in the 2007 draft.
``We certainly believe that our depth on the blue line is very strong,'' Sherman said. ``As we look toward the future, we feel very confident about the young group we have, that we're going to build around.''
NOTES: There have been overtures that former Avalanche great Joe Sakic wouldn't mind joining the organization in some capacity. Sherman said the team was open to the possibility.
``I think Joe was very clear a couple of weeks ago - he's in no rush,'' Sherman said. ``At the appropriate time, Joe will reach out and indicate what he's looking to do with the franchise. ... When Joe's ready, those discussions will be had.''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.
<< Stamps down Argos in season opener
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Henry Burris threw for 324 yards on 27-of-40
passing, leading the Calgary Stampeders to a 30-16 win over the Toronto
Argonauts in the season opener for both clubs.
Burris also recorded an intercepti
<< Napoli, Weaver help Angels snap Rangers' series win streak
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Napoli's RBI double in the sixth backed
Jered Weaver's solid pitching performance, as the Angels held off the Texas
Rangers, 2-1, in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Weaver (8-3) gave up just
<< Cavs officially name Scott head coach
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers have officially
named Byron Scott as the team's new head coach.
The announcement was made by general manager Chris Grant. Terms of the deal
were not disclosed. Earlier reports
<< Diamondbacks fire GM Byrnes, manager Hinch
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Josh
Byrnes have been fired by the Arizona Diamondbacks amidst a 31-48 record to
begin the 2010 season.
In the interim, Jerry Dipoto will take over the general man
AP Source: Celtics agree to terms with Pierce >>
BOSTON (AP) -A Boston Celtics official says the team has agreed to terms with Paul Pierce on a new contract.The official is familiar with the deal but spoke on the condition of anonymity because the free agent signing period does not begin until Thu
Line of Scrimmage: NFL GameChangers '10: Pass Rushers >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Apart from 13 mostly unmemorable outings
with the Washington Redskins in 2008, Jason Taylor has spent his entire 13-
year NFL career as a member of the Miami Dolphins.
Thus, suffice it to say, he's more th
Huh confirms South Korea exit >>
Seoul, South Korea (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - South Korea manager Huh Jung-moo
confirmed on Friday that he will not be renewing his contract with the team,
which expires at the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The 55-year-old Huh guided S
Report: Pierce reaches agreement with Celtics >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics and forward Paul Pierce have
reportedly reached an agreement on a new contract.
The Boston Herald reports the sides reached an agreement for four years, with
options for the club and Pierce
Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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