Jake Locker, Washington quarterback rolled to his left during the early portion of Senior Bowl practice. Locker’s target Wisconsin tight end Lance Kendricks. 15 yards downfield, a pretty spiral hit Kendricks perfectly in the hands, as Locker cut the ball loose.
This week, Locker needs to throw this type of pass repeatedly. Planning for the draft in April, the general managers, coaches and scouts, the NFL’s personnel honchos have gathered and they are getting a better feel for the prospects, both physically and personally.
There is significant buzz around Locker, as he has the potential to be a starting NFL quarterback. However, during an up-and-down senior season, his throwing accuracy and field vision became question marks. Ryan Mallett of Arkansas, Blaine Gabbert of Missouri and Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton of Auburn are the three underclassman quarterbacks have entered the draft and there is a possibility they could be chosen before Locker.
As anyone at the Senior Bowl, Locker has as much to gain and possibly more to lose. Locker is one of four players at the position considered to have first-round potential and Andrew Luck’s return to Stanford left this year’s draft without a clear-cut No. 1 quarterback prospect. He returned to school for a bowl-bound encore, though some projected him a top-10 pick a year ago.
Washington quarterback Jake Locker looks like more of a developmental prospect at the position, although he is an outstanding talent. He struggles with his accuracy and touches on short and intermediate throws, although his arm strength rates off the charts. During individual and team periods, he repeatedly overshot receivers and failed to find the range on few deep throws to open targets. Throughout the week, he will need to show gradual improvement to convince evaluators that he is worthy of being selected at the top of the draft.
admin on January 25, 2011 | Filed Under NFL | Comments Off
Golf Digest has ended a long-standing sponsorship with Tiger Woods and he will no longer be writing a monthly column for Golf Digest. For the golfer, the end of this sponsorship adds to a growing pile of dropped endorsements.
Jerry Tarde, the chairman and editor-in-chief of Golf Digest announced the breakup. Since 1997, Golf Digest, a Conde Nast publication has run monthly articles with Woods, with a circulation of 1.65 million. Tarde announced that the February issue of Golf Digest would be the last for Woods. For Woods, Golf Digest was his second-longest deal and his name will be removed from the magazine’s masthead. Tarde appreciated the insights provided by Tiger over the years to the readers.
Woods said that he enjoyed his relationship with Golf Digest and now both have decided to part their ways. He wished continued success for his friends at Golf Digest. The parting with Golf Digest was amicable, unlike other business relationships that soured the scandal.
On the expanding amount of time, the magazine was requesting from Woods, the two sides were unable to come to terms during lengthy talks aimed at renewing the agreement.
With Woods, Gatorade, AT&T and Accenture had already ended sponsor ties, although Nike stayed with him through the scandal. On Tuesday, the damaged brand name of Woods received a boost. Augusta National Golf Club announced the home course of the Masters, which would be featured on a videogame on Woods’ 2011 EA Sports. In 1996 when Woods turned professional, the videogame company and Nike became the first sponsor to sign a deal with him.
After Woods record-smashing 1997 Masters triumph, Golf Digest began ties with Woods. this week, EA Sports president Peter Moore said that the company supports its star endorser, although the company is not using a picture of Woods on some versions of the new game.
admin on January 7, 2011 | Filed Under GOLF | Comments Off
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play the New Orleans Saints this weekend. The game will take place in New Orleans .These teams would both like victories in this game. If the Saints win and the Falcons lose the Saints will have a shot at tying the Falcons for the best record in the division. The Buccaneers still have their playoff hopes alive. A win in this game would give them 10 wins and put them in great position to make the playoffs.
The Saints will be the 8 point favorites in NFL Odds. The total for the game is set at 48.
The Bucs looked great last week as Freeman had a fantastic outing. Freeman threw 5 touchdowns and led an offense that looked more potent than at any time this season. Blount has looked awesome all year and appears to be getting better as the season goes on. Last week he had a career high in yardage with more than 160 yards on 18 carries. If he is able to find space against the Saints they will have a great chance at winning the football game.
The Saints will need to establish the run against the Bucs. The Bucs allow 133 yards per game and their rushing defense is definitely the biggest weakness on their team. Unfortunately the Saints have struggled to run the ball with consistency all season.
This game should be intense as two of the top teams in the NFC square off.
In order to take on the Buckeyes, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies will head to Ohio State. Even though the Golden Grizzlies have played sturdy in opposition to some good teams this season already, this may seem like a game where Ohio State will walk all over their opponents.
With top level teams the Golden Grizzlies have loaded their schedule. Ohio state is ranked 2nd in the nation whereas Golden Grizzlies have already played against the 7th.8th, 9th and 17th ranked teams in the nation. Even though they also played tough against Michigan State, losing by just one point, to this point the Golden Grizzlies have only managed to win one game against ranked teams (an 89-82 victory over Tennessee). In basketball betting lines, NCAA basketball odds have not yet posted for this matchup.
The Golden Grizzlies are 16th in the nation in points per game and know how to score. In opposition to great teams their high powered offense has allowed them to stay in the game. This season, Ohio State has allowed just one team to score more than 64 points in a game. If the Golden Grizzlies can find a way to go through this tough Ohio State defense, they may be able to walk away with the victory.
Their weak schedule may be one of the reasons that Ohio State has been so dominant. Ohio State has played just one game against a ranked opponent this season even as Oakland is a no name school that has played against so many ranked teams. Earlier in the season they beat 10th ranked Florida 93-75.
This could be a tough matchup between these two teams even as the Golden Grizzlies are just 7-7 on the season.
admin on December 23, 2010 | Filed Under CBB | Comments Off
This weekend in Dallas, the Dallas Cowboys will face the Washington Redskins.
Even though they are rivals and will put up a good game however, these teams are both out of contention. Even as the Redskins were defeated by the Buccaneers 17-16, the Cowboys were edged by the Eagles this past week 30-27.
The total for the game sits at 45, as in NFL Lines the Cowboys will be the 6 point favorites.
Since getting Phillips out of the picture the Cowboys have been a much improved team.
However they have been hanging tough in each game, their last three games have been against three of the best teams in the NFL. Their only 2 losses have come in opposition to the Eagles and Saints as they are 3-2 in their last 5 games.
Even though the Redskins almost pulled out a victory against the Bucs, they have lost three in a row. As Dallas has the 27th best pass defense in the NFL, the Redskins will need to get their passing game going in opposition to the Cowboys.
In the last game through the efforts Ryan Torain, they also had some help on the ground. The ‘Skins will have a good chance at taking home a victory in this game if he can top 100 yards again in this game.
Even though the Cowboys have struggled at home all season, they will be playing at home. Just 1 of 7 games has been won by them which have been played in Dallas. While playing in Dallas, a win here could go a long ways towards helping the Cowboys restore their winning tradition.
admin on December 14, 2010 | Filed Under NFL | Comments Off
Cebu will be once again be invaded by the much-awaited Thirsty Tennis Cup 2010, as it fires off on December 20-23 at the Cebu Country Club and Casino Español de Cebu.
Including the 10 years and under unisex, boys and girls divisions in the 12, 14, 16 and 18 categories, a total of nine divisions will be featured.
With free shirt and Thirsty drinks, Registration fee is pegged at P350 pesos with a deadline on December 18. At Thirsty outlets at the SM City, Ayala Center and Robinson’s Place, registration areas are available.
In the three-day tournament, Philta points are up for grabs. To the top finishers, Trophies will be given and prizes as well which includes Mooon gift certificates, Thirsty drinks, T-shirts and more. Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) points are something to watch out for, apart from the trophies and prizes for the winners.
John Pages, Sportswriter Association of Cebu (SAC) president and organizer said that during the Christmas season, this is the first time that they hold the Thirsty Tennis Cup since this is played during summer.
Cebu Country Club is a private proprietary club. It is located in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City, about 20 minutes from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. Since the club is in front of the Banilad Road, one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city, the club is accessible via taxicab or rent-a-car and by public transport such as jeepneys.
It is open to guests and tourists, even though it is a private membership club. For both local and foreign golf enthusiasts, the club is also a popular golf destination. It is famous for its 18-hole championship golf course.
Facilities like restaurant and bar, locker rooms for men and women, sports gear shop, tennis court, clubhouse, tee houses, bowling alley, swimming pool and badminton court are included. At the club, Safety is never a problem since security men patrol and roam the club’s facilities and grounds at all times.
admin on December 8, 2010 | Filed Under Tennis | Comments Off
One doesn’t need to pay to play at online gambling sites, which is a contradiction to popular belief. At the online penny auction site Bidibot, one can win free poker chips to play at your favorite poker rooms. Bidibot, have even launched a Rakeback feature, to help online poker fans. Users can claim their bids back on auctions at Bidibot, by making use of this feature.
Mr. John Tabatabai, of Bidibot says, “We’ve designed the feature to be used in three different ways. The first type of Rakeback is the % Rakeback, where depending on the finishing position; players can get a predetermined percentage of bids credited back to them. The second type is the ‘Fixed Rakeback’, where players can claim back a fixed number of bids, depending on where he is placed after the winner. The third is ‘Max Rakeback’, where again depending on the place that the player is placed; he gets a maximum number of bids back.”
He also said, “Currently we are offering a special promotion whereby the bidder who finishes in the second position gets 50% of his bids back as rakeback. When looking for auctions, players are to look for the ‘Rakeback’ strip, to see which type of offer is on”.
He added, “Players get to choose from the $150 credit, Betfair Poker bonus that auctions at a start price of $1, or choose to bid from the $20 credit. Besides Betfair free poker chips, we auction a wide variety of products and free credits for Poker Stars, 888 Poker, Victory Poker, Jackpotjoy, Ultimate Bet poker, Absolute Poker and many more. All that the player has to do is, register and purchase bids. Players get to bid as long as they have a positive bid balance”.
The first penny auction site that specifically caters for poker, casino and sports enthusiasts is Bidibot. For anything as little as $1 through the site’s unique bidding system, players gets the opportunity to win anything from a $50 voucher to a $10,000 package including travel and accommodation.
2011 schedule was announced for the Syracuse Orange men’s lacrosse team this week, and it will consist of 15 regular-season games.
On Tuesday, head coach John Desko unveiled the schedule, and it features nine home games, including visits by three of last year’s four national semifinalists.
Syracuse will play many of its road games in some of the top NFL football stadiums in the country, with six away games slated for pro football venues, it what may be an indication of the sports increasing popularity in the U.S.
At M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore Ravens), New Meadowlands Stadium (New York Giants and Jets) and Gillette Stadium (New England Patriots), the team will make appearances.
In the Carrier Dome, the 2011 lacrosse season opens with three games at home. The Orange opens the year against Denver (Feb. 20), for the second year in a row. The following week, first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Army is what the squad looks to avenge when the Black Knights return to Syracuse on Feb. 27. When the Orange welcomes perennial national-title contender Virginia to the Dome, the homestand concludes on March 6.
The Orange open Big East conference play against the Georgetown Hoyas, with a neutral-site matchup at the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic in Baltimore.
Overall, for last year’s NCAA Championship with Duke, Notre Dame, Cornell and Virginia advancing to the Final Four, eight of the Orange’s 2011 opponents qualified. Syracuse will face nine of the teams, who had winning records in 2010.
At Syracuse, this season is the 92nd varsity lacrosse season. Last season, the Orange reached the NCAA Tournament for the 30th time in school history and won the inaugural Big East regular-season championship.
admin on November 10, 2010 | Filed Under Lacrosse | Comments Off
Betfair, an online sports betting and online betting company, announced plans for a new Dublin office that will create upwards of 100 jobs. The company officially listed on the London Stock Exchange last month and now plans to open a new office where some of their operations teams will be relocated to next year.
The company has initiated a recruitment process to fill the additional posts needed to staff the new office. Staff currently in place in the UK will be given the option to relocate to the new Dublin office. The number of London employees moving to the Dublin office has not been announced. Those interested in job openings can go to www.betfair.jobs for more information.
Betfair, founded in 2000 by Andrew Black and Edward Wray, offers customers what is termed “person-to-person betting.” The process lets customers place bets acting as a punter or gives them the option to take bets in a more traditional role similar to that of a bookmaker.
Betfair employs over 600 engineers who maintain the company’s betting exchanges. These global exchanges process in excess of 5 million transactions daily from roughly 3 million plus customers.
David Yu, Betfair’s chief executive, expresses optimism in the new Dublin office noting that Ireland is establishing itself as a prime location for online companies.
Betfair and the British Horseracing Authority were recently in dispute concerning required fees, but a company spokesperson has said that they are not leaving the UK and will continue paying the levy and adhere to all requirements.
On Friday, October 29, 2010, Nike will present the Hawaii Lacrosse 20th Anniversary Invitational Tournament at Kapiolani Park, in Waikiki. For the first time, Nike Lacrosse is sponsoring the event.
In this year’s tournament, the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team will be one of the most noted teams appearing, after spending several months between playing matches after their missed opportunity to play in the FIL Lacrosse World Championship in Manchester, England, last June.
Since 2006, the Iroquois Nationals have been partnered with Nike Lacrosse, but visa complications prevented their appearance in the tournament. At the Hawaii tournament, the team will also debut their new Nike N7 logo jerseys.
In Elite division, the Iroquois Nationals will be participating. The women’s games will be played in one Elite division, while, three divisions of men’s play are set to take place, named the Elite, Masters and Grand Masters. Teams from Japan, Canada and the United States are expected to comprise a field of 30 teams. to attend the event, Hawaii Lacrosse also expects approximately 2,000 players and spectators, based on past tournaments. With most of the events occurring on the first of the three days, there will also be a full slate of social events surrounding the tournament.
This year, just as in past events, the tournament will attract professional players from around the world and players who are members of their own national teams and it proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Aloha Youth Lacrosse Association.
DeWalt, Primo Island Lager, Red Bull and Aqua Hotels and Resorts are included in some of the other supporting sponsors.
admin on October 26, 2010 | Filed Under Lacrosse | Comments Off
