Time is now to eliminate head shots in hockey

Hockey Betting Lines

03/10/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A concussion is serious, and the NHL may finally be waking up to the fact. Anyone who has had a serious knock will tell you that the effects can be scary. While the league has spent years dancing around the subject of hits to the head, it is an issue that has become more pressing than ever.

It makes you wonder if the suits in the front office have been suffering from the same confusion and blurry vision as the players who seem to be dropping like flies around the league.

Hockey's alleged top brains will be concluding a three-day summit Wednesday, where the topic of shoulder hits to the head is being discussed. As it stands, the shoulder blow is still a legal part of the game, meaning that no penalty can be assessed for the goon-like offense.

"The managers in their heart of hearts feel something's wrong here, but it's not against the rules. That's what we're trying to attack," said Colin Campbell, the NHL's principle disciplinarian.

Last Sunday, Boston Bruins all-star Marc Savard became the latest victim of an unsuspecting shoulder to the head by the Pittsburgh Penguins' Matt Cooke. Seeing him motionless on the ice was a troubling scene, but a scene that has been repeating itself like a bad Hollywood script.

Savard will likely be forced by team doctors to miss multiple weeks of action, as the medical community has made it clear they won't treat these injuries like a joke.

Young Florida Panthers sniper David Booth missed three-quarters of this season with medically diagnosed post-concussion syndrome, and was only allowed to play after rigorous baseline testing.

Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron can attest first-hand to the after- effects of a brain injury. A grade-three concussion almost stripped the young star of his career in October of 2007 as he ended up missing the better part of the season.

"I couldn't do anything. The light was bothering me, the noise was bothering me. Everything was," Bergeron said in reference to the concussion. "It was giving me headaches, making me dizzy."

"I was pretty much trying to go through the day, trying to sleep and rest and feel better."

Luckily Bergeron was able to get back on track after a long and difficult recovery. He was even fortunate enough to win Olympic gold with Team Canada in Vancouver.

But, not all players are so lucky.

It's no surprise that around the sport these hits are called "career-enders", just ask Eric Lindros.

Termed the "Next One" in the 90's, Lindros was supposed to be the second coming of Wayne Gretzky. A true superstar during his short NHL career, he would miss significant time due to concussions and eventually retire thanks to the elbow of bruiser Scott Stevens.

What did the powers that be tell us then? They said it was part of the game. They said it takes toughness to be a hockey player, like Eddie Shore and Bobby Clarke.

Sorry gentlemen, but the game is light years ahead of where it was back then. It's faster, more violent, and the players are stronger.

Players must be forced to respect the head and the only way to do that is to asses a penalty for the infraction. There should be, at minimum, a five-minute major and an ejection from the game for the dangerous blow. The same punishment has been effective in reducing hits from behind, and hits to the head are no less an epidemic.

It is embarrassing that the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), Canada's premier junior hockey organization, has already figured out a way to deter these dirty hits while the NHL has stood pat.

In doling out a season-long suspension in January to high-profile player Patrice Cormier for his blindside hit of a fellow player, the CHL sent a strong message that these types of plays would not be tolerated. Captain of the Canadian world junior team and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League standout, Cormier was not allowed to escape the rule of law due to his star status. The same hard-nosed approach must be taken in the NHL.

"Clearly the blind side of an unsuspecting player is what we're talking about," said Dallas Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk. He also added that he thought stiffer suspensions could be used more frequently in extreme cases.

Unfortunately, any rule change proposed at the summit needs approval by the competition committee, which includes players, and the league's board of governors. Hopefully, the recommendations that are made don't fall on deaf ears.

It would be regrettable if another career was put in jeopardy before action was taken.

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College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

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.

MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend.  Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend.  With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.

MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

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