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07/13/2010 - Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yankees manager Joe Girardi spoke about a time in spring training when he and his wife were walking their dog, a white bichon, on the manicured grass when he encountered owner George Steinbrenner.
He expected Steinbrenner to yell, but said Steinbrenner instead sat and talked to them, asking about the dog.
"Totally different expectation than what I had," Girardi said. "It was the first time I realized he wasn't everything he was painted to be...I gotta tell you, one of his athletes walking a little white dog, I was expecting something different."
Steinbrenner was tough and had high expectations, but was fair and revealed a softer side in personal moments. That was the consistent theme when Girardi, along with Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte, third baseman Alex Rodriguez and shortstop Derek Jeter -- who are in Anaheim for the All-Star Game -- spoke about the Yankees owner, who died Tuesday morning.
Steinbrenner could be demanding and had high expectations for his team, which became clear in some anecdotes they told.
Rodriguez, who joined the Yankees in 2004, said within the first two minutes of meeting Steinbrenner, the owner told him multiple times that the Yankees have to win a World Series. Girardi said winning the World Series meant a lot to Steinbrenner, but Steinbrenner didn't take too long to enjoy the accomplishment.
"He was like, 'Okay, how are we going to win next year,'" said Girardi, who won three World Series titles with the Yankees as a player and last year as the manager.
Jeter recalled being yelled at by Steinbrenner for getting doubled off third base early in his career, despite the fact that the Yankees won.
"He was an old football coach," Jeter said. "His way, he'd sort of look at the baseball season like we played 12 games and we have to win every single day. He really expected to win, every night, every day."
But Jeter also remembered getting a call in 2003, saying The Boss wanted to talk to him. Jeter figured he was in trouble again and called Steinbrenner.
"He said how much respect he had for me and he wanted to name me captain and would I accept that role," Jeter said. "I was in Cincinnati, and it's a memory I'll always cherish not only because I thought I was getting in trouble, but because I realized how much that title meant to him and to the organization."
That was the way all four recounted how Steinbrenner revealed his true self to them, through surprising moments that told them he was more than a caricature.
Rodriguez remembered a letter delivered to him in 2004 from Steinbrenner, hand-written. At the end it said "I'm counting on you" in capital letters and with an exclamation point.
"To this day I hold this dear and still feel we're playing for him," Rodriguez said.
Pettitte said Steinbrenner would hand him bible verses before some playoff starts.
"He was tough, but he was always there to support you also," Pettitte said. "I don't think enough is said about the support he'd give you."
In addition to the dog-walking story, Girardi also remembered how Steinbrenner teased him about football. Girardi went to Northwestern, while Steinbrenner was an assistant football coach there in the 1950s.
"He would needle me about Northwestern football, and had a way of making some light moments in some tough times," Girardi said. "I enjoyed it. I never really felt that his expectations were overbearing. I just felt he wanted what we all wanted; to win."
Jeter, who knew Steinbrenner since he was 18, said Steinbrenner was a father figure to anyone in the organization, saying "he really went out of his way to take care of his players."
"He's more than just an owner to me, he's a friend of mine," Jeter said. "He'll be deeply missed."
<< Hornets, Bower part ways
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Hornets announced Tuesday
that the club and general manager Jeff Bower have mutually agreed to part
ways, effective immediately.
"We feel it is in the best interest for us and Je
<< Wizards sign C Armstrong
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Wizards on Tuesday signed
center Hilton Armstrong. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not
announced.
The 6-foot-11, 235-pounder has averaged 3.4 points and 2.6 rebounds
<< Mavs sign Dominique Jones
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Mavericks signed Dominique Jones on
Tuesday. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound guard was originally drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies
with the 25th over
<< Chicago's Masar named WPS Player of Week
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Red Stars forward Ella Masar was
named Women's Professional Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 13 on Tuesday
after scoring a pair of goals.
Masar scored the equalizer in a 1-1 tie against the
Griffin ahead at Publinx in second stroke-play round >>
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John-Tyler Griffin of Georgia Tech holds a
one-shot lead after playing two rounds of the U.S. Amateur Public Links.
Griffin, who is from Wilson, North Carolina, about two hours west of
Greensboro
Rahal reunites with Newman/Haas Racing >>
Lincolnshire, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newman/Haas Racing announced Tuesday that
Graham Rahal will rejoin the team and pilot the No. 02 Dallara/Honda/Firestone
entry for six of the remaining series races.
Five of those races will see Rahal s
Jazz acquire Al Jefferson from Timberwolves >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah Jazz have acquired
center/forward Al Jefferson from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for
center Kosta Koufos, the Memphis Grizzlies' protected 2011 first-round pick
(obtain
Oilers give Dubnyk two-year contract >>
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers have come to terms with
goaltender Devan Dubnyk on a two-year contract. The team also agreed with
defenseman Shawn Belle on a one-year deal.
The 24-year-old Dubnyk appeared in 19
Super Bowl XLIII is now set, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet each other on February 1st in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium to battle it out for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The game kicks off at 6:00pm ET on NBC with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden covering the on-field action. Super Bowl XLIII betting odds at online bookmaker MySportsbook.com have the Steelers listed as an early -6.5 against the spread favorite.Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds
Pittsburgh earned their passage to the big game by beating their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14 in yesterday's AFC Championship Game. The Steelers jumped on Baltimore early, building a 13-0 first half lead, and never let up on their way to a fairly easy win. Although the Ravens did close to within two points in the fourth quarter, it never appeared as if they had enough offense to pull off the upset.
The Steelers dominating defense held Baltimore to a total of 198 yards while allowing them to convert just three third downs in 13 attempts. Pittsburgh also forced quarterback Joe Flacco into three interceptions, one of which safety Troy Polamalu returned fourty yards for a touchdown.
The Cardinals, by far the playoff team with the longest odds to reach Super Bowl XLIII, did so yesterday with a 32-25 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Arizona charged out of the gates and built a 24-6 halftime lead that had the Eagles venerable defense reeling. Quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did most of the damage, connecting on three first half touchdowns.
Arizona, however, could not sustain their momentum and the Eagles took a 25-24 with 10:45 left to play in the fourth. The Cardinals, with the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance hanging in the balance, mounted a fourteen play, 72 yard touchdown drive that consumed 7:52 off the clock. Warner hit running back Tim Hightower on a short screen for the go-ahead, game clinching score that will forever live in Cardinal infamy.
MySportsbook.com's Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds:
Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), -260 (Money line)
Arizona Cardinals +6.5 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), +220 (Money line)
Matt Foust won both of his conference championship plays yesterday and he is ready to serve up plenty of Super Bowl action. Each individual play costs $15.00, however, MySportsbook.com recommends purchasing Matt's NFL Playoff Package which includes all of Matt's Super Bowl props and picks from just $45.00.
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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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