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10/27/2009 - Talladega, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck. Date: Saturday, October 31. Race: Mountain Dew 250. Site: Talladega Superspeedway. Track: 2.66-mile tri-oval superspeedway. Start time: 4:00 p.m. (et). Laps: 94. Miles: 250.04. Defending winner: Todd Bodine. Television: SpeedChannel. Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS XM Satellite.
Saturday's Camping World Truck Series race at Talladega should be more of a treat than a trick on Halloween.
Todd Bodine is hoping no trick will interfere with his attempt at a fifth straight superspeedway victory. Bodine has won the last two races at both Daytona and Talladega. He finished fourth the first time the series competed at Talladega in 2006.
"You have to be smart when you race at Talladega," Bodine said. "If you get too anxious or rambunctious, you end up getting in trouble."
In the '06 race, Bodine was penalized for dipping below the yellow line while battling Mark Martin for the victory in the final laps. Martin went on to win the race.
Ron Hornaday Jr. comes to Talladega with a comfortable 224-point lead. Hornaday padded his lead over Matt Crafton with a fourth-place finish at Martinsville. Timothy Peters picked up his first series win in last Saturday's race.
Hornaday has finished 10th or better in the first three races at Talladega. He finished second there last year. With four races remaining, Hornaday is looking to become the first driver in series history to win four championships.
Talladega will be a treat for one of NASCAR's most famous families. For the first time in NASCAR, a father and daughter will compete in a national touring series race. Mike Wallace and his 21-year-old daughter, Chrissy, will race against each other.
"As we have for many years, the Wallace tradition is very long-tied to NASCAR as far as my brothers -- Rusty and Kenny and myself," Mike Wallace said. "Chrissy and Steven are making a living now, and I'm just really excited about the opportunity to show up there and be part of NASCAR history."
Mike Wallace has competed in the series since its inception in 1995, while Chrissy Wallace made her truck debut in March at Martinsville.
"Racing against my dad, it's something that we've always wanted to do," Chrissy Wallace said. "It's something that means a lot to me, and I think it's a good thing for me and him both. Hopefully I'll wind up beating him."
Thirty-eight teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Mountain Dew 250.
<< This Week in Auto Racing October 30 - November 1
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It should be an exciting and wild weekend
of racing as the Sprint Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway for the
seventh race in the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" championship. The Camping World
Truck
<< AFC West: L.J. making crooked news again in K.C.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's bad enough that Penn State running backs have had a
hard time succeeding in the NFL, but Larry Johnson is taking it to new
heights.
The former Nittany Lion star and current Kansas City Chief hasn't made
positive head
<< Blue Jays' Beeston agrees to remain president and CEO
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Longtime Toronto Blue Jays executive Paul
Beeston had the interim tag removed on Tuesday, agreeing to a three-year deal
to remain as president and CEO of the franchise and Rogers Centre.
Beeston was app
<< NFC South: Falcons' season reaches a crossroads
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Though its early and anything can happen, it isn't a
stretch to say that this Monday's game versus the New Orleans Saints is a must
win for the Atlanta Falcons.
The Saints haven't given the Falcons much breathing room in t
Caps beat Flyers for fifth straight win >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alexander Semin returned to the lineup and
notched the game-winning goal in the third period, as Washington extended its
winning streak to five games with a 4-2 win over Philadelphia at Verizon
Center.
NFC East: Cowboys corral an elusive marquee win >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It was difficult to gauge exactly where the Dallas Cowboys
stood in the NFL's pecking order at the time of their Week 6 bye. While a 3-2
record provided the team with a decent start in its quest to return to the
postseason, t
Oklahoma State WR Bryant suspended for season >>
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oklahoma State Cowboys wide receiver
Dez Bryant will reportedly remain suspended for the rest of the season.
According to the Oklahoman, the university was informed of the decision by the
NCAA Tuesd
Celtics spoil LeBron-Shaq debut in season-opening win >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Pierce scored 23 points and pulled down
11 rebounds, pacing Boston to a 95-89 win over the Cavaliers and spoiling the
regular season debut for the Cleveland tandem of LeBron James and Shaquille
O'Neal.
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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In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
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