Browns Mangini Won’t Name Starting QB Until Gameday

On December 8, 2011, In business, By Adrian Vega

Most NFL head coaches place a priority on naming a starting QB before the regular season begins. Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini hasn’t named his starting QB yet. Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson will find out if they’re the starting QB in the next couple of days, but the first public confirmation their coach will give is when they trot out on the field after the NFL regular season begins.

Mangini stressed that he’d already made his choice, and that hell meet with both Quinn and Anderson individually to inform them of his decision:

“In terms of announcing it publicly, that’s not something I plan to do. It will be internal. I understand everybody has a different opinion on it. I respect that. I understand the excitement in relationship to that and I respect that as well. But that will be something that will be internal.”

As of Sunday, both quarterbacks were still in the dark and not saying much. Derek Anderson said he didnt have a clue:

“I know as much as you guys know.

While Quinn suggested that it wasnt a big concern for him:

“I’m not worried about it. You guys are more worried about it than I am.”

Mangini may be trying to gain a strategic advantage over the Browns opponents in the opening week of the NFL regular season, the Minnesota Vikings:

“It is more difficult to plan for two quarterbacks than it is to plan for one. I’m not saying that’s going to be the difference or not the difference, but I know that there is time allotted to that and you can’t put the same amount of time into focusing on one player.”

Vikings coach Brad Childress said that it really didnt make a difference in how hed approach his preparation for the contest:

“Just schematically, you’re going to go back and look at tape and see what you’ve seen. And then I know, as do our guys, that there will be unscouted looks. They certainly haven’t showed their whole hand, offensively and defensively. So you’re just going back and looking at formation-wise where they’re putting people and what kind of players they are. It will be more about us deploying to what they do.”

The Browns coach concluded his comments by emphasizing that hes happy with the play of both quarterbacks:

“I have been happy with the progress that both guys made. I’m happy with the way they’ve worked. I’m happy with the way they approached this competition, and it’s not always easy to approach a competition in a team fashion, and I respect the way they’ve handled it.”

After hosting the Vikings in their opening game of the 2009 NFL regular season, Cleveland will play their next two games on the road. They’ll head to Denver for a game against the Broncos on September 20th and then play another away game in week 3, taking on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, September 27.

Adrian Vega is a part time writer who lives in Europe, he has plenty experience writing for bodybuilding forum. He is currently writing a program on how to lose weight and help people with his nutritional knowledge.

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Memphis Grizzlies Make Offer To Free Agent Allen Iverson

On June 2, 2010, In business, By Ross Everett

Allen Iverson is one of the most high profile NBA free agents left on the market, and several teams have expressed interest in the dynamic guard. On Wednesday, Iverson sent a Twitter update indicating that the Memphis Grizzlies had made him an offer. Later that night, that information was confirmed by Memphis GM Chris Wallace.

Iverson had received the most interest from the Charlotte Bobcats and Miami Heat. Both teams have a lot of upside for ‘The Answer’-the Bobcats are coached by his Larry Brown, whom Iverson played for in Philadelphia. The notoriously hard to coach Iverson has always held Brown in high regard, and on a team struggling to find an identity he’d receive a lot of playing time and be the focal point of the team’s offense. Miami would likely use Iverson in a reserve role-while he bristled at that assignment in Detroit, he’s suggested that he’d be more receptive to it on a contending team.

From a financial standpoint, however, there are problems with both Miami and Charlotte. The Heat is already over the salary cap, and simply doesn’t have the personnel budget to pay Iverson what he could demand elsewhere. Charlotte, meanwhile, is up for sale and for that reason under severe financial constraints. They’d likely be able to offer Iverson a short term deal with the prospect for renegotiation later, but that may not be something he’s interested in.

Memphis, meanwhile, has $3.5 million dollars of free space under the salary cap. They could easily outbid either Miami or Charlotte, and would also make Iverson the focal point of the team. GM Wallace confirmed that they’d made a formal offer to “AI”:

“We’re heading into the home stretch before the season, and we have had interest in Allen all summer. We’ve been in touch on a fairly consistent basis and had dialogue with his agent, Leon Rose, since the beginning of free agency. We’ll probably add another guard at some point, but we don’t need to rush to do it.”

The enigmatic Iverson appeared in only 57 games for the Nuggets and Pistons due to injury and averaged a career-low 17.5 points per game. Despite his many issues, no one has ever questioned his talented, toughness or work ethic when the game starts. Iverson remains one of the most potent scoring threats in the sport and his willingness to play through injuries that would land most NBA players on the disabled list has made him a fan favorite.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and noted authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

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Phillies Sign Ryan Howard To Hefty Contract Extension

On May 11, 2010, In business, By Ross Everett

Philadelphia Phillies’ slugger Ryan Howard has two years remaining on his current contract with the club, but the team had no interest in potentially losing him as a free agent. For that reason, the Phillies have worked out a hefty contract extension with Howard that will pay him an average $25 million a year for the next five years. The deal is the second richest in Major League baseball behind the New York Yankees’ shortstop Alex Rodriguez who pulls down a cool $27.5 million per season.

Howard spoke of his loyalty to the team as the main reason that he accepted the deal without hesitation:

“That wasn’t a very hard decision.”

“I tell you what, it’s a great feeling to have that security and know where you’re going to be. I feel what I’ve been doing over the last couple of years, I feel pretty confident that down the road, I’ll be right where I want to be and still doing the same things.”

He then threw in a playful jab at the notoriously hostile Philadelphia fans:

“Hopefully there’s no riots taking place back in Philly.”

Philadelphia’s GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. was also in a jovial mood in announcing the deal:

“As part of this deal, he has agreed to buy a second home for me.”

He then gave a more serious take on Howard’s extension:

“We just felt it was good timing for us. We felt No. 1, he’s one of the elite offensive players in the game. We could have waited another year and a half or so and dealt with it later on, but the fact of the matter is we decided he is that important to our organization and to our club and to our future.”

Howard’s agent Casey Close was also upbeat:

“This is a very good contract for him. The reason he felt the time was right was he loves his teammates, he loves the city. He wanted to be a part of something special for a long time to come.”

As was team manager Charlie Manuel:

“This is absolutely great. We signed Ryan Howard quite a few years ago and that means we’re keeping him. He’s one of our guys, he is a Phillie. It’s big for our team. That’s what you set out for. He’s very worthy of it. He is a great player and he is going to continue to be a great player for a while. Everything about it’s good.”

There is some risk involved for the ball club-despite a team option for the 2017 season they’re banking that Howard will remain a high level offensive player. The size of the contract, if nothing else, would make him almost impossible to trade should the team decide to go in a different direction.

Ross Everett is a respected freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, flower arranging and scuba diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

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Browns Mangini Won’t Name Starting QB Until Gameday

On April 9, 2010, In business, By Ross Everett

Most NFL head coaches place a priority on naming a starting QB before the regular season begins. The idea is that it helps the chemistry on the team, as well as helping the quarterback define himself as a team leader. Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini hasn’t named his starting QB yet. Nor will he, at least not publicly. Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson will find out if they’re the starting QB in the next couple of days, but the coach won’t divulge that information to the public until game day.

Mangini stressed that he’d already made his choice, and that hell meet with both Quinn and Anderson individually to inform them of his decision:

“In terms of announcing it publicly, that’s not something I plan to do. It will be internal. I understand everybody has a different opinion on it. I respect that. I understand the excitement in relationship to that and I respect that as well. But that will be something that will be internal.”

As of Sunday, both quarterbacks were still up in the air and not saying much. Derek Anderson said he didnt have a clue:

“I know as much as you guys know.

While Quinn suggested that it wasnt a big concern for him:

“I’m not worried about it. You guys are more worried about it than I am.”

Mangini may be trying to gain a strategic advantage over the Browns opponents in their opening game:

“It is more difficult to plan for two quarterbacks than it is to plan for one. I’m not saying that’s going to be the difference or not the difference, but I know that there is time allotted to that and you can’t put the same amount of time into focusing on one player.”

On the other hand, Vikings coach Brad Childress said that it really didnt make a difference in how hed approach preparing his gameplan:

“Just schematically, you’re going to go back and look at tape and see what you’ve seen. And then I know, as do our guys, that there will be unscouted looks. They certainly haven’t showed their whole hand, offensively and defensively. So you’re just going back and looking at formation-wise where they’re putting people and what kind of players they are. It will be more about us deploying to what they do.”

The Browns coach emphasized that regardless of who is eventually named the starting QB that hes happy with the play of both:

“I have been happy with the progress that both guys made. I’m happy with the way they’ve worked. I’m happy with the way they approached this competition, and it’s not always easy to approach a competition in a team fashion, and I respect the way they’ve handled it.”

After hosting the Vikings in their opening game of the 2009 NFL regular season, Cleveland will hit the road for their second game as they take on the Broncos at Denver.

Ross Everett is a well known freelance writer specializing in travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

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Pavlik To Defend Middleweight Crown Against Williams

On February 22, 2010, In business, By Ross Everett

Kelly Pavlik will defend his unified middleweight championship against Paul Williams on October 3rd in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The fight will be held at a familiar venue for boxing fans, Boardwalk Hall and will be broadcast live on HBO. Despite some fits and starts in the negotiations between the two sides, they finally came to terms on Tuesday night. An official announcement of the fight will be forthcoming at a news conference in New York next Tuesday.

Talks had gone back and forth between Top Rank president Todd DuBoef, who promotes Pavlik, and Williams promoter Dan Goossen with the primary bone of contention being the split of the $3.75 million rights fee from HBO and the live gate at Boardwalk Hall which could approach $2 million. Also under dispute was a rematch clause requested by Pavliks side.

DuBoef confirmed that a deal had been reached:

“Goossen and I have agreed to all terms and we are going to contract for the fight. We look forward to a formal announcement.”

Goossen also said the fight was a done deal:

“I’m just happy that we’ve finally come to terms and gotten this resolved. Now we can move forward.”

Pavlik will be defending the middleweight title for the third time. He defeated Jermain Taylor in a rematch, and knocked out his other two challengers Gary Lockett and Marco Antonio Rubio. Williams, a rangy southpaw, could be his most dangerous challenge to date. A difficult matchup for any fighter, Williams has fought at three different weight classes in an effort to advance his career and Goossen talked about the stern challenge his fighter will present Pavlik:

“Paul Williams, as we have said over and over, will fight anyone at virtually any weight. This is another example of him willing to take on the best. He wants to take over the 160-pound division.”

Pavlik promoter DuBoef shared his thoughts on the matchup:

“I think it’s an interesting matchup. It’s a fight that Kelly wants and he’s highly motivated for this fight. People have said there is no real opposition in the 160-pound division, but this fight can bring a lot of interest to a division with a rich history.”

Pavliks co-manager Cameron Duncan commented:

“Paul Williams is a terrific fighter and so is my guy. It’s a terrific match and it’s good for boxing. It’s a fight people are going to want to watch. Williams comes to fight and Kelly definitely comes to fight. It’s going to be a really fun fight to watch with lots of lots of punches and lots of action.”

The fight got made despite almost no hands on input from Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. Arum didnt want to deal with Williams manager Al Haymon, due to a hostile relationship between the two men.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and deep sea diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.

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NFL’s Richard Seymour No-Shows After Trade To Raiders

On February 22, 2010, In business, By Ross Everett

While NFL players may not always be happy with a trade to a new team, more often than not they willingly accept their new assignment and try to make the best of it. Thats apparently not the case with the Oakland Raiders newly acquired defensive end Richard Seymour. Seymour was acquired by the Raiders on Sunday and as of yet has not reported to his new team.

The trade surprised NFL observers, with the Patriots sending Seymour to Oakland for a 2011 first round draft pick. He had been expected to report on Monday, but was a no-show. When he failed to report again on Tuesday, it became something of a major story in the NFL sports media. There is some speculation that hes doing a de facto hold out in hopes of getting the Raiders to re-work his contract but this hasnt been confirmed by anyone involved.

For the time being, Raiders coach Tom Cable is being vague about the situation. He informed the media that hed spoken to Seymour earlier in the week then added:

I really have nothing to report on that. Nothing has changed at this point.”

He also declined to comment on questions about a potential new contract, which makes it more likely that is the sticking point with Seymour joining the team:

“I don’t want to comment about anything of that until we have something that’s done and concrete.

Seymours former coach in New England, Bill Belichick also gave his version of a no comment:

“Because we don’t have rights to Richard, there really isn’t anything I can say about him or his situation. So I’ll have to pass on those questions at this time. There’s a lot of things that Richard did well but that’s the way it is and we’re moving forward and our team’s moving forward.”

Pats defensive coordinator Dean Pees also refused to comment:

“This is not going to be an interview about Richard. It’s really about Buffalo and whoever we have here to face the Bills.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello likewise declined to comment on the situation:

“Any comment at this time would have to come from the teams.

Most NFL observers think that the Patriots made the move in order to free up money to negotiate with defensive lineman Vince Wilfork. There is now concern that New Englands defense has quickly become very young and lacking a strong leader on that side of the ball. Belichick isnt concerned:

“We have a lot of good leaders on our team and especially on the defensive side of the ball. No doubt about it, it’s different, but I think it’s good.”

The Patriots open their 2009 NFL regular season on Monday night at home against the Buffalo Bills. The Raiders will also kick off their campaign on Monday night as they host their hated rivals the San Diego Chargers.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer experienced in travel, casino gambling and NFL football handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and scuba diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

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Detroit Names Matthew Stafford As Starting QB

On February 22, 2010, In business, By Ross Everett

Matthew Stafford has yet to play a regular season NFL game and hes already the Detroit Lions starting quarterback. First year coach Jim Schwartz named Stafford as his starter for as the NFL regular season gets underway. Stafford beat out veteran Daunte Culpepper for the spot, though Schwartz went out of his way to stress that the rookie won the job as opposed to Culpepper losing it.

In announcing Stafford as the starting QB for the Lions, Schwartz made clear that hes very confident with his personnel at the position including third stringer Drew Stanton:

“I’ve had a lot of very tough decisions in the last few days — guys making the 53-man roster or not making it — but none more difficult than at quarterback. We announced to our team this morning that Matt Stafford is going to be our starting quarterback.”

“I’m very, very comfortable with the quarterback position here, not just one and two, but also three. What made this decision difficult was that I think we can win with Daunte Culpepper, I think we can with Matt Stafford, and I think we can win with Drew Stanton.

Stafford indicated that while hes always been confident that he’d get the nod there was still a lot of uncertainty up to the time Schwartz made the announcement:

“I definitely thought I was going to be the guy, but as competitive as Daunte is, I’m sure he thought he was going to be the guy, too. Coach Schwartz called me in this morning and told me, and I went out and practiced with the first team. That was exciting.”

Despite the Lions dismal 0-16 record a year ago, Stafford stressed that he wants to win:

“I’m going to try to win football games. I think, just like everyone else on this team, that we can go out on Sunday and be competitive against the Saints and give ourselves a chance to win the game. That’s our job.”

Schwartz said that he plans to give his quarterback the opportunity to work through rookie mistakes:

“This isn’t an internship. This isn’t a trial basis. He’s our starting quarterback. We said that, to win the job, he had to be ready, and he had to be our best quarterback, and that’s what he has shown.”

He went on to praise Culpepper:

“Daunte Culpepper is back — there’s no doubt in my mind and there’s no doubt around this league. He’s going to be back as a starting quarterback in this league, and with a high level of success.”

Stafford had some props for Culpepper as well:

“I’m sure it is tough for him, but Daunte’s been great for me and he will continue to be. I can’t think of a better guy to learn from and to have in my corner.”

The Lions will start the NFL regular season at New Orleans on Sunday. Theyll play the following two games at home, hosting the Minnesota Vikings in week #2 and the Washington Redskins on Sunday, September 27.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and NFL football handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

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UFC 102 Not A Hot Ticket In Portland

On February 22, 2010, In business, By Ross Everett

Portland, Oregon has long been considered a hotbed of mixed martial arts. The area is home to numerous MMA gyms, the most famous being Gresham’s Team Quest. It has produced many top notch professional fighters including Randy Couture, Matt Lindland, Ed Herman and Ryan Schultz. Regional MMA promotions like Lindland’s SportFight and amateur MMA draws good crowds, and there’s few markets in the country that have such a strong mainstream acceptance and understanding of mixed martial arts.

The UFC scheduled their Rose City debut for August 29th, headlined by a matchup between local hero Couture and tough PRIDE vet Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. They anticipated a fever pitch for Couture’s homecoming and the UFCs first ever trip to the Pacific Northwest.

For whatever reason, tickets haven’t been selling well. As of early this week, there had been as few as 8,500 tickets sold in the 21,000 seat Rose Garden Arena. Itll look fine on the PPV, as they can curtain off unsold sections of seats and shoot the crowd to make it look larger.

Earlier in the week Zuffa announced the postponement of a WEC event scheduled for Youngstown, Ohio. The official reason given was an injury to main event fighter Ben Henderson, and while thats not been confirmed several sources have indicated that he did suffer a minor setback during training. More curiously, the WEC announced that the show would no longer be held in Youngstown despite what they insisted were strong ticket sales. The WEC claimed a scheduling conflict with the site, and the Youngstown arena management played along claiming that the facility was booked for Motorcycle Ice Racing on the rescheduled date in early October.

While Youngstown could have been a bad choice for a MMA event all along, the UFC will probably blame the economy for the poor showing of live ticket sales in Portland. While the high unemployment rate nationally and regionally doesnt help things, it doesnt appear to be a major factor in the UFCs struggles to sell tickets in the Rose City. Many people who self identify as casual or serious fans of the UFC had no idea that an event was being held in Portland at all. The local media hasnt helped either, with Portlands largest newspaper providing little print coverage of UFC 102 claiming that its not a major sport.

Even among fans who *did* know that UFC 102 was coming to Portland, theres no buzz whatsoever. Theres a variety of reasons for this”many fans have suggested that the high ticket prices werent justified by a relatively weak card. With the exception of the main event, there arent any fighters on the UFC 102 card that are exactly household names outside of hardcore MMA circles.

The UFC has a misguided notion that they can simply put their name on an arena marquee and local fans will pay top dollar for tickets regardless of who is fighting on the card or what else is going on that night. The reality has demonstrated otherwise with poor ticket sales in Portland and other markets.

Ross Everett is a widely published widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on World Cup soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and betting odds sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

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The Last Emperor’ Signs With Strikeforce

On February 6, 2010, In business, By Ross Everett

The worlds best heavyweight mixed martial artist has a new American promotional home. Following Afflictions announcement that they were ending MMA promotional activities, Fedor Emelianenko quickly became the fight world’s most sought after free agent. After rebuffing the UFC’s offer–citing restrictive contractual arrangements–’The Last Emperor’ has signed a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce. Terms of the arrangement were not made public, but Fedor will make his debut for Strikeforce this October.

Strikeforce agreed to allow Fedor non-exclusivity outside of North America, allowing him to compete in Japan and elsewhere. They also agreed to enter a co-promotional relationship with M-1 Global. M-1 Global is owned by Fedors manager Vadim Finkelchtein and the fighter also has an equity stake. These were the sticking points in Fedors negotiations with the UFC, and with Strikeforce not having an issue with non-exclusivity or co-promotion a deal was quickly brokered.

Fedor expressed his thoughts after the contract signing was announced:

I am looking forward to going back to work and fighting at the highest level. STRIKEFORCE is a top fight promotion that houses some of the greatest fighters in the world. I am prepared to fight any of them.

Emelianenkos manager, Vadim Finkelchtein noted:

I am very happy and excited about the upcoming collaboration with Strikeforce. We are very pleased that we found a reliable partner and I feel that Strikeforce and M-1 can support each other on many things. This will create big opportunities for both parties to test their fighters against worthy opponents.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker had the following comments:

We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to work with M-1 Global and Fedor. Fedor has been the reigning king of MMAs heavyweight division for quite some time now so being able to work with M-1 and Fedor will substantially increase the level of competition amongst the athletes in this weight class.

The UFCs Dana White quickly responded with an obscenity laced statement suggesting that Fedor was choosing to fight “nobodys” for no money by signing with Strikeforce, but thats simply an attempt to put the best spin possible on it for his sycophants in the media. The reality is that with Fedor’s stake in M-1 Global the financial terms of the deal are likely as favorable with Strikeforce as with the UFC.

More significantly, Strikeforce has much better television exposure at this point than the #1 US MMA promotion. Strikeforce has a relationship with premium cable giant Showtime, as well as CBS TV. The UFC’s only TV exposure is via the ‘Spike’ cable network.

Whites hysterical comments about the quality of opposition simply aren’t true either. Obviously the biggest fight available in the US for Fedor right now would be with UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, but once you get past him the talent pool in the promotion becomes iffy at best. A fight with Randy Couture would do big business, but there’s no guarantee how much longer The Natural will continue his career. The UFC has a couple of talented fighters with wrestling backgrounds in Cain Velasquez and Shane Carwin, but neither man is ready for a fight against Fedor. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira remains among the best heavyweights in the world, but Fedor has already beaten him three times during their time in the Japanese MMA organization PRIDE.

Strikeforce has several intriguing fights immediately available for Fedor. Heavyweight prospect Brett Rogers, who knocked out Andrei Arlovski in his last fight, is likely first on deck. The Strikeforce heavyweight belt is currently held by Alistair Overeem, whom mutual opponent Mirko Cro Cop suggests is the one man in the sport capable of defeating Fedor. Fabricio Werdum is a talented veteran of the UFC and PRIDE and may figure into the mix some point as well.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and World Cup betting sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

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