10/31/2008 - Sonoma, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andy Bean posted a six-under-par 66 on Friday to move atop the leaderboard after two rounds of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Bean finished 36 holes at 10-under 134 and is one clear at Sonoma Golf Club.
Overnight co-leader Nick Price, who is still searching for his first victory on the Champions Tour, birdied the last for a three-under 69 and is in the clubhouse at minus-nine.
Tom Jenkins fired an eight-under 64 and vaulted into a tie for third place. Scott Hoch (66) and Gene Jones (67) joined Jenkins at eight-under-par 136.
This is the final event of the season and it's reserved for the top-30 players on the money list, or in this case the top 29. Tom Watson is eligible but is recovering from hip surgery.
At stake, besides this tournament title, is the year-long Charles Schwab Cup Championship and its $1 million annuity.
Jay Haas leads Fred Funk by only 12 points, making this the closest race heading into the season finale. Bernhard Langer, Eduardo Romero and John Cook all can win as well, although the leader is in good shape.
Haas carded a three-under 69 on Friday and is part of a large group tied for ninth at minus-six. Cook shot a 68 to match Haas at 138, while Langer and Romero are tied for 22nd at minus-one.
Funk only managed a one-under 71 and is 28th in the 29-player field at plus- one.
Bean flew out of the gate on Friday with back-to-back birdies at one and two. He dropped his only shot of the round at the par-three seventh, but his play on the back nine jumped him up the leaderboard.
Bean started off his second nine same as the first. He birdied 10 and 11 to get to seven-under par for the championship.
At the par-five 13th, Bean rolled in an eight-foot birdie putt to tie for first. One hole later, he drained a long birdie putt to grab sole possession of the lead.
Bean polished off his third birdie in a row thanks to an 18-footer at the 15th. He had a putt of similar length for a fourth consecutive birdie at 16 but missed.
Bean nearly holed a chip from off the green at 17 but settled for par. He knocked his approach to seven feet at 18, but the ball stayed above ground.
However, Bean is in decent shape for a third win on the Champions Tour and a second this year. He took home the trophy at the Regions Charity Classic.
Price didn't do much on Friday. He birdied the par-three fourth but waited for his next birdie until the 15th.
The three-time major winner rolled in a 22-footer for birdie at the last to get into the final group on Saturday, when inclement weather is expected to hammer the area.
"I kind of scratched it around today and shot 69, so I'm really happy," said Price. "If the conditions are really bad, I don't think anyone's going to score well tomorrow."
David Eger shared the first-round lead with Price, but could muster only a one-under 71. He is tied for sixth place with Loren Roberts and Brad Bryant, who both shot 68s on Friday, at seven-under 137.
Haas and Cook were joined in ninth by Senior Players Championship winner D.A. Weibring (68), Tom Kite (70) and Mike Goodes (71).
<< Seattle DE Kerney out for game against Philly
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines)- Seattle Seahawks defensive end Patrick Kerney
will miss Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles with a left shoulder
injury.
Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said that Kerney will travel to Alabama and h
<< Smoltz, Wood among 42 to file for free agency Friday
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz and
Chicago Cubs closer Kerry Wood were among 42 players to file for free
agency Friday.
The 20-season veteran Smoltz has spent his entire career with t
<< Wizards aim to upset Crew in playoff opener
Kansas City, KA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Wizards have the unenviable
task of facing the Supporters' Shield winning Columbus Crew in the first round
of the 2008 MLS Cup playoffs, but like their chances in the first leg of the
home-an
<< Redskins' Moss questionable for Week 9; Taylor out
Landover, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Redskins wide receiver Santana Moss is
questionable for Washington's game this Monday against the Pittsburgh
Steelers with a bothersome hamstring.
Moss sat out of practice the entire week
Palmer leads suspended Ginn sur Mer Classic. >>
Palm Coast, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Palmer only needed a one-under 71 on
Friday to grab sole possession of the second-round lead of the Ginn sur
Mer Classic.
Palmer finished 36 holes at six-under 138 and is one clear
Palmer leads suspended Ginn sur Mer Classic >>
Palm Coast, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Palmer only needed a one-under 71 on
Friday to grab sole possession of the second-round lead of the Ginn sur
Mer Classic.
Palmer finished 36 holes at six-under 138 and is one clear
Pistons officially ink Maxiell to extension >>
Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons have signed forward
Jason Maxiell to a contract extension, the club announced Friday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but on Thursday the Detroit Free Press
reported Maxiell
Matthews steps down as Argos coach >>
Toronto, Ontario (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Don Matthews stepped down as the head
coach of the Toronto Argonauts Friday, and said his days as a coach are over.
"Our owners are very passionate people and I wish I could have given them more
becau
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
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Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds
Will he or won't he? Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.
Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.
"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."
Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.
Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.
But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.
Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback. It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.
Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Baltimore Ravens 15-1
Buffalo Bills 50-1
Carolina Panthers 18-1
Chicago Bears 10-1
Cincinnati Bengals 15-1
Cleveland Browns 100-1
Dallas Cowboys 15-1
Denver Broncos 15-1
Detroit Lions 100-1
Green Bay Packers 50-1
Houston Texans 100-1
Indianapolis Colts 6-1
Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1
Kansas City Chiefs 30-1
Miami Dolphins 40-1
Minnesota Vikings 75-1
New England Patriots 10-1
New Orleans Saints 18-1
New York Giants 20-1
New York Jets 30-1
Oakland Raiders 100-1
Philadelphia Eagles 18-1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1
Saint Louis Rams 60-1
San Diego Chargers 6-1
San Francisco 49ers 75-1
Seattle Seahawks 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1
Tennessee Titans 40-1
Washington Redskins 50-1
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