02/17/2012 -
Mississauga, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Argonauts re-signed linebacker
Willie Pile on Friday through the 2013 season.
"We are excited Willie has decided to continue playing and will be back in the
Double Blue," said Argonauts general manager Jim Barker. "He is a great team
leader and he was highly productive last season. Willie has been an Argo since
he entered the CFL and is dedicated to the Toronto community. He provides a
great example to our younger players of how to be a true professional."
Pile played in 88 of a possible 90 regular season games over his five-year
career with the Argos and has been the team's defensive captain for the past
two years. He was also named an East Division All-Star at safety in 2010.
"Toronto has become my second home and I can't wait to see our fans and
compete to bring them many wins this season," remarked Pile. "With Chris
Jones' track record coaching defenses, I'm confident we can be both productive
and dominant as a unit."
Pile signed with the Argonauts in 2007 and has racked up 441 tackles on
defense and special teams, 12 interceptions and 12 sacks.
<< Mize goes low for ACE Group Classic lead
Naples, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Larry Mize fired a 10-under 62 on Friday to take
the first-round lead of the ACE Group Classic at the Talon Course at
TwinEagles Golf Club.
Mize played his last two holes in three-under par and came
<< Mickelson, Casey both out of Accenture
Marana, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The field for next week's WGC-Accenture Match
Play Championship has been finalized and includes the top four players in the
world, but not Phil Mickelson or Paul Casey.
Mickelson will not be playing becaus
<< Royals sign P Collins
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals signed relief
pitcher Tim Collins to a one-year contract on Friday.
The 22-year-old Collins went 4-4 with a 3.63 ERA in 68 games for the Royals
during his rookie campaign in
<< Isles D Hamonic heads to injured reserve
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a move that is hardly surprising, the New
York Islanders placed defenseman Travis Hamonic on injured reserve Friday
thanks to a broken nose and other facial injuries.
Hamonic hasn't played since Fe
<< NASCAR confiscates parts from Johnson's Daytona 500 car
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jimmie Johnson's Daytona 500 car failed
opening day inspection on Friday at Daytona International Speedway after
NASCAR officials discovered a template (body) violation on his car.
Officials found
Dortmund, Bayern, Gladbach on road in Bundesliga >>
Berlin, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Borussia Dortmund visits struggling Hertha
Berlin on Saturday in the Bundesliga without injured playmakers Shinji Kagawa
and Mario Gotze, as the top three clubs all face road challenges this weekend.
Dort
Daytona adding short track races to its Speedweeks 2013 >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daytona International Speedway will
include short track races to its Speedweeks activities, starting in 2013,
NASCAR and track officials announced on Friday.
The 2.5-mile superspeedway will
Mainz grabs point at Hoffenheim >>
Sinsheim, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mohamed Zidan scored in the 29th minute,
and Mainz earned its seventh road draw of the season, 1-1 against Hoffenheim
on Friday at Rhein-Neckar-Arena in the Bundesliga.
Nikolce Noveski's own goal insid
Report: Yankees trade Burnett to Pirates >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees have unloaded pitcher
A.J. Burnett, dealing the maligned right-hander to the Pittsburgh Pirates in
exchange for a pair of prospects, according to a report.
The Yankees received ri
Sheridan to helm Buccaneers defense >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced on Friday
that Bill Sheridan has been selected as the club's new defensive coordinator.
Sheridan will be officially introduced during a Tuesday press conference.
"Bill i
Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting
So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.
Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?
If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)
Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).
In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.
Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.
As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.
(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)
If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech
The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.
Work left to do:
Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.
Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).
Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.
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