08/27/2008 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Linebacker Shawne Merriman told the San Diego Chargers on Wednesday that he has elected not to undergo surgery on his injured left knee, and instead will try to play this season despite reportedly having two torn ligaments.
According to a Wednesday story in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Merriman, a Pro Bowl selection in each of his three seasons in the league, has visited five specialists for opinions on his knee.
The paper said that the specialists have all recommended that Merriman have reconstructive surgery on the posterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments, and that he faces the possibility of career-threatening injury if he tries to play without surgery.
None of the doctors could believe that Merriman had been playing through the injuries in the preseason, according to the paper. Even if he does make it through this season, the paper said, Merriman will have to undergo the surgery at some point to repair the ligaments.
Merriman has not participated in practice since playing the preseason opener on August 9. Taken 12th overall by the Chargers out of Maryland in 2005, Merriman has quickly distinguished himself as one of the best at his position, particularly on the pass rush. He has compiled 39 1/2 sacks in three seasons, including 12 1/2 in 2007.
<< Rossi to miss start of La Liga season for Villarreal
Villarreal, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi will
miss the start of the new La Liga season after injuring his ankle in training.
Last season's 11-goal marksman is likely to miss the opening two league games
agai
<< Instant Replay: Yay or Nay?
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball joined its other major sport
contemporaries on Tuesday by implementing instant replay on a limited basis
for the rest of the season and the playoffs.
And I, for one, applaud it. It is something that s
<< Hayes, Humphrey selected as senior nominees for Pro Football Hall
Canton, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bob Hayes and Claude Humphrey have been selected
as the senior nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2009.
Hayes and Humphrey will join 15 still-to-be-named modern-era candidates on the
list of
<< D'Backs take a note from music industry
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Singer/songwriter James Taylor recommends it, and the
Beatles explain how reluctant they were at one point in reaching out for it.
Right now, the Arizona Diamondbacks are getting a lot of it to maintain their
lead
Power outage has Marlins falling back >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In baseball's first half, the Marlins were the biggest fish
in the sea when it came to blasting home runs. However, since the break they
have become mere minnows in a pond.
Florida led the majors with 135 home runs in 95 g
Marquis, Cubs complete sweep of Pirates >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Marquis threw seven scoreless innings
and combined with two relievers on a five-hit shutout, as the Chicago Cubs
completed a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 2-0 victory at
PNC Par
Sharks sign D Vlasic to four-year extension >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks signed defenseman Marc-
Edouard Vlasic to a four-year contract extension, the team announced on
Wednesday. Per club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Vlasic,
Bucs trade DE Douglas to Ravens >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded defensive end
Marques Douglas to the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday in exchange for
undisclosed draft picks.
Tampa signed Douglas as a free agent on March 18.
A ni
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards
Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.
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