The World Cup is always a universal spectacle. It seems that everyone in the world cares greatly about it, with the exception of the United States. Even this year, however, it seems like Americans are invested in the tournament more so than years past.

First off, I have to say I am a little disappointed with the action. The goal scoring is way down. Most of these games have either ended 1-0 or 1-1. As of today, only two teams have scored 3 goals in a game and as of this morning, no player had scored more than one goal. Here are some theories.

The ball. This year’s world cup has introduced a different soccer ball, which might possibly explain why goals haven’t been going in. I doubt it though, as shots on goal are way down as well.

Another possible cause of the lack of goals is teams are just playing better defense. There have been less shots on goal, so its possible.

Is it possible that the vuvuzelas, also known as the terrible noise making horns, are distracting the players? As an American watch the game, I know it is distracting me.

Since this is the first World Cup tournament hosted in Africa, it is possible that many of the teams are simply not used to the change in weather and altitude.

I don’t mean to be a pessimist because there have been some highlights. The first upset occurred when Switzerland beat the heavily favored Spaniards 1-0. The United States managed to tie England, which is better than losing to England.

Unfortunately for South Africa, it looks like they will not make it out of the first round. The host country played brilliantly against Mexico the other day, resulting in a 1-1 tie. But today they lost to Uruguay in a crushing 3-0 loss.

Enjoy more of this author’s writing on things such as the left handed keyboard and portable bluetooth keyboard.

South Florida Upends #21 West Virginia

Redshirt freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels threw for three touchdowns and the South Florida Bulls used a tenacious defensive effort to upset visiting West Virginia 30-19 on Friday night. Daniels threw for 232 yards and rushed for 104, compiling more yardage individually than West Virginia amassed as a team. The Bulls have had the Mountaineers’ number in recent years, and this was the third victory in four seasons for the Big East Conference upstarts.

College football betting aficionados who took the Bulls as +3 home underdogs cashed their tickets with the outright victory. Despite their 6-2 record, West Virginia dropped to 2-5 against the spread in their lined games this season while South Florida evened their college football pointspread record at 3-3 in their lined contests. The 49 combined points barely managed to go OVER the posted total of 47′.

Daniels had this rebuke for his team’s doubters after the victory:

“I guess a lot of people doubted us and thought we were going to go down the same patch we did the last two years. That was a lot of garbage that our team didn’t listen to.”

The Bulls’ defense limited West Virginia running back Noel Devine to just 42 yards-well under his-0 per game average. South Florida coach Jim Leavitt talked about his team’s priority of stopping Devine:

“We talked a lot about him. We didn’t want to let him get outside — we wanted to keep him hemmed up inside. … He’s such a great back. If he gets out, he’s gone.”

West Virginia coach Bill Stewart didn’t fault his team’s effort in the loss:

“There’s some young hurting guys in there, both physically and mentally. And they should be. That was a hard-fought game. I cannot fault our effort.”

West Virginia safety Robert Sands suggested that no one that the team had faced this season prepared them for the fast and athletic Daniels:

“We haven’t seen a guy like that this year, but at the same time that’s no excuse for our defense. We’ve still got to go out there and make plays. He broke contain too many times, and he burned us.”

South Florida will now have a bye week before playing at Rutgers on Thursday, November 12. They’ll return home to host Louisville and Miami the following two Saturdays. West Virginia will host Louisville next Saturday before playing at Cincinnati the following Friday.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

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Washington Uses Defense To Upset #3 USC

USC has won their big game against Ohio State twice in back to back years. Its the next game they have problems with. Last year, USC went on the road and lost to Oregon State immediately after defeating the Buckeyes. This year, it was the Washington Huskies who pulled the upset. The Huskies defense shut down the powerful Trojans offense, and Erik Folk kicked a 22 yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining to give Washington a 16-13 victory in Seattle. USC has now lost to an unranked team in each of the past four seasons.

College football betting enthusiasts who took the Huskies as a whopping +19 home underdog were rewarded with the outright victory. The pointspread triumph also went against Washington’s dismal ATS form in recent years”the Huskies were 8-19 ATS overall and 3-15 ATS in Pac 10 games over the past three seasons.

USC was undone by a rare display of undisciplined play, and coach Pete Carroll had nothing good to say after the game:

“We didn’t get any better from last week. I’m not doing a good enough job of making the points of how we win. We didn’t throw the ball very well today. It was obvious. We couldn’t get the ball down the field very much. We’ve rarely been in that situation.”

The Trojans played without QB Matt Barkley, who engineered the game winning drive against Ohio State last week. His backup, Aaron Corp, was held to 111 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Corp, a sophomore making his first career start, gave this glum assessment of his performance:

“I felt I was prepared. I just didn’t execute.

After the contest running back Joe McNight, who ran for 100 yards and scored the Trojans only touchdown, observed that superior talent can be negated by a poor effort:

“Washington wasn’t the better team. They just outplayed us. Clearly, we have superior athletes. But hard work beats athleticism any day.”

The Huskies are trying to clean up the mess left by Tyrone Willingham, and this was a step in the right direction for the program. Off of the Pac 10s first 0-12 season a year ago, the team is now under the mentorship of former BYU QB and USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. Sarkisian stressed the importance of the big win for the future of the Huskies’ program:

“It’s unbelievable. It’s a great moment for our program and hopefully sends a message of where we’re headed.”

Washington running back Jake Locker, who ran for a touchdown in the first quarter, was in a state of near disbelief:

“I can’t really describe it. It’s an amazing feeling to go through what all of us have gone through and to experience what everyone wants to experience when they play college football.”

USC will try to get back on the winning track at home against Washington State next week. Theyll then head up to Northern California for a tough rivalry game against the University of California on October 3rd. Washington will play at Stanford next weekend. They’ll head to South Bend, Indiana for a game against Notre Dame the following week.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and NFL football 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, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

A week after being named the New York Jets starting quarterback, Mark Sanchez rewarded his first year NFL coach with a victory. Rex Ryan got his first win as coach of the Jets as his team nipped the rival New York Giants 27-25. Both teams are now 1-2 in NFL preseason play.

NFL preseason betting enthusiasts who took the Giants as +3 point underdogs were rewarded with the outright victory. The Jets improved to 2-1 against the pointspread, while the Giants dropped to 1-2 against the money as they dropped their second straight ATS verdict.

Sanchez finished with 149 yards on 13 of 20 passing and a touchdown pass to former University of South Carolina standout Chansi Stuckey. After the game, he said things were different now that he was the starting QB:

“You get a little more confidence when you know your coach believes in you and has named you the starter. It was similar to that at SC. Once you’re the guy, you talk a little different, you walk a little different and you act a little different.”

Giants defender Mathias Kiwanuka was even impressed with Sanchezs touchdown play:

“I thought we had him. It was a great play. You have to give him credit for seeing down the field with two guys in his face.”

Sanchez gave his version of the scoring play:

“It was one of those plays where you get hit throwing it and you don’t really see what’s going on. You kind of listen. I knew if it was a big roar, it was probably a big play by the Giants, maybe an interception and I’d have to get up quick. But I heard a quiet roar and I said: ‘Oh boy, I think he caught it.’”

Winning coach Ryan commended his young QBs effort:

“He was poised. He is what we thought he was.”

Giants QB Eli Manning finished with 91 yards on 9 of 21 passing with a touchdown and interception. He also had receiver Steve Smith drop a wide open pass that would have gone for a touchdown. Afterwards, he sympathized with his receiver:

“Sometimes it’s good to get those out of the way now. I know Steve feels bad about that. He hasn’t done that all training camp. I know he won’t drop it next time.”

The Giants finish up the NFL preseason slate with a trip to Foxboro, Massachusetts to take on the New England Patriots on Thursday night. The Jets wrap up their exhibition schedule by hosting the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants will get the NFL regular season started with a big game against their divisional rivals as they host the Washington Redskins on Sunday, September 13th. The Jets will start the season on the road as they travel to Houston for a game against the Texans.

Ross Everett is a experienced 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 free 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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There are many reasons as to why the modern world loves sporting events. Individuals love physical games with a passion whether partnering themselves or watching some people play.

People today are always improving and changing and the basic instinct is the survival of the fittest and sports allow them to try their luck and endurance with sports. People try and better theirselves and enjoy competing with by themself as much as others. Individuals nature is such that it needs to triumph over others whether by exhausting work, luck or wit.

Every person wants to meet or exceed in life. Athletics are one way of attaining something in one area of their lives either by backing a winning team or excelling themselves. It’s a short-term satisfaction yet the loss is not as bad as they know that the competition goes on and it would be a matter of time and very hard work before they do one day win.

Mankind are social by nature. Sports is literally another way for them to join up with others like themselves. Supporting a team would advance team spirit and brings them closer. The number of forums on the internet presents the need for people to discuss each and every tiny detail of a game or a sports idol. Just like any other activities people love their idols and talking about them.

Most people turn to numerous forms of entertainment to find a good time in their lives or to avoid their everyday realities. They can avoid the daily stress and for a while focus on some thing they truly enjoy bringing them happiness and fun in those few hours of a match. The hope that they will win or their team will win gives them something to look forward to in their lives.

Computer game designers have realized that men and women enjoy succeeding or at least trying to win and they would keep trying sometimes frantically to achieve that momentary satisfaction of having won something. People enjoy competition consequently this is the reason that most computer games are also sports based. They enjoy defeating their opposing team and feeling better than others.

The challenge of a sport is what lures most individuals to sports. They enjoy making the effort until they win and games including computer games are designed to challenge people in your mind as well as physically. Most people want to win until they have been successful in defeating everything in their way.

People follow the lives of their sport icons in the same way as they would look towards superstars. They are in awe of what they have attained physically in games crossing boundaries through physical endurance and skill. They try and seek excellence in others that may be lacking in them.

Considering the beginning of civilization till today sports has dominated in terms of activities and it will continue to do so. Most people will continue to idolize their preferred teams or sports icon who in their own right are celebrities. Many people will continue to throng arenas to watch a live game or sit at certain times to cheer on their teams from the ease and comfort of their households.

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Brett Favre has been a large component of the Minnesota Vikings undefeated start the NFL regular season, and on Monday night he finally beat his old team, the Green Bay Packers. Favre passed for 271 yards and three touchdowns as the Vikings prevailed by a 30-23 final score. The Vikings improved to 4-0, while the Packers dropped to 2-2.

The Vikings rewarded NFL betting enthusiasts by covering the spread as -4 home favorites. Minnesota is now 3-1 against the number, while the Packers loss evened their ATS record on the season at 2-2. The 53 points scored went OVER the posted total of 46.

Afterwards , Favre said that he didnt have any unusual emotions playing against his old team:

“I don’t know how to explain it. I felt right, but I guess I never thought I’d be in that situation.”

He had gone out of his way to downplay the significance of the matchup:

“My statement has been what I’ve done over my career. One game does not define my career good or bad. I know what I’ve done. I’m proud of what I’ve done. I know I can play. I wanted to do what it takes to win.”

Still, Favres teammate Adrian Peterson said that the team understood the games importance:

“I definitely wanted to get this win for Brett. He downplayed it all week, but I just knew it meant a lot to him. I could see it in his eyes.”

Packers cornerback Charles Woodson gave credit to Favre, but then admitted that his team didnt help themselves with their effort:

“I don’t think there was any question what he could do when he came back. But you know, we didn’t do ourselves any justice.”

Favres replacement under center in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers, had a rough night. He was sacked eight times and threw an interception and after the game was critical of his performance:

“Below my expectations, definitely. To have three possessions where you’re in their territory and come away with zero points, two of them are directly related to mistakes by myself, that’s disappointing.”

Vikings coach Brad Childress was impressed with Favres poise in the face of all the media focus on playing his former team:

“You don’t want quarterback crying coming out of the locker room. He was great.”

The Vikings will your head to St. Louis to play one of the NFLs worst teams this weekend, the St. Louis Rams. Minnesota has been installed as a -10 favorite with the total set at 39. The Packers will take this weekend off before hosting the Detroit Lions on October 18th. Theyll play at Cleveland the following Sunday before a return date with the Vikings at Lambeau Field on November 1st.

Ross Everett is a widely published widely published freelance sports writer and respected 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 Southern 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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The Tennessee Titans are preparing to open the NFL regular season on Thursday night in Pittsburgh against the Superbowl champion Steelers and already they have to struggle with the impact of injuries to key personnel. Of all their injuries none are potentially more significant than the hamstring injury suffered by wide receiver Nate Washington in practice on August 24th. The most recent development, however, is a positive one for the Titans as Washington has indicated that hes feeling better and there’s a good chance hell play in Tennessee’s opening game.

Washington suffered a sprained hamstring in practice, and has been receiving daily therapy in hopes of having him ready for Thursdays NFL regular season opener. As of Tuesday, he indicated to the media that the hamstring was sore but not hurting and that it loosened up well after some stretching and warm-ups. Hes currently listed as questionable on the NFLs official injury report, but will be reclassified on Wednesday afternoon. Ever since the injury Washington has been optimistic about being in uniform for the Titans’ NFL season opener.

Speaking to the local media, Washington was hopeful that hed be able to play against the Steelers:

“I don’t know if I am going to play or not, that’s up to coach Fisher. I’m pretty happy with the progress that I’ve made … Nothing is holding me back right now.”

Coach Jeff Fisher, meanwhile, spoke in generally positive terms about Washingtons recovery:

I’m impressed with what he has done so far.

Some sources close to the team are speculating that Washingtons true status is that of a game time decision. They further speculate that Fisher and Washington could be trying to paint a more positive picture in order to force the Steelers to spend their time game planning for the Titans talented wide receiver. Historically, Fisher has been cautious in similar situations and clearly theres no reason for him to rush Washington back into action and risk further injury and more lost playing time if hes not completely recovered.

The Titans signed Washington to a six year, $27 million contract in the offseason with $9 million guaranteed. Hes expressed his desire to quickly make an impact on the Titans’ offense:

“I want to come in and have an instant impact. Show not only the coaching staff but the whole Titans’ Nation that this is going to be a new era.”

Washington, along with first round draft pick Kenny Britt were brought in hoping to better diversify the Titans run oriented offense. By establishing a downfield passing threat, it will presumably provide more room to run for Tennessees star running back duo of Chris Johnson and LenDale White. Many within the team felt that the Titans’ offense was too one dimensional last year which led to their early exit from the NFL playoffs.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, poker and NFL football 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, falconry and scuba diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

I can’t believe we’re almost done with yet another decade. In just several weeks, the end of the 00s will be behind us, and I’d like to take the time to look back at the decade that was, showcasing the best five NFL quarterbacks to have played football during these ten years.

My rankings factor in the overall performance over the last 10 years, rather than who may be better than who at present. Based on this, we’re going to remember what’s transpired in seasons past in determining who finished where on this list.

These are all a matter of opinion, and yours might be different from mine. If you feel that I’ve gotten this order wrong, I’d love to hear your reasoning.

Kurt Warner. He started out the decade as one of the best QBs in football, and incredibly he’ll finish it near the top too. He had a lull mid decade, but the Cardinals’ Super Bowl appearance last year definitely earns Warner a spot on the list.

Brett Favre. A better career QB than at least one of the guys (and arguably more) below him here, Favre’s still going strong to close out the decade.

Donovan McNabb. This QB took his team to the NFC conference championships 5 times during the decade. Enough said.

Next up is Tom Brady, who easily could have captured the number one spot on this list if not for his season ending injury and Peyton Manning’s recent dominance. Still, many might argue for at number one but I believe that Manning’s simply been a bit better.

Lastly, Peyton Manning is already being spoken of as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game of football, and some are beginning to believe that he may in fact be the best. He led the Colts to a Super Bowl, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him win another one.

About the writer: This writer also has a blog called Rocket Spanish scam that reviews the system.

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#1 Gators Destroy Troy State

The 2009 college football season is already two weeks old and so far its looked almost too easy for defending national champions Florida. That was expected last week, as they destroyed overmatched FCS opponent Charleston Southern 62-3, but it wasn’t much harder today against a better class of opposition. QB Tim Tebow threw for four touchdowns and ran for a fifth as the Gators demolished Troy State 56-6.

Despite a generous head start from the pointspread, Troy State lost against the money as well. Florida covered as -37 home favorites”their third straight ATS cover as a favorite of 31 or more. The Gators also won and covered the last time the two teams met, cashing tickets for college football betting enthusiasts as a -26 favorite in 2007. The 65 points scored just barely made it OVER the generous total of 61. Florida has now gone OVER the total in 18 of their last 26 lined contests.

After the contest, Florida coach Urban Meyer gave most of the praise to a defense that limited Troy to 139 yards of total offense and took the ball away three times:

“Defense is the name of the game today, and that defense was dominating.

Troy State played tough against Ohio State in 2008, but this time coach Larry Blakney was just glad the game was over:

“We just close our eyes and pretend we never came here. But hopefully since we’ve seen the biggest, seen the best, we will learn from this experience.”

The Gators now turn their attention to their SEC opener next week against Tennessee. As if the rebuilding Vols didnt have enough problems facing the best team in college football next week, theyve gone and made Florida mad. Specifically, a quote by new Vols coach Lane Kiffin which was is now taped to the Gators locker room wall. In the incendiary quote, Kiffin talked about Tennessee tradition as follows:

“I’m really looking forward to embracing some of the great traditions at the University of Tennessee, for instance the Vol Walk, running through the T, singing Rocky Top all night long after we beat Florida next year. It will be a blast.”

So having lost the past two games by a combined 89-26 margin, the Vols have managed to make it personal.

After hosting Tennessee next weekend in The Swamp, Florida will hit the SEC road the following week against the University of Kentucky. Troy State will host UAB next weekend and play at Arkansas State on Saturday, September 26.

Ross Everett is a respected freelance writer who covers travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a consulting 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 Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.

New York Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez has been a crucial factor in the teams 2-0 start, showing a poise and head for the game very rare for NFL newcomers. Still, there wasn’t much worry at the revelation that hes suffering from tendinitis in his right knee. The Jets announced Sanchez’s injury on Thursday, and hes listed as probable on the official NFL injury report. Every indication from Sanchez and the Jets’ staff suggests that he’ll be able to play.

Sanchez practiced on Thursday, and though he was seen stopping to stretch and rub his right knee on a few occasions didn’t seem to suffer any impairment in his mobility. He participated in the entire practice, and there didnt appear to be any sort of effort to prepare Kellen Clemens to assume the starting role. Clemens took his usual snaps with the team, though not any additional work that would indicate a concern that Sanchez wouldn’t be able to start.

In his comments to the media, Jets head coach Rex Ryan confirmed the injury while downplaying its significance:

“It’s not that big a deal. He has something. I don’t know how to describe it than just to say its a little tendinitis. But, he’s fine. I mean, he fully participated and moved around great, I thought.”

Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was even more emphatic in his statement:

“Mark’s totally fine.”

Ryan then added a sarcastic note that brought laughs from the assembled media: “Make sure he’s on that list. I don’t mean anything by that.”

Ryan was referring to the Jets receiving a fine from the NFL for not properly disclosing injuries to then-QB Brett Favre late last season. Favre was suffering from a torn biceps tendon, though the team didnt list him on the official NFL injury report. The team was fined $75,000 while GM Mike Tannenbaum and former coach Eric Mangini were each fined $25,000 each.

The Jets are less optimistic about the condition of cornerback Donald Strickland, who is suffering from a sprained right ankle. Ryan didnt offer much positive indication that hed be able to see action on Sunday:

“I don’t think he’s going to be able to play this week. I’m not declaring him out right now, but I don’t think there’s any way he’s playing this week.”

The Jets host the Tennessee Titans at the Meadowlands this Sunday afternoon. After that, the Jets will take to the road for their next two games. Theyll play the New Orleans Saints on October 4th before heading to south Florida to take on the Miami Dolphins the following Monday night.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks 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.