There were a lot of College Basketball top 25 upsets on Saturday. I was watching "The Sports Reporters" and had an eye on the bottom line and it seemed like every team that had a number next to its name lost. (It wasn't every ranked team, but it was a lot of them)
the word
I usually think that Pittsburgh fans are too quick to complain that one of their teams or players are underrated or somehow disrespected nationally but...
While watching the Sports Reporters I was amazed that so many in the national sports media still underestimate Ben Roethlisburger's value to his team. The panel unanimously agreed that Aaron Rodgers was the MVP to his team while barely mentioning Roethlisburger. I agree that the subject is open for debate, but it's hard to believe how many national people have already cemented Rodgers onto their Mt Rushmore of quarterbacks.
The NHL All-Star Skills Competition could be the most entertaining event of all the major sports league all-star "showcases" if either "Versus" learns how to make a quality broadcast or the NHL gets picked up on a different network. I usually don't watch these exhibitions but I really enjoyed watching this event, even with the numerous times the broadcast seemed confused (at best, and I thought it was a lot)
Target
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Why is the Steeler Nation offended at the Superbowl odds
The initial betting line for Superbowl XLV came out yesterday and set the Green Bay Packers as 2 1/2 point favorites (on average, varying from 2 to 3 depending on the sports book). Since then, there has been talk around the Burgh about why Vegas would disrespect the Steelers by making them the underdog?
Well, let me answer that for you.
They set the odds (and adjust them) to bring in even money on either side. They don't set it based on who they think will win. So the fact that the Packers are favored only means that more people were betting on them to win. So why would people have put their money on Green Bay when they barely made the playoffs as the 6th seed with a 10-6 record in what was generally thought to be the weaker conference when the Steelers were 12-4, the 2nd seed in the AFC, won a Superbowl 2 years ago, have a great defense and are led by a QB that already has 2 rings? So why would more money be going down on Green Bay?
Well, let me answer that for you.
People use one of the following tools when making bets; Their head, their heart or their gut. While there's really no logic behind the last of these, I can give logical reasons for people picking the Packers using either of the other 2. I'll start with the noggin.
Green Bay was one of the pre-season NFC favorites and their 10-6 record is due mostly to the unusually high amount of players they lost to injury throughout the season. At the end of the regular season, as they got players back and younger back-ups got more comfortable, they were on a roll, playing as well as any other team in the league. Conventional wisdom (debatable yes, but some gamblers I'm sure base their picks on it) states that football is won and lost at the line of scrimmage. The Steelers have had a year of adventure regarding the offensive line. They've had to shuffle players in and out of different positions all season long as players have been injured. Then, early in the AFC Championship game they lost one of the only steady pieces of the o-line puzzle they've had all year when rookie center Maurkice Pouncey went down with a high ankle sprain. His readiness for the Superbowl is in great doubt. The strength of the Packers offense is the depth of their receiving core. The greatest weakness of the Steelers defense is depth at cornerback. So it isn't hard to see how one could logically put money down on Green Bay.
Now for the heart, or in another term, rooting interest. Outside of Pittsburgh, or at least the Steeler fan base (which famously extends outside of Western PA) most NFL fans don't want to see the Steelers organization win a 7th title, 2 in 3 years, 3 in 7, further legitimizing the Steeler claim as the "Greatest franchise in the NFL". Also, there are many people that believe that Ben Roethlisberger was guilty of a terrible crime last year in Georgia. This subject is of course well documented and will not be addressed here, but rightly or not, this is what some people truly believe. Those that believe this would not want to see him holding that trophy or see the him, with "When You Wish Upon a Star" playing in the background, declare that he is "going to Disneyworld".
It is of course understandable that if you watch football through "black & gold" colored glasses, you would pick the Steelers to win the game. There are legitimate reasons to make that pick. This is why the spread is a very narrow 2 1/2 points. This is a hard game to handicap. Personally, I lean towards picking the Steelers, mostly because of their recent Superbowl experience, but I wouldn't feel very comfortable if I had money riding on the game. (I don't, and won't. I'm not much of a gambler though) So please Steeler Nation, don't feel slighted because the early odds favor the Packers. Enjoy the 2 weeks of hype, plan you Superbowl party and enjoy the game. There are 30 other cities that have reason to be unhappy and have to watch your team a week from Sunday. Enjoy.
Well, let me answer that for you.
They set the odds (and adjust them) to bring in even money on either side. They don't set it based on who they think will win. So the fact that the Packers are favored only means that more people were betting on them to win. So why would people have put their money on Green Bay when they barely made the playoffs as the 6th seed with a 10-6 record in what was generally thought to be the weaker conference when the Steelers were 12-4, the 2nd seed in the AFC, won a Superbowl 2 years ago, have a great defense and are led by a QB that already has 2 rings? So why would more money be going down on Green Bay?
Well, let me answer that for you.
People use one of the following tools when making bets; Their head, their heart or their gut. While there's really no logic behind the last of these, I can give logical reasons for people picking the Packers using either of the other 2. I'll start with the noggin.
Green Bay was one of the pre-season NFC favorites and their 10-6 record is due mostly to the unusually high amount of players they lost to injury throughout the season. At the end of the regular season, as they got players back and younger back-ups got more comfortable, they were on a roll, playing as well as any other team in the league. Conventional wisdom (debatable yes, but some gamblers I'm sure base their picks on it) states that football is won and lost at the line of scrimmage. The Steelers have had a year of adventure regarding the offensive line. They've had to shuffle players in and out of different positions all season long as players have been injured. Then, early in the AFC Championship game they lost one of the only steady pieces of the o-line puzzle they've had all year when rookie center Maurkice Pouncey went down with a high ankle sprain. His readiness for the Superbowl is in great doubt. The strength of the Packers offense is the depth of their receiving core. The greatest weakness of the Steelers defense is depth at cornerback. So it isn't hard to see how one could logically put money down on Green Bay.
Now for the heart, or in another term, rooting interest. Outside of Pittsburgh, or at least the Steeler fan base (which famously extends outside of Western PA) most NFL fans don't want to see the Steelers organization win a 7th title, 2 in 3 years, 3 in 7, further legitimizing the Steeler claim as the "Greatest franchise in the NFL". Also, there are many people that believe that Ben Roethlisberger was guilty of a terrible crime last year in Georgia. This subject is of course well documented and will not be addressed here, but rightly or not, this is what some people truly believe. Those that believe this would not want to see him holding that trophy or see the him, with "When You Wish Upon a Star" playing in the background, declare that he is "going to Disneyworld".
It is of course understandable that if you watch football through "black & gold" colored glasses, you would pick the Steelers to win the game. There are legitimate reasons to make that pick. This is why the spread is a very narrow 2 1/2 points. This is a hard game to handicap. Personally, I lean towards picking the Steelers, mostly because of their recent Superbowl experience, but I wouldn't feel very comfortable if I had money riding on the game. (I don't, and won't. I'm not much of a gambler though) So please Steeler Nation, don't feel slighted because the early odds favor the Packers. Enjoy the 2 weeks of hype, plan you Superbowl party and enjoy the game. There are 30 other cities that have reason to be unhappy and have to watch your team a week from Sunday. Enjoy.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
If you're here right now I'm sorry...
This blog is part of my master plan to take over the internet but right now I'm still in the building stages of my plan. (BTW I don't want to take over really, just claim a small piece) This blog will be an integral part of the plan, but not yet. Right now I'm trying to learn just how to use Twitter. It seems necessary to be part of that world, but it's a weird world and it takes some time to get comfortable in it. So I promise that someday this blog will be filled with wonderfully entertaining thoughts and opinions (at least through my eyes), but for now, you get this.
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