My Sports Betting News

Sports enthusiasts as well as hockey and online betting fans should be aware of the rule changes being developed by the Minnesota Hockey board of directors.

Minnesota Hockey is an affiliate of USA Hockey, the governing body of youth and amateur hockey in Minnesota and the premier developer of hockey players in the state.

The recent board meeting of the Minnesota Hockey Board of Directors has brought new changes on hockey rules, particularly on the penalties for boarding and checking-from-behind infractions. The said changes are being adopted on a pilot basis and will be reevaluated at the end of the 2012 hockey season in Minnesota. Dave Margenau, President of Minnesota Hockey explains that the meeting was primarily held to address safety as well as eliminate the intimidation and illegal hits in hockey.

Effective January 25, 2012, these infractions will have a minimum five minute major penalty. The rule change will extend up to July 31, 2012 and will later on be reviewed by the board.

In addition to the rule changes, Minnesota Hockey will continuously educate hockey players about proper techniques in hockey.  Not only will this move create a more disciplined game, it will also make way to fairer online sportsbook betting, as many punters blame unfair referee calls and penalties for their loss. With this, Eric Olson, Minnesota Hockey Referee in Chief, adds that the rule changes will be called with zero tolerance and that along with Minnesota Hockey, they will work with local community associations, coaches and referees to make sure other existing hockey rules continue to be enforced.

It will also be helpful if Minnesota Hockey will communicate with online betting sites to help them announce the changes in hockey rules. Minnesota Hockey will also provide trainings to promote player development and progressive approach to teaching body contact and checking.

Online sports betters will have reason enough to glue themselves on their couches on Saturday night. Boxing betting night will never be the same, for NBC Sports Network is presenting its “Fight Night” series. Heavyweight champions, Maurice “Freight Train” Byarm and Bryant “Bye Bye” Jennings will face at the inaugural Fight Night broadcast of NBC Sports Network on January 21, 2012, at the Philadelphia Asylum Arena.

According to promoter, Kathy Duva of Main Events, “This series is about giving the fans exciting, action-packed fights where the outcome is in doubt.” It also turns out that this fight is a replacement for the Chambers and Liakhovich fight, because the promoters failed to find a replacement athlete for the injured boxer. Duva says that they have tried their best to find an alternate for the said bout, but in the end, just decided to put in high priority, the best interest of the fans and the series. She assures that boxing fans in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania will have an exciting Saturday Fight Night with the Byarm-Jennings fight.

An increase in the online sportsbook betting industry is surely expected, as this fight is also a big night for NBC Sports. A televised card will also feature a match between two undefeated heavyweight prospects, Damar Singleton and Sullivan Barrera. Sports enthusiasts and boxing betting aficionados should decide to place their bets well on the main fight’s fighters. Jennings has 11-0, 5 KO’s recently, beating Kevin Franklin in one round while Byarm has 3-0-1 and 9 KO’s. Greg Cohen of Greg Cohen Promotions says that he expects Maurice to have the upper hand on this fight, while team Jennings remains confident about the match. Jennings assures his supporters that he is confident about dealing with a fighter like Byarm and that this indeed, is a perfect match for him.

World’s number one golfer Luke Donald tweeted in rage over slow play while he was watching the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, the first tournament of the year for the Professional Golfers Association (PGA).

It’s absurd enough seeing a focused, meditative golfer suddenly enraged on the green, screaming and kicking, throwing tantrums (or worse—golf clubs). After all, the golf course is a serene environment that can be library-like in its extreme silence, and a golf game can be agonizing for its inherent lack of action and speed. But to have a rage tweet about golf—and how agonizingly long games take—all over the news is just… Whatever it is, it’s symptomatic of a deep-seated (yet simple) problem for the sport.

Fans who are into golf betting surely agree that it’s not fun to watch players obsessing over strokes until finally—oh no, wait, wrong club. Oh, wait, a leaf just fell onto my putting line… If even Luke Donald can’t help posting angry tweets about slow playing, what more online sports betting enthusiasts who have lives outside of sports? I wouldn’t be surprised to find a blog dedicated to the world’s worst slow players!

Although the PGA has penalties are in place for slow players (40 seconds per stroke—or else!) but they are for some reason, hardly ever enforced. The PGA has a history of, shall we say, pensive and deliberate players. Even legend Jack Nicklaus had some turtle in him. The thing is, being fast doesn’t need to mean being a careless, carefree hare—it just means being efficient, and to a degree, courteous.

The LPGA scene is a different story however, allotting players with only 30 seconds for each stroke, with even the first violation already resulting in a 2-stroke penalty. The result? Faster rounds, more action, and more fun in the end, for players and fans alike.

It is often said that those who can’t, teach. What about those who coach? Teaching and coaching are arts in themselves, and even the best players in any sport need a great coach, just as great coaches need a pool of talent. Whether or not that talent is developed is a whole other story, and the masterful skill of nurturing talent and leading athletes to push their limits is what earned ex-basketball coach Gene Bartow the title “Father of UAB Athletics”.

Basketball fans will be saddened to know that Bartow, one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game (at a time when the internet as we know it and online sports betting did not exist), passed away recently after a 2 year-long battle with stomach cancer. In the same year that he was diagnosed with his fatal illness, Gene Bartow was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City, claiming his rightful place of honor alongside fellow inductees like Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. Basketball betting fans and stats geeks should be impressed with Bartow’s win-loss record of 647-353

Puerto Rico National Basketball Team enlisted Bartow to coach them in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Two years later, he coached the US national team to win the bronze model in the 1974 FIBA World Championship.

He was the head coach at six universities but he is most famous for being University of Alabama at Birmingham’s first head basketball coach and athletic director, a job which he held passionately for 18 years. In that span of he led the UAB Blazers to seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

Gene Bartow is survived by his wife of 59 years, Ruth, their daughter Beth, their sons Mark and Murry, and a total of eight grandchildren. Murry Bartow succeeded his father as head coach for the UAB from 1996-2002 before accepting the head coaching job at East Tennessee State University, which he currently still holds.

Although online sports betting is a controversial activity in the US, that doesn’t stop me from picking my own personal bets for possible Naismith awardees. College basketball betting among friends can be fun—even if it’s just to determine who’s going for the next beer run.

I know my buddies think some players on this list shouldn’t be here, but this is MY Top 5 Naismith contenders list.

5. Herb Pope, Seton Hall

Season: 21.9 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 1.4 SPG, 55.4% FG, 38.9% 3PT, 69.2% FT

When Herb Pope isn’t busy punching people in the genitals, he’s giving fans something far more memorable every game, when even at his worst, he still performs. Against St. Joseph’s, with 4 out of 13 shots, he still managed to score 17 points and get 10 rebounds.

4. Jeremy Lamb, UConn

Season: 20 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.2 SPG, 51.2% FG, 37.9% 3PT, 85.7% FT

Jeremy Lamb has solid stats when it comes to scoring—but he’s a great defender, too. Problem is, he can be inconsistent. UConn suffered a painful loss against Central Florida, when at one point in the game UConn was already up by 17. Lamb’s 15 points in 5-of-16 shots, three turnovers, and two rebounds was far from spectacular.

3. Doug McDermott, Creighton

Season: 24 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 62.6% FG, 60.6% 3PT, 78.3% FT

Doug McDermott scores a massive 24 points per game. And he does so with efficiency, consistently shooting more than missing, even on 3-pointers. His focused playing led Creighton to a 7-1 standing for the season.

2. Tu Holloway, Xavier

Season: 17.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 4.9 APG, 2.4 SPG, 40.3% FG, 39.1% 3PT, 87.5% FT

Looking at Tu Holloway’s stats, you wouldn’t be amazed straightaway. They’re good, but the numbers don’t really jump at you. However, he has been a personal favorite because of his impeccable performance and reliability in moments of extreme pressure.

At Vanderbilt, he connected on back-to-back three-pointers to pump up Xavier’s lead to 74-66. The Commodores simply couldn’t fight back.

Just a few days later, this time against Purdue, Holloway scored three consecutive triples in the final two minutes of the game.

With the power to upset games during critical moments, Tu Holloway is a force to reckon with.

1. Marcus Denmon, Missouri

Season: 21.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 53.3% FG, 49.2% 3PT, 91.7% FT

Marcus Denmon is a solid shooter even when it comes to three-pointers and free throws; and it seems that the young guardkeeps getting better.

The rising senior boasts of his the best season averages yet in three games against other BCS schools. Denmon averaged 25 points on 62.5 percent shooting against Notre Dame, California and Villanova.

College basketball betting is exciting for hardcore fans of the sport since nothing says “I love basketball” more than “I’ve been rooting for so-and-so since he was a rookie at so-and-so University!” It’s also exciting for college students, since even those that aren’t necessarily athletic (that’s right, you nerds and geeks!) can feel proud that their alma mater has a kick-ass basketball team. Joking aside, nerds and geeks can definitely profit from online sports betting when it comes to college, and some enterprising individuals paid their way through school by means of smart wagering. Take note: SMART wagering (check out articles on Responsible Gambling for more info).

Whether you love sports, your alma mater, or simply money, the college basketball news highlights compiled below might be of interest to you:

MISSOURI 104, KENNESAW STATE 67: 60% shooting from the University of Missouri Tigers won them 37 points over Kennesaw State Owls on Thursday night in Columbia, Mo. Marcus Denmon scored 17 points and Matt Pressey scored 15 points, while Phil Pressey had nine points and 10 assists for the Tigers. Can the team top their 10-0 streak and make it an 11-0?

MURRAY STATE 89, LIPSCOMB 65: Coach Steve Prohm has players Ed Daniel and Ivan Aska, who both scored 16 points, to thank—he’s enjoying the best start for any rookie coach in Murray State history. The Racers sped past the Bisons with 23 turnovers, 15 steals and 25 assists.

WISCONSIN 66, SAVANNAH STATE 33: Jared Berggren added 13 points, rallying the Badgers (10-2) to another double-figure lead this season (their fourth), this time over the Savannah State Tigers.

NORTHWESTERN 81, TEXAS SOUTHERN 51: Wildcats John Shurna led with 20 points, Drew Crawford had 17 and freshman Dave Sobolewski contributed 15, the entire team boasting of a strong presence from start to finish.