Batum left Game 2, a 119-90 Portland loss on Tuesday, with the injury. The
defeat allowed the Suns to even the best-of-seven series with the next two
games shifting to the Rose Garden.
Batum had surgery just before the start of this season to repair a torn labrum
in his right shoulder. He missed the first 45 games.
<< Astros P Arias to have shoulder surgery
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Astros reliever Alberto Arias will
undergo right shoulder surgery, the team announced Wednesday.
The operation will be performed at The Methodist Hospital in Houston on
Thursday.
Arias,
<< Millar to join MLB Network
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Millar, who played for the Toronto Blue
Jays last season but had not caught onto a major-league roster this season,
will join MLB Network as a studio analyst.
The 38-year-old Millar was given an invi
<< Vikings sign CB Sheppard
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Vikings reached a deal with
free agent cornerback Lito Sheppard on Wednesday.
Sheppard was released by the Jets in March after recording 30 tackles and one
interception in 11 games last yea
<< Raiders acquire LB Groves from Jaguars
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Raiders acquired linebacker
Quentin Groves from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for an undisclosed
draft choice.
Groves, a second-round pick of the Jaguars in the 2008 draft, has pla
<< Sabres' Vanek out for Game 4
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Buffalo Sabres forward Thomas Vanek was
not in the lineup for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against
Boston.
Vanek was hurt in the first period of Game 2 when he was hit in the right
Tagliabue to advise Big East Conference >>
Providence, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue will
serve as a special advisor to the Big East Conference.
The 69-year-old Tagliabue, who was commissioner of the NFL from 1989-2006,
will provide strategic adv
MWC making strides toward automatic BCS bid >>
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -BCS executive director Bill Hancock says the Mountain West Conference has performed so well the last two seasons that it could receive an automatic bid to the big money bowl games in the 2012 and '13 seasons.Hancock was hesit
Ovechkin, Caps push Habs to brink of elimination >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Ovechkin scored twice and added an
assist to help the Washington Capitals take a 6-3 win over the Montreal
Canadiens in Game 4 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.
The Capitals now
Another start, another gem from Halladay as Phils shut down Braves >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Halladay was outstanding in tossing the
16th shutout of his career, and Philadelphia's defense was just as stellar as
the Phillies pulled out a 2-0 win over National League East rival Atlanta.
Halladay
Magic build big lead, beat Bobcats in Game 2 >>
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vince Carter scored 19 points and the Magic
overcame foul trouble to Dwight Howard and beat Charlotte, 92-77, in Game 2
of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.
Howard ended with 15 points and ni
MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
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