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Motor City BluesBasketball Betting Lines07/02/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - I've always thought of sports as the ultimate form of escapist entertainment. And a whole lot of people need to "escape" right about now. It was announced Thursday that the nation's employers cut a larger-than- expected 467,000 jobs in June, and the unemployment rate climbed to a 26-year high of 9.5 percent. All told, 14.7 million Americans were unemployed in June. Perhaps no city has been hit harder than Detroit, where the economic recession has left the Motor City with an astounding 22 percent unemployment rate, over two times the national average. It wasn't always like that. Once upon a time, moving to Detroit was like winning the middle-class lottery. People with little or no real education were able to get jobs in the auto industry and in turn garner nice pay, great benefits and a solid pension. It was the very definition of the "American Dream," for so many. Increased competition from foreign companies, the unyielding demands of the powerful unions and flat out mismanagement at the very top collapsed the entire auto industry from within, leaving a crumbling city both politically and fiscally. Inasmuch, the people of Motown could use an "escape." In recent years, the Pistons have been great at providing a few hours of escapist entertainment. Six straight trips to the Eastern Conference finals made late spring basketball a birthright for a generation of hoops fans... Until last year. Convinced his veteran-laden team was stale and couldn't get over the ultimate hump, Pistons president Joe Dumars pushed the plunger and blew up his team. The results were disastrous. Joe D. jettisoned the underrated Flip Saunders for the untested and unproven Michael Curry, and compounded that mistake with the ill-conceived Chauncey Billups-Allen Iverson trade. Curry's decision to bench veteran stalwart Rip Hamilton in favor of Iverson was not well-received by his team. Gone was Detroit's legendary balance, defensive prowess and chemistry, not to mention the run of six straight trips to the East finals. In his first year directing the perennial championship contenders, Curry led the Pistons to just a 39-43 record, good for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Detroit was then quickly swept in the first round of the playoffs by the top-seeded Cavaliers, who won each game by double digits. Needless to say, this is a big summer for Dumars. First, the Hall of Famer did an about-face Tuesday and fired Curry, just two months after he had held a press conference to confirm that his embattled coach would return to the Motor City in 2009-10. Then the team - which did acquire plenty of cap space in the Iverson deal - dove into free agency headfirst on Wednesday, reportedly agreeing to deals with a pair of former UConn stars, sharp-shooting guard Ben Gordon, late of the Chicago Bulls, and emerging forward Charlie Villanueva, formerly of the Milwaukee Bucks. Gordon, an offensive-minded two-guard just like Iverson, had been on the Pistons' radar for quite some time and is a much better fit than the former MVP. "Ben agreed to come here knowing he would come off the bench," a source told NBA.com. "That makes it completely different than Iverson coming here...Gordon is choosing to come here and play the super sub role." Villanueva, meanwhile, became available after Milwaukee inexplicably declined to make him a qualifying offer on Monday. Now, Detroit will feature a three-guard rotation of Rodney Stuckey, Hamilton and Gordon, with Tayshaun Prince at small forward and Villanueva at power forward. The problem is the pivot, where battle-tested veterans Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess are both expected to move on, leaving the perpetually underachieving Kwame Brown as the only current option. Like the city they play in, the Pistons are still a long way away from their glory days. But Dumars' dealings may have provided something far more important than any championship trophy -- a welcome distraction for an embattled fan base.
<< Thrashers sign Antropov
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers signed unrestricted free agent forward Nik Antropov to a multi-year contract Thursday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, per team policy. The 29-year-old compiled career-highs
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Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United's hopes of signing Karim Benzema are over after the France striker agreed to a six-year contract with Real Madrid. Benzema, 21, was believed to have been earmarked by United
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Police report: Terrell Owens hospitalized after attemptTerrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened. The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'" Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV. Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide. NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits. "The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said. The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday. Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine. But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened. The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'" When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself. Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong. The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday. The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV. The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said. Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident. Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine." Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram. "Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance." Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken. It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide. "This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred." Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call. "Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something." At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA. According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center. Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting. Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it. When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems. He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again. Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill. Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee. Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl. Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down. While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday. "My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room. Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule. Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your VISA Sportsbook needs. |
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