Maddux Sports Blog

There is always all sorts of news about injuries in the sports news, but there is a particularly large amount today that directly affects betting decisions through the weekend:

Charlie Manuel: This isn’t directly an injury, but the Phillies’ manager lost his 87 year old mother today. He is staying to manage the game against the Dodgers. Manuel is very well liked by hos players, so I expect this to be a boost to the team. They will be playing for him. It’s also not that likely that he will be too distracted to be at his best - his mother had had a heart attack earlier in the week and wasn’t doing well, but he still managed a heck of a game in game one. I don’t know which team you like in this one, but I think that this is a check mark to put in Philadelphia’s column.

Carson Palmer: Cincinnati’s QB is out of action again on Sunday, and Ivy Leaguer Ryan Fitzpatrick will again get the start.This is a step down in QB quality, and that would be a real problem if Palmer and the offense had been clicking. They aren’t, so it’s not nearly as scary. Or at least it’s not in my mind. The public doesn’t agree - the line on this one has shifted by a full field goal today.

Brian Westbrook: The stud Eagles’ running back will be kept out of the game on Sunday thanks to the rib injury he suffered last week. Guard Shawn Andrews and receiver Reggie Brown are out. Of the three, Westbrook is obviously the biggest hit. The line is going nowhere on this one, so the public and the oddsmakers had already assumed this one was going to happen. As a Niners’ fan I’m not unhappy about this one.

Pacman Jones: Stupidity isn’t an injury, but this one still needs to be looked at. Jones lost his mind and did what he does best - drink and brawl. There was no charges laid, and the Cowboys have done what they would have been expected to do - turned a blind eye and let him keep playing. They really have no choice. Terence Newman is out, so Pacman is desperately needed to help contain the Arizona vertical game.

Kellen Winslow: This guy can’t get a break. The talented but injury-prone tight end is in the hospital being treated for an undisclosed illness. There is no word on whether he will be out of the hospital in time for the Monday night game against the Giants. I’m not sure it matters much, though. His absence would be a big hole, but I don’t think many people were giving him  much of a chance anyway, regardless of whether he was there or not.

Matt Hasselbeck: The Seattle QB has not been cleared to play Sunday against Green Bay, and it seems increasingly likely that he won’t. That means that the starting duties will fall to Charlie Frye. The former answer in Cleveland gets another chance. That’s not very inspiring, but then again neither are the Hawks regardless of who is under center. The line moved from -3 to -1 on the Seahawks early in the week, but has stayed there since.

All sorts of interesting news that affects the sports betting world today:

• The Vikings are taking a big risk with Jared Allen. He’s a very good player and he’s in his prime, but they gave up three picks for him including a first rounder this year and two thirds, and then they had to ante up with a big new contract for him. He had better be really productive for several years or this can be a setback in a big way. One thing that this does do, though, is it makes me reevaluate my expectations for the Vikings this year and adjust then upwards - they must be serious about competing now if this is the investment they are willing to make. You don’t spend this kind of money and assets unless you think it is one of the final pieces in the puzzle.
• Apparently Memphis isn’t attractive without Derrick Rose. In a bizarre move, both Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier have declared for the NBA draft. That means that all five starters are now on the list. Obviously the most recent two don’t have agents yet because there is very little chance that either would get picked, and almost none that they would go in the first round and get a guaranteed contract. I never thought that they would look to go now that Calipari has a new contract and super stud Tyreke Evans is headed there next year. Maybe Calipari just suggested that they go through the draft process for the experience and whatever learning they can do. Whatever the reason, I just hope they don’t do something stupid because a senior year at Memphis would probably be a lot more fun than a year in the NBDL.
• Pacman Jones is headed to Dallas. I would say that that is a much needed boost to Dallas’ secondary, but until he gets reinstated, shows that he can stay out of jail for at least a month, and is still in some kind of game shape I am going to assume he is irrelevant. I have no concerns about handling his attitude if everything else is okay - they have done fine with Owens.
• The Reds made a great move. They fired the essentially useless GM Wayne Krivsky and replaced him with Walt Jocketty. Jocketty did great jobs in Oakland and St. Louis, and he should do a great job of turning around a team that has lots of nice young talent but seems to be lacking direction. If nothing else he should provide some stability - he is the fourth GM in six years, so so stability is definitely absent.
• Detroit beat the 76ers easily tonight. The temporary period of panic can end and the sun will come up in Detroit tomorrow after a period of darkness.
• Not that it is surprising because he has always seemed a bit unstable, but Tony Stewart appears to have officially lost his mind. Reports say that Stewart is negotiating to lose Joe Gibbs Racing after this season to go to Haas CNC. If you don’t spend much time following NASCAR it boils down to this - Gibbs is really quite good, and Haas really, really isn’t. Haas has never finished in the top 25 in owner points. The incentive is fairly obvious, though - Stewart is a star, and he will be able to negotiate partial ownership of his new team into the deal. That will allow him to cash in even more on his name and his brand than he does now. From a betting perspective it means that Stewart won’t be an automatic consideration next year like he is now because his car will be behind in development to start, and it will also unleash a chain reaction of driver moves that could further confuse the landscape. NASCAR is a bigger soap opera than the soap operas.