UConn's Calhoun receives five-year extension

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

05/07/2010 - Storrs, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Connecticut handed longtime men's head basketball coach Jim Calhoun a five-year contract extension running through the 2014 season on Friday.

The deal is effective retroactively from July 1, 2009 and is weighted with lofty figures for appearances as well as performance and postseason incentives.

Calhoun will receive a base salary of $325,000 for 2009-10 with a $25,000 bump in each additional year. In addition to the base salary, Calhoun's agreement calls for $1,675,000 in year one of the agreement for institutional speaking engagements and media-related appearances and will increase in each year after. The combined figures will total $2,300,000 for 2010-11, $2,700,000 for 2011-12 and $3,000,000 for 2012-13 and 2013-14.

"I am very happy that this new contract will allow me to finish my coaching career here at UConn," Calhoun said at a news conference Friday to announce the pact. "This is a tremendous show of recognition and support from (Athletics Director) Jeff Hathaway and (President) Michael Hogan."

Calhoun, who turns 68 on Monday, recently completed his 24th season as head coach at UConn and his 38th as a collegiate head coach. It was a trying season for both the program and Calhoun, who experienced health problems and left the team for seven games with an undisclosed condition.

The up-and-down campaign saw the Huskies finish 18-16, including a lowly 7-11 mark in conference play. An embarrassing 75-53 loss to St. John's in the first round of Big East Tournament preceded a loss to Virginia Tech in the second round of the NIT.

"Jim is one of the elite coaches in college basketball," remarked Hathaway. "He has taken UConn Basketball to the national championship level, and he is a valued representative of the University and the State of Connecticut."

A 2005 inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Calhoun guided the Huskies to a pair of national titles in 1999 and 2004 and has gone 575-221 in his 24 years at the helm. He also coached 14 seasons at Northeastern, compiling a record of 248-137.

In 2009, Calhoun became the seventh Division I coach in NCAA history to reach 800 career wins. The year also saw the program mired in an investigation into NCAA rules violations related to the recruitment of Nate Miles. That and a myriad of health concerns led Calhoun to question his future in coaching following the Huskies Final Four loss to Michigan State.

Calhoun has survived cancer three times, including prostate cancer in 2003 and skin cancer in 2008.

Wwwbostonherald NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Aussie great Newcombe has skin cancer surgery
Sydney, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 John Newcombe underwent surgery to have a cancerous growth removed from the right side of his nose. "It's a cancerous growth so he (the doctor) had to cut...and finish

<< Dodgers to host Rockies in key divisional set
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier will bring his Triple Crown numbers and late-game heroics into Friday's opener of a three- game series versus the NL West-rival Colorado Rockies at Chavez Ravine. Ethier was at i

<< Angels, Mariners to square off in battle of reeling clubs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of slumping American League West rivals get together tonight in the Emerald City, where the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim collide in the opener of a three-game series at Safeco Field. The Marine

<< Bruins shoot for sweep in Philly
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will shoot for a sweep of their Eastern Conference semifinal series when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers for Game 4 tonight at Wachovia Center. The sixth-seeded Bruins are just once victory away from e

<< Brewers head to Arizona for final leg of trip
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers should feel more confident about the next opponent on their 10-game road trip, as they try and continue their recent success against the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight at Chase Field. Milwaukee, which i

Canucks host Hawks in pivotal Game 4 >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks will try to grab a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals when they visit the Vancouver Canucks for tonight's pivotal Game 4 battle at General Motors Place. The second-seeded Blackhawks

Penn National joins MID in Maryland Jockey Club >>
Wyomissing, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Penn National Gaming and MI Development (MID) announced Friday morning the establishment of a joint venture to own and operate the Maryland Jockey Club. The Maryland Jockey Club conducts thoroughbred

Montreal to join MLS in 2012 >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal will be the home of Major League Soccer's 19th franchise, Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber and expansion team owner Joey Saputo announced on Friday during a press confere

Lipscomb F Hodzic withdraws for NBA Draft >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lipscomb University forward Adnan Hodzic has withdrawn from the 2010 NBA Draft and will return to the school for his senior season. Hodzic had entered the draft on April 8, but did not hire an agent. "By

Lyon desperate to get back to Champions League >>
Valenciennes, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After reaching the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time in club history, Lyon is eager to return to Europe's premier club competition, but they must first get back into the top thr

Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .

MySportsbook.com offers Blackjack contest and $10,000.00 in Free Prize money!

Every month MySportsbook.com's casino host, Jack Black, gives away $10,000.00 in free casino prize money. To Enter - All you have to do is play at least 10 hands (total) of Blackjack on one of the specified dates of the blackjack contest. The online casino host randomly hands out free bonuses ranging from $50 - $500, and one lucky player who will receive a free $2,500.00 bonus.

"We have been running this monthly free blackjack contest to our active mebers for 5 years now, and the players just love it," says Jack Black, online casino host at MySportsbook.com. "And why wouldn't they love a free chance to win some extra online blackjack cash."

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs.