Tiger Woods was a solid +130 favorite to win the Masters this week, but more than any other tournament it seems like the big star is the golf course, and in this instance the golf club as well.

With a membership so exclusive that even zillionaires like Wayne “Caddyshack” Huizenga aren’t invited, Augusta National certainly carries an air of mystery. Steve Hummer’s piece on Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne provides some insight to the place.

Apparently Augusta National membership provides an opportunity for powerful tycoons to have their choice of clothing critiqued. Disapproving of a straw hat worn by a member, Payne lets him know about it. The hat wearing member is surely a millionaire titan of industry experienced in having people ask for altitude parameters when he asks them to jump. Yet he reacts to the style reprimand by meekly removes the chapeau. You have to believe that he’d likely be a bit more assertive, but there’s something about Augusta National membership that makes these guys swoon.

Interestingly, it is made clear in the article that the welcome mat was not exactly out for Chris Berman to participate in ESPN’s coverage of the first two rounds of the Masters. That explains the paucity of Steve Miller Band references as well as why you aren’t hearing the first round leader at Augusta National “Velvet” referred to as Justin “Time” Rose “Bowl.”
Enjoy the Masters.

Comments(0)

When it comes to international trade disputes, the US is usually on the free market side while Europe is more likely to be protectionist. The European edition of The Wall Street Journal points out that the roles are reversed when it comes to US interference with the operations of foreign online wagering services. The European Union is not pleased that the US has exceptions for domestic operators like horse betting sites, state lotteries, and the like while it looks to snuff out the opportunity that Americans have to wager with similar services overseas.

The EU has a winning case here, and the trading partnership and diplomatic relations with Europe is infinitely more important to the US than America’s relationship with Antigua, who prevailed with the World Trade Organization against the US last summer in a similar case, the results of which have largely been shrugged off by the US. The hundreds of millions of dollars in value erased from overseas stock markets when publicly-held foreign firms left the US wagering market leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of the European business community, giving the Europeans some resolve in the matter.

With the banks clearly not pleased to be playing “gambling transaction cop” as required by the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, Congressman Barney Frank’s proposal to exempt licensed operators from US regulations may be the long term solution. While it is unlikely that ads for online poker rooms and sports books will be flooding the airwaves anytime soon, things may be on the upswing for bettors in the US.

Comments(0)

Is it just me or does it look like the ESPN panel expects Bobby Knight to pull out a weapon and start shooting at any moment? Jay Bilas looks positively terrified.

Let’s look at a few items of pointspread interest pertaining to the Kansas/Memphis championship game.

• the public strongly favors Memphis and the over. The openers were Kansas -1.5 and 144. Now Memphis is a 2-point favorite and the total has been bet up to anywhere from 147.5 to 148.5.
• After going a typical (for them) 37-67 (55.2%) from the line in the first two rounds, Memphis’ free throw bugaboo has disappeared. Against Michigan State, Texas, and UCLA, the Tigers have drained a phenomenal 76-94 (80.8%) from charity stripe.
• The extent to which Derrick Rose is taking over is not being overplayed. After taking 10 or more shots in only 2 of Memphis’ previous 7 games, Rose has double-digit shot attempts in all five tourney games.
• Rose has 17 points or more in every NCAA tournament game. He hadn’t scored 17+ in more than two consecutive games since doing so in Memphis’ first four games in November.
• Rose missed a media session Sunday with an upset stomach, but practiced on Sunday night.
• Kansas has shot 50% or better from the field in 25 games this year. Memphis has done so only 12 times.
• Only once all season did an opponent outshoot Kansas. In a 59-55 loss to the Jayhawks on December 2nd, Southern Cal shot 38.5% to Kansas’ 37.9%.
• Russell Robinson (14/16) and Sherron Collins (15/17) both have fewer assists than turnovers in the tournament.
• You’ve seen their offensive highlights, but it is worth noting that these are the two best defensive teams in the country, with Kansas allowing only 37.9% shooting, while Memphis permits opponents only 38.7% from the field.

Enjoy the game.

Comments(0)

This is the furthest a Memphis team has every advanced in the tourney. The 1985 Tigers were upset by Villanova in the semis.

Other than Vincent Askew, who enjoyed a decade in the NBA, whatever happened to that talented team?

Keith Lee washed out of the NBA in three years due to bad knees, and it gets worse. Baskerville Holmes murdered his girlfriend then turned the gun on himself. Aaron Price was shot and killed and his murder was never solved. His potential unfulfilled due to an affinity for cocaine, William Bedford washed out of the NBA and is in federal prison in Texas.

Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal details the sad story.

Comments(0)

While having four #1 seeds advance to the Final Four certainly sounds dull, it makes for spectacular Saturday matchups (on paper, at least).

All four teams are outstanding, with excellent offenses (all shoot 47% or better from the field) and suffocating defenses (all permit 42.3% or less, with Memphis and Kansas both allowing less than 39% shooting).

These aren’t “system” teams that have gotten there thanks to a good coach and a hot streak, they’re enormously talented. A pair of NBA mock drafts both have 10 players in this Final Four going in the first 32 picks of the draft. That’s quite a collection of talent on hand.

Let’s point out a fact or two about each team that maybe have somehow been overlooked in the storm of media coverage. Maybe these facts will help you from a pointspread perspective. Maybe they won’t.

Memphis: The free throw woes of the Tigers are well-documented. But Chris Douglas-Roberts is doing all he can to change things. After shooting only 67.4% from the line during the season, CDR has been a lights-out 36-43 (83.7%) from the line during the tournament. Memphis is only 7-13 their last 20 games against the pointspread, but most of those non-covers were laying big wood. Laying reasonable numbers in their two most recent games they’ve covered by a combined 27.5 points.

UCLA: The Bruins have an inferior defense to Memphis if you judge by field goal percentage allowed (38.8% to 41.7%), but the Pac Ten was not only the best, but also the most offensively advanced conference in the country. The level of competition faced by these two teams from early January through their conference tournaments isn’t even close. UCLA is a defense that is better than their stats.

Kansas: You think of Kansas as a fast-paced team, and they aren’t shy about getting up and down the court, but they average 8 fewer field goal attempts than North Carolina, which speaks to the breakneck pace favored by the Tar Heels. With Kansas averaging three fewer offensive rebounds, three fewer free throws, and turnovers just about equal, the Tar Heels make seemingly uptempo Jayhawks look like a Big Ten or CAA team in comparison.

North Carolina: Tyler Hansbrough is not getting to the line with the same regularity that he did throughout most of the season. Hansbrough shot an average of 10.7 free throws per game in the first 30 games of the season, but has enjoyed only 6.25 attempts per game from the charity stripe since then. UNC’s 23-10 pointspread record this season is remarkable considering they’re a public team that everyone wants to back. The Tar Heels allow 42.3% shooting, the worst mark among these four teams.

Enjoy the games Saturday night.

Comments(0)