UNC associate head coach Blake resigns

NCAA Football Betting Lines

09/05/2010 - Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - North Carolina associate head football coach John Blake has resigned, effective immediately, amid an NCAA investigation into possible violations.

It had previously been reported by the Raleigh News & Observer that Blake is a close friend of Gary Wichard, the agent for former Tar Heel defensive lineman Kentwan Balmer, a first-round pick of the 49ers in 2008.

The paper reported that Balmer paid for current UNC defensive lineman Marvin Austin and former Tar Heel lineman Cam Thomas to attend a California training facility, used by Wichard clients, in 2009.

Blake was already caught up in a previous NCAA investigation into whether current members of the football team, including Austin, attended a reputed party thrown by an agent in Miami that has swept up players at other universities, including Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.

Blake said in a statement released Sunday that his presence has become a distraction to his family and to North Carolina.

"Knowing John as I have over the years, it is clear that this was a difficult decision for him to make," said UNC head coach Butch Davis in a statement. "I know how much John loves the players, coaching and the game of football. I am grateful for all of his hard work and effort in helping build this program. As difficult as this situation is, I have accepted his resignation."

The NCAA's investigation into the Tar Heels' football program has expanded to include possible academic misconduct involving a former undergraduate tutor and student-athletes on the football team.

UNC was without 13 players for its season-opening loss to LSU on Saturday. Seven of those were for violations of school or NCAA rules and six others were kept out while the investigation continues into possible violations of North Carolina law involving sports agents.

The school said in its release that Blake had a contract that paid an annual base salary of $240,000 and would have expired in June 2011. He will receive $74,500, about the amount of money he would have been paid had he finished the football season.

Footballfantasybetting NCAA Football Betting News

<< Nadal advances to fourth round, Murray ousted at U.S. Open
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top seed Rafael Nadal was an easy third-round winner Sunday at the U.S. Open, while fourth seed Andy Murray was given an early exit. Nadal took the next step in his pursuit of a care

<< Padres continue freefall, lose 10th in a row
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Melvin Mora hit a two-run single to snap a seventh-inning tie, lifting the Colorado Rockies to a 4-2 win and sending National League West-leading San Diego to a 10th straight loss. Troy Tulowitzki cl

<< Jags make several moves
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Jacksonville Jaguars made several roster moves on Sunday, including being awarded defensive tackle Landon Cohen off waivers from Detroit. Cohen has played 24 games over his two seasons in the N

<< Titans waive Blount, build practice squad
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tennessee Titans waived running back LeGarrette Blount on Sunday as they made a number of moves. The Titans waived linebacker Stanford Keglar in addition to Blount, who signed with the club as an

<< Riders nip reeling Bombers
Regina, SK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wes Cates scored twice on the ground as the Saskatchewan Roughriders took down the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 27-23, in a Labour Day contest from Mosaic Stadium. Darian Durant went 22-of-34 with 301 ya

Jets release FB Richardson >>
Florham Park, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Jets have released veteran fullback Tony Richardson. He had re-signed with the team in March after blocking last season for the NFL's top rushing offense, which was led by ve

Abreu helps Angels get by A's >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bobby Abreu drove in three runs and scored three times, as the Angels took down the Athletics, 7-4, to avoid a three-game sweep at the Oakland Coliseum. Abreu and Mike Napoli each homered for Los Angel

LaCrosse wins again; 10 earn LPGA cards >>
Albany, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cindy LaCrosse captured her third Duramed Futures Tour victory of the season, beating Jennifer Song on the first hole of a playoff Sunday at the Price Chopper Tour Championship. LaCrosse and Song both c

Geovanni leads 'Quakes past Houston >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Geovanni scored a goal and assisted on another to propel the San Jose Earthquakes to a 2-1 win over the Houston Dynamo at Robertson Stadium on Sunday. The Brazilian was making his first Major League So

Giants blank Dodgers to inch closer in division >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juan Uribe hit a key two-run homer for the second straight game and Jonathan Sanchez pitched seven strong innings, as the Giants took a 3-0 win over the Dodgers in the rubber match of a three-game series.

SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

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.