Hockey world waits for Kovalchuk

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07/07/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - We now know that the LeBron James sweepstakes is set to end Thursday night in prime time, but the NHL's biggest free agent may take a little longer to choose his next team.

It was originally expected that Ilya Kovalchuk wouldn't last long on the open market, as is normally the case when supreme NHL talent is available via free agency. But, here we are, nearly a week into hockey's summer shopping season and a certain Russian sniper has still yet to make a decision on his future.

Heading into free agency it appeared the New Jersey Devils, who acquired Kovalchuk from the Atlanta Thrashers at the last trade deadline, and the Los Angeles Kings had the best chance of signing the five-time 40-goal scorer, but now it seems that leaving the NHL to play back home in Russia is a distinct possibility.

At the present time, smart money says the Devils have the best chance at signing Kovalchuk, but news reports out of Russia are suggesting that SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL is close to locking up the superstar for $9 million a year.

Now, the Kings, who were said to be out of the Kovi sweepstakes earlier this week when he reportedly turned down LA's offer of 13 years, $84 million, are said to be back in the race.

Also, depending on who you listen to, the New York Islanders are in the mix to sign Kovalchuk, but if you believe that, then I've got a Lighthouse Project at Long Island to sell you.

Through all these rumors, we've heard next-to-nothing from the Kovalchuk camp. On Monday, Kovalchuk's North American agent, Jay Grossman, revealed on Twitter that his client was "looking to make a decision on his future today," but eight hours later we were told there would be "no announcement tonight." If that was an elaborate plan by Grossman to increase his Twitter followers, then it worked, but we haven't heard anything of consequence from the agent since.

If I were Kovalchuk, it wouldn't take me long to figure out that the Kings were my best NHL option.

With the Devils, Kovalchuk would maybe have a better chance to win a Stanley Cup next year or two seasons from now, but the Kings and their talented, young roster are set up to compete for titles for the next decade or so. All LA really lacks is a potent sniper, and with 338 goals in 621 career games, there has been no one with more tallies than Kovalchuk since he entered the league with the Thrashers back in 2001-02.

Only Alex Ovechkin is a better pure scorer and considering Kovalchuk's countryman is signed with Washington through 2020-21, we may never see Ovie hit the open market. So, if a goal-scorer is what you covet, there is no better option than Kovalchuk. That being said, Kings general manager Dean Lombardi needs to find a way to sign Kovalchuk without jeopardizing his young team's salary cap situation in the future.

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello also has cap issues to think about when considering signing Kovalchuk. The team will likely need to unload money before the start of the regular season to make the cap situation work.

As for Kovalchuk's KHL option, there is little the North American media can offer on that subject. Kovalchuk's Russian agent suggested earlier this week that his client was certainly leaning towards staying in the NHL, but we can't really know how strongly the winger is considering playing professionally in his home country.

If Kovalchuk winds up playing in the KHL, it would be a huge loss for North American hockey. There are few players who can take over a game offensively like Kovalchuk, and a move to Russia would rob NHL fans of a chance to witness one of the game's greatest talents.

One hopes that Kovalchuk's ultimate decision isn't based primarily on money, but it would be hard to blame him if it was. For all the knocks on his game, like he doesn't play defense or the fact that has never even won a playoff series, Kovalchuk's unique sniping ability allows him to command top dollar and, at 27 years of age, there is no better time to capitalize on his value to a prospective NHL or KHL team.

Kovalchuk's impending decision may have taken a back seat to LeBron's all- consuming search for an NBA destination, but that doesn't make it of any less interest to die-hard hockey fans. I certainly hope Kovi makes a choice soon, but let's pray he doesn't need to take up an hour of prime time TV in order to come that decision.

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NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25

NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.

No. 1 always seems to fit USC.

Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.

Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.

Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.

"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."

Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.

"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."

The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.

"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."

Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.

"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"

USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.

"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."

While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.

But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.

Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.

The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.

The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.

The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.

No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.

Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.

Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.

The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.

South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.

The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

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