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What is a coach to do…
By Steve Linden
Nov 13, 2003, 08:19
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What is a coach to do when his team is up 77-0 in the third quarter? Do you pile it on and risk the wrath of commentators everywhere? Do you stop trying to score so you don’t humiliate a fellow coach? Or do you not put the reins in on your 3rd and 4th stringers who rarely get the opportunity to play?
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was recently faced with this decision and elected to basically stop trying to score. Of course, when you’re up 11 touchdowns, you can do that.
Obviously, Stoops’ deciding to call off the dogs didn’t matter as far as Vegas goes; that was decided in the first quarter. Some say it was decided when A&M got on the plane from College Station. One thing’s for sure, Aggies coach Dennis Franchione has won everywhere he’s gone and will remember this for a long time.
The oddsmakers were favoring Oklahoma by 30….turned out to be an easy cover for the Sooners.
But, there are plenty of games, in fact, more times than not, the outcome isn’t settled til the final few seconds. It’s uncanny how many games come right down to the end….sometimes going past the end into overtime. Do the players know the line? I think anyone who feels otherwise has their head in the sand.
Being in this business for over 20 years, I’ve seen many a game, and many times you think to yourself…what is going on out there? It happens quite often, especially in basketball. I’ve seen players play defense like it’s the 7th game of the finals….when their team is down by 10 with 15 seconds to go. I’ve seen players firing up 3 pointers, when all they have to do is dribble out the clock. Too many games are too close to the line for comfort That is one of the things that makes predicting games so difficult. The advent of the 3 point shot has put a whole new crimp into picking basketball games. For the apparent reason that a team is really never out of a game. It used to be that if a team was down by 16 points or so, they were pretty much done. But, now, a couple of 3 pointers and it’s a whole new ballgame. Say if you have a team that’s a 7 or 8 point favorite, there’s no time where you can relax and say it’s over…. Because all a team has to do is chuck up a few trifectas against a relaxed defense, and BAM, there goes your cover. Not much you can do other than to wait for the next day and try again.
Happens in football as well, though not as often. I remember a game in the 2002 NFL season, when New Orleans was playing Carolina. Carolina was up 24-20 with around 2:00 to go as a 4 point dog. You’d think that was in the bag….but nooooo. The Saints scored to go up 27-24 with just a few seconds to go. After the ensuing kickoff, Carolina fumbled the ball. The Saints defender picked it up and all he had to do was fall down and the game was over. But guess what? He didn’t fall down, and ran it in for a touchdown and a 34-24 final score and more importantly, a New Orleans cover! Of course, it begs the question, why? Could it be, perhaps…he had a little action on the game? Needless to say , the head of the pro sports leagues frown on any betting action by the players, because of precisely this situation. They don’t want their outcomes ever second guessed by the general public.
Personally, I think wagering ought to be legalized and taxed. It would be a great source of revenue for the government at a time when it’s needed. Seems to work very well across the pond in Europe as well as in Asia. Make the penalties severe enough for the pro athletes and you won’t have to worry about end of game nightmares at all.
Action Sports Handicapping is an honest, professional service, designed to provide you, the player, with outstanding handicapping expertise and excellence in money management. Visit www.actionsportshandicapping.com today!
Steve offers free and premium picks at http://www.actionsportshandicapping.com. Steve exclusively endorses http://www.mvpsportsbook.com as the #1 place to play his picks.
By Steve Linden
Nov 13, 2003, 08:19
Email this article
Printer friendly page
What is a coach to do when his team is up 77-0 in the third quarter? Do you pile it on and risk the wrath of commentators everywhere? Do you stop trying to score so you don’t humiliate a fellow coach? Or do you not put the reins in on your 3rd and 4th stringers who rarely get the opportunity to play?
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was recently faced with this decision and elected to basically stop trying to score. Of course, when you’re up 11 touchdowns, you can do that.
Obviously, Stoops’ deciding to call off the dogs didn’t matter as far as Vegas goes; that was decided in the first quarter. Some say it was decided when A&M got on the plane from College Station. One thing’s for sure, Aggies coach Dennis Franchione has won everywhere he’s gone and will remember this for a long time.
The oddsmakers were favoring Oklahoma by 30….turned out to be an easy cover for the Sooners.
But, there are plenty of games, in fact, more times than not, the outcome isn’t settled til the final few seconds. It’s uncanny how many games come right down to the end….sometimes going past the end into overtime. Do the players know the line? I think anyone who feels otherwise has their head in the sand.
Being in this business for over 20 years, I’ve seen many a game, and many times you think to yourself…what is going on out there? It happens quite often, especially in basketball. I’ve seen players play defense like it’s the 7th game of the finals….when their team is down by 10 with 15 seconds to go. I’ve seen players firing up 3 pointers, when all they have to do is dribble out the clock. Too many games are too close to the line for comfort That is one of the things that makes predicting games so difficult. The advent of the 3 point shot has put a whole new crimp into picking basketball games. For the apparent reason that a team is really never out of a game. It used to be that if a team was down by 16 points or so, they were pretty much done. But, now, a couple of 3 pointers and it’s a whole new ballgame. Say if you have a team that’s a 7 or 8 point favorite, there’s no time where you can relax and say it’s over…. Because all a team has to do is chuck up a few trifectas against a relaxed defense, and BAM, there goes your cover. Not much you can do other than to wait for the next day and try again.
Happens in football as well, though not as often. I remember a game in the 2002 NFL season, when New Orleans was playing Carolina. Carolina was up 24-20 with around 2:00 to go as a 4 point dog. You’d think that was in the bag….but nooooo. The Saints scored to go up 27-24 with just a few seconds to go. After the ensuing kickoff, Carolina fumbled the ball. The Saints defender picked it up and all he had to do was fall down and the game was over. But guess what? He didn’t fall down, and ran it in for a touchdown and a 34-24 final score and more importantly, a New Orleans cover! Of course, it begs the question, why? Could it be, perhaps…he had a little action on the game? Needless to say , the head of the pro sports leagues frown on any betting action by the players, because of precisely this situation. They don’t want their outcomes ever second guessed by the general public.
Personally, I think wagering ought to be legalized and taxed. It would be a great source of revenue for the government at a time when it’s needed. Seems to work very well across the pond in Europe as well as in Asia. Make the penalties severe enough for the pro athletes and you won’t have to worry about end of game nightmares at all.
Action Sports Handicapping is an honest, professional service, designed to provide you, the player, with outstanding handicapping expertise and excellence in money management. Visit www.actionsportshandicapping.com today!
Steve offers free and premium picks at http://www.actionsportshandicapping.com. Steve exclusively endorses http://www.mvpsportsbook.com as the #1 place to play his picks.