11/13/2008 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him with the club through the 2011 season.
Gardenhire will begin his eighth season as Twins skipper in 2009. He has guided the club to a record of 622-512, including 88-75 in 2008. Last year's team nearly reached the postseason, losing a one-game playoff to the Chicago White Sox for the American League Central crown.
The Twins also signed Gardenhire's coaching staff to two-year contracts through the 2010 campaign -- the first year of Minnesota's new ballpark.
"Ron and his staff have done an outstanding job over the last seven years, and none was better than the 2008 season," said Twins general manager Bill Smith. "We had a lot of new players and a lot of young players, and our major league staff did a marvelous job with a changing cast of players. Continuity has been a great strength of the Twins organization for two decades. The current staff has played an important role in the design and development of the Target Field facilities, and these agreements will carry the staff into the new ballpark in 2010."
The 51-year-old Gardenhire, who was runner-up to Tampa Bay's Joe Maddon in the AL Manager of the Year voting, took over as Twins skipper before the 2002 season. He has led the team to four AL Central titles in his first seven years, posting winning records in six of those seven campaigns.
Only Tom Kelly, with 1,140 victories, has more wins than Gardenhire with the Twins.
<< Leafs continue swing with stop in Edmonton
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto continues its tour of western Canada tonight, as it
visits the Edmonton Oilers and Rexall Place.
The Maple Leafs began this swing on Tuesday with a 4-3 loss in Calgary. Alexei
Ponikarovsky and Nik Antropov both sco
<< Kings, Stars cap home-and-home in Dallas
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It isn't too often that the Stars get pushed around by the
Kings. Trailing Los Angeles by one point in the standings, last-place Dallas
hosts the Kings tonight at American Airlines Center in the finale of a home-
and-home set
<< Red Wings head south to battle Lightning
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings will try to rebound from a tough loss
when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning for this evening's test at St. Pete
Times Forum.
The Red Wings went into Tuesday's much-hyped game against visiting Pittsb
<< Pens take on Flyers aiming to extend winning streak
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to extend their season-
high winning streak to five games tonight, when they welcome the Philadelphia
Flyers to Mellon Arena for another edition of this intrastate rivalry.
The Penguins had
Seeing is Believing >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Like many college football pundits, I have
watched Texas Tech put up gaudy offensive numbers over the years and chalked
it up as a gimmick offense much like Hawaii under June Jones. I had never
been a fan of
Bulls sign veteran Hunter >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls signed guard Lindsey Hunter
on Thursday, bringing the 15-season veteran back to the league.
Hunter spent last season with Detroit, averaging 2.4 points and 1.4 assists in
24 games. He play
NBA Southwest: Spurs need to tread water >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Since it's an odd year in the NBA, it wasn't really a
stretch picking the San Antonio Spurs to win an NBA championship.
After all, the club's last three championship rings came in 2003, 2005 and
2007.
But, any hopes of
L.A. defender Franklin named Rookie of the Year >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Galaxy defender Sean Franklin was
named Major League Soccer's Rookie of the Year on Thursday.
Franklin, 23, started 26 out of 27 matches and recorded one assist. He was the
Galaxys first pick -
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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