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January 23rd NFL news ... NFL Week 6 Picks at nflweek6-picks.com
POKERSTARS BEIJING MILLIONS A RECORD SETTER
2014-08-01
Forget WSOP Europe and the Grosvenor United Kingdom Poker Tour Goliath...the record for the biggest entry field for a live poker tournament held outside the United States now belongs to The Pokerstars Beijing Millions, which last week registered 2,732 entrants in its first outing.
That compares favourably with the 2,570 contestants who played in the 2013 Grosvenor United Kingdom Poker Tour Goliath, and with the 2,446 competitors who registered for the 2013 Brazilian Series of Poker Millions Sao Paolo.
The Beijing event sponsored by Pokerstars concluded last weekend with China's Chen Qin taking the honours and the main prize of $109,000 in the first-ever venture into mainland China of Pokerstars' Asia Pacific Poker Tour.
Entrants for the event paid a buy-in of around $480, creating a prize pool of $1,195,000.
"We always believed that this would be a successful event but this result greatly exceeded our wildest expectations." said APPT President Danny McDonagh this week.
The 10-day poker festival was organised by the Beijing Sports Competitions Administration Centre, a division of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports.
"It's a great honour for PokerStars and the APPT team to be selected to support this tournament." added McDonagh. "It's been a historical week. Not just the record itself but how it may change the future landscape for poker in China."
When the final table of the main event formed, it was an all-Chinese affair, featuring Chen Qin and Yang Zhang, Tong Shen, Feng Bai, Jing Liu, Chen Hao, Qiang Liu, Hui Xu and Yuanye Chen.
Heads up, Qin had an almost 2 to 1 chip advantage on Yang Zhang, which proved to be too high to beat; with the blinds at 200k-400k, 50,000 ante, the final hand arrived which enabled Qin to claim victory with a full house.
Geno Smith: 'I'm the guy' for N.Y. Jets, not Matt Simms
2013-09-17
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday NFL Lines that former undrafted free agent Matt Simms has "real support" within the Jets' building. Smith was asked about the report during a Monday radio appearance.
"Adam's doing his job, and I'm pretty sure whatever he put out there, he probably got some information," Smith said, via ESPNNewYork.com. "But I can tell you one thing. Within this organization, from my coaches right down to (general manager) John (Idzik), Rex (Ryan), all those guys -- I don't think they would have brought me in here if they didn't see the potential in me."
"Matt, I think is a really good quarterback," Smith went on. "But I think I'm the guy for the job."
There was plenty of optimism around Smith after he made some positive plays in the Jets' season-opening win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Those baby steps were washed away Thursday night, however, when Smith threw three fourth-quarter interceptions in a 13-10 loss to the New England Patriots.
Mark Sanchez was moved to IR-designated to return last week, temporarily removing him from the equation. The only other in-house option besides Simms is Brady Quinn, a journeyman with little upside.
If this all sounds familiar, it is. Before the start of the season, NFL Media columnist Mike Silver reported there was internal skepticism that Terrelle Pryor was the right choice at quarterback for the Oakland Raiders.
Pryor made those whispers go away -- at least for now -- with his performance on the field. Smith can pull off a similar trick. Of course, that's easier said than done for a rookie who might not be ready.
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Chiefs finishing off overhaul of moribund team
2013-04-29
That doesn't mean the Chiefs weren't in need of an extreme makeover.
So over the past couple months, that's exactly what the Chiefs' new general manager and new coach have done, rolling up their sleeves and going to work on a massive overhaul project.
Matt Cassel is out at quarterback. Alex Smith is in. Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe has a long-term deal. Tyson Jackson restructured his massive contract. Veterans such as Eric Winston and Steve Breaston who didn't fit into the new plan have been jettisoned.
The result is a roster that has the same basic foundation as last year, when the Chiefs went 2-14, but a very different appearance from top to bottom.
''I feel we have upgraded our roster at certain positions that I thought we were weak,'' said Dorsey, who took over for departed GM Scott Pioli and orchestrated the team's renovation.
''We've added some depth and competition,'' he said. ''We've done that through free agency, through the college draft, and college free agency as well. I think we've made the roster competitive.''
He won't know for sure until the Chiefs get on the field next month. For now, though, the team on paper looks vastly improved.
The first significant move was to swing a trade with San Francisco for Smith, upgrading the most important position on the field in a year in which the draft appeared weak at quarterback.
Along with giving Bowe a long-term deal, Dorsey and Reid signed Pro Bowl punter Dustin Colquitt to an extension, and put the franchise tag on left tackle Branden Albert, who despite talks with the Miami Dolphins appears as if he'll still be with the Chiefs next season.
Then free agency hit, and the Chiefs started to fill the holes.
Sean Smith and Dunta Robinson were brought in to overhaul a secondary that needed help at cornerback opposite Brandon Flowers and depth across the board. Defensive lineman Mike DeVito should plug up the middle of the line, and linebacker Akeem Jordan will push for a starting job. Tight end Anthony Fasano and wide receiver Donnie Avery, both coveted free agents, are expected to give Smith more options in the passing game.
''You're not going to fill whatever you consider every hole with All-Star players, but I don't think you need to do that,'' Reid explained. ''We have a lot of guys here who have received a lot of accolades, with Pro Bowl appearances and the like, but you need worker bees in there, too.''
The Chiefs found a few of them in the draft.
With the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in 50 years - since the days of the old AFL - the Chiefs landed Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher, who is expected to start right away. He may begin at right tackle, but his long-term projection is as a stalwart left tackle.
The Chiefs found a complement to Fasano in tight end Travis Kelce, and a running back in Knile Davis who should help to take some of the burden off Pro Bowl ball carrier Jamaal Charles.
Kansas City plugged a few more holes on the final day of the draft, grabbing Nico Johnson out of Alabama to compete at middle linebacker in the fourth round. Defensive back Sanders Commings will push for playing time, center Eric Kush could turn out to be a sleeper of the draft, and defensive end Mike Catapano was highly regarded coming out of Princeton.
Among the college free agents that the Chiefs lured to camp is Tyler Bray, the former Tennessee quarterback with the big arm who left school early only to go undrafted. He should push Ricky Stanzi for the No. 3 job during summer workouts, and perhaps even push backup Chase Daniel.
Of course, the words ''should'' and ''could'' get thrown around a lot this time of year.
Reid knows there's no way to judge success until the Chiefs get on the field.
''I think we are OK,'' he said. ''We've got to get the scheme down now, we've got to continue to work hard and gel as a football team and do those things. I'd addressed our team before the draft that we were going to bring an influx of new players in here for competition and to understand that it's to make us better. Competition brings out the best in everybody.''
The rookies will be first on the field for the Chiefs, taking part in a three-day minicamp that starts May 10. The rest of the team will join them the following week for the start of organized team activities, although even that work is limited.
It won't be until the Chiefs get to training camp in St. Joseph, Mo., in late July that they'll put on pads and get a true sense of where they are in their rebuilding.
''I feel really good right now, but I think it's an ongoing process,'' Dorsey said. ''I feel pretty good about going into camp. For the most part, I feel like the way we are going to camp, we are 95 percent there. This is kind of the way we are going to go to camp.''
2015 Kentucky Derby Odds
2015-04-15
Kentucky Derby week is one of the most thrilling times of the year. This race is known as "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" for its approximate time length.
Check 2015 KY Derby Schedule May 1 and 24 at Sportsbook.com
Odds to Win 2015 Kentucky Derby
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