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02/07/2007 -
BOSTON (AP) -Sure, Doc Rivers heard whispers about John Amaechi's sexuality when they were both in Orlando. But here's what the former Magic coach knew for sure: Amaechi was a good scorer, a decent rebounder, a little bit of a defensive liability and ``a fantastic kid.''
``He's better than a good kid; he's a fantastic kid,'' Rivers said Wednesday night after learning that Amaechi acknowledged he is gay. ``John Amaechi, when I was coaching him, was a great kid. He did as much charity work as anybody in our city, and he's still doing it. That's what I wish we focused on.
``Unfortunately, we're talking about his sexual orientation, which I couldn't care a flying flip about.''
Rivers was a rookie head coach when he took over the Magic in 1999-00, a team that finished .500 despite starting four undrafted players. Amaechi was one of them, and Rivers was chosen as the NBA's coach of the year.
``He was great for me, he was great for the team,'' Rivers said Wednesday night before Boston's game against the Miami Heat. ``That was one of the stronger locker rooms I ever had.''
Although teammates may have suspected Amaechi is gay, no one treated him any differently because of it, Rivers said. As for the coach: ``It was none of my business.''
``It was brought up to me and you look and say, 'So what? Can he rebound? Can he shoot? Can he defend?''' Rivers said before joking about Amaechi's defensive shortcomings. ``But with everything else, he was great.''
Amaechi is one of a handful of athletes from one of the major U.S. team sports to publicly acknowledge their homosexuality - all of them after their retirement. Rivers acknowledged that an active player would probably face harassment from teammates or fans, an assumption that probably keeps many from coming out.
``It was difficult for people to watch Jackie Robinson, and they got used to it. They started watching him and started cheering for him,'' Rivers said. ``It would be difficult for fans if the guy couldn't play. That's what's difficult to me, nothing else should matter.''
But it's inside the locker room that the gay athlete could face his toughest challenge. Although players are used to being jeered by fans, the prospect of being rejected by his teammates is at least as likely to be the reason that no active player in a men's professional team sport has come out.
Rivers said that teammates tease each other for all kinds of reasons, and it's likely sexual preference would soon become one of them.
``We're all insensitive at times,'' he said. ``There's no taboo subject in the locker room. I think if he would have come out, they would have got on him jokingly. They would have held no punches and they would have made fun of him just like they make fun of guys here.
``But that's the locker room, and that's not going to change. And I actually think that when guys do come out, when that day happens, it will make it easier. I can't wait until it's not an issue.''
Rivers said that if Amaechi had come to him, player to coach, ready to go public, he would have encouraged him to do so.
``I think when you're brave enough to make that statement, or any statement, and you're ready to come out about anything, then you should do it,'' Rivers said. ``You have to understand there will be a backlash. At least there's going to be a discussion, but I would tell them to do it. I would tell him to keep scoring, keep rebounding and do it.
``I don't know if we'll see that anytime soon. But it wouldn't bother me at all.''
Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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