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Though Kill the Umpire was a comedy film from 1950, its themes—one of which is violence towards umpires—are all too real.On Friday, Texas Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba joined an infamous list of players who have punched, struck, spat on or otherwise battered or assaulted umpires during or immediately following a professional baseball game.Torrealba joins a list of All-Stars and ne'er-do-wells who have committed the cardinal sin of displaying violent conduct against a sports official.Unfortunately, the list of guilty MLB players and coaches is a lengthy one. From Babe Ruth to Roberto Alomar, Jose Offerman and beyond, many professional baseball players have ...

The 2011-12 NBA regular season tips off in two days and Las Vegas bookmakers couldn't be happier due to the football season winding down.Sports bettors will find plenty of action on the odds board with five games scheduled on Sunday, but proposition wagers are becoming the talk of the town due to fantasy basketball followers.Let's take a closer look at which NBA player will likely finish as the high scorer on Christmas Day.Begin Slideshow

The NBA season is sitting under a Christmas tree with all of us starring at the big package just counting down the days until Sunday. Opening day provides us with five terrific games with must-watch storylines in all of them. Who is too old? Who needs a fast start? How fast can new players adjust? Plenty of unanswered questions that have yet to be figured out remain. Here are the first five predictions of the year with the spreads being the bow on top: (Courtesy of Covers.com) Boston Celtics +3.5 at New York Knicks The Celtics know they must get ...

Quick Note: This is a research-based paper I wrote for my English 101 class at Arizona State University. Focusing on Hoop Dreams I take a look at the paths of Arthur Agee and William Gates in Chicago's Inner City. I then go onto critically analyze the claim the movie makes while also finding information to support that claim. It's quite a bit of a read (seven pages double-spaced), but bear with me and I hope you will enjoy it. I'll try and break up all the paragraphs so they're easier to read.  Sports are the present…and the future. No, not the ...

With teams like the San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles all making late-season surges, it can get tricky feeling confident when placing bets.But, whether it's because of injuries, favorable matchups or the point spread, there are sure bets each week. And here are three of them. Click the link for a full view of the Week 16 NFL Line. Also, all FAVORITES are in CAPS.SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (at Seattle Seahawks) -2.5The Seahawks may be surging, however the 49ers quickly regained themselves thanks to a big Monday night win over Pittsburgh.RB Marshawn Lynch may be a beast and tough to ...

The road dogs are looking rather appetizing in Week 16. Here are three shoo-in’s to beat the spread and provide you with some holiday cheer: (Spreads courtesy of Covers.com)   Minnesota Vikings +6.5 at Washington Redskins The Redskins are coming off a highly emotional victory over a division-rival and are ripe for a letdown. The more they win, the less of an opportunity they have to score a high draft pick to get a quarterback. Rex Grossman is wildly inconsistent and after a few good outings, he’s due for another horrific one, especially with Jared Allen breathing down his neck. Sure the Vikings ...

The Arizona State Sun Devils (6-6) and Boise State Broncos (11-1) will face off in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas Thursday night inside Sam Boyd Stadium in a contest that will be televised on ESPN.Oddsmakers opened up the Broncos as 11.5-point neutral-field favorites and the betting odds were immediately pushed higher to their current level of 14 up and down the Las Vegas strip.Let's take a closer look at this Mountain West versus Pac-12 contest from a betting perspective.Begin Slideshow

The favorites in the NFL are meant to dominate, but sometimes they struggle to succeed, which will frustrate many. In Week 16, some will cover with ease, while others will struggle mightily. Whether they're out for revenge, playing a much weaker opponent or the line is just too good, certain favorites will live up to their expectations.  With that said, here are three favorites that will cover the spread in Week 16.    New England (-9.5)  The Patriots will take on the Miami Dolphins this weekend, and even though Tom Brady may not throw for over 500 yards again, he's ...

The stakes are reaching titanic levels and some teams simply have to win to keep their playoff chances alive. The linesmakers haven’t factored in some of this desperation and are being blinded by the location of the game. Here are three road dogs that will not only beat the spread, but win outright: (Spreads courtesy of Covers.com)  New York Giants +3 at New York Jets Both teams were blown out last week and both teams are in must-win situations this week. The big difference in this matchup is that the Jets pass offense is by far the worst unit on ...

There are only two weeks left of NFL regular season action before the playoffs are upon us and there are far fewer games to wager on. That means you have just a couple of games to continue your hot streak or earn back your losses before the lines tighten up. Here are some surefire bets you must lock up this week to guarantee some winnings.   New York Jets (-3) vs. New York Giants Rex Ryan is dead right when he says, “Certainly, we were the better team the first two years. We made the playoffs and went to the ...