Patrick Anderson: Wheelchair Basketball StarWritten by Stephen Michael Kerr
Winning one Paralympic gold medal is challenging enough. Winning two in consecutive Paralympics is even more difficult. But that's exactly what Patrick Anderson and his Canadian Wheelchair Basketball team did, whipping Austrailia, 70-53 in finals Sept. 28 to capture their second gold in as many Paralympics. Regarded as one of best players in world by his peers and media, Anderson helped Canada completely dominate Austrailians from start to finish. Canada, winners of eight straight, led 21-14 after first quarter, then took a 37-26 lead into locker room at halftime and never looked back. Anderson, named Most Valuable Player of tournament, poured in 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in finals. He also showed his crisp passing ability by dishing out seven assists. Teammate and close friend Joey Johnson led all scorers with 15 points. "It is a strange feeling, a strange emotion," Anderson says of winning gold. "It is like being inside a bubble. We needed to win, and we did." As a kid, Wheelchair Basketball was last thing on Anderson's mind. Born Aug. 22, 1979 in Edmonton, Alberta, he took up sport many able-bodied kids in his country played: ice hockey. He was enjoying rewards of sport, and joys of being a kid. But all that abruptly changed. One day, when Anderson was nine, he was struck by a drunk driver at a picnic, and became paralyzed for life. Instead of allowing accident to permanently end his physically active lifestyle, Anderson showed same courage and tenacity he displays on court. Once he became involved in Wheelchair Basketball, he was hooked.
| | Six Reasons Why Underdogs Are the Smart Bet in the NFLWritten by Wunderdog
Underdog or favorite? It’s a choice we make 16 times per week during NFL regular season. While there are certainly times when favorites warrant our attention, my experience tells me that betting underdogs is best way to make money in NFL. Here are six reasons why you should pay special attention dogs this NFL season.1. NFL Parity The NFL has made great strides to achieve rough equality among teams. It has succeeded. Just look at these SuperBowl teams from past several years: St. Louis in 2000, Baltimore in 2001, New England in 2002, Tampa Bay in 2003, and Carolina last year. None of these teams were supposed to make it that far but they all did and many won, despite losing records year before. Unlike college game, any given team can win on Sunday in NFL. Why not get some points to boot? 2. A Win is a Win Again, unlike in College, there is no need to blow-out a team. Favorites that get up early don't typically run up score in NFL. It doesn’t serve a purpose and in most cases, coaches would rather not embarrass their opponent and/or risk injury to their stars. In NFL, big leads often dwindle, with underdogs covering late in game. 3. The Rodney Dangerfield Effect Underdogs don't get any respect! They don't get it from public, sometimes leading to higher than deserved spreads. More importantly, they don't get it from their opposition. Good teams can sometimes take bad teams lightly (especially if players and coaches minds are on other things, like next week's tougher opponent). Research and an understanding of historical trends can reveal great situations in which underdogs are poised for an upset. 4. The Public Can't Help Itself The average bettor loves popular teams (favorites), oftentimes pushing lines unreasonably high. We saw it during 90’s with Dallas and San Francisco. In fact, almost every week, with right research, you can spot teams that should be favorites but are getting points against a popular team that has been installed as a favorite due to public "bandwagon effect.” For example, last year Kansas City visited Cincinnati in week 10. The Chiefs had won nine straight and seemed invincible. In hindsight, Cincinnati was easy underdog pick. Kansas City’s defense was ranked 25th in league at time. Cincinnati was on a roll having won 3 of their last four games and Rudi Johnson was coming into his own. Cincinnati had emotional edge and nothing to lose by taking a shot at an undefeated team they knew they could beat. However, public couldn’t get over Kansas City’s success and spot this situation.
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