Haslem's attorney: NBA player will be vindicated

Basketball Betting Lines

08/16/2010 -

MIAMI (AP) -A passenger in Udonis Haslem's vehicle told the Florida Highway Patrol that marijuana found after a weekend traffic stop on a South Florida highway was his. The Miami Heat forward's lawyer believes that should vindicate the NBA veteran.

Eric Schwartzreich, Haslem's attorney, said Monday that the State Attorney's Office is reviewing the arrest paperwork, a process that should be completed in the coming days. Haslem was arrested Sunday afternoon and charged with possessing more than 20 grams of marijuana, a third-degree felony, along with four counts of possessing drug paraphernalia.

``He's a little rattled,'' Schwartzreich said. ``He's upset. He doesn't know how he can be charged with this.''

Haslem was freed from custody late Sunday night, about seven hours after a trooper pulled him over for driving 78 mph in a 60 mph zone on the Gratigny Parkway. Haslem's 2008 Mercedes sedan was searched multiple times, and marijuana was eventually found in a blue nylon bag that the Heat player's passenger, Antwain Fleming, said belonged to him.

Both were transported into police custody. Court records show Fleming faces a charge of possessing less than 20 grams of marijuana, a first-degree misdemeanor. It's unclear why Haslem could face the stiffer charge.

``We are confident Udonis Haslem will be vindicated,'' Schwartzreich said. ``We have a situation where the passenger admits the marijuana was his and Mr. Haslem tells police nothing was in the vehicle.

``I think the police report speaks for itself,'' Schwartzreich added. ``I am hopeful that Udonis Haslem will not be charged.''

Haslem's car, worth more than $100,000, may face forfeiture, according to court records. The speeding ticket brings a $269 fine, and FHP spokesman Sgt. Mark Wysocky said Haslem was also cited for having illegal window tint.

The Heat have not commented on Haslem's arrest.

Haslem has spent all seven of his NBA seasons with the Heat, and the South Florida native signed a new five-year contract to stay with the team last month.

``He is our anchor, he is a true warrior and a great professional,'' Heat president Pat Riley said in July, after Haslem announced he would forgo higher-paying offers elsewhere to stay in Miami and continue playing alongside Dwyane Wade, plus team up with marquee acquisitions LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

During his NBA career, Haslem has averaged 10.0 points and 8.1 rebounds for Miami, helping the Heat win the 2006 NBA championship.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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College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.