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04/24/2009 - London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has been charged with two counts of improper conduct following the spitting storm which overshadowed last month's FA Cup clash with Hull City.
Fabregas was not part of the Gunners side which won a quarterfinal encounter 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on March 17.
However, his conduct after the final whistle when he entered the field of play and was alleged by the Hull management team to have spat in their direction, led to an investigation by the Football Association.
Tigers boss Phil Brown claimed the Spain midfielder spat at his number two, Brian Horton, and called on the FA to take action.
Brown has also been charged with improper conduct following comments he made after the game concerning referee Mike Riley.
"Fabregas faces two charges of improper conduct relating to his conduct on the pitch following the game," confirmed an FA statement. "One charge concerns his behaviour in coming onto the pitch after the final whistle, the second charge relates to an alleged spitting incident. The charges are based on submissions from Hull City and video evidence.
"Brown is charged with improper conduct and/or bringing the game into disrepute in relation to media comments made after the game concerning referee Mike Riley. Fabregas and Brown have until May 12 to respond."
Meanwhile, a bemused Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has revealed his surprise that his skipper is facing any disciplinary action over the incident.
Fabregas could face a domestic ban if found guilty of the improper conduct charges.
"I personally looked at the reports, at the video evidence and there is nothing in there against Cesc," claimed Wenger. "I don't know if we will appeal. I will see what we can do about that.
"At the start, I am not a great fan of appealing because I said we are very open to co-operate and now I don't think we should stop that. I am very positive that there was enough evidence in what I have seen that the case should have been dropped."
(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)
<< Phils head to Florida for key divisional set
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins have been cooled off since their hot
start to the season and will try to catch fire again in Friday's opener of a
three-game home series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Florida was just swept in thre
<< Red-hot Cardinals ready to renew rivalry with Cubs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An old-fashioned rivalry resumes this evening between the
St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs, as the NL Central rivals kick off a
three-game series at Busch Stadium.
Chicago recently won two of three games against St. Lo
<< Astros, Brewers to begin NL Central clash
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bottom-feeders in the NL Central Division get together this
evening in Houston, where the Astros will entertain the rival Milwaukee
Brewers for the first of three straight games at Minute Maid Park.
Milwaukee enters Friday
<< Tribe to open home series with struggling Twins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fausto Carmona likely won't receive the same kind of run
support he enjoyed his last time out, but still hopes to build upon his first
win of the season when the Cleveland Indians open a three-game series with the
Minnesota T
Chiefs sign C Niswanger, TE Curtis >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Chiefs announced that
restricted free agent center Rudy Niswanger signed his tender offer and also
announced the signing of free agent tight end Tony Curtis.
Niswanger has played i
Red Bulls switch focus to D.C. United >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York played great defense
for 87 minutes in Thursday's loss to Kansas City, but a third-minute goal off a
penalty kick - which came after the ejection of Carlos Johnson - spoiled a good
effo
Juve denies coach reports >>
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juventus has denied reports which suggested
they had earmarked AS Roma coach Luciano Spalletti as a potential summer
replacement for Claudio Ranieri.
Several newspapers in Italy claimed Juve offi
Hammers continue quest for place in Europe >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - West Ham is one of five teams that can make
a legitimate case for grabbing a spot in Europe by finishing in seventh place,
and with such a close group of teams in the middle of the table, the final
five ga
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
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