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11/10/2007 - Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An emotional Anthony Calvillo made his first visit to the Montreal Alouettes practice Friday for the first time since taking a leave of absence to be with his ailing wife.
Two weeks ago, Alexia Kontolemos was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma, a non- Hodgkin's lymphoma that is treatable. Kontolemos has already started chemotherapy treatments.
Calvillo again said he won't be back with the club for the rest of the season but added he's confident his wife will receive a clean bill of health in the off-season and that he will be back with the Alouettes in time for next season.
Calvillo, a steadying influence on the football field, needed time to compose himself when talking about how his teammates and the Alouettes organization have helped him through this very difficult time in his family's life.
"I told them I couldn't be around," he said. "They understood it, they did not question it and I thank them for that, for allowing me to be home."
In the 2007 season, Calvillo has amassed 3,608 passing yards and 17 touchdowns while throwing eight interceptions. Backup Marcus Brady was 1-1 as the club's starter in Calvillo's place and is expected to start Sunday when the Alouettes face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the East Division semifinal at Canad Inns Stadium.
BUONO FINED: B.C. Lions head coach/general manager Wally Buono was fined $1,000 by the CFL this week for disparaging comments he made about the league regarding the ejection of tackle Jason Jimenez from B.C.'s 25-24 win over Calgary last week.
Jimenez was ejected for rough play on the final play of the opening half after delivering a cut block on Calgary's Anthony Gargiulo. The Stampeders defensive lineman suffered a broken leg as well as torn ligaments and tendons as a result of the hit.
Gargiulo required surgery Monday to have a plate inserted into his leg and there are fears the injury could be career-threatening.
Buono was fined for publicly disagreeing with the decision to kick Jimenez out of the game.
The CFL is investigating Jimenez's hit and is expected to announce any sanctions against the player Monday. The Lions are off this week and will host either the Saskatchewan Roughriders or Calgary Stampeders in the West Division final next Sunday.
FOR HIRE: The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have some vacancies to fill this offseason.
This week, the Ticats fired general manager Marcel Desjardins after the club posted a miserable 3-15 record to finish last in the East Division for the third straight year. Team president Scott Mitchell said he had hoped to have a new GM in place by no later than December 1.
The new general manager will not only be in charge of rebuilding the Ticats into a playoff contender, but also decide the fate of head coach Charlie Taaffe. Taaffe, the former offensive coordinator at Maryland, completed his first full season in Hamilton and still has two more years remaining on his contract.
If Taaffe does stay in Hamilton, he will be on the lookout for new coaches as both offensive coordinator Mike Working and defensive coordinator Ed O'Neil won't be returning next season.
HUFNAGEL RETURN?: The Calgary Stampeders will have a new head coach next season.
John Hufnagel, the former New York Giants offensive coordinator, will replace Tom Higgins as head coach once the club's '07 season ends. Hufnagel has apparently agreed to a six-year contract that will pay him $2.5 million and also includes an ownership stake in the CFL club.
Higgins is completing his third season as the Stampeders coach, guiding the team to an under-achieving 7-10-1 record and third place in the West Division. Calgary takes on the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday in the conference semifinal game.
INCREASED ATTENDANCE: More than two million fans attended CFL games this year, the seventh straight season the league's total attendance has exceeded that level.
The league announced this week its average attendance this season was 29,167, the highest level since 1983. The CFL took in a total of 2,100,016 fans during the 2007 regular season.
"Attendance is the most significant symbol of the CFL's success and a core revenue generator for our teams," commissioner Mark Cohon said. "Our continued growth in attendance is a strong indicator of our league's positive momentum and underscores the growing passion Canadians have for our great game."
<< Henin, Sharapova advance to WTA Tour final
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justine Henin of Belgium and Russia's Maria
Sharapova were easy winners Saturday and will play for the title at the
season-ending WTA Tour Sony Ericsson Championships.
The top-seeded Henin disposed
<< Fletcher carries Hibs past Gretna
Gretna, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steven Fletcher scored his sixth goal of
the season in the 52nd minute to give Hibernian a 1-0 win over last-place
Gretna on Saturday at Fir Park Stadium.
After a scoreless first half that saw Hiber
<< Dallas' Modano setting the bar high
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Everyone needs a role model, and in certain situations,
that person is sometimes hard to come by.
Take hockey in the United States. A distant thought in the minds of many
citizens in the land of the free, the fastest game
<< Bundesliga gets tight at the top
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top of the Bundesliga standings got
much tighter on Saturday as league-leaders Bayern Munich were knocked off 3-1
by Stuttgart, while Hamburg's 1-1 draw with Schalke allowed Werder Bremen to
move in
Hibbert powers Georgetown to season-opening win >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Hibbert scored 23 points and grabbed
eight rebounds to lead fifth-ranked Georgetown past the William & Mary Tribe,
68-53, in the season-opener for both schools at the Verizon Center. Jessie
Sapp a
Bowyer on Busch pole at PIR >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nextel Cup driver Clint Bowyer won the pole for
Saturday afternoon's Arizona.Travel 200 at the Phoenix International Raceway.
The No.2 Chevrolet circled the one-mile oval in 27.077 seconds (132.954
m.p.h.)
Torres sparks late rally for Liverpool >>
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fernando Torres came on as a second-
half substitute on Saturday at Anfield and scored in the 81st minute before
Steven Gerrard converted from the penalty spot to give Liverpool a 2-0 win
over Fu
Nabokov the lone Shark in the tank this year >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A rising trend in the National Football League is teams
going to a two-running back system to control ground games. The philosophy is
that two heads at such a crucial position are better than one.
Sometimes that works in
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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