2011 Pro Bowl to be played before Super Bowl XLV

Football Betting Lines

03/02/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Football League announced on Tuesday that the 2011 Pro Bowl, which is to return to Honolulu after a one- year absence, will be once again played the week before the Super Bowl.

The decision to hold the game, which features the NFL's best players, the week before Super Bowl XLV in Arlington, Texas was made easier after ratings for the 2010 game were the best since 2000.

"Playing the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl generated more excitement and interest in the event and also kicked off Super Bowl week in an innovative new way," said league senior vice president of events Frank Supovitz. "We are pleased to return to the State of Hawaii, which has embraced the Pro Bowl for 30 years.

The contest will return to Aloha Stadium in Honolulu for both 2011 and 2012. The NFL had announced major changes to their annual All-Star event last season, moving the 2010 Pro Bowl to Miami and playing it one week prior to the Super Bowl.

The Pro Bowl had been played one week after the championship game and was hosted by Honolulu from 1980 through 2009. Texas last hosted a Pro Bowl in 1973, at the then-new Texas Stadium in Irving.

Wwwjazzsports Football Betting News

<< RSL releases pair of veterans, pair of rookies
Sandy, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake waived midfielder/forward Rachid El Khalifi and forward Abe Thompson and released rookie defenders Kris Banghart and Justin Davis from its preseason camp, the Major League Soccer club an

<< Liverpool's Skrtel could miss rest of season
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel could struggle to return to first-team action before the end of the season after being told he faces an eight-week lay-off with a broken metatarsal. He suffered the

<< Flyers D Parent activated off IR, returns Tuesday
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers activated defenseman Ryan Parent from injured reserve on Tuesday, and will return to action Tuesday as the club faces the Tampa Bay Lightning. Parent had successful surgery in late Jan

<< Wild sign D Zidlicky to three-year extension
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman Marek Zidlicky to a three-year contract extension through the 2012-13 season. Zidlicky is fourth on the Wild in scoring with five goals and 31 assists in 60 games

<< Rachel Alexandra has last work before year's debut
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rachel Alexandra, 2009 Horse of the Year, had her final major workout Tuesday morning before her 2010 debut. The four- year-old filly breezed six-furlongs at the Fair Grounds in preparation for the $20

PSG bans fans from away matches >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PSG will not make tickets available to its fans for road matches following a fight last weekend that left a supporter in critical condition, club President Robin Leproux said Tuesday. A 38-year-old PSG f

Tottenham's Huddlestone suffers ligament damage >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tottenham has confirmed that a scan has shown that Tom Huddlestone suffered damage to the ligaments in his right ankle during Sunday's 2-1 victory against Everton. The former Derby County midfielder w

Ellis, Biedrins expected to miss Warriors' five-game road trip >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Golden State Warriors will likely be without guard Monta Ellis and center Andris Biedrins for the duration of the club's five-game road trip beginning Tuesday in Miami. Neither traveled with the

Jags bring back WR Williamson >>
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to terms with wide receiver Troy Williamson on a contract Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Williamson, who was acquired by Jacksonville from Minnesota

Schalke signs teenage midfielder Matip >>
Gelsenkirchen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Schalke signed teenage midfielder Joel Matip to a 3 1/2-year contract Tuesday. Matip, 18, made his Bundesliga debut in November and has played 12 matches. He has two goals. He could earn his first

Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.

Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.