If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again

Anyone else see that crazy new penalty called on the New England Patriots in overtime last Sunday against the New York Jets? Being a contrarian type bettor I went against the public and took the home dog Jets so this outcome was in my favor but still find it odd how the referee's control game after game.

According to one site the Patriots had the most lopsided betting action on them for the whole NFL week with over 70% of the action coming in on them at -3.5 and the percentage even higher for moneyline bettors. Anytime I see these high percentages I usually go opposite or stay away from that game altogether. Seeing this crazy line and percentage I had a feeling I might see a strange outcome. I honestly believe this was a game that was predetermined for the Jets to cover.

Late in the fourth quarter, down three, the Patriots charged down the field and tied up the game with a field goal. Down to the Jets 26 yard line and then Brady throws three straight incomplete passes. I understand his receivers are new but I believe they easily could have scored a touchdown instead of this field goal especially the way they drove down field so efficiently. I think the manipulation was started here. If the Patriots scored a touchdown they would have gone up by 4 which would covered the spread and not given the Jets much time to drive back down field. I was kind of expecting a missed field goal but they didn't and the game went to overtime. The Patriots did nothing with their first drive but the Jets certainly did with the call of a new penalty, an overtime victory and more importantly they won outright and covered the all important spread. After Nick Folk of the Jets missed a 56 yard field goal a strange new penalty was called which gave the Jets a new set of downs and a shorter field goal made on the next attempt by Folk to win the game 30-27. Unsportsmanlike conduct was called on New England defensive tackle Chris Jones but this was actually part of a new rule. Rule 9-1-3 says, "Team B players cannot push teammates on the line of scrimmage into the offensive formation." Coach Belichick of the Patriots went ballistic and sports new sources around the country were looking for explanations as well. Click here for the best explanation but in my opinion this was just another manipulated game that should have ended earlier. Thanks to the referees the team that is supposed to win will eventually get there even if they have to try, try again. Controversial as sports sources call it or was it just plain fixed?

80-Year-Old Weightlifter Busted for Steroids

According to news outlets like the Associated Press and Fox Sports, 80-year-old weightlifter Don Ramos has recently been suspended for two years by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for testing positive for steroids. Ramos tested positive in June while attempting an age group world record at the Pan American Masters Weightlifting Championships. While most people suspect the young for steroid use this just goes to show the elderly use as well. When it comes to competitions and unfair advantages age does not matter.

El Salvador Bans 14 Soccer Players for Life for Match Fixing

In a follow up to our feature about El Salvador investigating national Soccer players for match fixing they have now handed down lifetime bans on 14 current and former national team players with several others receiving suspensions from one to eighteen months while even more players are still being investigated according to multiple new sources including MLSSoccer.com.

Ray Lewis & Terrell Suggs Say Blackout was Conspiracy Against Ravens

The power outage of Super Bowl XLVII has been making news again but this time from Baltimore Ravens players Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs.

Last month Ray Lewis told NFL Films' that he believes the lights went out as a conspiracy against the Ravens according to Nate Davis of USA Today. Lewis also said, "I'm not gonna accuse nobody of nothing because I don't know know facts. But you're a zillion dollar company, and your lights go out? No. No way. But you cannot tell me somebody wasn't sitting there and when they say, 'The Ravens are about to blow them out. Man, we better do something.' That's a huge shift in any game, in all seriousness. And as you see how huge it was because it let them right back in the game."

Earlier this week Terrell Suggs went even further to say Commission Roger Goodell was behind this. Suggs told ESPN, "I was like Vegas, parlor tricks, you know what I mean? I was like, ahh, Roger Goodell, he never stops, he always has something up his sleeve. He just couldn't let us have this one in a landslide, huh? I thought he had a hand in it. Most definitely, he had a hand in it."

To revisit what happen, the Baltimore Ravens were leading 28-6 early in the third quarter of Super Bowl XLVII when the power outage occurred. Once the power and game resumed the San Francisco 49ers then rattled off 17 points but Baltimore ultimately ended up winning 34-31 after a late drive by the 49ers failed. Just to note the Ravens were 4.5 dogs the total was 47.5 so the outcome of the sides would not have changed unless San Francisco put up two additional scores. Regardless, any time stoppage can change momentum in a team for the better or worse and you have to wonder how could this happen during the biggest game of the year? Did Roger Goodell have some hand in this to keep the game interesting by having a close finish? Pretty damning stories when two top players are making these accusations.

NASCAR Chase Adds 13th Spot

Anyone notice a 13th spot in this years NASCAR Chase? All major news outlets including Yahoo Sports picked up on this debacle a couple of weeks ago.

It all began at the last pre-Chase race in Richmond on September 7th. With six laps to go both current leader Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon were in place to clinch spots in the Chase with Newman ready to claim a wild card spot and Gordon ready to claim the 10th guaranteed spot. On this lap Clint Boyer spun out, many of whom called this spin intentional which we will get to in a second. On the restart Newman lost the lead and his wild card spot in the Chase to Martin Truex Jr. and Jeff Gordan lost enough spots to turn over his tenth guaranteed position in the Chase to Joey Logano. This one spin out and resulting restart took out Newman and Gordon from the Chase and ultimately replaced them with Truex and Logano. We often see NASCAR race finishes full of wrecks as drivers go all out to win races but this one car spin out caused quite a controversy that was just beginning.

First, Truex was penalized which ultimately dropped him from the Chase and allowed Newman back in however Boyer was never mentioned or penalized probably because he did not qualify for the Chase anyways. Second and the most damning news I have read from multiple sources was that radio communications between Front Row Motorsports and Penske Motorsports spoke of fixing race positioning to allow Logano to move up and make the Chase. Last but not least NASCAR then announced they would add a 13th spot to the Chase for Gordan after what had just unfolded in the days prior.

Talk about a dirty and fixed sport when you have the governing body making these changes and the drivers and owners making deals to manipulate spots via spin outs and more. Live reporters never inquire about fixes but check out the video above for more insight and how big this mess became.

Taking a Dive in the NFL

Although we already know NFL teams and their players do this, a couple of weeks ago former Chicago Bears player Brian Urlacher admitted that NFL defenses including the Bears would occasionally fake injuries to slow fast-paced offenses. Shortly after this admission the NFL sent a reminder notice to all 32 teams to remind them that faking injuries can warrant disciplinary action. I think the NFL and its fans will now be scrutinizing injured players a little more than before. Momentum in sports can change in the blink of an eye and may ultimately change the course of game.

Did Bobby Riggs Throw the Battle of the Sexes Tennis Match?

Forty years later multiple news sources including Yahoo Sports have found new information that the 'Battle of the Sexes' tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Bill Jean King was fixed. This historic match between 55-year-old tennis star and former champion Bobby Riggs and then 29-year-old phenom Bill Jean King would settle the bragging rights for the gender that won however it might have been a sham all along.

Riggs was known as a hustler in his early days often losing early matches on purpose to then come back and beat his opponents handily. As years went by he became associated with those that had Mafia ties. Because of his past and associations, London betting parlors didn't take action on this match.

Earlier that year Riggs already easily beat the number one female tennis player so how could he possibly lose to King, the current number two female tennis player? Odds makers installed Riggs as the favorite and according to most very few put any money on King. Of course the unthinkable happened and King defeated Riggs in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 and 6-3.

Forty years later a golf pro in Tampa by the name of Hal Shaw has come forward with new information on this questionable match. Fearing retribution Shaw kept his secret until now and decided to finally set the record straight. According to Jay Busbee at Yahoo Sports, "Shaw recently told ESPN's Outside the Lines that he heard several notable Mafia figures, including Santo Trafficante Jr. and Carlos Marcello, discussing how Riggs would throw the match in order to pay off more than $100,000 in gambling debts."

Many questioned this match as it unfolded and maybe the truth has finally been revealed, it was fixed.    

The Ladies of MMA on the Juice Too

MMA fighters often claim high usage rates of steroids, PED's, TRT usage and more among their fellow fighters which I wouldn't be surprised about being such a physical sport. What does surprise me is the number of female fighters doing the same. Carina Damm has recently been linked to this seedy side of the sport for a second time. Damm was the first female MMA fighter to be suspended in the United States for steroid use after testing positive for Nandrolone back in 2008. Just recently she submitted a pre-fight urine sample that was found to be some other substance than urine for her bout this past June against Jessica Eye which she lost via unanimous decision. Damm was fined $550 and suspended six months by the Ohio State Athletic Commission. Just like her last suspension, Damm went back to fight in her native Brazil who seem to have lax testing standards and do not have to honor suspensions from other countries. With Cris Cyborg and Carina Damm found guilty and several female fighters drawing suspicion I wonder how rampant steroid and PED usage is in Women's MMA?

Pit Crew Helps IndyCar Driver Win Race

Last Sunday at the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma the IndyCar team of Will Power found themselves involved in some questionable tactics. Driver Scott Dixon came in for a pit stop followed by driver Will Power whose pit box was directly in front of Dixon's. Upon exiting his pit box Dixon clipped Travis Law, a crew member from Will Power's team. These accidents do happen from time to time but after a closer look it appeared that Law didn't even bother to avoid Dixon's car, was in no rush at all and clearly left the tire he was holding hanging out as if trying to make Dixon swing out farther. Once the replays were shown you can here the announcers make the same conclusion and also state that this should not be blamed on Dixon. Why is this being scrutinized so much? If Dixon had won the race (lead lap numbers 34-45 of 85 total) he quite possibly could have taken the series point lead but instead is now sitting 39 points behind the leader. At the time of this incident Dixon was leading the race but was give a drive-through penalty which dropped him to 21st place and ultimately finished 15th. Instead, Power ended up taking the checkered flag at Sonoma. Check out the video and let us know what you think.

El Salvador Soccer Match Fixing

A couple of days ago El Salvador became the latest country embroiled in a soccer match fixing controversy. The countries soccer federation has suspended 22 national team players as they investigate the matches listed below. Raids took place at the homes of 11 players that included seizures of cell phones, tablets, computers and more. Rumors are that prosecutors do have substantial evidence including money laundering. Federation president Carlos Mendez Cabezas stated that El Salvador will not play games until complaints of these matches are resolved.

• 2-1 loss to the United States in February 2010
• 1-0 loss to D.C. United in July 2010
• 5-0 loss to Mexico in July 2011
• 4-1 loss to Paraguay in February 2012

Nigerian Soccer Players and Officials Banned for Life

Several weeks ago two Nigerian amateur soccer teams were vying for one spot in the professional ranks. In the last game of the season, both The Plateau United Feeders and the Police Machine teams both playing at the same time needed to win and edge the other in goal differential to be promoted. Unfortunately players from both these teams, both their opponents and the officials allowed a free for all of goal scoring. The Police Machine ended up winning 67-0 and the Feeders topped that with a win of 79-0. Obviously suspicious and fixed, the Nigeria Football Federation banned players from all four teams and the match officials for life and the four clubs were suspended for ten years. Hope they enjoyed a lifetime of goals in that one day since they will never score another.

MLB Suspends those Players Involved with Biogenesis

Earlier this week Major League Baseball handed down suspensions as expected to those players involved with performance enhancing drugs (PED) and the Biogenesis company. Some names bigger than others and some will have additional consequences as their teams with be without them during the playoff race. The biggest name, Alex Rodriguez will continue to play while he appeals his suspension. I personally don't think that he should be allowed to play with the playoff race going on and his affect on that. Can sports really keep ahead of the PED game? This is a major statement from MLB but this has been going on for how many years now? Who know how many players are truly on the juice and other pharmaceutical goodies.

Suspensions due to Biogenesis:

-Alex Rodriguez - 211 games
-Cesar Carrillo - 100 games already served
-Ryan Braun - 65 games
-Antonio Bastardo - 50 games
-Everth Cabrera - 50 games
-Francisco Cervelli - 50 games
-Nelson Cruz - 50 games
-Fautino De Los Santos - 50 games
-Sergio Escalona - 50 games
-Fernando Martinez - 50 games
-Jesus Montero - 50 games
-Jordan Norberto - 50 games
-Jhonny Peralta - 50 games
-Cesar Puello - 50 games
-Jordany Valdespin - 50 games
-Melky Cabrera - 50 games already served
-Bartolo Colon - 50 games already served
-Yasmani Grandal - 50 games already served

Biogenesis Scandal Expands to Other Major Sports

Biogenesis, the Miami anti-aging clinic tied to performance enhancing drug (PED) use by baseball players has wider list of professional athletes tied to them than first believed. Initially thought to be tied to just MLB players, now reports from SB Nation and others are linking NBA, MMA, boxing and tennis players. Former Biogenesis employee Porter Fischer divulged the information about the companies owner Tony Bosch and who they provided PED's to in an interview with ESPN's "Outside the Lines". Ryan Braun in baseball has already accepted a season ending 65 game suspension from MLB. So who will be next and from which sport?

Track and Field Stars Fail Drug Tests

It was recently reported that several top track and field super stars had recently failed drug tests for banned substances. Two of the fastest men in the world in the 100m, Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell along with 4x100m relay sprinter Sherone Simpson and Women's discus thrower Allison Randall all recently failed drug tests. This is starting to sound like the cycling world all over again. Knowingly or not a professional athlete has to be extremely careful in what they take and eat. Next month's World Championships 100m and 200m events won't be the same without Gay and Powell.