Vlippers Basketball Betting News

<< Garciaparra healthy, ready to go for Dodgers
VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) -Nomar Garciaparra couldn't help but smile when asked about the apparent power shortage in the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup.The question was reasonable, since the Dodgers ranked next-to-last in the NL with 153 homers last season

<< Damon rejoins Yankees
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -Yankees center fielder Johnny Damon rejoined the team Monday after a two-day excused absence to tend to a personal matter.Damon spent the weekend at home with his family in the Orlando area. He didn't discuss specifics, but said th

<< Niedermayer lifts Ducks over Avalanche
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Niedermayer's goal with 3:23 left in the third period proved to be the game-winner, as the Ducks earned a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. Niedermayer also had two assists, and Andy McDonald c

<< Martin guides Kings past Pacers; Artest misses game
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Martin scored 35 points, grabbed five rebounds and had three steals as Sacramento downed Indiana, 110-93, at Conseco Fieldhouse. The Kings won despite toiling without the services of enigma

Nuggets try to get on same page against Grizzlies >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets try to put the brakes on a four- game losing streak this evening when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedExForum. Denver became Dallas' 19th straight victim at home on Saturday when they fell to

Spurs aim to extend winning streak against Raptors >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs try to keep pace in the Southwest standings tonight when they host the Toronto Raptors at AT&T Center. San Antonio won its fifth straight game on Saturday, a 102-71 victory over Seattle, but despite t

New-look Thrashers head to Boston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers hope the recent additions to their lineup will translate to improved play and they'll test that theory tonight, when they visit the Boston Bruins at TD Banknorth Garden. The Thrashers are just 2-7-2 i

Habs, Leafs clash in Montreal >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of the best rivalries in sports resumes this evening, as the Montreal Canadiens open the doors of the Bell Centre for a battle with the Toronto Maple Leafs. This series between two of the Original Six franchises is alw

FOOTBALL TRASH TALK

Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).

Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.

Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).

Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.

Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.

The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.

What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.

Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.

But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.

In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.