If you find yourself wandering aimlessly through the desert, the last thing you want to see is a mirage. Sure, the palm trees, the big, blue lake with the fountain in the middle and an army of bikini clad bartenders catering to your every whim would seem perfect when you see it, but imagine your disappointment when you realize that it isn’t real. A handful of sand just wouldn’t taste as good as a margarita fed to you by the Olsen Twins. In much the same way, a team that seems like it is a good bet until you get your money on it, at which point it reveals itself as a hopeless loser, is every bettor’s nightmare.

The Oregon Ducks are a team that has already revealed themselves as a betting mirage. They are 18-1 and perched at the top of the tough Pac-10, so the casual bettor might think that they are a good bet. At the start of the season they were. The public wasn’t believing in them yet, so they started out 7-3 against the spread. Since conference play started the team is a very respectable 7-1, but they are just 2-5 ATS. They are winning and looking good, but they are costing loyal bettors a fortune. They are a mirage. Here’s a look at four more teams that could be worth a fade:

Washington State – The Cougars are a team on the rise. They are playing in a conference that’s getting a lot of respect, and they are climbing up the rankings. They stomped their bitter rivals at Washington in December and that really set the ball rolling. After a rough 3-5 start ATS, the team reeled off seven straight covers. It was during that time that the team started getting more press and rising in the polls. They have won two of their last three games, but covered in just one of them. They, were, however, close to the spread in both ATS losses. That means that the public shift in opinion probably caused the line to move enough that any possible value evaporated. If they keep winning, expect the public to continue to drive lines up, creating possibilities for a play on their opponent.

Indiana State – The Sycamores have been a betting dream this year. They are a brilliant 12-4 ATS. The problem is, though, that two of the games in which they haven’t covered have come in the last four games. That’s indicative of a much bigger problem for Larry Bird’s alma mater – conference play has not been kind to them. They fattened up early in the year with impressive wins over Creighton, Butler, Wichita State and Purdue, but the weak early losses to Middle Tennessee State and a pretty dismal Ball State team were perhaps more telling of what the future held in store. They have lost their last four games in a row, including a blowout loss to Bradley that they really should have won. If that’s a sign of things to come then a team that has been a joy to bet on will lose all of its fun.

Illinois – The Fighting Illini, at 15-7, are playing decent basketball, though they still haven’t found another killer set of guards to replace the brilliant ones that led them during their recent glory days. Against the spread, however, the team has been an unmitigated disaster. At 4-13 ATS they are the second least profitable team in the entire country. To make matters worse, they covered their first two games, and then went on a dismal 0-12 streak. There is a light flickering at the end of the tunnel, though, even if it isn’t a bright spotlight yet – they’ve covered two of their last three. There are still signs that the team is held in higher regard than they probably should be – they were only 1.5-point underdogs against a very good Wisconsin team on Saturday, and the Badgers beat them fairly easily. The Illini are heading into a relatively easy stretch for the next few games, so they stand a fairly good chance of turning their betting record around and finally rewarding bettors who want to believe in the ball that they are playing.

West Virginia – The ATS shine has already dimmed a bit for the Pittsnogle-less Mountaineers, but there’s a pretty good chance that the ATS decline that they have started on could continue. John Beilein’s team started the season at 13-1, and rewarded bettors with an 8-1 ATS record during that time. Since then, though, they’ve lost three of their last five in the conference, and they have just one cover in their last four games. In two of the three games they haven’t covered, they haven’t even been close. A bad overtime loss to Cincinnati, far from the class of the Big East, was a good sign that things might not be going well in Morgantown. The public still has some leftover love for this team because of the last couple of years, and that love was reinforced and rewarded by how the team started. Therefore, it’s very likely that the public would be slow to react to a prolonged downturn by the team. That would mean that a team that has been a good bet would turn into a pretty bad one. They’d become a mirage.

T.o. Whenham
http://www.articlesbase.com/basketball-articles/which-teams-are-college-basketball-ats-mirages-97208.html

This is the forth installment in a world of incredibly fun sports games played with dice. In the first installment I taught you how to play the college version of Dice Football. Then in the second you learned the Pro Football dice game and the third dice game was, Dice Baseball. Now we are going to learn the Dice College Basketball Game. Unlike the football games you will need eight dice, notebook paper and a pen or pencil to play dice basketball.

You will recall that in the college football game you got your box score set up so that you can begin the game and just take turns for four quarters. In the dice basketball games you will have to make a box score sheet that has two boxes split in half. These two halves represent the home team and the visitors. It does not matter who rolls first in dice basketball.

In the college version of dice basketball each team only gets two halves to roll for their scoring. In the coming pro version there are actually four quarters per team.

Scoring is pretty simple. Each team gets to start their first half by rolling all of the eight dice once. Once rolled, count up the total of all eight dice. As an example let us assume that the Home team rolled the following dice totals; 4, 3, 1, 6, 5, 6, 1, 2. In all, these total 28 which would represent 28 points. At most eight dice would only total 48 points per half. Which is a little better than average, in terms of college basketball. However, one would have to roll eight dice that all hit sixes in order to get to 48 points.

This is where you can choose what kind of game you wish to play. If you like low scoring games then keep the score as originally rolled. If you like a lot of scoring then you can re-roll the lower dice to achieve higher scoring games. I like to use 1, 2, and 3 as re-roll dice. So what we will do is take the four dice which are 1, 1, 2, and 3 in the above example and re-roll them. Those four dice come out as the following; 2, 4, 4, 5. This re-roll total equals 15 points. Now all we have to do is add the 15 points to the original 28 points for a first half Home team score of 43 points. Not bad at all. Remember, you get to choose what re-roll dice you want to use, if any at all.

Now the Visitors get to strike back. Their dice totals are; 2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 4, 5, 4. This equals a total of 31. Now the Visitors re-roll the 2, 3, and 3 and come up with 4, 5, and a 1; for a total of 10 points. The Visitors add this 10 points to their previous total of 31 for a final first half score of 41. Thus the first half basketball game ends with the Home team winning by a score of 43 to 41 over the Visitors.

The team who is behind always goes first in the second half. If the score is tied then the Visitors have to go first in the second half. So let us say that the Visitors roll the following; 2, 4, 5, 3, 3, 5, 6, 1. That is a total of 29. Now the Visitors re-roll the 1, 2, 3, and 3 which results in 4, 5, 3, and 6 for a total of 18. They add the previous 29 to the 18 and their second half score totals 47 points. This score is added to their first half total of 41 points. The game ends for them with their score of 88 points.

The Home team responds with a roll of 3, 3, 3, 5, 5, 4, 4, and 3 for a total of 30 points. Then they re-roll the 3, 3, 3, and 3 which results in dice totals of 6, 5, 4, and 6. That is a total of 21 points! When they add the 21 to their previous roll of 30 we see that they have a total second half score of 51 points. When added to their first half score of 43 points the Home team has come back to win the game by a score of 94 to 88.

Now if a game ends in a tied score then both teams play an overtime quarter. For overtime, both teams roll only four dice and the re-roll dice rule is equally in play. Again, if the score ends in a tie then you just keep playing overtime quarters until a winner emerges.

Handicapping College basketball dice games can be a snap. Let us say that you have the Home team advantage. How this advantage can be enacted is to allow the Home team to get re-rolls on all 1, 2, and 3 dice rolls. The Visitors will get to re-roll on the dice rolls of 1 and 2 only. This handicapping can be fun if you have several teams in some sort of tournament set-up. Try it and see for yourself what fun tournament play is. Especially when an underdog knocks off a favorite.

Till then, keep on rolling.

John Dejong
http://www.articlesbase.com/basketball-articles/dice-sports-games-that-are-fun-the-college-basketball-game-140638.html

Preferably download
i would just like to download a few games but i would love to find a huge dvd collection of all there games

you could try torrent or limewire..

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Airsoft games are fun and exciting strategy games. There are five commonly played games. Each one has their own challenges and set of rules to follow.

Manhunt

This game is where one player is chosen to be the hunted and the rest of the players are the hunters. The objective for the hunted is to make it to a certain place in a given amount of time to win the game. The hunter can only win if the hunted is shot and hunters cannot shoot each other.

Rules:

Hunted is given five minute head start and an airsoft pistol

Hunters all start at same time and location

Any player hit is out until next round

Eliminated players may not talk to anyone

Prison Escape

Group one is the prisoners and group two is the guard. The theme is group one has been captured but has escaped with weapons the guards are not aware of. The guards have hidden the prisoners’ airsoft guns and they must travel through a highly protected area. To win the game the guards must capture the prisoners and the prisoners must escape the area.

Rules:

Guards start five minutes beforehand

Prisoners must find their weapons

Any Player hit is out until the next round

Eliminated player may not speak to anyone

A signal will inform players when to begin

Assassination

One player is chosen to be the captain of the each team. You have two teams each with a captain. Each team wants to eliminate the other team’s captain. The captain is tied to an object that is immobile with a rope with about 20 feet long. Teams must eliminate the other captain to win.

Rules:

Each team chooses a captain

Every player begins at the same time at his or her assigned area

Any player hit is out until the next round

Eliminated player must not speak to anyone

Stalker

This airsoft game is played at night. There are two teams with eight players being the guards and two other players being the stalkers. The guards must have flashlight attached to their weapon or in their other hand. The stalkers do not carry flashlights. To win the game stalkers shoot guards and guards shoot stalkers.

Rules:

Flashlight must stay on till end of game

Weapon used is usually Automatic Electric Guns

Eliminated players must keep quiet

Capture The Flag

There are two teams with the objective of stealing the other team’s flag. To win you must bring the captured flag to your base.

Rules:

The stolen flag must remain visible at all times

Each team starts at their base

If a player is hit carrying a flag they must drop the flag immediately

Eliminated players must keep quiet

airsoftguns
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/airsoft-games-326290.html

Paintball games have grown in diversity, developing into an assortment of tournaments and games. As its popularity grows so do the number of folks that try it. If you haven’t tried your hand at the paintball game, loosen up and don’t deprive yourself of some real fun. I’ve compiled a short list below. There are more but this should peak your interest.

Capture the Flag

2 Strategies:

1. Played by two teams, where each team has a flag and the objective of both teams is to capture or seize the opponent’s flag and carry it to your team’s starting point.

2. Another way is by eliminating the opposing team entirely.

Each team has to defend their base and simultaneously dispatch team players to eliminate the opponent and capture their flag.

These games are usually played in the forest; bunkers and structures can be put up throughout the area.

Scenario Paintball

This is a paintball game with a theme set up behind it: there are an endless number of themes that can be created making the game feel and look very realistic. There are a number of players; in many cases as many as a hundred are involved in each team.

Each team gets the theme (storyline) a day before the start of the game. There are usually two teams participating, having the general as a team’s leader.

Each player is given a role and they should work together as a team in order to carry out and win an assigned mission. Props in accordance with the theme are introduced and distributed throughout the field. There are questions asked in connection with the theme and points are awarded for correct answers.

These points are totaled at the conclusion of the game and the team having the most number of points wins.

Backyard

This can be played right at your own backyard, a friend’s empty property or at times any property but you must as you get permission first. You gather your friends to form a group and then conceptualize your own game which typically is capture the flag.

Speedball

Also called Center Flag, the speedball field is designed with many huge bunkers; usually inflatables filled with air that are shaped similar to big snakes, soda cans, water tanks etc.

Here, a team can be composed of between three to ten players in a game. There is only one flag that is involved and it is located at the center of a field. The two teams start at each end of the field and attempt to gain possession of the flag at the center and carry it to their bunker. The team that does this successfully wins.

Paintball Tournaments can surely challenge the “soldier” in you. Tournaments attract many spectators of all ages, as it is a very exciting game to watch. The sport of paintball has a distinct and accurate set of rules that are strictly followed. The producer of the tournament is the absolute authority in regard to either an alteration or addition to the rules; marshals oversee the event, and their decision is always final.

There must be a lot of team work involved, as everyone moves through the field. As a team member moves, there should be others to guard and keep watch and give off covering shots when necessary. A team that moves together with a common objective will have a great chance of succeeding in this game.

Communication in the field is also very important. A team-mate can shout the position of the opponent. The moment that a player is seen, the game for that player is up; so there is no reason for you to keep quite; instead, inform the others the location of the enemy.

The excitement of this game concludes when you are seen and eliminated – a situation that all team players struggle to avoid.

Give it a shot!

Art Luff
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/4-paintball-games-you-can-have-some-real-fun-with-91221.html

For MLB, you are considered to be a great team if you win 100 games out of the 162. That's only .617 average, which is roughly 62%, or a D grade on a school test. In football, it's common to have teams that are 13-3 or . 812 average, Why is it rare to have great averages in baseball? And what makes a "good" and a "bad" team?

It's because baseball is baseball. Nobody is EVER I repeat EVER guaranteed to win, no matter who they play. It's a crazy game. I've seen the best beat the worst, but I've also seen the worst beat the best. Also look how they do the batting averages. A good average is above .300. That means if you go up to bat 10 times, only 3 of those times you get a hit. That's a 30% on a test. Yet, that is considered a good average.

A good team is one that has a good offense that can get people on base and knock in runs when they need them. They have a strong defense that works together and enough pitchers to get the job done.
A bad team doesn't hit well enough, and the defense can't work together to make key plays. They also have a weak bullpen with pitchers who can't throw decent pitches when they need to.

And you can't compare football to baseball, it's like comparing apples and oranges, there's too many differences.

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The event of cricket series or tournaments prepares cricket environment all around. Cricket is a game of excitement and thrills. Cricket lovers are filled with enthusiasm while watching the game. Cricket becomes the favorite subject of fans to be discussed during a tournament. Once cricket environment builds up, it’s difficult for cricket fan to get over the cricket fever. Cricket fan approaches to various sources to be connected with viewing of cricket. Visual media happens to be best medium for cricket lovers. That enables fan to feel same excitement of game going on ground. The excitement of cricket game leaves them thirstier even after the coverage of cricket match. The thrilling of cricket urge leads them towards online cricket games.

Online cricket games are growing popularity day by day. Online cricket games can be played on website offering cricket games. Fans themselves can play online games. They form their own team by selecting players of their liking. There is a long list of national and international players. The rules and regulations are different on various websites. Online cricket game user experiences different flavor of matches, as they don’t have to go to the ground to play the game. The online cricket game attracts even non- cricket loving user owing to easy use of website. Online Cricket game can be played on user’s wish and will as it is completely self-determining game.

There are many websites that can take you to thrills of cricket world. These websites provide online cricket thrills to cricket lovers. These online games can make you win many exciting prizes. Some users manage to win grand prizes as foreign trip or luxurious car. Online cricket games are so interesting that sometimes the fans can become addicted to it. You need to know and follow all regulations envisaged by particular site you are using. The essential accessory is Internet connected computer and fervor to play. The whole online game gives complete entertainment to user.

The method of playing online game is simple and easy. There you have to choose a balanced team consisting of good players. Each player is allotted certain marks defined by using website. To play the online games you need to choose a balanced team comprising five batsman, four bowlers, one all rounder and a wicket keeper the quite interesting part of the game relates to user’s choice that he is not influenced by big names of players or teams. The final marking or results are declared by actual performances of players. Winner is declared on actual performance on the field, online cricket games are very easy to play. What you need to do is login to cricket dedicated websites, get yourself registered in and start taking pleasure of cricket with your own fancies.

Online cricket games runs in fashion during series and big tournament. Cricket fans are much fascinated by cricket in this season. World cup 2007 is being played in West Indies

So there are many websites launching online cricket games. Internet Cafes can be seen fully packed with cricket fans playing online cricket games. World cup tournament is biggest event of cricket. This occasion fills up thrills and excitement of cricket in cricket fan and online cricket games pacify that extreme cricket urge of cricket fan.

Ella Wilson
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/online-cricket-games-is-good-medium-to-quench-thirst-of-fans-123883.html

At the end of the regular season, some teams rest their starters even when the starters don't need it and they run less complex plays and put in their bench players for almost the entire game. But if a team is doing this to avoid a certain opponent, like how orlando doesn't want to face detroit in the first round, or how a few years ago denver intentionally tanked games to face a weak clippers team instead of dallas.

Nope, in NBA, it's like a survival of the fittest postulate, where every game is important. Even if one team is having a bad year or no chance of winning the playoffs, it will be a shameful act if they don't fight till the end. That's why, many bad teams can beat elite or decent teams in the almost season ending in every year.

Injuries are the causes. Orlando Magic, it was really sad for them. They should have rested their entire starter, but like what you said, which is in fact a calumny so to speak. The Orlando Magic didn't ran, they even put Hedo, and the consequences was much more damaging than the one lost they've experienced.

Don't say "intentionally", even if you have a record of 82-0 in the season, and still can't win a championship, it's valueless. The playoffs is the most important period, that is where legends were and are made of.

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Help on an algebra question?

There are nine teams in a soccer league. During the regular season, each team is scheduled to play each of the other teams three times. If only the scheduled games are played, how many games are played during the regular season? EXPLAIN please!

We can first look at how many games are played in a SINGLE nine-team round-robin (each team playe each other once) and then multiply our answer by 3 at the end.

Each team must play 8 games. So, 9 teams, 8 games each. To find the total number of games to be played, we must multiply 9 by 8 and divide by two (We must divide by two because otherwise we count, say Team A playing Team B as a different game than Team B playing Team A (when in reality they are both the same game) and for every possible combination there is a similar duplication)

So, if each team played each other ONCE, there would be a total of 36 games. If each team played each other THREE times, there is a total of 36*3 = 108 games (so 108 is the answer you want).

Incidentally, for any situation when you have n teams in a league and every team plays each other once the general formula total games played = n(n-1)/2 ALWAYS works.

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In the NBA, I don't remember any team winning the next game when down 3 games to 0. Does anybody know, or have the percentage.
I'm not talking about winning the series, I'm talking about winning the next game.

Im sure the number is pretty low. I dont see why a team would come out really hard the next game. Like the hawks case they know they cant win a game in cleveland. So i cant see them coming out with a lot of energy knowing that its eventually going to lose. The fact that there are three games left and two in cleveland. I cant see why would atlanta want to play as hard as they can. Their come out flat and disapointed.

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