Heat youngsters eager for a new 'school' year

Basketball Betting Lines

08/23/2010 -

MIRAMAR, Fla. (AP) -A black limousine that carried three young Miami Heat players to elementary school on Monday was parked about 25 feet from the front door, and barely any of the 900 students arriving to begin a new year noticed.

They couldn't wait to get inside and get to work.

And the Heat trio can completely relate to that sort of thinking.

``Like these kids,'' Heat guard Patrick Beverley said, ``we can't wait to get this thing started.''

Monday was a first day unlike any other at Miramar Elementary, where Beverley and Heat teammates Kenny Hasbrouck and Dexter Pittman showed up long before the opening bell of the year to distribute backpacks, notebooks, pens, markers, pencils and just about every other imaginable school supply.

So it's back-to-school time for the kids. For the Heat, school resumes in about a month when training camp starts. And Hasbrouck, Beverley and Pittman know they'll have to fight just to make Miami's loaded roster, which still features Dwyane Wade and now is bolstered mightily by new arrivals LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Mike Miller.

``To put it in words, it's still kind of hard,'' Hasbrouck said. ``The opportunity at hand for all of us is a great one, just to play with this many great players. It's almost impossible to put into words right now until it becomes reality.''

Hasbrouck played college ball at tiny Siena. Now he finds himself battling for a job on the team with perhaps the biggest buzz in basketball.

Hasbrouck was a late add to the Heat roster last season, giving him time to get to know Wade. He often sees Bosh working out at 8 a.m., and while he's been around James at times, Hasbrouck has yet to meet the NBA's two-time reigning MVP.

``He's been busy,'' Hasbrouck said.

They all have, with eyes on a title.

Beverley has a guaranteed contract, though that hardly guarantees him playing time in this new Heat era. His relationship with James goes back several years, so if nothing else, he won't be awe-struck when it's time to work out and play alongside Miami's most notable free agent signing ever.

``We go back a long way,'' said Beverley, a 2009 Heat draft acquisition who spent last season in Europe. ``We chat every day. He's a great veteran. That definitely gives me a lot of confidence. I know D-Wade from Chicago. I've spent a lot of time with Udonis Haslem. It's good to see your veterans, your top guys, helping out. It's been great for players at that caliber to reach out to young guys, take them under their umbrella.''

Pittman and Hasbrouck have partially guaranteed contracts. Both figure to have at least a good chance of making the club this season, since each could fill a need. The Heat rave about the way the 6-foot-11 - ``and a half,'' Pittman boasted to kids Monday - former Texas center has athleticism that belies his 300-pound frame. Hasbrouck impressed coaches last season and this summer with how quickly he learned Miami's system.

``I'm starting to learn that it's all professional and business here,'' Pittman said. ``It's not like college. It's strictly business. And it's still like a dream to me. I feel like I'm in a daze. I know what I have to do, go put in my work and hope that I can help contribute.''

Soon, the backpacks and binders were just about gone, and the Heat trio climbed back into the limo for the short ride back to the arena.

Not back to school, but back to work.

``You've got to know your role,'' Hasbrouck said. ``I'm here to do anything I have to do for the team. If that means play as hard as I can, get the starters better and wait my turn, then that's what I have to do. I'm not really in a rush. I'm not going to force it. I haven't proven anything yet. So anything I can do to help this team, then that's what I will do.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.

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.