WSOP releases nominees for the Poker Hall of Fame class of 2010 and Blair Hinkle wins WSOP-C Council Bluffs

The World Series of Poker released the names of the final 10 nominees who will be on the ballot for the WSOP Poker Hall of Fame class of 2010. From July 1 until Aug. 31, fans cast their votes on WSOP.com and entered the names of the players they believed should be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Here are the nominees (in alphabetical order): Chris Ferguson, Barry Greenstein, Jennifer Harman-Traniello, Dan Harrington, Phil Ivey, Linda Johnson, Tom McEvoy, Daniel Negreanu, Scotty Nguyen and Erik Seidel….

Toby Lewis wins European Poker Tour stop in Vilamoura, Portugal, and the final table is reached at WPT London

The European Poker Tour stop in Vilamoura, Portugal, attracted 384 players and Toby Lewis became the biggest benefactor of that group, taking first place and 467,835 Euros. The 20-year-old from Southampton, United Kingdom, defeated Martin Jacobson to claim his first major title.

Despite his age, Lewis has had numerous successes overseas including two previous cashes on the EPT and a final table on the Italian Poker Tour. He has $766,237 in tournament winnings in his career, including $662,246…

Great Debate: Johnson vs. Moss in fantasy

There are fewer running backs carrying full loads around the NFL, which means the profile of the top receivers has risen during fantasy drafts.

So AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky steps outside of his usual arena to debate fantasy expert Ken Daube on this issue: Who’s the better choice as top fantasy receiver, the Houston Texans’ Andre Johnson or the New England Patriots’ Randy Moss?

Paul Kuharsky: Well Ken, it’s our turn to take the stage in the Eight Great Debate Series and we’ve drawn a good one: Who’s the better fantasy option, AJ or Randy?

I always hate to appear I am backing the AFC South just because it’s what I cover. But this job gives me an up close view of Andre Johnson and I’d have a lot of trouble drafting any receiver ahead of him heading into the 2010 season.

Moss is explosive, and there will be weeks when he can single-handedly win you a game in a fantasy league. But I prefer a week-to-week chart that has fewer valleys than Moss’ might. Johnson had six games of under 70 yards last season. Moss had nine, including three that were smaller totals than Johnson’s worst game.

While Tom Brady and Moss could link up in ridiculous fashion the way they did three years ago — when the receiver caught 23 touchdowns — I’ve got to judge things on the most recent evidence. I think Johnson will catch more balls for more yards. Texans tight end Owen Daniels, if healthy, could approach Johnson in targets. But a healthy Wes Welker will draw Brady’s attention away from Moss more than any Texans pass-catcher can take away from Johnson.

Ken Daube: OK Paul, let me interrupt you right here so I can clear something up nice and early. Johnson, for as good as he was in 2009, only outscored Moss by nine fantasy points. Consider that Johnson and his quarterback, Matt Schaub, were healthy for the whole season. On the other hand, Moss played 11 games after separating his shoulder and Brady was at less than 100 percent as he was returning from a blown-out knee. Thus it’s clear to me that for Johnson to be considered the superior option in 2010, he should have blown away Moss last season.

Welker’s targets aren’t going to be any sort of hindrance to Moss’ fantasy value. Over the past three seasons, Welker has been targeted an average of 152 times. Moss’ value wasn’t affected. In fact, last season was the season that Welker had the most targets (162), and the banged-up Moss still finished as the second-best fantasy receiver.

On the other hand, your argument does work against your case for Johnson. In case you forgot, Daniels was injured in the Houston Texans’ eighth game of the season. The loss presented more opportunities for Johnson, who scored 21 more fantasy points in the games that Daniels missed versus the contests in which Daniels participated. Without those 21 points, Moss would have finished as the top wide receiver last year and I’d be having this argument with someone else, because Johnson would have plummeted to fourth.

Paul Kuharsky: Look, Ken, on my team we are anti-Diva. Johnson’s going to run his route every snap, block for the run game, face the media as often as they ask for him and be completely accountable. This fosters chemistry in my pretend locker room, and we all know you get a ton of points for team harmony …

Sure, Johnson did benefit a bit from Daniels being out. He had 13 more catches in the second half of the season than he did in the first, when Daniels was on the field with him. But my guess is if the Texans played Seattle and St. Louis — two of the league’s eight worst pass defenses — in the first half of the season instead of the second half, Johnson still would have had close to 20 catches and nearly 200 yards a game against them.

Houston was 30th running the ball last year, and while I expect the Texans will be better, they are still going to have to sling it to maximize their chances to win.

Weather will rarely get in their way. Conditions at all of Johnson’s home games are good, or the roof at Reliant Stadium is closed. They only have three outdoor games in cold season — at the Jets, at Philly and at Denver. The Patriots, meanwhile, have eight such games with November trips to Cleveland and Pittsburgh, December road games at Chicago and Buffalo and four November-December games at Foxborough, Mass. Cold weather isn’t killing Moss or the Patriots’ pass game, but it’s not ideal for it either.

Ken Daube: Actually, the cold weather is perfect for the Patriots’ pass game. In their last two games in significant snow (versus the Cardinals in 2008 and the Titans in 2009), the Patriots averaged 53 points per game. Moss averaged 108 yards and two scores in those games. Bring on the bad weather, it works for Moss.

Back to the Texans, when you think about it, last year broke almost perfectly for Johnson. With both Steve Slaton and Daniels injured, the Texans were left with only one option — Johnson. This season, Arian Foster will man the backfield. Based on his performance in the final two games last season and his 2010 preseason, he’s looking like a very good back for their running system. Daniels returns and big things are expected from Jacoby Jones as well. All of those factors are going to eat into Johnson’s opportunities.

Meanwhile, in Foxborough, the same cast of misfits will be running the ball and their second receiver remains the same. Sure, they’ve rolled the dice on some youngsters as their third receiver and tight ends, but none of those roles will detract from Moss’ value. You can be sure that Moss wants redemption for being labeled as soft last season. With a new contract on the line, Moss already had incentive for ensuring he finishes as the top receiver this year. Wanting redemption will just keep him more focused. He won’t score 23 times this season, but projecting anything less than 16 is foolish. Considering that Johnson scored 17 times in the last two seasons combined, those taking Johnson are going to have to bank on an awful lot of yardage to inflate Johnson’s value. With Foster, Daniels and Jones around, I just can’t see enough yardage available this year.

Paul Kuharsky: I’ve got to be honest. This qualifies as a beat down right now. My first attempt at a fantasy-based debate should be my last and I should stick to being an AFC South expert. But since I have the final word, I’ll take my best shot at pulling out a late win. Like Schaub would be throwing to Johnson in such a situation, I will aim for your colleagues, Matthew Berry and Eric Karabell.

“I’m on Andre’s side,” Berry said. “…You should know the consensus is Andre as well, so you can always play [up that] millions of people can’t be wrong.

“Andre Johnson has led the NFL in receiving yards for two straight years. The only other wide receiver to do that in NFL history? Jerry Rice. (Thank you for that stat, Chris Harris.)

“Matt Schaub threw for at least 300 yards nine times last year, tied for the NFL lead with Peyton Manning.

“Oh, and by the way, if Randy Moss does outscore Andre Johnson this year from a fantasy perspective, it’ll be the first time in three years that the 33-year-old Moss has done it.”

Said Karabell: “I can’t really make a great case for Moss, actually. I think of the main fantasy positions, I can make a case for the No. 2 quarterback over No. 1, and same at running back, but not at wide receiver. AJ is dominant, it’s an underrated passing offense and he’s got years and legs on Moss.”

So there.

Also, Ken, aren’t you the guy who said LaDainian Tomlinson should be the No. 1 player drafted in 2009?

Stadiums need to keep up with TV

Eric Grubman, executive vice president of NFL ventures and business operations, told USA Today the NFL expects an attendance dip for the third consecutive year, predominantly because of the economy.

Count me among those optimistically expecting the economy to come back around eventually.

More interesting is the league’s recognition that the product’s so good on TV that some may not be inclined to buy a ticket even when their wallets are healthier.

More from Michael McCarthy’s piece:

“Another problem for the NFL, Grubman said, is that the live game experience is competing with the increasingly more high-tech home viewing experience.

“The rise of high-definition TV, instant replays from nearly every angle and the RedZone Channel (which whips viewers to scoring situations in different games), have made it easier and cheaper for fans to watch games from the couch without the expense and hassle of attending a live game.

“That’s made TV a huge bright spot for the NFL. For the 2009 season, the league drew its biggest audiences in 20 years. Regular season games were watched by an average 16.6 million viewers, up 2 million from the season before, and the highest number since the pre-Internet days of 1990.

“The product is really exceptional at home,” says Grubman. “That makes it a little bit easier, if you’re having a tough time making ends meet, to not go to the stadium.”

The first person I heard articulate disappointment in his home stadium’s operations was Clay Travis, who’s on the same station I am linked to in Nashville.

He thinks the folks running LP Field can do a better job keeping ticket-holders updated on what’s going on around the rest of the league. But the Titans are hardly alone on this.

If fans who need to endure traffic/weather/obnoxious drunks/etc. can avoid those hassles and tie into crucial replays, their fantasy team’s progress and their pick pool more easily from home, they’re less inclined to buy a ticket.

The Titans do run updated scores and who scored on their video boards at LP Field. But at EverBank Field, Lucas Oil Stadium, Reliant Stadium and every building in the league, it’s past time for stadium operation crews to update the schtick people are routinely forced to endure during stoppages of play.

Ticket-buying fans want replays of very recent league highlights — not this “in action earlier today” junk that qualifies as ancient history by the time it’s played.

They want the same angles on the play that’s being reviewed (once a red flag’s been tossed or an official has been buzzed) that their friend has at home. How silly is it that at a game’s crucial moment, we see fans on TV at the game calling pals at home to ask “Catch or no catch?” (If that remains a delicate issue with officials, tough. Make rules that allow for it. He’s going to get crushed over the blown call anyway. Why should non-ticket buyers get the jump on that?)

People at games deserve those things on the giant TV screens their tax dollars helped pay for. They deserve assurances of reliable cell signals so they can find what they want if you aren’t giving it to them.

And as a bonus, they deserve relief from having a DJ in the crowd screaming his or her way through a guess-the-temperature or name-that-year contest or yet another mascot skit where he beats up someone dressed in the visitor’s uniform.

No fans I know are eager for highlights from “Rudy” or applause meters. Most fans I know would prefer a timely highlight to a shopping cart race on the JumboTron.

Teams should be working harder than ever to make fans feel more a part of the entire NFL game day. Because the networks and RedZone sure do a nice job of that for those fans on Sunday’s when they stay on their couch.

Don’t get me wrong. I love a good shopping cart race.

I just know that while I watch the excitement unfold, I’ve also hot a high speed connection on the laptop in front of me in the press box — a luxury the people who make my line of work possible don’t enjoy from section 313, row F, seat 9.

Great Debate: Are the Jets the real deal?

One of the burning questions — like an inferno — entering the 2010 season is whether or not the New York Jets are the real deal.

They came within 30 minutes of reaching the Super Bowl last season, and they’ve loaded up for another run. They’ve added LaDainian Tomlinson, Santonio Holmes, Jason Taylor and Antonio Cromartie among others to a team that was atop the NFL in rushing offense and total defense in 2009.

Expectations are so high that anything short of a deep playoff run will be a failure. Yet there are all sorts of ways to imagine a collapse. All-world cornerback Darrelle Revis hasn’t signed. Sophomore quarterback Mark Sanchez might not be mature enough. Chemistry concerns exist.

ESPN.com AFC East blogger Tim Graham and ESPN national correspondent Sal Paolantonio hash out whether or not the Jets have what it takes to make it to the Super Bowl.

Tim Graham: Seven months ago, we witnessed a shift in the AFC East. The combination of the Jets winning two playoff games on the road and the Patriots getting bombed out of the first round already put me in a comfortable place when it came to the future of the division. I realize the Jets caught a lot of breaks last year and snuck into the postseason by playing the Colts’ and Bengals’ reserves. The Jets’ playoff opponents missed five straight field goals. But the Jets got there and won when it counted, gaining invaluable confidence and experience. I thought the Jets would be the team to beat in 2010 then, and they’ve gotten better over the offseason.

Sal Paolantonio: The Jets have definitely improved in a number of areas. First of all, depth at cornerback is going to be a huge factor. Rex Ryan learned a painful lesson in the AFC Championship Game, when injuries slowed down linebacker Bart Scott and decimated his secondary. His pass rush was there against Peyton Manning, but without the coverage on the back end, the Colts passing game was just too relentless and precise. That’s why it was crucial to draft Kyle Wilson in the first round and acquire Antonio Cromartie, who had a marvelous training camp. Depth in the secondary, especially with Darrelle Revis currently AWOL, will be key if the Jets are going to advance deep into the postseason.

TG: You’re absolutely correct, Sal. The Jets have bolstered their secondary considerably from last year, which strengthens my belief they’re for real — even if the Revis holdout lasts through training camp or into the season. They’re deep enough with Cromartie, Wilson and Dwight Lowery. Granted, they won’t be as good against the run because Revis is a superior tackler compared to Cromartie, but coverage will allow the Jets to execute their normal defensive game plan. They finished No. 1 in total defense, scoring defense and pass defense last year and then brought in reinforcements. Remember, the Jets finished atop the heap without nose tackle Kris Jenkins for their last 13 games (postseason included). They’ve added pass-rush specialist Jason Taylor, and the overlooked acquisition of safety Brodney Pool will make them better, too.

SP: But, Tim, the Jets defense was helped considerably last year by a ball-control offense that played a superior field-position game. Translation? You need a productive running game or — as Rex Ryan calls it — “ground and pound.” The problem is that general manager Mike Tannenbaum jettisoned Thomas Jones. He’s taken his 14 touchdowns and 331 carries with him to Kansas City. Now, Ryan is going to ask sophomore running back Shonn Greene to pick up the slack — to go from 108 carries in his rookie campaign of 2009 to the doorstep of 300, depending on how much gas LaDainian Tomlinson has left in the tank. Remember, the Jets ran the ball 59 percent of the time last season — more than any other team in the league. The running game was their true strength in 2009. In 2010, it could be a weakness they can’t afford. And then, this field-position approach needs a reliable kicker. Again, Tannenbaum allowed Jay Feely to walk out the door and left special-teams guru Mike Westhoff to steady the shaky leg of Nick Folk. Iffy.

TG: I’ll grant you Folk doesn’t engender the same kind of confidence as Feely did, but coming back too soon from hip surgery is a big reason Folk struggled with the Cowboys and eventually got cut last year. Plus, the need for a clutch kicker might be a tad overstated. Of the Jets’ nine regular-season victories, none were by less than six points. In fact, the two games in which they truly needed their field-goal unit to bail them out (Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills and Week 15 against the Atlanta Falcons), they lost. As for the running game, Greene is no sure thing, but the Doak Walker Award winner was a star in the playoffs. Tomlinson has his question marks, but he has shown a spark in the preseason. Tomlinson’s value will be as a receiver out of the backfield, something the Jets didn’t have after Leon Washington went down with a compound leg fracture. The Jets looked at their backfield and saw two players — Greene and Jones — with the same rugged style. Greene is younger and cheaper. The Jets finished dead last with only 197 yards on passes thrown at or behind the line of scrimmage. Tomlinson still can help in that regard.

SP: Well, I will grant you this, Tim, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and sophomore quarterback Mark Sanchez certainly have more options on offense this year. I think Son of Marty Ball could reach puberty this season. The L.T. option will make Sanchez more comfortable when he gets into trouble. Dumping off the ball to Tomlinson will certainly cut down on his interceptions. Sanchez looked very impressive when I saw him early in camp. He had a clear idea of where the ball is going and appears seamless and confident. But the most impressive guy on the offensive side of the football, wide receiver Santonio Holmes, will be MIA (serving a league suspension) for the first four games of the year. I think Schotty wants to throw the ball down the field more, getting away from the dominantly right-handed, play-action passing game that limited the Jets last season. In Holmes’ absence, the Jets need Braylon Edwards to be a lot more than the pedestrian possession receiver he was last season. And right now, Edwards is listed by most mock fantasy football draft boards below Julian Edelman. Ouch.

TG: Let’s not forget two other targets who round out one of the deeper groups of passing options. At this time last year, Jerricho Cotchery was the Jets’ top target. He has caught 82 passes twice in the past four seasons and gained 1,130 yards in 2008. He’s a talented player who would be a go-to guy for some other teams. Less than a year later, he’s the Jets’ third option. And don’t overlook tight end Dustin Keller. When you look at his stat line from last season, you probably aren’t overly impressed. But consider he caught a touchdown pass in each of their three playoff games. He’ll be a threat in this offense.

SP: I was around this Jets team practically every day during last season’s late run, and I have spent some time at their training camp at SUNY Cortland. There is no doubt this is a playoff-caliber team with that same swagger. But I only really see one more regular season win than last year, making them 10-6 — if they successfully navigate the first month and a half of a very tough schedule. Four of their first six games are against legitimate playoff contenders: Baltimore, New England, at Miami and at home versus Minnesota. And the two other games are on the road: at Buffalo and at Denver. Then, after the bye, Green Bay comes into the Meadowlands, and I am not alone in seeing the Packers in the NFC Championship Game. So if you want to crown the Jets, go ahead and crown them. But I think Rex in the City, the Sequel, may not be playing in Dallas in February. In the AFC, there are four teams I would put ahead of the Jets right now — the Ravens, Steelers, Colts and Chargers will all be more well-balanced on offense and defense and play more consistently throughout the season. The Jets defense will be suffocating and dominant at times. But unless he gets Darrelle Revis back, Rex Ryan will have a very difficult time sustaining the level of defensive play the Jets produced in 2009. I have the Colts and Ravens in the AFC Championship Game, facing either the Packers or the Saints in the Super Bowl. Those are my final four teams.

TG: You’re giving the Jets one more victory on their regular-season record compared to last year’s. So I don’t think it’s all that much of a stretch to see them winning one more game in the playoffs. That would put them in the Super Bowl. An organization good enough to achieve that is the real deal in my book.

WSOP Circuit Council Bluffs, EPT Vilamoura and WPT London highlight busy week on the tournament trail

Three of poker’s major tours — the WSOP Circuit, European Poker Tour and World Poker Tour — are in action this week offering tournaments in very diverse locations. No matter where players may be around the world, there seems to be a poker game around the corner.

In the United States, the newly revamped World Series of Poker Circuit made its debut in Iowa at the Horseshoe Council Bluffs. The last time the WSOP Circuit was in Council Bluffs in March 2010, the $5,000 main event attracted only 46…

Fantasy Rundown: Rolling with Aroldis

Reds top prospect set for callup; Reynolds, Heyward, Rios have monster nights.

PGA Tour: Fantasy Fix: Deutsche Bank Championship

Through the use of statistics, trends, course-matchups and sometimes a magic eight ball, we will do our best to help you set your fantasy golf lineup.

Fantasy Rundown: South Side Manny

Ramirez heads to White Sox; CarGo Raburn tater twice; Drew's tear continues.

Five NFC West fantasy considerations

You know you’ve got it pretty good when your wife takes the lead in signing you up for a couples fantasy football league.

I had no idea such things existed. Before diving into the NFC West Gridiron Challenge last season, I hadn’t played fantasy football since sometime in the early 1990s — back when the commissioner would tabulate the week’s results by checking the expanded box scores available each Tuesday in hard copies of USA Today.

Anyone with Emmitt Smith on his team was set.

Times have changed and the NFC West Gridiron Challenge is back for another season. With that in mind, I’ll look into five NFC West developments with implications for fantasy football and beyond:

• Derek Anderson at QB: The Arizona Cardinals could still name Matt Leinart their starter, but Anderson is suddenly in play to a larger degree. Ian Allen of Fantasy Football Index raised an interesting point about Anderson during the 2nd Annual Fantasy Camp with John Clayton. He thought Anderson’s penchant for throwing into coverage could work out OK in Arizona because Larry Fitzgerald wins so many battles at the ball. Fitzgerald was going to get his numbers anyway, but if Anderson is throwing fearlessly into spots Leinart might avoid, he could have more chances.
• Matt Leinart’s demotion: ESPN’s Brock Huard, also speaking at Clayton’s camp, offered a theory on Leinart based upon things he’s heard from contacts in Arizona. According to Huard, Leinart long ago shed the freewheeling Southern California lifestyle that created perceptions of the former USC star as a laid-back playboy. The primary problem for Leinart, at least according to Huard, was that the quarterback’s high level of intelligence wasn’t translating into processing information quickly enough to make split-second decisions. As a result, Leinart plays too slowly and appears indecisive.
• Donnie Avery’s injury: The St. Louis Rams lost starting receiver Donnie Avery to a knee injury that appeared serious. Avery has been prone to injuries, making it tough for the Rams to rely on him. While Avery’s injury was a downer for St. Louis, Danny Amendola is validating what I saw from him at Rams camp. Amendola caught five passes against New England on Thursday night. He has a chance to catch three or four passes per game — and maybe more, depending on how the position shakes out — working from the slot.
• Leon Washington’s start for Seattle: The Seahawks are taking turns giving running backs Julius Jones, Justin Forsett and Washington chances to start during preseason. Washington realizes he’s best off working in a complementary role, making explosive plays on limited touches. He does not project as an every-down running back, but he will likely get consistent carries as part of a rotation. Washington’s scheduled start against the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday night gives him a more extended opportunity to work with the starters. He has the potential to emerge as an effective third-down back. As noted, Washington does more than carry or catch the ball. He can be a vicious blocker in pass protection as well (all three Seattle runners are competent in this critical area).
• Michael Crabtree’s return. A neck injury has kept Crabtree off the field for the San Francisco 49ers‘ first two exhibition games. That will change Saturday night at Oakland. Crabtree immediately became a primary target for Alex Smith upon joining the 49ers during last season. He catches the ball consistently and should benefit from a full offseason around team headquarters. Check out his game-by-game reception totals from last season: 5, 6, 3, 4, 4, 4, 6, 5, 4, 4, 3. That’s remarkable consistency from a young player. Some fantasy performers are up and down, finishing the season with good stats despite failing to produce consistently. That was the case for Frank Gore last season as the 49ers searched for their offensive identity. Crabtree produced all the way through.

Looks like Leinart is speaking publicly for the first time since his demotion — and pretty much confused. More on him in a bit.

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