Author: Beaver County Radio

Prop bets popular for Super Bowl, but NFL wants them gone

Prop bets popular for Super Bowl, but NFL wants them gone
By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Many Americans in places where sports betting is legal for the first time are beginning to make wagers on the Super Bowl, including some bets on the performances of individual athletes.
But if the National Football League had its way, bets on things like passing touchdowns for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady or rushing yards for Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley would be restricted — or even outlawed as too risky and vulnerable to manipulation or cheating.
Proposition bets — also known as prop bets — are less popular during the regular season but gain steam during the Super Bowl each year as a way to bet on the outcome of more than one thing at a moment the sports world is intensely focused on a single game.
In testimony before a U.S. House of Representatives committee on Sept. 27, NFL Executive Vice President Jocelyn Moore asked Congress to let professional sports leagues and gambling regulators ban prop bets that involve the performance of individual athletes over the course of a game.
“Examples might range from the number of passing yards by a quarterback in a football game or the number of points or rebounds by a team during a quarter of a basketball game, to the number of ‘throw-ins’ in a soccer match, or even how many flags a referee might throw in a contest,” she testified. “These types of bets are significantly more susceptible to match-fixing efforts, and are therefore a source of concern to sports leagues, individual teams, and the athletes who compete.
“To address concerns regarding risky betting fixtures, we encourage Congress to allow professional and amateur sports organizations to identify which types of bets simply pose too significant a risk to the integrity of sports and to work with regulators not to authorize them,” she said.
An NFL spokesman said last week there has been no change in the league’s position since the September testimony.
Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill US, the American arm of the British bookmaker that runs several sportsbooks in this country, said the league’s request is a solution in search of a problem.
“We’ve been doing this for many years, and this issue is way overblown,” he said. “With the exception of the Super Bowl, player props are a tiny portion of the business — a fingernail on the world’s biggest man.”
He acknowledged such bets will make up a bigger proportion of Super Bowl gambling.
“Prop betting on the Super Bowl is quite popular and keeps people engaged throughout the game, even if it’s a blowout,” he said. “We’ve never seen evidence of a player prop being manipulated.”
Most sportsbooks also limit the amount of money that can be bet on player props to lessen the likelihood that cheaters would try to make a huge profit by conspiring with a player or referee to manipulate the outcome of such a bet.
Asher said William Hill’s limits vary, but typically restrict such bets to no more than $500 or $1,000.
In Sunday’s football championship games, prop bets offered by William Hill included bets on who would score the first touchdown of the game, ranging from 6-1 odds for Sony Michel of the Patriots (he did score first) and Damien Williams of the Chiefs, to 60-1 on Gehrig Dieter, a backup wide receiver for Kansas City.
Bets were taken on whether Brady would pass for more or less than 291 yards (he had 348); whether Michel would get more or less than 79 rushing yards (he had 113); whether Julian Edelman would have more or less than six receptions (he had seven); whether Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes would have more than 315 passing yards (he had 295); whether KC tight end Travis Kelce would exceed six receptions (he had three), and whether Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill would exceed 84 receiving yards (he had 42).
Similar bets were taken on whether Saints quarterback Drew Brees would complete more than 25 passes (he completed 26); whether Saints running back Alvin Kamara would tally more than 107 combined rushing and receiving yards ( he had 111), and whether the Rams’ Todd Gurley would rush for more than 71 yards (he gained just 10).
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Follow Wayne Parry at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC
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More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

High School Basketball: January 21, 2019

GIRLS

6:30pm
[2A] OLSH at New Brighton

7:00pm
[1A] Cornell at Quigley Catholic

7:30pm
[2A] Northgate at Aliquippa
[2A] Shenango at South Side Beaver
[3A] Beaver at Ellwood City
[3A] Freedom at Beaver Falls
[3A] Riverside at Neshannock
[4A] Quaker Valley at Blackhawk
[4A] Keystone Oaks at Ambridge
[4A] Hopewell at New Castle
[5A] Moon at Lincoln Park
[5A] West Allegheny at Thomas Jefferson
[NC] Central Valley at Hampton

Aliquippa Police Officer Commended

AN ALIQUIPPA POLICE OFFICER WAS COMMENDED LAST WEEK. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO HAS MORE. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

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Landslide Reported On Aliquippa Street

A LANDSLIDE IS REPORTED ON AN ALIQUIPPA STREET. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO HAS DETAILS. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

Amadio, Nichols Team Up To Seek Democratic County Beaver County Commissioner Nomination

TWO VETERAN POLITICIANS HAVE TEAMED UP TO SEEK THEIR PARTY’S NOMINATION FOR BEAVER COUNTY COMMISSIONER. DEMOCRATS TONY AMADIO AND DENNIS NICHOLS ANNOUNCED LAST WEEK THEIR INTENT TO RUN AS A TEAM FOR COMMISSIONER. AMADIO IS THE CURRENT MINORITY COMMISSIONER AND IS SEEKING HIS FOURTH TERM ON THE BOARD. NICHOLS SERVED ONE TERM ON THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS FROM 2012 TO 2016 AS A REPUBLICAN MINORITY COMMISSIONER. AFTER LOSING IN THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY TO CURRENT COMMISSIONERS DAN CAMP AND SANDIE EGLEY, NICHOLS CHANGED PARTY AFFILIATION.

Beaver County Memories – Musicians – Part One.

Welcome to Beaver County Memories, a look back at the people, places and events that have made Beaver County a special place, presented by St. Barnabas Beaver Meadows. In this first segment about Beaver County musicians, you might feel the need to sing along as we highlight some of the musical groups and performers that have called Beaver County Home.

From his home is West Aliquippa, it is theorized, that Henry Mancini had a good view of the Ohio River, and at night, the young Mancini, at the time, sat outside and observed the beauty of the moon and stars in the sky and the light that they cast reflecting off of the tranquil waterway below. This was believed to be Mancini’s inspiration for “Moon River”, one of many award winning songs that Henry Mancini would compose throughout his prolific career. Enrico Nicola Mancini, or Henry Mancini as we know him, enjoyed great success as a composer, arranger and conductor and also performed as a solo artist. His most well known work was writing the musical scores for hundreds of movies and television shows. In addition to the aforementioned “Moon River”, a song from the film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, other very familiar tunes penned by Mancini would include the Peter Gunn television series theme and music from the movie The Pink Panther.

Not long after Henry Mancini had written about the celestial beauty of his backyard, a set of twins, also from Aliquippa, began to write music that would eventually be heard over the radios and record players everywhere. Melvin and Mervin Steals were in their early twenties when they got the attention of a record producer at Gamble Records in Philadelphia. This led to the Steals brothers contributing a couple of songs to an introductory album being recorded by another Beaver County band in 1968 called The Jaggerz. One of those tunes, “Gotta Find My Way Back Home”, became a fairly well known song and the first small bit of fame and fortune for both the Jaggerz and the Steals brothers. In 1973, Melvin penned the words and Mervin wrote the music to “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love”, a hit song that was recorded by legendary motown group, The Spinners. The song sold over three million copies and continues to receive significant airplay and has been covered and re released by dozens of other artists through the years. Through they moved on to other careers, To date, the duo of songwriting twins from Aliquippa have written around twenty five songs that continue to receive airplay and produce royalty checks.

The Jaggerz in 1968.  Photo Courtesy of Jimmy Ross.

The Jaggerz, who we mentioned earlier, had roots in Beaver County as well. The original line up was made up of prominent local musicians including Jimmy Ross, Donnie Iris, Bill Maybray, Jim Pugliano, Benny Faiella and Thom Davies. The group hit it big in 1970 with the release of a song from their second album that went to number two on the billboard charts that year called “The Rapper”. In all, The Jaggerz have had eleven nationally released songs, with three of them reaching the top one hundred according to Billboard Magazine. The Jaggerz continue to perform in the Beaver County area many times a year with original members, Ross and Failla joined by Hermie Granati, Paul Martello, Chris Patarini and Dennis McAbee to make up the present day version of the band.

The youngest of the Stringfield family musicians, Bobby “Vegas” Stringfield, pictured in Beaver Falls in 2015.

Another family act from Aliquippa had significant success in the late sixties and early seventies. The Stringfield family put together a group called The El Pooks that performed with a similar style, energy and talent level likened to the Jackson 5 or Sly and The Family Stone. In 1970, The El Pooks recorded “Psychedelic Soul, Parts I and II” at Orivious Records in Ambridge. The song became a region wide favorite and copies of the original vinyl record are still a highly sought after item in online auction sites. The pinnacle of the El Pooks career happened when they at one point in time performed as the opening act for the Temptations.

This has been part one of Beaver County Musicians, part of Beaver County Memories, presented by St. Barnabas Beaver Meadows. In Part 2, we will shine the memory spotlight on other great musicians who first performed right here in Beaver County. Tune in everyday for a another memory on Beaver County Radio, or visit beavercountyradio.com for a complete transcript of this and other archived editions of Beaver County Memories.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Being Celebrated at Lincoln Park In Midland Today

TODAY IS MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY…AND LINCOLN PARK in Midland IS CELEBRATING. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO HAS MORE. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

Dangerously Cold Temps Prompt Wind Child Advisory For Beaver County

WEATHER FORECAST FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 21ST, 2019

 

*** WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON FOR BEAVER COUNTY… WIND CHILLS FROM 10 TO 20 BELOW ZERO…. COULD CAUSE FROSTBITE ON EXPOSED SKIN IN AS LITTLE AS 30 MINUTES. A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT FROSTBITE AND HYPOTHERMIA CAN OCCUR IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. ***

TODAY – CLOUDY SKIES WITH A FEW SNOW SHOWERS THIS
AFTERNOON. VERY COLD. HIGH – 15.

TONIGHT – PARTLY CLOUDY. VERY COLD. LOW AROUND 0.

TUESDAY – MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGH – 34.

Glen Wood, auto racing pioneer and patriarch, dies at 93

Glen Wood, auto racing pioneer and patriarch, dies at 93
By JENNA FRYER, AP Auto Racing Writer
Glen Wood, the courtly and innovative patriarch of the famed Wood Brothers Racing team who had been the oldest living member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, died Friday. He was 93.
Wood Brothers announced the death of its team founder on social media, saying he died in Stuart, Virginia, after a long illness.
Wood Brothers is the longest continuous Cup team in NASCAR and has weathered lean years over nearly seven decades, including seasons in which the organization ran only a partial schedule. The team has been credited with revolutionizing pit stops from routine service calls into carefully orchestrated strategic events that can win or lose races.
Wood and younger brother Leonard co-founded Wood Brothers Racing in 1953. Glen Wood won four races as a driver over an 11-year racing career, but in 1998 was nonetheless named one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers — a list that included 20 drivers who had once raced a Wood Brothers car.
“In building the famed Wood Brothers Racing at the very beginnings of our sport, Glen laid a foundation for NASCAR excellence that remains to this day,” NASCAR Chairman Jim France said. “As both a driver and a team owner, he was, and always will be, the gold standard. But personally, even more significant than his exemplary on-track record, he was a true gentleman and a close confidant to my father, mother and brother.”
Wood in 2011 was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in a contentious decision in which many voters felt Glen and Leonard should be elected together as one entity. It was former Wood Brothers driver Kyle Petty who swayed the room, arguing the brothers could be separated. Glen Wood was elected as part of the Hall’s third class, and Leonard Wood was elected the next year.
“I made a case for separation, because I think they are two different people,” Kyle Petty told The Associated Press then. “I think Leonard is the smartest man I ever met that works on a race car, bumper to bumper. There are some guys out there that are good strategists and good mechanics, but he is the total package and always has been. But Glen owned the thing. He owned the team. You have to make that separation. To put them in and judge them as a single entity against some other people was not right.”
The Wood brothers came from humble beginnings but built a race team ahead of its time that still competes at NASCAR’s top level. The team has won 99 races in more than 1,500 starts in NASCAR’s elite division and they did it with an array of manufacturers and multiple star drivers.
“We started racing in 1950 with a car we bought for $50,” Glen Wood told The Associated Press as the team readied for its 1,000th start in 2000. “We put No. 50 on the side of the car because it just seemed like the right thing to do. Now here we are 50 years later.”
The car number was eventually changed to No. 21, which is now one of the most iconic numbers in NASCAR. Wood Brothers has won at least one NASCAR race in each of the last six decades.
Among those who raced for the team were David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Curtis Turner and A.J. Foyt. The team won the Daytona 500 in 1963 (Tiny Lund), 1968 (Yarborough), 1972 (Foyt), 1976 (Pearson) and 2011 (Trevor Bayne). Pearson waged most of his battles with rival Richard Petty while driving for Wood Brothers.
Foyt drove 13 races for the Wood Brothers in 1971 and 1972, winning four races along with seven poles.
“I never had as much fun down there (in NASCAR) as I did driving for the Wood Brothers,” Foyt said. “Their cars were unbelievable to drive. Their team was the kingpin of stock car racing and I felt honored to be driving for them.”
Wood himself drove in the inaugural 1959 Daytona 500 and won the race five times as team owner. He attended every Speedweeks in Daytona since 1947 until his deteriorating health and fear of widespread flu kept him home for the first time last season.
Glen Wood always rode by car to Daytona Beach, driving a 1940 two-door Ford on his first trip in 1947. Wood took every ride through eight decades in a Ford.
“The Wood Brothers race team, by any measure, has been one of the most successful racing operations in the history of NASCAR. Most importantly for our company, Glen and his family have remained loyal to Ford throughout their 69-year history,” said Edsel B. Ford II, a member of Ford Motor Co.’s board of directors. “Glen was an innovator who, along with his family, changed the sport itself. But, more importantly, he was a true Southern gentleman who was quick with a smile and a handshake and he was a man of his word.”
NASCAR Hall of Fame executive director Winston Kelley credited the team with dropping the time teams spent on pit road by as much as 50 percent. Kelley noted that Wood Brothers Racing was recently recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest active NASCAR team, 69 years and counting.
Wood was nicknamed “The Woodchopper” because he first worked in a sawmill and, legend has it, he initially adorned “The Woodchopper” on cars he entered at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Wood was first hooked on racing when he made a trip to Daytona Beach, Florida, to watch cars on the beach-road course in 1947. His driving days ended in 1964, but he and brother Leonard carried on the team. At the Indianapolis 500 in 1965, four Wood brothers — Glen, Leonard, Delano and Ray Lee — served as the pit crew for Jim Clark, the most glamorous Formula One driver of the day and the winner that day.
“They pioneered the quick pit stops and were part of the reason Jimmy Clark won the Indianapolis 500 because they pitted him,” said Foyt, a four-time Indy 500 winner.
Bayne’s victory in the 2011 Daytona 500 was the team’s first win in more than a decade. Roger Penske and Ford strengthened their alignment with the Wood Brothers in 2016 and Ryan Blaney won his first Cup race the next season. Blaney now drives for Team Penske, but Penske-affiliated driver Paul Menard pilots the No. 21 for Wood Brothers.
The team is currently run by Wood’s two sons and grandson, with a heavy technical alliance from Roger Penske.
Funeral arrangements were pending.
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More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports