12/03/2008 - Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seve Ballesteros returned to intensive care Wednesday at a Spanish hospital after a fourth brain operation.
A valve was put into the Spaniard's brain to drain fluid and during the surgery, doctors also repaired a bone defect that was brought on by one of his previous three surgeries.
"The patient, Severiano Ballesteros, underwent scheduled surgery for the placement of a cephalorachidian fluid VP shunt. In the same intervention, the medical team has done a cranioplastia to the repair a bone defect. His situation is stable and will remain in the intensive care unit," according to a statement from La Paz Hospital."
Ballesteros, a five-time major champion, had previously had part of the tumor removed in one surgery, then had part of his skull removed in a second operation. That procedure, known as a 'decompressive craniotomy,' was done to relieve pressure that was building on his brain.
His third surgery was necessary to remove the remnants of the tumor, which is suspected to be cancerous, as well as to reduce the swelling on his brain.
Ballesteros improved before Wednesday's procedure and he was allowed to return home for a period of time last month.
The Spaniard is the all-time wins leader on the European Tour with 50 and has totaled 87 career wins worldwide. He has also accumulated a 20-12-5 record in eight Ryder Cup appearances, and was the captain for the victorious European Ryder Cup squad at Valderrama in 1997.
<< Trojans to secure Rose Bowl berth with win over Bruins
Pasadena, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked USC Trojans will attempt to
clinch the Pac-10 title and a spot in the Rose Bowl with a victory over the
UCLA Bruins this weekend.
USC crushed Notre Dame last Saturday by a 38-3 final to extend
<< Big 12 title tilt pits Tigers against Sooners, again
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fourth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners have
earned a spot in the Big 12 Conference Championship Game amidst tremendous
controversy, and the team will battle the 19th-ranked Missouri Tigers for the
league crown at
<< Alabama and Florida duke it out for SEC title
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The showdown that college football fans have
anticipated for weeks will finally take place at the Georgia Dome on Saturday
afternoon, as the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will take on the second-
ranked Florida
<< Bearcats head to South Pacific to battle Warriors
Honolulu, HI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Already locked into the Hawaii Bowl, the
Hawaii Warriors hit the field at Aloha Stadium for their final regular-season
game of the 2008 season this weekend against 13th-ranked Cincinnati.
Last week the Warrior
Hurricanes fire Laviolette; Maurice returns >>
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes have made a coaching
change, replacing Peter Laviolette with his predecessor, Paul Maurice.
Maurice will return to the job he held for seven full seasons and parts of two
others befor
Eagles place Jean-Gilles on IR >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles have placed guard
Max Jean-Gilles on injured reserve with a broken fibula.
Jean-Gilles, who went down with the injury in the Eagles' 48-20 win over the
Arizona Cardinals on Tha
Astros make it official with Hampton >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros have signed starting
pitcher Mike Hampton to a one-year contract, worth $2 million plus incentives.
"Mike provides an immediate upgrade to our starting rotation," said Houston
gene
Weis will stay at Notre Dame >>
South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Notre Dame finally put an end to the
speculation surrounding Charlie Weis, saying the Fighting Irish football coach
will be back for a fifth season in 2009.
Weis is under contract through the 2015 s
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers SPORTS TRASH TALK
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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