Business Articles Team-Blog.BrandHandBag.biz

Carolina Panthers’ quarterback Jake Delhomme struggled on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and was fortunate that his running backs bailed him out. Delhomme threw for only 65 yards with two interceptions, but D’Angelo Williams (152 yards) and Jonathan Stewart (110 yards) kept the chains moving as the Panthers won their second straight game defeating the Bucs 28-21. Tampa Bay has now lost ten straight dating back to last season and are 0-6 for the first time since’85. The fact that they ended up starting that year 0-9 on their way to a 1-15 record doesn’t bode well for the rest of the season.

NFL sports bettors were faced with a choice between two teams with dismal ATS records in this game, and those who had the guts to take a 1-3 team as a -3 road favorite were rewarded with the cover. It was Carolina’s first NFL pointspread cover of the season and left them with a 1-4 record against the number. Tampa Bay has covered one of their six games this year.

Delhomme attempted only seven passes in the second half, but the way Williams and Stewart were running there was no reason to put the ball in the air. Williams said that even though Tampa Bay knew what was coming they couldn’t stop the Panthers’ running game:

“I’m sure everybody in the stadium knew what we were going to do. There were times they had nine in the box and we were still getting 7 or 8 yards.”

There’s been little impatience locally with Bucs’ rookie head coach Raheem Morris, but his weekly habit of explaining the obvious to rationalize yet another loss is starting to wear thin:

“We got overpowered at the end, and really throughout the game.”

Carolina safety Dante Wesley was ejected after clobbering Bucs’ return man Clifton Smith after a fair catch call. After the game, Wesley gave this defense for his actions:

“I was just trying to make a play. You can check my record. I’ve never really tried to hurt anybody. I’ve never tried to take a cheap shot on anybody.”

Wesley could face a possible fine or suspension from the NFL but, in all fairness, it did appear to be a momentary mental lapse as he was trying to make a big play.

Tampa’s schedule has the look of them going from ‘the frying pan into the fire’ as they host the New England Patriots next Sunday-fresh off of their 57 point drubbing of Tennessee. The Bucs are +14 home underdogs to the Patriots with the total set at 45. They’ll get a week off after that contest and return to action on November 8 as they host the Green Bay Packers. Carolina has an easier draw, hosting the Buffalo Bills next Sunday. The game is currently off the board pending the status of Bills’ QB Trent Edwards who suffered a concussion in Sunday’s win over the New York Jets. The Panthers will then play on the road the following two Sundays, traveling to Arizona and New Orleans.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

From a business standpoint, the UFCs first trip to Germany will clearly fall short of their success in the UK. From poor ticket sales to a downright hostile German media, its been one headache after another for Dana White and company. The UFC 99 card itself turned out to be an entertaining affair highlighted by a spectacular main event between Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva. Franklin would ultimately win the unanimous decision victory, but the fight itself far exceeded the expectations of most fans.

For the most part, Franklin picked Silva apart throughout the course of the fight (to quote UFC color commentator Joe Rogan) and deserved the unanimous decision verdict. What made the fight exceptional were the occasional glimpses of the old Axe Murderer. Late in the second and third rounds, Silva tagged Franklin with hard punches that left him clearly stunned. He did well to weather the storm and maintain control of the fight, but the uncertainty was enough to make the main event a very entertaining and exciting fight. Silva demurred on talk of retirement afterwards, though his tone gave some indication that hes leaning in that direction.

In the co-main event, heavyweight phenom Cain Velasquez survived a few nervous moments to put in a wall to wall domination of Cheick Kongo. Velasquez was rocked by Kongos punches early in rounds one and two, but quickly recovered to take the fight to the ground where he mauled the Frenchman. The result was an impressive victory for Velasquez over a top level opponent, but his struggles against Kongos standup game left several unanswered questions. The most compelling concern, of course, is that Velesquez might have a weak chin and simply not be able to take a punch particularly well.

The event also featured the UFC return of former PRIDE open weight GP champion Mirko Cro Cop. Cro Cop was making his return to action from knee surgery, and the Croatian striking machine got off to a slow start against overmatched Mostapha Al-Turk as he clearly sought to protect his rebuilt wheels. Of particular note was the fact that Cro Cop didnt throw a kick the entire fight”his bread and butter during his PRIDE dominance, which evoked the mantra right leg hospital, left leg cemetery. Once he let his hands go, however, he demonstrated emphatically that hes still got serious power. He ended the fight late in the first round by flooring Al-Turk with an overhand left followed up with some hammer fists on the ground.

Perennial contender Mike Swick looked impressive as he defeated Ben Saunders via 2nd round TKO. After an uneventful first five minutes, Swick let his hands go and his impressive handspeed proved no match for his adversary. Veteran lightweight Caol Uno returned to the UFC after a five year absence, losing a decision to Spencer Fisher in a somewhat tedious tactical affair. In the opening match of the live PPV, Dan Hardy won a hard fought split decision over Marcus Davis. The two men had feuded back and forth in the UK media, and while the fight may not have settled their differences in a decisive manner it did provide a solid opener to the evenings fight card.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and deep sea diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.

When David Beckham suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon in a Italian league game in mid-March, doctors gave him an outside chance of returning in time for the World Cup or at the very least part of the MLS season. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like either of these favorable scenarios will transpire. In a recent statement Beckham broke the news that his recovery is behind schedule and he won’t be able to resume playing soccer until November at the earliest.

This timetable does leave open the possibility that he could return to action should the Los Angeles Galaxy make the MLS playoffs. As far as a potential return to England’s national team the first realistic opportunity for Beckham to play would be in a European Championship qualifier against Wales in March 2011. He’s been assured that he’s welcome back at AC Milan in Italy’s Serie A league whenever he’s back in playing shape, though neither the team nor Beckham have indicated anything specific about his future with the team.

Beckham, who is still using crutches to get around, explained his recovery process:

“I won’t be running for another three months, so I will be playing again in, probably, November.”

“My mentality is to kind of push it and get moving and running and soon as possible. But it’s an injury that has to take time to heal. It’s frustrating. It’s obviously disappointing because I’ve been working for the last two years to get into the English squad [for the World Cup].”

“At the moment, it’s just getting the motion back into the ankle, the tendon, because it’s still repairing. I’m trying to get mobilization back into the ankle.”

Beckham also recalled the injury itself:

“It was like being hit by a hockey puck. I thought someone was behind me and kicked me. Obviously no one was there and I saw my foot hanging and then I felt down there and there was a hole.”

The former England captain would have likely served in a reserve capacity with the World Cup squad, though his Howitzer-like free kicks remain one of the most feared offensive weapons in the sport. Even without Beckham in the lineup soccer betting enthusiasts are bullish on England’s prospects this summer. The ‘Three Lions’ are currently the third favorite in World Cup future betting behind Brazil and Spain.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

Making your band for hire is an excellent way to earn to begin with some useful pocket money or even a full time living depending on how popular you become with your clients. It is also great for bands that become bored or stale from just rehearsing all the time.

So how do you go about getting those gigs? Like any business or organisation you need to promote yourself. The internet is quite good at helping you achieve this. Start by using the search engines and type something into the search box like, ‘band for hire’ and see what this yields.

Think to yourself who wants a band for hire? Examples include weddings, functions, birthdays, corporate events, pubs and clubs etc. Once you know who your target market is you must now establish how you are going to get your message across to them.

Many bands for hire have webpages or accounts on myspace and facebook where they can build up fans and show off their music. You should consider doing the same. After all, it’s free advertising, and you never know who is out there.

However, many people looking for a band for hire might not have the time to search through dozens of webpages, and even if they do, they might not find your page. So make some fliers, or put your music on CD or DVD to hand out to people and let them get a taste of your music and what you can do.

Have you also considered using an agent? They do take a percentage of your earning but it may be worth it if they bring your band in gigs.

So, now that you’re a band for hire, there’s just one last thing to consider. How do you feel about travel? The more cities you play in the more people will be able to hear your music.

The kind of gigs you do will also have an affect on what your band can expect to be paid. Local gigs in pubs will attract the smallest form of revenue but the upside is they provide a good opportunity for any band to test out new songs and are better in some respects than rehearsing as musicians like to play as much as possible.

Travelling further a field? All good bands for hire do this when the money offered is good. Generally speaking the money will be better and it will be playing to a bigger venue rather than a pub.

Steve R Jones is a writer for the http://www.souldesire.co.uk site. finding a specialist Band For Hire will make all the difference to the success of your event. Find out more about finding a professional Band For Hire from this site.

The UFC has only recently brought mixed martial arts to the mainstream in the US, but in Japan there’s a long tradition of fights pitting contestants from different disciplines against each other. While they’ve only been called MMA or ‘mixed martial arts’ in recent years, the sport clearly has its roots in these early contests between wrestlers, judo fighters and boxers. In Japan, Antonio Inoki’s fights against world famous martial artists brought great notoriety to the still evolving sport.

Inoki billed himself as ‘World Martial Arts Champion’ and would frequently face other high profile fighters in contests that are generally believed to have had a pre-determined outcome similar to professional wrestling. Inoki faced a ‘who’s who’ of the martial arts world, but none were more famous than heavyweight boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

There’s still much speculation about how Muhammad Ali came to fight Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki, and even more uncertainty about what happened immediately before and during the fight. Ali took the booking because he thought it was to be a big paycheck for little work. Most accounts suggest that his handlers agreed to the ‘worked’ finish without his knowledge, and once he found out that he was to ‘take a dive’ he refused.

By the time the fight began, Ali’s handlers had obtained a ridiculously one sided set of rules that prohibited Inkoi from using a closed fist, striking Ali in the head at all, using any chokes or submissions or even trying to take the fight to the ground. Were it not for the huge amount of money he’d be leaving on the table, Inoki would have been justified in not fighting at all under these highly restrictive and one-sided conditions.

Despite the repeated howls from the media that the fight was ‘fixed’, it was anything but–it was a real fight and painfully boring. Ali did next to nothing, Inoki did whatever he could within the one sided rules. Eventually, Inoki spent most of the fight on the ground trying to throw kicks at Ali’s legs. The event ended up as a 74-74 draw. Both fighters got paid, and the fans got to watch a fight albeit a really, really bad one.

An interesting postscript to the fight is that the referee was former pro wrestler “Judo” Gene Labell, a legit tough guy whom some have suggested could have beaten up both Ali and Inoki at the same time despite his advanced age. Had he chosen to do so, it would certainly have been welcomed by those watching the fight live and on closed circuit.

The fiasco didn’t hurt Inoki’s popularity in Japan whatsoever. Oddly, he became something of a hero for trying to take the fight to Ali despite the one sided rules. He would remain one of Japan’s most popular pro wrestlers and later serve in the country’s parliament. Inoki’s fights against other martial artists remained wildly popular, and are often credited as being the forerunner of PRIDE, RINGS and the major MMA organizations in Japan today.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and World Cup betting sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

If you haven’t seen Tropic Thunder yet, you probably want to give it a try next time you’re ready to watch movies online and you want to see a good comedy. We know, we know, Ben Stiller has been making a lot of awful movies lately, and it seems like Tropic Thunder might be just another to throw onto that heap, but the fact is, it’s really one of the best movies Stiller has been involved in.

The movie is really all about spoofing modern Hollywood culture and phoniness and the concept of what’s real and what’s not keeps recurring throughout the film. This is made clear in the opening where we see a series of fake trailers showing what sort of films the main characters usually star in. The best of these is probably Jack Black using fat suits to spoof Eddie Murphy’s recent films.

As you probably know, the story revolves around a group of actors who are led to believe that they’re going through a rigorous survival training routine for the film and wind up in over their heads when the situation gets a little too real. This really works with the theme of the film being sincerity and fakeness, and the fact that a fake situation becomes real is an incredible premise, everything considered.

The movie is really all about that concept, the difference between being who you are and ignoring who you are for the sake of being famous or pleasing the people around you and being somebody you’re not. All of the characters in the film are put through the ringer and forced to come face to face with who they are and who they truly want to be.

Of course, it is funny, too. It’s just that, while it’s a comedy, it’s much more than just an hour and a half of chuckles. It’s actually a very good movie with a strong sense of storytelling, and as a bonus, some really great action scenes.

What makes these action scenes interesting is the fact that, when the characters finally come face to face with the badguys, they’re not carrying real guns, but prop automatic rifles, so they’re only firing blanks while the other side of the gunfight is firing live rounds. This provides a whole new dynamic to the concept of the movie shootout unlike anything we’ve ever seen in an action flick before.

While watching the movie, look out for one of the greatest film cameos ever. You won’t be able to figure it out right away, and don’t let anyone spoil it for you. Once you figure out who it is, it’s the biggest laugh of the film.

So the movie is funny, moving, dramatic, exciting and really well made. Yes, Ben Stiller has been striking out in recent years, but this movie more than makes up for all of his flops. Definitely give it a watch if you haven’t seen it yet.

) Also, make sure the site you are looking at offers music, movies, tv shows, games, and software, not just music. download any movie These sites are your best option if you are looking to download quite a lot of stuff over time. The anxiety of a musician might be so high that they may actually self-sabotage their performance without even knowing it.