SBC Sports Betting News: Mathieu, Nadal, Vick, And Sabathia

[Freddy Wills]

A quick survey of the past week in sports news offers indications that various teams (plus a tennis player) are going to face an uphill climb in the weeks and months to come.

LSU dismisses cornerback Tyrann Mathieu from its football program

You know that outlets are rapidly recalibrating their odds on the LSU Tigers winning the SEC West Division, the Southeastern Conference as a whole, and making the BCS National Championship Game now that cornerback and kick returner Tyrann Mathieu, one of five Heisman Trophy finalists last season, has been dismissed from the program, almost surely for failing yet another drug test (though reasons were formally not disclosed beyond breaking a team rule). Many NFL Draft analysts will tell you that Mathieu was an overrated defender, physically gifted but not technically sound. Indeed, it's quite reasonable to say that Mathieu still needed a lot of work, but LSU is definitely going to miss him because he was such a devastating kick returner. If Mathieu had not made game-changing returns against Arkansas and Georgia, the Tigers might not have won the SEC championship or produced an unbeaten regular season. Not being able to rely on Mathieu as a special-teams force will certainly cut into LSU's playmaking capabilities this season. That will matter.

Rafael Nadal withdraws from the Cincinnati Masters 1000 tournament due to tendonitis in his knees

Another major sporting event that's being re-examined by across North America is the United States Open tennis tournament, specifically the men's event. Last week, Rafael Nadal announced that he would not be able to play in the Cincinnati Masters 1000 tournament, on the heels of withdrawing from the Canada Masters 1000 event. Players generally skip no more than one Masters 1000 event in order to secure a full complement of rankings points. When any player skips two straight Masters 1000 events, it's clear that something serious is going on. Moreover, Nadal – should he choose to play in the U.S. Open – will have had absolutely no warm-up events over the past two months. He will not even be favored to make the semifinals should he play. If he doesn't play, the big story will be this: Who (Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic) will get Andy Murray in his half of the draw? The answer to that question will determine the odds for all three of the top contenders for the men's championship in New York.

Michael Vick gets dinged up in the Philadelphia Eagles' preseason opener versus the Pittsburgh Steelers

The calculus is probably trending downward, not upward, for the Philadelphia Eagles after their franchise quarterback suffered an injury in his preseason opener. Vick has been consistently fragile, his body taking a pounding from muscular defenders. Bettors should see this as something of a red flag for the coming season. Vick has to stay healthy for the Eagles to be a contender.

New York Yankee pitcher C.C. Sabathia goes on the disabled list as the organization acquires Derek Lowe

Any standard-issue would not dare say that the New York Yankees aren't going to win the American League East Division championship now that ace C.C. Sabathia is going back to the disabled list. However, with October on the horizon, it will be harder to pick the Yankees to go all the way and win the World Series.

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