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12/31/2011 - Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Blackburn supporters may stop calling for Steve Kean's head as the Rovers manager guided his team to a stunning 3-2 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Kean has long been on the hot seat with Blackburn entering the match in last place, but Saturday's vital win may have bought him some more time to turn things around as the club looks to avoid relegation.
A brace from Aiyegbeni Yakubu powered Blackburn to a two-goal lead before United came storming back with two goals from Dimitar Berbatov. With the equalizer, it seemed as if the home side would go on to grab a winner late on, but Scottish defender Grant Hanley stole three points for the visitors with a goal 10 minutes from time.
Blackburn went in front in the 16th minute following a foul in the box. Berbatov pulled down Christopher Samba in the penalty area and Yakubu converted from the spot to give Blackburn the lead against the run of play.
Yakubu then doubled the advantage in the 51st minute, captializing on some slack United defending to get through on goal and hammer a shot between the legs of goalkeeper David De Gea.
United responded immediately as Rafael Da Silva's close-range cross one minute later was met with diving header from Berbatov, who found the back of the net to rejuvenate the crowd and keep the Red Devils in the game.
The Bulgarian striker bagged another goal 10 minutes later, stuffing home a centering pass from Antonio Valencia. All six of Berbatov's goals have come in United's last three Premier League games.
United continued to press in search of a winner, but with ten minutes remaining, the match turned back in favor of visiting Blackburn.
A corner kick sent into the box was not properly dealt with by De Gea and Hanley took advantage, winning the initial header and slotting the ball over the line to leave United with a mountain climb in the closing minutes.
The Red Devils could not conjure another equalizer, and Hanley's goal turned out to be the winner.
The loss snaps a five-game winning streak and nine-game unbeaten streak in league play for United. The Red Devils still remain tied for first place in England's top flight, although Manchester City would go top with a draw or win against Sunderland on Sunday.
With Bolton playing to a 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton, Blackburn climbs out of the cellar but still remains in the relegation zone on 14 points.
Aston Villa 3, Chelsea 1
London, England - Aston Villa piled on the misery for Andre Villas-Boas as the Villains earned a 3-1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The Blues are winless in their last four Premier League contests, and with owner Roman Abramovich's track record of high manager turnover, Villas-Boas could be on the hot seat.
Chelsea initially took the lead with a penalty kick from Didier Drogba in the 23rd minute, but it was quickly canceled out by Stephen Ireland's strike five minutes later.
The two sides remained deadlocked until the 83rd minute when Stiliyan Petrov slotted home the game-winner. Darren Bent added a third just three minutes later after a giveaway at midfield from Frank Lampard.
Chelsea drops to fifth place on 34 points following Arsenal's 1-0 win over QPR on Saturday, while Villa improves to 23 points to occupy ninth place.
Arsenal 1, QPR 0
London, England - Robin van Persie continued his season-long goal-scoring tear with the lone strike in a 1-0 win over QPR at the Emirates on Saturday.
The Dutchman fired Arsenal into fourth place with his goal in the 60th minute, as the Gunners jumped ahead of Chelsea in the Premiership table following its 3-1 home loss at the hands of Aston Villa.
Van Persie leads the Premier League in goals to this point in the campaign, netting 17 times in the first half of the season.
QPR is winless in its last seven league contests and sits one spot above the relegation zone with 17 points.
Swansea City 1, Tottenham 1
Swansea, Wales - Scott Sinclair notched a late equalizer to see Swansea City salvage a point in a 1-1 draw with Tottenham at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.
Rafael Van der Vaart had put Spurs in front just before halftime with his seventh goal of the season, but Sinclair helped draw Swansea level with a goal six minutes from time.
Swansea has drawn two straight and is slowly slipping into a battle against relegation. It sits five points above the drop zone with 20 points.
Tottenham remains in third place with 39 points, but fails to take maximum points in an effort to close the gap at the top of the league after Manchester United was stunned by Blackburn earlier in the day.
Norwich City 1, Fulham 1
Norwich, England - Norwich City claimed a dramatic point at Carrow Road on Saturday, playing to a 1-1 draw with Fulham.
Orlando Sa popped up in the seventh minute for Fulham, recording his first goal for the club, but Simeon Jackson rescued Norwich with a goal in second- half stoppage time.
The Canaries are winless in their last four league games and sit 10th in the table with 22 points, two points ahead of the Cottagers who have drawn two straight.
Bolton 1, Wolverhampton 1
Bolton, England - Bolton and Wolverhampton traded goals on opposite sides of halftime as the two sides played to a 1-1 draw at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday.
Sam Ricketts gave the home side the lead with a goal in the 22nd minute, but it was overturned by Steven Fletcher's eighth goal of the season in the 49th minute.
The result does not help either side, as they were both in need of three points as they fight relegation. Bolton, on 13 points, falls to last place following Blackburn's win at Old Trafford, while Wolverhampton, on 17 points, has drawn three straight and is winless in its last five league games.
Stoke City 2, Wigan 2
Stoke-on-Trent, England - Stoke City was held to a 2-2 draw against 10-man Wigan in a dramatic match at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.
Wigan took the lead through Victor Moses in the 45th minute, but the Latics were reduced to 10 men in the 76th minute when Gary Caldwell was issued a red card for a hand ball in the box to deny a scoring chance. Jonathan Walters converted the ensuing penalty kick to bring Stoke level.
Cameron Jerome thought he had given the home side all three points with a goal six minutes from time, but Wigan earned a penalty three minutes later and equalized as Ben Watson scored from the spot.
Both clubs retain their previous positions in the table, as Wigan remains in the relegation zone on 15 points while Stoke stays in eighth with 26 points.
<< Yellow Jackets and Utes clash in 78th Sun Bowl
El Paso, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Utah Utes
will square off in the 78th Annual Sun Bowl game this afternoon in El Paso,
Texas.
The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, are all the second
ol
<< Illinois and UCLA duke it out in Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Illinois Fighting Illini of the Big
Ten is set to square off with the UCLA Bruins of the PAC 12 in this year's
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.
The bowl, formerly known as the Emerald Bowl, has a contract to
<< Texas A&M takes on Northwestern in Meineke Car Care Bowl
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas A&M Aggies are set to tangle with the
Northwestern Wildcats in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas at Reliant Stadium
in Houston.
Texas A&M is playing in a bowl game for the 33rd time in its hi
<< Virginia and Auburn settle in for Chik-fil-A Bowl matchup
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This year's Chick-fil-A Bowl features an
intriguing matchup between the Virginia Cavaliers of the ACC and the Auburn
Tigers of the SEC.
The Cavaliers finished the regular season 8-4 overall and 5-3 in the ACC's
No. 9 UConn downs St. John's >>
Hartford, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shabazz Napier scored 17 points and added nine
assists, as No. 9 Connecticut downed St. John's, 83-69, on Saturday.
Andre Drummond added 16 points and 11 rebounds, Jeremy Lamb had 15 points and
Ryan Boatrigh
Padres acquire OF Quentin from White Sox >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres acquired outfielder
Carlos Quentin from the Chicago White Sox on Saturday in exchange for minor
league pitchers Simon Castro and Pedro Hernandez.
A two-time All-Star and former Si
Kentucky hands Louisville second-straight loss >>
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist posted career highs of
24 points and 19 rebounds, leading third-ranked Kentucky to a 69-62 victory
over No. 4 Louisville at Rupp Arena.
Anthony Davis contributed 18 points, all in t
Kentucky sends Louisville to a second straight loss >>
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist posted career highs of
24 points and 19 rebounds, leading third-ranked Kentucky to a 69-62 victory
over No. 4 Louisville at Rupp Arena.
Anthony Davis contributed 18 points, all in t
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
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