G'day, as they say in Australia. I don't say that...'they' do. Sheesh...can you believe 'them'? Another thing they do here is bet on sports. The announcers will give you updated odds during the telecast. So if an Aussie Rules team kicks a goal, the announcer will say, "after that goal, Collingwood are now paying $1.65 to win." I was astonished when I first witnessed it. They even do it during the tennis. Who bets on tennis? Now I've been away from the States for quite a while having moved here in 2008. That's about the time that the technology became cheap enough for everyone to bet all the time. So, I'm curious, has betting on games increased in recent years in the US? Did I just arrive in Australia at the same time as a global upswing in sports betting? Can someone tell me the current situation? Do you guys bet? I almost put $10 on the Giants to win the World Series in August 2010 on a hunch. Would have made $400. I went to place the bet and the odds had gone down to 26-1 and I said, "Hmmm...no thanks." Why do I want to know all of this? Well, there's not much news happening, and, if you scroll down to the bottom of the post, you'll see that odds have come out on the 2012 season's individual games. Let me know! Of course you shouldn't post anything that will get you in trouble...
So, yesterday on the Dan Patrick show, Ben Roethlisberger hinted that the 49ers may have been targeting his bum ankle during the pasting we gave them on MNF last year. The 49ers declined comment. | Roethlisberger hints that 49ers may have targeted him. (Maiocco)
Mike Sando has a reaction to Roethlisberger's non-accusation. He's gone back and reviewed every single Steelers snap on offense and could not find anything to hint toward wrong-doing. Roethlisberger had a horrible game, and that's probably influenced his memory. | Sando reviews the tape from Steelers game. (Sando)
Matt Maiocco has some Niners notes here. A foreign website asked him to rate Michael Crabtree after 3 seasons and that makes the bulk of the article. His prognosis is that Crabtree deserves to be scrutinized excessively after his hold out his rookie year. I agree, and let's be honest, he hasn't lived up to his draft slot. | Crabtree after 3 seasons. (Maiocco)
Bay Area Sports Guy does the unthinkable and asks wether NaVorro Bowman can be better than Patrick Willis next season. He makes a compelling point as to why it is possible. I'll let you read and decide for yourself. | Can Bowman be better than Willis in 2012? (BASG)
A nice article by Eric Branch details why Cam Johnson slid so far in the draft. His college DC, who coached Jason Taylor and Joey Porter in Miami, says he's as talented as anyone he's ever coached. Those are big words. Let's hope that Harbaugh and the team first atmosphere we enjoy will get the most out of him. | Why did Johnson slide in the draft? (Branch)
Some more rookies are scheduled to try out for the team. Mike Iupati's brother Andrew is one of them. Sac State QB Andrew Fleming is another. | Rookies ready to try out for Niners. (Barrows)
Here's a link to the replay of Matt Barrows' live chat session that I won't have time to view for myself. It is titled 49ers rookies: how they fit in. (Barrows)
Video of Alex Boone working out at guard. (49ers.com)
I won't be able to check it out due to time constraints, but here it is!!! | Live chat with Joe Staley replay. (49ers.com)
Opponent preview: Detroit Lions. (49ers.com)
Jerry Rice is getting ready to take A.J. Jenkins up 'the hill'. This is the umpteenth story I've seen on this topic, but this one has video embedded of Rice on the hill. | Rice taking Jenkins up 'the hill'. (NFL.com)
Why did 6th round selection Jason Slowey sign so fast? Well, with the new CBA in place there really isn't room for negotiating and he just wanted to get it done and over with. Well done. | Slowey signed quickly. (SFGate)
LaMichael James could change the 49ers offense. The headline claims it, but the article doesn't do much to explain it. Other than the addition of 3 new WR, which may mean more time spent in a spread or extra WR packages, there's not much evidence as to what James adds. Hmm.... | James may change the 49ers offense. (SFGate)
The new stadium is scheduled to open in Santa Clara for the 2014 season. One big problem is that we are under contract to stay at Candlestick until 2015. Solution: pay San Francisco some money and they'll let the team go early. | 49ers to pay SF to leave town early. (NBC Sports)
Vegas never ceases to amaze me. Someone has released lines for the first 16 weeks of the season. The most interesting games from each week are highlighted in the article. There are links at the bottom of the page for each week if you really want to know, or are addicted to gambling. | Betting on the 2012 season already. (Covers.com)
Being a Sheep
Be sure to follow @NinersNation on Twitter as well as on Facebook. You can follow SB Nation Bay Area on Twitter @sbnbayarea and also on Facebook.
If you're new here, you can register for a free account to participate in the discussion and create your own fanposts here at Niners Nation and across our entire network of 300+ sports blogs.