ABA

The NBA issued its first round of checks to former American Basketball Association players this month.

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association agreed in July to pay former ABA players $24.5 million after years of advocacy by nonprofit foundation Dropping Dimes. As Dana Hunsinger Benbow of the Indianapolis Star noted at the time and in a new report Monday, the agreement "ended a years-long battle between the league and Dropping Dimes, who had argued that these ABA players blazed the trail for what the NBA game is today—fast-paced and flashy with three-point shots and slam dunk contests. And they deserved a pension for that."

The NBA deemed that 115 players who played three or more years in the ABA or combined in the ABA and NBA were eligible for "recognition payments," not pensions.

Scott Tartar, the co-founder and president of Dropping Dimes, described former players' reactions to the payments this month: "They were all literally sitting around going, 'What the hell?' These checks were so much bigger than many expected."

Tartar called the timing "a Christmas miracle."

ESPN Films' 30 for 30 documentary series will continue on Tuesday night with the premiere of Free Spirits, an hour-long look at the entertaining story of the Spirits of St. Louis, as confirmed by the series' official Twitter account:

As director Daniel H. Forer points out in the film summary, the former American Basketball Association (ABA) franchise wasn't around very long in the mid-1970s but featured a plethora of compelling and controversial characters that are still beloved four decades later. 

Free Spirits will focus on the personalities that set the Spirits apart and the unique deal that the franchise's co-owners reached to keep the team in existence and earning revenue despite the fact that it hasn't played a game since 1976.

Below, we'll highlight the biggest reasons why Free Spirits is must-see television for sports fans.

The Can't-Miss Characters 

What made the ABA so great decades ago and what makes it revered today is the endless list of characters that took the court night in and night out.

In Free Spirits, some of the league's most entertaining characters will be profiled, including names like Marvin "Bad News" Barnes and James "Fly" Williams. They may not be quite as outrageous as the fictitious Jackie Moon from "Semi-Pro," but they were far from your typical professional athletes. 

Today's NBA may have no shortage of stars, but intriguing personalities and characters are hard to come by. Free Spirits will revisit a time when characters were worshiped as superstars. 

Fantastic Directing 

Free Spirits is directed by nine-time Emmy Award-winning producer, director and writer Daniel H. Forer, who has already worked with ESPN in the past to develop a well-received film. 

It also doesn't hurt that Forer is a big-time hoops fan who grew up following the ABA closely in Los Angeles, according to the film summary. He clearly has a passion for this subject, and there's no doubt it will show in Tuesday's premiere. 

While most sports fans will be hearing Forer's name for the first time, his track record as a superb filmmaker speaks for itself and gives a mountain of credibility to this documentary.

Bob Costas

One of the all-time great sportscasters, Bob Costas played a key role for the Spirits during their brief run in the mid-1970s, serving as the team's play-by-play announcer and calling St. Louis' unforgettable upset of the defending league champion New Jersey Nets in the first round of the 1975 ABA playoffs.

As Forer points out in the film summary, Costas is "one of our generation's best storytellers" and will certainly bring a tremendous amount of insight to the film.

Costas wasn't just around, but also there when the Spirits topped the Nets in five games in 1975 in arguably the greatest upset in the history of the ABA. Therefore, both his experiences and perspective should add a ton of intrigue to Free Spirits.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter. 

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Duke Blue Devils
Point Spread: Alabama is currently set as a 24 point favorite against Duke with the games over/under betting total posted at 57.5 points.

The Crimson Tide were victorious in their last game against Penn State by a score of 24-3 on September 11th. They covered the point spread in that game as a 14 point favorite and the 27 combined points went under the posted NCAA football betting total. The Blue Devils were a 54-48 loser in their last affair against Wake Forest and failed to cover the 5.5 point spread as underdogs. The total score of 102 soared over the posted betting total.

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ATS Trends
Crimson Tide are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 non-conference games.
Crimson Tide are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games in September.
Crimson Tide are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
Crimson Tide are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 road games.
Crimson Tide are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games following a ATS win.
Blue Devils are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games in September.
Blue Devils are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games.
Blue Devils are 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game.
Blue Devils are 16-34-1 ATS in their last 51 home games.
Blue Devils are 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing more than 450 total yards in their previous game.

Over/Under Trends
Over is 5-1-1 in Crimson Tide last 7 non-conference games.
Under is 5-1 in Crimson Tide last 6 games following a ATS win.
Under is 3-1-1 in Crimson Tide last 5 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game.
Under is 3-1-1 in Crimson Tide last 5 road games.
Under is 3-1-1 in Crimson Tide last 5 games following a SU win of more than 20 points.
Over is 5-0 in Blue Devils last 5 games in September.
Over is 5-1-1 in Blue Devils last 7 games following a S.U. loss.
Over is 4-1 in Blue Devils last 5 non-conference games.
Under is 4-1-1 in Blue Devils last 6 games following a ATS loss.
Over is 19-5-3 in Blue Devils last 27 home games.

Head-to-Head Trends
No Trends Available

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Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
Point Spread: Alabama is currently set as a 13.5 point favorite against Penn State with the games over/under betting total posted at 44 points.

The Crimson tide won by a score of 48-3 their last game when they played San Jose State at home. They covered the point spread being favored by a whopping 39 points, and the combined score of 51 points went under the posted total. The Nittany Lions were a 44-14 winner in their last game at home against Youngstown State. They did not cover the 39–point spread as favorites, but the combined score of 58 point went over the posted betting total for that game.

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ATS Trends
Nittany Lions are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games.
Nittany Lions are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a S.U. win.
Nittany Lions are 5-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
Nittany Lions are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game.
Nittany Lions are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
Crimson Tide are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Crimson Tide are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games in September.
Crimson Tide are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.
Crimson Tide are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
Crimson Tide are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games.

Over/Under Trends
Under is 4-0 in Nittany Lions last 4 non-conference games.
Under is 5-0 in Nittany Lions last 5 vs. SEC.
Under is 6-1 in Nittany Lions last 7 games following a SU win of more than 20 points.
Over is 5-1 in Nittany Lions last 6 road games.
Under is 4-1 in Nittany Lions last 5 games in September.
Over is 2-0-2 in Crimson Tide last 4 games overall.
Over is 5-0-1 in Crimson Tide last 6 non-conference games.
Over is 5-0 in Crimson Tide last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Under is 3-0-1 in Crimson Tide last 4 games after allowing less than 275 total yards in their previous game.
Over is 3-0-1 in Crimson Tide last 4 vs. a team with a winning record.

Head-to-Head Trends
No Trends Available

Visit Touthouse.com each day for winning college football predictions and expert college football picks from professional football handicappers. Be sure to check out our college football odds page for updated line movements throught the week.

Well we have a few days off for the All-Star break giving everyone a chance to relax, reflect and maybe clear up a few things before heading into the second-half of the season. I am sure the players and coaches will be glad to have a few days to rest and see their loved ones. As for me and most of the other Mariners fans I have been talking to we need to try and unwind and try to decipher all that has happened in this bizarre and mostly difficult to watch first half.

   I thought it might be a good time for some comedy relief and as I saw our new first baseman Justin Smoak’s name penciled into the DH slot today, I thought of the old Abbot and Costello routine  Who’s on First?  which is a funny, famous old baseball skit that I found on Utube that is worth watching if you have never seen it before:

Who’s On First?

   As we look at the situation in regards to the Mariners in 2010 it gets almost as comical and confusing. First off last year we had Russell Branyan a fan favorite who hit 31 dingers before going down with a bad back. Branyan tells everyone he wants to come back to Seattle, but Jack Z. signs Casey Kotchman and Branyan languishes unsigned while all the fans wonder if he will be back but he eventually goes to the Indians. Casey Kotchman comes in and has a nice April with the bat combined with his great glove but then tanks in May and June.

   Don Wakamatsu who is busy putting out fires everywhere with Milton Bradley, Eric Byrnes and the Griffey fiasco feels the heat and gives Mike Sweeney a couple shots at first. Sweeney did ok defensively and was swinging a hot bat at the time so it looks he may get the job. But that didn’t last long as Sweeney disappears from the scene and we get to see old Casey back at first for awhile, and he still can’t hit.

   The next solution is to try Josh Wilson at first after he sort of lost his “Paperboy” job when the senior Wilson comes back from his odd rehab assignment complete with stories of him retiring. Josh Wilson now a vagabond with a hot bat didn’t last long at first but played ok there. But Casey Kotchman does get to come back long enough to set the all-time record for games played at first without an error.

   Meanwhile Jack Z. is cooking up another surprise and lands Russell Branyan again to come back and play…….Where else…First Base.

   Ok so now it’s solved Branyan will play first, hit for power and we will forget all about our platinum gloved but  no-stick 1^st baseman Casey Kotchman……or so we thought till suddenly in the last couple of weeks Casey Kotchman has found his stroke and is starting to hit for power and average. Great! We can DH Branyan and mighty Casey can take over first again and this thing will be settled once and for all……

    But alas this riddle has a life of its own so it seems, and Jack Z. being the crafty fellow he is makes a huge trade last week sending Cliff Lee and Mark Lowe with 2 million dollars to Texas for 3 prospects and…..you guessed it a young 1^st baseman by the name of Justin Smoak who Jack Z. says he has had his eyes on all along……hmmm

    So Justin Smoak arrives in Seattle with much buzz and anticipation by the local fans wondering what gives with this move and Don Wakamatsu the friendly guy he is announces to the press a few days ago that “Justin Smoak” will be the new first baseman of the future. Don is funny that way and likes a fella to know he has faith in him and that once a “belief system” is declared that something magic happens. So ok the fans are exhausted by now with trying to figure out “Who’s on First?” and we hated losing Lee for this kid, but what the heck Don said he is his everyday first baseman so that is that……….

    Then just today I almost fell out of my game-watching chair when I see that Dustin Smoak is DHing today and Casey Kotchman is back at first! Smoak goes 1-4 and Kotchman goes 3-4 with a homer……..So you tell me “Who’s on first” in the second half of the season? http://jeffsmariners.com

MLB Pick: Oakland Athletics (-133) - Fri Jun 19 ‘09 10:05p
visit Touthouse.com for current MLB Odds and more MLB Betting picks from Alex Smart

The A’s southpaw starting pitcher Josh Outman (4-1, 3.43 ERA) has made 6 of 7 quality starts this season. I’m expecting another top notch effort from the hurler vs a host Padres team that is batting a lowly .209 at home this season and , 1-5 in inter-league play in 2009, including a lowly long-term 4-20 against record vs AL sides. The Fathers during that ugly span are hitting .238 vs AL and have not won consecutive inter-league contests since the 2007 campaign.Meanwhile, the Padres will see scheduled starter Chris Young miss this contest because inflamed right shoulder, . He will be replaced with Wade LeBlanc a sub par Triple play option at Portland that in a previous stint with the Padres last year went 1-3 along with a bloated 8.02 ERA in five games .I not a big fan of the native of Louisiana and expect he gets his butt handed to him by sometimes by inconsistent Athletics team in this spot. Note: In Portland this season he was 1-4 along with a 4.08 ERA.
Final notes & Key Trends: Athletics are 5-0 in their last 5 inter-league road games vs. a team with a losing record. Padres are 0-6 in their last 6 during game 1 of a series and have lost 4 straight vs a LH starter like Outman…….Play on the Oakland A’s