Manning and the Denver Broncos waited eight long months, then another 33 minutes to get the season started because of a lightning storm.

It seems like the electricity in the lightning went straight into Manning's arm.

After three punts to start things off, Manning threw a record-tying seven touchdown passes, something no one had done in 44 years, in directing Denver to a 49-27 victory over Super Bowl champion Baltimore on Thursday night in a much-anticipated rematch against the team that ended the Broncos' playoff run in January.

Manning connected with his most prized addition, Wes Welker, and former
college basketball player Julius Thomas and Demaryius Thomas for two TDs each in
piling up the most points scored on the Ravens in their 18-year history.

''I don't like excuses but I do think that lightning delay did slow us
down,'' Manning said. ''You guys have seen teams break it down: you come up for
the team prayer, you put your hands in and you say, `Broncos on 3,' and you go
out to the field.

''We did it three times tonight,'' Manning said. ''We did it, went back and
sat down for 10 minutes and came back up again. `Broncos on 3,' now sit down for
another 10 minutes. I know they had to deal with it, too, but it took us a while
to get started.''

Wearing an orange-and-gray glove like the one he wore on that icy January
night the last time these teams met, Manning took a while to get warmed up
against a defense that had to replace seven Super Bowl starters.

He ditched the glove when the rain stopped -- and then was unstoppable.

''Peyton had an amazing night,'' Broncos coach John Fox said. ''Peyton's had
a lot of amazing nights.''

Not like this, though.

Manning is the sixth QB in NFL history to throw seven TD passes in a game and
the first since Joe Kapp for Minnesota against Baltimore on Sept. 28, 1969.

Tom Brady never did it. Nor Brett Favre, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Steve Young
or Terry Bradshaw. Or, for that matter, No. 7 himself, John Elway, who had his
binoculars trained on the action from his perch in the luxury seats.

"I felt like we had to keep scoring because Baltimore can score at any
time,'' said Manning, who was 27 of 42 for 462 yards with no interceptions for
an off-the-charts quarterback rating of 141.1.

''He's phenomenal. To continue to come out every year and put that kind of
performance on for us, it's amazing,'' Julius Thomas said.

All part of a thorough thrashing of the team that put a harsh end to what had
looked like a Super Bowl-bound 2012 in Denver. The rematch came nearly eight
months after Baltimore beat Denver 38-35 in double overtime on an icy January
night in the same stadium.

The hero on that night was Jacoby Jones, who caught a 70-yard TD pass over
Rahim Moore with 31 seconds left to tie it in regulation. This time, his night
was cut short when he went back to field a punt in the first half and teammate
Brynden Trawick plowed into him, sending him to the sideline with a sprained
right knee.

''That's an experience problem, he's an inexperienced guy,'' Ravens coach
John Harbaugh said.

When the teams finally took the field after the long delay, it was clear how
much had changed.

This night was certainly a masterpiece for Manning.

Notes: Broncos injuries: KR Trindon Holliday (lower left leg), Eric Decker
(right shoulder) and S Omar Bolden (left shoulder). ... Ravens RT Michael Oher
left with a sprained ankle. ... Shaun Phillips, who played in Miller's place,
had 2 1/2 sacks in his Denver debut. ... The Broncos were without CB Champ
Bailey (foot), who's expected back in Week 2 when the Manning travels to New
York to face his little brother, Eli.

It didn't take long for top prospect Billy Hamilton to make his presence
felt.

Hamilton and the Cincinnati Reds go for a fourth consecutive win over the slumping St. Louis Cardinals as these NL Central rivals meet again Wednesday night at Great American Ball Park.


After entering as a pinch runner in the seventh inning, Hamilton stole his
first base and then came around to score on Todd Frazier's double in Tuesday's 1-0 victory. The 22-year-old outfielder, who set a professional baseball single-season record by stealing 155 bases between Class A and Double-A in 2012, was called up the previous day.


"He (manager Dusty Baker) said, 'I need you to get to second base,'" Hamilton
said after his thrilling big league debut. "I was like, 'OK, I got you.'


"That's my job - stealing in important situations. This was a real big
situation - a pennant race."


Hamilton's speed could make a big impact down the stretch. He was hitting
.256 with six homers and 75 stolen bases in 123 games with Triple-A Louisville
before getting called up.


"Watching Billy run - I can watch that every day," Frazier said.


The Reds (78-61) had dropped 10 of 14 to the Cardinals before taking the last
three meetings by an 18-2 margin. Cincinnati is now 1 1/2 games behind St. Louis
(79-59) for the NL's top wild-card spot and second place in the division.


The Cardinals have hit .176 and been outscored 32-10 in losing five of six.
Matt Carpenter singled twice Tuesday, providing both the team's hits.



Infielder Daniel Descalso is mired in a 3-for-32 slump, Jon Jay is 4 for his 
last 26 and Allen Craig is hitless in his last 10 at-bats.


"We've got an offense that's played a lot of games this year and done
extremely well," manager Mike Matheny said. "You can't start trying to reinvent
the wheel."


Matheny's club, though, could bounce back against Bronson Arroyo (13-10, 3.66 ERA).
The right-hander is 8-16 with a 4.65 ERA in 35 starts versus St. Louis, by far his most
losses against any opponent.



Arroyo, 1-8 in his last 13 matchups against the Cardinals, is looking to avoid a fifth
consecutive loss in the series after surrendering a season high-tying seven runs in
3 2-3 innings in a 13-3 defeat Aug. 2.


"As good as they can be and as much as they grind at-bats, it's very difficult to kind
of keep those guys down," he told MLB's official website. "They got a good ball club,
and they just beat me around the ballpark."


Matt Holliday is 14 for his last 40 with four homers and four doubles versus 
Arroyo, and Jay is 14 for 34 with four extra-base hits.


Arroyo was also knocked around Friday, giving up six runs in a season-low 3
1-3 innings in a 9-6 loss at Colorado.


"That's just the way it rolls sometimes," said Arroyo, who saw his season-high
four-start winning streak snapped.


Arroyo could benefit from getting back home, where he is 9-3 with a 3.20 ERA
in 16 outings, 14 of which were quality starts.


The Cardinals counter with Shelby Miller (12-9, 3.13), who is 4-5 with a 4.68
ERA in his last 12 outings. The 22-year-old right-hander labored through 4 1-3
innings in Friday's 5-0 loss at Pittsburgh, surrendering five runs, eight hits
and three walks.


While Miller dropped to 2-5 with a 5.80 ERA in his last nine road starts, one
of those victories came in Cincinnati. He allowed three runs and struck out
eight in five-plus innings opposite Arroyo last month, improving to 1-0 with a
2.45 ERA in two career matchups against the Reds.

By: NOEY KUPCHAN

AP SPORTS

Tags: Maria Menounos, Maria Menounos Bikini Bet, Mario Lopez, Bikini Bet, New England Patriots Fans, Super Bowl XLVI, Sports Bet, Famous Sports Bets, Sexy Maria Menounos, Sexy NFL Fans

We're about to find out if the Terrelle Pryor experiment is a success. Once again, it appears the Matt Flynn experiment is a failure.

Despite Monday beginning with Oakland Raiders coach Dennis Allen saying he would not name a starting quarterback for Week 1 until game time Sunday, the San Francisco chronicle reported later in the day that indeed Pryor will get the
start this coming Sunday against the Colts.

Citing two league sources , the Chronicle said that "Allen told both Pryor and Matt Flynn his decision Monday morning and said he wasn't going to say whom he chose for competitive reasons."

Pryor actually started the final regular-season game of 2012 in place of an
injured Carson Palmer, but entered camp the backup behind Flynn, whom the
Raiders acquired from Seattle shortly before trading Palmer to Arizona in April.
But Flynn did not do enough to assert himself as the starter in the preseason,
struggling most in the third game -- typically the game in which the starters
receive the most playing time.

In that game against Chicago, Flynn was 3 of 6 for 19 yards with two
interceptions and a fumble with no touchdowns. In that same game, Pryor was 7 of
9 for 93 yards and accounted for two touchdowns, one passing and one rushing.
Entering the game to cheers, he led the Raiders to four scoring drives in all.
Then in the final preseason game last week against Seattle, Pryor started while
Flynn sat out with a sore arm.

Pryor's numbers were hardly scintillating in the preseason -- 17 of 32 for
221 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions; a 59.5 passer rating. But Al
Davis took Pryor in the 2011 supplemental draft (the late owner's final draft
pick) because of the former Ohio State standout's playmaking abilities. He led
the Raiders with a 9.4 yards-per-carry average in the preseason, running for 131
yards on only 14 carries with a 25-yard TD run. In Flynn's 13 drives this
preseason, the Raiders scored 10 points. They had 32 points in Pryor's first 14
drives.

This would be a case of unfortunate dejà vu for Flynn, who signed with
Seattle in the 2012 offseason but was beaten out by rookie Russell Wilson prior
to the start of the regular season. Flynn is guaranteed $6.5 million from the
Raiders this season.

As for Raiders fans, how'd you think they would react?

-- One fan was quoted saying "Terrelle Pryor is taking us to the superbowl"


-- Matteus Cornell (@bigdaddymatte) September 3, 2013 @TerrellePryor gonna
show wat he's got!!!!!!!!! #justwait


-- Chris Thomason (@CJThomason21) September 3, 2013 Okay Terrelle Pryor the
next Russell Wilson? Sorry Matt Flynn #raiders


-- Daniel Spurlock (@D_Spurlock) September 3, 2013 Terrelle Pryor will be the
starter, finally some good news


-- Carlos mendoza (@carlos10884) September 3, 2013 @TerrellePryor time to
#shine

Here are some Pryor highlights from the Preseason Week 3 game against Chicago:

A Heisman Trophy, a riveting playoff game, an international following.
Tim Tebow won all that in his football career.


On Saturday, he lost his third NFL job in 18 months. It might be hard to find
another.


The quarterback with two big problems - throwing the ball and reading
defenses - was cut by the New England Patriots less than 12 weeks after they
signed him and just five days before the season.


But, as Tebow sees it, this long journey is not over.


''I will remain in relentless pursuit of continuing my lifelong dream of
being an NFL quarterback,'' he tweeted.


Coach Bill Belichick gave the player whose profile was higher than his
production what may have been his last chance when he signed him June 11, the
day the Patriots' three-day minicamp began. And Tebow is grateful.


He thanked Belichick, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and owner Robert
Kraft, who said last Tuesday he was ''rooting'' for Tebow but would let
Belichick make the decision.


In his tweet, Tebow thanked the ''entire Patriots organization for giving me
the opportunity to be a part of such a classy organization.''


The Patriots cut 12 other players and put safety Adrian Wilson on injured
reserve. That left them with 51 players, two below the regular-season limit they
had to reach by 6 p.m. EDT.


Belichick didn't comment on Tebow's release.


But NFL.com analyst and former NFL executive Gil Brandt wasn't surprised.


''He has had a great career and I think it's probably time for him to admit
that he just wasn't right up to NFL standards,'' Brandt said. ''I'm sure that
whatever he does in life he'll be a huge success.


Tebow was surely that at Florida, where he won the Heisman and two national
championships while surrounded by talented teammates.


He was a success with Denver, for one season, when he went 7-1 in his first
eight starts in 2011 then threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas on
the first play of overtime to give the Broncos a 29-23 playoff win over the
Pittsburgh Steelers.


Tebow knelt on one knee - an expression of faith known as Tebowing - in the
end zone.


But then a career of accomplishment descended into adversity.


Tebow led the Broncos into Foxborough the next weekend and lost 45-10 while
completing barely a third of his passes.


He was traded to the New York Jets the following March and languished on the
bench while coach Rex Ryan ignored fans' calls for Tebow to replace a struggling
Mark Sanchez. Tebow threw just eight passes, ran only 32 times and was cut last
April 29.


For six weeks no team wanted him until the Patriots signed him to a low-risk,
two-year contract with no guaranteed money. One person with knowledge of the
deal told The Associated Press that Tebow would make the veteran's minimum
salary, $630,000 in 2013, with incentives.


At least he wouldn't be in the center ring of a media circus that surrounded
him in New York, not with Belichick's tight rein on players' interactions with
reporters.


If anyone could turn him into a good NFL quarterback, it seemed, it would be
Belichick. And McDaniels was a booster of Tebow, drafting him in the first round
in 2010 as Denver's head coach. There even was speculation that Belichick might
find other positions for the mobile Tebow to play, but he worked out only with
the quarterbacks.


And his passes still bounced at receivers' feet and flew over their
heads.


''We see things like the pass that he threw in overtime to Thomas,'' Brandt
said. ''I think we see that every once in a while. It really gets us excited
about the guy.


''I don't know if he's ever going to be a quarterback, and the reasons that I
say that is that I think it's very, very hard with somebody that doesn't have
real good accuracy (and) I don't know if he has a real good feel for the
game.''


Now, barely two weeks after his 26th birthday, Tebow's NFL career may be
over.


''I can't predict that,'' said John Fox, who took over as Denver's coach in
2011 and traded him after the season. ''I wish nothing but the best for him, as
I've said many times. He did a lot of good things for us, was great to this
organization and to this coaching staff, myself included.''


The Patriots have carried just two quarterbacks in three of the past four
seasons. So with Ryan Mallett entrenched as the backup to Tom Brady, Tebow's
challenge was a difficult one, even before the preseason started. Then he posted
a quarterback rating of just 47.2 with two touchdown passes, two interceptions
and seven sacks in three exhibition games.


Tebow's last play with the Patriots, and perhaps in the NFL, was a 9-yard
touchdown to rookie free agent Quentin Sims with six seconds left in a 28-20 win
over the New York Giants on Thursday night.


With two scoring passes, it was the best of Tebow's three games during a
shaky preseason in which he completed 11 of 30 passes for 145 yards and ran 16
times for 91 yards.


''It's not just one game (that matters),'' Belichick said Friday about the
player evaluation process, ''although every game is important. But the body of
work, the camp, the rate of improvement, the ability to do the things that
players are going to be asked to do at their respective positions (also
matter).''


After his last game, Tebow said he wasn't sure it would be enough to keep him
on the team.


But he didn't plan to worry.


He would ''go to sleep when I get home, wake up, come work out, watch the
film,'' Tebow said. ''See what I did good, see what I did bad, try to learn from
it and get better.''


NOTES: The Patriots cut punter Zoltan Mesko after three solid seasons in
favor of rookie Ryan Allen. They released three other veterans - defensive
linemen Jermaine Cunningham and Justin Francis and linebacker Jeff Tarpinian.
Also cut were defensive lineman Marcus Forston, who spent last season on the
Patriots practice squad, and seven rookie free agents - Sims, linebacker
Ja'Gared Davis, defensive backs Kanorris Davis, Justin Green, and Stephon
Morris, offensive lineman Chris McDonald and running back George Winn.

HOWARD ULMAN (AP Sports Writer)

Stevens has a business where he sells sports betting picks called VIP Sports  Las Vegas.

The CNBC  press release for the show calls him "a well-known handicapper," and a promo  video on his company's website claims he has a winning percentage of 71.5%. The  show is a "docu-soap," and it's set to air Sept. 10.


But apparently no one in Vegas has heard of Stevens, and his 70% winning 
percentage is considered impossible.

Even worse, a damning report from WagerMinds lays out  evidence alleging that
his name is actually Darin Notaro, and he has been  arrested multiple times for
telemarketing fraud. 

Todd Fuhrman, a former oddsmaker at Caesar's Palace, wrote in a blog post
, "No one, and I mean no one,  in the sports betting community I speak with
daily knows who this guy is."

Prime Wagers spoke with our very own Sports Betting mastermind Phil Vassallo,
he said, "I have never heard of this Steve Stevens or Darin Notaro".

Prime Wagers — a sports betting website that is focused on transparency in the 
industry — also said they've never heard of him in their article.

Bob Voulgaris, a popular sharp NBA bettor, said on Twitter that  he'd never
heard of Stevens either, calling him "a complete scam artist" for the 70% claim.

The 70% claim was a red flag for a lot of sports betting folks. Voulgaris, 
whom Nate Silver called the best sports bettor in  the world, only wins about
57% of his NBA bets. SportsInsights ran the  numbers in June and found that
your chances of winning 70% of bets against the  spread are about one in one
trillion.

It's basically impossible to win 70%, but the VIP Sports  Las Vegas website is
using that claim to sell its picks to customers. Here's  the promo video from the
website (with NSFW language):

A CNBC spokesman told us in a statement that viewers will have to draw their 
own conclusions about Stevens' business, adding, "We are merely betting 
that viewers will be interested in the world of touts and handicappers and in no 
way endorse either Stevens’ picks or his business model."

While CNBC says it doesn't endorse his business, there's a website 
called CNBCvipsports.com that directs readers to the VIP  Sports Las Vegas
site and asks readers for their email addresses and phone  numbers.

A CNBC spokesman told us, "He is not authorized to use the CNBC name or logo."
CNBC declined comment on whether or not they're taking steps to remove  the
association on the website.

The website boasts, "You may have seen VIP Sports on the new CNBC show Money 
Talks. If so you know Steve Stevens is the real deal."

Before we jump on CNBC, there's a big difference between Stevens being a 
fraud and the show itself being a fraud. We'll have to wait to see how he is 
portrayed.

But that's not all.

WagerMinds reported that the domain name  for Stevens' business VIP Sports
Las Vegas was only registered eight months ago.  It was registered under the
name Darin Notaro.

According to WagerMinds, Notaro has been arrested and convicted in  telemarketing
scams going back to 1999. He was sentenced to a year in prison at  age 25 for a scheme
that "bilked elderly citizens across the nation out of at  least $234,000," according to the Las
Vegas Sun.

Judging by this screenshot from WagerMinds, they look  alike:

According to WagerMinds, it appears that Notaro also rents the office space 
where VIP Sports Las Vegas is housed.

A CNBC spokesman said they are aware of the 1999 conviction. Here's the full 
statement:

"We are aware of Steve Stevens’ 1999 conviction  and while we are very clear in
the press release that VIP Sports clients risk  big dollars in the hopes that Stevens
and his agents have the expertise to  consistently deliver winners, viewers should
tune in on September 10th at 10pm  ET/PT to draw their own conclusions about
VIP Sports. We are merely betting that viewers will be interested in the world of touts
and handicappers and in no way endorse either Stevens’ picks or his business model."

We called the number provided on the VIP Sports Las Vegas website and left a 
message. We are waiting a response.

Again, we'll have to wait until the show airs to see if he is portrayed as what he claims
to be (a big-shot sports bettor) or what many in the betting community see him as (a shady figure).

Remember when the lights went out during Super Bowl XLVII? Retired Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Ray Lewis says that was no accident.

"I'm not gonna accuse nobody of nothing — because I don't know facts," Lewis says on an upcoming installment of NFL Films’ "America’s Game" series. "But you're a zillion-dollar company, and your lights go out? No. (Laughs) No way".

"Now listen, if you grew up like I grew up — and you grew up in a household like I grew up — then sometimes your lights might go out, because times get hard. I understand that. But you cannot tell me somebody wasn't sitting there and when they say, 'The Ravens (are) about to blow them out. Man, we better do something.' . . . That's a huge shift in any game, in all seriousness. And as you see how huge it was because it let them right back in the game."


 
As with all conspiracy theories, the attendant circumstances did seem to fall
into a convenient narrative. At the time of the blackout, the Ravens were
beating the San Francisco 49ers by 22 points. Somebody or something needed to
stop the Ravens’ momentum or the big game was going to be a big dud. So then,
boom, the lights go out and guess what? The 49ers got back in it. All the way
back.

Baltimore ended up winning 34-31, and Lewis got his second Super Bowl ring.

Enjoy the vintage 90's "Sabotage" music video by the legendary Beastie Boys and 
comment if you think Ray Lewis is right about his sabotage theory below.

Basketball star Lamar Odom was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence early Friday after a California Highway Patrol officer saw his white Mercedes-Benz traveling erratically on a San Fernando Valley Freeway.
The husband of reality TV star Khloe Kardashian was stopped shortly before 4 a.m. and was arrested after a field sobriety test.

The CHP said Odom's car was observed traveling in a ''serpentine manner'' before he pulled off the freeway.

''Mr. Odom showed objective signs of intoxication and was unable to perform field sobriety tests,'' the CHP said in a report. Authorities said he later
declined to take a chemical test.

Odom, 33, was booked for investigation of driving under the influence of
alcohol or drugs and jailed on $15,000 bail.

He was released Friday morning after posting bail.

A message for his agent, Jeff Schwartz, wasn't immediately returned.

The 6-foot-10-inch forward has played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers,
the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks.

Odom broke into the NBA with the Clippers in 1999, playing for them for four
seasons before spending the 2003-04 season with the Heat.

He had his best years during his six seasons with the Lakers, beginning in 2004-05.
The team won NBA championships in 2010 and 2011 and Odom won the NBA's
sixth man award in 2011.

After spending the 2012 season with the Dallas Mavericks, he returned to the
Clippers last year. He became a free agent at the end of the season.