A sad, tragic end in Memphis
Basketball Betting Lines
07/29/2010 -
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A body riddled with bullets was found in
Southeast Memphis Wednesday afternoon in a thickly wooded area near FedEx's
world headquarters.
It was just another sad ending in a city that has become notorious for its
gang problems and ever-increasing homicide rate.
But, Lorenzen Wright was the last person they should have been caught up in
the underbelly of Memphis.
Wright spent 13 years in the NBA after being selected seventh overall by the
Los Angeles Clippers in the 1996 draft.
Raised near Oxford, Miss., the River City would become a constant in Wright's
short life. The 6-foot-11 power forward played his high school and college
ball in Memphis, and eventually ended up with the Grizzlies in 2001-02 when he
was traded by the Atlanta Hawks along with Pau Gasol and Brevin Knight to the
Grizz for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Jamaal Tinsley.
Although he never lived up to the billing of a top 10 pick, Wright carved out
a niche that enabled him to make over $55 million dollars over his NBA career,
and he never hesitated to give back to his hometown.
During his first of three NBA stints in Atlanta, Wright, Penny Hardaway and
two other Memphis-area NBA players (Todd Day and Elliot Perry) furnished
$10,000 to Travis Butler, a 9-year-old boy who lived with his mother's corpse
for a month out of fear he would be put in foster care if anyone found out she
was dead.
He also founded the Sierra Simone Wright Scholarship Fund designed to award
students for academic achievement and heavy involvement in their school or
community after the death of his infant daughter in March 2003.
Now, all that's left of Wright's legacy is for police to figure out what
happened to him in the early morning hours of July 19.
The 34-year-old Wright was last seen alive on July 18 and was reported missing
by his family four days later. A 911 call was received from Wright's cell
phone at 1:00 am on the 19th and the caller, presumably Wright, was speaking
with the dispatcher when several gun shots rang out.
According to 730 Fox Sports in Memphis, Wright was shot at least a dozen times
and possibly as many as 18 times, a fact that most investigators will tell you
points away from a random act of violence.
By Wednesday night, local media reports had nearly 200 people gathering in the
area Wright's body was found as investigators combed the area for evidence and
brought in a mobile command center.
"We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Lorenzen Wright," Grizzlies
owner Michael Heisley said in a statement. "We lost a member of the Grizzlies
family. Lorenzen delighted fans on the court with his passion and off the
court with his generosity in a Memphis community that watched him grow
throughout his playing career at Booker T. Washington High School, the
University of Memphis and the NBA."
Family and friends, meanwhile, are having a difficult time coming to terms
with Wright's tragic end.
"Lorenzen's family has come together to mourn his loss and honor his legacy,"
his family said in a statement issued through their cousin, Camella Logan. "We
appreciate your thoughts, prayers and condolences as they are comforting at
this very difficult time. Additionally, we ask that you please respect our
privacy as we try to cope with his sudden loss."
"I cried, the emotions hit me immediately," Hardaway told Eyewitness News in
Memphis. "It's sad because we lost a good person and a brother."
Wright leaves behind six children and a mystery for Memphis to solve.
"To end his career and his life like this here in some woods, that's not
good," friend Stan McKinley said. "You don't do a dog like this. It's just a
really sad day for the city as a whole."
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Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.
NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.
Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.
Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.
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NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6
For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com
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