Former UCLA basketball star Bill Rankin dies

Cbasketball Betting Lines

05/12/2008 -

NEWPORT HARBOR, Calif. (AP) - Bill Rankin, a basketball star at UCLA during World War II and after, has died after a long fight with Parkinson's disease. He was 84.

Rankin's daughter, Cindy Elliott, told The Associated Press he died Sunday night at his home on Balboa Island.

Rankin played guard and forward under coach Wilbur Johns for the Bruins in 1945 and, with time out for the Navy, in 1946 and 1947.

After graduation, Rankin coached basketball at Westchester and Monroe High Schools in Los Angeles.

``He was my inspiration,'' said UCLA men's volleyball coach Al Scates, who played basketball under Rankin at Westchester High.

Rankin is survived by his widow Bette and his daughter, who said her father wanted no funeral. She quoted him as saying: ``Let my friends raise a toast of beer or ice cream and shoot a few hoops.''

In lieu of flowers, the family said he requested donations to the American Parkinson's Disease Foundation or the UCLA Foundation.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Gambleinvegas Cbasketball Betting News

<< Perez, Nats steamroll over Mets
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Odalis Perez did it all for Washington, going 3-for-3 at the plate with a pair of runs batted in, and earning the victory on the mound, as the Nationals downed the New York Mets, 10-4, in the opener of a four-ga

<< Home Cookin': Cavs even series with Celtics
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James scored 21 points and dished out 13 assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled away down the stretch to beat the Boston Celtics, 88-77, evening their Eastern Conference semifinal series after four ga

<< Datsyuk leads Red Wings to 3-0 series lead
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pavel Datsyuk recorded his first career playoff hat trick as the Detroit Red Wings took a commanding three games to none series lead with a 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 3 of the Western Confere

<< Braun powers Brewers past Cardinals
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun hit two home runs for the second straight day, and the Milwaukee Brewers scored five times in the third inning en route to an 8-3 dismantling of the St. Louis Cardinals in the finale of a four-ga

<< Manny's 498th HR not enough as Red Sox fall to Twins
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Delmon Young finished 2-for-4 with two RBI as Minnesota overcame an early three-run deficit to top Boston, 7-3, in the finale of a four-game set from the Metrodome. Craig Monroe also drove in two ru

Knicks to introduce D'Antoni Tuesday >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks have called a news conference for 1 p.m. (et) Tuesday to introduce Mike D'Antoni as their next head coach. Late Saturday, the Knicks agreed in principle for D'Antoni to take

Zambrano shines again as Cubs club Padres >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alfonso Soriano went 2-for-5 with a double and a two-run homer, part of an electric offensive outing that saw the Chicago Cubs cruise past the San Diego Padres, 12-3, in the opener of a four-game set at

Vazquez's HR in 10th wins game for Rangers after blown lead >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ramon Vazquez's solo home run in the 10th inning lifted the Texas Rangers to a 13-12 win over the Seattle Mariners in the opener of a three-game set. The Rangers blew a four-run lead in the ninth,

Chargers sign long snapper Binn to four-year deal >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers signed long snapper David Binn to a new four-year contract Monday that will keep him with the team through 2011. The 36-year-old Binn, entering his 15th NFL season, is the Chargers'

Oswalt, Astros stay hot with win over Giants >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Oswalt threw eight innings, retiring the final 14 batters he faced, as the Houston Astros continued their momentous May with a 7-3 win over the San Francisco Giants. Lance Berkman continued his hot


Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.




You've come to the right place if you're searching for a great legal online sportsbook ! The sportsbooks featured on this page accept sports wagers for the NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL, NCAA, Tennis, Soccer, Auto-Racing, Golf, Boxing, Horseracing, and many more. Using the information displayed on this page, you'll be able to make a wise-decision when selecting an online sportsbook and wagering service. If you've never wagered at an online sportsbook before, you will find the process of starting to be straightforward. First, you choose a sportsbook from the list provided below. We feature the top sportsbooks on the web, with rankings based on company size, reputation, security, web site usability, and payment options. Once you've chosen the betting site that's right for you, the next step is online registration. You'll need to provide some basic information to create your account and receive a username and password. At this time, you'll also select a payment option. The books reviewed accept Visa, Mastercard, BankWire, and several others. Once you have an account created with the Sportsbook, you're ready to start wagering. You'll want to get familiar with their website and contact their Customer Service department if you have any questions. Also, make sure you read the terms and conditions, which is usually located at the bottom of the homepage. The terms and conditions will outline all of the rules and regulations for the sportsbook. Once you are comfortable with the website and fully understand all of the rules, you are ready to start betting on your favorite sports teams or even on some hot current events!

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.