It was announced today that Pro Football Hall of Famer, Jim Langer passed away today at the age of 71 due to a heart related issue.

An undrafted player from South Dakota State, Langer signed with the Cleveland Browns in 1970 but was cut in pre-season.  The Miami Dolphins would sign him after and Langer made the team.  In his third season, Langer was the starting Center and this was the year that the Dolphins would go undefeated and win Super Bowl VII.

Langer would help Miami win Super Bowl VIII the following year but he would also go on a six-year streak of Pro Bowls, four of which would see him named a First Team All-Pro.  He played with the Dolphins until 1979 and finished his career with the Minnesota Vikings for two seasons.  He would enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987, his first year of eligibility.  

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, fans and family of Jim Langer at this time.  

Step by Step Guide on How to Become A Sports Betting Professional

As fun as it may sound to bet on sports for a living, nothing about being a sports betting professional is easy or stress-free. Professional sports betting requires a lot of hard work and can be incredibly stressful. 

That said, for the right person, professional sports betting can be the ultimate, rewarding career. But it’s certainly not something you should rush into just because you’re bored with your usual work routine. If you think you have what it takes, pay close attention to this guide on how to become a professional sports better.

Step 1: Gain A Thorough Understanding of Betting on Sports

Whether you are a complete beginner or have a little experience, it’s important to start with the basics. To make the most educated bets, you have to have a thorough knowledge of the subjects you are betting on. In the case of sports betting, you need to research and develop in-depth understanding of how sports betting is conducted, as well as the various sports you will be betting on. 

Many popular US sportsbooks offer guides and tutorials that can help you to become more familiar with betting practices and the way sports betting is conducted. Some sites even provide free advice for increasing your chances of winning. 

Step 2: Money Management

Before you start making bets, it’s important for you to properly manage your bankroll. Money management is essential to becoming a successful sports betting professional. Determine how much of your own money you can afford to set aside specifically for betting. Then, decide ahead of time how much you can stake on your bets. Making these decisions before you get started can help you avoid making disastrous financial decisions.

Additionally, when first starting out as a sports better, no matter how seriously it’s taken, it’s recommended that you don’t immediately quit your regular job. It can take a while to get started as a professional sports better and the last thing you want it to dig yourself a financial hole. Before you give up your job, consider the inconsistent income that comes with sports betting, as well as all the bills you still have to pay. Wait until you can truly rely on your winnings from sports betting before quitting your job and betting on sports full-time.

Step 3: Understand the Risks

Becoming a professional sports better comes with its own set of risks. If it were easy, everyone would do it. When it comes to betting on sports, especially in a professional setting, you can and will lose real money that you can’t immediately get back. Additionally, being a professional sports better doesn’t typically provide a consistent flow of income. You may go through periods where you win big, or you may experience a frustrating losing streak. It’s all part of the process, but you should be aware of the risks beforehand. 

Step 4: Know Where to Place Your Bets

One of the most important decisions you will make as a professional sports better is where to place your bets.  There are so many sportsbooks to choose from, it can be overwhelming trying to figure out which one is right for you. Do a bit of research into online sportsbooks to see what they have to offer, as well as what other customers are saying about them. 

Many popular online casinos support sports betting and with the numerous bonuses and rewards they offer you could get a great head start by choosing the right site on which to place your bets. Consider some of the top online casinos with sports betting and pay close attention to how to unlock a casino welcome bonus so you get started right away with real money.

Step 5: Practice, Practice, Practice

Especially if you are just starting out, understand that it may take some time before you truly understand how things operate and feel comfortable placing different types of bets. Professional sports betters find a method that works best for them and then stick with it. The more you practice, the better understanding you will gain of what method and which types of bets are most beneficial for you. 

Step 6: Control Your Emotions

Think with your head, not your heart. There’s nothing wrong with being passionate about what you do, but to be a successful sports better, you need to be able to think logically and leave emotions out of it. To do this, you should identify your own emotional weaknesses and take note of how they influence your bets. 

For example, perhaps you tend to pull for the underdogs, feeling the need to give them the benefit of the doubt. Logically speaking, an underdog is less likely to win. So unless your bet is backed by real logic, betting on a team or a person just because you “feel” for them, isn’t a good idea. 

Step 7: Never Stop Learning

When it comes to professional sports betting, the hard work never ends. As fun as it can be, to be a true professional, you can never get too comfortable. Athletics are always changing and evolving, which means you must always be open and willing to learn more and adjust as time goes on. 

Join a community where you can talk to and learn from other sports betters. Keep up with any relevant news and information, as it is released, because you never know what effect it can have on your bets. 

Additionally, continue learning from your own experiences. Consider how things have gone in the past and what you could have or should have done differently to get a better result. To become a truly successful professional sports better, you should never stop learning. 

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players and executive. As such, it is news to us that the Oakland Athletics have announced that Dave Stewart will have his #34 retired by the team.

This announcement concluded the 30^thanniversary celebration of their 1989 World Series Championship.

Stewart was signed early in the 1986 season after being released by the Philadelphia Phillies and prior to that he had unremarkable statistics over five seasons with the Lod Angeles Dodgers and the Texas Rangers.  Very few fans of the A’s had reason to think that Stewart would do much with Oakland, and frankly most of them likely never noticed he was signed at all, but it was in Oakland where he would live up to everything that the Dodgers originally envisioned when they converted him to a pitcher almost a decade before.

He would finish the season going 9-5, but in 1987 as a fixture in the A’s rotation, he would go on one of the best four-year runs for a Pitcher in franchise history. 

Stewart finished 1987 by leading the AL in Wins (20) and finishing third in Cy Young voting.  He was without a doubt the ace of the Oakland staff and in 1988 he would win 21 Games while leading the league in Innings Pitched (275.2).  More importantly, Stewart took Oakland to the World Series, though they would lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers.  1989 would again see Stewart win 21 Games and he was the runner-up for the Cy Young.  The A’s returned to the World Series (this time winning) where he won two Games in both the ALCS and the World Series winning the MVP in both.  In 1990, he would win a career high 22 Games, with a third place Cy Young finish.  The A’s returned to the World Series and though they lost to Cincinnati, Stewart was the ALCS MVP on the road to get there.

He would remain with Oakland until he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays after the 1992 Season.  As an Athletic, he would post a record of 119-78 and 1,152 Strikeouts.

Stewart becomes the sixth former Athletic to have his number retired as he joins Denis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Catfish Hunter, Rickey Henderson and Reggie Jackson.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Dave Stewart for earning this prestigious honor.

This is a stunner.

A couple of weeks ago, The Indianapolis Colts were hopeful that their star Quarterback, Andrew Luck would be able to start Week 1 after dealing with a calc/ankle injury.  A few days ago, they weren’t certain that he would be able to make it for the first regular season game, but would eventually be ready early in the season.  Not only is he not going to play this season, he has announced that he will formally retire for the National Football League at age 29.

Luck was the first overall pick in the 2012 Draft and would be named to the Pro Bowl in his first three seasons. In 2014, he threw for a league leading 40 Touchdown Passes, with a career high 4,761 Yards.

Injuries piled up on the pivot and he was forced to sit out the entire 2017 season, though came back last year to throw for 4,593 Yards and 39 TDs.  He would go to his fourth (and presumably, final) Pro Bowl and was named the Comeback Player of the Year.

Often, when players retire, we assume they will stay retired, despite the fact that players have bucked that and returned shortly after.  Perhaps, because of his age and his citing of “mental” reason as opposed to physical, we think there is a good chance that we will see him again and selfishly we hope so.   This was one of the best QBs at one time, and pundits and fans still felt that there was a lot left in what was pegged once as a future Pro Football Hall of Famer.  

As it stands now, Luck is unlikely to make Canton.

Taking our “Hall of Fame” hat off, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are hopeful that Andrew Luck heals and enjoys his post-playing career.