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02/06/2007 -
SAPELO ISLAND, Ga. (AP) -The double-decker ferry eases away from the rest of the world with a dozen people aboard. A lone fisherman stays behind, huddled at the end of the dock with eyes firmly locked on a couple of lines that disappear beneath the gently rippling waters.
The boat slowly picks up speed on a cool, cloudy day, meandering along the waterway that zigzags through the marshes of coastal Georgia. In 15 minutes or so, it will arrive at Sapelo Island, where a solitary, easygoing lifestyle has been preserved in a virtual time capsule.
There are no bridges to the mainland, no high-rise condos along the beaches. Heck, they don't even have an ATM.
This is Allen Bailey's world, the place where he grew up fishing and goofing around and hanging out with Sapelo's 80 full-time residents, most of them family or friends. Three-fourths of the islanders are Geechee, descendants of African slaves who managed to preserve much of their heritage, culture and traditions.
Bailey is Geechee - and one heck of a football player. On Wednesday, he's expected to sign with Miami after considering Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Who knows? Maybe he'll be the next Brian Urlacher, trotting onto the field in front of millions of people at the Super Bowl.
But he'll never forget the world he left behind.
``It was a great place to grow up,'' Bailey said. ``I don't care too much about those bigger places. I like it over there.''
---
Bailey is getting ready to head off to college, a child in a man's body - and a big man, at that. He's 6-foot-3 and 270 pounds, with massive arms and a head that fits firmly atop his sculpted shoulders, leaving no room for a neck.
Even at that size, Bailey is extremely light on his feet (especially evident when he's playing basketball) and has enough speed that it's not that farfetched that he wants to remain at linebacker, the position he played at McIntosh County Academy.
``I felt sorry for some of those guys I've seen him hit,'' said his father, Alfred Bailey, shaking his head.
Sapelo's seclusion didn't prevent most of the major college powers from tracking him down. Notre Dame. Southern Cal. Most of the Southeastern Conference. All were interested in this behemoth of a prospect.
``The postmaster told me, 'You need to tell your son to get his own P.O. box,''' Alfred said, chuckling, ``because every time we went to check the box, it was all filled with mail for him.''
Allen got a late start to his career. Growing up on Sapelo, he wasn't able to play rec league football on the mainland.
It wasn't until Bailey got into middle school that he finally joined a team, working out separate living arrangements that allowed him to take part in after-school practices and weekend games.
You see, there is no school on the island, and the last ferry from the mainland usually leaves at 5:30 p.m. So, Bailey lived part-time with an aunt for three years, and now he usually stays with a friend during the week. He'll go home Saturday or Sunday, taking along a week's worth of dirty clothes. On Monday, he'll bid farewell to his parents, board the 7 a.m. ferry and head back to school for another week.
``It's not too bad,'' his mother, Mary Bailey, said. ``We talk to him on the phone twice a day. You get used to it. It's like he's already gone off to college somewhere.''
As far as Bailey knows, he'll be the first resident of Sapelo to leave for a major college with the chance to be a star. The whole island is abuzz, speculating on just how good he'll be at the next level, wondering if he can make it all the way to the NFL.
``Everybody is talking about it,'' said his aunt, Cornelia Bailey, who serves as the island's unofficial historian. ``They want him to go to the pros. They want him to make it. There's no envy at all.''
---
Besides, what's there to be envious about? These islanders cherish their glorious isolation, brushing off the benefits of living in a big city (or even a small town).
``You don't have to walk down the road worrying about someone snatching your purse,'' Cornelia Bailey said. ``You don't have to smell foul air from some factory. If you want to go to a beach that doesn't have a million people on it, this is the place.''
Sapelo is owned largely by the state of Georgia, which has maintained it as a nature preserve. If you don't live on the island, you can't get there unless you're part of an organized tour or receive an invitation from one of the residents. Two bucks - $1 each way - will cover the ferry ride.
The Geechee are the main residents, African-Americans who own 434 of the 16,500 acres in a tightly knit community known as Hog Hammock. This is a place where motorists always wave to each other when they pass on the narrow roads, where there's no need to lock your doors at night or even knock when you come to visit.
The island has one small store, but most major business must be conducted on the other side of the water. Residents usually pick out a day each month when they hop the ferry for the trip into Darien, the county seat where they can shop for groceries, pay bills and do their banking.
They have to keep a car on each side, since the ferry is for passengers only and whatever supplies fit on the back deck. (To get an auto on or off the island requires a barge.) So, the islanders keep their most reliable car on the mainland and get by with their backup on Sapelo, where the traffic is light and the mileage low.
``I've never been a city person. I don't care for the hustle and bustle of the city life,'' said Alfred Bailey, who has worked on the ferry crew for 24 years. ``Once you've lived here for a while, you get a system down.''
The Geechee (or Gullah, as they're usually called in South Carolina) were brought to America as slaves, largely from west Africa. In keeping with their farming skills, they were sent to work in the coastal areas where rice was the major crop.
The intense heat - along with the accompanying threat of malaria and yellow fever - forced the white European owners to head inland in the rainy spring and blistering summer. African slaves were much more resistant to the disease, so they were left for long periods of time to the care of black overseers.
The lack of contact with the white population allowed the Geechee-Gullah sect to retain more of its African roots. They have similar styles of cooking and farming, a unique language (``I shum'' translates into ``I saw him) and many of the same superstitions.
``If you count the knots in the afterbirth, it tells you how many more kids you're going to have,'' Cornelia Bailey said. ``A split in your teeth means you're going to live a long life.''
She speaks with a distinctive accent that would be very much at home in Jamaica or another Caribbean island.
``A lot of people ask me, 'Are you from the islands?' I say, 'Yeah.' And they'll ask, 'Which island?' And I tell them, 'Sapelo,''' Bailey said, laughing heartily.
---
Allen Bailey lets the Geechee dialect slip into his speech every now and then - when he's talking at all. He's a quiet kid, the type who sees no need saying with 20 words what he can get across with one or two.
One wonders how he'll fare in Miami and the world beyond Sapelo. He simply shrugs his shoulders, insisting it will all work out just fine.
``I grew up a little different than most people,'' he acknowledged, ``but it's all basically the same.''
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.
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2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds
The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.
Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”
“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”
MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:
Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:
Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1
Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17
Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1
Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1
Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1
Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1
Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5
Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1
Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1
Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1
Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50
Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1
Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1
Best Animated Feature Film:
"Cars": 1/3
"Happy Feet": 2/1
"Monster House": 20/1
Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:
"Water" – Canada: 22/1
"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2
"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1
"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1
"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10
Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:
"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5
"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2
"Helmer & Son": 5/2
"The Saviour": 6/1
"West Bank Story": 7/2
Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:
"Babel": 7/4
"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1
"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20
"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4
"The Queen": 5/4
Best Motion Picture of the Year:
"Babel": 11/4
"The Departed": 1/2
"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2
"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10
"The Queen": 20/1
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10
Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1
Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1
Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5
Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1
Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1
Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1
Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8
Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1
Film To Win Most Oscars:
Dreamgirls: 2/3
Pans Labyrinth: 6/5
The Departed: 6/1
The Queen: 11/1
Babel: 15/1
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1
Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1
Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.
Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.
There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.
Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.
The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
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