Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
03/12/2010 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vinny Prospal had two goals and an assist as the New York Rangers took a 5-2 decision over the Atlanta Thrashers in a battle between playoff contenders.
Marian Gaborik had a goal and two assists while Ryan Callahan added a goal and an assist for the Rangers, who stopped a four-game slide. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 29 shots in the win.
The win moves New York to 69 points, three back of idle Boston for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Clarke MacArthur and Ron Hainsey each had a goal for the Thrashers, who have dropped their past five games. Johan Hedberg stopped 30-of-34 shots in the loss.
The losing streak has dropped Atlanta to the 11th spot in the Eastern Conference with 66 points, two below Tampa Bay, which won at Washington earlier Friday.
The Rangers dominated play in the first period and scored three times in the frame.
The first goal came 7:49 in as Prospal accepted a long feed from Gaborik and at the left circle blasted a slap shot past Hedberg and just 41 seconds later, Gaborik scored on the power play for his 36th goal and a 2-0 lead.
Prospal notched his second goal of the period on a wrister with 6:34 left for the 3-0 advantage.
Atlanta got on the board 2:33 into the second with a power-play tally as a crisp passing play was finished when Rich Peverley fired a pass from the left to the right where MacArthur one-timed it home.
New York, though, got the goal back with 2:28 to play in the second as Michael Del Zotto's wrister from the point snuck past Hedberg.
The Thrashers cut the deficit to two with 8:34 to play in the third on the power play as Chris Thorburn fired a pass from the right circle to the slot where a wide open Hainesy wristed it home.
Atlanta got a chance to make it a one-goal game a few minutes later when Jody Shelley was called for hooking, but Lundqvist made a couple big stops to keep it a two-goal contest.
The Thrashers pulled Hedberg late for the extra attacker, but Callahan sealed the win with a shot into the empty cage.
Game Notes
New York hosts Philly on Sunday...Atlanta continues its five-game homestand on Sunday against Phoenix...Atlanta had won the previous five matchups, including the first three games of this season series...Atlanta has scored just six goals over its losing streak...New York went 2-for-6 on the power play while Atlanta was 1-for-4.
<< Kovalchuk, Devils clip Pens to tighten Atlantic race
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Kovalchuk posted a goal and two assists and
Martin Brodeur stopped 34 shots as New Jersey clipped Pittsburgh, 3-1, at
Prudential Center.
Patrik Elias and Andy Greene also scored for the Devils, who hav
<< Georgia Tech downs Maryland to reach ACC semis, boost resume
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Iman Shumpert scored 14 points and handed
out four assists to help Georgia Tech fend off 19th-ranked Maryland, 69-64, in
the quarterfinals of the 2010 ACC Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum.
The Yellow Ja
<< Bobcats top Clippers; Wallace hurt ankle
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Jackson poured in 14 of his 24 points
in the fourth quarter while dishing out six assists, as the Charlotte Bobcats
continued their stellar play at home with a 106-98 victory over the Los
Angeles
<< Lightning escape Verizon Center with win over Caps
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Walker had a goal and an assist as the
Tampa Bay Lightning got a big win in a 3-2 decision over the Washington
Capitals at the Verizon Center.
Vincent Lecavalier and Brandon Bochenski each had
San Diego inks CB Strickland >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers announced the signing
of free agent cornerback Donald Strickland to a two-year contract on Friday.
Strickland, 29, saw his playing time diminish with the New York Jets last
season
Richardson and Heat clobber Bulls >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quentin Richardson made 7-of-11 three-pointers on
his way to 23 points while pulling down seven rebounds, as the Miami Heat
handled the Chicago Bulls, 108-95.
Jermaine O'Neal had a season-high 25 points t
Harding solid as Wild escape Sabres >>
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Harding stopped a season-high 43 shots, as
Minnesota escaped from Buffalo with a 3-2 win at HSBC Arena.
Andrew Ebbett, Andrew Brunette and Guillaume Latendresse lit the lamp for the
Wild, who halted a fou
Durant sets franchise mark, Thunder slide by Nets >>
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Durant poured in 32 points and
pulled down 12 rebounds, as the Oklahoma City Thunder held off the lowly New
Jersey Nets, 104-102.
Durant's 30-point game was his 36th this season, breaking
(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).
The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting