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07/21/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Now just a game in front in the American League West, the LA Angels of Anaheim try to bounce back tonight as they challenge the Minnesota Twins in the second game of a three-game set at the Metrodome.
The Angels, who are ahead of the surging Seattle Mariners in the division by just a single game entering the weekend, have lost four of the last five outings following a 7-5 setback in the series opener last night.
Justin Morneau homered and drove in three runs and Jason Kubel finished 3- for-3 with a two-run triple for the Twins as they snapped a three-game slide with the triumph. The duo picked up the offensive slack for the club after Michael Cuddyer was placed on the 15-day DL with a sprained right thumb prior to the contest.
Carlos Silva picked up the win for the home team as he allowed four earned runs on 10 hits over 6 2/3 innings, while Joe Nathan logged his 19th save of the campaign as well.
LA starter John Lackey made it through only five innings, permitting seven runs, five earned, on 10 hits, while fanning three. Mike Napoli finished with three hits and Chone Figgins scored twice for the visitors, who again failed to hit a home run for the 13th straight game, the club's longest drought in more than three decades.
Following up an impressive rookie season in 2006 in which he went 11-2 for the Angels, Jered Weaver heads out to the mound for LA tonight in search of his seventh win of the campaign.
Weaver, a product of Long Beach State, has not won in more than a month and failed to earn a decision in his most recent outing on Sunday when he allowed two unearned runs on four hits versus Texas at home. Striking out six and walking two over seven innings, Weaver's Angels bowed in a 5-4 decision.
In his only previous appearance this season versus Minnesota, the right-hander got plenty of run support in a 16-3 drubbing of the Twins at home. In that game Weaver permitted just a single run on five hits over seven innings of action. That victory marked the only decision of his brief two-year career against Minnesota.
As for the Twins, they have Boof Bonser slated to oppose Weaver on the hill. Bonser, a right-hander from Florida, is also in his second year in the majors and has not earned a victory since the second week of June. More recently Bonser threw 6 1/3 innings versus Oakland on Sunday, giving up three runs on five hits and a trio of walks, but he failed to factor into the 4-3 win for his team.
Morneau, who has two home runs and six RBI over the last six games for the Twins, is now second in the AL in both home runs (26) and RBI (81) for a team that is eight games out of contention in the AL Central behind both Detroit and Cleveland.
Despite being second in the American League in hitting this season with a mark of .283 over 95 games, the Angels are second-to-last in home runs with a mere 64, dragging the team's slugging down to .408. Although he does not appear among the league leaders at the moment, Figgins is hitting .317 for the club this season, while Vladimir Guerrero is at .326 with 14 home runs and 78 RBI.
The Angels took two of three from the Twins earlier in the season and are 17-12 in the series since the start of the 2004 campaign.
<< Haren, Athletics set to tangle with Orioles
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A couple of teams fighting for respectability within their
own divisions battle it out tonight in the second of a three-game set from
McAfee Coliseum, as the Oakland Athletics take on the Baltimore Orioles.
Baltimore, whic
<< Cubs hope to prove they are kings of the Hill versus Arizona
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lefty Rich Hill can put a little more distance between
himself and a recent tailspin today when the Chicago Cubs host the Arizona
Diamondbacks in game two of a three-game weekend set at Wrigley Field.
Hill, a 27-year-old
<< Reds aim to rebound against Marlins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Young left-hander Bobby Livingston goes for his third win
of the season, and of his brief big-league career, tonight when the Cincinnati
Reds visit Dolphin Stadium for game three of a four-game series with the host
Florida Ma
<< Pujols, Cards resume set with Braves
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Albert Pujols is getting hot and will try to lead the St.
Louis Cardinals to a victory tonight when the club plays the third game of its
four-game set with the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.
Pujols homered for the fifth t
Red-hot Mariners continue series with Blue Jays >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As one of the hottest teams in baseball, the Seattle
Mariners continue their quest for the top spot in the American League West as
they contend with the Toronto Blue Jays in the second of a three-game set from
the Rogers Cent
KC shoots for consecutive wins over Detroit >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Best meets the worst in the American League Central this
evening as the Detroit Tigers play host to the Kansas City Royals in the
second of a three-game set from Comerica Park.
On Friday night the Tigers were beaten and ba
Red Sox clash with White Sox, possibly without Ortiz >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Still with the largest cushion of any American League
division leader heading into play on Saturday, the Boston Red Sox shoot for
their second straight victory as they contend with the Chicago White Sox in
the third game of a
Tiger shoots a 69 in third round >>
Carnoustie, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods shot a two-under 69 on
Saturday and finished 54 holes at one-under-par 212 at the British Open
Championship at Carnoustie.
Woods currently trails Sergio Garcia by six shots as th
(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.
New York, NY – October 3, 2007 – The dress rehearsal is over! The NHL preseason has ended and now that fans have had a glimpse of what is to come it is time to hit the book! Stanley Cup odds are live at MySportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino.
The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the odds charts after an impressive start in the preseason. Betting lines opened for both teams at 6-1 in June. Since then the Sens have fallen to 7-1 and the Red Wings are now caught in a pack including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, all at 10-1.
MySportsbook.com has also posted props on each team’s point total for the regular season. The Senators lead the charge at 108.5 followed by the Ducks at 106.5. Detroit will attempt a repeat for the prize as the Red Wings are deadlocked with the Predators at 104.5 a piece. The temporary loss of highly touted rookie Evgeni Malkin puts a lot of pressure on the stick of assistant captain Sidney Crosby - his lowly Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at 71.5.
Even if bettors are not brave enough to put their money on the underdog, an early bet on the favorites at sportsbook.com tends to produce bigger payouts than a mid-season wager. Placing a $1,000 bet last summer on the Detroit Red Wings or Ottawa Senators would have paid out to $8,000 and $10,000 respectively, opposed to a $2,500 or $3,000 payout at the beginning of the playoffs.
| Ottawa Senators Detroit Red Wings Carolina Hurricanes San Jose Sharks Anaheim Ducks Philadelphia Flyers Calgary Flames New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Dallas Stars New York Rangers Nashville Predators Vancouver Canucks Colorado Avalanche Minnesota Wild Tampa Bay Lightning Boston Bruins Florida Panthers Montreal Canadiens Atlanta Thrashers Toronto Maple Leafs Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Los Angeles Kings New York Islanders Columbus Blue Jackets St. Louis Blues Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Chicago Blackhawks |
7-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 15-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 40-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 80-1 80-1 100-1 100-1 |
NHL Regular Season Points - Team Must Play 82 Games
| Team Ottawa Senators Anaheim Ducks Detroit Red Wings Nashville Predators San Jose Sharks Calgary Flames Philadelphia Flyers New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Carolina Hurricanes Dallas Stars New York Rangers Minnesota Wild Atlanta Thrashers Montreal Canadiens Team Los Angeles Kings Tampa Bay Lightening Vancouver Canucks Boston Bruins Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Toronto Maple Leafs Florida Panthers Columbus Blue Jackets New York Islanders Chicago Blackhawks St. Louis Blues Washington Capitals Pittsburgh Penguins |
Over/Under 108.5 106.5 104.5 104.5 103.5 101.5 100.5 99.5 97.5 97.5 97.5 95.5 94.5 93.5 92.5 Over/Under 91.5 91.5 91.5 89.5 89.5 88.5 88.5 86.5 84.5 82.5 80.5 72.5 72.5 72.5 71.5 |
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey sportsbook needs.
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