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07/20/2010 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers agreed on a four-year contract with defensive tackle Brian Price, one of the team's 2010 second- round picks on Tuesday.
Financial terms of the deal were not announced.
"I'm glad my agent got the deal done, so now I can concentrate on having a great training camp. I'm looking forward to contributing to the Buccaneers' dominant defensive tradition," said Price.
Price was taken with the 35th overall pick out of UCLA, where he earned Pac-10 Conference Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2009. He also claimed All Pac-10 accolades in '08 and '09.
Over 35 games, including 30 starts spanning three years with the Bruins, Price registered 12 1/2 sacks, 97 tackles -- 44 1/2 for losses -- one interception and five forced fumbles.
In other team news, the Buccaneers released guard Lee Grimes, who came to Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent in early May.
<< Suns add Babby to front office
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns introduced Lon Babby as the
organization's next president of basketball operations at a news conference on
Tuesday.
Babby joins the Suns as the successor to Steve Kerr, whose contract was
<< Rangers' Nippert lands on DL
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers decided to place reliever
Dustin Nippert on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday after he was struck in the
head by a line drive during Monday's game versus the Tigers.
Nippert was taken to
<< Panthers ink third-rounder LaFell
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Panthers have signed third-
round draft pick wide receiver Brandon LaFell.
LaFell, selected 78th overall out of Louisiana State, ranks second in school
history with 25 touchdown recepti
<< Heat bring in veteran Howard
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat continued their radical roster
reshaping on Tuesday by signing journeyman forward Juwan Howard.
Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, the South
Florida Sun-Sentin
Lakers C Bynum to have surgery next week >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers revealed that center
Andrew Bynum will undergo surgery to repair a tear of the meniscus in his
right knee next week.
Bynum, who had the knee drained on June 22, had previousl
Sky Blue fires Miettinen, names Stainton new coach >>
Somerset, N.J. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sky Blue FC of Women's Professional Soccer
announced Monday that Pauliina Miettinen and assistant coach Anne Parnila were
relieved of their coaching duties with the team, and that assistant coach Rick
Stainto
Gold Pride's Sinclair named WPS Player of Week >>
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Gold Pride forward Christine Sinclair
was honored as Women's Professional Soccer Player of the Week for Week 14 on
Tuesday.
Sinclair led first-place FC Gold Pride to its third successive win and f
Athletics reinstate P Braden from DL >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics reinstated pitcher Dallas
Braden from the 15-day disabled on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old left-hander was placed on the DL on July 3 with tendinitis in
his pitching elbow, with the move retro
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards
(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.
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