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
04/23/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun and Bill Hall belted homers, while Dave Bush took a no-hitter into the eighth and pitched a solid 7 2/3 innings to lead the Milwaukee Brewers past the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-1, in the rubber match of a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park.
Bush carried a no-hitter into the home half of the eighth inning and retired pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs on a grounder to lead off. Pinch-hitter Matt Stairs then ruined Bush's hopes by belting a 3-1 cutter into the upper deck in right field. Bush was replaced by reliever Mitch Stetter after retiring Jimmy Rollins and giving up a single to Shane Victorino. Chase Utley grounded out to end the inning.
The 29-year-old Bush (1-0) allowed just one run on two hits with four strikeouts and three walks. Bush, who was attempting to become the second player in club history to toss a no-hitter, lowered his ERA to 3.86.
Braun went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer for the Brewers, who won 3-1 on Wednesday. Prince Fielder went 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels left the tilt in the fourth after being hit on the left shoulder by a Fielder line drive. Hamels (0-2), who was diagnosed with a left shoulder contusion, gave up two runs on four hits to go along with six strikeouts.
The Phillies, who posted an 11-4 victory in the opening game of the series on Tuesday, finished with just two hits and lost for the fifth time in their last seven games.
<< NHL suspends Flames F Roy
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League on Thursday
suspended Calgary Flames forward Andre Roy one game and fined him $2,500 for
an incident prior to Wednesday's contest.
In the pre-game warmups before Calgary
<< Maryland's Vasquez declares for NBA Draft
College Park, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maryland junior guard Greivis Vasquez has
decided to submit his name for the NBA Draft, but won't hire an agent to give
himself the option of returning to school.
The 6-foot-6 Vasquez averaged 17.5 poi
<< Barca's Eto'o hails in-form Iniesta
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o described
Andres Iniesta as the best player in the world after the midfielder stole the
show in Wednesday's 4-0 demolition of Sevilla.
The result keeps Barca on track
<< Stoke rules out Beattie, Higginbotham
Stoke-on-Trent, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stoke City boss Tony Pulis has ruled
James Beattie and Danny Higginbotham out of Saturday's Premier League game at
Fulham.
Higginbotham could need a back operation that will end his season while B
Nadal eases into Barcelona quarters, semis >>
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Four-time reigning champion Rafael
Nadal was an easy third-round winner Thursday at the $2.6 million Barcelona
Open.
The high-flying world No. 1 Nadal spanked helpless Belgian Christophe Rochu
Slump frustrates Juve's Del Piero >>
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Frustrated Juventus captain Alessandro Del
Piero is disappointed with the way his side's title challenge has petered out.
It had been thought that Juve would push Inter Milan all the way after it was
kn
Bramble hopes to sign new deal with Wigan >>
Wigan, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wigan Athletic defender Titus Bramble is keen
to sign a new contract with the Latics.
The 27-year-old former Ipswich Town and Newcastle United star has enjoyed a
solid campaign with Steve Bruce's side
Genoa's Thiago waits on summer bids >>
Genoa, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In-demand Genoa midfielder Thiago Motta is
waiting to see what offers come in for his services next summer.
The 26-year-old Brazil international has rebuilt his career in Italy following
an injury-hit ti
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
My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting 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