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
07/24/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lefty Manny Parra can end a personal two-start losing streak while giving Milwaukee a second straight win tonight when the Brewers host the Washington Nationals in the middle game of a three-game series at Miller Park.
On Friday, Jim Edmonds entered as an injury replacement for Corey Hart early in the game and went 2-for-3 with three RBI, including the go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning, to lift Milwaukee to a 7-5 win.
Alcides Escobar went 3-for-4 with a run scored for the Brewers, who scored six unanswered runs to come away with the victory following a 4-4 road trip.
Kameron Loe (1-1) was credited with the win for throwing two scoreless innings, while Sean Burnett (0-5) took the loss for serving up Edmonds' homer.
Parra, a double-digit winner in each of the past two seasons, has plunged to 3-7 with losses in his two most recent 2010 starts, allowing 20 hits and 16 runs in just 10 1/3 innings against San Francisco and Atlanta.
Previously, he'd strung together his only win streak of the year, defeating Minnesota on June 23 and St. Louis on July 3 with a no-decision in between against Houston.
The 27-year-old has split time between starting and relieving this season, beginning 10 games and coming in from the bullpen 17 times. in his initial 68 big-league outings since a 2007 debut, Parra had started 58 times.
He is 1-1 in seven career games against Washington, including three relief appearances in three days in mid-April, when he allowed three hits over 1 2/3 innings.
For the Nationals, righty J.D. Martin makes his ninth appearance of the season and the third of his career against Milwaukee.
The 27-year-old has managed just one win in six decisions in 2010 after winning five times in 15 starts as a rookie with Washington last year. He dropped four straight before recording victory No. 1 on July 7 against San Diego, but fell, 7-2, at Cincinnati on July 19 after allowing six hits and six runs in 5 1/3 innings.
He is winless in two career starts against Milwaukee with a 6.39 earned run average in 12 2/3 innings.
The Nationals took two of three from the Brewers at home from April 16-18, but have lost in 10 of their last 12 visits to Miller Park.
<< Twins send Baker to hill in Baltimore
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Struggling to keep pace with the White Sox and Tigers in
the AL Central, the Twins will try to solve their road woes when Minnesota
battles the Baltimore Orioles in the third installment of a four-game set this
evening at Cam
<< Oswalt toes the hill for Astros against Reds
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran right-hander Rot Oswalt makes what could be one of
the last starts of his Houston career tonight when the Astros meet the
Cincinnati Reds in the middle test of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park.
Oswalt, a Hou
<< Bumgarner takes aim at fourth straight win at Chase Field
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Madison Bumgarner shoots for his fourth straight win this
evening when the San Francisco Giants continue their four-game set against the
Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
Bumgarner has been sensational over his winning
<< Marlins attempt to go over. 500 against Braves
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins try to go above .500 for the first
time since early June this evening when they continue their three-game set
with the Atlanta Braves at Sun Life Stadium.
Florida won in dramatic fashion on Friday, as
Pressel back in front in France >>
Evian-les-Bains, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Morgan Pressel eagled the final
hole Saturday for a five-under 67 and the third-round lead of the Evian
Masters.
Pressel, who shared the first-round lead at Evian Masters Golf Club, fini
Bacsinszky beats Meusburger in rainy Austria >>
Bad Gastein, Austria (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland beat
Austrian crowd favorite Yvonne Meusburger in the semifinals of the Gastein
Ladies tennis tournament on Saturday.
The second-seeded Bacsinszky rallied for a 1-
Buchholz returns for Rockies >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies have activated
pitcher Taylor Buchholz off the 60-day disabled list.
Buchholz has not pitched in the majors since September 9, 2008. He sat out all
of last season because of e
Yankees activate Mitre; Gardner hospitalized >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees have activated pitcher
Sergio Mitre off the 15-day disabled list to start Saturday's game against the
Kansas City Royals.
Mitre had been sidelined since early June with a strained
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard
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