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06/06/2010 - Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Sounders FC scored three first-half goals then held strong for a 3-0 win over the New England Revolution in a Major League Soccer fixture in front of over 36,000 fans at Qwest Field on Saturday night.
Leo Gonzalez started the onslaught inside of five minutes when he jumped on a loose ball on the right side of the Revolution penalty area before lacing a left-footed shot into the far-post side-netting. It was his first goal of the season.
A little under 20 minutes later the Sounders went up 2-0 when second-year attacker Steven Zakuani unleashed a right footed rocket past goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth. After a long throw-in from Fredy Montero, Brad Evans knocked the ball back to the top of the 18-yard box, where Zakuani fired off the crossbar and in for his fourth of the season.
Montero added his fourth goal of the season, beating defender Pat Phelan at the top of the Revs area before slotting the shot home to make it 3-0 in the 42nd minute.
New England (3-7-2) has a while to digest the ugly loss, with its next MLS fixture being on June 27 vs. Chicago, while Seattle (4-5-3) hosts D.C. United on Thursday in its last MLS fixture before the World Cup break.
<< Willis pitches Diamondbacks to second straight win
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dontrelle Willis pitched six shutout innings
in his return to the National League, helping the Diamondbacks to a 4-3 win
over the Colorado Rockies.
Willis (1-0), who was traded from Detroit on Tuesday
<< Tolbert's single in ninth sends Twins over A's
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Tolbert drove in the game-winning run in
the ninth to help the Minnesota Twins take a 4-3 victory over the Oakland
Athletics in the second of a three-game set.
Delmon Young finished the game with th
<< Moor goal propels Rapids to win over Crew
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rapids earned a hard-fought
1-0 win over the Columbus Crew at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Major League
Soccer action on Saturday night.
Drew Moor scored the game's only goal in the 85th
<< Keselowski kicks off double-duty weekend with Nashville win
Lebanon, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Keselowski outraced fellow Sprint Cup
Series competitor Carl Edwards to win Saturday's Federated Auto Parts 300 at
Nashville Superspeedway.
Keselowski led 97 laps after starting from the 24th s
Braves use big seventh inning to beat Dodgers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Troy Glaus' two-run homer and a two-run
double by Brian McCann keyed a seven-run seventh inning, as the Braves came
away with a 9-3 win over the Dodgers in the third of four games from Chavez
Ravine.
Katsumasa Miyamoto wins Japan's Tour Championship >>
Kasama, Japan (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Japan's Katsumasa Miyamoto closed with a
four-over 75 Sunday, but it was enough for him to win the Japan Golf Tour
Championship by three strokes.
Miyamoto finished his eighth Japan Tour victory at f
Yankees try to stave off sweep attempt from Blue Jays >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a pivotal American League East battle, the Toronto Blue
Jays will try to complete a sweep of the New York Yankees in today's final
matchup of a three-game set at the Rogers Centre.
If the Blue Jays are going to finish o
Mets vie for more home success, sweep of Marlins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Left-handed Japanese import Hisanori Takahashi can atone
for a poor last start when the New York Mets go for a sweep of a three-game
home series with the visiting Florida Marlins today at Citi Field.
The Mets have won seve
(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.
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
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