07/24/2008 - Pittsburgh, PA (Baseball Betting) - The San Diego Padres reinstated catcher Josh Bard from the 15-day disabled list and recalled pitcher Justin Hampson from Triple-A Portland on Thursday.
Bard has been shelved since May 22 with a left ankle sprain he sustained a day earlier during an 11-3 loss to the Cardinals. The backstop is hitting .200 with eight doubles, seven RBI, and nine runs scored through 38 games this season.
The 28-year-old Hampson is 0-1 with a 7.27 earned run average in 10 relief appearances with San Diego this season.
To accommodate these roster moves, the Padres optioned catcher Luke Carlin and pitcher Joe Thatcher to Portland.
<< Broncos' Smith announces retirement
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith
announced his retirement in a Thursday press conference, marking the end of a
12-year career as one of the most consistently productive receivers in the
NFL.
<< Wright State gives Brownell new six-year deal
Dayton, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wright State University signed head men's
basketball coach Brad Brownell to a new six-year contract on Thursday, keeping
him with the Raiders through the 2013-14 season.
Brownell, the Co-Coach of the Year
<< Royals place Gathright on DL
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals placed
outfielder Joey Gathright on the 15-day disabled list with a bone bruise in
his right shoulder and recalled outfielder Mitch Maier from Triple-A Omaha.
Gathrig
<< Halladay Inn! Jays leave O's feeling blue
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Halladay was his usual efficient self on
the hill, allowing just one run through seven innings in Toronto's 7-1 triumph
over the Baltimore Orioles in the finale of their four-game series.
Before Hallada
Kirilenko advances, second-seeded Srebotnik upset at Slovenia Open >>
Portoroz, Slovenia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko
needed little time to advance to the quarterfinals of the $145,000 Banka Koper
Slovenia Open, but second-seeded Katarina Srebotnik wasn't so fortunate on her
home tu
Sabres sign LW Darche >>
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres signed left wing Mathieu
Darche on Thursday. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Darche, 31, played in 73 games last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning,
posting career highs
Knicks sign free agent Roberson >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks signed free agent guard
Anthony Roberson, the club announced Thursday.
Terms of the pact were not disclosed, although the New York Post reports it is
a two-year deal with the first year
MLS board approves expanding to 18 teams by 2011 >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Soccer's Board of Governors
approved expanding by two teams by 2011, MLS Commissioner Don Garber
announced following the Board of Governors meeting in Toronto on Thursday.
At the
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds
With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.
Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season. Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money.
This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy. A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.
Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:
| Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame) Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma) Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State) Michael Bush (RB, Louisville) Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia) Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville) Chris Leak (QB, Florida) Mike Hart (RB, Michigan) Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State) Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame) Drew Tate (QB, Iowa) Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal) Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn) Chad Henne (QB, Michigan) Kyle Wright (QB, Miami) Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State) Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama) JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU) Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State) Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina) Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech) |
5-2 7-2 7-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 18-1 18-1 20-1 30-1 35-1 35-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 |
For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.
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