08/26/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers were shown no mercy in the City of Brotherly Love to start their current road trip. The club will try to reverse its misfortunes when it visits the nation's capital tonight for the first of three straight games versus the Washington Nationals.
Los Angeles swept the Phillies in four games at home from August 11-14 to tighten up the NL West race, but Philadelphia just returned the favor with a four-game sweep of its own at Citizens Bank Park.
In Monday night's 5-0 setback to the Phillies in the series finale, Matt Kemp and Russell Martin both ended with three hits for a Los Angeles club that left 14 runners stranded and fell three games behind Arizona for the top spot in the division standings.
Starting pitcher Chad Billingsley gave up three runs, five walks and seven hits in six innings of work to absorb the loss for LA, which has dropped six straight road games and is 0-4 on a 10-game trek. It is also 26-36 away from Chavez Ravine in 2008.
The Dodgers will wrap up their road trip against the rival Diamondbacks in the desert from August 29-31.
Derek Lowe gets the ball for Los Angeles on Tuesday, and he is 10-10 with a 3.89 earned run average in 27 starts this season. Lowe is unbeaten over his previous three starts (2-0) and defeated Colorado his last time out on Thursday, allowing just one run and four hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Lowe, who is only 2-5 in 12 road starts this season, will take on Washington for the second time in 2008. He hurled eight shutout innings of one-hit ball in a 6-0 victory over the Nationals on July 26 at Dodger Stadium. Lowe is 5-0 with a 2.88 ERA in 11 career games (5 starts) against the Washington/Montreal franchise.
The Nationals have lost two in a row and 14 of their last 16 games, including Sunday's 6-1 defeat to the Chicago Cubs in the finale of a three-game series at Wrigley Field. Nats starter Jason Bergmann was saddled with the loss after he gave up four runs on four hits in 6 1/3 innings while striking out six and walking four.
Austin Kearns had a solo homer to account for the only run for the Nationals, who have dropped five straight series. Washington, which has also lost six straight home games, will open a nine-game homestand tonight and is 23-39 at Nationals Park this season.
Rookie starter Collin Balester will try to avoid losing a fourth straight start when he takes the ball for Washington tonight. Balester is only 1-6 in his last seven decisions and was beaten by Philadelphia his last time out Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park. He allowed four runs, three of which were earned, in six innings of a 4-0 loss.
Balester, a righty, is 2-6 with a 4.99 earned run average in nine starts this season. He will get his first look at the Dodgers this evening.
Los Angeles swept a three-game series versus Washington at Dodger Stadium from July 25-27 and is 11-1 over its past 12 meetings with the Nationals.
<< Jays' Halladay faces Rays, again
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Halladay is putting together a Cy Young Award-worthy
season, but you wouldn't know it if you only saw him pitch against the Rays.
The Toronto Blue Jays ace will try for his first win in four starts against
Tamp
<< Red Sox try to stay in playoff hunt at Yankee Stadium
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox make what in all likelihood will be
their final visit to the current Yankee Stadium this evening, as they kick off
a critical three-game series with the New York Yankees in the Bronx.
Boston ente
<< Marlins resume road trip against battered Braves
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins will resume a nine-game road trip this
evening with the first of three straight meetings with the National League
East-rival Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.
The Marlins are 3-3 so far on the trek a
<< Cubs try to overpower Pirates once again
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs try to continue their season-long mastery
of the Pittsburgh Pirates this evening, when the National League Central
rivals resume their three-game series at PNC Park.
Chicago, which leads the major
Former Blazer Duckworth dies >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Portland Trail Blazers center Kevin
Duckworth died Monday. He was 44.
A member of the Trail Blazers from 1986-93, the 7-footer also played for San
Antonio, Washington, Milwaukee and the Los Angele
Webb shoots for 20th win as Diamondbacks resume set with Padres >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Webb tries to become the National League's first
20-game winner since 2005 this evening when the Arizona Diamondbacks play the
second test of their three-game series with the San Diego Padres at Petco
Park.
Webb,
Seattle Seahawks 2008 Season Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Things are starting to change in Seattle. However, for the
Seahawks and their fans, the hope is that the alterations the club is
undergoing won't affect what has been a very successful run.
The Seahawks enter this year kno
Rockies continue late push versus Giants >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Once again, the Colorado Rockies are making a belated
playoff push.
The defending National League champions take aim at a fourth consecutive
victory in tonight's second test of a three-game series with the host San
Franc
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.
The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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