05/11/2008 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rainy conditions at Wrigley Field caused both the Chicago Cubs and the Arizona Diamondbacks to shelf their starting pitchers, Carlos Zambrano and Randy Johnson, respectively, on Sunday.
Weather permitting, right-hander Sean Gallagher will start for the Cubs in Zambrano's place against Edgar Gonzalez will start for Arizona.
<< Second day qualifying for Indy a washout
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An all-day rain ended the second day of
Indianapolis 500 qualifying even before it began. No drivers were able to take
to the track.
Qualifying for positions 12-33 will restart next Saturday, the thir
<< United captures title with win over Wigan
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs scored
goals to help Manchester United retain the Premiership title with a 2-0 win
over Wigan at The JJB Stadium on Sunday.
United entered the day level on 84 point
<< Otto holds off Wilson to win Italian Open
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hennie Otto fended off a stiff charge from
Oliver Wilson on Sunday to win the Italian Open, shooting a three-under 69 in
the final round to claim his first European Tour victory.
Otto, who shot a 63 in
<< O's select contract of Cintron
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles selected the
contract of infielder Alex Cintron from Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday.
Baltimore signed the 29-year-old Cintron to a minor league deal on March 31.
He batted .288
Yankees-Tigers postponed due to heavy rain >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunday's scheduled series finale between the
New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers was postponed due to rain.
No make-up date for the game was announced.
Diamondbacks' Johnson scratched from start >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Randy
Johnson was scratched from his scheduled start against the Chicago Cubs on
Sunday due to wet weather conditions.
Edgar Gonzalez was tabbed to start in Johnson's pl
Ljubicic wins war in Hamburg opener >>
Hamburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia was among a trio
of winners during the opening day of play at the Hamburg Masters Series open
on Sunday.
Ljubicic survived a three hour war to edge Steve Darcis of Belgium, 6-7
Millwood sent to 15-day DL >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers placed starting
pitcher Kevin Millwood on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday with a strained
right groin.
Millwood left Saturday's 6-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics af
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.
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