10/29/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Things didn't quite go the way they were supposed to in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Curlin was supposed to win the Classic and secure his second Horse of the Year title.
With a quarter-mile to run the pre-written script was being followed to the letter. Jockey Robby Albarado had Curlin moving on the outside and the two took the lead at the top of the stretch. In mid-stretch Curlin was on his way to winning his second $5 million Classic and wrap up Horse of the Year honors.
With 200 yards to go Curlin tired and Raven's Pass, who simply followed the favorite's path into the stretch, took the lead and won by a little under two- lengths. Curlin faded to fourth in the 12 horse field.
"With Curlin, nothing is a consolation," trainer Steve Asmussen said. "We're just proud of who he is. He's the first North American-based horse over $10 million and he's just had a remarkable run.
"Watching the race first time by, I was very concerned. It kind of looked like the Man o' War. He was off the bridle. Very concerned. I think he had to struggle to get where he was, the first time by. When he went under the wire the first time, he was further back and Robby was nudging him forward. He works harder to go over it than he works to go over the dirt."
Because of that fourth place finish by Curlin, the undefeated filly Zenyatta could be voted Horse of the Year. In the final NTRA National Poll, Zenyatta was first with 170 points to 158 for Curlin. The filly received 11 first place votes and Curlin got seven.
"It's quite an accomplishment to go all year undefeated, and to step up each time, four of them in Grade 1, like she did," said trainer John Shirreffs of the four-year-old filly, unbeaten in nine starts, seven of them this year. "In the vote, she would have to be seriously considered for that."
The major problem I have with Zenyatta, as opposed to Curlin, is the fact that the filly has only raced once outside of the southern California region. Curlin has been overseas, Kentucky and New York this year, and was clearly the best thoroughbred, until Saturday.
When the Eclipse Awards are announced in January, Curlin will receive one for champion older male and Zenyatta will be crowned top older female horse. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a tie for Horse of the Year, as long as one of those horses is Curlin.
<< Brees, Kiwanuka, Moss earn NFC weekly honors
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees,
New York Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka, and wide receiver-punt
returner Santana Moss of the Washington Redskins were selected as the NFC's
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New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington,
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selected as the AFC's top players for Week 8 of the NFL season.
Pennington earned t
<< Coyotes send Lisin to San Antonio
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Lisin to the San Antonio Rampage, the club's American Hockey League affiliate,
on Wednesday.
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Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Chiefs signed offensive
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NHL pushes trade deadline back one day >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League announced Wednesday
that it has pushed its trade deadline back one day, to March 4, 2009.
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day later th
Line of Scrimmage: Week 9 - Burnout Alert for Singletary >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - We love Mike Singletary's passion, and so
do the people at Coors, we're guessing.
As several observers have pointed out in the days since Singletary's high-
intensity post-game rant following his 49ers' bl
Rays, Phils to resume Game 5 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay
Rays will complete Game 5 of the World Series this evening at Citizens Bank
Park.
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Panthers ink Kasay to four-year extension >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Panthers signed kicker John
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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