Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
03/15/2010 - Sao Paulo, Brazil (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seven months after suffering back injuries in a practice crash at Sonoma, CA, Will Power made an impressive comeback in the IZOD IndyCar Series by winning the inaugural Sao Paulo Indy 300 in Brazil.
Power turned in a gutsy performance in the series' season-opener and first race held in a South American country. The 29-year-old Aussie avoided a five- car pileup on the opening lap and then endured rainy conditions for a majority of the event before passing Ryan Hunter-Reay for the lead in the closing minutes to claim his second career IndyCar victory.
"It was probably the most mixed up race that I have ever been in, but it created an opportunity for me to come back through the field and end up winning the race," Power said. "I think it was just a really good day for racing. If you were fast you could pass, because there is such a good track layout here. I'm pretty sure it was an exciting race for the fans."
Power undoubtedly had a dramatic day from start to finish on the Sao Paulo street circuit.
For the first time in series history, both qualifying and the race were held on the same day. A bumpy surface and slick concrete along the front straightaway led to unsafe race conditions and forced Indy Racing League officials to postpone Saturday's schedule qualifying until the following day. Track personnel made improvements in time for Sunday morning's "warm-up" practice session.
Power missed the final practice due to a faulty gearbox, but after his Penske team managed to correct the issue in time for qualifying, he managed to earn the fifth starting position.
By the time Power parked into victory lane, his hands were severely blistered from driving on one of the most physically demanding courses.
"I was really proud of my guys for the job they did to get us ready for qualifying," Power said. "They really were great all day. It was a long day with qualifying and the race all in just a few hours, but we were able to come out alright in the end."
Vitor Meira almost enjoyed the same triumphant return as Power did in Brazil. Meira also sustained a season-ending injury from a horrifying crash in last year's Indianapolis 500. With a third-place run, he was the highest finisher among the seven Brazilians who competed in front of their home crowd.
"It couldn't be much better than that," Meira said. "I think Will can relate to it with a back injury and all that. It gets pretty uncertain at some times and having a team behind you making sure that the seat is available, it makes a big difference during the recovery."
Prior to the start of the 2009 season, Power left KV Racing Technology and joined Penske to serve as substitute driver for Helio Castroneves until his federal tax evasion problems were resolved. Power drove Castroneves' car to a sixth-place finish in last year's season-opener in St. Petersburg, FL.
When Castroneves was acquitted and showed up in time for the second race of the season in Long Beach, CA, Power moved into a third Penske entry and ran a limited schedule from there. But Power continued to be one of the hottest drivers in IndyCar with sensational performances at Long Beach, Indianapolis, Toronto and Edmonton, where he recorded his first series win.
This year, Power joins Ryan Briscoe and Castroneves in Penske's stable of full-time drivers. The team has not been a three-car operation since 1994 when Al Unser Jr., Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy finished 1-2-3, respectively in points.
With Power's full-time status, Penske will be Chip Ganassi Racing's biggest threat in IndyCar this season. Reigning series champion Dario Franchitti and 2008 titleholder Scott Dixon are considered as the top-two contenders for this year's title, but after winning in Brazil, Power moves right up there with both Ganassi drivers in the championship ranks.
<< Ovechkin suspended two games for "reckless" hit on Campbell
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin has
been suspended two games without pay for his hit on Chicago Blackhawks
defenseman Brian Campbell.
The incident, which the NHL called "a reckless hit" in
<< Lions get CB Houston from Falcons
Allen Park, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Lions acquired cornerback Chris
Houston from the Atlanta Falcons for a pair of draft picks on Monday.
Detroit gave up its sixth-round choice in the 2010 NFL Draft in addition to a
conditional s
<< Lamely rallies for first PGA Tour title
Rio Grande, Puerto Rico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derek Lamely fired a six-under 66
in the final round Monday to come from behind and win the rain-delayed Puerto
Rico Open.
Lamely, who won for the first time on the PGA Tour, completed the event
<< Beckham's World Cup absence confirmed
Turku, Finland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England midfielder David Beckham underwent
successful surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon on Monday in Finland, and
it was confirmed by Dr. Sakari Orava that he will miss this summer's World Cup
in Sout
Packers re-sign T Tauscher >>
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Green Bay Packers on Monday re-signed
veteran offensive tackle Mark Tauscher to a two-year contract.
The Wisconsin product has spent his entire 10-year career with the Packers,
who selected the 6-f
Djokovic sneaks into fourth round at Indian Wells >>
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 2 Novak Djokovic barely survived
his third-round match Monday at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open, an ATP
World Tour Masters event.
The second-seeded Djokovic outlasted 25th-seeded German Philip
Giants, Jets to both host games opening weekend >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants and New York Jets will
both host games at their new home, Meadowlands Stadium, on the opening weekend
of the 2010 regular season.
The Giants will play Sunday afternoon, September 12,
Seahawks ink TE Baker >>
Kirkland, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Seahawks on Monday added depth at
the tight end position by signing veteran Chris Baker.
Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 30-year-old Baker spent last season with the P
Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back
With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times.
"Barry's going to play in 2007," Jeff Borris of Beverly Hills Sports Council told the Times on Tuesday. "I've had many discussions with Barry and he's going to play. My intentions are to see to it he's in a big-league uniform next season. Those are my marching orders."
Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .
Get all your baseball betting lines, MLB lines and MLB team props at the My Sportbook.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your baseball sportsbook needs.
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.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting