12/03/2008 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Texans running back Steve Slaton, Indianapolis Colts defensive end Robert Mathis and Kansas City special teamer Maurice Leggett have been selected as the AFC's top players for Week 13 of the NFL season.
Slaton rushed for 130 yards with two touchdowns on just 21 carries in a 30-17 victory over Jacksonville, as the Texans won their maiden appearance on Monday Night Football. He added 52 receiving yards to become the first Texans player to capture the AFC Offensive award since Andre Johnson in 2006.
Mathis captured defensive honors for the second time in his career and for the first time since 2005 after helping the Colts to a 10-6 win over Cleveland. He notched two tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery. The fumble recovery went 37 yards to the end zone for the game's only touchdown.
Leggett earned the special teams award, scoring a touchdown on a fake field goal in Kansas City's 20-13 win over Oakland. The Raiders botched the play when kicker Sebastian Janikowski could not handle the toss from holder Shane Lechler, and Leggett raced 67 yards the other way for the score.
Others considered for the offensive award included Tennessee running backs Chris Johnson and LenDale White, who rushed for 125 and 106 yards, respectively, with a pair of touchdowns apiece in a 47-10 rout of the Lions on Thanksgiving Day; and Denver rookie running back Peyton Hillis, who gained a career-high 129 yards with a touchdown on 22 carries in a 34-17 victory over the New York Jets.
Defensive nominees included Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison, who posted nine tackles with two sacks and two forced fumbles in a 33-10 win over New England; and Baltimore safety Jim Leonhard, who returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown in a 34-3 victory over Cincinnati.
Miami rookie kicker Dan Carpenter was also up for the special teams award after connecting on field goals of 37, 47 and 42 yards in a 16-12 win over St. Louis.
<< Menez discusses Roma exit
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roma's French midfielder Jeremy Menez has
dropped a major hint that he will seek a move away from the Italian capital in
a bid to secure regular first-team football.
The 21-year-old has struggled to mak
<< Nashville assigns Ortmeyer to Milwaukee
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators assigned Jed Ortmeyer
to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, it was
announced on Wednesday.
Ortmeyer, who had to clear waivers to go down, has not play
<< Wilson inks Celtic extension
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic defender Mark Wilson has put pen
to paper on a three-year contract extension at Parkhead.
The 24-year-old defender joined the Bhoys from Dundee United in January 2006
and has been a mainstay
<< Penguins recall Darling from Wheeling
Wilkes-Barre, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
recalled goaltender Curtis Darling from the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL, the
American Hockey League team announced on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old Darling will
Westbrook, Allen, Jones earn NFC weekly honors >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian
Westbrook, Minnesota Vikings defense end Jared Allen and Carolina Panthers
return specialist Mark Jones have been selected as the NFC's top players for
Week 13
Voronin hopeful of permanent Hertha stay >>
Berlin, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Striker Andriy Voronin is hoping to make
his loan stay at Hertha Berlin into a permanent transfer.
The Ukraine international has found the net three times since returning to the
Bundesliga from Liverpoo
Mariners come to terms with Branyan >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners have signed infielder
Russell Branyan to a one-year deal. Per club policy, financial terms of the
deal were not released.
"Russell gives us a veteran left-handed bat with power a
Coughlin addresses Burress situation >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin
addressed the situation with suspended wide receiver Plaxico Burress on
Wednesday, but would not divulge the reasons behind the club's decision to
place t
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!
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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies
It's that time of year folks. Betting on American Idol Season 9. And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below. With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.
No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.
Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.
Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.
Odds to Win
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.
All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.
A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.
Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.
Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol.
Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.
If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.
Elimination Props
Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.
Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.
Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups
The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.
Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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