Johnson tops in qualifying at Bristol
Autoracing Betting Lines
08/20/2010 - Bristol, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jimmie Johnson picked up his first pole of the season by winning Friday's qualifying for the IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Johnson, who won at Bristol for the first time in March, posted a lap of 123.475 m.p.h. around the 0.533-mile, high-banked oval for his 24th career Sprint Cup Series pole, but his first since last year's season-ending race at Homestead.
"We have a lot of things going in the right direction for us here," Johnson said after claiming his first pole at Bristol. "We all know how important track position is, and your pit stall pick, so we have the best of both worlds starting on the front row. But we'll have to be smart, because there's no safe place on this racetrack."
Johnson, the four-time defending series champion, knocked Carl Edwards off of the pole position shortly after Edwards' qualifying lap of 122.937 m.p.h., which put him on the outside pole.
"I felt like the line I ran around the top was the line that was going to get the pole, but I watched Jimmie use the bottom, and I thought, 'there's no way, he's going to be slow,' but somehow he made it work, so those guys did a good job."
Joey Logano qualified third, while Tony Stewart and David Reutimann rounded out the top-five. Reutimann suffered from food poisoning and had Aric Almirola drive his car during the first of two practices earlier in the day. Reutimann recuperated from his stomach ailment in time to participate in the final practice.
Ryan Newman took the sixth spot, followed by Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex Jr. and A.J. Allmendinger.
Kevin Harvick, the current points leader, will start 28th. Harvick holds a 293-point advantage over second-place Jeff Gordon, who will start 26th, one position ahead of his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dave Blaney, Joe Nemechek, Kevin Lepage, J.J. Yeley, Brian Keselowski and Mike Bliss failed to qualify.
Saturday's 500-lap race at Bristol is scheduled to start shortly after 7:30 p.m. (et).
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies designated left-handed reliever Randy Flores for assignment and recalled infielder Jonathan Herrera from Triple-A Colorado Springs to fill his roster spot Friday. Flores has pitched
<< Favre to play Sunday vs. 49ers
Eden Prairie, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Though he has officially been back for
several days, Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre will play in the Vikings'
preseason game Sunday at San Francisco.
Vikings head coach Brad Childress said Frid
<< Penguins sign Asham away from divisional rival Flyers
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed
forward Arron Asham to a one-year, $700,000 contract.
The 32-year-old posted 10 goals and 14 assists in 72 regular-season games for
Philadelphia last season an
<< Federer lands in Cincy SFs
Mason, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roger Federer was a straight-set quarterfinal
winner Friday at the $3 million Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, a
U.S. Open Series event.
The third-seeded Federer got past sixth-seeded Russian Nikol
<< Snedeker ties Atwal for Wyndham lead
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former champion Brandt Snedeker carded a
five-under 65 on Friday to tie Arjun Atwal for the 36-hole lead at the Wyndham
Championship.
Atwal, the first-round leader, had a 67 to match Snedeker at 12-under
Seaforth, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brady Stockton fired an eight-under 63 and Brian Prouty shot a 64 Friday to join Rob Grube in the lead after two rounds of the Seaforth Country Classic. Grube, the 18-hole leader, had a 67 to end the
Manuel: Bay likely to be sidelined the rest of the year >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel indicated
on Friday he does not expect Jason Bay to return to the team this season due
to the concussion he suffered in late July.
Bay has not resumed baseball activit
Clemens gives interview a day following indictment >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Speaking publicly for the first time since being
indicted by a federal grand jury for making false statements to Congress
about using performance-enhancing drugs, Roger Clemens said several times he
is look
A-Rod pulled from game after one at-bat >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez returned to the New York Yankees'
lineup on Friday against Seattle, but was pulled for a pinch-hitter after just
one at-bat.
Rodriguez hadn't played in the last three games because of a strained le
UIC tabs Howard Moore as new head coach >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Illinois at Chicago has named
Howard Moore, a University of Wisconsin assistant coach, as the school's new
head basketball coach.
The 37-year-old Moore, a native of Chicago, grew up a few b
Betting Football
NFL Football Betting OnlineIs there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.