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09/03/2010 - Sparta, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Todd Bodine overcame a spin and then conserved enough fuel at the finish to pull off a stunning victory in the Built Ford Tough 225 Camping World Truck Series race at Kentucky Speedway.
Bodine, the current points leader, attempted to pass Kyle Busch for the lead just after a restart on lap 81. But Bodine got loose after a panel fell off his truck. He did not hit anything while he spun on the infield grass.
The 2006 series champion pitted several times for repairs during the caution. He remained on the lead, but restarted in 25th.
Bodine did not pit during a late-race round of stops under green. He inherited the lead for the final time with 13 laps remaining when rookie Austin Dillon, the pole sitter, made his last stop. Bodine finished 5.6 seconds ahead of runner-up Johnny Sauter.
After the race, Bodine blamed Busch for the mid-race incident.
"The first person I got to thank is Kyle Busch for driving dirty, sucking me down and getting me spun out to give us the gas," Bodine said. "When I got up behind Kyle, we got aero tight, which is what happens. I backed off and was just kind of riding there and trying to keep the right front out and waiting for later, and low and behold, we got spun around and then got some fuel, and here we are in victory lane."
Busch, who was attempting to win his third consecutive truck race, as well as his fifth straight NASCAR national touring series event, pitted from the lead with 23 laps remaining and fell one lap behind in 18th. He did bounce back for a seventh-place finish.
Busch heard Bodine's post-race comments and then had a heated discussion with Bodine during his victory lane celebration.
With the win, Bodine widened his lead to 261 points over Aric Almirola, who finished third.
"[The team] was incredible," Bodine said. "We beat everyone out when we took the fuel, and that is what helped us get out in front...that's what makes a great championship team is consistency."
Jason White finished fourth, and Ricky Carmichael was fifth.
Timothy Peters took the sixth spot. Ryan Sieg, Dillon and Matt Crafton completed the top-10.
Ron Hornaday Jr., the defending series champion and last year's Kentucky race winner, suffered a mechanical problem late in the race and finished four laps behind in 29th.
<< Rays down O's to keep pace in AL East
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carl Crawford went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a
run scored, as the Tampa Bay Rays beat Baltimore, 4-1, in the opener of a
three-game series at Camden Yards.
Evan Longoria, Ben Zobrist and Reid Brignac
<< Jones, Alvarez and Doumit power Pirates past Nats
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Garrett Jones hit two doubles and drove in
three runs, leading Pittsburgh to an 8-5 win over Washington to begin a three-
game weekend series at PNC Park.
Ryan Doumit homered among three hits for the Pi
<< Texans cut K Brown
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak conceded
Friday that the team had cut longtime kicker Kris Brown.
Kubiak did not want to discuss the whole of the team's cuts at Friday's press
conference, saying they
<< Morrison, Miller pace Marlins over Braves
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Logan Morrison tripled twice, scored two times
and drove in a run in support of five solid innings from Andrew Miller as
Florida downed Atlanta, 6-1, to being a three-game set.
Chad Tracy had a key two
Printers, Lions beat up on shorthanded Alouettes >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Casey Printers threw a pair of touchdown
passes and British Columbia's defense gave Chris Leak fits in his first pro
start as the Lions snapped out of an awful funk in a big way with a 38-17
dismant
Broncos' Dumervil out for 2010 season >>
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver Broncos linebacker Elvis Dumervil
will be placed on injured reserve and miss the entire 2010 season after
undergoing surgery last month to repair a torn pectoral muscle.
Friday, Dumervil p
Last Second Score Deals Villanova Loss in Wild Opener >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Once again it came down to a field goal.
Last year, Villanova kicker Nick Yako was afforded the opportunity to be the
hero as he drilled a 32-yard field goal as time expired, giving Villanova a
27-24 win
Hardy, Span help Twins rally past Rangers >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - J.J. Hardy and Denard Span had run-scoring
singles in the seventh inning to put Minnesota in front, and the Twins held on
for a 4-3 win over the Texas Rangers in the opener of a three-game series.
The bat
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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.
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