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
07/28/2010 - Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Off to their worst start in nearly half a century, the Edmonton Eskimos again take aim at their first win of 2010 when they entertain the British Columbia Lions on Friday night at Commonwealth Stadium.
Edmonton, which hasn't won the Western Division title since putting together a three-year run between 2001-2003, probably won't be raising another trophy anytime soon since the club is off to an 0-4 start for the first time since 1965. Despite having the most overall victories (591) of any club in the CFL since 1945, the Eskimos are currently suffering from a five-game slide dating back to last year.
Rick Lelacheur, president and CEO of the Eskimos, has made it clear that losing is no longer an option for this once proud team and that being embarrassed as they have is simply not acceptable. It remains to be seen what Lelacheur has in mind, but he has stated that the entire franchise is under scrutiny and changes could extend throughout the organization if improvements are not immediately made.
Last week the Eskimos were ripped apart by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers who not only scored 21 points off Edmonton turnovers, but they came up with a 47 points overall in the 26-point victory, and all of that with a backup quarterback manning the action for the home team.
Edmonton QB Ricky Ray had a mixed bag when it came to his results, converting 18-of-25 pass attempts for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but he also tossed two interceptions. Early in the fourth quarter the Eskimos pulled Ray in favor of backup Jason Maas, but the move did little to change the lopsided outcome as Maas converted only 1-of-9 passes for 29 yards.
Receiver Fred Stamps, who had a combined 332 yards receiving in the two games leading up to the Winnipeg meeting, caught just two balls for 22 yards and watched his per catch average take a dip down to 16.2 yards after the outing.
Finding a sustained offense has been a problem for the Lions so far this season as well, the team now riding a three-game skid and sitting in third place in the Western Division standings.
Ahead by a score of 20-10 in the fourth quarter, the Lions appeared to be on their way to evening their record on the season, but instead both the offense and defense cracked and allowed Toronto to fight back for the 24-20 decision at the Rogers Centre last Friday.
Even though Casey Printers could have made the start for the Lions last week against Toronto, BC opted to go with Travis Lulay and considering it was the youngster's first-ever CFL start he did pretty well. Lulay hit 26-of-40 passes for 330 yards, with 58 of those coming on a desperation heave at the gun, but he was also tabbed for a pair of costly interceptions, one of which was returned 41 yards for the game-winning score.
Jamal Robertson helped shoulder some of the load for the Lions as he gained 54 yards and scored two majors on 12 carries coming out of the backfield, but the team as a whole was credited with a mere 76 yards rushing on 18 attempts, less than half what the BC defense gave up (161 yards) to the Lions.
Oddly enough, even though BC has just one win in four tries this season and allowed a victory to slip away last week, the program actually moved up two spots in the latest power rankings to fourth, while Edmonton advanced to seventh only after Hamilton suffered such an ugly loss to Montreal on the road.
The Lions made a couple of moves off the field this week as they cut ties with kick returner Robert Jordan, but added quarterback Mike Reilly to the practice squad. Reilly was one of the most accomplished QBs in Division II history while at Central Washington, but his addition to the club doesn't make clear who it will be making the start for the Lions this week, whether it will again be Lulay or if Printers is ready to return.
No matter who it is under center for the Lions, the fact remains that the passing attack is not all that it could be, completing just 59.4 percent and having accounted for three touchdowns, compared to four interceptions. Then again, Edmonton is having similar issues with the same TD and INT numbers through the air at this stage.
Edmonton has fared somewhat well against opposing quarterbacks, allowing for the fewest passing first downs (40) in the league thus far, but if the run defense doesn't put up a strong enough front the Lions might not have to put the ball in the air as much anyway.
In terms of the all-time, regular-season series between these two teams, dating back to 1949 the Eskimos maintain an advantage of 99-68-4. The Lions won the first meeting of the season back on July 4 with a 25-10 decision, avenging a lopsided 45-13 setback to Edmonton late in the 2009 campaign. The clubs also have an October 16 date set for British Columbia.
The pressure coming down on the Eskimos is almost palpable, but just because Lelacheur is going to be over everyone's shoulder doesn't mean Edmonton is ready to make a drastic change. BC has already shown that it can defeat the Eskimos, even if it was with Printers at the helm, but expect the outcome to be much the same this week.
<< Argos and Als square off for first in the East
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With their touchdown drought now a memory, the
Montreal Alouettes turn their attention to the Toronto Argonauts as the two
clubs, tied for the lead in the CFL's Eastern Division, tangle at McGill
Stadium on Thurs
<< Phillies try to extend season-best win streak against D-Backs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Halladay tries to extend the Philadelphia Phillies'
season-high win streak to seven games this evening when they continue their
three-game set at Citizens Bank Park against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Halladay won for th
<< Twins hope to continue offensive onslaught in Kansas City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With their offense producing runs at an incredible rate,
the Minnesota Twins set their sights on a fifth straight victory as well as a
three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals when the American League Central
foes square o
<< Reds wrap up set in Milwaukee
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After breaking out of an offensive slump last night, the
Cincinnati Reds hope to be swinging hot bats for a second straight day when
the National League Central co-leaders conclude a three-game series with the
Milwaukee Brewe
Staal brothers visit 18U Worlds in Thunder Bay >>
Thunder Bay, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - How can one pack even more excitement
into nine days of baseball at the 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship?
Getting all four Staal brothers on the premises is a good start.
NHL stars Eric, Jordan,
A-Rod takes another crack at 600th home run in Cleveland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez was supposed to take center stage in the
New York Yankees' game with the Cleveland Indians last night, but an unknown
rookie on the opposing team wound up being the star of the show.
After coming up empty on
Injury-depleted Tigers continue set at the Trop >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers are hurting, both on the field and in
the American League playoff race.
Faced with the prospect of their longest road losing streak in nearly five
years, the battered and badly-struggling Tigers continue
Ellis shuts down Panama in 9-2 win >>
Thunder Bay, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Ellis is like any other player on
Canada's junior national baseball team - following his passion by playing the
sport he loves.
What's different about him and the rest of Team Canada's 18-and-under
Is 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.
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