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11/04/2011 - Fort Worth, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Greg Biffle claimed the pole for the AAA Texas 500 after beating his Roush Fenway Racing teammate, David Ragan, by the slimmest of margins in Friday's qualifying at Texas Motor Speedway.
Biffle, who was quickest in practice earlier in the day, turned a lap at 193.736 mph around the fast 1.5-mile track for his third pole of the season and the ninth of his Sprint Cup Series career. He won the spring 2005 race at Texas.
"Being a former winner here and running good at this racetrack, that gives me a lot of confidence going into this weekend," Biffle said. "The car was really fast right off the track."
Biffle's lap, the fastest in all of the Sprint Cup qualifying sessions so far this year, was only 0.001 seconds quicker than Ragan's lap.
"I didn't really think we would have a shot at the pole going into qualifying," Ragan said. "That was close. I told Greg that he just barely beat me. That's cool to be that fast in qualifying."
Biffle and Ragan are not in this year's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship field.
Matt Kenseth, also from Roush Fenway, was the highest finishing Chase driver in qualifying with a third-place showing. Kenseth won here in April.
Paul Menard took the fourth spot, while Tony Stewart, who won last Sunday at Martinsville, qualified fifth.
David Reutimann, Carl Edwards, the current points leader, Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne and Regan Smith completed the top-10.
With three races to go, Edwards holds just an eight-point advantage over Stewart. Edwards has the most victories at Texas with three.
"We wanted to be a little bit better than that," Edwards said after his seventh-place finish in qualifying. "It is a good starting spot. We focused hard on qualifying here. We had an opportunity to go out there and sit on the pole. And now we just work on the race trim."
Kevin Harvick, who is 21 points behind Edwards, qualified 21st. Keselowski is 27 points out of the lead, while Kenseth trails his teammate by 36 markers.
David Stremme, David Starr and Reed Sorenson failed to qualify.
Sunday's 500-mile race at Texas is scheduled to start just after 3:00 p.m. (et).
<< My Miss Aurelia takes Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - My Miss Aurelia, ridden by Corey Nakatani,
won going away in Friday's $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at
Churchill Downs. The two-year-old filly, trained by Steve Asmussen, ran the
1 1/16-
<< Set pieces key in Sporting clash with Houston
Kansas City, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sporting Kansas City is set to host the
Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Final on Sunday with both teams
hitting stride at just the right time.
Including its final regular season matche
<< Levante, Valencia ready for derby
Valencia, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Levante lost its grip on first place in La
Liga last weekend, and hosts Valencia on Saturday in the Valencia derby with a
lot on the line for the European hopefuls.
Levante finally slipped behind Real Madr
<< Musical Romance upsets in Filly and Mare Sprint
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Longshot Musical Romance drove along the
inside to capture the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at
Churchill Downs. Ridden by Juan Leyva, the four-year-old filly covered the
seven-f
Angels name Servais assistant GM >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Angels have agreed to terms with former
major league catcher Scott Servais on a multi-year contract to become
assistant general manager of scouting and player development.
The deal was announc
Report: Thome to return to Phillies >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jim Thome is reportedly returning to
Philadelphia on a one-year contract.
Phillies beat writer Todd Zolecki broke the news Friday night. The deal is
pending Thome passing a physical exam.
Thom
Report: Williams makes racial comment about Woods >>
Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Williams, the disgruntled former
caddie of Tiger Woods, took another shot at the former No. 1 player in the
world, although this time he used racial language.
According to The Telegraph, Wi
Couples maintains share of lead at Schwab Cup >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fred Couples recovered from an opening
double-bogey on Friday to shoot a one-under 70, which helped him maintain a
share of the lead after two rounds of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Couples
El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
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Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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