Cubs Dunn in by Reds
Baseball Betting Lines
04/02/2007 - Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Dunn belted a pair of home runs, as the Cincinnati Reds routed the big-spending Chicago Cubs, 5-1, to begin a season-opening three-game series at Great American Ball Park.
Dunn drove in three runs for the Reds, while Ken Griffey Jr. finished 2-for-3 with a run scored. Ryan Freel went 2-for-4 and scored a run.
Cincinnati starter Aaron Harang (1-0) fared much better this Opening Day than he did last year. Against the Cubs in last season's opener, he allowed nine runs -- six earned -- and nine hits over just five innings. This year, Harang gave up just one run on six hits with a pair of walks and five strikeouts.
Derrek Lee went 2-for-3 for the Cubs, who did more in the free agency market this past offseason than any other team. In addition to the big catch of outfielder Alfonso Soriano, the club signed pitchers Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis to big-money deals, and also brought in the versatile Mark DeRosa and slugger Cliff Floyd.
DeRosa went 1-for-2, while Soriano, who became just the fourth player in league history to join the 40/40 club last season with 46 homers and 41 steals, went 1-for-4 in the loss.
Making his third straight Opening Day start, Carlos Zambrano (0-1) allowed five runs on six hits with five walks and a pair of strikeouts in five frames to absorb the loss.
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyle Overbay doubled and sparked a 10th-inning two-run rally with a single for the Toronto Blue Jays, who downed the Detroit Tigers, 5-3, in the first of a three-game set at Comerica Park. With the score de
<< Renteria's homers help Braves rally past Phillies
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Edgar Renteria's two-run homer in the 10th
inning lifted Atlanta over Philadelphia, 5-3, in the 2007 season opener for
both clubs at Citizens Bank Park.
Renteria, who finished 2-for-5 with three runs
<< Indianapolis Colts 2007 Draft Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colts lost five somewhat recognizable players in
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June, defensive tackle Montae Reagor and cornerback Nick Harper, but June is
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first day of the 2007 Draft will be extremely important
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<< Denver Broncos 2007 Draft Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Broncos are likely to be in the market for linebacker
help, since middle man Al Wilson is being shopped in a trade and is set to be
released if he is not dealt. After releasing the disappointing Courtney Brown,
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Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Giambi's third RBI of the game scored Alex Rodriguez with the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, as the New York Yankees went on to a 9-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Giambi finished 2-for-5 a
Fire to ink Mexican legend, Blanco >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Soccer can shortly boast a third
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The Chicago Fir
Marlins club Nats in RFK opener >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miguel Cabrera belted a two-run homer and
Dan Uggla added a solo shot, as the Florida Marlins beat the Washington
Nationals, 9-2, in the season-opener at RFK Stadium.
Hanley Ramirez finished with
Agbonlahor earns Villa share of the points >>
Merceyside, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gabriel Agbonlahor scored in the 83rd
minute to give Aston Villa a 1-1 draw against Everton at Goodison Park on
Monday.
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Sheets shines as Brewers thump Dodgers >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ben Sheets pitched a two-hit complete game as
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Sheets (1-0) yielded just one run and struck out three en
SPORTS BETTING
NFL Football Betting OnlineIn terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
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SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting
NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.
That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.
A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."
It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.
The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.
So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."
Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Seriously.
The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.
The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.
Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."
The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.
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