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10/07/2011 - Kansas City, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After months of speculation, Michael Waltrip Racing revealed on Friday that Clint Bowyer has inked a three-year agreement to drive the team's No.15 Toyota in the Sprint Cup Series, beginning in 2012.
Bowyer and team owner Michael Waltrip made the announcement at Kansas Speedway, the site of this weekend's 400-mile Sprint Cup race. Bowyer will join David Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr., making MWR a three-car operation full-time next year.
"Michael Waltrip Racing is a growing team that is hiring a lot of the right people and on the brink of breaking out," said Bowyer, who hails from nearby Emporia, KS. "I know I'm joining it at the right time."
MWR also announced that 5-Hour ENERGY will serve as primary sponsor for Bowyer's team.
Bowyer has driven for Richard Childress Racing in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series since 2004. He won the Nationwide title three years ago.
The 32-year-old has been a full-time competitor in NASCAR's premier series since 2006, scoring four victories, 90 top-10 finishes and two pole positions in 210 starts. Bowyer qualified for the championship Chase in 2007, '08 and last year. He finished a career-best third in points in '07.
Bowyer missed out on this year's Chase. He is presently 13th in the point standings.
"This has been a very long summer, but I think for everyone involved, the best decision was made to be at Michael Waltrip Racing," he said. "I've been with one organization [RCR] for my entire Sprint Cup career, and leaving there was the hardest part of the decision. But now I'm ready to start the next chapter in my racing career."
MWR entered Sprint Cup competition at the start of the '07 season. The team has two race wins so far -- both from Reutimann.
"This is a watershed moment for our young organization," Waltrip said. "Clint is a proven winner and consistent Chase participant. He had a lot of options, and it makes me proud that Clint and 5-hour ENERGY chose to race with us."
<< Tuck and Jacobs doubtful for Sunday
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Giants defensive end Justin
Tuck and running back Brandon Jacobs are doubtful for Sunday's game against
the Seattle Seahawks.
Tuck has a lingering neck injury he suffered in a preseason
<< Vanek, Pominville power Sabres to win over Ducks in season opener
Helsinki, Finland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thomas Vanek scored two goals and added
an assist, leading the Buffalo Sabres to a convincing 4-1 win over the Anaheim
Ducks in the season opener for both teams.
Finland native Ville Leino chipped in wi
<< Richards shines, helps Kings top Rangers in OT
Stockholm, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Richards shined in his Kings debut.
The former Philadelphia captain scored the tying goal in the latter stages of
regulation and set up Jack Johnson's game-winner in overtime, as Los Angeles
opene
<< Sounders hoping to secure top two finish vs. Union
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In search of its fourth straight league win,
Seattle Sounders FC can solidify second place in Major League Soccer with a
result against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday.
By taking just a point from S
Slumping Eagles head to Buffalo seeking to end skid >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Bills have made a habit of overcoming big early
deficits at home during the initial stages of this season. The Philadelphia
Eagles, on the other hand, have had all kinds of trouble holding onto a lead
during an un
Rookie quarterbacks to face off in Bengals-Jaguars tilt >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - So, Carson Palmer -- any regrets?
When the quarterback and former No. 1 overall draft pick took the third year of
his six-year, $118.75 million contract off and went home in an effort to force
a trade from the only NFL tea
Surging Titans ready for test from established Steelers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Points have been hard to come by this season when the
Tennessee Titans or Pittsburgh Steelers are lined up on the defensive side of
the ball, but the edge in this Week 5 showdown at Heinz Field could have
shifted to the visit
Still-winless Colts host Chiefs in clash of plummeting clubs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs were
playoff teams a year ago, but each seems to be a substantial long shot to get
there this season.
While the Chiefs were finally able to record their first win of 2011
(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).
The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.
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.
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