Baseball Betting

Hundreds attend Wheldon's funeral in Florida

Autoracing Betting Lines

10/22/2011 - St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Family members, friends and many in the auto racing community gathered to pay their respects to two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and former IndyCar champion Dan Wheldon, who was killed in a multi- car crash during last Sunday's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Wheldon, 33, was remembered as an accomplished race car driver as well as a young father and husband during the hour-long service held on Saturday at First Presbyterian Church of St. Petersburg. He was born in Emberton, England but had resided in St. Petersburg. Wheldon is survived by his wife, Susie, and two sons, Sebastian and Oliver.

"Although the last few days have been unbearable for our family, the overwhelming love and support we have received are rays of sunshine during these dark days," Susie Wheldon said in a statement earlier this week. "The outpouring of sympathy and condolences has been so comforting, and I want to thank everyone for their kind notes, letters, gifts and flowers."

IndyCar drivers Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan were among those who served as pallbearers for Wheldon. Wynonna Judd performed "Amazing Grace" during the service. Her sister, Ashley Judd, who is Franchitti's wife, was also in attendance.

Large crowds formed outside the church to mourn Wheldon. A private burial for Wheldon was held after the funeral.

IndyCar has planned a public memorial service for the 2005 series titleholder on Sunday at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The memorial will be televised live on VERSUS and ESPNEWS as well as streamed online at IndyCar.com.

Wheldon won his second Indianapolis 500 in May. He made just three starts in the series this year.


<< Raiders sign kicker as insurance for Janikowski
Alameda, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sebastian Janikowski could miss Sunday's game against Kansas City with a hamstring injury, so the Raiders signed kicker Dave Rayner for some insurance on Saturday. Rayner last kicked for the Detroit Lions in

<< Pender Harbour sails home in Bunty Lawless
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pender Harbour, ridden by Luis Contreras, controlled the pace and the race to win Saturday's $125,000 Bunty Lawless Stakes at Woodbine Race Course. The three-year-old gelding toured the mile in 1:38.66

<< Ayew's brace leads Marseille over Ajaccio
Marseille, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andre Ayew made up for a missed penalty with a pair of goals, and Marseille won for just the second time in France's Ligue 1, 2-0 over promoted Ajaccio on Saturday at the Stade Velodrome. Ajaccio's Me

<< Coles one clear at Sawgrass
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gavin Coles managed a one-under 69 on Saturday to grab a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the Jacksonville Open. Coles, a four-time winner on the Nationwide Tour, finished 54 holes at seven- und

<< Leonard, Chappell share lead in Florida
Lake Buena Vista, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Leonard posted a two-under 70 on Saturday and was joined atop the leaderboard by Kevin Chappell after three rounds of the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic. Chappell fired a six-under

Ronaldo's hat trick helps Real blast Malaga >>
Malaga, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cristiano Ronaldo notched a hat trick in the first half and Gonzalo Higuain added a fourth as Real Madrid downed Malaga 4-0 at the Estadio La Rosaleda on Saturday to take over first place in La Liga. Higuain

Saints officially release C Kreutz >>
Metairie, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints waived center Olin Kreutz on Saturday. Kreutz left the team this week because due to a lack of desire to continue playing. The 14-year veteran reportedly lost his passion for th

No. 13 Nebraska beats Minnesota for 15th straight time >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nebraska and Minnesota may have met for the first time in 21 years on Saturday, but the result remained the same. Taylor Martinez passed for a touchdown and Rex Burkhead ran for another, as the 13th-ran

No. 16 Virginia Tech downs Boston College >>
Blacksburg, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Wilson ran for 134 yards and a score on 17 carries to lift the No. 16 Virginia Tech Hokies over the Boston College Eagles, 30-14. Logan Thomas threw for 268 yards and a touchdown on 22-of-36 pa

No. 9 Ducks run over Colorado >>
Boulder, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Even without LaMichael James and Darron Thomas, ninth-ranked Oregon had no problems with Colorado, earning a 45-2 victory behind a dominating rushing attack. Kenjon Barner had 115 yards and two scores o

Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

2007 online football betting Preview

My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."

The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.

To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.

However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.

Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.

Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.

Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.

2007 College Football Betting Preview

There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.

The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.

So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.

USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.

USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.

Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.

That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.

The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"

The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.

Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.

Las Vegas Sports Lines

The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.

It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."

The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.

The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.

Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.

After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.

To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.