Football Betting

CFL announces final cutdowns

Football Betting Lines

06/25/2009 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Canadian Football League on Thursday announced its final roster cutdowns before the start of the regular season.

Below is a list of players released, sorted by team and position:

The B.C. Lions have released wide receiver Otis Amey; linebacker Josh Bean, defensive linemen Melik Brown, Kyle Mitchell and Caesar Rayford; defensive back Trestin George; offensive linemen Darren Marquez and Matt Morencie; safeties Mike McEachern and David Mills, and running back Damian Sims.

The Edmonton Eskimos have released linebackers Andrea Bonaventura and Neil Ternovatsky, with defensive ends Montez Murphy and Chase Ortiz.

Hamilton has released defensive linemen J.P. Bekasiak, Brandon Guillory, Alan Harper and Mike McFadden; defensive backs Carlton Brown, Melvin Matlock and Desman Stephen; linebacker Matt Castelo; wide receivers Eddie Cohen, Cassidy Doneff and Jacob Willis; offensive linemen Francis Dorneau and Dan Oliphant, and safety Sean Manning.

Toronto has released offensive tackle Patrick Afif; running backs Tyler Ebell and Da'Shawn Thomas; linebacker Nick Hannah; wide receivers Kenny Higgins, Matt Lambros, Kinsmon Lancaster, Todd Lowber, Cleannord Saintil and Brad Smith; defensive back Pete Hunter; defensive lineman Kevin Huntley; defensive end Ben Ishola and David McMillan; cornerback Sammy Joseph; wide receiver/kick returners Jerome Mathis and Kenny O'Neal; offensive lineman Zachary Pollari; quarterback Stephen Reaves, offensive guard Gordon Sawler and offensive lineman Chris Van Zeyl.

The Montreal Alouettes released cornerback Blue Adams; defensive end Rodney Hardeway; wide receivers Frantz Hardy, Kevin Marion, Dante Luciani and Alan Turner; offensive guard Robbie Powell; offensive tackle Chris Rutledge; linebacker Jay Staggs; offensive lineman Gerald Davis; defensive lineman Jim David; running back Ciatrick Faison; quarterback Lester Ricard; defensive backs Therrian Fontenot, Sammy Okpro, E.J. Underwood and Emanuel White.

Calgary has released wide receivers Jackie Chambers, John Kanaroski and Vincent Marshall; quarterback Matt D'Orazio; defensive backs Anthony Ivy and Perry Kyles; defensive linemen Julian Jenkins and E.J. Kuale; offensive lineman John Hashem; fullback Scott McHenry and running back Cedric Thompson.

Saskatchewan released defensive linemen Nuvraj Bassi, David Patterson and Seante Williams; wide receivers Todd Blythe, Brandon Childress, Casey McGahee and Byron Ross; kicker Jeff Bolen; running back Jason Geathers; defensive backs Sasha Glavic and Jerron Wisham; quarterback Juan Joseph; linebackers Sam Olajabutu and Brandon Perkins; offensive lineman Brad Peters.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers released defensive backs Patrick Body, Ronyell Whitaker, Jasper Johnson and Nick Kordic; wide receivers Terry Firr, SJ Green, Chris Nickson and Marco Thomas; offensive linemen Jean-Francois Morin-Roberge, Matt O'Meara and Thaddeus Coleman; running back Joe Smith; defensive tackles Joshua Thompson, Sean Ortiz and Martavius Prince; linebackers Jamaine Winborne, Reggie Hunt, John Mohring and Stan van Sichem; quarterback Brad Banks and defensive end Ivan Brown.


<< Iles in front at Players Cup
Bridgeport, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bradley Iles of New Zealand fired a seven- under-par 65 on Thursday to take the first-round lead at the Nationwide Tour Players Cup. Canadian Brad Fritsch posted a six-under 66 at Pete Dye Golf Club and

<< Suzuki propels Mariners past Padres
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ichiro Suzuki finished a triple shy of the cycle, going 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored as Seattle downed San Diego, 9-3, in the rubber match of a three-game interleague set from Safeco Field. Mike S

<< Clippers take Griffin with top pick
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers selected Oklahoma standout forward Blake Griffin as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. The 6-foot-10 Griffin was coming off a spectacular sophomore season as he led the Sooners i

<< Fedorov returning home to Russia
Magnitogorsk, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sergei Fedorov has decided to leave the NHL after 18 seasons. Due to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, the Washington center has signed a two-year contract with Russian club Metallur

<< A-Rod ties Mr. October for 11th place all-time
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez hit his 563rd career home run in the first inning of Thursday's game against the Atlanta Braves and in the process tied former Yankee great Reggie Jackson for 11th place on the all-time home ru

Gal leads suspended Wegmans LPGA >>
Rochester, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sandra Gal fired an eight-under 64 and held a one-shot lead Thursday when the rain-delayed first round of the Wegmans LPGA was suspended due to darkness. Jiyai Shin stood alone in second place at seven-un

Ramirez slams Marlins past Orioles >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hanley Ramirez went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and five total runs batted in, as the Florida Marlins completed a three-game sweep of Baltimore with an 11-3 victory. Rookie Sean West (3-2) tossed six shutout inni

Smoltz struggles in Red Sox debut as Nationals cruise to win >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Willie Harris and Josh Bard each finished with three hits and drove in a pair of runs as Washington spoiled the Red Sox debut of John Smoltz with a 9-3 thrashing in the finale of a three-game interle

Votto helps Reds down Jays >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joey Votto went 4-for-5 with a double, homer and three runs batted in as the Cincinnati Reds edged the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-5, in the finale of a three-game interleague series at Rogers Centre. Jay Bruce

McCutchen's hit in ninth lifts Pirates over Tribe >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrew McCutchen singled in Jack Wilson with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to boost Pittsburgh over Cleveland, 3-2, in the rubber match of a three-game series. McCutchen, playing in

College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

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

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

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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