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07/01/2010 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning continued their moves on the free-agent market Thursday by signing goaltender Dan Ellis to a two-year contract.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed but the St. Pete Times reported it is for $1.5 million per season.
"We are very pleased to sign Dan today," said Bolts GM Steve Yzerman. "We expect him to come in and compete for playing time with Mike Smith. This is a great opportunity for Dan and we look forward to him making the most of it."
Ellis, an unrestricted free agent whose rights were dealt from Nashville to Montreal in a deal earlier this week which included Habs forward Sergei Kostitsyn heading to the Music City, went 15-13-3 with a 2.69 goals-against average and one shutout in 31 games last year for the Preds.
He'll be reunited in net with Smith, who joined him in a crease tandem in 2005-06 with Iowa of the American Hockey League when both were prospects in the Dallas Stars' system.
"I'm very excited about coming to Tampa Bay. To me, the Lightning are an up- and-coming team that has all the right pieces," Ellis admitted. "They picked up a world-class coach and general manager this summer and it is a team that is headed in the right direction. As soon as I saw that they quickly became my number one option."
Since breaking into the league with Dallas in 2003-04, the 30-year-old has gone 50-42-8 with 10 shutouts and a 2.64 GAA in 111 games. His best season occurred in 2007-08 with Nashville, when he finished 23-10-3 with a 2.34 GAA and six whitewashes in 44 contests.
<< Whitney signs with Coyotes
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes added scoring depth
Thursday, signing veteran winger Ray Whitney to a two-year deal.
The 38-year-old Whitney, who recorded 21 goals and 58 points in 80 games for
Carolina last year
<< Sabres ink Leopold to three-year deal
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres filled one vacancy on
defense Thursday, signing free-agent Jordan Leopold to a three-year deal.
Leopold split last season between Florida and Pittsburgh, racking up 11 goals
and 26 po
<< Rangers acquire Molina from Giants
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have acquired catcher Bengie
Molina and cash from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for pitchers Chris
Ray and Michael Main.
Molina will join the Rangers on Friday when they open a
<< Rangers' acquire Molina from Giants
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have acquired catcher Bengie
Molina and cash from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for pitchers Chris
Ray and Michael Main.
Molina will join the Rangers on Friday when they open a
Stars agree to terms with Burish, Raycroft >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars have agreed to terms
with center Adam Burish and goaltender Andrew Raycroft on two-year contracts.
Burish's deal is worth $2.3 million, while the first year of Raycroft's deal
is a
Four share AT&T lead; Woods seven back >>
Newtown Square, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Watney fired a four-under 66
Thursday to grab a share of the lead after the opening round of the AT&T
National at Aronimink Golf Club.
Watney was joined atop the leaderboard by J
Jazz sign draft picks Hayward, Evans >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah Jazz announced the signings of
their 2010 draft class Thursday, bringing forwards Gordon Hayward and Jeremy
Evans on board with undisclosed contracts.
Hayward, selected ninth overall, was a
Na Yeon Choi leads Jamie Farr >>
Sylvania, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - South Korea's Na Yeon Choi shot a seven-under
64 to take the first-round lead Thursday at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning
Classic.
Choi had eight birdies and one bogey on the Highland Meadows course to ta
(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.
Let’s take a look at the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds and the betting line and figure out where they’ve been and where they are going to go.
MySportsbook.com put up the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds late on Sunday night with the Pittsburgh Steelers favored by 6.5 points and a total betting line at 47.5 points.
Since then, however, the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds have seen a good deal of movement and you’ll want to be on top of where they are likely to move to make sure you get the best line value for the big game.
Since opening, the Super Bowl 2009 betting lines went to Steelers -7 in the span of roughly 3 hours but were quickly bought back down just minutes later to 6.5 again.
After that is took about 5-6 more hours before the betting line went back to -7 where it has sat for a while now and is likely to remain. The opening betting total of 47.5 was bet down right after the line became available and went to 47 within minutes.
Roughly a day later it has been bet even further down to the 46.5 tally it currently is set at.
Roughly 60% of gamblers seem to be on the Cardinals here so the point spread will be bet down and a 7.5 would not last very long at all with many taking the early 6.5 in hopes of finding a potential middle in the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds.
If you like Arizona and see a 7.5, I’d take it as soon as possible because it’s unlikely to last. For Pittsburgh backers, the -7 might be the best you’ll be able to find but a 6.5 is definitely possible close to game time.
Regarding the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds for the total, most tracked gamblers are already on the over and with those who took the under 47.5 already securing a middle on the over 46.5, the only way I see it moving is back up to 47 so if you like the over, I’d recommend betting now.
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