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03/17/2010 - Bristol, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Nationwide. Date: Saturday, March 20. Race: Scotts Turf Builder 300. Site: Bristol Motor Speedway. Track: .533-mile oval. Start time: 2:30 p.m. (et). Laps: 300. Miles: 159.9. 2009 winner: Kevin Harvick. Television: ABC. Radio: Performance Racing Network (PRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio.
Following a two-week break, the Nationwide Series returns to action with their first short-track race of the season at Bristol.
Carl Edwards heads to Bristol with a 41-point lead over Brad Keselowski. Saturday's Nationwide race will be the first time Edwards and Keselowski compete against each other since their confrontation in last week's Sprint Cup race at Atlanta.
Last month at Las Vegas, Kevin Harvick collected his 35th career Nationwide victory. Harvick currently is second to Mark Martin on the series' all-time race winners list. Martin has 48 wins so far.
Harvick has won at Bristol five times, including a victory there one year ago.
"I grew up on a high-banked, half-mile race track, and it's the same style of racing that I'm used to, although Bristol is much faster," Harvick said. "Overall, Bristol just fits my driving style."
In last year's spring race at Bristol, Harvick overcame alternator problems before grabbing the lead when Kyle Busch received a penalty for a tire violation. Harvick led the final 45 laps for his first Nationwide win in his own KHI car.
Scott Wimmer is scheduled to drive the No.7 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports at Bristol and then again April 3 at Nashville. JRM is hoping to find enough sponsorship to run its No.7 car full time in 2009. Right now, JRM's second entry with driver Danica Patrick is scheduled for 13 Nationwide races this season.
Kelly Bires is running a full schedule in JRM's No.88 car, even though the team continues to find more sponsorship for this season.
After Patrick drove the No.7 car to 31st, 35th and 36th-place finishes in the first three Nationwide races this year, the team sits 35th in owner points. JRM is trying to keep that car inside the top-30 in points to assure Patrick a guaranteed starting position.
Patrick finished 15th in the IZOD IndyCar Series season-opener last Sunday in Brazil. She is scheduled to compete in her next Nationwide race the last weekend in June at New Hampshire.
Wimmer is expected to make his 200th Nationwide start this weekend. He has recorded six wins and 71 top-10 finishes so far in the series.
"I raced with JR Motorsports in a select number of races last year, but this will be my first time working with [crew chief] Tony [Eury] Jr," Wimmer said. "I'm looking forward to the next two races with these guys."
JRM is co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Hendrick, as well as Earnhardt Jr.'s sister, Kelly, and cousin, Eury Jr.
Fifty teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Scotts Turf Builder 300.
<< March Madness: NBA style
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When watching the NCAA Tournament, I'm not
holding my breath waiting for Cinderella to appear like most of America.
Nope, I'm all about the next level and trying to project which players have
the athletic
<< NBA board approves sale of Bobcats to Jordan
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA Board of Governors made it official
on Wednesday by unanimously approving Michael Jordan's acquisition of a
controlling interest of the Charlotte Bobcats.
Jordan and MJ Basketball Holdings,
<< Van Bommel inks Bayern extension
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich captain Mark van Bommel has
agreed to a contract extension that will keep him at the club through the end
of next season.
Van Bommel's contract was set to expire at the end of the curren
<< Diamondbacks sign P Benson to minor league deal
Tucson, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed veteran
pitcher Kris Benson to a minor league contract, the team announced Wednesday.
The 35-year-old appeared in eight games (two starts) in 2009 with the Texas
Range
Report: Rangers manager Washington tested positive for cocaine >>
Surprise, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington
reportedly tested positive for cocaine during the 2009 season.
According to a report from SI.com, Washington failed the test last July, but
has passed all his t
Portland fires VP Penn >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers announced on
Wednesday that Vice President of Basketball Operations Tom Penn has been
relieved of his duties.
"We felt it was in the organization's best interest to
NASCAR tweaks format for all-star race >>
Concord, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR is making a slight adjustment to its
annual Sprint All-Star Race by adding a mandatory four-tire pit stop for all
teams prior to the start of the final 10-lap segment.
NASCAR officials made the a
Seton Hall fires hoops coach Gonzalez >>
South Orange, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seton Hall has fired head men's
basketball coach Bobby Gonzalez.
Gonzalez was in his fourth season with the team, which ended its season
Tuesday with an 87-69 loss to Texas Tech in the f
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
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Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.
"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."
Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.
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