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11/17/2007 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An arbitrator ruled Friday B.C. Lions offensive lineman Jason Jimenez can play in the West Division final this weekend.
The CFL slapped Jimenez with a one-game suspension for delivering an illegal hit on Calgary Stampeders' defensive end Anthony Gargiulo in a game November 3 at B.C. Place. Jimenez was ejected from the game for rough play.
Gargiulo suffered a broken leg as well as ligament and tendon damage on the play and required surgery to have a metal plate inserted into his leg.
Jimenez appealed the suspension and on Thursday an arbitrator reviewed it. The arbitrator decided Friday to stay the suspension and now Jimenez's next hearing won't take place until after the Grey Cup, which will be played November 25 in Toronto.
So, should the Lions advance to the CFL's championship game, the 6-foot-7, 320-pound Jimenez will be allowed to play.
EIBEN SPEAKS OUT: Toronto Argonauts linebacker Kevin Eiben obviously has a bit of Joe Namath in him.
Eiben boldly predicted this week that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers wouldn't score 10 or more points against the Argos defense Sunday in the East Division final. When asked if he was guaranteeing it, he did so without hesitation.
While Eiben stopped well short of guaranteeing the win, his controversial statement did evoke memories of Namath boldly guaranteeing the New York Jets would upset the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Namath, of course, proved to be a man of his word, leading the Jets to a 16-7 victory.
POPP'S FUTURE: The Montreal Alouettes brass met this week to discuss a number of points of priority, including the future of head coach and general manger Jim Popp.
Popp assumed the coaching duties this season but struggled on the sidelines as Montreal finished third in the East Division with an 8-10 record, the club's first losing record since relocating to Montreal from Baltimore in 1996. More concerning, though, were stories of player discontent with the head coach, who also publicly criticized offensive coordinator Marcel Bellefeuille following a game.
Popp also made a controversial decision in last week's East semifinal. On 3rd- and-1, clinging to 22-21 lead with 1:35 remaining, Popp opted to go for the first down. However, quarterback Marcus Brady was stopped short at the Montreal 44-yard line. The turnover on downs led to Troy Westwood's winning field goal from 20 yards out as time expired.
The win improved Winnipeg's record this season against Montreal to 4-0.
CATES OUT: The Saskatchewan Roughriders will be minus one of their main offensive cogs in the West Division final Sunday against the B.C. Lions.
Running back Wes Cates, who ran for a team-high 866 yards rushing on 152 carries (5.7-yard average), won't suit up against the Lions due to a leg injury. Cates has missed Saskatchewan's last four games, including last weekend's 26-24 win over Calgary in the West Division semifinal.
Earlier this season the Roughriders lost Matt Dominguez, their leading receiver at the time, to a knee injury. And the club is holding its breath that receiver D.J. Flick, who had 10 touchdown grabs this season, will be able to play Sunday after injuring his knee in practice Friday.
ON A ROLL: It's hard to bet against both the B.C. Lions and Toronto Argonauts this weekend, and with good reason.
B.C. ended the season as the CFL's hottest team, winning its final eight regular-season games to post a league-best 14-3-1 mark.
The Toronto Argonauts were close behind, ending their regular season with seven straight victories and a 9-1 record over its last 10 games. At one point this year, the Argos were languishing with a 2-6 mark.
CLEMONS FUTURE: Sunday's East Division final could mark the end of Mike (Pinball) Clemons' tenure as Toronto Argonauts head coach.
Clemons has been very quiet about his future, but talk all season has been that the former Argos receiver and special-teams ace will walk away from coaching following the Grey Cup.
Clemons has always said he was never a career football coach and that he had other things he'd wanted to do in his life. But he won't officially announce his intentions until after the season once he's discussed his options with his family.
HUFNAGEL RETURN?: The Calgary Stampeders' decision this week to fire Tom Higgins as their head coach and vice-president of football operations paves the way for John Hufnagel to return to the CFL club.
The Stampeders didn't announce a replacement for Higgins, but it has been widely reported in Calgary that the club had already reached an agreement on a six-year contract with Hufnagel to take over as head coach and GM. According to the reports, Jim Barker, the club's current general manager, would remain with the organization as its director of player personnel.
After his college career at Penn State, Hufnagel spent 12 seasons as a CFL quarterback with Calgary (1976-79), Saskatchewan (1980-83, 1987) and Winnipeg (1984-86).
He also began his coaching career in the CFL as a player-coach with Saskatchewan in 1988 before serving as Calgary's offensive coordinator from 1990 to 1996.
<< Rolling Sens make a stop in Toronto
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators will try to continue their early-season
dominance this evening, when they pay a visit to Air Canada Centre for a
battle with the rival Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Senators are off to an amazing 15-2-0 star
<< Sharks host Ducks in Pacific showdown
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A battle between the top two teams in the Pacific Division
is on the slate for tonight, as the front-running San Jose Sharks welcome the
second-place Anaheim Ducks to HP Pavilion.
The Sharks lead the standings with 24 poin
<< Flames, Oilers clash in Edmonton
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames shoot for back-to-back wins for the
first time in nearly a month tonight when they battle the Edmonton Oilers at
Rexall Place.
The Flames snapped a five-game losing streak on Tuesday with a 3-2 win over
<< Texas A&M hosts relative unknown in Ouachita Baptist
College Station, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies takes
on little-known Ouachita Baptist tonight in what appears to be a tremendously
lopsided non-conference contest.
This game marks the season opener for the Tigers, wh
Ragan on pole for Ford 300 >>
Homestead, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Ragan won the pole for Saturday
afternoon's Ford 300 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. The No.6 Roush Fenway
Racing Ford circled the 1.5-mile oval in 31.129 seconds (176.472 m.p.h.).
The pole
Williams' triple-double leads No. 6 Louisville over Hartford >>
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Terrence Williams scored 14 points, grabbed
12 rebounds and dished out 13 assists, as sixth-ranked Louisville finally
opened its season and rolled to a 104-69 victory over Hartford at Freedom
Hall.
Panucci's late winner crushes Scottish dreams >>
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Christian Panucci scored in stoppage
time to give Italy a 2-1 win over Scotland at Hampden Park on Saturday in EURO
2008 qualifying.
The result puts Italy through to the next round along with F
Cardinal sin: Stanford stunned by Siena >>
Albany, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Duell led the way for Siena with 16 points,
as the Saints pulled away in the second half to upset 20th-ranked Stanford,
79-67.
Alex Franklin scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds while Kenny Hasbrou
(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.
The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
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