11/17/2008 - Albuquerque, New Mexico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - University of New Mexico head football coach Rocky Long announced Monday he will step down as coach of the Lobos effective immediately.
Long, the winningest coach in the program's history, is stepping down after 11 seasons with the school, having amassed a 65-69 record with five bowl appearances in seven seasons since 2002. The Lobos captured the 2007 New Mexico Bowl for their first bowl victory since 1961.
"Coach Long's decision to step down was unexpected," said UNM vice president for athletics Paul Krebs. "We can't say enough about the accomplishments and contributions that Rocky has made to the University of New Mexico. Because of Rocky's passion and devotion to his alma mater, the program has been elevated and we are optimistic about the future."
The 58-year-old had gone 46-40 since 2002, good for the third-best mark in the conference, and had led UNM as the only school in the conference to be bowl eligible with at least six wins in each of the previous seven seasons.
"For as long as people talk about Lobos football, they'll talk about Rocky Long, because for as long as we've been playing football at UNM, no coach has been more of a winner than Rocky, and his winning relationship with UNM goes back almost 40 years now," said UNM president David Schmidly.
New Mexico was the first FBS school to wrap up its regular season schedule this past Saturday, finishing 4-8 overall and 2-6 in the Mountain West Conference after a 20-6 loss to Colorado State. It was the worst season for the program since finishing 3-9 in 1998.
<< College basketball hall of fame member Newell dies at 93
Berkeley, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - College basketball hall of fame member Pete
Newell, the head coach of an NIT champion, NCAA champion and Olympic champion,
passed away Monday at the age of 93.
The University of California, the program New
<< NFL Inactives (Monday, November 17, 2008)
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The following is a list of inactive players
for tonight's NFL game.
CLEVELAND BROWNS AT BUFFALO BILLS, 8:30 P.M. (ET)
Browns - 3rd QB Ken Dorsey, TE Martin Rucker, CB Gerard Lawson, S Hamza
Abdullah, FB
<< Boston F Garnett suspended one game
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett has
been suspended for one game without pay for throwing a punch at Milwaukee
Bucks center Andrew Bogut.
In the Celtics' 102-97 overtime victory over Milwauke
<< Around FCS: Defogging the playoff picture
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It was like taking an air brush to a foggy
portrait on Saturday, as teams around FCS cleared away many of the clouds
hanging over the playoff picture for the NCAA Division I Football
Champio
Stastny, Avs agree to extension >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche signed center Paul
Stastny to a five-year contract extension on Monday that will keep the 22-
year-old in the Mile High City through the 2013-14 season.
"Paul has clearly establishe
No. 6 Pitt pulls away to rout Miami-Ohio >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sam Young and Jermaine Dixon led a balanced
Panthers attack with 14 points apiece and point guard Levance Fields added 12
points and 12 assists, as sixth-ranked Pittsburgh wore down Miami-Ohio, 82-53,
at the
Curry, Davidson cruise past James Madison >>
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Curry dropped 33 points, and the
Davidson Wildcats routed the James Madison Dukes, 99-64, in opening round play
of the NIT Season Tip-Off.
The 21st-ranked Wildcats (2-0), which started their
Predators C Arnott leaves game on stretcher >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nashville Predators captain Jason Arnott left
Monday's game against the San Jose Sharks on a stretcher late in the first
period.
Arnott, 34, was driving hard toward the crease when he was bumped by
American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout
An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.
Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off. Randy was not impressed though. Paula thought he started off fantastic. "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either.
Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed. Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact. He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition.
Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula. Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.
Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next. Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential. Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell. He sang "Careless Whisper".
22 year old Chris Richardson was up next. He was listed with +1100 odds coming in. He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great.
Nick was boring and pitchy. Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week. Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition.
Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds . These of course were the early odds. He was considered original for picking an "odd song". He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night.
Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good.
Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds. Great voice and a great sense of humor. He's a real standout. Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit. Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig".
Jared Cotter followed. He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition. The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good.
22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next. "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon. Though the judges felt he performed okay. Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.
Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition. He was the last to perform. He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start.
Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys. Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting