Iles in front at Players Cup
Golf Betting Lines
06/25/2009 - 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 is alone in second place, followed by Ron Whittaker, Steve Wheatcroft and Brian Stuard in a tie for third at minus-five.
They are all looking up at Iles, who lost a playoff only two weeks ago at the Knoxville Open.
Iles began on the 10th tee Thursday and quickly went into red figures with a birdie at No. 10. His next birdie came at the par-five 14th, then he closed his opening nine with back-to-back birdies at 17 and 18.
Things didn't go so well on the second nine for Iles. He bogeyed the first hole to fall back to three-under par for the championship.
That was the final miscue for Iles.
He birdied the third and fourth holes to move into a group tied for the lead at minus-five. Iles birdied the par-five sixth to keep pace with Fritsch atop the leaderboard.
Iles birdied the par-four eighth to grab sole possession of the first-round lead. This is a place he believes he should be, thanks to more toughness.
"My coach, my manager, several players all told me I had the shots and I had the talent but I wasn't aggressive enough," Iles said. "I didn't have enough mongrel in me."
Brad Elder, Andrew Johnson, Brendan Steele and Tom Scherrer share sixth place at four-under 68.
Roger Tambellini, Tjaart van der Walt, Jon Mills, Chris Anderson, Jim Herman, Jin Park, Scott Gardiner, Fabian Gomez, Bob May, Esteban Toledo, Jeff Gove, David Peoples, Jonas Blixt, Jose Teater and John Kimbell are knotted in 10th at minus-three.
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
<< Perry's 61 good for Travelers lead
Cromwell, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kenny Perry had chance at the magical 59 on
Thursday, but settled for a nine-under 61 and the first-round lead of the
Travelers Championship.
Perry needed to go two-under over his last three holes t
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
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
How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.