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06/24/2010 -
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -The Portland Trail Blazers have selected Nevada guard Armon Johnson with the 34th pick in the NBA draft.
Johnson averaged 15.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists with the Wolf Pack last season as a junior.
Johnson was the second Nevada player to figure in the Blazers' draft Thursday night. Portland also acquired Nevada shooter Luke Babbitt, the 16th overall pick, and veteran Ryan Gomes from Minnesota for forward Martell Webster, a person with knowledge of the trade told The Associated Press. The person requested anonymity because the trade had not been officially announced.
The Trail Blazers selected Memphis swingman Elliot Williams with the 22nd pick.
The moves come amid a report that the Blazers had fired general manager Kevin Pritchard less than an hour before the start of the draft.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< D'Antoni: 'Our big date is circled as July 1'
GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) -Draft day is a bit anticlimactic for Mike D'Antoni.``Our big date is circled as July 1,'' the New York Knicks coach said Thursday, not exactly revealing a franchise secret.For two years team president Donnie Walsh has maneuver
<< Morrow, Wells shine as Blue Jays blank Cardinals
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Morrow pitched eight strong innings,
and Vernon Wells slugged a pair of home runs, as Toronto avoided a three-game
sweep by the Cardinals with a 5-0 win.
Morrow (5-5) allowed just five hits, walke
<< Nets take G Crawford with No. 27th pick in draft
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -The New Jersey Nets have selected guard Jordan Crawford with the 27th pick in the NBA draft.The pick was the Nets' second in the first round and was acquired from Dallas in the deal that sent Jason Kidd to the Mavericks.C
<< Washington's Pondexter headed to Hornets
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -University of Washington swingman Quincy Pondexter is headed to New Orleans after being taken with the No. 26 pick in the NBA draft.Pondexter was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder but will go to the Hornets in a trade that net
Mavs get Dominique Jones from Grizzlies >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Mavericks acquired guard Dominique
Jones from Memphis in exchange for cash considerations during Thursday night's
NBA Draft.
Jones, who played at South Florida, was selected at No. 25 by the Memphis
Tigers edge Mets to avoid sweep >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Magglio Ordonez clubbed a two-run homer and
Ryan Raburn added a solo blast, as the Detroit Tigers fended off the New York
Mets, 6-5, in the finale of a three-game interleague series at Citi Field.
Raburn
Hornets trade Aldrich, Peterson to Thunder >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Hornets traded their first-
round pick center Cole Aldrich along with guard Morris Peterson to the
Oklahoma City Thunder for a pair of lower first-round picks.
The swap was reported by multipl
Wolves acquire Webster from Blazers >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves acquired swingman
Martell Webster from Portland in a draft-night deal.
Going to the Trail Blazers were veteran forward Ryan Gomes and Luke Babbitt, a
power forward from Nevada who wa
(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.
Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup
September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com. The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans.
Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to name a few. Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR. They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich.
The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer. Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your golf sportsbook needs.
Ryder Cup Odds| Europe Tie USA |
4-5 10-1 6-5 |
| Tiger Woods Jim Furyk Phil Mickelson Chris DiMarco David Toms Stewart Cink Chad Campbell Scott Verplank Zach Johnson Vaughan Taylor JJ Henry Brett Wetterich |
9-4 4-1 5-1 7-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 |
| Sergio Garcia Luke Donald Padraig Harrington Colin Montgomerie Darren Clarke David Howell Lee Westwood Paul Casey Henrik Stenson Jose Maria Olazabal Paul McGinley Robert Karlsson |
5-1 5-1 6-1 13-2 8-1 9-1 9-1 11-1 12-1 12-1 20-1 25-1 |
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com
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